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Tseng CC, Lin YZ, Lin CH, Hwang DY, Li RN, Tsai WC, Ou TT, Wu CC, Lin YC, Sung WY, Chen KY, Chang SJ, Yen JH. Genetic and epigenetic alterations of cyclic AMP response element modulator in rheumatoid arthritis. Eur J Clin Invest 2022; 52:e13715. [PMID: 34783021 DOI: 10.1111/eci.13715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2021] [Revised: 10/01/2021] [Accepted: 10/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/07/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Genetic and epigenetic factors are strongly associated with the autoimmune disease rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Cyclic AMP response element modulator (CREM), a gene related to immune system regulation, has been implicated in various immune-mediated inflammatory processes, although it remains unknown whether CREM is involved in RA. METHODS This study enrolled 278 RA patients and 262 controls. Three variants [rs12765063, rs17499247, rs1213386] were identified through linkage disequilibrium and expression quantitative trait locus analysis, and CREM transcript abundance was determined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. The identified variants were genotyped using the TaqMan Allelic Discrimination assay, and CREM promoter methylation was assessed by bisulphite sequencing. Differences between groups and correlations between variables were assessed with Student's t-tests and Pearson's correlation coefficients. Associations between phenotypes and genotypes were evaluated with logistic regression. RESULTS Rheumatoid arthritis patients exhibited increased CREM expression (p < .0001), which was decreased by methotrexate (p = .0223) and biologics (p = .0001), but could not be attributed to CREM variants. Interestingly, rs17499247 displayed a significant association with serositis (p = .0377), and rs1213386 increased the risk of lymphadenopathy (p = .0398). Furthermore, seven CpG sites showed decreased methylation in RA (p = .0477~ p < .0001). CONCLUSIONS Collectively, our results indicate that CREM hypomethylation and CREM upregulation occur in RA and that CREM variants are involved in the development of serositis and lymphadenopathy in RA. This study highlights the novel roles of CREM in RA pathophysiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chia-Chun Tseng
- Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.,Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Yuan-Zhao Lin
- Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Chia-Hui Lin
- Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Daw-Yang Hwang
- National Institute of Cancer Research, National Health Research Institutes, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Ruei-Nian Li
- Department of Biomedical Science and Environmental Biology, College of Life Science, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Wen-Chan Tsai
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Tsan-Teng Ou
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Cheng-Chin Wu
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Chih Lin
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.,Department of Medical Humanities and Education, School of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Wan-Yu Sung
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Kuan-Yu Chen
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Shun-Jen Chang
- Department of Kinesiology, Health and Leisure Studies, National University of Kaohsiung, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Jeng-Hsien Yen
- Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.,Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.,Institute of Medical Science and Technology, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.,Department of Biological Science and Technology, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
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TCDD attenuates EAE through induction of FasL on B cells and inhibition of IgG production. Toxicology 2020; 448:152646. [PMID: 33253778 DOI: 10.1016/j.tox.2020.152646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2020] [Revised: 11/09/2020] [Accepted: 11/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Previously we demonstrated that 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) suppressed experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a model to study multiple sclerosis (MS), through induction of regulatory T cells (Tregs) and suppression of effector T cell function in the spleen. Since B cells and specifically regulatory B cells (Bregs) have been shown to be so critical in the pathology associated with EAE and MS, we wanted to determine whether TCDD could also induce Bregs. We specifically hypothesized that a Fas ligand (FasL)+ Breg population would be induced by TCDD in EAE thereby triggering apoptosis in Fas-expressing effector T cells as one mechanism to account for inhibition of T cell function by TCDD. TCDD (0.1-2.5 μg/kg/day administered orally for 12 days) modestly increased the percentage of FasL + B cells in the spleen and spinal cord in TCDD-treated EAE mice. However, we did not detect significant increases in percentages of FasL + B cells using TCDD in vitro in mouse splenocytes or human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Part of the modest effect by TCDD was likely related to the localized expression of FasL; for instance, in the spleen, FasL was more highly expressed by IgMhiIgDlo marginal zone (MZ) B cells, but IgMloIgDhi follicular (FO) B cells were more responsive to TCDD. Consistent with our observation of modest upregulation of FasL, we also observed modest changes in mitochondrial membrane potential in T cells co-cultured with isolated total B cells or IgM-depleted (i.e., FO-enriched) B cells from TCDD-treated EAE mice. These data suggest that while small microenvironments of apoptosis might be occurring in T cells in response to TCDD-treated B cells, it is not a major mechanism by which T cell function is compromised by TCDD in EAE. TCDD did robustly suppress IgG production systemically and in spleen and spinal cord B cells at end stage disease. Thus, these studies show that TCDD's primary effect on B cells in EAE is compromised IgG production but not FasL + Breg induction.
