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Carbone F, Russo C, Colamatteo A, La Rocca C, Fusco C, Matarese A, Procaccini C, Matarese G. Cellular and molecular signaling towards T cell immunological self-tolerance. J Biol Chem 2024; 300:107134. [PMID: 38432631 PMCID: PMC10981134 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2024.107134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2023] [Revised: 02/21/2024] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024] Open
Abstract
The binding of a cognate antigen to T cell receptor (TCR) complex triggers a series of intracellular events controlling T cell activation, proliferation, and differentiation. Upon TCR engagement, different negative regulatory feedback mechanisms are rapidly activated to counterbalance T cell activation, thus preventing excessive signal propagation and promoting the induction of immunological self-tolerance. Both positive and negative regulatory processes are tightly controlled to ensure the effective elimination of foreign antigens while limiting surrounding tissue damage and autoimmunity. In this context, signals deriving from co-stimulatory molecules (i.e., CD80, CD86), co-inhibitory receptors (PD-1, CTLA-4), the tyrosine phosphatase CD45 and cytokines such as IL-2 synergize with TCR-derived signals to guide T cell fate and differentiation. The balance of these mechanisms is also crucial for the generation of CD4+ Foxp3+ regulatory T cells, a cellular subset involved in the control of immunological self-tolerance. This review provides an overview of the most relevant pathways induced by TCR activation combined with those derived from co-stimulatory and co-inhibitory molecules implicated in the cell-intrinsic modulation of T cell activation. In addition to the latter, we dissected mechanisms responsible for T cell-mediated suppression of immune cell activation through regulatory T cell generation, homeostasis, and effector functions. We also discuss how imbalanced signaling derived from TCR and accessory molecules can contribute to autoimmune disease pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fortunata Carbone
- Laboratorio di Immunologia, Istituto per l'Endocrinologia e l'Oncologia Sperimentale "G. Salvatore", Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (IEOS-CNR), Napoli, Italy; Unità di Neuroimmunologia, IRCCS-Fondazione Santa Lucia, Roma, Italy
| | - Claudia Russo
- D.A.I. Medicina di Laboratorio e Trasfusionale, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria "Federico II", Napoli, Italy
| | - Alessandra Colamatteo
- Treg Cell Lab, Dipartimento di Medicina Molecolare e Biotecnologie Mediche, Università degli Studi di Napoli "Federico II", Napoli, Italy
| | - Claudia La Rocca
- Laboratorio di Immunologia, Istituto per l'Endocrinologia e l'Oncologia Sperimentale "G. Salvatore", Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (IEOS-CNR), Napoli, Italy
| | - Clorinda Fusco
- Treg Cell Lab, Dipartimento di Medicina Molecolare e Biotecnologie Mediche, Università degli Studi di Napoli "Federico II", Napoli, Italy
| | - Alessandro Matarese
- Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Chirurgia, Università degli Studi di Napoli "Federico II", Naples, Italy
| | - Claudio Procaccini
- Laboratorio di Immunologia, Istituto per l'Endocrinologia e l'Oncologia Sperimentale "G. Salvatore", Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (IEOS-CNR), Napoli, Italy; Unità di Neuroimmunologia, IRCCS-Fondazione Santa Lucia, Roma, Italy.
| | - Giuseppe Matarese
- Laboratorio di Immunologia, Istituto per l'Endocrinologia e l'Oncologia Sperimentale "G. Salvatore", Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (IEOS-CNR), Napoli, Italy; Treg Cell Lab, Dipartimento di Medicina Molecolare e Biotecnologie Mediche, Università degli Studi di Napoli "Federico II", Napoli, Italy.
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2
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Givony T, Leshkowitz D, Del Castillo D, Nevo S, Kadouri N, Dassa B, Gruper Y, Khalaila R, Ben-Nun O, Gome T, Dobeš J, Ben-Dor S, Kedmi M, Keren-Shaul H, Heffner-Krausz R, Porat Z, Golani O, Addadi Y, Brenner O, Lo DD, Goldfarb Y, Abramson J. Thymic mimetic cells function beyond self-tolerance. Nature 2023; 622:164-172. [PMID: 37674082 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06512-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2022] [Accepted: 08/03/2023] [Indexed: 09/08/2023]
Abstract
Development of immunocompetent T cells in the thymus is required for effective defence against all types of pathogens, including viruses, bacteria and fungi. To this end, T cells undergo a very strict educational program in the thymus, during which both non-functional and self-reactive T cell clones are eliminated by means of positive and negative selection1.Thymic epithelial cells (TECs) have an indispensable role in these processes, and previous studies have shown the notable heterogeneity of these cells2-7. Here, using multiomic analysis, we provide further insights into the functional and developmental diversity of TECs in mice, and reveal a detailed atlas of the TEC compartment according to cell transcriptional states and chromatin landscapes. Our analysis highlights unconventional TEC subsets that are similar to functionally well-defined parenchymal populations, including endocrine cells, microfold cells and myocytes. By focusing on the endocrine and microfold TEC populations, we show that endocrine TECs require Insm1 for their development and are crucial to maintaining thymus cellularity in a ghrelin-dependent manner; by contrast, microfold TECs require Spib for their development and are essential for the generation of thymic IgA+ plasma cells. Collectively, our study reveals that medullary TECs have the potential to differentiate into various types of molecularly distinct and functionally defined cells, which not only contribute to the induction of central tolerance, but also regulate the homeostasis of other thymus-resident populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tal Givony
- Department of Immunology and Regenerative Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Dena Leshkowitz
- Bioinformatics Unit, Department of Life Sciences Core Facilities, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Diana Del Castillo
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Shir Nevo
- Department of Immunology and Regenerative Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Noam Kadouri
- Department of Immunology and Regenerative Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Bareket Dassa
- Bioinformatics Unit, Department of Life Sciences Core Facilities, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Yael Gruper
- Department of Immunology and Regenerative Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Razi Khalaila
- Department of Immunology and Regenerative Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Osher Ben-Nun
- Department of Immunology and Regenerative Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Tom Gome
- Department of Immunology and Regenerative Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Jan Dobeš
- Department of Immunology and Regenerative Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
- Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Shifra Ben-Dor
- Bioinformatics Unit, Department of Life Sciences Core Facilities, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Merav Kedmi
- The Nancy and Stephen Grand Israel National Center for Personalized Medicine (G-INCPM), Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Hadas Keren-Shaul
- The Nancy and Stephen Grand Israel National Center for Personalized Medicine (G-INCPM), Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | | | - Ziv Porat
- Flow Cytometry Unit, Department of Life Sciences Core Facilities, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Ofra Golani
- MICC Cell Observatory, Department of Life Sciences Core Facilities, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Yoseph Addadi
- MICC Cell Observatory, Department of Life Sciences Core Facilities, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Ori Brenner
- Department of Veterinary Resources, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - David D Lo
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Yael Goldfarb
- Department of Immunology and Regenerative Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
| | - Jakub Abramson
- Department of Immunology and Regenerative Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
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Hester AK, Semwal MK, Cepeda S, Xiao Y, Rueda M, Wimberly K, Venables T, Dileepan T, Kraig E, Griffith AV. Redox regulation of age-associated defects in generation and maintenance of T cell self-tolerance and immunity to foreign antigens. Cell Rep 2022; 38:110363. [PMID: 35172147 PMCID: PMC8898380 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2020] [Revised: 11/22/2021] [Accepted: 01/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Thymic atrophy reduces naive T cell production and contributes to increased susceptibility to viral infection with age. Expression of tissue-restricted antigen (TRA) genes also declines with age and has been thought to increase autoimmune disease susceptibility. We find that diminished expression of a model TRA gene in aged thymic stromal cells correlates with impaired clonal deletion of cognate T cells recognizing an autoantigen involved in atherosclerosis. Clonal deletion in the polyclonal thymocyte population is also perturbed. Distinct age-associated defects in the generation of antigen-specific T cells include a conspicuous decline in generation of T cells recognizing an immunodominant influenza epitope. Increased catalase activity delays thymic atrophy, and here, we show that it mitigates declining production of influenza-specific T cells and their frequency in lung after infection, but does not reverse declines in TRA expression or efficient negative selection. These results reveal important considerations for strategies to restore thymic function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allison K Hester
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, University of Texas Long School of Medicine, UT Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
| | - Manpreet K Semwal
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, University of Texas Long School of Medicine, UT Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
| | - Sergio Cepeda
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, University of Texas Long School of Medicine, UT Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
| | - Yangming Xiao
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, University of Texas Long School of Medicine, UT Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
| | - Meghan Rueda
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, University of Texas Long School of Medicine, UT Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
| | - Kymberly Wimberly
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, University of Texas Long School of Medicine, UT Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
| | | | - Thamotharampillai Dileepan
- Center for Immunology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA; Department of Microbiology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Ellen Kraig
- Department of Cell Systems and Anatomy, University of Texas Long School of Medicine, UT Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
| | - Ann V Griffith
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, University of Texas Long School of Medicine, UT Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA.
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Koncz B, Balogh GM, Papp BT, Asztalos L, Kemény L, Manczinger M. Self-mediated positive selection of T cells sets an obstacle to the recognition of nonself. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:e2100542118. [PMID: 34507984 PMCID: PMC8449404 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2100542118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Adaptive immune recognition is mediated by the binding of peptide-human leukocyte antigen complexes by T cells. Positive selection of T cells in the thymus is a fundamental step in the generation of a responding T cell repertoire: only those T cells survive that recognize human peptides presented on the surface of cortical thymic epithelial cells. We propose that while this step is essential for optimal immune function, the process results in a defective T cell repertoire because it is mediated by self-peptides. To test our hypothesis, we focused on amino acid motifs of peptides in contact with T cell receptors. We found that motifs rarely or not found in the human proteome are unlikely to be recognized by the immune system just like the ones that are not expressed in cortical thymic epithelial cells or not presented on their surface. Peptides carrying such motifs were especially dissimilar to human proteins. Importantly, we present our main findings on two independent T cell activation datasets and directly demonstrate the absence of naïve T cells in the repertoire of healthy individuals. We also show that T cell cross-reactivity is unable to compensate for the absence of positively selected T cells. Additionally, we show that the proposed mechanism could influence the risk for different infectious diseases. In sum, our results suggest a side effect of T cell positive selection, which could explain the nonresponsiveness to many nonself peptides and could improve the understanding of adaptive immune recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Balázs Koncz
- Department of Dermatology and Allergology, University of Szeged, 6720 Szeged, Hungary
| | - Gergő M Balogh
- Department of Dermatology and Allergology, University of Szeged, 6720 Szeged, Hungary
| | - Benjamin T Papp
- Department of Dermatology and Allergology, University of Szeged, 6720 Szeged, Hungary
- Szeged Scientists Academy, 6720 Szeged, Hungary
| | - Leó Asztalos
- Department of Dermatology and Allergology, University of Szeged, 6720 Szeged, Hungary
- Szeged Scientists Academy, 6720 Szeged, Hungary
| | - Lajos Kemény
- Department of Dermatology and Allergology, University of Szeged, 6720 Szeged, Hungary
- Magyar Tudományos Akadémia - Szegedi Tudományegyetem (MTA-SZTE) Dermatological Research Group, Eötvös Loránd Research Network (ELKH), University of Szeged, 6720 Szeged, Hungary
- Hungarian Centre of Excellence for Molecular Medicine - University of Szeged (HCEMM-USZ) Skin Research Group, 6720 Szeged, Hungary
| | - Máté Manczinger
- Department of Dermatology and Allergology, University of Szeged, 6720 Szeged, Hungary;
- Magyar Tudományos Akadémia - Szegedi Tudományegyetem (MTA-SZTE) Dermatological Research Group, Eötvös Loránd Research Network (ELKH), University of Szeged, 6720 Szeged, Hungary
- Hungarian Centre of Excellence for Molecular Medicine - University of Szeged (HCEMM-USZ) Skin Research Group, 6720 Szeged, Hungary
- Biological Research Centre, Institute of Biochemistry, Synthetic and Systems Biology Unit, Eötvös Loránd Research Network (ELKH), 6726 Szeged, Hungary
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This S, Valbon SF, Lebel MÈ, Melichar HJ. Strength and Numbers: The Role of Affinity and Avidity in the 'Quality' of T Cell Tolerance. Cells 2021; 10:1530. [PMID: 34204485 PMCID: PMC8234061 DOI: 10.3390/cells10061530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2021] [Revised: 06/13/2021] [Accepted: 06/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability of T cells to identify foreign antigens and mount an efficient immune response while limiting activation upon recognition of self and self-associated peptides is critical. Multiple tolerance mechanisms work in concert to prevent the generation and activation of self-reactive T cells. T cell tolerance is tightly regulated, as defects in these processes can lead to devastating disease; a wide variety of autoimmune diseases and, more recently, adverse immune-related events associated with checkpoint blockade immunotherapy have been linked to a breakdown in T cell tolerance. The quantity and quality of antigen receptor signaling depend on a variety of parameters that include T cell receptor affinity and avidity for peptide. Autoreactive T cell fate choices (e.g., deletion, anergy, regulatory T cell development) are highly dependent on the strength of T cell receptor interactions with self-peptide. However, less is known about how differences in the strength of T cell receptor signaling during differentiation influences the 'function' and persistence of anergic and regulatory T cell populations. Here, we review the literature on this subject and discuss the clinical implications of how T cell receptor signal strength influences the 'quality' of anergic and regulatory T cell populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sébastien This
- Centre de Recherche de l’Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont, Montréal, QC H1T 2M4, Canada; (S.T.); (S.F.V.); (M.-È.L.)
