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Fazazi MR, Ruda GF, Brennan PE, Rangachari M. The X-linked histone demethylases KDM5C and KDM6A as regulators of T cell-driven autoimmunity in the central nervous system. Brain Res Bull 2023; 202:110748. [PMID: 37657612 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2023.110748] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2023] [Revised: 08/18/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/03/2023]
Abstract
T cell-driven autoimmune responses are subject to striking sex-dependent effects. While the contributions of sex hormones are well-understood, those of sex chromosomes are meeting with increased appreciation. Here, we outline what is known about the contribution of sex chromosome-linked factors to experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a mouse model that recapitulates many of the T cell-driven mechanisms of multiple sclerosis (MS) pathology. Particular attention is paid to the KDM family of histone demethylases, several of which - KDM5C, KDM5D and KDM6A - are sex chromosome encoded. Finally, we provide evidence that functional inhibition of KDM5 molecules can suppress interferon (IFN)γ production from murine male effector T cells, and that an increased ratio of inflammatory Kdm6a to immunomodulatory Kdm5c transcript is observed in T helper 17 (Th17) cells from women with the autoimmune disorder ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Histone lysine demethlyases thus represent intriguing targets for the treatment of T cell-driven autoimmune disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohamed Reda Fazazi
- axe Neurosciences, Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec-Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada
| | - Gian Filippo Ruda
- Centre for Medicines Discovery and NIHR, Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, Centre for Medicines Discovery, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7FZ, UK
| | - Paul E Brennan
- Centre for Medicines Discovery and NIHR, Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, Centre for Medicines Discovery, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7FZ, UK; Alzheimer's Research UK, Oxford Drug Discovery Institute, Centre for Medicines Discovery, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7FZ, UK
| | - Manu Rangachari
- axe Neurosciences, Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec-Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada; Département de médecine moléculaire, Faculté de médecine, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada.
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2
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Milosevic A, Lavrnja I, Savic D, Milosevic K, Skuljec J, Bjelobaba I, Janjic MM. Rat Ovarian Function Is Impaired during Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis. Cells 2023; 12:cells12071045. [PMID: 37048118 PMCID: PMC10093247 DOI: 10.3390/cells12071045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2023] [Revised: 03/21/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 04/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease affecting the CNS and occurring far more prevalently in women than in men. In both MS and its animal models, sex hormones play important immunomodulatory roles. We have previously shown that experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) affects the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis in rats of both sexes and induces an arrest in the estrous cycle in females. To investigate the gonadal status in female rats with EAE, we explored ovarian morphometric parameters, circulating and intraovarian sex steroid levels, and the expression of steroidogenic machinery components in the ovarian tissue. A prolonged state of diestrus was recorded during the peak of EAE, with maintenance of the corpora lutea, elevated intraovarian progesterone levels, and increased gene and protein expression of StAR, similar to the state of pseudopregnancy. The decrease in CYP17A1 protein expression was followed by a decrease in ovarian testosterone and estradiol levels. On the contrary, serum testosterone levels were slightly increased. With unchanged serum estradiol levels, these results point at extra-gonadal sites of sex steroid biosynthesis and catabolism as important regulators of their circulating levels. Our study suggests alterations in the function of the female reproductive system during central autoimmunity and highlights the bidirectional relationships between hormonal status and EAE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Milosevic
- Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković"-National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Irena Lavrnja
- Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković"-National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Danijela Savic
- Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković"-National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Katarina Milosevic
- Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković"-National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Jelena Skuljec
- Department of Neurology, University Medicine Essen, 45147 Essen, Germany
- Center for Translational Neuro- and Behavioral Sciences, University Hospital Essen, 45147 Essen, Germany
| | - Ivana Bjelobaba
- Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković"-National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Marija M Janjic
- Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković"-National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
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3
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Khaw YM, Anwar S, Zhou J, Kawano T, Lin P, Otero A, Barakat R, Drnevich J, Takahashi T, Ko CJ, Inoue M. Estrogen receptor alpha signaling in dendritic cells modulates autoimmune disease phenotype in mice. EMBO Rep 2023; 24:e54228. [PMID: 36633157 PMCID: PMC9986829 DOI: 10.15252/embr.202154228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2021] [Revised: 11/23/2022] [Accepted: 12/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Estrogen is a disease-modifying factor in multiple sclerosis (MS) and its animal model experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) via estrogen receptor alpha (ERα). However, the mechanisms by which ERα signaling contributes to changes in disease pathogenesis have not been completely elucidated. Here, we demonstrate that ERα deletion in dendritic cells (DCs) of mice induces severe neurodegeneration in the central nervous system in a mouse EAE model and resistance to interferon beta (IFNβ), a first-line MS treatment. Estrogen synthesized by extragonadal sources is crucial for controlling disease phenotypes. Mechanistically, activated ERα directly interacts with TRAF3, a TLR4 downstream signaling molecule, to degrade TRAF3 via ubiquitination, resulting in reduced IRF3 nuclear translocation and transcription of membrane lymphotoxin (mLT) and IFNβ components. Diminished ERα signaling in DCs generates neurotoxic effector CD4+ T cells via mLT-lymphotoxin beta receptor (LTβR) signaling. Lymphotoxin beta receptor antagonist abolished EAE disease symptoms in the DC-specific ERα-deficient mice. These findings indicate that estrogen derived from extragonadal sources, such as lymph nodes, controls TRAF3-mediated cytokine production in DCs to modulate the EAE disease phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yee Ming Khaw
- Department of Comparative BiosciencesUniversity of Illinois at Urbana‐ChampaignUrbanaILUSA
- Neuroscience ProgramUniversity of Illinois at Urbana‐ChampaignUrbanaILUSA
| | - Shehata Anwar
- Department of Comparative BiosciencesUniversity of Illinois at Urbana‐ChampaignUrbanaILUSA
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary MedicineBeni‐Suef University (BSU)Beni‐SuefEgypt
| | - Jinyan Zhou
- Department of Comparative BiosciencesUniversity of Illinois at Urbana‐ChampaignUrbanaILUSA
- Neuroscience ProgramUniversity of Illinois at Urbana‐ChampaignUrbanaILUSA
| | - Tasuku Kawano
- Department of Comparative BiosciencesUniversity of Illinois at Urbana‐ChampaignUrbanaILUSA
- Division of Pathophysiology, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmaceutical SciencesTohoku Medical and Pharmaceutical UniversitySendaiJapan
