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Schiavo E, Martini B, Attardi E, Consonni F, Ciullini Mannurita S, Coniglio ML, Tellini M, Chiocca E, Fotzi I, Luti L, D'Alba I, Veltroni M, Favre C, Gambineri E. Autoimmune Cytopenias and Dysregulated Immunophenotype Act as Warning Signs of Inborn Errors of Immunity: Results From a Prospective Study. Front Immunol 2022; 12:790455. [PMID: 35058929 PMCID: PMC8765341 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.790455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2021] [Accepted: 11/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Inborn errors of immunity (IEI) are genetic disorders characterized by a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations, ranging from increased susceptibility to infections to significant immune dysregulation. Among these, primary immune regulatory disorders (PIRDs) are mainly presenting with autoimmune manifestations, and autoimmune cytopenias (AICs) can be the first clinical sign. Significantly, AICs in patients with IEI often fail to respond to first-line therapy. In pediatric patients, autoimmune cytopenias can be red flags for IEI. However, for these cases precise indicators or parameters useful to suspect and screen for a hidden congenital immune defect are lacking. Therefore, we focused on chronic/refractory AIC patients to perform an extensive clinical evaluation and multiparametric flow cytometry analysis to select patients in whom PIRD was strongly suspected as candidates for genetic analysis. Key IEI-associated alterations causative of STAT3 GOF disease, IKAROS haploinsufficiency, activated PI3Kδ syndrome (APDS), Kabuki syndrome and autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome (ALPS) were identified. In this scenario, a dysregulated immunophenotype acted as a potential screening tool for an early IEI diagnosis, pivotal for appropriate clinical management and for the identification of new therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ebe Schiavo
- Department of Neurosciences, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health (NEUROFARBA), University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Beatrice Martini
- Department of Neurosciences, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health (NEUROFARBA), University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Enrico Attardi
- Division of Hematology, Careggi University Hospital, Florence, Italy
| | - Filippo Consonni
- Meyer University Children's Hospital, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Sara Ciullini Mannurita
- Centre of Excellence, Division of Pediatric Oncology/Hematology, Meyer University Children's Hospital, Florence, Italy
| | - Maria Luisa Coniglio
- Centre of Excellence, Division of Pediatric Oncology/Hematology, Meyer University Children's Hospital, Florence, Italy
| | - Marco Tellini
- Meyer University Children's Hospital, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Elena Chiocca
- Centre of Excellence, Division of Pediatric Oncology/Hematology, Meyer University Children's Hospital, Florence, Italy
| | - Ilaria Fotzi
- Centre of Excellence, Division of Pediatric Oncology/Hematology, Meyer University Children's Hospital, Florence, Italy
| | - Laura Luti
- Division of Pediatric Oncology/Hematology, University Hospital of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Irene D'Alba
- Division of Pediatric Oncology/Hematology, University Hospital of Ospedali Riuniti, Ancona, Italy
| | - Marinella Veltroni
- Centre of Excellence, Division of Pediatric Oncology/Hematology, Meyer University Children's Hospital, Florence, Italy
| | - Claudio Favre
- Centre of Excellence, Division of Pediatric Oncology/Hematology, Meyer University Children's Hospital, Florence, Italy
| | - Eleonora Gambineri
- Department of Neurosciences, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health (NEUROFARBA), University of Florence, Florence, Italy.,Centre of Excellence, Division of Pediatric Oncology/Hematology, Meyer University Children's Hospital, Florence, Italy
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Zhang J, Wang Y, Aili A, Sun X, Pang X, Ge Q, Zhang Y, Jin R. Th1 Biased Progressive Autoimmunity in Aged Aire-Deficient Mice Accelerated Thymic Epithelial Cell Senescence. Aging Dis 2019; 10:497-509. [PMID: 31164995 PMCID: PMC6538216 DOI: 10.14336/ad.2018.0608] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2018] [Accepted: 06/08/2018] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Although autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus, are frequently associated with premature aging of the thymus, a direct link is missing between autoimmunity and thymic atrophy. Here we monitored the progression of thymic involution in Aire-deficient mice, in which defective negative selection causes spontaneous and progressive development of autoimmunity. In young and middle-aged mice, Aire deficiency