- Département de Microbiologie, Immunologie et Infectiologie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC H3C 3J7, Canada
| | - Stefanie F. Valbon
- Centre de Recherche de l’Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont, Montréal, QC H1T 2M4, Canada; (S.T.); (S.F.V.); (M.-È.L.)
- Département de Microbiologie, Immunologie et Infectiologie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC H3C 3J7, Canada
| | - Marie-Ève Lebel
- Centre de Recherche de l’Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont, Montréal, QC H1T 2M4, Canada; (S.T.); (S.F.V.); (M.-È.L.)
| | - Heather J. Melichar
- Centre de Recherche de l’Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont, Montréal, QC H1T 2M4, Canada; (S.T.); (S.F.V.); (M.-È.L.)
- Département de Médecine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC H3T 1J4, Canada
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6
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Abstract
Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are indispensable for the establishment and maintenance of immunological self-tolerance. Their genetic anomalies or variations in function are causative of various monogenic and polygenic autoimmune diseases. Treg-based reestablishment of self-tolerance is envisioned to cure autoimmune diseases in the clinic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shimon Sakaguchi
- Laboratory of Experimental Immunology, Immunology Frontier Research Center, Osaka University, Suita, Japan
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7
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Abstract
Self- and non-self ligand discrimination is a core principle underlying T cell-mediated immunity. Mature αβ T cells can respond to a foreign peptide ligand presented by major histocompatibility complex molecules (pMHCs) on antigen presenting cells, on a background of continuously sensed self-pMHCs. How αβ T cells can properly balance high sensitivity and high specificity to foreign pMHCs, while surrounded by a sea of self-peptide ligands is not well understood. Such discrimination cannot be explained solely by the affinity parameters of T cell antigen receptor (TCR) and pMHC interaction. In this review, we will discuss how T cell ligand discrimination may be molecularly defined by events downstream of the TCR-pMHC interaction. We will discuss new evidence in support of the kinetic proofreading model of TCR ligand discrimination, and in particular how the kinetics of specific phosphorylation sites within the adaptor protein linker for activation of T cells (LAT) determine the outcome of TCR signaling. In addition, we will discuss emerging data regarding how some kinases, including ZAP-70 and LCK, may possess scaffolding functions to more efficiently direct their kinase activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wan-Lin Lo
- Division of Rheumatology, Rosalind Russell and Ephraim P. Engleman Arthritis Research Center, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Arthur Weiss
- Division of Rheumatology, Rosalind Russell and Ephraim P. Engleman Arthritis Research Center, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
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8
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Cotrim-Sousa L, Freire-Assis A, Pezzi N, Tanaka PP, Oliveira EH, Passos GA. Adhesion between medullary thymic epithelial cells and thymocytes is regulated by miR-181b-5p and miR-30b. Mol Immunol 2019; 114:600-611. [PMID: 31539668 DOI: 10.1016/j.molimm.2019.09.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2019] [Revised: 09/03/2019] [Accepted: 09/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
In this work, we demonstrate that adhesion between medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs) and thymocytes is controlled by miRNAs. Adhesion between mTECs and developing thymocytes is essential for triggering negative selection (NS) of autoreactive thymocytes that occurs in the thymus. Immune recognition is mediated by the MHC / TCR receptor, whereas adhesion molecules hold cell-cell interaction stability. Indeed, these processes must be finely controlled, if it is not, it may lead to aggressive autoimmunity. Conversely, the precise molecular genetic control of mTEC-thymocyte adhesion is largely unclear. Here, we asked whether miRNAs would be controlling this process through the posttranscriptional regulation of mRNAs that encode adhesion molecules. For this, we used small interfering RNA to knockdown (KD) Dicer mRNA in vitro in a murine mTEC line. A functional assay with fresh murine thymocytes co-cultured with mTECs showed that single-positive (SP) CD4 and CD8 thymocyte adhesion was increased after Dicer KD and most adherent subtype was CD8 SP cells. Analysis of broad mTEC transcriptional expression showed that Dicer KD led to the modulation of 114 miRNAs and 422 mRNAs, including those encoding cell adhesion or extracellular matrix proteins, such as Lgals9, Lgals3pb, Tnc and Cd47. Analysis of miRNA-mRNA networks followed by miRNA mimic transfection showed that these mRNAs are under the control of miR-181b-5p and miR-30b*, which may ultimately control mTEC-thymocyte adhesion. The expression of CD80 surface marker in mTECs was increased after Dicer KD following thymocyte adhesion. This indicates the existence of new mechanisms in mTECs that involve the synergistic action of thymocyte adhesion and regulatory miRNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Larissa Cotrim-Sousa
- Molecular Immunogenetics Group, Department of Genetics, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo (USP), Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Amanda Freire-Assis
- Molecular Immunogenetics Group, Department of Genetics, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo (USP), Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil; State University of Minas Gerais, Passos, MG, Brazil
| | - Nicole Pezzi
- Graduate Program in Basic and Applied Immunology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo (USP), Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Pedro Paranhos Tanaka
- Molecular Immunogenetics Group, Department of Genetics, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo (USP), Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Ernna Hérida Oliveira
- Molecular Immunogenetics Group, Department of Genetics, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo (USP), Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Geraldo Aleixo Passos
- Molecular Immunogenetics Group, Department of Genetics, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo (USP), Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil; Graduate Program in Basic and Applied Immunology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo (USP), Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil; Laboratory of Genetics and Molecular Biology, Department of Basic and Oral Biology, School of Dentistry of Ribeirão Preto, USP, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil.
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9
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Abstract
Among various environmental factors associated with triggering or exacerbating autoimmune response, an important role is played by infections. A breakdown of immune tolerance as a byproduct of immune response against these infections is one of the major causes of autoimmune disease. In this paper we analyse the dynamics of immune response with particular emphasis on the role of time delays characterising the infection and the immune response, as well as on interactions between different types of T cells and cytokines that mediate their behaviour. Stability analysis of the model provides insights into how different model parameters affect the dynamics. Numerical stability analysis and simulations are performed to identify basins of attraction of different dynamical states, and to illustrate the behaviour of the model in different regimes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farzad Fatehi
- Department of Mathematics, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton, BN1 9QH, United Kingdom
| | - Yuliya N Kyrychko
- Department of Mathematics, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton, BN1 9QH, United Kingdom
| | - Konstantin B Blyuss
- Department of Mathematics, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton, BN1 9QH, United Kingdom
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10
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Bretscher PA. The history of the two-signal model of lymphocyte activation: A personal perspective. Scand J Immunol 2019; 89:e12762. [PMID: 30825214 PMCID: PMC6850391 DOI: 10.1111/sji.12762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2018] [Revised: 02/26/2019] [Accepted: 02/27/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
The first ideas leading to The Two-Signal Model of lymphocyte activation were published 50 years ago, but the model was not realized in one sitting. I describe the three phases that led to its contemporary formulations. A motivation underlying all these models was to generate a minimal description of what is required for antigen to inactivate and activate mature lymphocytes that, at the same time, accounts for how peripheral tolerance is achieved. I suggest the two signal model has not only provided a substantiated framework for understanding how antigen interacts differently with B cells and CD8 T cells, to result in their inactivation and activation, but its postulates are pertinent to contemporary issues concerning the inactivation and activation of CD4 T cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter A. Bretscher
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and ImmunologyUniversity of SaskatchewanSaskatoonSaskatchewanCanada
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11
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Lu DR, McDavid AN, Kongpachith S, Lingampalli N, Glanville J, Ju CH, Gottardo R, Robinson WH. T Cell-Dependent Affinity Maturation and Innate Immune Pathways Differentially Drive Autoreactive B Cell Responses in Rheumatoid Arthritis. Arthritis Rheumatol 2018; 70:1732-1744. [PMID: 29855173 PMCID: PMC6203609 DOI: 10.1002/art.40578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2018] [Accepted: 05/29/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is characterized by the activation of B cells that produce anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPAs) and rheumatoid factors (RFs), but the mechanisms by which tolerance is broken in these B cells remain incompletely understood. We undertook this study to investigate whether ACPA+ and RF+ B cells break tolerance through distinct molecular mechanisms. METHODS We developed antigen-tetramers to isolate ACPA+ and RF+ B cells and performed single-cell RNA sequencing on 2,349 B cells from 6 RA patients and 1 healthy donor to analyze their immunoglobulin repertoires and transcriptional programs. Prominent immunoglobulins were expressed as monoclonal antibodies and tested for autoantigen reactivity. RESULTS ACPA+ and RF+ B cells were enriched in the peripheral blood of RA patients relative to healthy controls. Characterization of patient-derived monoclonal antibodies confirmed ACPA and RF targeting of tetramer-specific B cells at both antigen-inexperienced and affinity-matured B cell stages. ACPA+ B cells used more class-switched isotypes and exhibited more somatic hypermutations relative to RF+ B cells, and these differences were accompanied by down-regulation of CD72 and up-regulation of genes that promote class-switching and T cell-dependent responses. In contrast, RF+ B cells expressed transcriptional programs that stimulate rapid memory reactivation through multiple innate immune pathways. Coexpression analysis revealed that ACPA+ and RF+ B cell-enriched genes belong to distinct transcriptional regulatory networks. CONCLUSION Our findings suggest that ACPA+ and RF+ B cells are imprinted with distinct transcriptional programs, which suggests that these autoantibodies associated with increased inflammation in RA arise from 2 different molecular mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel R. Lu
- Stanford Immunology Program, Stanford University, Stanford, CA
- Division of Immunology and Rheumatology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA
- VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA
| | | | - Sarah Kongpachith
- Stanford Immunology Program, Stanford University, Stanford, CA
