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Kulesh V, Peskov K, Helmlinger G, Bocharov G. An integrative mechanistic model of thymocyte dynamics. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1321309. [PMID: 38469297 PMCID: PMC10925769 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1321309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 03/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Background The thymus plays a central role in shaping human immune function. A mechanistic, quantitative description of immune cell dynamics and thymic output under homeostatic conditions and various patho-physiological scenarios are of particular interest in drug development applications, e.g., in the identification of potential therapeutic targets and selection of lead drug candidates against infectious diseases. Methods We here developed an integrative mathematical model of thymocyte dynamics in human. It incorporates mechanistic features of thymocyte homeostasis as well as spatial constraints of the thymus and considerations of age-dependent involution. All model parameter estimates were obtained based on published physiological data of thymocyte dynamics and thymus properties in mouse and human. We performed model sensitivity analyses to reveal potential therapeutic targets through an identification of processes critically affecting thymic function; we further explored differences in thymic function across healthy subjects, multiple sclerosis patients, and patients on fingolimod treatment. Results We found thymic function to be most impacted by the egress, proliferation, differentiation and death rates of those thymocytes which are most differentiated. Model predictions also showed that the clinically observed decrease in relapse risk with age, in multiple sclerosis patients who would have discontinued fingolimod therapy, can be explained mechanistically by decreased thymic output with age. Moreover, we quantified the effects of fingolimod treatment duration on thymic output. Conclusions In summary, the proposed model accurately describes, in mechanistic terms, thymic output as a function of age. It may be further used to perform predictive simulations of clinically relevant scenarios which combine specific patho-physiological conditions and pharmacological interventions of interest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria Kulesh
- Research Center of Model-Informed Drug Development, I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia
- Marchuk Institute of Numerical Mathematics of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), Moscow, Russia
| | - Kirill Peskov
- Research Center of Model-Informed Drug Development, I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia
- Marchuk Institute of Numerical Mathematics of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), Moscow, Russia
- Modeling & Simulation Decisions FZ - LLC, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- Sirius University of Science and Technology, Sirius, Russia
| | | | - Gennady Bocharov
- Marchuk Institute of Numerical Mathematics of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), Moscow, Russia
- Institute for Computer Science and Mathematical Modelling, I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia
- Moscow Center of Fundamental and Applied Mathematics at INM Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), Moscow, Russia
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Krueger A, Łyszkiewicz M, Heissmeyer V. Post-transcriptional control of T-cell development in the thymus. Immunol Lett 2022; 247:1-12. [DOI: 10.1016/j.imlet.2022.04.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2021] [Revised: 03/18/2022] [Accepted: 04/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
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Ren B, Xia H, Liao Y, Zhou H, Wang Z, Shi Y, Zhu M. Endothelial SIRPα signaling controls VE-cadherin endocytosis for thymic homing of progenitor cells. eLife 2022; 11:69219. [PMID: 35511221 PMCID: PMC9071265 DOI: 10.7554/elife.69219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2021] [Accepted: 04/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Thymic homing of hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs) is tightly regulated for proper T cell development. Previously we have identified a subset of specialized thymic portal endothelial cells (TPECs), which is important for thymic HPC homing. However, the underlying molecular mechanism still remains unknown. Here, we found that signal regulatory protein alpha (SIRPα) is preferentially expressed on TPECs. Disruption of CD47-SIRPα signaling in mice resulted in reduced number of thymic early T cell progenitors (ETPs), impaired thymic HPC homing, and altered early development of thymocytes. Mechanistically, Sirpa-deficient ECs and Cd47-deficient bone marrow progenitor cells or T lymphocytes demonstrated impaired transendothelial migration (TEM). Specifically, SIRPα intracellular ITIM motif-initiated downstream signaling in ECs was found to be required for TEM in an SHP2- and Src-dependent manner. Furthermore, CD47 signaling from migrating cells and SIRPα intracellular signaling were found to be required for VE-cadherin endocytosis in ECs. Thus, our study reveals a novel role of endothelial SIRPα signaling for thymic HPC homing for T cell development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Boyang Ren
