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Yasmeen F, Pirzada RH, Ahmad B, Choi B, Choi S. Understanding Autoimmunity: Mechanisms, Predisposing Factors, and Cytokine Therapies. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:7666. [PMID: 39062908 PMCID: PMC11277571 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25147666] [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: 06/27/2024] [Revised: 07/05/2024] [Accepted: 07/06/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Autoimmunity refers to an organism's immune response against its own healthy cells, tissues, or components, potentially leading to irreversible damage to vital organs. Central and peripheral tolerance mechanisms play crucial roles in preventing autoimmunity by eliminating self-reactive T and B cells. The disruption of immunological tolerance, characterized by the failure of these mechanisms, results in the aberrant activation of autoreactive lymphocytes that target self-tissues, culminating in the pathogenesis of autoimmune disorders. Genetic predispositions, environmental exposures, and immunoregulatory disturbances synergistically contribute to the susceptibility and initiation of autoimmune pathologies. Within the realm of immune therapies for autoimmune diseases, cytokine therapies have emerged as a specialized strategy, targeting cytokine-mediated regulatory pathways to rectify immunological imbalances. Proinflammatory cytokines are key players in inducing and propagating autoimmune inflammation, highlighting the potential of cytokine therapies in managing autoimmune conditions. This review discusses the etiology of autoimmune diseases, current therapeutic approaches, and prospects for future drug design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farzana Yasmeen
- Department of Molecular Science and Technology, Ajou University, Suwon 16499, Republic of Korea; (F.Y.); (B.C.)
- S&K Therapeutics, Ajou University Campus Plaza 418, Worldcup-ro 199, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon 16502, Republic of Korea
| | - Rameez Hassan Pirzada
- Department of Molecular Science and Technology, Ajou University, Suwon 16499, Republic of Korea; (F.Y.); (B.C.)
- S&K Therapeutics, Ajou University Campus Plaza 418, Worldcup-ro 199, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon 16502, Republic of Korea
| | - Bilal Ahmad
- S&K Therapeutics, Ajou University Campus Plaza 418, Worldcup-ro 199, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon 16502, Republic of Korea
| | - Bogeum Choi
- Department of Molecular Science and Technology, Ajou University, Suwon 16499, Republic of Korea; (F.Y.); (B.C.)
| | - Sangdun Choi
- Department of Molecular Science and Technology, Ajou University, Suwon 16499, Republic of Korea; (F.Y.); (B.C.)
- S&K Therapeutics, Ajou University Campus Plaza 418, Worldcup-ro 199, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon 16502, Republic of Korea
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2
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Peterson P. Novel Insights into the Autoimmunity from the Genetic Approach of the Human Disease. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2024; 1444:3-18. [PMID: 38467969 DOI: 10.1007/978-981-99-9781-7_1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/13/2024]
Abstract
Autoimmune-polyendocrinopathy-candidiasis-ectodermal dystrophy (APECED) is a monogenic inborn error of autoimmunity that is caused by damaging germline variants in the AIRE gene and clinically manifests with multiple autoimmune diseases in patients. Studies on the function of the AIRE gene, discovered in 1997, have contributed to fundamental aspects of human immunology as they have been important in understanding the basic mechanism of immune balance between self and non-self. This chapter looks back to the discovery of the AIRE gene, reviews its main properties, and discusses the key findings of its function in the thymus. However, more recent autoantibody profilings in APECED patients have highlighted a gap in our knowledge of the disease pathology and point to the need to revisit the current paradigm of AIRE function. The chapter reviews these new findings in APECED patients, which potentially trigger new thoughts on the mechanism of immune tolerance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pärt Peterson
- Institute of Biomedical and Translational Medicine, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia.
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3
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Stern LJ, Clement C, Galluzzi L, Santambrogio L. Non-mutational neoantigens in disease. Nat Immunol 2024; 25:29-40. [PMID: 38168954 PMCID: PMC11075006 DOI: 10.1038/s41590-023-01664-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2023] [Accepted: 09/29/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
The ability of mammals to mount adaptive immune responses culminating with the establishment of immunological memory is predicated on the ability of the mature T cell repertoire to recognize antigenic peptides presented by syngeneic MHC class I and II molecules. Although it is widely believed that mature T cells are highly skewed towards the recognition of antigenic peptides originating from genetically diverse (for example, foreign or mutated) protein-coding regions, preclinical and clinical data rather demonstrate that novel antigenic determinants efficiently recognized by mature T cells can emerge from a variety of non-mutational mechanisms. In this Review, we describe various mechanisms that underlie the formation of bona fide non-mutational neoantigens, such as epitope mimicry, upregulation of cryptic epitopes, usage of non-canonical initiation codons, alternative RNA splicing, and defective ribosomal RNA processing, as well as both enzymatic and non-enzymatic post-translational protein modifications. Moreover, we discuss the implications of the immune recognition of non-mutational neoantigens for human disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lawrence J Stern
- Department of Pathology, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
- Immunology and Microbiology Program, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Cristina Clement
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA
| | - Lorenzo Galluzzi
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA.
- Sandra and Edward Meyer Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA.
- Caryl and Israel Englander Institute for Precision Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Laura Santambrogio
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA.
- Sandra and Edward Meyer Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA.