| | - Po‐Ching Lin
- Department of Comparative BiosciencesUniversity of Illinois at Urbana‐ChampaignUrbanaILUSA
| | - Ashley Otero
- Department of Comparative BiosciencesUniversity of Illinois at Urbana‐ChampaignUrbanaILUSA
- Neuroscience ProgramUniversity of Illinois at Urbana‐ChampaignUrbanaILUSA
| | - Radwa Barakat
- Department of Comparative BiosciencesUniversity of Illinois at Urbana‐ChampaignUrbanaILUSA
- Department of Toxicology and Forensic MedicineCollege of Veterinary Medicine, Benha UniversityQalyubiaEgypt
| | - Jenny Drnevich
- Roy J. Carver Biotechnology CenterUniversity of Illinois Urbana‐ChampaignUrbanaILUSA
| | - Tomoko Takahashi
- Division of Pathophysiology, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmaceutical SciencesTohoku Medical and Pharmaceutical UniversitySendaiJapan
| | - CheMyong Jay Ko
- Department of Comparative BiosciencesUniversity of Illinois at Urbana‐ChampaignUrbanaILUSA
- Neuroscience ProgramUniversity of Illinois at Urbana‐ChampaignUrbanaILUSA
| | - Makoto Inoue
- Department of Comparative BiosciencesUniversity of Illinois at Urbana‐ChampaignUrbanaILUSA
- Neuroscience ProgramUniversity of Illinois at Urbana‐ChampaignUrbanaILUSA
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and TechnologyUrbanaILUSA
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4
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McCombe PA, Greer JM. Effects of biological sex and pregnancy in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis: It's complicated. Front Immunol 2022; 13:1059833. [PMID: 36518769 PMCID: PMC9742606 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1059833] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2022] [Accepted: 11/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) can be induced in many animal strains by inoculation with central nervous system antigens and adjuvant or by the passive transfer of lymphocytes reactive with these antigens and is widely used as an animal model for multiple sclerosis (MS). There are reports that female sex and pregnancy affect EAE. Here we review the effects of biological sex and the effects of pregnancy on the clinical features (including disease susceptibility) and pathophysiology of EAE. We also review reports of the possible mechanisms underlying these differences. These include sex-related differences in the immune system and in the central nervous system, the effects of hormones and the sex chromosomes and molecules unique to pregnancy. We also review sex differences in the response to factors that can modify the course of EAE. Our conclusion is that the effects of biological sex in EAE vary amongst animal models and should not be widely extrapolated. In EAE, it is therefore essential that studies looking at the effects of biological sex or pregnancy give full information about the model that is used (i.e. animal strain, sex, the inducing antigen, timing of EAE induction in relation to pregnancy, etc.). In addition, it would be preferable if more than one EAE model were used, to show if any observed effects are generalizable. This is clearly a field that requires further work. However, understanding of the mechanisms of sex differences could lead to greater understanding of EAE, and suggest possible therapies for MS.
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5
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Milosevic A, Janjic MM, Lavrnja I, Savic D, Bozic ID, Tesovic K, Jakovljevic M, Pekovic S, Stojilkovic SS, Bjelobaba I. The sex-specific patterns of changes in hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis during experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. Brain Behav Immun 2020; 89:233-244. [PMID: 32592862 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2020.06.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2020] [Revised: 06/09/2020] [Accepted: 06/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Multiple sclerosis develops during reproductive years in a sex-specific manner. Various neuroendocrine changes have been described in this inflammatory, demyelinating, and debilitating disease. We here aimed to determine the extent and sex specificity of alterations in the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis in the rat model of multiple sclerosis named experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. During the disease course, the hypothalamic tissue showed transient upregulation of inflammatory marker genes Gfap, Cd68, Ccl2, and Il1b in both sexes, but accompanied by sex-specific downregulation of Kiss1 (in females only) and Gnrh1 (in males only) expression. In females, the expression of gonadotrope-specific genes Lhb, Cga, and Gnrhr was also inhibited, accompanied by decreased basal but not stimulated serum luteinizing hormone levels and a transient arrest of the estrous cycle. In contrast, Fshb expression and serum progesterone levels were transiently elevated, findings consistent with the maintenance of the corpora lutea, and elevated immunohistochemical labeling of ovarian StAR, a rate limiting protein in steroidogenic pathway. In males, downregulation of Gnrhr expression and basal and stimulated serum luteinizing hormone and testosterone levels were accompanied by inhibited testicular StAR protein expression. We propose that inflammation of hypothalamic tissue downregulates Kiss1 and Gnrh1 expression in females and males, respectively, leading to sex-specific changes downstream the axis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Milosevic
- Institute for Biological Research "Sinisa Stankovic"- National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Marija M Janjic
- Institute for Biological Research "Sinisa Stankovic"- National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Irena Lavrnja
- Institute for Biological Research "Sinisa Stankovic"- National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Danijela Savic
- Institute for Biological Research "Sinisa Stankovic"- National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Iva D Bozic
- Institute for Biological Research "Sinisa Stankovic"- National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Katarina Tesovic
- Institute for Biological Research "Sinisa Stankovic"- National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Marija Jakovljevic
- Institute for Biological Research "Sinisa Stankovic"- National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Sanja Pekovic
- Institute for Biological Research "Sinisa Stankovic"- National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Stanko S Stojilkovic
- Section on Cellular Signaling, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Ivana Bjelobaba
- Institute for Biological Research "Sinisa Stankovic"- National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia.
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6
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Abundance and nuclear antigen reactivity of intestinal and fecal Immunoglobulin A in lupus-prone mice at younger ages correlate with the onset of eventual systemic autoimmunity. Sci Rep 2020; 10:14258. [PMID: 32868790 PMCID: PMC7458927 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-71272-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2020] [Accepted: 08/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Our recent studies, using (SWRxNZB)F1 (SNF1) mice, showed a potential contribution of the gut microbiota and pro-inflammatory immune responses of the gut mucosa to systemic autoimmunity in lupus. Here, using this mouse model, we determined the abundance and the nAg reactivity of IgA antibody produced in the intestine under lupus susceptibility. Intestinal lymphoid tissues from SNF1 mice, females particularly, showed significantly higher frequencies of nAg (dsDNA and nucleohistone) reactive IgA producing B cells compared to B6 females. Most importantly, younger age fecal IgA -abundance and -nAg reactivity of lupus-prone mice showed a positive correlation with eventual systemic autoimmunity and proteinuria onset. Depletion of gut microbiota in SNF1 mice resulted in the diminished production of IgA in the intestine and the nAg reactivity of these antibodies. Overall, these observations show that fecal IgA features, nuclear antigen reactivity particularly, at preclinical stages/in at-risk subjects could be predictive of autoimmune progression.