- The Key Laboratory of Infection and Immunity, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,College of Life Sciences, University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Huan Xia
- The Key Laboratory of Infection and Immunity, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,College of Life Sciences, University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yijun Liao
- The Key Laboratory of Infection and Immunity, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,College of Life Sciences, University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Hang Zhou
- The Key Laboratory of Infection and Immunity, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,College of Life Sciences, University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Zhongnan Wang
- The Key Laboratory of Infection and Immunity, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yaoyao Shi
- The Key Laboratory of Infection and Immunity, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Mingzhao Zhu
- The Key Laboratory of Infection and Immunity, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,College of Life Sciences, University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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Jazbec K, Jež M, Švajger U, Smrekar B, Miceska S, Rajčevič U, Justin M, Završnik J, Malovrh T, Švara T, Gombač M, Ramšak Ž, Rožman P. The Influence of Heterochronic Non-Myeloablative Bone Marrow Transplantation on the Immune System, Frailty, General Health, and Longevity of Aged Murine Recipients. Biomolecules 2022; 12:biom12040595. [PMID: 35454183 PMCID: PMC9028083 DOI: 10.3390/biom12040595] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2022] [Revised: 04/06/2022] [Accepted: 04/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022] Open
Abstract
The stem cell theory of aging postulates that stem cells become inefficient at maintaining the original functions of the tissues. We, therefore, hypothesized that transplanting young bone marrow (BM) to old recipients would lead to rejuvenating effects on immunity, followed by improved general health, decreased frailty, and possibly life span extension. We developed a murine model of non-myeloablative heterochronic BM transplantation in which old female BALB/c mice at 14, 16, and 18(19) months of age received altogether 125.1 ± 15.6 million nucleated BM cells from young male donors aged 7–13 weeks. At 21 months, donor chimerism was determined, and the immune system’s innate and adaptive arms were analyzed. Mice were then observed for general health and frailty until spontaneous death, when their lifespan, post-mortem examinations, and histopathological changes were recorded. The results showed that the old mice developed on average 18.7 ± 9.6% donor chimerism in the BM and showed certain improvements in their innate and adaptive arms of the immune system, such as favorable counts of neutrophils in the spleen and BM, central memory Th cells, effector/effector memory Th and Tc cells in the spleen, and B1a and B1b cells in the peritoneal cavity. Borderline enhanced lymphocyte proliferation capacity was also seen. The frailty parameters, pathomorphological results, and life spans did not differ significantly in the transplanted vs. control group of mice. In conclusion, although several favorable effects are obtained in our heterochronic non-myeloablative transplantation model, additional optimization is needed for better rejuvenation effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katerina Jazbec
- Diagnostic Services, Blood Transfusion Centre of Slovenia, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; (M.J.); (U.Š.); (B.S.); (S.M.); (U.R.); (M.J.); (P.R.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Mojca Jež
- Diagnostic Services, Blood Transfusion Centre of Slovenia, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; (M.J.); (U.Š.); (B.S.); (S.M.); (U.R.); (M.J.); (P.R.)
| | - Urban Švajger
- Diagnostic Services, Blood Transfusion Centre of Slovenia, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; (M.J.); (U.Š.); (B.S.); (S.M.); (U.R.); (M.J.); (P.R.)
- Chair of Clinical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ljubljana, Aškerčeva 7, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Boštjan Smrekar
- Diagnostic Services, Blood Transfusion Centre of Slovenia, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; (M.J.); (U.Š.); (B.S.); (S.M.); (U.R.); (M.J.); (P.R.)
| | - Simona Miceska
- Diagnostic Services, Blood Transfusion Centre of Slovenia, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; (M.J.); (U.Š.); (B.S.); (S.M.); (U.R.); (M.J.); (P.R.)
| | - Uroš Rajčevič
- Diagnostic Services, Blood Transfusion Centre of Slovenia, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; (M.J.); (U.Š.); (B.S.); (S.M.); (U.R.); (M.J.); (P.R.)