- Caryl and Israel Englander Institute for Precision Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
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4
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Mone K, Reddy J. The knowns and unknowns of cardiac autoimmunity in viral myocarditis. Rev Med Virol 2023; 33:e2478. [PMID: 37658748 DOI: 10.1002/rmv.2478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2023] [Revised: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023]
Abstract
Myocarditis can result from various infectious and non-infectious causes that can lead to dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and heart failure. Among the infectious causes, viruses are commonly suspected. But the challenge is our inability to demonstrate infectious viral particles during clinical presentations, partly because by that point, the viruses would have damaged the tissues and be cleared by the immune system. Therefore, viral signatures such as viral nucleic acids and virus-reactive antibodies may be the only readouts pointing to viruses as potential primary triggers of DCM. Thus, it becomes hard to explain persistent inflammatory infiltrates that might occur in individuals affected with chronic myocarditis/DCM manifesting myocardial dysfunctions. In these circumstances, autoimmunity is suspected, and antibodies to various autoantigens have been demonstrated, suggesting that immune therapies to suppress the autoimmune responses may be necessary. From this perspective, we endeavoured to determine whether or not the known viral causes are associated with development of autoimmune responses to cardiac antigens that include both cardiotropic and non-cardiotropic viruses. If so, what their nature and significance are in developing chronic myocarditis resulting from viruses as primary triggers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kiruthiga Mone
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA
| | - Jay Reddy
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA
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5
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Lagou MK, Karagiannis GS. Obesity-induced thymic involution and cancer risk. Semin Cancer Biol 2023; 93:3-19. [PMID: 37088128 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2023.04.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2023] [Revised: 04/19/2023] [Accepted: 04/20/2023] [Indexed: 04/25/2023]
Abstract
Declining thymic functions associated either with old age (i.e., age-related thymic involution), or with acute involution as a result of stress, infectious disease, or cytoreductive therapies (e.g., chemotherapy/radiotherapy), have been associated with cancer development. A key mechanism underlying such increased cancer risk is the thymus-dependent debilitation of adaptive immunity, which is responsible for orchestrating immunoediting mechanisms and tumor immune surveillance. In the past few years, a blooming set of evidence has intriguingly linked obesity with cancer development and progression. The majority of such studies has focused on obesity-driven chronic inflammation, steroid/sex hormone and adipokine production, and hyperinsulinemia, as principal factors affecting the tumor microenvironment and driving the development of primary malignancy. However, experimental observations about the negative impact of obesity on T cell development and maturation have existed for more than half a century. Here, we critically discuss the molecular and cellular mechanisms of obesity-driven thymic involution as a previously underrepresented intermediary pathology leading to cancer development and progression. This knowledge could be especially relevant in the context of childhood obesity, because impaired thymic function in young individuals leads to immune system abnormalities, and predisposes to various pediatric cancers. A thorough understanding behind the molecular and cellular circuitries governing obesity-induced thymic involution could therefore help towards the rationalized development of targeted thymic regeneration strategies for obese individuals at high risk of cancer development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria K Lagou
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA; Tumor Microenvironment of Metastasis Program, Albert Einstein Cancer Center, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - George S Karagiannis
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA; Tumor Microenvironment of Metastasis Program, Albert Einstein Cancer Center, Bronx, NY, USA; Cancer Dormancy and Tumor Microenvironment Institute, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA; Gruss-Lipper Biophotonics Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA; Integrated Imaging Program for Cancer Research, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA.
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6
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Carter JA, Strömich L, Peacey M, Chapin SR, Velten L, Steinmetz LM, Brors B, Pinto S, Meyer HV. Transcriptomic diversity in human medullary thymic epithelial cells. Nat Commun 2022; 13:4296. [PMID: 35918316 PMCID: PMC9345899 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-31750-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2021] [Accepted: 06/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
The induction of central T cell tolerance in the thymus depends on the presentation of peripheral self-epitopes by medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs). This promiscuous gene expression (pGE) drives mTEC transcriptomic diversity, with non-canonical transcript initiation, alternative splicing, and expression of endogenous retroelements (EREs) representing important but incompletely understood contributors. Here we map the expression of genome-wide transcripts in immature and mature human mTECs using high-throughput 5' cap and RNA sequencing. Both mTEC populations show high splicing entropy, potentially driven by the expression of peripheral splicing factors. During mTEC maturation, rates of global transcript mis-initiation increase and EREs enriched in long terminal repeat retrotransposons are up-regulated, the latter often found in proximity to differentially expressed genes. As a resource, we provide an interactive public interface for exploring mTEC transcriptomic diversity. Our findings therefore help construct a map of transcriptomic diversity in the healthy human thymus and may ultimately facilitate the identification of those epitopes which contribute to autoimmunity and immune recognition of tumor antigens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason A. Carter
- grid.225279.90000 0004 0387 3667Simons Center for Quantitative Biology, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY USA ,grid.36425.360000 0001 2216 9681Medical Scientist Training Program, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY USA ,grid.34477.330000000122986657Department of Surgery, University of Washington, Seattle, WA USA
| | - Léonie Strömich
- grid.7497.d0000 0004 0492 0584German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany ,grid.7445.20000 0001 2113 8111Present Address: Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Matthew Peacey
- grid.225279.90000 0004 0387 3667School of Biological Sciences, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY USA
