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Pedersen JM, Hansen AS, Skejø C, Juul-Madsen K, Junker P, Hørslev-Petersen K, Hetland ML, Stengaard-Pedersen K, Østergaard M, Møller BK, Dreyer L, Hauge EM, Hvid M, Greisen S, Deleuran B. Lymphocyte activation gene 3 is increased and affects cytokine production in rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis Res Ther 2023; 25:97. [PMID: 37287025 DOI: 10.1186/s13075-023-03073-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Accepted: 05/20/2023] [Indexed: 06/09/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Lymphocyte activation gene-3 (LAG-3) inhibits T cell activation and interferes with the immune response by binding to MHC-II. As antigen presentation is central in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) pathogenesis, we studied aspects of LAG-3 as a serological marker and mediator in the pathogenesis of RA. Since Galectin-3 (Gal-3) is described as an additional binding partner for LAG-3, we also aimed to study the functional importance of this interaction. METHODS Plasma levels of soluble (s) LAG-3 were measured in early RA patients (eRA, n = 99) at baseline and after 12 months on a treat-to-target protocol, in self-reportedly healthy controls (HC, n = 32), and in paired plasma and synovial fluid (SF) from chronic RA patients (cRA, n = 38). Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and synovial fluid mononuclear cells (SFMCs) were examined for LAG-3 expression by flow cytometry. The binding and functional outcomes of LAG-3 and Gal-3 interaction were assessed with surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and in cell cultures using rh-LAG3, an antagonistic LAG-3 antibody and a Gal-3 inhibitor. RESULTS Baseline sLAG-3 in the plasma was increased in eRA compared to HC and remained significantly elevated throughout 12 months of treatment. A high level of sLAG-3 at baseline was associated with the presence of IgM-RF and anti-CCP as well as radiographic progression. In cRA, sLAG-3 was significantly increased in SF compared with plasma, and LAG-3 was primarily expressed by activated T cells in SFMCs compared to PBMCs. Adding recombinant human LAG-3 to RA cell cultures resulted in decreased cytokine secretion, whereas blocking LAG-3 with an antagonistic antibody resulted in increased cytokine secretion. By SPR, we found a dose-dependent binding between LAG-3 and Gal-3. However, inhibiting Gal-3 in cultures did not further change cytokine production. CONCLUSIONS sLAG-3 in the plasma and synovial fluid is increased in both early and chronic RA patients, particularly in the inflamed joint. High levels of sLAG-3 are associated with autoantibody seropositivity and radiographic progression in eRA, and LAG-3 plays a biologically active role in cRA by decreasing inflammatory cytokine production. This functional outcome is not affected by Gal-3 interference. Our results suggest that LAG-3 is a faceted regulator of inflammation in early and chronic RA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janni Maria Pedersen
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, C.F. Møllers Alle 6, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark.
- Department of Acute Medicine and Trauma Care, Aalborg University Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark.
