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Choudhury SR, Byrum SD, Blossom SJ. Trichloroethylene metabolite modulates DNA methylation-dependent gene expression in Th1-polarized CD4+ T cells from autoimmune-prone mice. Toxicol Sci 2024; 199:289-300. [PMID: 38518092 PMCID: PMC11131021 DOI: 10.1093/toxsci/kfae032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Trichloroethylene (TCE) is an industrial solvent and widespread environmental contaminant associated with CD4+ T-cell activation and autoimmune disease. Prior studies showed that exposure to TCE in the drinking water of autoimmune-prone mice expanded effector/memory CD4+ T cells with an interferon-γ (IFN-γ)-secreting Th1-like phenotype. However, very little is known how TCE exposure skews CD4+ T cells towards this pro-inflammatory Th1 subset. As observed previously, TCE exposure was associated with hypermethylation of regions of the genome related to transcriptional repression in purified effector/memory CD4 T cells. We hypothesized that TCE modulates transcriptional and/or epigenetic programming of CD4+ T cells as they differentiate from a naive to effector phenotype. In the current study, purified naive CD4 T cells from both male and female autoimmune-prone MRL/MpJ mice were activated ex vivo and polarized towards a Th1 subset for 4 days in the presence or absence of the oxidative metabolite of TCE, trichloroacetaldehyde hydrate (TCAH) in vitro. An RNA-seq assessment and reduced representation bisulfite sequencing for DNA methylation were conducted on Th1 cells or activated, non-polarized cells. The results demonstrated TCAH's ability to regulate key genes involved in the immune response and autoimmunity, including Ifng, by altering the level of DNA methylation at the gene promoter. Intriguing sex differences were observed and for the most part, the effects were more robust in females compared to males. In conclusion, TCE via TCAH epigenetically regulates gene expression in CD4+ T cells. These results may have implications for mechanistic understanding or future therapeutics for autoimmunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samrat Roy Choudhury
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas 72202, USA
- Arkansas Children’s Research Institute, Department of Pediatrics, Little Rock, Arkansas 72202, USA
| | - Stephanie D Byrum
- Arkansas Children’s Research Institute, Department of Pediatrics, Little Rock, Arkansas 72202, USA
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas 72205, USA
| | - Sarah J Blossom
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, USA
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Blossom SJ, Cabanlong CV, Vyas KK. Developmental trichloroethylene exposure enhances predictive markers of autoimmunity in a sex-specific manner in disease-resistant female mice. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 2022; 454:116233. [PMID: 36096280 DOI: 10.1016/j.taap.2022.116233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2022] [Revised: 09/04/2022] [Accepted: 09/06/2022] [Indexed: 10/31/2022]
Abstract
Trichloroethylene (TCE) is a widely used industrial chemical and common environmental pollutant. Exposure to TCE promotes CD4+ T cell-driven autoimmunity including autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) in both humans and female autoimmune-prone mice. Because the developing immune system is more sensitive during development, we predicted that non- autoimmune-prone, C57/Bl6 (B6) mice would exhibit some autoimmune-related changes using the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) model of exposure. Both male and female mice were exposed to vehicle or an environmentally relevant dose of 5 μg/ml TCE (0.9 mg/kg/day) beginning at 2 weeks pre-conception and ending at weaning. CD4+ T cells were assessed for phenotypic markers by flow cytometry. An assessment of cytokines elicited ex vivo after 4d polarization from naïve to CD4+ T helper subsets (i.e., Th1, Th17, and T reg) was conducted. mRNA expression of liver genes associated with inflammation, regeneration/repair associated with AIH disease progression in autoimmune-prone mice were evaluated by qRT-PCR. The results demonstrated TCE's ability to induce autoimmune- related biomarkers in B6 mice to an even greater degree in females compared to males when exposed during development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah J Blossom
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM, United States.