| | - Sarah R. Chapin
- grid.225279.90000 0004 0387 3667Simons Center for Quantitative Biology, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY USA
| | - Lars Velten
- grid.473715.30000 0004 6475 7299Centre for Genomic Regulation, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain ,grid.5612.00000 0001 2172 2676Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Lars M. Steinmetz
- grid.4709.a0000 0004 0495 846XEuropean Molecular Biology Laboratory, Genome Biology Unit, Heidelberg, Germany ,grid.168010.e0000000419368956Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA USA ,grid.168010.e0000000419368956Stanford Genome Technology Center, Palo Alto, CA USA
| | - Benedikt Brors
- grid.7497.d0000 0004 0492 0584German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Sheena Pinto
- grid.7497.d0000 0004 0492 0584German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Hannah V. Meyer
- grid.225279.90000 0004 0387 3667Simons Center for Quantitative Biology, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY USA
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7
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Jadeja SD, Tobin DJ. Autoantigen Discovery in the Hair Loss Disorder, Alopecia Areata: Implication of Post-Translational Modifications. Front Immunol 2022; 13:890027. [PMID: 35720384 PMCID: PMC9205194 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.890027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2022] [Accepted: 04/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Alopecia areata (AA) is a chronic, multifactorial, polygenic, and heterogeneous disorder affecting growing hair follicles in susceptible individuals, which results in a non-scarring and reversible hair loss with a highly unpredictable course. Despite very considerable research effort, the nature of the precipitating factor(s) responsible for initiating AA in any given hair follicle remains unclear, due largely to significant gaps in our knowledge of the precise sequence of the etiopathogenic events in this dermatosis. However, disease-related changes in the immune-competence of the lower growing hair follicle, together with an active immune response (humoral and cellular) to hair follicle-associated antigens, are key associated phenomena. Confirmation of the hair follicle antigen(s) implicated in AA disease onset has remained stubbornly elusive. While it may be considered somewhat philosophical by some, it is also unclear whether immune-mediated hair loss in AA results from a) an ectopic (i.e., in an abnormal location) immune response to native (unmodified) self-antigens expressed by the healthy hair follicle, b) a normal immune response against modified self-antigens (or neoantigens), or c) a normal immune response against self-antigens (modified/non-modified) that were not previously visible to the immune system (because they were conformationally-hidden or sequestered) but become exposed and presentable in an MHC-I/-II molecule-restricted manner. While some candidate hair follicle antigen target(s) in AA are beginning to emerge, with a potential role for trichohyalin, it is not yet clear whether this represents the initial and immunodominant antigenic focus in AA or is simply one of an expanding repertoire of exposed hair follicle tissue damage-associated antigens that are secondary to the disease. Confirmation of autoantigen identity is essential for our understanding of AA etiopathogenesis, and consequently for developing a more informed therapeutic strategy. Major strides have been made in autoantigen discovery in other autoimmune conditions. In particular, some of these conditions may provide insights into how post-translational modifications (e.g., citrullination, deamidation, etc.) of hair follicle-restricted proteins may increase their antigenicity and so help drive the anti-hair follicle immune attack in AA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shahnawaz D. Jadeja
- The Charles Institute of Dermatology, School of Medicine, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Desmond J. Tobin
- The Charles Institute of Dermatology, School of Medicine, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- The Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
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8
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Abstract
A high diversity of αβ T cell receptors (TCRs), capable of recognizing virtually any pathogen but also self-antigens, is generated during T cell development in the thymus. Nevertheless, a strict developmental program supports the selection of a self-tolerant T cell repertoire capable of responding to foreign antigens. The steps of T cell selection are controlled by cortical and medullary stromal niches, mainly composed of thymic epithelial cells and dendritic cells. The integration of important cues provided by these specialized niches, including (a) the TCR signal strength induced by the recognition of self-peptide-MHC complexes, (b) costimulatory signals, and (c) cytokine signals, critically controls T cell repertoire selection. This review discusses our current understanding of the signals that coordinate positive selection, negative selection, and agonist selection of Foxp3+ regulatory T cells. It also highlights recent advances that have unraveled the functional diversity of thymic antigen-presenting cell subsets implicated in T cell selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magali Irla
- Centre d'Immunologie de Marseille-Luminy (CIML), CNRS, INSERM, Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille, France;
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9
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Docampo MJ, Lutterotti A, Sospedra M, Martin R. Mechanistic and Biomarker Studies to Demonstrate Immune Tolerance in Multiple Sclerosis. Front Immunol 2022; 12:787498. [PMID: 35069562 PMCID: PMC8766750 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.787498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2021] [Accepted: 12/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The induction of specific immunological tolerance represents an important therapeutic goal for multiple sclerosis and other autoimmune diseases. Sound knowledge of the target antigens, the underlying pathomechanisms of the disease and the presumed mechanisms of action of the respective tolerance-inducing approach are essential for successful translation. Furthermore, suitable tools and assays to evaluate the induction of immune tolerance are key aspects for the development of such treatments. However, investigation of the mechanisms of action underlying tolerance induction poses several challenges. The optimization of sensitive, robust methods which allow the assessment of low frequency autoreactive T cells and the long-term reduction or change of their responses, the detection of regulatory cell populations and their immune mediators, as well as the validation of specific biomarkers indicating reduction of inflammation and damage, are needed to develop tolerance-inducing approaches successfully to patients. This short review focuses on how to demonstrate mechanistic proof-of-concept in antigen-specific tolerance-inducing therapies in MS.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Roland Martin