appeared to be protective as supported by the reduced β-gal+ epithelial cells and the enhanced thymic output. However, once the autoimmune phenotype was fully developed in aged Aire-deficient mice, their thymuses underwent accelerated involution. In comparison to the age-matched wildtype littermates, old Aire-deficient mice showed lower numbers of total thymocytes and recent thymic emigrants but more β-gal+ thymic epithelial cells. This phenomenon may partly be attributable to the increased number of activated Th1 cells homing to the thymus. This speculation was further supported by the enhanced thymic aging following repeated challenges with complete Freund’s adjuvant immunization. Taken together, the present study highlights a unique mechanism by which autoimmunity facilitates the senescence of thymic epithelial cells through returning Th1 cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Zhang
- Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Key Laboratory of Medical Immunology, Ministry of Health (Peking University), Beijing 100191, China
| | - Yuqing Wang
- Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Key Laboratory of Medical Immunology, Ministry of Health (Peking University), Beijing 100191, China
| | - Abudureyimujiang Aili
- Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Key Laboratory of Medical Immunology, Ministry of Health (Peking University), Beijing 100191, China
| | - Xiuyuan Sun
- Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Key Laboratory of Medical Immunology, Ministry of Health (Peking University), Beijing 100191, China
| | - Xuewen Pang
- Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Key Laboratory of Medical Immunology, Ministry of Health (Peking University), Beijing 100191, China
| | - Qing Ge
- Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Key Laboratory of Medical Immunology, Ministry of Health (Peking University), Beijing 100191, China
| | - Yu Zhang
- Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Key Laboratory of Medical Immunology, Ministry of Health (Peking University), Beijing 100191, China
| | - Rong Jin
- Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Key Laboratory of Medical Immunology, Ministry of Health (Peking University), Beijing 100191, China
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Azizi G, Yazdani R, Rae W, Abolhassani H, Rojas M, Aghamohammadi A, Anaya JM. Monogenic polyautoimmunity in primary immunodeficiency diseases. Autoimmun Rev 2018; 17:1028-1039. [PMID: 30107266 DOI: 10.1016/j.autrev.2018.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2018] [Accepted: 05/02/2018] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Primary immunodeficiency diseases (PIDs) consist of a large group of genetic disorders that affect distinct components of the immune system. PID patients are susceptible to infection and non-infectious complications, particularly autoimmunity. A specific group of monogenic PIDs are due to mutations in genes that are critical for the regulation of immunological tolerance and immune responses. This group of monogenic PIDs is at high risk of developing polyautoimmunity (i.e., the presence of more than one autoimmune disease in a single patient) because of their impaired immunity. In this review, we discuss the mechanisms of autoimmunity in PIDs and the characteristics of polyautoimmunity in the following PIDs: IPEX; monogenic IPEX-like syndrome; LRBA deficiency; CTLA4 deficiency; APECED; ALPS; and PKCδ deficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gholamreza Azizi
- Non-Communicable Diseases Research Center, Alborz University of Medical Sciences, Karaj, Iran; Research Center for Immunodeficiencies, Children's Medical Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Primary Immunodeficiency Diseases Network (PIDNet), Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN), Tehran, Iran
| | - Reza Yazdani
- Research Center for Immunodeficiencies, Children's Medical Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Wiliam Rae
- Department of Immunology, MP8, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, Tremona Road, Southampton, Hampshire SO16 6YD, UK
| | - Hassan Abolhassani
- Research Center for Immunodeficiencies, Children's Medical Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Division of Clinical Immunology, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Karolinska Institute at Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Manuel Rojas
- Center for Autoimmune Diseases Research (CREA), School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universidad del Rosario, Bogota, Colombia
| | - Asghar Aghamohammadi
- Research Center for Immunodeficiencies, Children's Medical Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Juan-Manuel Anaya
- Center for Autoimmune Diseases Research (CREA), School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universidad del Rosario, Bogota, Colombia.