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7
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Johnson BM, Gaudreau MC, Gudi R, Brown R, Gilkeson G, Vasu C. Gut microbiota differently contributes to intestinal immune phenotype and systemic autoimmune progression in female and male lupus-prone mice. J Autoimmun 2020; 108:102420. [PMID: 32019684 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaut.2020.102420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2019] [Revised: 01/07/2020] [Accepted: 01/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The risk of developing systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is about 9 times higher in women as compared to men. Our recent report, which used (SWRxNZB) F1 (SNF1) mouse model of spontaneous lupus, showed a potential link between immune response initiated in the gut mucosa at juvenile age (sex hormone independent) and SLE susceptibility. Here, using this mouse model, we show that gut microbiota contributes differently to pro-inflammatory immune response in the intestine and autoimmune progression in lupus-prone males and females. We found that gut microbiota composition in male and female littermates are significantly different only at adult ages. However, depletion of gut microbes causes suppression of autoimmune progression only in females. In agreement, microbiota depletion suppressed the pro-inflammatory cytokine response of gut mucosa in juvenile and adult females. Nevertheless, microbiota from females and males showed, upon cross-transfer, contrasting abilities to modulate disease progression. Furthermore, orchidectomy (castration) not only caused changes in the composition of gut microbiota, but also a modest acceleration of autoimmune progression. Overall, our work shows that microbiota-dependent pro-inflammatory immune response in the gut mucosa of females initiated at juvenile ages and androgen-dependent protection of males contribute to gender differences in the intestinal immune phenotype and systemic autoimmune progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin M Johnson
- Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - Marie-Claude Gaudreau
- Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - Radhika Gudi
- Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - Robert Brown
- Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - Gary Gilkeson
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA
| | - Chenthamarakshan Vasu
- Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA.
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Kaplan BLF. Evaluation of Marijuana Compounds on Neuroimmune Endpoints in Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018; 75:11.25.1-11.25.22. [PMID: 29512125 DOI: 10.1002/cptx.43] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Cannabinoid compounds refer to a group of more than 60 plant-derived compounds in Cannabis sativa, more commonly known as marijuana. Exposure to marijuana and cannabinoid compounds has been increasing due to increased societal acceptance for both recreational and possible medical use. Cannabinoid compounds suppress immune function, and while this could compromise one's ability to fight infections, immune suppression is the desired effect for therapies for autoimmune diseases. It is critical, therefore, to understand the effects and mechanisms by which cannabinoid compounds alter immune function, especially immune responses induced in autoimmune disease. Therefore, this unit will describe induction and assessment of the experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) model of multiple sclerosis (MS), and its potential alteration by cannabinoid compounds. The unit includes three approaches to induce EAE, two of which provide correlations to two forms of MS, and the third specifically addresses the role of autoreactive T cells in EAE. © 2018 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara L F Kaplan
- Center for Environmental Health Sciences, Department of Basic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, Mississippi
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9
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Stojić-Vukanić Z, Kotur-Stevuljević J, Nacka-Aleksić M, Kosec D, Vujnović I, Pilipović I, Dimitrijević M, Leposavić G. Sex Bias in Pathogenesis of Autoimmune Neuroinflammation: Relevance for Dimethyl Fumarate Immunomodulatory/Anti-oxidant Action. Mol Neurobiol 2017; 55:3755-3774. [PMID: 28534275 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-017-0595-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2017] [Accepted: 05/02/2017] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
In the present study, upon showing sexual dimorphism in dimethyl fumarate (DMF) efficacy to moderate the clinical severity of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in Dark Agouti rats, cellular and molecular substrate of this dimorphism was explored. In rats of both sexes, DMF administration from the day of immunization attenuated EAE severity, but this effect was more prominent in males leading to loss of the sexual dimorphism observed in vehicle-administered controls. Consistently, in male rats, DMF was more efficient in diminishing the number of CD4+ T lymphocytes infiltrating spinal cord (SC) and their reactivation, the number of IL-17+ T lymphocytes and particularly cellularity of their highly pathogenic IFN-γ+GM-CSF+IL-17+ subset. This was linked with changes in SC CD11b+CD45+TCRαβ- microglia/proinflammatory monocyte progeny, substantiated in a more prominent increase in the frequency of anti-inflammatory phygocyting CD163+ cells and the cells expressing high surface levels of immunoregulatory CD83 molecule (associated with apoptotic cells phagocytosis and implicated in downregulation of CD4+ T lymphocyte reactivation) among CD11b+CD45+TCRαβ- cells in male rat SC. These changes were associated with greater increase in the nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 expression in male rats administered with DMF. In accordance with the previous findings, DMF diminished reactive nitrogen and oxygen species generation and consistently, SC level of advanced oxidation protein products, to the greater extent in male rats. Overall, our study indicates sex-specificity in the sensitivity of DMF cellular and molecular targets and encourages sex-based clinical research to define significance of sex for action of therapeutic agents moderating autoimmune neuroinflammation-/oxidative stress-related nervous tissue damage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zorica Stojić-Vukanić
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Belgrade, 450 Vojvode Stepe, Belgrade, 11221, Serbia
| | - Jelena Kotur-Stevuljević
- Department for Medical Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Belgrade, 450 Vojvode Stepe, Belgrade, 11221, Serbia
| | - Mirjana Nacka-Aleksić
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Belgrade, 450 Vojvode Stepe, Belgrade, 11221, Serbia
| | - Duško Kosec
- Immunology Research Centre "Branislav Janković", Institute of Virology, Vaccines and Sera "Torlak", 458 Vojvode Stepe, Belgrade, 11221, Serbia
| | - Ivana Vujnović
- Immunology Research Centre "Branislav Janković", Institute of Virology, Vaccines and Sera "Torlak", 458 Vojvode Stepe, Belgrade, 11221, Serbia
| | - Ivan Pilipović
- Immunology Research Centre "Branislav Janković", Institute of Virology, Vaccines and Sera "Torlak", 458 Vojvode Stepe, Belgrade, 11221, Serbia
| | - Mirjana Dimitrijević
- Department of Immunology, Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković", University of Belgrade, Bulevar despota Stefana 142, Belgrade, 11060, Serbia
| | - Gordana Leposavić
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Belgrade, 450 Vojvode Stepe, Belgrade, 11221, Serbia.
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Male rats develop more severe experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis than female rats: sexual dimorphism and diergism at the spinal cord level. Brain Behav Immun 2015; 49:101-18. [PMID: 25944279 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2015.04.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2014] [Revised: 03/26/2015] [Accepted: 04/26/2015] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Compared with females, male Dark Agouti (DA) rats immunized for experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) with rat spinal cord homogenate in complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) exhibited lower incidence of the disease, but the maximal neurological deficit was greater in the animals that developed the disease. Consistently, at the peak of the disease greater number of reactivated CD4+CD134+CD45RC- T lymphocytes was retrieved from male rat spinal cord. Their microglia/macrophages were more activated and produced greater amount of prototypic proinflammatory cytokines in vitro. Additionally, oppositely to the expression of mRNAs for IL-12/p35, IL-10 and IL-27/p28, the expression of mRNA for IL-23/p19 was upregulated in male rat spinal cord mononuclear cells. Consequently, the IL-17+:IFN-γ+ cell ratio within T lymphocytes from their spinal cord was skewed towards IL-17+ cells. Within this subpopulation, the IL-17+IFN-γ+:IL-17+IL-10+ cell ratio was shifted towards IL-17+IFN-γ+ cells, which have prominent tissue damaging capacity. This was associated with an upregulated expression of mRNAs for IL-1β and IL-6, but downregulated TGF-β mRNA expression in male rat spinal cord mononuclear cells. The enhanced GM-CSF mRNA expression in these cells supported the greater pathogenicity of IL-17+ T lymphocytes infiltrating male spinal cord. In the inductive phase of the disease, contrary to the draining lymph node, in the spinal cord the frequency of CD134+ cells among CD4+ T lymphocytes and the frequency of IL-17+ cells among T lymphocytes were greater in male than in female rats. This most likely reflected an enhanced transmigration of mononuclear cells into the spinal cord (judging by the lesser spinal cord CXCL12 mRNA expression), the greater frequency of activated microglia/macrophages and the increased expression of mRNAs for Th17 polarizing cytokines in male rat spinal cord mononuclear cells. Collectively, the results showed cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the target organ specific sexual dimorphism in the T lymphocyte-dependent immune/inflammatory response, and suggested a substantial role for the target organ in shaping the sexually dimorphic clinical outcome of EAE.