- Neuroimmunology and Multiple Sclerosis Research Section, Neurology Clinic, University Hospital Zurich & University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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10
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Jansen K, Shikama-Dorn N, Attar M, Maio S, Lopopolo M, Buck D, Holländer GA, Sansom SN. RBFOX splicing factors contribute to a broad but selective recapitulation of peripheral tissue splicing patterns in the thymus. Genome Res 2021; 31:2022-2034. [PMID: 34649931 PMCID: PMC8559713 DOI: 10.1101/gr.275245.121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2021] [Accepted: 08/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Thymic epithelial cells (TEC) control the selection of a T cell repertoire reactive to pathogens but tolerant of self. This process is known to involve the promiscuous expression of virtually the entire protein-coding gene repertoire, but the extent to which TEC recapitulate peripheral isoforms, and the mechanisms by which they do so, remain largely unknown. We performed the first assembly-based transcriptomic census of transcript structures and splicing factor (SF) expression in mouse medullary TEC (mTEC) and 21 peripheral tissues. Mature mTEC expressed 60.1% of all protein-coding transcripts, more than was detected in any of the peripheral tissues. However, for genes with tissue-restricted expression, mTEC produced fewer isoforms than did the relevant peripheral tissues. Analysis of exon inclusion revealed an absence of brain-specific microexons in mTEC. We did not find unusual numbers of novel transcripts in TEC, and we show that Aire, the facilitator of promiscuous gene expression, promotes the generation of long “classical” transcripts (with 5′ and 3′ UTRs) but has only a limited impact on alternative splicing in mTEC. Comprehensive assessment of SF expression in mTEC identified a small set of nonpromiscuously expressed SF genes, among which we confirmed RBFOX to be present with AIRE in mTEC nuclei. Using a conditional loss-of-function approach, we show that Rbfox2 promotes mTEC development and regulates the alternative splicing of promiscuously expressed genes. These data indicate that TEC recommission a small number of peripheral SFs, including members of the RBFOX family, to generate a broad but selective representation of the peripheral splice isoform repertoire.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathrin Jansen
- The Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7FY, United Kingdom.,Department of Paediatrics and the Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DS, United Kingdom
| | - Noriko Shikama-Dorn
- The University Children's Hospital of Basel and the Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Moustafa Attar
- The Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7FY, United Kingdom.,Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7BN, United Kingdom
| | - Stefano Maio
- Department of Paediatrics and the Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DS, United Kingdom
| | - Maria Lopopolo
- Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7BN, United Kingdom
| | - David Buck
- Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7BN, United Kingdom
| | - Georg A Holländer
- Department of Paediatrics and the Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DS, United Kingdom.,The University Children's Hospital of Basel and the Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, 4056 Basel, Switzerland.,Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Stephen N Sansom
- The Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7FY, United Kingdom
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11
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Ren P, Lu L, Cai S, Chen J, Lin W, Han F. Alternative Splicing: A New Cause and Potential Therapeutic Target in Autoimmune Disease. Front Immunol 2021; 12:713540. [PMID: 34484216 PMCID: PMC8416054 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.713540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2021] [Accepted: 07/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Alternative splicing (AS) is a complex coordinated transcriptional regulatory mechanism. It affects nearly 95% of all protein-coding genes and occurs in nearly all human organs. Aberrant alternative splicing can lead to various neurological diseases and cancers and is responsible for aging, infection, inflammation, immune and metabolic disorders, and so on. Though aberrant alternative splicing events and their regulatory mechanisms are widely recognized, the association between autoimmune disease and alternative splicing has not been extensively examined. Autoimmune diseases are characterized by the loss of tolerance of the immune system towards self-antigens and organ-specific or systemic inflammation and subsequent tissue damage. In the present review, we summarized the most recent reports on splicing events that occur in the immunopathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and attempted to clarify the role that splicing events play in regulating autoimmune disease progression. We also identified the changes that occur in splicing factor expression. The foregoing information might improve our understanding of autoimmune diseases and help develop new diagnostic and therapeutic tools for them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pingping Ren
- Kidney Disease Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Nephropathy, Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, China.,Institute of Nephropathy, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Luying Lu
- Kidney Disease Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Nephropathy, Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, China.,Institute of Nephropathy, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Shasha Cai
- Department of Nephrology, The First People's Hospital of Wenling, Taizhou, China
| | - Jianghua Chen
- Kidney Disease Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Nephropathy, Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, China.,Institute of Nephropathy, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Weiqiang Lin
- Kidney Disease Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Nephropathy, Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, China.,Institute of Nephropathy, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.,Institute of Translational Medicine, Zhejiang University of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Fei Han
- Kidney Disease Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Nephropathy, Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, China.,Institute of Nephropathy, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
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12
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Stojić-Vukanić Z, Pilipović I, Arsenović-Ranin N, Dimitrijević M, Leposavić G. Sex-specific remodeling of T-cell compartment with aging: Implications for rat susceptibility to central nervous system autoimmune diseases. Immunol Lett 2021; 239:42-59. [PMID: 34418487 DOI: 10.1016/j.imlet.2021.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2021] [Revised: 06/12/2021] [Accepted: 08/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