| | - Mojca Justin
- Diagnostic Services, Blood Transfusion Centre of Slovenia, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; (M.J.); (U.Š.); (B.S.); (S.M.); (U.R.); (M.J.); (P.R.)
| | - Janja Završnik
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular and Structural Biology, Jožef Stefan Institute, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia;
| | - Tadej Malovrh
- Institute of Microbiology and Parasitology, Veterinary Faculty, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia;
| | - Tanja Švara
- Institute of Pathology, Wild Animals, Fish and Bees, Veterinary Faculty, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; (T.Š.); (M.G.)
| | - Mitja Gombač
- Institute of Pathology, Wild Animals, Fish and Bees, Veterinary Faculty, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; (T.Š.); (M.G.)
| | - Živa Ramšak
- National Institute of Biology, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia;
| | - Primož Rožman
- Diagnostic Services, Blood Transfusion Centre of Slovenia, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; (M.J.); (U.Š.); (B.S.); (S.M.); (U.R.); (M.J.); (P.R.)
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The sialyltransferase ST3Gal-IV guides murine T-cell progenitors to the thymus. Blood Adv 2021; 4:1930-1941. [PMID: 32380539 DOI: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2019001046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2019] [Accepted: 04/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
T lymphocytes are important players in beneficial and detrimental immune responses. In contrast to other lymphocyte populations that develop in the bone marrow, T-cell precursors need to migrate to the thymus for further development. The interaction of P-selectin and P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 (PSGL-1) is crucial for thymic entry of T-cell precursors during settings of T-cell lineage reconstitution. PSGL-1 has to be sialylated to function as a ligand for P-selectin, and the sialyltransferase ST3Gal-IV might play a critical role in this process. We therefore investigated the role of ST3Gal-IV for T-cell development using competitive mixed bone marrow chimeric mice. We found that ST3Gal-IV is dispensable for homing and engraftment of hematopoietic precursors in the bone marrow. However, ST3Gal-IV deficiency affects seeding of the thymus by early T-cell progenitors, leading to impaired restoration of the peripheral T-cell compartment. This defect could be restored by ectopic retroviral expression of ST3Gal-IV in hematopoietic stem cells derived from ST3Gal-IV-deficient donor mice. Our findings show that ST3Gal-IV plays a critical and nonredundant role for efficient T-cell lineage reconstitution after bone marrow transplantation.
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Modeling the Dynamics of T-Cell Development in the Thymus. ENTROPY 2021; 23:e23040437. [PMID: 33918050 PMCID: PMC8069328 DOI: 10.3390/e23040437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2021] [Revised: 04/01/2021] [Accepted: 04/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The thymus hosts the development of a specific type of adaptive immune cells called T cells. T cells orchestrate the adaptive immune response through recognition of antigen by the highly variable T-cell receptor (TCR). T-cell development is a tightly coordinated process comprising lineage commitment, somatic recombination of Tcr gene loci and selection for functional, but non-self-reactive TCRs, all interspersed with massive proliferation and cell death. Thus, the thymus produces a pool of T cells throughout life capable of responding to virtually any exogenous attack while preserving the body through self-tolerance. The thymus has been of considerable interest to both immunologists and theoretical biologists due to its multi-scale quantitative properties, bridging molecular binding, population dynamics and polyclonal repertoire specificity. Here, we review experimental strategies aimed at revealing quantitative and dynamic properties of T-cell development and how they have been implemented in mathematical modeling strategies that were reported to help understand the flexible dynamics of the highly dividing and dying thymic cell populations. Furthermore, we summarize the current challenges to estimating in vivo cellular dynamics and to reaching a next-generation multi-scale picture of T-cell development.