- Division of Immunology and Rheumatology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA
- VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA
| | - Nithya Lingampalli
- Division of Immunology and Rheumatology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA
- VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA
| | - Jacob Glanville
- Stanford Immunology Program, Stanford University, Stanford, CA
| | - Chia-Hsin Ju
- Division of Immunology and Rheumatology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA
- VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA
| | | | - William H. Robinson
- Stanford Immunology Program, Stanford University, Stanford, CA
- Division of Immunology and Rheumatology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA
- VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA
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12
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Collins AM, Watson CT. Immunoglobulin Light Chain Gene Rearrangements, Receptor Editing and the Development of a Self-Tolerant Antibody Repertoire. Front Immunol 2018; 9:2249. [PMID: 30349529 PMCID: PMC6186787 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.02249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2018] [Accepted: 09/10/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Discussion of the antibody repertoire usually emphasizes diversity, but a conspicuous feature of the light chain repertoire is its lack of diversity. The diversity of reported allelic variants of germline light chain genes is also limited, even in well-studied species. In this review, the implications of this lack of diversity are considered. We explore germline and rearranged light chain genes in a variety of species, with a particular focus on human and mouse genes. The importance of the number, organization and orientation of the genes for the control of repertoire development is discussed, and we consider how primary rearrangements and receptor editing together shape the expressed light chain repertoire. The resulting repertoire is dominated by just a handful of IGKV and IGLV genes. It has been hypothesized that an important function of the light chain is to guard against self-reactivity, and the role of secondary rearrangements in this process could explain the genomic organization of the light chain genes. It could also explain why the light chain repertoire is so limited. Heavy and light chain genes may have co-evolved to ensure that suitable light chain partners are usually available for each heavy chain that forms early in B cell development. We suggest that the co-evolved loci of the house mouse often became separated during the inbreeding of laboratory mice, resulting in new pairings of loci that are derived from different sub-species of the house mouse. A resulting vulnerability to self-reactivity could explain at least some mouse models of autoimmune disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew M. Collins
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Corey T. Watson
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY, United States
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13
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Sugimoto K, Hui SP, Sheng DZ, Nakayama M, Kikuchi K. Zebrafish FOXP3 is required for the maintenance of immune tolerance. Dev Comp Immunol 2017; 73:156-162. [PMID: 28365195 DOI: 10.1016/j.dci.2017.03.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2017] [Revised: 03/14/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Regulatory T (Treg) cells play a central role in the suppression of excessive immune responses against both self and non-self antigens. The development and function of Treg cells are controlled by a master regulatory gene encoding the forkhead box P3 (FOXP3) protein in mammals. However, little is known regarding the functions of Treg cells and FOXP3 in non-mammalian vertebrates. In this study, we generated mutant zebrafish lacking a functional FOXP3 ortholog, and demonstrated a significant reduction in survival accompanied by a marked increase in inflammatory gene expression, mononuclear cell infiltration, and T cell proliferation in peripheral tissues. Our findings indicate that the zebrafish FOXP3 protein may have an evolutionally conserved role in the control of immune tolerance, illuminating the potential of the zebrafish as a novel model for investigating the development and functions of Treg cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kotaro Sugimoto
- Developmental and Stem Cell Biology Division, Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Darlinghurst, NSW 2010, Australia
| | - Subhra P Hui
- Developmental and Stem Cell Biology Division, Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Darlinghurst, NSW 2010, Australia
| | - Delicia Z Sheng
- Developmental and Stem Cell Biology Division, Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Darlinghurst, NSW 2010, Australia
| | - Maki Nakayama
- Developmental and Stem Cell Biology Division, Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Darlinghurst, NSW 2010, Australia
| | - Kazu Kikuchi
- Developmental and Stem Cell Biology Division, Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Darlinghurst, NSW 2010, Australia; St. Vincent's Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW 2052, Australia.
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14
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Kondo K, Takada K, Takahama Y. Antigen processing and presentation in the thymus: implications for T cell repertoire selection. Curr Opin Immunol 2017; 46:53-57. [PMID: 28477557 DOI: 10.1016/j.coi.2017.03.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2017] [Accepted: 03/29/2017] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
The processing and presentation of major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-associated antigens depend on the intracellular digestion of self- and nonself-proteins, the loading of digested peptides onto MHC molecules, and the traffic of peptide-MHC complexes to plasma membrane surface for display to interacting T cells. Recent studies have revealed unique machineries for antigen processing and presentation in thymic antigen-presenting cells that display self-antigens to developing thymocytes for the formation of functionally competent yet self-tolerant T cell repertoire. Here, we briefly summarize those machineries, focusing on the biology of cortical and medullary thymic epithelial cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenta Kondo
- Division of Experimental Immunology, Institute of Advanced Medical Sciences, University of Tokushima, 3-18-15 Kuramoto, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan
| | - Kensuke Takada
- Division of Experimental Immunology, Institute of Advanced Medical Sciences, University of Tokushima, 3-18-15 Kuramoto, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan; Laboratory of Molecular Medicine, Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, N18W9 Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0818, Japan
| | - Yousuke Takahama
- Division of Experimental Immunology, Institute of Advanced Medical Sciences, University of Tokushima, 3-18-15 Kuramoto, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan.
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15
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Abstract
The pathogenesis of vitiligo involves interplay between intrinsic and extrinsic melanocyte defects, innate immune inflammation, and T-cell-mediated melanocyte destruction. The goal of treatment is to not only halt disease progression but also promote repigmentation through melanocyte regeneration, proliferation, and migration. Treatment strategies that address all aspects of disease pathogenesis and repigmentation are likely to have greatest efficacy, a strategy that may require combination therapies. Current treatments generally involve nontargeted suppression of autoimmunity, whereas emerging treatments are likely to use a more targeted approach based on in-depth understanding of disease pathogenesis, which may provide higher efficacy with a good safety profile.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mehdi Rashighi
- Department of Dermatology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA; Department of Dermatology, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, 415 Taleqani Avenue, Tehran 1416613675, Iran
| | - John E Harris
- Department of Dermatology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA.
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16
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Pezzi N, Assis AF, Cotrim-Sousa LC, Lopes GS, Mosella MS, Lima DS, Bombonato-Prado KF, Passos GA. Aire knockdown in medullary thymic epithelial cells affects Aire protein, deregulates cell adhesion genes and decreases thymocyte interaction. Mol Immunol 2016; 77:157-73. [PMID: 27505711 DOI: 10.1016/j.molimm.2016.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2016] [Revised: 07/12/2016] [Accepted: 08/02/2016] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
We demonstrate that even a partial reduction of Aire mRNA levels by siRNA-induced Aire knockdown (Aire KD) has important consequences to medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs). Aire knockdown is sufficient to reduce Aire protein levels, impair its nuclear location, and cause an imbalance in large-scale gene expression, including genes that encode cell adhesion molecules. These genes drew our attention because adhesion molecules are implicated in the process of mTEC-thymocyte adhesion, which is critical for T cell development and the establishment of central self-tolerance. Accordingly, we consider the following: 1) mTECs contribute to the elimination of self-reactive thymocytes through adhesion; 2) Adhesion molecules play a crucial role during physical contact between these cells; and 3) Aire is an important transcriptional regulator in mTECs. However, its role in controlling mTEC-thymocyte adhesion remains unclear. Because Aire controls adhesion molecule genes, we hypothesized that the disruption of its expression could influence mTEC-thymocyte interaction. To test this hypothesis, we used a murine Aire(+) mTEC cell line as a model system to reproduce mTEC-thymocyte adhesion in vitro. Transcriptome analysis of the mTEC cell line revealed that Aire KD led to the down-modulation of more than 800 genes, including those encoding for proteins involved in cell adhesion, i.e., the extracellular matrix constituent Lama1, the CAM family adhesion molecules Vcam1 and Icam4, and those that encode peripheral tissue antigens. Thymocytes co-cultured with Aire KD mTECs had a significantly reduced capacity to adhere to these cells. This finding is the first direct evidence that Aire also plays a role in controlling mTEC-thymocyte adhesion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Pezzi
- Molecular Immunogenetics Group, Department of Genetics, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo (USP), Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Amanda Freire Assis
- Molecular Immunogenetics Group, Department of Genetics, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo (USP), Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Larissa Cotrim Cotrim-Sousa
- Molecular Immunogenetics Group, Department of Genetics, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo (USP), Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Gabriel Sarti Lopes
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, USP, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Maritza Salas Mosella
- Molecular Immunogenetics Group, Department of Genetics, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo (USP), Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Djalma Sousa Lima
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, USP, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Karina F Bombonato-Prado
- Department of Morphology, Physiology and Basic Pathology, School of Dentistry of Ribeirão Preto, USP, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Geraldo Aleixo Passos
- Molecular Immunogenetics Group, Department of Genetics, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo (USP), Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil; Department of Morphology, Physiology and Basic Pathology, School of Dentistry of Ribeirão Preto, USP, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil.