The incidence of multiple sclerosis (MS) and susceptibility of animals to experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), the most commonly used experimental model of MS, decrease with aging. Generally, autoimmune diseases develop as the ultimate outcome of an imbalance between damaging immune responses against self and regulatory immune responses (keeping the former under control). Thus, in this review the age-related changes possibly underlying this balance were discussed. Specifically, considering the central role of T cells in MS/EAE, the impact of aging on overall functional capacity (reflecting both overall count and individual functional cell properties) of self-reactive conventional T cells (Tcons) and FoxP3+ regulatory T cells (Tregs), as the most potent immunoregulatory/suppressive cells, was analyzed, as well. The analysis encompasses three distinct compartments: thymus (the primary lymphoid organ responsible for the elimination of self-reactive T cells - negative selection and the generation of Tregs, compensating for imperfections of the negative selection), peripheral blood/lymphoid tissues ("afferent" compartment), and brain/spinal cord tissues ("target" compartment). Given that the incidence of MS and susceptibility of animals to EAE are greater in women/females than in age-matched men/males, sex as independent variable was also considered. In conclusion, with aging, sex-specific alterations in the balance of self-reactive Tcons/Tregs are likely to occur not only in the thymus/"afferent" compartment, but also in the "target" compartment, reflecting multifaceted changes in both T-cell types. Their in depth understanding is important not only for envisaging effects of aging, but also for designing interventions to slow-down aging without any adverse effect on incidence of autoimmune diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zorica Stojić-Vukanić
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Belgrade - Faculty of Pharmacy, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Ivan Pilipović
- Immunology Research Centre "Branislav Janković", Institute of Virology, Vaccines and Sera "Torlak", Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Nevena Arsenović-Ranin
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Belgrade - Faculty of Pharmacy, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Mirjana Dimitrijević
- Department of Immunology, University of Belgrade - Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković" - National Institute of Republic of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Gordana Leposavić
- Department of Pathobiology, University of Belgrade - Faculty of Pharmacy, Belgrade, Serbia.
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13
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Abstract
Animal models with high translational validity are essential tools in understanding disease pathogenesis and in the development of therapeutic strategies. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune demyelinating disease of the central nervous system characterized by progressive neurological deficits and socioeconomic burden. Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is the most extensively utilized animal model of MS, with well-characterized rodent and non-human primate variants. The EAE model is typically induced by either active immunization with myelin-derived proteins or peptides in adjuvant or by passive transfer of activated myelin-specific CD4+ T lymphocytes. To date, the EAE model has been an essential tool in the development of at least seven U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved immunomodulatory drugs for the treatment of MS, including glatiramer acetate, fingolimod, and natalizumab. However, the translational validity of the EAE model is frequently compromised due to poor study design, inconsistent clinical scoring endpoints, and inappropriate statistical calculations. No single animal model accurately reflects the complexity of human MS pathogenesis. Beyond EAE, multiple additional animal models are described, including Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus and cuprizone-induced demyelination, which facilitate the study of pathogen-induced CNS autoimmunity and remyelination, respectively. This overview summarizes several of the most frequently used animal models of MS and highlights key factors that significantly influence the experimental outcome and affect translational validity. © 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Smith
- Incyte Research Institute, Wilmington, Delaware
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14
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Na SY, Krishnamoorthy G. Targeted Expression of Myelin Autoantigen in the Periphery Induces Antigen-Specific T and B Cell Tolerance and Ameliorates Autoimmune Disease. Front Immunol 2021; 12:668487. [PMID: 34149706 PMCID: PMC8206569 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.668487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2021] [Accepted: 05/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
There is a great interest in developing antigen-specific therapeutic approaches for the treatment of autoimmune diseases without compromising normal immune function. The key challenges are to control all antigen-specific lymphocyte populations that contribute to pathogenic inflammatory processes and to provide long-term protection from disease relapses. Here, we show that myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG)-specific tolerance can be established by ectopic expression of MOG in the immune organs. Using transgenic mice expressing MOG-specific CD4, CD8, and B cell receptors, we show that MOG expression in the bone marrow cells results in impaired development of MOG-specific lymphocytes. Ectopic MOG expression has also resulted in long-lasting protection from MOG-induced autoimmunity. This finding raises hope that transplantation of autoantigen-expressing bone marrow cells as a therapeutic strategy for specific autoantigen-driven autoimmune diseases.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Autoimmunity
- B-Lymphocytes/immunology
- B-Lymphocytes/metabolism
- Bone Marrow/immunology
- Bone Marrow/metabolism
- Bone Marrow Transplantation
- Cells, Cultured
- Encephalomyelitis, Autoimmune, Experimental/genetics
- Encephalomyelitis, Autoimmune, Experimental/immunology
- Encephalomyelitis, Autoimmune, Experimental/metabolism
- Encephalomyelitis, Autoimmune, Experimental/prevention & control
- Genes, T-Cell Receptor
- Immune Tolerance
- Mice, Inbred C57BL
- Mice, Transgenic
- Myelin-Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein/genetics
- Myelin-Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein/immunology
- Myelin-Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein/metabolism
- Peptide Fragments
- Phenotype
- Receptors, Antigen, B-Cell/genetics
- Receptors, Antigen, B-Cell/metabolism
- T-Lymphocytes/immunology
- T-Lymphocytes/metabolism
- Mice
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Gurumoorthy Krishnamoorthy
- Research Group Neuroinflammation and Mucosal Immunology, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried, Germany
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15