| | - Christian V Cabanlong
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Kanan K Vyas
- Department of Pediatrics, Arkansas Children's Research Institute, Little Rock, AR, USA
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Brown IK, Dyjack N, Miller MM, Krovi H, Rios C, Woolaver R, Harmacek L, Tu TH, O’Connor BP, Danhorn T, Vestal B, Gapin L, Pinilla C, Seibold MA, Scott-Browne J, Santos RG, Reinhardt RL. Single cell analysis of host response to helminth infection reveals the clonal breadth, heterogeneity, and tissue-specific programming of the responding CD4+ T cell repertoire. PLoS Pathog 2021; 17:e1009602. [PMID: 34106992 PMCID: PMC8216541 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1009602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2020] [Revised: 06/21/2021] [Accepted: 05/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The CD4+ T cell response is critical to host protection against helminth infection. How this response varies across different hosts and tissues remains an important gap in our understanding. Using IL-4-reporter mice to identify responding CD4+ T cells to Nippostrongylus brasiliensis infection, T cell receptor sequencing paired with novel clustering algorithms revealed a broadly reactive and clonally diverse CD4+ T cell response. While the most prevalent clones and clonotypes exhibited some tissue selectivity, most were observed to reside in both the lung and lung-draining lymph nodes. Antigen-reactivity of the broader repertoires was predicted to be shared across both tissues and individual mice. Transcriptome, trajectory, and chromatin accessibility analysis of lung and lymph-node repertoires revealed three unique but related populations of responding IL-4+ CD4+ T cells consistent with T follicular helper, T helper 2, and a transitional population sharing similarity with both populations. The shared antigen reactivity of lymph node and lung repertoires combined with the adoption of tissue-specific gene programs allows for the pairing of cellular and humoral responses critical to the orchestration of anti-helminth immunity. Using various “omic” approaches, the CD4+ T cell receptor (TCR) repertoire was explored after primary helminth infection. Infection generated a broadly reactive and clonally diverse CD4+ T cell response with the most prevalent clonotypes and predicted antigen specificities residing in both the lung and lung-draining lymph nodes. Tissue-specific programming of responding CD4+ T cells directed the establishment of committed Tfh and Th2 cells, both critical for driving distinct hallmarks of type-2 inflammation. These datasets help to explore the diverse yet tissue-specific nature of anti-helminth immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivy K. Brown
- Department of Immunology and Genomic Medicine, National Jewish Health, Denver, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Nathan Dyjack
- Center for Genes, Environment, and Health, National Jewish Health, Denver, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Mindy M. Miller
- Department of Immunology and Genomic Medicine, National Jewish Health, Denver, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Harsha Krovi
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Cydney Rios
- Center for Genes, Environment, and Health, National Jewish Health, Denver, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Rachel Woolaver
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Laura Harmacek
- Center for Genes, Environment, and Health, National Jewish Health, Denver, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Ting-Hui Tu
- Center for Genes, Environment, and Health, National Jewish Health, Denver, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Brian P. O’Connor
- Center for Genes, Environment, and Health, National Jewish Health, Denver, Colorado, United States of America
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, United States of America
- Department of Pediatrics, National Jewish Health, Denver, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Thomas Danhorn
- Center for Genes, Environment, and Health, National Jewish Health, Denver, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Brian Vestal
- Center for Genes, Environment, and Health, National Jewish Health, Denver, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Laurent Gapin
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Clemencia Pinilla
- Florida International University, Port Saint Lucie, Florida, United States of America
| | - Max A. Seibold
- Center for Genes, Environment, and Health, National Jewish Health, Denver, Colorado, United States of America
- Department of Pediatrics, National Jewish Health, Denver, Colorado, United States of America
- Division of Pulmonary Sciences and Critical Care Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, United States of America
| | - James Scott-Browne
- Department of Immunology and Genomic Medicine, National Jewish Health, Denver, Colorado, United States of America
- Center for Genes, Environment, and Health, National Jewish Health, Denver, Colorado, United States of America
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Radleigh G. Santos
- Department of Mathematics, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States of America
| | - R. Lee Reinhardt
- Department of Immunology and Genomic Medicine, National Jewish Health, Denver, Colorado, United States of America