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Lins MP, Medeiros NC, Carmo J, Porto FL, dos Santos Reis MD, Smaniotto S. The Responsiveness of Thymic Stromal Cells to semaphorin-3A. Immunol Invest 2020; 51:395-410. [DOI: 10.1080/08820139.2020.1834578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Marvin Paulo Lins
- Laboratory of Cell Biology, Institute of Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of Alagoas, Maceió, Brazil
- Brazilian National Institute of Science and Technology on Neuroimmunomodulation (INCT-NIM), Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Návylla Candeia Medeiros
- Laboratory of Cell Biology, Institute of Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of Alagoas, Maceió, Brazil
| | - Julianderson Carmo
- Laboratory of Cell Biology, Institute of Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of Alagoas, Maceió, Brazil
- Brazilian National Institute of Science and Technology on Neuroimmunomodulation (INCT-NIM), Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Felipe Lima Porto
- Laboratory of Cell Biology, Institute of Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of Alagoas, Maceió, Brazil
| | - Maria Danielma dos Santos Reis
- Laboratory of Cell Biology, Institute of Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of Alagoas, Maceió, Brazil
- Brazilian National Institute of Science and Technology on Neuroimmunomodulation (INCT-NIM), Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Salete Smaniotto
- Laboratory of Cell Biology, Institute of Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of Alagoas, Maceió, Brazil
- Brazilian National Institute of Science and Technology on Neuroimmunomodulation (INCT-NIM), Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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de Roo JJD, Vloemans SA, Vrolijk H, de Haas EFE, Staal FJT. Development of an in vivo model to study clonal lineage relationships in hematopoietic cells using Brainbow2.1/Confetti mice. Future Sci OA 2019; 5:FSO427. [PMID: 31827896 PMCID: PMC6900974 DOI: 10.2144/fsoa-2019-0083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2019] [Accepted: 09/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Hematopoietic stem cells maintain the homeostasis of all blood cell progeny during development and repopulation-demanding events. To study the lineage relationships during hematopoiesis, increasingly complex cell tracing models are being developed. In this study, we describe adaptations to the original R26R-Confetti mouse model, which subsequently offers a relatively easy approach to study low complexity clonality during hematopoiesis, with special focus on B and T lymphocyte development. This protocol employs spatiotemporal Cre expression controlled by gammaretroviral transduction for efficient fluorescent protein cell marking. Transplantation of fluorescently marked Lin- cKit+ hematopoietic progenitor cells into Rag1-/- mice, resulted in the visualization of differentially contributing stem cell clones to various lineages. Our methodology is useful to study questions in fundamental and preclinical hematopoietic research and in vivo B- and T-cell development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jolanda JD de Roo
- Department of Immunohematology & Blood Transfusion, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Sandra A Vloemans
- Department of Immunohematology & Blood Transfusion, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Hans Vrolijk
- Department of Cell & Chemical Biology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Edwin FE de Haas
- Department of Immunohematology & Blood Transfusion, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Frank JT Staal
- Department of Immunohematology & Blood Transfusion, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
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White AJ, Lucas B, Jenkinson WE, Anderson G. Invariant NKT Cells and Control of the Thymus Medulla. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2019; 200:3333-3339. [PMID: 29735644 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1800120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2018] [Accepted: 02/20/2018] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Most αβ T cells that form in the thymus are generated during mainstream conventional thymocyte development and involve the generation and selection of a diverse αβ TCR repertoire that recognizes self-peptide/MHC complexes. Additionally, the thymus also supports the production of T cell subsets that express αβ TCRs but display unique developmental and functional features distinct from conventional αβ T cells. These include multiple lineages of CD1d-restricted invariant NKT (iNKT) cells that express an invariant αβ TCR, branch off from mainstream thymocytes at the CD4+CD8+ stage, and are potent producers of polarizing cytokines. Importantly, and despite their differences, iNKT cells and conventional αβ T cells share common requirements for thymic epithelial microenvironments during their development. Moreover, emerging evidence suggests that constitutive cytokine production by iNKT cells influences both conventional thymocyte development and the intrathymic formation of additional innate CD8+ αβ T cells with memory-like properties. In this article, we review evidence for an intrathymic innate lymphocyte network in which iNKT cells play key roles in multiple aspects of thymus function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea J White
- Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, Medical School, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, United Kingdom
| | - Beth Lucas
- Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, Medical School, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, United Kingdom
| | - William E Jenkinson
- Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, Medical School, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, United Kingdom
| | - Graham Anderson
- Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, Medical School, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, United Kingdom
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