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Guo XJ, Yang D, Zhang XY. Epigenetics recording varied environment and complex cell events represents the origin of cellular aging. J Zhejiang Univ Sci B 2020; 20:550-562. [PMID: 31168969 DOI: 10.1631/jzus.b1800507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Although a relationship between epigenetics and aging phenotypic changes has been established, a theoretical explanation of the intrinsic connection between the epigenetics and aging is lacking. In this essay, we propose that epigenetic recording of varied cell environment and complex history could be an origin of cellular aging. Through epigenetic modifications, the environment and historical events can induce the chromatin template into an activated or repressive accessible structure, thereby shaping the DNA template into a spectrum of chromatin states. The inner nature of diversity and conflicts born by the cell environment and its historical events are hence recorded into the chromatin template. This could result in a dissipated spectrum of the chromatin state and chaos in overall gene expression. An unavoidable degradation of epigenome entropy, similar to Shannon entropy, would be consequently induced. The resultant disorder in epigenome, characterized by corrosion of epigenome entropy as reflected in chromatin template, can be stably memorized and propagated through cell division. Furthermore, the hysteretic nature of epigenetics responding to the emerging environment could exacerbate the degradation of epigenome entropy. As well as stochastic errors, we propose that outside entropy (or chaos) derived from the varied environment and complex cell history, gradually input and imprinted into the chromatin via epigenetic modifications, would lead inevitably to cellular aging, the extent of which could be aggravated by hysteresis of epigenetics without error erasing and correction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xue-Jun Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Dong Yang
- Gene Engineering and Biotechnology Beijing Key Laboratory, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Xiang-Yuan Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
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Li Y, Xie HQ, Zhang W, Wei Y, Sha R, Xu L, Zhang J, Jiang Y, Guo TL, Zhao B. Type 3 innate lymphoid cells are altered in colons of C57BL/6 mice with dioxin exposure. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 662:639-645. [PMID: 30703721 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.01.139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2018] [Revised: 01/10/2019] [Accepted: 01/12/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Type 3 innate lymphoid cells (ILC3s) are distributed in the gut and regulate inflammation by secreting cytokines, including interferon (IFN)-γ and interleukin (IL)-17. The maintenance and function of ILC3s involve the activity of aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), a potent ligand of which is 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), one of the most toxic dioxin congeners. Thus, TCDD exposure might affect ILC3s. To obtain in vivo evidence supporting this notion, we exposed female C57BL/6 mice orally to TCDD (low/high doses: 0.1/10 μg/kg body weight) during pregnancy and lactation periods, and after the exposure, evaluated the mothers and offspring for alterations in ILC3 differentiation and function in the colon. ILC3 frequency among colonic lamina propria lymphocytes was preferentially diminished in the offspring, and, in parallel, the median fluorescence intensity (MFI) of retinoic acid receptor-related orphan receptor (ROR)γt, which is associated with ILC3 differentiation, was also decreased in ILC3s. Conversely, the percentages of two subsets of the cells, one positive for natural cytotoxicity receptor NKp46 and the other for IL-17a, were increased in TCDD-exposed mothers and offspring. Moreover, the percentage of IFN-γ+ ILC3s was increased specifically in the mothers, but this was in conjunction with a significant decrease in the MFI of IFN-γ, which suggests that the IFN-γ+ ILC3 subset was functionally altered. In conclusion, maternal exposure to TCDD suppresses ILC3 differentiation in the offspring and influences ILC3 function in distinct manners in the mother and offspring. Our study provides new insights into the intergenerational interference of dioxins in colonic ILC3s.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunping Li
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center of Eco-Environment Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Heidi Qunhui Xie
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center of Eco-Environment Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Wanglong Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center of Eco-Environment Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yunbo Wei
- Laboratory of Immunology for Environment and Health, Shandong Analysis and Test Center, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan 250014, China
| | - Rui Sha
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center of Eco-Environment Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Li Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center of Eco-Environment Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Jianqing Zhang
- Shenzhen Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Yousheng Jiang
- Shenzhen Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Tai L Guo
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences and Diagnostic Imaging, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Bin Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, Research Center of Eco-Environment Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