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Egwuagu CE, Alhakeem SA, Mbanefo EC. Uveitis: Molecular Pathogenesis and Emerging Therapies. Front Immunol 2021; 12:623725. [PMID: 33995347 PMCID: PMC8119754 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.623725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2020] [Accepted: 03/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The profound impact that vision loss has on human activities and quality of life necessitates understanding the etiology of potentially blinding diseases and their clinical management. The unique anatomic features of the eye and its sequestration from peripheral immune system also provides a framework for studying other diseases in immune privileged sites and validating basic immunological principles. Thus, early studies of intraocular inflammatory diseases (uveitis) were at the forefront of research on organ transplantation. These studies laid the groundwork for foundational discoveries on how immune system distinguishes self from non-self and established current concepts of acquired immune tolerance and autoimmunity. Our charge in this review is to examine how advances in molecular cell biology and immunology over the past 3 decades have contributed to the understanding of mechanisms that underlie immunopathogenesis of uveitis. Particular emphasis is on how advances in biotechnology have been leveraged in developing biologics and cell-based immunotherapies for uveitis and other neuroinflammatory diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles E Egwuagu
- Molecular Immunology Section, Laboratory of Immunology, National Eye Institute (NEI), National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Sahar A Alhakeem
- Molecular Immunology Section, Laboratory of Immunology, National Eye Institute (NEI), National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States.,Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, United States
| | - Evaristus C Mbanefo
- Molecular Immunology Section, Laboratory of Immunology, National Eye Institute (NEI), National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
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16
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Zhang Q, Liang Z, Zhang J, Lei T, Dong X, Su H, Chen Y, Zhang Z, Tan L, Zhao Y. Sirt6 Regulates the Development of Medullary Thymic Epithelial Cells and Contributes to the Establishment of Central Immune Tolerance. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:655552. [PMID: 33869219 PMCID: PMC8044826 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.655552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2021] [Accepted: 03/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Although some advances have been made in understanding the molecular regulation of mTEC development, the role of epigenetic regulators in the development and maturation of mTEC is poorly understood. Here, using the TEC-specific Sirt6 knockout mice, we found the deacetylase Sirtuin 6 (Sirt6) is essential for the development of functionally competent mTECs. First of all, TEC-specific Sirt6 deletion dramatically reduces the mTEC compartment, which is caused by reduced DNA replication and subsequent impaired proliferation ability of Sirt6-deficient mTECs. Secondly, Sirt6 deficiency specifically accelerates the differentiation of mTECs from CD80–Aire– immature population to CD80+Aire– intermediate mature population by promoting the expression of Spib. Finally, Sirt6 ablation in TECs markedly interferes the proper expression of tissue-restricted antigens (TRAs) and impairs the development of thymocytes and nTreg cells. In addition, TEC conditional knockout of Sirt6 results in severe autoimmune disease manifested by reduced body weight, the infiltration of lymphocytes and the presence of autoantibodies. Collectively, this study reveals that the expression of epigenetic regulator Sirt6 in TECs is crucial for the development and differentiation of mTECs, which highlights the importance of Sirt6 in the establishment of central immune tolerance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Zhanfeng Liang
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jiayu Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Tong Lei
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xue Dong
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Huiting Su
- Department of Central Laboratory and Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Yifang Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Zhaoqi Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Liang Tan
- Center of Organ Transplantation, Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Yong Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Institute for Stem Cell and Regeneration, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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17
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Brown CC, Rudensky AY. Conceiving the Inconceivable: The Function of Aire in Immune Tolerance to Peripheral Tissue-Restricted Antigens in the Thymus. JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY (BALTIMORE, MD. : 1950) 2021; 206:245-247. [PMID: 33397737 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.2001285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Chrysothemis C Brown
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Immunology Program, and Ludwig Center, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065
| | - Alexander Y Rudensky
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Immunology Program, and Ludwig Center, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065
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18
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The contribution of thymic tolerance to central nervous system autoimmunity. Semin Immunopathol 2020; 43:135-157. [PMID: 33108502 PMCID: PMC7925481 DOI: 10.1007/s00281-020-00822-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2020] [Accepted: 10/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Autoimmune diseases of the central nervous system (CNS) are associated with high levels of morbidity and economic cost. Research efforts have previously focused on the contribution of the peripheral adaptive and innate immune systems to CNS autoimmunity. However, a failure of thymic negative selection is a necessary step in CNS-reactive T cells escaping into the periphery. Even with defective thymic or peripheral tolerance, the development of CNS inflammation is rare. The reasons underlying this are currently poorly understood. In this review, we examine evidence implicating thymic selection in the pathogenesis of CNS autoimmunity. Animal models suggest that thymic negative selection is an important factor in determining susceptibility to and severity of CNS inflammation. There are indirect clinical data that suggest thymic function is also important in human CNS autoimmune diseases. Specifically, the association between thymoma and paraneoplastic encephalitis and changes in T cell receptor excision circles in multiple sclerosis implicate thymic tolerance in these diseases. We identify potential associations between CNS autoimmunity susceptibility factors and thymic tolerance. The therapeutic manipulation of thymopoiesis has the potential to open up new treatment modalities, but a better understanding of thymic tolerance in CNS autoimmunity is required before this can be realised.