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11
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Nacka-Aleksić M, Pilipović I, Stojić-Vukanić Z, Kosec D, Bufan B, Vujnović I, Arsenović-Ranin N, Dimitrijević M, Leposavić G. Sexual dimorphism in the aged rat CD4+ T lymphocyte-mediated immune response elicited by inoculation with spinal cord homogenate. Mech Ageing Dev 2015; 152:15-31. [PMID: 26408399 DOI: 10.1016/j.mad.2015.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2015] [Accepted: 09/20/2015] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Considering the crucial pathogenic role of CD4+ T cells in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) and the opposite direction of the sexual dimorphism in the severity of the disease in 22-24-and 3-month-old dark agouti rats, sex differences in CD4+ T-cell-mediated immune response in aged rats immunized for EAE were examined and compared with those in young animals. In the inductive phase of EAE, fewer activated CD4+ lymphocytes were retrieved from draining lymph nodes of male (developing less severe disease) compared with female rats, due, at least partly, to their lesser expansion. The former reflected a greater suppressive capacity of CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ cells. Consequently, CD4+ lymphocyte infiltration into the spinal cord of aged male rats was diminished. At the peak of EAE, the frequency of reactivated cells was lower, whereas that of the regulatory CD4+ cells was higher in male rat spinal cord. Consistently, microglial activation and the expression of proinflammatory/damaging cytokines in male rat spinal cord mononuclear cells were diminished. Additionally, the frequency of the highly pathogenic IL-17+IFN-γ+ T lymphocytes infiltrating their spinal cord was lower. Together, these results point to (i) an age-specificity in CD4+ cell-mediated immune response and (ii) mechanisms underlying the sex differences in this response in aged rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mirjana Nacka-Aleksić
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Belgrade, 450 Vojvode Stepe, 11221 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Ivan Pilipović
- Immunology Research Centre "Branislav Janković", Institute of Virology, Vaccines and Sera "Torlak", 458 Vojvode Stepe, 11221 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Zorica Stojić-Vukanić
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Belgrade, 450 Vojvode Stepe, 11221 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Duško Kosec
- Immunology Research Centre "Branislav Janković", Institute of Virology, Vaccines and Sera "Torlak", 458 Vojvode Stepe, 11221 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Biljana Bufan
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Belgrade, 450 Vojvode Stepe, 11221 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Ivana Vujnović
- Immunology Research Centre "Branislav Janković", Institute of Virology, Vaccines and Sera "Torlak", 458 Vojvode Stepe, 11221 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Nevena Arsenović-Ranin
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Belgrade, 450 Vojvode Stepe, 11221 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Mirjana Dimitrijević
- Immunology Research Centre "Branislav Janković", Institute of Virology, Vaccines and Sera "Torlak", 458 Vojvode Stepe, 11221 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Gordana Leposavić
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Belgrade, 450 Vojvode Stepe, 11221 Belgrade, Serbia.
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12
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Gaudreau MC, Johnson BM, Gudi R, Al-Gadban MM, Vasu C. Gender bias in lupus: does immune response initiated in the gut mucosa have a role? Clin Exp Immunol 2015; 180:393-407. [PMID: 25603723 DOI: 10.1111/cei.12587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/11/2015] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The risk of developing systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is approximately nine times higher among women compared to men. However, very little is understood concerning the underlying mechanisms that contribute to this gender bias. Further, whether there is a link between immune response initiated in the gut mucosa, the progression of SLE and the associated gender bias has never been investigated. In this report, we show a potential link between the immune response of the gut mucosa and SLE and the gender bias of lupus for the first time, to our knowledge. Both plasma cell- and gut-imprinted- α4β7 T cell frequencies were significantly higher in the spleen and gut mucosa of female (SWR × NZB)F1 (SNF1 ) mice compared to that of their male counterparts. Importantly, female SNF1 mice not only showed profoundly higher CD45(+) immune cell densities, but also carried large numbers of interleukin (IL)-17-, IL-22- and IL-9-producing cells in the lamina propria (LP) compared to their male counterparts. Intestinal mucosa of female SNF1 mice expressed higher levels of a large array of proinflammatory molecules, including type 1 interferons and Toll-like receptors 7 and 8 (TLR-7 and TLR-8), even before puberty. Our work, therefore, indicates that the gut immune system may play a role in the initiation and progression of disease in SLE and the associated gender bias.