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17
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Leventhal DS, Gilmore DC, Berger JM, Nishi S, Lee V, Malchow S, Kline DE, Kline J, Vander Griend DJ, Huang H, Socci ND, Savage PA. Dendritic Cells Coordinate the Development and Homeostasis of Organ-Specific Regulatory T Cells. Immunity 2016; 44:847-59. [PMID: 27037189 PMCID: PMC4842258 DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2016.01.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2015] [Revised: 11/27/2015] [Accepted: 01/29/2016] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Although antigen recognition mediated by the T cell receptor (TCR) influences many facets of Foxp3(+) regulatory T (Treg) cell biology, including development and function, the cell types that present antigen to Treg cells in vivo remain largely undefined. By tracking a clonal population of Aire-dependent, prostate-specific Treg cells in mice, we demonstrated an essential role for dendritic cells (DCs) in regulating organ-specific Treg cell biology. We have shown that the thymic development of prostate-specific Treg cells required antigen presentation by DCs. Moreover, Batf3-dependent CD8α(+) DCs were dispensable for the development of this clonotype and had negligible impact on the polyclonal Treg cell repertoire. In the periphery, CCR7-dependent migratory DCs coordinated the activation of organ-specific Treg cells in the prostate-draining lymph nodes. Our results demonstrate that the development and peripheral regulation of organ-specific Treg cells are dependent on antigen presentation by DCs, implicating DCs as key mediators of organ-specific immune tolerance.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Dana C Gilmore
- Department of Pathology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Julian M Berger
- Department of Pathology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Saki Nishi
- Department of Pathology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Victoria Lee
- Department of Pathology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Sven Malchow
- Department of Pathology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Douglas E Kline
- Department of Medicine, Section of Hematology-Oncology, University of Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Justin Kline
- Department of Medicine, Section of Hematology-Oncology, University of Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | | | - Haochu Huang
- Department of Medicine, Section of Rheumatology, University of Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Nicholas D Socci
- Bioinformatics Core, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - Peter A Savage
- Department of Pathology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
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18
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Alari-Pahissa E, Grandclément C, Jeevan-Raj B, Leclercq G, Veillette A, Held W. Activation by SLAM Family Receptors Contributes to NK Cell Mediated "Missing-Self" Recognition. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0153236. [PMID: 27054584 PMCID: PMC4824421 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0153236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2015] [Accepted: 03/27/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Natural Killer (NK) cells attack normal hematopoietic cells that do not express inhibitory MHC class I (MHC-I) molecules, but the ligands that activate NK cells remain incompletely defined. Here we show that the expression of the Signaling Lymphocyte Activation Molecule (SLAM) family members CD48 and Ly9 (CD229) by MHC-I-deficient tumor cells significantly contributes to NK cell activation. When NK cells develop in the presence of T cells or B cells that lack inhibitory MHC-I but express activating CD48 and Ly9 ligands, the NK cells’ ability to respond to MHC-I-deficient tumor cells is severely compromised. In this situation, NK cells express normal levels of the corresponding activation receptors 2B4 (CD244) and Ly9 but these receptors are non-functional. This provides a partial explanation for the tolerance of NK cells to MHC-I-deficient cells in vivo. Activating signaling via 2B4 is restored when MHC-I-deficient T cells are removed, indicating that interactions with MHC-I-deficient T cells dominantly, but not permanently, impair the function of the 2B4 NK cell activation receptor. These data identify an important role of SLAM family receptors for NK cell mediated “missing-self” reactivity and suggest that NK cell tolerance in MHC-I mosaic mice is in part explained by an acquired dysfunction of SLAM family receptors.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Antigens, CD/immunology
- Antigens, CD/metabolism
- Flow Cytometry
- Histocompatibility Antigens Class I/immunology
- Histocompatibility Antigens Class I/metabolism
- Killer Cells, Natural/immunology
- Melanoma, Experimental/immunology
- Melanoma, Experimental/pathology
- Mice
- Mice, Inbred C57BL
- Mice, Knockout
- Receptors, Cell Surface/immunology
- Receptors, Cell Surface/metabolism
- Receptors, Immunologic/metabolism
- Self Tolerance/immunology
- Signaling Lymphocytic Activation Molecule Family
- Signaling Lymphocytic Activation Molecule Family Member 1
- Tumor Cells, Cultured
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisenda Alari-Pahissa
- Ludwig Center for Cancer Research, Department of Oncology, University of Lausanne, Epalinges, Switzerland
| | - Camille Grandclément
- Ludwig Center for Cancer Research, Department of Oncology, University of Lausanne, Epalinges, Switzerland
| | - Beena Jeevan-Raj
- Ludwig Center for Cancer Research, Department of Oncology, University of Lausanne, Epalinges, Switzerland
| | - Georges Leclercq
- Department of Clinical Chemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ghent, Ghent, Belgium
| | - André Veillette
- Department of Medicine, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Werner Held
- Ludwig Center for Cancer Research, Department of Oncology, University of Lausanne, Epalinges, Switzerland
- * E-mail:
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19
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Abstract
More than 15 years ago, mutations in the autoimmune regulator (AIRE) gene were identified as the cause of autoimmune polyglandular syndrome type 1 (APS1). It is now clear that this transcription factor has a crucial role in promoting self-tolerance in the thymus by regulating the expression of a wide array of self-antigens that have the commonality of being tissue-restricted in their expression pattern in the periphery. In this Review, we highlight many of the recent advances in our understanding of the complex biology that is related to AIRE, with a particular focus on advances in genetics, molecular interactions and the effect of AIRE on thymic selection of regulatory T cells. Furthermore, we highlight new areas of biology that are potentially affected by this key regulator of immune tolerance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maureen A. Su
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, and Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
- Department of Microbiology/Immunology, School of Medicine, and Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
| | - Mark S. Anderson
- Diabetes Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143
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20
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Lin J, Yang L, Silva HM, Trzeciak A, Choi Y, Schwab SR, Dustin ML, Lafaille JJ. Increased generation of Foxp3(+) regulatory T cells by manipulating antigen presentation in the thymus. Nat Commun 2016; 7:10562. [PMID: 26923114 PMCID: PMC4773449 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms10562] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2015] [Accepted: 12/28/2015] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Regulatory T-cell (Treg) selection in the thymus is essential to prevent autoimmune diseases. Although important rules for Treg selection have been established, there is controversy regarding the degree of self-reactivity displayed by T-cell receptors expressed by Treg cells. In this study we have developed a model of autoimmune skin inflammation, to determine key parameters in the generation of skin-reactive Treg cells in the thymus (tTreg). tTreg development is predominantly AIRE dependent, with an AIRE-independent component. Without the knowledge of antigen recognized by skin-reactive Treg cells, we are able to enhance skin-specific tTreg cell generation using three approaches. First, we increase medullary thymic epithelial cells by using mice lacking osteoprotegerin or by adding TRANCE (RANKL, Tnfsf11). Second, we inject intrathymically peripheral dendritic cells from skin-draining sites. Finally, we inject skin tissue lysates intrathymically. These findings have implications for enhancing the generation of organ-specific Treg cells in autoimmune diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiqiang Lin
- Molecular Pathogenesis Program, Kimmel Center for Biology and Medicine at the Skirball Institute, New York University School of Medicine, 540 First Avenue, New York, New York 10016, USA
- The Sackler Institute of Graduate Biomedical Sciences, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York 10016, USA
| | - Lu Yang
- Molecular Pathogenesis Program, Kimmel Center for Biology and Medicine at the Skirball Institute, New York University School of Medicine, 540 First Avenue, New York, New York 10016, USA
- The Sackler Institute of Graduate Biomedical Sciences, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York 10016, USA
| | - Hernandez Moura Silva
- Molecular Pathogenesis Program, Kimmel Center for Biology and Medicine at the Skirball Institute, New York University School of Medicine, 540 First Avenue, New York, New York 10016, USA
| | - Alissa Trzeciak
- Molecular Pathogenesis Program, Kimmel Center for Biology and Medicine at the Skirball Institute, New York University School of Medicine, 540 First Avenue, New York, New York 10016, USA
| | - Yongwon Choi
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Institute for Immunology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
| | - Susan R. Schwab
- Molecular Pathogenesis Program, Kimmel Center for Biology and Medicine at the Skirball Institute, New York University School of Medicine, 540 First Avenue, New York, New York 10016, USA
- Department of Pathology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York 10016, USA
| | - Michael L. Dustin
- Molecular Pathogenesis Program, Kimmel Center for Biology and Medicine at the Skirball Institute, New York University School of Medicine, 540 First Avenue, New York, New York 10016, USA
- Department of Pathology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York 10016, USA
- Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7FY, UK
| | - Juan J. Lafaille
- Molecular Pathogenesis Program, Kimmel Center for Biology and Medicine at the Skirball Institute, New York University School of Medicine, 540 First Avenue, New York, New York 10016, USA
- Department of Pathology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York 10016, USA
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21
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Abramson J, Goldfarb Y. AIRE: From promiscuous molecular partnerships to promiscuous gene expression. Eur J Immunol 2016; 46:22-33. [PMID: 26450177 DOI: 10.1002/eji.201545792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2015] [Revised: 08/10/2015] [Accepted: 10/05/2015] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Autoimmune regulator (AIRE) is a unique transcriptional regulator that induces promiscuous expression of thousands of tissue-restricted antigens (TRAs) in medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs), a step critical for the induction of immunological self-tolerance. The past 15 years have seen dramatic progress in our understanding of how AIRE induces immunological self-tolerance on a molecular level. This major advancement can be greatly attributed to the identification of a large variety of proteins that physically associate with AIRE, supporting and regulating its transcription-transactivation capacity. These diverse molecular partnerships have been shown to play roles in shuttling AIRE to the nucleus, securing AIRE's interaction with nuclear matrix and chromatin, releasing RNA polymerase-II from its stalled state and potentiating AIRE-mediated gene expression, among others. In this review we discuss the relationship of AIRE with its vast and rather diverse repertoire of partners and highlight how such "promiscuous partnerships" contribute to the phenomenon of "promiscuous gene expression" in the thymus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jakub Abramson
- Department of Immunology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Yael Goldfarb
- Department of Immunology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
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22
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Feng Y, van der Veeken J, Shugay M, Putintseva EV, Osmanbeyoglu HU, Dikiy S, Hoyos BE, Moltedo B, Hemmers S, Treuting P, Leslie CS, Chudakov DM, Rudensky AY. A mechanism for expansion of regulatory T-cell repertoire and its role in self-tolerance. Nature 2015; 528:132-136. [PMID: 26605529 PMCID: PMC4862833 DOI: 10.1038/nature16141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 113] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2015] [Accepted: 10/12/2015] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
T-cell receptor (TCR) signalling has a key role in determining T-cell fate. Precursor cells expressing TCRs within a certain low-affinity range for complexes of self-peptide and major histocompatibility complex (MHC) undergo positive selection and differentiate into naive T cells expressing a highly diverse self-MHC-restricted TCR repertoire. In contrast, precursors displaying TCRs with a high affinity for 'self' are either eliminated through TCR-agonist-induced apoptosis (negative selection) or restrained by regulatory T (Treg) cells, whose differentiation and function are controlled by the X-chromosome-encoded transcription factor Foxp3 (reviewed in ref. 2). Foxp3 is expressed in a fraction of self-reactive T cells that escape negative selection in response to agonist-driven TCR signals combined with interleukin 2 (IL-2) receptor signalling. In addition to Treg cells, TCR-agonist-driven selection results in the generation of several other specialized T-cell lineages such as natural killer T cells and innate mucosal-associated invariant T cells. Although the latter exhibit a restricted TCR repertoire, Treg cells display a highly diverse collection of TCRs. Here we explore in mice whether a specialized mechanism enables agonist-driven selection of Treg cells with a diverse TCR repertoire, and the importance this holds for self-tolerance. We show that the intronic Foxp3 enhancer conserved noncoding sequence 3 (CNS3) acts as an epigenetic switch that confers a poised state to the Foxp3 promoter in precursor cells to make Treg cell lineage commitment responsive to a broad range of TCR stimuli, particularly to suboptimal ones. CNS3-dependent expansion of the TCR repertoire enables Treg cells to control self-reactive T cells effectively, especially when thymic negative selection is genetically impaired. Our findings highlight the complementary roles of these two main mechanisms of self-tolerance.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Cell Differentiation
- Cell Lineage
- Conserved Sequence/genetics
- Enhancer Elements, Genetic/genetics
- Epigenesis, Genetic
- Female
- Forkhead Transcription Factors/genetics
- Introns/genetics
- Male
- Mice
- Promoter Regions, Genetic/genetics
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/genetics
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/metabolism
- Receptors, Interleukin-2/immunology
- Receptors, Interleukin-2/metabolism
- Self Tolerance/immunology
- Signal Transduction
- T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory/cytology
- T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory/immunology
- T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory/metabolism
- Transcription Factors/deficiency
- AIRE Protein
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongqiang Feng
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Immunology Program, Ludwig Center at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Joris van der Veeken
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Immunology Program, Ludwig Center at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Mikhail Shugay
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry RAS, 117997, Miklukho-Maklaya 16/10, Moscow, Russia
- Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, 117997, Ostrovityanova 1, Moscow, Russia
| | - Ekaterina V Putintseva
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry RAS, 117997, Miklukho-Maklaya 16/10, Moscow, Russia
| | - Hatice U Osmanbeyoglu
- Computational Biology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York 10065, USA
| | - Stanislav Dikiy
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Immunology Program, Ludwig Center at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Beatrice E Hoyos
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Immunology Program, Ludwig Center at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Bruno Moltedo
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Immunology Program, Ludwig Center at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Saskia Hemmers
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Immunology Program, Ludwig Center at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Piper Treuting
- Department of Comparative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
| | - Christina S Leslie
- Computational Biology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York 10065, USA
| | - Dmitriy M Chudakov
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry RAS, 117997, Miklukho-Maklaya 16/10, Moscow, Russia
- Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, 117997, Ostrovityanova 1, Moscow, Russia
| | - Alexander Y Rudensky
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Immunology Program, Ludwig Center at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
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23
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Nishijima H, Kitano S, Miyachi H, Morimoto J, Kawano H, Hirota F, Morita R, Mouri Y, Masuda K, Imoto I, Ikuta K, Matsumoto M. Ectopic Aire Expression in the Thymic Cortex Reveals Inherent Properties of Aire as a Tolerogenic Factor within the Medulla. J Immunol 2015; 195:4641-9. [PMID: 26453754 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1501026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2015] [Accepted: 09/14/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Cortical thymic epithelial cells (cTECs) and medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs) play essential roles in the positive and negative selection of developing thymocytes, respectively. Aire in mTECs plays an essential role in the latter process through expression of broad arrays of tissue-restricted Ags. To determine whether the location of Aire within the medulla is absolutely essential or whether Aire could also function within the cortex for establishment of self-tolerance, we used bacterial artificial chromosome technology to establish a semiknockin strain of NOD-background (β5t/Aire-transgenic) mice expressing Aire under control of the promoter of β5t, a thymoproteasome expressed exclusively in the cortex. Although Aire was expressed in cTECs as typical nuclear dot protein in β5t/Aire-Tg mice, cTECs expressing Aire ectopically did not confer transcriptional expression of either Aire-dependent or Aire-independent tissue-restricted Ag genes. We then crossed β5t/Aire-Tg mice with Aire-deficient NOD mice, generating a strain in which Aire expression was confined to cTECs. Despite the presence of Aire(+) cTECs, these mice succumbed to autoimmunity, as did Aire-deficient NOD mice. The thymic microenvironment harboring Aire(+) cTECs, within which many Aire-activated genes were present, also showed no obvious alteration of positive selection, suggesting that Aire's unique property of generating a self-tolerant T cell repertoire is functional only in mTECs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hitoshi Nishijima