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19
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Wang J, Jelcic I, Mühlenbruch L, Haunerdinger V, Toussaint NC, Zhao Y, Cruciani C, Faigle W, Naghavian R, Foege M, Binder TMC, Eiermann T, Opitz L, Fuentes-Font L, Reynolds R, Kwok WW, Nguyen JT, Lee JH, Lutterotti A, Münz C, Rammensee HG, Hauri-Hohl M, Sospedra M, Stevanovic S, Martin R. HLA-DR15 Molecules Jointly Shape an Autoreactive T Cell Repertoire in Multiple Sclerosis. Cell 2020; 183:1264-1281.e20. [PMID: 33091337 PMCID: PMC7707104 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2020.09.054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 123] [Impact Index Per Article: 30.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2020] [Revised: 08/04/2020] [Accepted: 09/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The HLA-DR15 haplotype is the strongest genetic risk factor for multiple sclerosis (MS), but our understanding of how it contributes to MS is limited. Because autoreactive CD4+ T cells and B cells as antigen-presenting cells are involved in MS pathogenesis, we characterized the immunopeptidomes of the two HLA-DR15 allomorphs DR2a and DR2b of human primary B cells and monocytes, thymus, and MS brain tissue. Self-peptides from HLA-DR molecules, particularly from DR2a and DR2b themselves, are abundant on B cells and thymic antigen-presenting cells. Furthermore, we identified autoreactive CD4+ T cell clones that can cross-react with HLA-DR-derived self-peptides (HLA-DR-SPs), peptides from MS-associated foreign agents (Epstein-Barr virus and Akkermansia muciniphila), and autoantigens presented by DR2a and DR2b. Thus, both HLA-DR15 allomorphs jointly shape an autoreactive T cell repertoire by serving as antigen-presenting structures and epitope sources and by presenting the same foreign peptides and autoantigens to autoreactive CD4+ T cells in MS. HLA-DR15 present abundant HLA-DR-derived self-peptides on B cells Autoreactive T cells in MS recognize HLA-DR-derived self-peptides/DR15 complexes Foreign peptides/DR15 complexes trigger potential autoreactive T cells in MS HLA-DR15 shape an autoreactive T cell repertoire by cross-reactivity/restriction
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Affiliation(s)
- Jian Wang
- Neuroimmunology and MS Research, Neurology Clinic, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich 8091, Switzerland
| | - Ivan Jelcic
- Neuroimmunology and MS Research, Neurology Clinic, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich 8091, Switzerland
| | - Lena Mühlenbruch
- Department of Immunology, Institute of Cell Biology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen 72076, Germany; German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Tübingen, Tübingen 72076, Germany; Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC 2180) "Image-Guided and Functionally Instructed Tumor Therapies," University of Tübingen, Tübingen 72076, Germany
| | - Veronika Haunerdinger
- Pediatric Stem Cell Transplantation, University Children's Hospital Zurich, Zurich 8032, Switzerland
| | - Nora C Toussaint
- NEXUS Personalized Health Technologies, ETH Zurich, Zurich 8093, Switzerland; Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Yingdong Zhao
- Biometric Research Program, Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis, NCI, NIH, Rockville, MD 20850, USA
| | - Carolina Cruciani
- Neuroimmunology and MS Research, Neurology Clinic, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich 8091, Switzerland
| | - Wolfgang Faigle
- Neuroimmunology and MS Research, Neurology Clinic, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich 8091, Switzerland
| | - Reza Naghavian
- Neuroimmunology and MS Research, Neurology Clinic, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich 8091, Switzerland
| | - Magdalena Foege
- Neuroimmunology and MS Research, Neurology Clinic, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich 8091, Switzerland
| | - Thomas M C Binder
- HLA Laboratory of the Stefan Morsch Foundation (SMS), Birkenfeld 55765, Germany
| | - Thomas Eiermann
- Department of Transfusion Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg 20251, Germany
| | - Lennart Opitz
- Functional Genomics Center Zurich, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and University of Zurich, Zurich 8057, Switzerland
| | - Laura Fuentes-Font
- Division of Neuroscience, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Richard Reynolds
- Division of Neuroscience, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - William W Kwok
- Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason, Seattle, WA 98101, USA
| | - Julie T Nguyen
- One Lambda, Inc., a part of Transplant Diagnostics Thermo Fisher Scientific, 22801 Roscoe Blvd., West Hills, CA 91304, USA
| | - Jar-How Lee
- One Lambda, Inc., a part of Transplant Diagnostics Thermo Fisher Scientific, 22801 Roscoe Blvd., West Hills, CA 91304, USA
| | - Andreas Lutterotti
- Neuroimmunology and MS Research, Neurology Clinic, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich 8091, Switzerland
| | - Christian Münz
- Viral Immunobiology, Institute of Experimental Immunology, University of Zurich, Zurich 8057, Switzerland
| | - Hans-Georg Rammensee
- Department of Immunology, Institute of Cell Biology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen 72076, Germany; German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Tübingen, Tübingen 72076, Germany; Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC 2180) "Image-Guided and Functionally Instructed Tumor Therapies," University of Tübingen, Tübingen 72076, Germany
| | - Mathias Hauri-Hohl
- Pediatric Stem Cell Transplantation, University Children's Hospital Zurich, Zurich 8032, Switzerland
| | - Mireia Sospedra
- Neuroimmunology and MS Research, Neurology Clinic, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich 8091, Switzerland
| | - Stefan Stevanovic
- Department of Immunology, Institute of Cell Biology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen 72076, Germany; German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Tübingen, Tübingen 72076, Germany; Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC 2180) "Image-Guided and Functionally Instructed Tumor Therapies," University of Tübingen, Tübingen 72076, Germany
| | - Roland Martin
- Neuroimmunology and MS Research, Neurology Clinic, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich 8091, Switzerland.