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Affiliation(s)
- M-C Gaudreau
- Departments of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - B M Johnson
- Departments of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - R Gudi
- Departments of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - M M Al-Gadban
- Departments of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - C Vasu
- Departments of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA.,Departments of Surgery, College of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
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13
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Cruz-Orengo L, Daniels BP, Dorsey D, Basak SA, Grajales-Reyes JG, McCandless EE, Piccio L, Schmidt RE, Cross AH, Crosby SD, Klein RS. Enhanced sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 2 expression underlies female CNS autoimmunity susceptibility. J Clin Invest 2014; 124:2571-84. [PMID: 24812668 DOI: 10.1172/jci73408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2013] [Accepted: 03/20/2014] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory disease of the CNS that is characterized by BBB dysfunction and has a much higher incidence in females. Compared with other strains of mice, EAE in the SJL mouse strain models multiple features of MS, including an enhanced sensitivity of female mice to disease; however, the molecular mechanisms that underlie the sex- and strain-dependent differences in disease susceptibility have not been described. We identified sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 2 (S1PR2) as a sex- and strain-specific, disease-modifying molecule that regulates BBB permeability by destabilizing adherens junctions. S1PR2 expression was increased in disease-susceptible regions of the CNS of both female SJL EAE mice and female patients with MS compared with their male counterparts. Pharmacological blockade or lack of S1PR2 signaling decreased EAE disease severity as the result of enhanced endothelial barrier function. Enhanced S1PR2 signaling in an in vitro BBB model altered adherens junction formation via activation of Rho/ROCK, CDC42, and caveolin endocytosis-dependent pathways, resulting in loss of apicobasal polarity and relocation of abluminal CXCL12 to vessel lumina. Furthermore, S1PR2-dependent BBB disruption and CXCL12 relocation were observed in vivo. These results identify a link between S1PR2 signaling and BBB polarity and implicate S1PR2 in sex-specific patterns of disease during CNS autoimmunity.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Autoimmunity/genetics
- Blood-Brain Barrier/immunology
- Blood-Brain Barrier/metabolism
- Case-Control Studies
- Central Nervous System/immunology
- Central Nervous System/metabolism
- Central Nervous System/pathology
- Encephalomyelitis, Autoimmune, Experimental/etiology
- Encephalomyelitis, Autoimmune, Experimental/genetics
- Encephalomyelitis, Autoimmune, Experimental/metabolism
- Female
- Gene Expression Profiling
- Genetic Predisposition to Disease
- Humans
- Male
- Mice
- Mice, 129 Strain
- Mice, Inbred C57BL
- Mice, Knockout
- Multiple Sclerosis/etiology
- Multiple Sclerosis/genetics
- Multiple Sclerosis/metabolism
- Receptors, Lysosphingolipid/deficiency
- Receptors, Lysosphingolipid/genetics
- Receptors, Lysosphingolipid/metabolism
- Sex Characteristics
- Species Specificity
- Sphingosine-1-Phosphate Receptors
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14
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Sisay S, Pryce G, Jackson SJ, Tanner C, Ross RA, Michael GJ, Selwood DL, Giovannoni G, Baker D. Genetic background can result in a marked or minimal effect of gene knockout (GPR55 and CB2 receptor) in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis models of multiple sclerosis. PLoS One 2013; 8:e76907. [PMID: 24130809 PMCID: PMC3793915 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0076907] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2013] [Accepted: 08/26/2013] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Endocannabinoids and some phytocannabinoids bind to CB1 and CB2 cannabinoid receptors, transient receptor potential vanilloid one (TRPV1) receptor and the orphan G protein receptor fifty-five (GPR55). Studies using C57BL/10 and C57BL/6 (Cnr2tm1Zim) CB2 cannabinoid receptor knockout mice have demonstrated an immune-augmenting effect in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) models of multiple sclerosis. However, other EAE studies in Biozzi ABH mice often failed to show any treatment effect of either CB2 receptor agonism or antagonism on inhibition of T cell autoimmunity. The influence of genetic background on the induction of EAE in endocannabinoid system-related gene knockout mice was examined. It was found that C57BL/6.GPR55 knockout mice developed less severe disease, notably in female mice, following active induction with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein 35-55 peptide. In contrast C57BL/6.CB2 (Cnr2Dgen) receptor knockout mice developed augmented severity of disease consistent with the genetically and pharmacologically-distinct, Cnr2tm1Zim mice. However, when the knockout gene was bred into the ABH mouse background and EAE induced with spinal cord autoantigens the immune-enhancing effect of CB2 receptor deletion was lost. Likewise CB1 receptor and transient receptor potential vanilloid one knockout mice on the ABH background demonstrated no alteration in immune-susceptibility, in terms of disease incidence and severity of EAE, in contrast to that reported in some C57BL/6 mouse studies. Furthermore the immune-modulating influence of GPR55 was marginal on the ABH mouse background. Whilst sedative doses of tetrahydrocannabinol could induce immunosuppression, this was associated with a CB1 receptor rather than a CB2 receptor-mediated effect. These data support the fact that non-psychoactive doses of medicinal cannabis have a marginal influence on the immune response in MS. Importantly, it adds a note of caution for the translational value of some transgenic/gene knockout and other studies on low-EAE susceptibility backgrounds with inconsistent disease course and susceptibility.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Disease Models, Animal
- Encephalomyelitis, Autoimmune, Experimental/genetics
- Encephalomyelitis, Autoimmune, Experimental/immunology
- Female
- Gene Deletion
- Gene Knockout Techniques
- Immunomodulation/genetics
- Male
- Mice
- Multiple Sclerosis/genetics
- Multiple Sclerosis/immunology
- Phenotype
- Receptor, Cannabinoid, CB2/deficiency
- Receptor, Cannabinoid, CB2/genetics
- Receptors, Cannabinoid/deficiency
- Receptors, Cannabinoid/genetics
- Species Specificity
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofia Sisay
- Neuroimmunology, Blizard Institute, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Gareth Pryce
- Neuroimmunology, Blizard Institute, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Samuel J. Jackson
- Neuroimmunology, Blizard Institute, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Carolyn Tanner
- School of Medical Science, Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen, United Kingdom
| | - Ruth A. Ross
- School of Medical Science, Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen, United Kingdom
- Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Gregory J. Michael
- Neuroimmunology, Blizard Institute, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - David L. Selwood
- Biological and Medical Chemistry, the Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Gavin Giovannoni
- Neuroimmunology, Blizard Institute, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - David Baker
- Neuroimmunology, Blizard Institute, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
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15
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Case LK, Wall EH, Dragon JA, Saligrama N, Krementsov DN, Moussawi M, Zachary JF, Huber SA, Blankenhorn EP, Teuscher C. The Y chromosome as a regulatory element shaping immune cell transcriptomes and susceptibility to autoimmune disease. Genome Res 2013; 23:1474-85. [PMID: 23800453 PMCID: PMC3759723 DOI: 10.1101/gr.156703.113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 107] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2013] [Accepted: 06/19/2013] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Understanding the DNA elements that constitute and control the regulatory genome is critical for the appropriate therapeutic management of complex diseases. Here, using chromosome Y (ChrY) consomic mouse strains on the C57BL/6J (B6) background, we show that susceptibility to two diverse animal models of autoimmune disease, experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) and experimental myocarditis, correlates with the natural variation in copy number of Sly and Rbmy multicopy ChrY genes. On the B6 background, ChrY possesses gene regulatory properties that impact genome-wide gene expression in pathogenic CD4(+) T cells. Using a ChrY consomic strain on the SJL background, we discovered a preference for ChrY-mediated gene regulation in macrophages, the immune cell subset underlying the EAE sexual dimorphism in SJL mice, rather than CD4(+) T cells. Importantly, in both genetic backgrounds, an inverse correlation exists between the number of Sly and Rbmy ChrY gene copies and the number of significantly up-regulated genes in immune cells, thereby supporting a link between copy number variation of Sly and Rbmy with the ChrY genetic element exerting regulatory properties. Additionally, we show that ChrY polymorphism can determine the sexual dimorphism in EAE and myocarditis. In humans, an analysis of the CD4(+) T cell transcriptome from male multiple sclerosis patients versus healthy controls provides further evidence for an evolutionarily conserved mechanism of gene regulation by ChrY. Thus, as in Drosophila, these data establish the mammalian ChrY as a member of the regulatory genome due to its ability to epigenetically regulate genome-wide gene expression in immune cells.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Mohamad Moussawi