- Division of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Enzyme Research, Tokushima University, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan
| | - Satsuki Kitano
- Reproductive Engineering Team, Institute for Virus Research, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan
| | - Hitoshi Miyachi
- Reproductive Engineering Team, Institute for Virus Research, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan
| | - Junko Morimoto
- Division of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Enzyme Research, Tokushima University, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Kawano
- Division of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Enzyme Research, Tokushima University, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan
| | - Fumiko Hirota
- Division of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Enzyme Research, Tokushima University, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan; Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development-Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology, Tokyo 100-0004, Japan
| | - Ryoko Morita
- Division of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Enzyme Research, Tokushima University, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan; Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development-Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology, Tokyo 100-0004, Japan
| | - Yasuhiro Mouri
- Division of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Enzyme Research, Tokushima University, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan
| | - Kiyoshi Masuda
- Department of Human Genetics, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University Graduate School, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan; and
| | - Issei Imoto
- Department of Human Genetics, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University Graduate School, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan; and
| | - Koichi Ikuta
- Laboratory of Biological Protection, Department of Biological Responses, Institute for Virus Research, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan
| | - Mitsuru Matsumoto
- Division of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Enzyme Research, Tokushima University, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan; Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development-Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology, Tokyo 100-0004, Japan;
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24
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Yanagihara T, Sanematsu F, Sato T, Uruno T, Duan X, Tomino T, Harada Y, Watanabe M, Wang Y, Tanaka Y, Nakanishi Y, Suyama M, Yoshinori F. Intronic regulation of Aire expression by Jmjd6 for self-tolerance induction in the thymus. Nat Commun 2015; 6:8820. [PMID: 26531897 PMCID: PMC4667615 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms9820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2015] [Accepted: 10/07/2015] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The thymus has spatially distinct microenvironments, the cortex and the medulla, where the developing T-cells are selected to mature or die through the interaction with thymic stromal cells. To establish the immunological self in the thymus, medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs) express diverse sets of tissue-specific self-antigens (TSAs). This ectopic expression of TSAs largely depends on the transcriptional regulator Aire, yet the mechanism controlling Aire expression itself remains unknown. Here, we show that Jmjd6, a dioxygenase that catalyses lysyl hydroxylation of splicing regulatory proteins, is critical for Aire expression. Although Jmjd6 deficiency does not affect abundance of Aire transcript, the intron 2 of Aire gene is not effectively spliced out in the absence of Jmjd6, resulting in marked reduction of mature Aire protein in mTECs and spontaneous development of multi-organ autoimmunity in mice. These results highlight the importance of intronic regulation in controlling Aire protein expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toyoshi Yanagihara
- Division of Immunogenetics, Department of Immunobiology and Neuroscience, Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan
- Research Institute for Diseases of the Chest, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan
| | - Fumiyuki Sanematsu
- Division of Immunogenetics, Department of Immunobiology and Neuroscience, Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan
- Research Centre for Advanced Immunology, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan
| | - Tetsuya Sato
- Division of Bioinformatics, Multi-scale Research Centre for Medical Science, Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan
| | - Takehito Uruno
- Division of Immunogenetics, Department of Immunobiology and Neuroscience, Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan
- Research Centre for Advanced Immunology, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan
| | - Xuefeng Duan
- Division of Immunogenetics, Department of Immunobiology and Neuroscience, Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan
- Research Centre for Advanced Immunology, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan
| | - Takahiro Tomino
- Division of Immunogenetics, Department of Immunobiology and Neuroscience, Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan
| | - Yosuke Harada
- Division of Immunogenetics, Department of Immunobiology and Neuroscience, Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan
| | - Mayuki Watanabe
- Division of Immunogenetics, Department of Immunobiology and Neuroscience, Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan
| | - Yuqing Wang
- Research Centre for Advanced Immunology, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan
| | - Yoshihiko Tanaka
- Section of Infection Biology, Department of Functional Bioscience, Fukuoka Dental College, 2-15-1 Tamura, Sawara-ku, Fukuoka 814-0175, Japan
| | - Yoichi Nakanishi
- Research Institute for Diseases of the Chest, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan
| | - Mikita Suyama
- Division of Bioinformatics, Multi-scale Research Centre for Medical Science, Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan
| | - Fukui Yoshinori
- Division of Immunogenetics, Department of Immunobiology and Neuroscience, Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan
- Research Centre for Advanced Immunology, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan
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25
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Yi T, Li J, Chen H, Wu J, An J, Xu Y, Hu Y, Lowell CA, Cyster JG. Splenic Dendritic Cells Survey Red Blood Cells for Missing Self-CD47 to Trigger Adaptive Immune Responses. Immunity 2015; 43:764-75. [PMID: 26453377 DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2015.08.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2015] [Revised: 06/29/2015] [Accepted: 08/25/2015] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Sheep red blood cells (SRBCs) have long been used as a model antigen for eliciting systemic immune responses, yet the basis for their adjuvant activity has been unknown. Here, we show that SRBCs failed to engage the inhibitory mouse SIRPα receptor on splenic CD4(+) dendritic cells (DCs), and this failure led to DC activation. Removal of the SIRPα ligand, CD47, from self-RBCs was sufficient to convert them into an adjuvant for adaptive immune responses. DC capture of Cd47(-/-) RBCs and DC activation occurred within minutes in a Src-family-kinase- and CD18-integrin-dependent manner. These findings provide an explanation for the adjuvant mechanism of SRBCs and reveal that splenic DCs survey blood cells for missing self-CD47, a process that might contribute to detecting and mounting immune responses against pathogen-infected RBCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tangsheng Yi
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, San Francisco and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, CA 94143, USA
| | - Jianhua Li
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, San Francisco and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, CA 94143, USA
| | - Hsin Chen
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, San Francisco and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, CA 94143, USA
| | - Jiaxi Wu
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, San Francisco and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, CA 94143, USA
| | - Jinping An
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, San Francisco and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, CA 94143, USA
| | - Ying Xu
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, San Francisco and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, CA 94143, USA
| | - Yongmei Hu
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94141, USA
| | - Clifford A Lowell
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94141, USA
| | - Jason G Cyster
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, San Francisco and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, CA 94143, USA.
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26
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Abstract
What are the minimum specificity requirements of a thymic selective process that establishes (1) restrictive recognition of peptide, (2) the Self (S)-Nonself (NS) discrimination, and (3) the categories of effector function? Given an answer to that question, how well does it fit with the observed selective processes in thymus where T-cells are generated? Any discrepancies between the two must be rationalized. The goal of this essay is to attempt just that.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melvin Cohn
- Conceptual Immunology Group, The Salk Institute, 10010 N. Torrey Pines Rd., La Jolla, CA 92037-1099, USA.
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27
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Meredith M, Zemmour D, Mathis D, Benoist C. Aire controls gene expression in the thymic epithelium with ordered stochasticity. Nat Immunol 2015; 16:942-9. [PMID: 26237550 PMCID: PMC4632529 DOI: 10.1038/ni.3247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 133] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2015] [Accepted: 07/09/2015] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The transcription factor Aire controls immunological tolerance by inducing the ectopic thymic expression of many tissue-specific genes, acting broadly by removing stops on the transcriptional machinery. To better understand Aire's specificity, we performed single-cell RNA-seq and DNA-methylation analysis of Aire-sufficient and Aire-deficient medullary epithelial cells (mTECs). Each of Aire's target genes was induced in only a minority of mTECs, independently of DNA-methylation patterns, as small inter-chromosomal gene clusters activated in concert in a proportion of mTECs. These microclusters differed between individual mice. Thus, our results suggest an organization of the DNA or of the epigenome that results from stochastic determinism but is 'bookmarked' and stable through mTEC divisions, which ensures more effective presentation of self antigens and favors diversity of self-tolerance between individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Meredith
- Division of Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunobiology, Harvard Medical School, and Evergrande Center for Immunologic Diseases, Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston MA 02115, USA
| | - David Zemmour
- Division of Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunobiology, Harvard Medical School, and Evergrande Center for Immunologic Diseases, Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston MA 02115, USA
| | - Diane Mathis
- Division of Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunobiology, Harvard Medical School, and Evergrande Center for Immunologic Diseases, Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston MA 02115, USA
| | - Christophe Benoist
- Division of Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunobiology, Harvard Medical School, and Evergrande Center for Immunologic Diseases, Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston MA 02115, USA
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28
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Yu W, Jiang N, Ebert PJR, Kidd BA, Müller S, Lund PJ, Juang J, Adachi K, Tse T, Birnbaum ME, Newell EW, Wilson DM, Grotenbreg GM, Valitutti S, Quake SR, Davis MM. Clonal Deletion Prunes but Does Not Eliminate Self-Specific αβ CD8(+) T Lymphocytes. Immunity 2015; 42:929-41. [PMID: 25992863 DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2015.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 216] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2014] [Revised: 02/27/2015] [Accepted: 03/23/2015] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
It has long been thought that clonal deletion efficiently removes almost all self-specific T cells from the peripheral repertoire. We found that self-peptide MHC-specific CD8(+) T cells in the blood of healthy humans were present in frequencies similar to those specific for non-self antigens. For the Y chromosome-encoded SMCY antigen, self-specific T cells exhibited only a 3-fold lower average frequency in males versus females and were anergic with respect to peptide activation, although this inhibition could be overcome by a stronger stimulus. We conclude that clonal deletion prunes but does not eliminate self-specific T cells and suggest that to do so would create holes in the repertoire that pathogens could readily exploit. In support of this hypothesis, we detected T cells specific for all 20 amino acid variants at the p5 position of a hepatitis C virus epitope in a random group of blood donors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wong Yu
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Division of Hematology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Ning Jiang
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Peter J R Ebert
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Brian A Kidd
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Sabina Müller
- INSERM, UMR1043, Centre de Physiopathologie de Toulouse Purpan, Toulouse, France and Université Toulouse III Paul-Sabatier, 31024 Toulouse, France
| | - Peder J Lund
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Jeremy Juang
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Keishi Adachi
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Tiffany Tse
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Michael E Birnbaum
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Evan W Newell
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Darrell M Wilson
- Department of Pediatric Endocrinology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | | | - Salvatore Valitutti
- INSERM, UMR1043, Centre de Physiopathologie de Toulouse Purpan, Toulouse, France and Université Toulouse III Paul-Sabatier, 31024 Toulouse, France
| | - Stephen R Quake
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Mark M Davis
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
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29
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Alvarez I, Collado JA, Colobran R, Carrascal M, Ciudad MT, Canals F, James EA, Kwok WW, Gärtner M, Kyewski B, Pujol-Borrell R, Jaraquemada D. Central T cell tolerance: Identification of tissue-restricted autoantigens in the thymus HLA-DR peptidome. J Autoimmun 2015; 60:12-9. [PMID: 25911201 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaut.2015.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2015] [Revised: 03/12/2015] [Accepted: 03/18/2015] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Promiscuous gene expression (pGE) of tissue-restricted self-antigens (TRA) in medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs) is in part driven by the Autoimmune Regulator gene (AIRE) and essential for self-tolerance. The link between AIRE functional mutations and multi-organ autoimmunity in human and mouse supports the role of pGE. Deep sequencing of the transcriptome revealed that mouse mTECs potentially transcribe an unprecedented range of >90% of all genes. Yet, it remains unclear to which extent these low-level transcripts are actually translated into proteins, processed and presented by thymic APCs to induce tolerance. To address this, we analyzed the HLA-DR-associated thymus peptidome. Within a large panel of peptides from abundant proteins, two TRA peptides were identified: prostate-specific semenogelin-1 (an autoantigen in autoimmune chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome) and central nervous system-specific contactin-2 (an autoantigen in multiple sclerosis). Thymus expression of both genes was restricted to mTECs. SEMG1 expression was confined to mature HLA-DR(hi) mTECs of male and female donors and was AIRE-dependent, whereas CNTN2 was apparently AIRE-independent and was expressed by both populations of mTECs. Our findings establish a link between pGE, MHC-II peptide presentation and autoimmunity for bona fide human TRAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iñaki Alvarez
- Immunology Unit, Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain; Dept of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Javier A Collado
- Immunology Unit, Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain; Dept of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Roger Colobran
- Dept of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain; Immunology Division, Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron (HUVH), Vall d'Hebron Institut de Recerca (VHIR), Passeig Vall d'Hebron 119-129, 08023 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Montserrat Carrascal
- CSIC/UAB Proteomics Laboratory, IIBB-CSIC, IDIBAPS, Facultat de Medicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
| | - M Teresa Ciudad
- Immunology Unit, Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain; Dept of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Françesc Canals
- Proteomics Laboratory, Medical Oncology Research Program, Vall d'Hebron Institut de Recerca, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Eddie A James
- Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - William W Kwok
- Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Martina Gärtner
- Division of Developmental Immunology, Tumor Immunology Program, German Cancer Research Center, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Bruno Kyewski
- Division of Developmental Immunology, Tumor Immunology Program, German Cancer Research Center, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Ricardo Pujol-Borrell
- Dept of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain; Immunology Division, Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron (HUVH), Vall d'Hebron Institut de Recerca (VHIR), Passeig Vall d'Hebron 119-129, 08023 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Dolores Jaraquemada
- Immunology Unit, Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain; Dept of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain.