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Lee F, Lawrence DA. From Infections to Anthropogenic Inflicted Pathologies: Involvement of Immune Balance. JOURNAL OF TOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH. PART B, CRITICAL REVIEWS 2017; 21:24-46. [PMID: 29252129 DOI: 10.1080/10937404.2017.1412212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
A temporal trend can be seen in recent human history where the dominant causes of death have shifted from infectious to chronic diseases in industrialized societies. Human influences in the current "Anthropocene" epoch are exponentially impacting the environment and consequentially health. Changing ecological niches are suggested to have created health transitions expressed as modifications of immune balance from infections inflicting pathologies in the Holocene epoch (12,000 years ago) to human behaviors inflicting pathologies beginning in the Anthropocene epoch (300 years ago). A review of human immune health and adaptations responding to environmental (biological, chemical, physical, and psychological) stresses, which are influenced by social conditions, emphasize the involvement of fluctuations in immune cell subsets affecting influential gene-environment interactions. The literature from a variety of fields (anthropological, immunological, and environmental) is incorporated to present an expanded perspective on shifts in diseases within the context of immune balance and function and environmental immunology. The influences between historical and contemporary human ecology are examined in relation to human immunity. Several examples of shifts in human physiology and immunity support the premise that increased incidences of chronic diseases are a consequence of human modification of environment and lifestyle. Although the development of better health care and a broader understanding of human health have helped with better life quality and expectancy, the transition of morbidity and mortality rates from infections to chronic diseases is a cause for concern. Combinations of environmental stressors/pollutants and human behaviors and conditions are modulating the immune-neuroendocrine network, which compromises health benefits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florence Lee
- a Department of Anthropology , University at Albany , Albany , NY , USA
| | - David A Lawrence
- b Wadsworth Center/New York State Department of Health , Albany , NY , USA
- c Biomedical Sciences and Environmental Health Sciences , University at Albany, School of Public Health , Albany , NY , USA
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Kovalova N, Nault R, Crawford R, Zacharewski TR, Kaminski NE. Comparative analysis of TCDD-induced AhR-mediated gene expression in human, mouse and rat primary B cells. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 2016; 316:95-106. [PMID: 27913140 DOI: 10.1016/j.taap.2016.11.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2016] [Revised: 11/16/2016] [Accepted: 11/18/2016] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) is a persistent environmental pollutant that activates the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) resulting in altered gene expression. In vivo, in vitro, and ex vivo studies have demonstrated that B cells are directly impaired by TCDD, and are a sensitive target as evidenced by suppression of antibody responses. The window of sensitivity to TCDD-induced suppression of IgM secretion among mouse, rat and human B cells is similar. Specifically, TCDD must be present within the initial 12h post B cell stimulation, indicating that TCDD disrupts early signaling network(s) necessary for B lymphocyte activation and differentiation. Therefore, we hypothesized that TCDD treatment across three different species (mouse, rat and human) triggers a conserved, B cell-specific mechanism that is involved in TCDD-induced immunosuppression. RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) was used to identify B cell-specific orthologous genes that are differentially expressed in response to TCDD in primary mouse, rat and human B cells. Time course studies identified TCDD-elicited differential expression of 515 human, 2371 mouse and 712 rat orthologous genes over the 24-h period. 28 orthologs were differentially expressed in response to TCDD in all three species. Overrepresented pathways enriched in all three species included cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, ECM-receptor interaction, focal adhesion, regulation of actin cytoskeleton and pathways in cancer. Differentially expressed genes functionally associated with cell-cell signaling in humans, immune response in mice, and oxidation reduction in rats. Overall, these results suggest that despite the conservation of the AhR and its signaling mechanism, TCDD elicits species-specific gene expression changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Kovalova
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Michigan State University, Lansing, MI 48824, USA; Institute for Integrative Toxicology, Michigan State University, Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
| | - Rance Nault
- Institute for Integrative Toxicology, Michigan State University, Lansing, MI 48824, USA; Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
| | - Robert Crawford
- Institute for Integrative Toxicology, Michigan State University, Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
| | - Timothy R Zacharewski
- Institute for Integrative Toxicology, Michigan State University, Lansing, MI 48824, USA; Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
| | - Norbert E Kaminski
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Michigan State University, Lansing, MI 48824, USA; Institute for Integrative Toxicology, Michigan State University, Lansing, MI 48824, USA.
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