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Almaghrabi S, Azzouz M, Tazi Ahnini R. AAV9-mediated AIRE gene delivery clears circulating antibodies and tissue T-cell infiltration in a mouse model of autoimmune polyglandular syndrome type-1. Clin Transl Immunology 2020; 9:e1166. [PMID: 32994995 PMCID: PMC7507015 DOI: 10.1002/cti2.1166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2020] [Revised: 07/22/2020] [Accepted: 07/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Autoimmune polyglandular syndrome type-1 (APS-1) is a monogenic recessive disorder characterised by multiple endocrine abnormalities, chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis and high titres of serum autoantibodies. To date, no curative treatment is available; current therapies manage the symptoms rather than treating the cause and have major side effects. APS-1 is caused by mutations in the autoimmune regulator (AIRE) gene. AIRE mediates central tolerance by directing the ectopic expression of tissue-specific antigens (TSAs) in medullary thymic epithelial cells, causing the deletion of self-reactive thymocytes. Therefore, loss-of-function mutations in AIRE result in a multisystem autoimmune disease. Because of the monogenic aetiology of APS-1 and availability of an APS-1 mouse model, we have explored the option of restoring functional AIRE using adeno-associated virus serotype 9 (AAV9). METHODS The efficacy of AAV9-AIRE (AAV9 carrying AIRE cDNA) gene therapy was assessed in an APS-1 mouse model. We performed intrathymic injection of AAV9-AIRE into APS-1 mouse model using ultrasound imaging technique to accurately locating the thymus. We evaluated the efficiency of this approach alongside measures of autoimmunity and histology of target tissues. RESULTS Intrathymic injection of AAV9-AIRE demonstrated high transduction efficiency and restored AIRE expression in the thymus. AIRE gene delivery led to a significant increase in TSA expression, and importantly a significant reduction of serum autoantibodies in treated versus control mice, which fell to near-undetectable levels by 4 weeks post-treatment. Furthermore, histological analysis of treated animals showed near-normal tissue morphology with no lymphocytic infiltrations, a hallmark of untreated Aire-deficient mice. CONCLUSION This study has demonstrated the feasibility of AAV9-AIRE as a vehicle for gene therapy for APS-1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Almaghrabi
- Department of Infection, Immunity and Cardiovascular DiseaseUniversity of SheffieldSheffieldUK
- Faculty of Applied Medical SciencesKing Abdulaziz UniversityJeddahSaudi Arabia
| | - Mimoun Azzouz
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITRaN)Department of NeuroscienceThe Medical SchoolUniversity of SheffieldSheffieldUK
| | - Rachid Tazi Ahnini
- Department of Infection, Immunity and Cardiovascular DiseaseUniversity of SheffieldSheffieldUK
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Liu Z, Su DM, Yu ZL, Wu F, Liu RF, Luo SQ, Lv ZY, Zeng X, Sun X, Wu ZD. Soluble antigens from the neurotropic pathogen Angiostrongylus cantonensis directly induce thymus atrophy in a mouse model. Oncotarget 2018; 8:48575-48590. [PMID: 28548945 PMCID: PMC5564709 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.17836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2017] [Accepted: 05/02/2017] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The nematode Angiostrongylus cantonensis (A.C.) is a neurotropic pathogen; stage-III larva invade the human (non-permissive host) central nervous system (CNS) to cause eosinophilic meningitis or meningoencephalitis accompanied by immunosuppression. In an A.C.-infectedmouse (another non-permissive host) model, CNS damage-associated T cell immune deficiency and severe inflammation were proposed to result from activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. However, glucocorticoids are anti-inflammatory agents. Additionally, while defects in thymic stromal/epithelial cells (TECs) are the major reason for thymic atrophy, TECs do not express the glucocorticoid receptor. Therefore, activation of the HPA axis cannot fully explain the thymic atrophy and inflammation. Using an A.C.-infected mouse model, we found that A.C.-infected mice developed severe thymic atrophy with dramatic impairments in thymocytes and TECs, particularly cortical TECs, which harbor CD4+CD8+ double-positive thymocytes. The impairments resulted from soluble antigens (sAgs) from A.C. in the thymuses of infected mice, as intrathymic injection of these sAgs into live mice and the addition of these sAgs to thymic cell culture resulted in thymic atrophy and cellular apoptosis, respectively. Therefore, in addition to an indirect effect on thymocytes through the HPA axis, our study reveals a novel mechanism by which A.C. infection in non-permissive hosts directly induces defects in both thymocytes and TECs via soluble antigens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhen Liu
- Department of Parasitology of Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control, Ministry of Education, Guangzhou, China.,Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center for Diseases-Vectors Control, Guangzhou, China
| | - Dong-Ming Su
- Institute for Molecular Medicine, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, TX, USA
| | - Zi-Long Yu
- Department of Parasitology of Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control, Ministry of Education, Guangzhou, China.,Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center for Diseases-Vectors Control, Guangzhou, China
| | - Feng Wu
- Department of Parasitology of Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control, Ministry of Education, Guangzhou, China.,Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center for Diseases-Vectors Control, Guangzhou, China
| | - Rui-Feng Liu
- Department of Parasitology of Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Shi-Qi Luo
- Department of Parasitology of Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control, Ministry of Education, Guangzhou, China.,Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center for Diseases-Vectors Control, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhi-Yue Lv
- Department of Parasitology of Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control, Ministry of Education, Guangzhou, China.,Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center for Diseases-Vectors Control, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xin Zeng
- Department of Parasitology of Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control, Ministry of Education, Guangzhou, China.,Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center for Diseases-Vectors Control, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xi Sun
- Department of Parasitology of Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control, Ministry of Education, Guangzhou, China.,Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center for Diseases-Vectors Control, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhong-Dao Wu
- Department of Parasitology of Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Control, Ministry of Education, Guangzhou, China.,Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center for Diseases-Vectors Control, Guangzhou, China
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Abstract
Intrathymic injection is used in several T cell-associated immunological studies to deliver cells or other substances directly into the thymus. Here, we describe the intrathymic injection procedure involving surgical incision of the mouse with or without a thoracotomy. Though this procedure can result in poor recovery, postsurgical complications, and distress to the animal, it is actually a simple procedure that can be carried out relatively easily and quickly with experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sugata Manna
- Laboratory of Immune Cell Biology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
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