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30
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Kim SM, Mayassi T, Jabri B. Innate immunity: actuating the gears of celiac disease pathogenesis. Best Pract Res Clin Gastroenterol 2015; 29:425-35. [PMID: 26060107 PMCID: PMC4465077 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpg.2015.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2015] [Revised: 05/01/2015] [Accepted: 05/02/2015] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Celiac disease is a T cell mediated immune disorder characterized by the loss of oral tolerance to dietary gluten and the licensing of intraepithelial lymphocytes to kill intestinal epithelial cells, leading to villous atrophy. Innate immunity plays a critical role in both of these processes and cytokines such as interleukin-15 and interferon-α can modulate innate processes such as polarization of dendritic cells as well as intraepithelial lymphocyte function. These cytokines can be modulated by host microbiota, which can also influence dendritic cell function and intraepithelial lymphocyte homeostasis. We will elaborate on the role of interleukin-15, interferon-α, and the microbiota in modulating the processes that lead to loss of tolerance to gluten and tissue destruction in celiac disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sangman Michael Kim
- Committee on Immunology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA; Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
| | - Toufic Mayassi
- Committee on Immunology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA; Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
| | - Bana Jabri
- Committee on Immunology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA; Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA; Department of Pathology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA; Department of Pediatrics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
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31
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Mouri Y, Nishijima H, Kawano H, Hirota F, Sakaguchi N, Morimoto J, Matsumoto M. NF-κB-inducing kinase in thymic stroma establishes central tolerance by orchestrating cross-talk with not only thymocytes but also dendritic cells. J Immunol 2014; 193:4356-67. [PMID: 25261487 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1400389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2023]
Abstract
Essential roles of NF-κB-inducing kinase (NIK) for the development of medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs) and regulatory T cells have been highlighted by studies using a strain of mouse bearing a natural mutation of the NIK gene (aly mice). However, the exact mechanisms underlying the defect in thymic cross-talk leading to the breakdown of self-tolerance in aly mice remain elusive. In this study, we demonstrated that production of regulatory T cells and the final maturation process of positively selected conventional αβ T cells are impaired in aly mice, partly because of a lack of mature mTECs. Of note, numbers of thymic dendritic cells and their expression of costimulatory molecules were also affected in aly mice in a thymic stroma-dependent manner. The results suggest a pivotal role of NIK in the thymic stroma in establishing self-tolerance by orchestrating cross-talk between mTECs and dendritic cells as well as thymocytes. In addition, we showed that negative selection was impaired in aly mice as a result of the stromal defect, which accounts for the development of organ-specific autoimmunity through a lack of normal NIK.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasuhiro Mouri
- Division of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Enzyme Research, University of Tokushima, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan; and
| | - Hitoshi Nishijima
- Division of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Enzyme Research, University of Tokushima, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan; and
| | - Hiroshi Kawano
- Division of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Enzyme Research, University of Tokushima, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan; and
| | - Fumiko Hirota
- Division of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Enzyme Research, University of Tokushima, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan; and
| | - Nobuo Sakaguchi
- Department of Immunology, Graduate School of Life Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto 860-8556, Japan
| | - Junko Morimoto
- Division of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Enzyme Research, University of Tokushima, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan; and
| | - Mitsuru Matsumoto
- Division of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Enzyme Research, University of Tokushima, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan; and
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32
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Abstract
Self-tolerance imposition requires the presentation of self-antigens by a variety of thymic antigen-presenting cells. In this issue of Immunity, Perry et al. (2014) reveal unidirectional self-antigen transfer from medullary thymic epithelial cells to dendritic cells as an essential aspect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruno Kyewski
- Division of Developmental Immunology, German Cancer Research Center, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany.
| | - Markus Feuerer
- Helmholtz Young Investigator Group Immune Tolerance, Tumor Immunology Program, German Cancer Research Center, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
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Perry JSA, Lio CWJ, Kau AL, Nutsch K, Yang Z, Gordon JI, Murphy KM, Hsieh CS. Distinct contributions of Aire and antigen-presenting-cell subsets to the generation of self-tolerance in the thymus. Immunity 2014; 41:414-426. [PMID: 25220213 PMCID: PMC4175925 DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2014.08.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 180] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2014] [Accepted: 08/18/2014] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The contribution of thymic antigen-presenting-cell (APC) subsets in selecting a self-tolerant T cell population remains unclear. We show that bone marrow (BM) APCs and medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs) played nonoverlapping roles in shaping the T cell receptor (TCR) repertoire by deletion and regulatory T (Treg) cell selection of distinct TCRs. Aire, which induces tissue-specific antigen expression in mTECs, affected the TCR repertoire in a manner distinct from mTEC presentation. Approximately half of Aire-dependent deletion or Treg cell selection utilized a pathway dependent on antigen presentation by BM APCs. Batf3-dependent CD8α⁺ dendritic cells (DCs) were the crucial BM APCs for Treg cell selection via this pathway, showing enhanced ability to present antigens from stromal cells. These results demonstrate the division of function between thymic APCs in shaping the self-tolerant TCR repertoire and reveal an unappreciated cooperation between mTECs and CD8α⁺ DCs for presentation of Aire-induced self-antigens to developing thymocytes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin S A Perry
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Chan-Wang J Lio
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Andrew L Kau
- Center for Genome Sciences and Systems Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA
| | - Katherine Nutsch
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Zhuo Yang
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Jeffrey I Gordon
- Center for Genome Sciences and Systems Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA
| | - Kenneth M Murphy
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Chyi-Song Hsieh
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.
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Abstract
CD4(+) Forkhead box protein 3 (Foxp3)(+) regulatory T cells (Tregs) are the major cell type that mediates dominant tolerance in the periphery. Over the past decade, extensive study of Tregs has revealed that these cells express substantial heterogeneity to maintain tolerance and regulate immune responses. Tregs possess heterogeneity with respect to their origin and processes for development, functional activity, migratory pattern, and activation status. Some of the same environmental cues and molecular pathways utilized to generate specialized T-effector cells are also integrated by Tregs to colocalize and fine-tune suppressive mechanisms to optimally regulate and restrain distinctive self and antigen-specific T-cell responses. Here, we review our current understanding and significance of Treg heterogeneity in maintaining peripheral immune tolerance. We also highlight recent work from our laboratory that has studied the extent phenotypically distinct Treg subsets are related to each other and expand in an ordered fashion to give rise to highly activated short-lived Klrg1(+) suppressor cells to optimize immune regulation and maintain homeostasis of the Treg compartment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaomei Yuan
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA
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Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells represent a first line of defense against pathogens and tumor cells. The activation of NK cells is regulated by the integration of signals deriving from activating and inhibitory receptors expressed on their surface. However, different NK cells respond differently to the same stimulus, be it target cells or agents that crosslink activating receptors. The processes that determine the level of NK cell responsiveness have been referred to collectively as NK cell education. NK cell education plays an important role in steady state conditions, where potentially auto-reactive NK cells are rendered tolerant to the surrounding environment. According to the "tuning" concept, the responsiveness of each NK cell is quantitatively adjusted to ensure self tolerance while at the same time ensuring useful reactivity against potential threats. MHC-specific inhibitory receptors displayed by NK cells play a major role in tuning NK cell responsiveness, but recent studies indicate that signaling from activating receptors is also important, suggesting that the critical determinant is an integrated signal from both types of receptors. An important and still unresolved question is whether NK cell education involves interactions with a specific cell population in the environment. Whether hematopoietic and/or non-hematopoietic cells play a role is still under debate. Recent results demonstrated that NK cell tuning exhibits plasticity in steady state conditions, meaning that it can be re-set if the MHC environment changes. Other evidence suggests, however, that inflammatory conditions accompanying infections may favor high responsiveness, indicating that inflammatory agents can over-ride the natural tendency of NK cells to adjust to the steady state environment. These findings raise many questions such as whether viruses and tumor cells manipulate NK cell responsiveness to evade immune-recognition. As knowledge of the underlying processes grows, the possibility of modulating NK cell responsiveness for therapeutic purposes is becoming increasingly attractive, and is now under serious investigation in clinical studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nataliya Shifrin
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology and Cancer Research Laboratory, Division of Immunology, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - David H Raulet
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology and Cancer Research Laboratory, Division of Immunology, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
| | - Michele Ardolino
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology and Cancer Research Laboratory, Division of Immunology, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
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Krogsgaard M. Imprinting of the mature T cell response by self. Trends Immunol 2014; 35:141-3. [PMID: 24646828 DOI: 10.1016/j.it.2014.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2014] [Accepted: 03/05/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
T cell development requires recognition of self-peptides in the thymus. Two recent studies by Allen and colleagues shed new light into the connection between self-recognition during positive selection and recognition of foreign antigen in the periphery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle Krogsgaard
- Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center and Department of Pathology, New York University School of Medicine, 522 First Avenue, Smilow Research Building, 13th floor, Room 1311, New York, NY 100016, USA.