- Department of Pathology, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont 05405, USA
| | - James F. Zachary
- Department of Pathobiology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61802, USA
| | - Sally A. Huber
- Department of Pathology, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont 05405, USA
| | - Elizabeth P. Blankenhorn
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19129, USA
| | - Cory Teuscher
- Department of Medicine
- Department of Pathology, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont 05405, USA
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16
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Bove R, Chitnis T. Sexual disparities in the incidence and course of MS. Clin Immunol 2013; 149:201-10. [PMID: 23608496 DOI: 10.1016/j.clim.2013.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2012] [Revised: 02/06/2013] [Accepted: 03/11/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Multiple sclerosis (MS) affects three times more women than men and this ratio appears to be increasing. However male patients experience increased disease progression, brain atrophy, and cognitive impairment. Gonadal hormones may modulate these sex differences. For example, female puberty heralds an increased risk of MS, and during pregnancy disease activity is milder, with an increased risk of postpartum relapses. Gonadal hormones likely have complex and inflammatory and neuroprotective effects, and may interact with other disease modulators, such as vitamin D. Sex differences in the heritability of disease susceptibility genes implicate a role for epigenetic modification. Many questions remain, including the impact of sex on treatment response and epigenetic changes, and the modulatory potential of hormonal treatments. This article summarizes what is known about sexual dimorphism in MS onset and course, as well as potential interactions between sex and other factors influencing MS pathogenesis, incidence and severity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Riley Bove
- Partners Multiple Sclerosis Center, Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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17
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Bove R. Autoimmune diseases and reproductive aging. Clin Immunol 2013; 149:251-64. [PMID: 23522436 DOI: 10.1016/j.clim.2013.02.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2013] [Revised: 02/08/2013] [Accepted: 02/11/2013] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
As the population ages, more individuals with autoimmune diseases are experiencing reproductive senescence. Understanding the impact of menopause and age-related androgen decline on disease onset and course, as well as the potential for hormonal interventions, is critically important. In men, lupus erythematosis (SLE), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and multiple sclerosis (MS) are associated with lower androgen levels. However, the impact of age-related declines in testosterone, as well as of testosterone replacement, on disease course remains underexplored. In women, the course of all three diseases with onset after the age of menopause differs from that with onset before menopause. Early age at menopause is associated with increased disease risk, and after menopause, disease course changes in SLE and RA. Less is known about MS. This article summarizes what is known about the relationship between reproductive aging and autoimmune diseases in men and women, and highlights areas for further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Riley Bove
- Partners Multiple Sclerosis Center, Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
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18
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Tatar C, Bessert D, Tse H, Skoff RP. Determinants of central nervous system adult neurogenesis are sex, hormones, mouse strain, age, and brain region. Glia 2012; 61:192-209. [PMID: 23027402 DOI: 10.1002/glia.22426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2012] [Accepted: 08/30/2012] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Multiple sclerosis is a sexually dimorphic (SD) disease that causes oligodendrocyte death, but SD of glial cells is poorly studied. Here, we analyze SD of neural progenitors in 6-8 weeks and 6-8 months normal C57BL/6, SJL/J, and BALB/c mice in the subventricular zone (SVZ), dorsolateral horn (DLC), corpus callosum (CC), and parenchyma. With a short 2-h bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) pulse, no gender and strain differences are present at 6-8 weeks. At 6-8 months, the number of BrdU(+) cells decreases twofold in each sex, strain, and region, indicating that a common aging mechanism regulates BrdU incorporation. Strikingly, 2× more BrdU(+) cells are found in all brain regions in 6-8 months C57BL/6 females versus males, no gender differences in 6-8 months SJL/J, and fewer BrdU(+) cells in females versus males in BALB/cs. The number of BrdU(+) cells modestly fluctuates throughout the estrous cycle in C57BL/6 and SJLs. Castration causes a dramatic increase in BrdU(+) cells in SVZ and DLC. These findings indicate that testosterone is a major regulator of adult neural proliferation. At 6-8 months, the ratio of PDGFRα(+) cells in the CC to BrdU(+) cells in the DLC of both strains, sexes, estrous cycle, and castrated mice was essentially the same, suggesting that BrdU(+) cells in the DLC differentiate into CC oligodendrocytes. The ratio of TUNEL(+) to BrdU(+) cells does not match proliferation, indicating that these events are differentially regulated. Differential regulation of these two processes leads to the variation in glial numbers between gender and strain. Explanations of neural proliferation based upon data from one sex or strain may be very misleading.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carrie Tatar
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan 48201, USA
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19
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Blankenhorn EP, Butterfield R, Case LK, Wall EH, del Rio R, Diehl SA, Krementsov DN, Saligrama N, Teuscher C. Genetics of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis supports the role of T helper cells in multiple sclerosis pathogenesis. Ann Neurol 2012; 70:887-96. [PMID: 22190363 DOI: 10.1002/ana.22642] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) is the primary genetic contributor to multiple sclerosis (MS) and experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE), but multiple additional interacting loci are required for genetic susceptibility. The identity of most of these non-MHC genes is unknown. In this report, we identify genes within evolutionarily conserved genetic pathways leading to MS and EAE. METHODS To identify non-MHC binary and quantitative trait loci (BTL/QTL) important in the pathogenesis of EAE, we generated phenotype-selected congenic mice using EAE-resistant B10.S and EAE-susceptible SJL mice. We hypothesized that genes linked to EAE BTL/QTL and MS-GWAS can be identified if they belong to common evolutionarily conserved pathways, which can be identified with a bioinformatic approach using Ingenuity software. RESULTS Many known BTL/QTL were retained and linked to susceptibility during phenotype selection, the most significant being a region on chromosome 17 distal to H2 (Eae5). We show in pathway analysis that T helper (T(H))-cell differentiation genes are critical for both diseases. Bioinformatic analyses predicted that Eae5 is important in CD4 T-effector and/or Foxp3(+) T-regulatory cells (Tregs), and we found that B10.S-Eae5(SJL) congenic mice have significantly greater numbers of lymph node CD4 and Tregs than B10.S mice. INTERPRETATION These results support the polygenic model of MS/EAE, whereby MHC and multiple minor loci are required for full susceptibility, and confirm a critical genetic dependence on CD4 T(H)-cell differentiation and function in the pathogenesis of both diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth P Blankenhorn
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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20
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Lélu K, Delpy L, Robert V, Foulon E, Laffont S, Pelletier L, Engelhardt B, Guéry JC. Endogenous estrogens, through estrogen receptor α, constrain autoimmune inflammation in female mice by limiting CD4+ T-cell homing into the CNS. Eur J Immunol 2010; 40:3489-98. [DOI: 10.1002/eji.201040678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2010] [Revised: 08/12/2010] [Accepted: 09/13/2010] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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21