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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van den Ham HJ, Binai NA, Zaaraoui-Boutahar F, Heck AJR, Andeweg AC. Proteomic Profiling of Mouse Helper T Cell Differentiation. Proteomics 2019; 19:e1800045. [PMID: 30758134 DOI: 10.1002/pmic.201800045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2018] [Revised: 12/27/2018] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Helper T cell differentiation is a key process in the regulation of adaptive immune responses. Here, mouse Th1 and Th2 cells are profiled using high-throughput proteomics to increase the understanding of the molecular biology of Th differentiation to support the design of prophylactic and therapeutic intervention strategies for (infectious) diseases. Protein profiling of Th1/Th2 differentiated cells results in the quantification of almost 6000 proteins of which 41 are differentially expressed at FDR < 0.1, and 19 at the FDR < 0.05 level, respectively. Differential protein expression analysis identifies a number of the expected canonical Th differentiation markers, and gene set analysis using the REACTOME database and a hypergeometric test (FDR < 0.05) confirms that helper T cell pathways are the top sets that are differentially expressed. Additionally, by network analysis, many differentially expressed proteins are associated with the Th1 and Th2 pathways. Data are available via PRIDE database with identifier PXD004532.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henk-Jan van den Ham
- Department Viroscience, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.,Enpicom B.V., s-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands
| | - Nadine A Binai
- Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry group, Utrecht University, The Netherlands
| | | | - Albert J R Heck
- Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry group, Utrecht University, The Netherlands
| | - Arno C Andeweg
- Department Viroscience, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
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Chen R, Wang YW, Fornace AJ, Li HH. Impairment of the Intrinsic Capability of Th1 Polarization in Irradiated Mice: A Close Look at the Imbalanced Th1/Th2 Response after Irradiation. Radiat Res 2016; 186:559-567. [PMID: 27849436 DOI: 10.1667/rr14401.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Two major CD4+ T-helper (Th) lineages are Th1 and Th2, and well balanced Th1/Th2 responses are essential for immune function. In previously published studies, it was reported that radiation induces a Th1/Th2 immune imbalance toward a Th2-dominant direction, and this imbalance may contribute to postirradiation immune dysfunction. The polarization of Th cells is driven by the cytokine milieu and controlled by intracellular regulatory pathways that respond to cytokine signaling. It is widely accepted that radiation induces cytokine aberration, however, the precise alterations of cytokines in various tissue environments have been difficult to evaluate. In addition, the effects of radiation on the intrinsic functions of Th cells remain uncharacterized. Therefore, how radiation affects Th1/Th2 balance remains somewhat unclear. To address this, we investigated the changes in the polarization capability of Th cells by isolating them from mice previously exposed to radiation and assessing the cells in an established in vitro Th polarization system. Our novel results demonstrate that prior exposure to radiation led to the persistent aberration of the inherent capability of Th cells to differentiate into Th1 and Th2 lineages. The parallel changes in expression of Th1-specific master transcription factors and the key genes in metabolic reprograming indicated that radiation affects the core components in Th1 polarization. While Th1 differentiation was impaired after irradiation, little adverse effect was observed in Th2 differentiation; both of these findings contribute to the known phenotypes of Th1/Th2 imbalance caused by radiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renxiang Chen
- a Department of Biochemistry and Molecular and Cellular Biology, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. 20057
| | - Yi-Wen Wang
- a Department of Biochemistry and Molecular and Cellular Biology, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. 20057
| | - Albert J Fornace
- a Department of Biochemistry and Molecular and Cellular Biology, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. 20057.,b Department of Oncology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, D.C. 20057
| | - Heng-Hong Li
- a Department of Biochemistry and Molecular and Cellular Biology, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. 20057.,b Department of Oncology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, D.C. 20057
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Bao K, Reinhardt RL. The differential expression of IL-4 and IL-13 and its impact on type-2 immunity. Cytokine 2015; 75:25-37. [PMID: 26073683 DOI: 10.1016/j.cyto.2015.05.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 191] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2015] [Revised: 05/11/2015] [Accepted: 05/12/2015] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Allergic disease represents a significant global health burden, and disease incidence continues to rise in urban areas of the world. As such, a better understanding of the basic immune mechanisms underlying disease pathology are key to developing therapeutic interventions to both prevent disease onset as well as to ameliorate disease morbidity in those individuals already suffering from a disorder linked to type-2 inflammation. Two factors central to type-2 immunity are interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-13, which have been linked to virtually all major hallmarks associated with type-2 inflammation. Therefore, IL-4 and IL-13 and their regulatory pathways represent ideal targets to suppress disease. Despite sharing many common regulatory pathways and receptors, these cytokines perform very distinct functions during a type-2 immune response. This review summarizes the literature surrounding the function and expression of IL-4 and IL-13 in CD4+ T cells and innate immune cells. It highlights recent findings in vivo regarding the differential expression and non-canonical regulation of IL-4 and IL-13 in various immune cells, which likely play important and underappreciated roles in type-2 immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine Bao
- Department of Immunology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, United States
| | - R Lee Reinhardt
- Department of Immunology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, United States.