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Abstract
Type 1 diabetes (T1D) may result from a breakdown in peripheral tolerance that is partially controlled by the ectopic expression of peripheral tissue antigens (PTAs) in lymph nodes. Various subsets of lymph node stromal cells and certain hematopoietic cells play a role in maintaining T cell tolerance. These specialized cells have been shown to endogenously transcribe, process, and present a range of PTAs to naive T cells and mediate the clonal deletion or inactivation of autoreactive cells. During the progression of T1D, inflammation leads to reduced PTA expression in the pancreatic lymph nodes and the production of novel islet antigens that T cells are not tolerized against. These events allow for the escape and activation of autoreactive T cells and may contribute to the pathogenesis of T1D. In this review, we discuss recent findings in this area and propose possible therapies that may help reestablish self-tolerance during T1D.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Fuhlbrigge
- Department of Medicine, Division of Immunology and Rheumatology, Stanford University, 269 Campus Drive, CCSR Room 2240, Stanford, CA, 94305-5166, USA,
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Abstract
Alopecia areata (AA) may represent a CD8+T cell-mediated, organ-specific autoimmune disease in which as yet elusive autoantigens are recognized, once they become exposed by ectopic major histocompatibility complex class I expression by anagen hair follicles (HFs) that have lost their relative immune privilege (IP). On this basis, AA research is chiefly challenged with identifying the autoreactive CD8+T cells and their cognate autoantigens as well as key inducers of HF-IP collapse and "HF-IP guardians" that prevent and/or can restore IP collapse. However, natural killer group 2D-positive (NKG2D+) cells (incl. NK, NKT, and CD8+T cells) and NKG2D-activating ligands from the MICA (MHC I-related chain A) family may also have a key role in AA pathogenesis, as a massive infiltrate of IFN-γ-secreting NKG2D+ cells alone suffices to induce the AA phenotype. Therefore, we speculate that AA may represent a stereotypic, but distinct HF response pattern to inflammatory insults associated with HF-IP collapse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ralf Paus
- 1] Department of Dermatology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany [2] Institute of Inflammation and Repair, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
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Ucar O, Tykocinski LO, Dooley J, Liston A, Kyewski B. An evolutionarily conserved mutual interdependence between Aire and microRNAs in promiscuous gene expression. Eur J Immunol 2013; 43:1769-78. [PMID: 23589212 PMCID: PMC3816332 DOI: 10.1002/eji.201343343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2013] [Revised: 03/12/2013] [Accepted: 04/11/2013] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
The establishment and maintenance of central tolerance depends to a large extent on the ability of medullary thymic epithelial cells to express a variety of tissue-restricted antigens, the so-called promiscuous gene expression (pGE). Autoimmune regulator (Aire) is to date the best characterised transcriptional regulator known to at least partially coordinate pGE. There is accruing evidence that the expression of Aire-dependent and -independent genes is modulated by higher order chromatin configuration, epigenetic modifications and post-transcriptional control. Given the involvement of microRNAs (miRNAs) as potent post-transcriptional modulators of gene expression, we investigated their role in the regulation of pGE in purified mouse and human thymic epithelial cells (TECs). Microarray profiling of TEC subpopulations revealed evolutionarily conserved cell type and differentiation-specific miRNA signatures with a subset of miRNAs being significantly upregulated during terminal medullary thymic epithelial cell differentiation. The differential regulation of this subset of miRNAs was correlated with Aire expression and some of these miRNAs were misexpressed in the Aire knockout thymus. In turn, the specific absence of miRNAs in TECs resulted in a progressive reduction of Aire expression and pGE, affecting both Aire-dependent and -independent genes. In contrast, the absence of miR-29a only affected the Aire-dependent gene pool. These findings reveal a mutual interdependence of miRNA and Aire.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga Ucar
- Division of Developmental Immunology, German Cancer Research CenterHeidelberg, Germany
| | | | - James Dooley
- Autoimmune Genetics Laboratory, VIBLeuven, Belgium
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of LeuvenLeuven, Belgium
| | - Adrian Liston
- Autoimmune Genetics Laboratory, VIBLeuven, Belgium
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of LeuvenLeuven, Belgium
| | - Bruno Kyewski
- Division of Developmental Immunology, German Cancer Research CenterHeidelberg, Germany
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Huang C, Martin S, Pfleger C, Du J, Buckner JH, Bluestone JA, Riley JL, Ziegler SF. Cutting Edge: a novel, human-specific interacting protein couples FOXP3 to a chromatin-remodeling complex that contains KAP1/TRIM28. J Immunol 2013; 190:4470-3. [PMID: 23543754 PMCID: PMC4197931 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1203561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Regulatory T cells (Tregs) play a pivotal role in the maintenance of immunological self-tolerance. Deficiency or dysfunction of Tregs leads to severe autoimmune diseases. Although the forkhead/winged-helix family member FOXP3 is critical for Treg differentiation and function, the molecular basis for FOXP3 function remains unclear. In this study, we identified and characterized a human-specific FOXP3-interacting protein, referred to as FIK (FOXP3-interacting KRAB domain-containing protein). FIK is highly expressed in Tregs and acts as a bridging molecule to link FOXP3 with the chromatin-remodeling scaffold protein KAP1 (TIF-1β/TRIM28). Disruption of the FOXP3-FIK-KAP1 complex in Tregs restored expression of FOXP3-target genes and abrogated the suppressor activity of the Tregs. These data demonstrate a critical role for FIK in regulating FOXP3 activity and Treg function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunjian Huang
- Immunology Research Program, Benaroya Research Institute, Seattle, WA 98101, USA
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41
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Abstract
Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a chronic disease resulting from the selective autoimmune destruction of pancreatic islet β cells. The absence and/or breakdown of immune self-tolerance to islet β cells is now recognized as the essential cause for the development of the diabetogenic autoimmune response. For a long time, a failure in peripheral tolerogenic mechanisms was regarded as the main source of an inappropriate immune process directed against insulin-secreting β cells. While defective peripheral self-tolerance still deserves to be further investigated, the demonstration that all members of the insulin gene family are transcribed in thymic epithelial cells (TECs) of different species under the control of the AutoImmune REgulator (AIRE) gene/protein has highlighted the importance of central self-tolerance to insulin-secreting islet β cells. Moreover, there is now evidence that a primary or acquired failure in thymus-dependent central self-tolerance to β cells plays a primary role in T1D pathogenesis. This novel knowledge is currently translated into the development of innovative tolerogenic/regulatory approaches designed to reprogram the specific immune self-tolerance to islet β cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincent Geenen
- University of Liege, GIGA-I3 Center of Immunology, CHU-B34, B-4000 Liege-Sart Tilman, Belgium.
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42
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McLachlan SM, Aliesky HA, Chen CR, Rapoport B. Role of self-tolerance and chronic stimulation in the long-term persistence of adenovirus-induced thyrotropin receptor antibodies in wild-type and transgenic mice. Thyroid 2012; 22:931-7. [PMID: 22827528 PMCID: PMC3429281 DOI: 10.1089/thy.2012.0008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Graves'-like disease, reflected by thyrotropin receptor (TSHR) antibodies and hyperthyroidism in some mouse strains, can be induced by immunization with adenovirus-expressing DNA for the human TSHR or its A-subunit. The conventional approach involves two or three adenovirus injections at 3-week intervals and euthanasia 10 weeks after the first injection. To investigate TSHR antibody persistence in mice with differing degrees of self-tolerance to the TSHR A-subunit, we studied the effect of delaying euthanasia until 20 weeks after the initial immunization. METHODS Wild-type (WT) mice and transgenic (tg) mice expressing low intrathyroidal levels of the human TSHR A-subunit were immunized with A-subunit-adenovirus on two occasions; a second group of mice was immunized on three occasions. Sera obtained 4, 10, and 20 weeks (euthanasia) after the initial immunization were tested for thyrotropin (TSH) binding inhibition (TBI), antibody binding to TSHR A-subunit protein-coated enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) plates, and thyroid stimulating antibody activity (TSAb; cyclic adenosine monophosphate [cAMP] generation). Serum thyroxine (T4) and thyroid histology were studied at euthanasia. RESULTS THE majority of WT mice retained high TSHR antibody levels measured by TBI or ELISA at euthanasia but only about 50% were TSAb positive. Low-expressor tgs exhibited self-tolerance, with fewer mice positive by TBI or ELISA and antibody levels were lower than in WT littermates. In WT mice, antibody persistence was similar after two or three immunizations; for tgs, only mice immunized three times had detectable TSAb at 20 weeks. Unlike our previous observations of hyperthyroidism in WT mice examined 4 or 10 weeks after immunization, all mice were euthyroid at 20 weeks. CONCLUSIONS Our findings for induced TSHR antibodies in mice, similar to data for human thyroid autoantibodies, indicate that the parameters that contribute to the concentration of the antibody and thereby play a critical role in long-term persistence of TSHR antibodies are the degree of self-tolerance to the TSHR and chronic stimulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra M McLachlan
- Thyroid Autoimmune Disease Unit, Cedars-Sinai Research Institute, Los Angeles, CA 90048, USA.