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Kim JY, Casaccia-Bonnefil P. Interplay of hormones and p53 in modulating gender dimorphism of subventricular zone cell number. J Neurosci Res 2010; 87:3297-305. [PMID: 19025772 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.21940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Previous studies have suggested the existence of a gender bias in repair after demyelination. Here we report the existence of gender dimorphism for the regulation of cell number in the subventricular zone (SVZ), an area that has been studied for its repair potential. The number of Sox2(+) multipotential cells in the SVZ of young adult female mice was greater than in age-matched male siblings, but this difference was not evident prior to the surge of sex hormones (i.e., in prepubertal mice). To begin asking whether hormonally derived signals were responsible for these gender-related differences, we analyzed proliferation and survival of cultured male- and female-derived SVZ cells. Estrogen, but not testosterone treatment increased cell proliferation and survival of cultured cells after IFN-gamma treatment or after UV irradiation, regardless of the gender of origin. Because apoptosis in UV-irradiated SVZ cells correlated with the expression of the proapoptotic molecule p53, we postulated that this molecule could be responsible for the gender dimorphism in the SVZ. In agreement with this prediction, no difference in the SVZ cell number was detected in male and female p53 null mice. Together with previous reports, these results implicate p53 as an important component of the mechanism regulating gender dimorphism in the SVZ.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin Young Kim
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience at the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA
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22
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Cosimo Melcangi R, Garcia-Segura LM. Sex-specific therapeutic strategies based on neuroactive steroids: In search for innovative tools for neuroprotection. Horm Behav 2010; 57:2-11. [PMID: 19524584 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2009.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2009] [Revised: 06/02/2009] [Accepted: 06/04/2009] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Different pathologies of the central and peripheral nervous system show sex differences in their incidence, symptomatology and/or neurodegenerative outcome. These include Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's disease, multiple sclerosis, traumatic brain injury, stroke, autism, schizophrenia, depression, anxiety disorders, eating disorders and peripheral neuropathy. These sex differences reveal the need for sex-specific neuroprotective strategies. This review article and other manuscripts published in this issue of Hormones and Behavior analyze possible sex-specific therapeutic strategies based on neuroactive steroids. In particular in our introductory article, the possibility that sex differences in the levels or in the action of neuroactive steroids may represent causative factors for sex differences in the incidence or manifestation of pathologies of the nervous system is considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberto Cosimo Melcangi
- Department of Endocrinology, Pathophysiology and Applied Biology, Center of Excellence on Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Milan, Milano, Italy.
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23
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Blasko E, Haskell CA, Leung S, Gualtieri G, Halks-Miller M, Mahmoudi M, Dennis MK, Prossnitz ER, Karpus WJ, Horuk R. Beneficial role of the GPR30 agonist G-1 in an animal model of multiple sclerosis. J Neuroimmunol 2009; 214:67-77. [PMID: 19664827 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneuroim.2009.06.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 145] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2009] [Revised: 06/27/2009] [Accepted: 06/29/2009] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The beneficial effects of estrogens in multiple sclerosis are thought to be mediated exclusively by the classical nuclear estrogen receptors ERalpha and ERbeta. However, recently many reports revealed that estrogens are able to mediate rapid signals through a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR), known as GPR30. In the present study, we set out to explore whether effects mediated through this receptor were anti-inflammatory and could account for some of the beneficial effects of estrogen. We demonstrate that GPR30 is expressed in both human and mouse immune cells. Furthermore a GPR30-selective agonist, G-1, previously described by us, inhibits the production of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced cytokines such as TNF-alpha and IL-6 in a dose-dependent manner in human primary macrophages and in a murine macrophage cell line. These effects are likely mediated solely through the estrogen-specific receptor GPR30 since the agonist G-1 displayed an IC(50) far greater than 10 microM on the classical nuclear estrogen receptors as well as a panel of 25 other GPCRs. Finally, we show that the agonist G-1 is able to reduce the severity of disease in both active and passive EAE models of multiple sclerosis in SJL mice and that this effect is concomitant with a G-1-mediated decrease in proinflammatory cytokines, including IFN-gamma and IL-17, in immune cells harvested from these mice. The effect of G-1 appears indirect, as the GPR30 agonist did not directly influence IFN-gamma or IL-17 production by purified T cells. These data indicate that G-1 may represent a novel therapeutic agent for the treatment of chronic autoimmune, inflammatory diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric Blasko
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Immunology, Berlex Biosciences, Richmond, CA 94806, United States
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24
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Spach KM, Blake M, Bunn JY, McElvany B, Noubade R, Blankenhorn EP, Teuscher C. Cutting edge: the Y chromosome controls the age-dependent experimental allergic encephalomyelitis sexual dimorphism in SJL/J mice. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2009; 182:1789-93. [PMID: 19201829 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.0803200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Multiple sclerosis is a sexually dimorphic, demyelinating disease of the CNS, and experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) is its principal autoimmune model. Young male SJL/J mice are relatively resistant to EAE whereas older males and SJL/J females of any age are susceptible. By comparing a wide age range of proteolipid protein peptide 139-151 immunized mice, we found that female disease severity remains constant with age. In contrast, EAE disease severity increases with age in SJL/J males, with young males having significantly less severe disease and older males having significantly more disease than equivalently aged females. To determine whether the Y chromosome contributes to this sexual dimorphism, EAE was induced in consomic SJL/J mice carrying a B10.S Y chromosome (SJL.Y(B10.S)). EAE was significantly more severe in young male SJL.Y(B10.S) mice compared with young male SJL/J mice. These studies show that a Y chromosome-linked polymorphism controls the age-dependent EAE sexual dimorphism observed in SJL/J mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen M Spach
- Department of Medicine, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, USA
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25
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Nicot A. Gender and sex hormones in multiple sclerosis pathology and therapy. Front Biosci (Landmark Ed) 2009; 14:4477-515. [PMID: 19273365 DOI: 10.2741/3543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Several lines of evidence indicate that gender affects the susceptibility and course of multiple sclerosis (MS) with a higher disease prevalence and overall better prognosis in women than men. This sex dimorphism may be explained by sex chromosome effects and effects of sex steroid hormones on the immune system, blood brain barrier or parenchymal central nervous system (CNS) cells. The well known improvement in disease during late pregnancy has also been linked to hormonal changes and has stimulated recent clinical studies to determine the efficacy of and tolerance to sex steroid therapeutic approaches. Both clinical and experimental studies indicate that sex steroid supplementation may be beneficial for MS. This could be related to anti-inflammatory actions on the immune system or CNS and to direct neuroprotective properties. Here, clinical and experimental data are reviewed with respect to the effects of sex hormones or gender in the pathology or therapy of MS or its rodent disease models. The different cellular targets as well as some molecular mechanisms likely involved are discussed.