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Passos GA, Speck‐Hernandez CA, Assis AF, Mendes‐da‐Cruz DA. Update on Aire and thymic negative selection. Immunology 2018; 153:10-20. [PMID: 28871661 PMCID: PMC5721245 DOI: 10.1111/imm.12831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2017] [Revised: 08/24/2017] [Accepted: 08/31/2017] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Twenty years ago, the autoimmune regulator (Aire) gene was associated with autoimmune polyendocrinopathy-candidiasis-ectodermal dystrophy, and was cloned and sequenced. Its importance goes beyond its abstract link with human autoimmune disease. Aire identification opened new perspectives to better understand the molecular basis of central tolerance and self-non-self distinction, the main properties of the immune system. Since 1997, a growing number of immunologists and molecular geneticists have made important discoveries about the function of Aire, which is essentially a pleiotropic gene. Aire is one of the functional markers in medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs), controlling their differentiation and expression of peripheral tissue antigens (PTAs), mTEC-thymocyte adhesion and the expression of microRNAs, among other functions. With Aire, the immunological tolerance became even more apparent from the molecular genetics point of view. Currently, mTECs represent the most unusual cells because they express almost the entire functional genome but still maintain their identity. Due to the enormous diversity of PTAs, this uncommon gene expression pattern was termed promiscuous gene expression, the interpretation of which is essentially immunological - i.e. it is related to self-representation in the thymus. Therefore, this knowledge is strongly linked to the negative selection of autoreactive thymocytes. In this update, we focus on the most relevant results of Aire as a transcriptional and post-transcriptional controller of PTAs in mTECs, its mechanism of action, and its influence on the negative selection of autoreactive thymocytes as the bases of the induction of central tolerance and prevention of autoimmune diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geraldo A. Passos
- Molecular Immunogenetics GroupDepartment of GeneticsRibeirão Preto Medical SchoolUniversity of São PauloRibeirão PretoSPBrazil
- Discipline of Genetics and Molecular BiologyDepartment of Morphology, Physiology and Basic PathologySchool of Dentistry of Ribeirão PretoUniversity of São PauloRibeirão PretoSPBrazil
| | - Cesar A. Speck‐Hernandez
- Graduate Programme in Basic and Applied ImmunologyRibeirão Preto Medical SchoolUniversity of São PauloRibeirão PretoSPBrazil
| | - Amanda F. Assis
- Molecular Immunogenetics GroupDepartment of GeneticsRibeirão Preto Medical SchoolUniversity of São PauloRibeirão PretoSPBrazil
| | - Daniella A. Mendes‐da‐Cruz
- Laboratory on Thymus ResearchOswaldo Cruz InstituteOswaldo Cruz FoundationRio de JaneiroRJBrazil
- National Institute of Science and Technology on NeuroimmunomodulationRio de JaneiroRJBrazil
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Colvin KL, Yeager ME. What people with Down Syndrome can teach us about cardiopulmonary disease. Eur Respir Rev 2017; 26:26/143/160098. [DOI: 10.1183/16000617.0098-2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2016] [Accepted: 11/13/2016] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Down syndrome is the most common chromosomal abnormality among live-born infants. Through full or partial trisomy of chromosome 21, Down syndrome is associated with cognitive impairment, congenital malformations (particularly cardiovascular) and dysmorphic features. Immune disturbances in Down syndrome account for an enormous disease burden ranging from quality-of-life issues (autoimmune alopecia) to more serious health issues (autoimmune thyroiditis) and life-threatening issues (leukaemia, respiratory tract infections and pulmonary hypertension). Cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases account for ∼75% of the mortality seen in persons with Down syndrome. This review summarises the cardiovascular, respiratory and immune challenges faced by individuals with Down syndrome, and the genetic underpinnings of their pathobiology. We strongly advocate increased comparative studies of cardiopulmonary disease in persons with and without Down syndrome, as we believe these will lead to new strategies to prevent and treat diseases affecting millions of people worldwide.
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