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Träger U, Sierro S, Djordjevic G, Bouzo B, Khandwala S, Meloni A, Mortensen M, Simon AK. The immune response to melanoma is limited by thymic selection of self-antigens. PLoS One 2012; 7:e35005. [PMID: 22506061 PMCID: PMC3323626 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0035005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2011] [Accepted: 03/12/2012] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The expression of melanoma-associated antigens (MAA) being limited to normal melanocytes and melanomas, MAAs are ideal targets for immunotherapy and melanoma vaccines. As MAAs are derived from self, immune responses to these may be limited by thymic tolerance. The extent to which self-tolerance prevents efficient immune responses to MAAs remains unknown. The autoimmune regulator (AIRE) controls the expression of tissue-specific self-antigens in thymic epithelial cells (TECs). The level of antigens expressed in the TECs determines the fate of auto-reactive thymocytes. Deficiency in AIRE leads in both humans (APECED patients) and mice to enlarged autoreactive immune repertoires. Here we show increased IgG levels to melanoma cells in APECED patients correlating with autoimmune skin features. Similarly, the enlarged T cell repertoire in AIRE−/− mice enables them to mount anti-MAA and anti-melanoma responses as shown by increased anti-melanoma antibodies, and enhanced CD4+ and MAA-specific CD8+ T cell responses after melanoma challenge. We show that thymic expression of gp100 is under the control of AIRE, leading to increased gp100-specific CD8+ T cell frequencies in AIRE−/− mice. TRP-2 (tyrosinase-related protein), on the other hand, is absent from TECs and consequently TRP-2 specific CD8+ T cells were found in both AIRE−/− and AIRE+/+ mice. This study emphasizes the importance of investigating thymic expression of self-antigens prior to their inclusion in vaccination and immunotherapy strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulrike Träger
- MRC Human Immunology Unit, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- NIHR Biomedical Centre, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Sophie Sierro
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Epalinges, Switzerland
| | - Gordana Djordjevic
- MRC Human Immunology Unit, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- NIHR Biomedical Centre, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Basma Bouzo
- MRC Human Immunology Unit, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- NIHR Biomedical Centre, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Shivani Khandwala
- MRC Human Immunology Unit, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- NIHR Biomedical Centre, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Antonella Meloni
- Pediatric Clinic II, Ospedale Microcitemico and Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Science, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Monika Mortensen
- MRC Human Immunology Unit, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- NIHR Biomedical Centre, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Apoptosis Department and Center for Genotoxic Stress Research, Institute of Cancer Biology, Danish Cancer Society, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Anna Katharina Simon
- MRC Human Immunology Unit, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- NIHR Biomedical Centre, Oxford, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
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Giraud M, Yoshida H, Abramson J, Rahl PB, Young RA, Mathis D, Benoist C. Aire unleashes stalled RNA polymerase to induce ectopic gene expression in thymic epithelial cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2012; 109:535-40. [PMID: 22203960 PMCID: PMC3258631 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1119351109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 110] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Aire is a transcriptional regulator that induces expression of peripheral tissue antigens (PTA) in thymic medullary epithelial cells (MECs), driving immunological self-tolerance in differentiating T cells. To elucidate its mechanistic pathways, we examined its transcriptional impact in MECs in vivo by microarray analysis with mRNA-spanning probes. This analysis revealed initiation of Aire-activated genes to be comparable in Aire-deficient and wild-type MECs, but with a block to elongation after 50-100 bp in the absence of Aire, suggesting activation by release of stalled polymerases by Aire. In contrast, patterns of activation by transcription factors such as Klf4 were consistent with regulation of initiation. Mapping of Aire and RNA polymerase-II (Pol-II) by ChIP and high-throughput sequencing (ChIP-seq) revealed that Aire bound all Pol-II-rich transcriptional start sites (TSS), irrespective of its eventual effect. However, the genes it preferentially activated were characterized by a relative surfeit of stalled polymerases at the TSS, which resolved once Aire was introduced into cells. Thus, transcript mapping and ChIP-seq data indicate that Aire activates ectopic transcription not through specific recognition of PTA gene promoters but by releasing stalled polymerases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthieu Giraud
- Division of Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115; and
| | - Hideyuki Yoshida
- Division of Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115; and
| | - Jakub Abramson
- Division of Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115; and
| | | | - Richard A. Young
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
| | - Diane Mathis
- Division of Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115; and
| | - Christophe Benoist
- Division of Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115; and
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Kijima M, Gardiol N, Held W. Natural killer cell mediated missing-self recognition can protect mice from primary chronic myeloid leukemia in vivo. PLoS One 2011; 6:e27639. [PMID: 22132120 PMCID: PMC3223190 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0027639] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2011] [Accepted: 10/21/2011] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Natural Killer (NK) cells are thought to protect from residual leukemic cells in patients receiving stem cell transplantation. However, multiple retrospective analyses of patient data have yielded conflicting conclusions regarding a putative role of NK cells and the essential NK cell recognition events mediating a protective effect against leukemia. Further, a NK cell mediated protective effect against primary leukemia in vivo has not been shown directly. Methodology/Principal Findings Here we addressed whether NK cells have the potential to control chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) arising based on the transplantation of BCR-ABL1 oncogene expressing primary bone marrow precursor cells into lethally irradiated recipient mice. These analyses identified missing-self recognition as the only NK cell-mediated recognition strategy, which is able to significantly protect from the development of CML disease in vivo. Conclusion Our data provide a proof of principle that NK cells can control primary leukemic cells in vivo. Since the presence of NK cells reduced the abundance of leukemia propagating cancer stem cells, the data raise the possibility that NK cell recognition has the potential to cure CML, which may be difficult using small molecule BCR-ABL1 inhibitors. Finally, our findings validate approaches to treat leukemia using antibody-based blockade of self-specific inhibitory MHC class I receptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mika Kijima
- Ludwig Center for Cancer Research of the University of Lausanne, Epalinges, Switzerland
| | - Noémie Gardiol
- Ludwig Center for Cancer Research of the University of Lausanne, Epalinges, Switzerland
| | - Werner Held
- Ludwig Center for Cancer Research of the University of Lausanne, Epalinges, Switzerland
- * E-mail:
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Guilabert A, Lozano F, Iranzo P, Suárez-Casasús B, Martinez-De Pablo I, Julià M, Mascaró JM. A case of aggressive bullous pemphigoid associated with the defective functional variant of Fc gamma receptor IIb: implications for pathogenesis? J Am Acad Dermatol 2011; 65:1062-3. [PMID: 22000875 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaad.2009.02.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2008] [Revised: 02/08/2009] [Accepted: 02/11/2009] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
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Aalberse JA, Kapitein B, de Roock S, Klein MR, de Jager W, van der Zee R, Hoekstra MO, van Wijk F, Prakken BJ. Cord blood CD4+ T cells respond to self heat shock protein 60 (HSP60). PLoS One 2011; 6:e24119. [PMID: 21931651 PMCID: PMC3172234 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0024119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2011] [Accepted: 08/05/2011] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background To prevent harmful autoimmunity most immune responses to self proteins are controlled by central and peripheral tolerance. T cells specific for a limited set of self-proteins such as human heat shock protein 60 (HSP60) may contribute to peripheral tolerance. It is not known whether HSP60-specific T cells are present at birth and thus may play a role in neonatal tolerance. We studied whether self-HSP60 reactive T cells are present in cord blood, and if so, what phenotype these cells have. Methodology/Principal Findings Cord blood mononuclear cells (CBMC) of healthy, full term neonates (n = 21), were cultured with HSP60 and Tetanus Toxoid (TT) to study antigen specific proliferation, cytokine secretion and up-regulation of surface markers. The functional capacity of HSP60-induced T cells was determined with in vitro suppression assays. Stimulation of CBMC with HSP60 led to CD4+ T cell proliferation and the production of various cytokines, most notably IL-10, Interferon-gamma, and IL-6. HSP60-induced T cells expressed FOXP3 and suppressed effector T cell responses in vitro. Conclusion Self-reactive HSP60 specific T cells are already present at birth. Upon stimulation with self-HSP60 these cells proliferate, produce cytokines and express FOXP3. These cells function as suppressor cells in vitro and thus they may be involved in the regulation of neonatal immune responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joost A Aalberse
- Department of Pediatric Immunology, Wilhelmina Children's Hospital, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
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Zhou L, Park JJ, Zheng Q, Dong Z, Mi Q. MicroRNAs are key regulators controlling iNKT and regulatory T-cell development and function. Cell Mol Immunol 2011; 8:380-7. [PMID: 21822298 PMCID: PMC4012887 DOI: 10.1038/cmi.2011.27] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2011] [Accepted: 06/24/2011] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are an abundant class of evolutionarily conserved, small, non-coding RNAs that post-transcriptionally regulate expression of their target genes. Emerging evidence indicates that miRNAs are important regulators that control the development, differentiation and function of different immune cells. Both CD4(+)CD25(+)Foxp3(+) regulatory T (Treg) cells and invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells are critical for immune homeostasis and play a pivotal role in the maintenance of self-tolerance and immunity. Here, we review the important roles of miRNAs in the development and function of iNKT and Treg cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Zhou
- Henry Ford Immunology Program, Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, MI, USA
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Beyer M, Thabet Y, Müller RU, Sadlon T, Classen S, Lahl K, Basu S, Zhou X, Bailey-Bucktrout SL, Krebs W, Schönfeld EA, Böttcher J, Golovina T, Mayer CT, Hofmann A, Sommer D, Debey-Pascher S, Endl E, Limmer A, Hippen KL, Blazar BR, Balderas R, Quast T, Waha A, Mayer G, Famulok M, Knolle PA, Wickenhauser C, Kolanus W, Schermer B, Bluestone JA, Barry SC, Sparwasser T, Riley JL, Schultze JL. Repression of the genome organizer SATB1 in regulatory T cells is required for suppressive function and inhibition of effector differentiation. Nat Immunol 2011; 12:898-907. [PMID: 21841785 PMCID: PMC3669688 DOI: 10.1038/ni.2084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 150] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2011] [Accepted: 07/07/2011] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Regulatory T cells (T(reg) cells) are essential for self-tolerance and immune homeostasis. Lack of effector T cell (T(eff) cell) function and gain of suppressive activity by T(reg) cells are dependent on the transcriptional program induced by Foxp3. Here we report that repression of SATB1, a genome organizer that regulates chromatin structure and gene expression, was crucial for the phenotype and function of T(reg) cells. Foxp3, acting as a transcriptional repressor, directly suppressed the SATB1 locus and indirectly suppressed it through the induction of microRNAs that bound the SATB1 3' untranslated region. Release of SATB1 from the control of Foxp3 in T(reg) cells caused loss of suppressive function, establishment of transcriptional T(eff) cell programs and induction of T(eff) cell cytokines. Our data support the proposal that inhibition of SATB1-mediated modulation of global chromatin remodeling is pivotal for maintaining T(reg) cell functionality.
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MESH Headings
- 3' Untranslated Regions/genetics
- 3' Untranslated Regions/immunology
- Animals
- Cell Differentiation/drug effects
- Chromatin Assembly and Disassembly/drug effects
- Chromatin Assembly and Disassembly/immunology
- Flow Cytometry
- Forkhead Transcription Factors/genetics
- Forkhead Transcription Factors/immunology
- Forkhead Transcription Factors/metabolism
- Gene Expression Profiling
- Gene Expression Regulation
- Genome, Human
- Genome-Wide Association Study
- Humans
- Lentivirus
- Lymphocyte Activation/drug effects
- Matrix Attachment Region Binding Proteins/genetics
- Matrix Attachment Region Binding Proteins/immunology
- Matrix Attachment Region Binding Proteins/metabolism
- Mice
- Mice, Inbred C57BL
- Mice, Knockout
- MicroRNAs/immunology
- MicroRNAs/metabolism
- MicroRNAs/pharmacology
- RNA Interference
- RNA, Small Interfering/immunology
- RNA, Small Interfering/metabolism
- RNA, Small Interfering/pharmacology
- Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
- Self Tolerance/drug effects
- Self Tolerance/genetics
- Self Tolerance/immunology
- T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory/cytology
- T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory/immunology
- T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory/metabolism
- Transduction, Genetic
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc Beyer
- Life and Medical Sciences Institute, Laboratory for Genomics and Immunoregulation, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
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50
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Chung Y, Tanaka S, Chu F, Nurieva RI, Martinez GJ, Rawal S, Wang YH, Lim H, Reynolds JM, Zhou XH, Fan HM, Liu ZM, Neelapu SS, Dong C. Follicular regulatory T cells expressing Foxp3 and Bcl-6 suppress germinal center reactions. Nat Med 2011; 17:983-8. [PMID: 21785430 PMCID: PMC3151340 DOI: 10.1038/nm.2426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 846] [Impact Index Per Article: 65.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2010] [Accepted: 06/27/2011] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Foxp3(+) regulatory T (T(reg)) cells suppress different types of immune responses to help maintain homeostasis in the body. How T(reg) cells regulate humoral immunity, including germinal center reactions, is unclear. Here we identify a subset of T(reg) cells expressing CXCR5 and Bcl-6 that localize to the germinal centers in mice and humans. The expression of CXCR5 on T(reg) cells depends on Bcl-6. These CXCR5(+)Bcl-6(+) T(reg) cells are absent in the thymus but can be generated de novo from CXCR5(-)Foxp3(+) natural T(reg) precursors. A lack of CXCR5(+) T(reg) cells leads to greater germinal center reactions including germinal center B cells, affinity maturation of antibodies and the differentiation of plasma cells. These results unveil a Bcl-6-CXCR5 axis in T(reg) cells that drives the development of follicular regulatory T (T(FR)) cells that function to inhibit the germinal center reactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yeonseok Chung
- Department of Immunology, Center for Cancer Immunology Research, The University of Texas-MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA.
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