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Kess D, Lindqvist AKB, Peters T, Wang H, Zamek J, Nischt R, Broman KW, Blakytny R, Krieg T, Holmdahl R, Scharffetter-Kochanek K. Identification of Susceptibility Loci for Skin Disease in a Murine Psoriasis Model. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2006; 177:4612-9. [PMID: 16982899 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.177.7.4612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Psoriasis is a frequently occurring inflammatory skin disease characterized by thickened erythematous skin that is covered with silvery scales. It is a complex genetic disease with both heritable and environmental factors contributing to onset and severity. The CD18 hypomorphic PL/J mouse reveals reduced expression of the common chain of beta(2) integrins (CD11/CD18) and spontaneously develops a skin disease that closely resembles human psoriasis. In contrast, CD18 hypomorphic C57BL/6J mice do not demonstrate this phenotype. In this study, we have performed a genome-wide scan to identify loci involved in psoriasiform dermatitis under the condition of low CD18 expression. Backcross analysis of a segregating cross between susceptible CD18 hypomorphic PL/J mice and the resistant CD18 hypomorphic C57BL/6J strain was performed. A genome-wide linkage analysis of 94 phenotypically extreme mice of the backcross was undertaken. Thereafter, a complementary analysis of the regions of interest from the genome-wide screen was done using higher marker density and further mice. We found two loci on chromosome 10 that were significantly linked to the disease and interacted in an additive fashion in its development. In addition, a locus on chromosome 6 that promoted earlier onset of the disease was identified in the most severely affected mice. For the first time, we have identified genetic regions associated with psoriasis in a mouse model resembling human psoriasis. The identification of gene regions associated with psoriasis in this mouse model might contribute to the understanding of genetic causes of psoriasis in patients and pathological mechanisms involved in development of disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Kess
- Department of Dermatology and Allergic Diseases, University of Ulm, Maienweg 12, D-89081 Ulm, Germany
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Olsson T, Jagodic M, Piehl F, Wallström E. Genetics of autoimmune neuroinflammation. Curr Opin Immunol 2006; 18:643-9. [PMID: 16973343 DOI: 10.1016/j.coi.2006.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2006] [Accepted: 08/21/2006] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Detection of gene variants affecting the risk for multiple sclerosis provides insights into mechanisms central for autoaggressive neuroinflammation. Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II genes, and probably also MHC class I genes, regulate both human multiple sclerosis and rodent experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. However, the functional understanding of the MHC regulation requires further experimentation. Genome scans in human multiple sclerosis have failed to demonstrate significant non-MHC loci with genome-wide significance, but approximately 50 such loci have been described in different rodent experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis models. Positional cloning of individual rodent genes is difficult, but genes or small genome regions now emerge. Association studies in large human cohorts are needed to confirm the human relevance of rodent genes and such cohorts will also be used for single nucleotide polymorphism-based whole-genome screening. It is realistic to assume that several non-MHC genes regulating autoimmune neuroinflammation, including target tissue responses, will be pinpointed in the next ten years. At the moment there are a few hot candidates, including MHC2TA, PRKCA and IL7R.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomas Olsson
- Neuroimmunology Unit, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Center for Molecular Medicine (L8:04), Karolinska University Hospital, 171 76 Stockholm, Sweden.
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Teuscher C, Noubade R, Spach K, McElvany B, Bunn JY, Fillmore PD, Zachary JF, Blankenhorn EP. Evidence that the Y chromosome influences autoimmune disease in male and female mice. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2006; 103:8024-9. [PMID: 16702550 PMCID: PMC1472423 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0600536103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE), an autoimmune model of multiple sclerosis, is a complex disease influenced by genetic, intrinsic, and environmental factors. In this study, we questioned whether parent-of-origin effects influence EAE, using reciprocal F2 intercross progeny generated between EAE-susceptible SJL/J (S) and EAE-resistant B10.S/SgMcdJ (B) mice. EAE susceptibility and severity were found to be different in female BS x BS intercross mice as compared with females from the three other birth crosses (BS x SB, SB x SB, and SB x BS), and in fact, both traits in female mice resembled those of their male siblings. This masculinization is associated with transmission of the SJL/J Y chromosome and an increased male-to-female sex ratio. Related studies using progeny of C57BL/6J Y-chromosome substitution strains demonstrate that the Y chromosome again influences EAE in both male and female mice, and that the disease course in females resembles that of their male littermates. Importantly, these data provide experimental evidence supporting the existence of a Y-chromosome polymorphism capable of modifying autoimmune disease susceptibility in both males and females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cory Teuscher
- Department of Medicine and Pathology and Medical Biostatistics, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, USA.
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Teuscher C, Doerge RW, Fillmore PD, Blankenhorn EP. eae36, a locus on mouse chromosome 4, controls susceptibility to experimental allergic encephalomyelitis in older mice and mice immunized in the winter. Genetics 2005; 172:1147-53. [PMID: 16299394 PMCID: PMC1456213 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.105.049049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Genetic factors are believed to contribute to multiple sclerosis (MS) susceptibility; however, strong evidence implicating intrinsic and environmental factors in the etiopathogenesis of MS also exists. Susceptibility to experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE), the principal animal model of MS, is also influenced by nongenetic factors, including age and season at immunization. This suggests that age- and season-by-gene interactions exist and that different susceptibility loci may influence disease as a function of the two parameters. In this study, linkage analysis based on genome exclusion mapping was carried out using age and season at immunization restricted cohorts of (B10.S x SJL/J) F2 intercross mice in an effort to identify such linkages. Significant linkage of EAE to eae4 and eae5 was detected with 6- to 12-week-old and summer cohorts. In contrast, significant linkage of EAE to eae4 and eae5 was not detected with the >12-week-old and winter/spring populations. Rather, significant linkage to D4Mit203 at 128.50 Mb on chromosome 4 was detected with animals that were >12 weeks old at the time of immunization or were immunized in the winter. This previously unidentified locus has been designated eae36. These results support the existence of age- and season-by-gene-specific interactions in the genetic control of susceptibility to autoimmune inflammatory disease of the central nervous system and suggest that late-onset MS may be immunogenetically distinct.
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MESH Headings
- Aging/genetics
- Animals
- Crosses, Genetic
- Encephalomyelitis, Autoimmune, Experimental/chemically induced
- Encephalomyelitis, Autoimmune, Experimental/genetics
- Encephalomyelitis, Autoimmune, Experimental/immunology
- Genetic Markers
- Genetic Predisposition to Disease/genetics
- Immunization
- Mice
- Mice, Inbred C57BL
- Mice, Inbred Strains
- Microsatellite Repeats
- Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide
- Seasons
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Affiliation(s)
- Cory Teuscher
- Department of Medicine and Pathology, University of Vermont, Burlington 05405, USA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia K Coyle
- Multiple Sclerosis Comprehensive Care Center, School of Medicine, SUNY at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA.
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