| | - Aida Solhøj Hansen
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, C.F. Møllers Alle 6, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Cæcilie Skejø
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, C.F. Møllers Alle 6, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Kristian Juul-Madsen
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, C.F. Møllers Alle 6, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Peter Junker
- Department of Rheumatology C, Odense University Hospital & Institute for Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Kim Hørslev-Petersen
- Danish Hospital for the Rheumatic Diseases, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Merete Lund Hetland
- DANBIO and Copenhagen Centre for Arthritis Research (COPECARE), Centre for Rheumatology and Spine Diseases, Centre of Head and Orthopaedics, Rigshospitalet Glostrup, Glostrup, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - Mikkel Østergaard
- DANBIO and Copenhagen Centre for Arthritis Research (COPECARE), Centre for Rheumatology and Spine Diseases, Centre of Head and Orthopaedics, Rigshospitalet Glostrup, Glostrup, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Bjarne Kuno Møller
- Department of Clinical Immunology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Lene Dreyer
- Center for Rheumatic Research Aalborg, Department of Rheumatology, Aalborg University Hospital, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
| | - Ellen-Margrethe Hauge
- Department of Acute Medicine and Trauma Care, Aalborg University Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Malene Hvid
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, C.F. Møllers Alle 6, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Stinne Greisen
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, C.F. Møllers Alle 6, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark
- Department of Rheumatology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Bent Deleuran
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, C.F. Møllers Alle 6, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark
- Department of Rheumatology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
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Anvari S, Schuster K, Grimbergen A, Davis CM, Makedonas G. Attenuation of GARP expression on regulatory T cells by protein transport inhibitors. J Immunol Methods 2021; 492:112998. [PMID: 33600819 DOI: 10.1016/j.jim.2021.112998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2020] [Revised: 12/02/2020] [Accepted: 02/10/2021] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
An integrated understanding of the functional capacities of cells in the context of their physical parameters and molecular markers is increasingly demanded in immunologic studies. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are a subpopulation of T cells involved in immune response modulation and mediating tolerance to self-antigen with their absence leading to a loss of tolerance. Glycoprotein repetitions A predominant (GARP) is a key marker for activated Tregs, but its detection may also be useful in determining the functional capacities of the cell. This study aims to deduce the optimal stimulation period and the impact of protein transport inhibitors (PTIs), commonly used in the detection of intracellular cytokines, on GARP detection. Through flow cytometric analysis we analyzed different cell culture conditions for optimal GARP expression on activated Tregs. Healthy donor PBMCs were stimulated with either Staphylococcal Enterotoxin B (SEB) or PMA/Ionomycin (PMA/Iono), in the presence and absence of PTIs monensin and/or brefeldin A (BFA) and GARP expression was assessed on CD4+ CD25+ FOXP3+ Tregs. The optimal stimulation period for the detection of GARP was highest at 24-h. Furthermore, we determined that GARP expression on Tregs is significantly reduced when cells are treated with the PTIs monensin and/or BFA following PMA/Iono stimulation. This effect was not seen following SEB stimulation. Therefore, due to the effects of PTIs, alternative methods should be considered when performing simultaneous analysis for cytokine expression and GARP expression on Tregs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Anvari
- Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital, Section of Pediatric Immunology, Allergy, and Retrovirology, William T. Shearer Center for Human Immunobiology, 1102 Bates Avenue, Ste. 330, Houston, TX, USA.
| | - Kimberly Schuster
- Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital, Section of Pediatric Immunology, Allergy, and Retrovirology, William T. Shearer Center for Human Immunobiology, 1102 Bates Avenue, Ste. 330, Houston, TX, USA.
| | - Andrea Grimbergen
- Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital, Section of Pediatric Immunology, Allergy, and Retrovirology, William T. Shearer Center for Human Immunobiology, 1102 Bates Avenue, Ste. 330, Houston, TX, USA.
| | - Carla M Davis
- Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital, Section of Pediatric Immunology, Allergy, and Retrovirology, William T. Shearer Center for Human Immunobiology, 1102 Bates Avenue, Ste. 330, Houston, TX, USA.
| | - George Makedonas
- Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital, Section of Pediatric Immunology, Allergy, and Retrovirology, William T. Shearer Center for Human Immunobiology, 1102 Bates Avenue, Ste. 330, Houston, TX, USA.
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Regulatory B and T lymphocytes in multiple sclerosis: friends or foes? AUTOIMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS 2018; 9:9. [PMID: 30415321 PMCID: PMC6230324 DOI: 10.1007/s13317-018-0109-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2018] [Accepted: 10/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Current clinical experience with immunomodulatory agents and monoclonal antibodies in principle has established the benefit of depleting lymphocytic populations in relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). B and T cells may exert multiple pro-inflammatory actions, but also possess regulatory functions making their role in RRMS pathogenesis much more complex. There is no clear correlation of Tregs and Bregs with clinical features of the disease. Herein, we discuss the emerging data on regulatory T and B cell subset distributions in MS and their roles in the pathophysiology of MS and its murine model, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). In addition, we summarize the immunomodulatory properties of certain MS therapeutic agents through their effect on such regulatory cell subsets and their relevance to clinical outcomes.
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