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Jung N, Bertrand F, Bahram S, Vallat L, Maumy-Bertrand M. Cascade: a R package to study, predict and simulate the diffusion of a signal through a temporal gene network. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2013; 30:571-3. [PMID: 24307703 DOI: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btt705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
SUMMARY Temporal gene interactions, in response to environmental stress, form a complex system that can be efficiently described using gene regulatory networks. They allow highlighting the more influential genes and spotting some targets for biological intervention experiments. Despite that many reverse engineering tools have been designed, the Cascade package is an integrated solution adding several new and original key features such as the ability to predict changes in gene expressions after a biological perturbation in the network and graphical outputs that allow monitoring the spread of a signal through the network. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION The R package Cascade is available online at http://www-math.u-strasbg.fr/genpred/spip.php?rubrique4.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Jung
- INSERM UMR S_1109, Labex Transplantex, FMTS, Hôpitaux and Faculté de Médecine, Université de Strasbourg, 67085 Strasbourg Cedex and IRMA, CNRS UMR 7501, Labex IRMIA, Université de Strasbourg, 67084 Strasbourg Cedex, France
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Magombedze G, Reddy PBJ, Eda S, Ganusov VV. Cellular and population plasticity of helper CD4(+) T cell responses. Front Physiol 2013; 4:206. [PMID: 23966946 PMCID: PMC3744810 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2013.00206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2013] [Accepted: 07/21/2013] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Vertebrates are constantly exposed to pathogens, and the adaptive immunity has most likely evolved to control and clear such infectious agents. CD4+ T cells are the major players in the adaptive immune response to pathogens. Following recognition of pathogen-derived antigens naïve CD4+ T cells differentiate into effectors which then control pathogen replication either directly by killing pathogen-infected cells or by assisting with generation of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) or pathogen-specific antibodies. Pathogen-specific effector CD4+ T cells are highly heterogeneous in terms of cytokines they produce. Three major subtypes of effector CD4+ T cells have been identified: T-helper 1 (Th1) cells producing IFN-γ and TNF-α, Th2 cells producing IL-4 and IL-10, and Th17 cells producing IL-17. How this heterogeneity is maintained and what regulates changes in effector T cell composition during chronic infections remains poorly understood. In this review we discuss recent advances in our understanding of CD4+ T cell differentiation in response to microbial infections. We propose that a change in the phenotype of pathogen-specific effector CD4+ T cells during chronic infections, for example, from Th1 to Th2 response as observed in Mycobactrium avium ssp. paratuberculosis (MAP) infection of ruminants, can be achieved by conversion of T cells from one effector subset to another (cellular plasticity) or due to differences in kinetics (differentiation, proliferation, death) of different effector T cell subsets (population plasticity). We also shortly review mathematical models aimed at describing CD4+ T cell differentiation and outline areas for future experimental and theoretical research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gesham Magombedze
- National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis, University of Tennessee Knoxville, TN, USA
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