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20
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Lasrado N, Jia T, Massilamany C, Franco R, Illes Z, Reddy J. Mechanisms of sex hormones in autoimmunity: focus on EAE. Biol Sex Differ 2020; 11:50. [PMID: 32894183 PMCID: PMC7475723 DOI: 10.1186/s13293-020-00325-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2020] [Accepted: 08/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Sex-related differences in the occurrence of autoimmune diseases is well documented, with females showing a greater propensity to develop these diseases than their male counterparts. Sex hormones, namely dihydrotestosterone and estrogens, have been shown to ameliorate the severity of inflammatory diseases. Immunologically, the beneficial effects of sex hormones have been ascribed to the suppression of effector lymphocyte responses accompanied by immune deviation from pro-inflammatory to anti-inflammatory cytokine production. In this review, we present our view of the mechanisms of sex hormones that contribute to their ability to suppress autoimmune responses with an emphasis on the pathogenesis of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ninaad Lasrado
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, 68583, USA
| | - Ting Jia
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, 68583, USA
| | | | - Rodrigo Franco
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, 68583, USA
| | - Zsolt Illes
- Department of Neurology, Odense University Hospital, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Jay Reddy
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, 68583, USA.
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21
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O'Donovan B, Mandel-Brehm C, Vazquez SE, Liu J, Parent AV, Anderson MS, Kassimatis T, Zekeridou A, Hauser SL, Pittock SJ, Chow E, Wilson MR, DeRisi JL. High-resolution epitope mapping of anti-Hu and anti-Yo autoimmunity by programmable phage display. Brain Commun 2020; 2:fcaa059. [PMID: 32954318 PMCID: PMC7425417 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcaa059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2019] [Revised: 03/08/2020] [Accepted: 03/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Paraneoplastic neurological disorders are immune-mediated diseases understood to manifest as part of a misdirected anti-tumor immune response. Paraneoplastic neurological disorder-associated autoantibodies can assist with diagnosis and enhance our understanding of tumor-associated immune processes. We designed a comprehensive library of 49-amino-acid overlapping peptides spanning the entire human proteome, including all splicing isoforms and computationally predicted coding regions. Using this library, we optimized a phage immunoprecipitation and sequencing protocol with multiple rounds of enrichment to create high-resolution epitope profiles in serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples from patients suffering from two common paraneoplastic neurological disorders, the anti-Yo (n = 36 patients) and anti-Hu (n = 44 patients) syndromes. All (100%) anti-Yo patient samples yielded enrichment of peptides from the canonical anti-Yo (CDR2 and CDR2L) antigens, while 38% of anti-Hu patients enriched peptides deriving from the nELAVL (neuronal embryonic lethal abnormal vision like) family of proteins, the anti-Hu autoantigenic target. Among the anti-Hu patient samples that were positive for nELAVL, we noted a restricted region of immunoreactivity. To achieve single amino acid resolution, we designed a novel deep mutational scanning phage library encoding all possible single-point mutants targeting the reactive nELAVL region. This analysis revealed a distinct preference for the degenerate motif, RLDxLL, shared by ELAVL2, 3 and 4. Lastly, phage immunoprecipitation sequencing identified several known autoantigens in these same patient samples, including peptides deriving from the cancer-associated antigens ZIC and SOX families of transcription factors. Overall, this optimized phage immunoprecipitation sequencing library and protocol yielded the high-resolution epitope mapping of the autoantigens targeted in anti-Yo and anti-Hu encephalitis patients to date. The results presented here further demonstrate the utility and high-resolution capability of phage immunoprecipitation sequencing for both basic science and clinical applications and for better understanding the antigenic targets and triggers of paraneoplastic neurological disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian O'Donovan
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Caleigh Mandel-Brehm
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Sara E Vazquez
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Jamin Liu
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA.,UC Berkeley-UCSF Graduate Program in Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94158, USA
| | - Audrey V Parent
- Department of Medicine, Diabetes Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Mark S Anderson
- Department of Medicine, Diabetes Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Travis Kassimatis
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Anastasia Zekeridou
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55902, USA.,Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55902, USA
| | - Stephen L Hauser
- Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA.,Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Sean J Pittock
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55902, USA.,Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55902, USA
| | - Eric Chow
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Michael R Wilson
- Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA.,Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Joseph L DeRisi
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA.,Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
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22
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Wong ASL, Gruber DR, Richards AL, Sheldon K, Qiu A, Hay A, Hudson KE. Tolerization of recent thymic emigrants is required to prevent RBC-specific autoimmunity. J Autoimmun 2020; 114:102489. [PMID: 32507505 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaut.2020.102489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2020] [Revised: 05/11/2020] [Accepted: 05/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) leads to accelerated destruction of autologous red blood cells (RBCs) by autoantibodies. AIHA is a severe and sometimes fatal disease. While there are several therapeutic strategies available, there are currently no licensed treatments for AIHA and few therapeutics result in treatment-free durable remission. The etiology of primary AIHA is unknown; however, secondary AIHA occurs concurrently with lymphoproliferative disorders and infections. Additionally, AIHA is the second most common manifestation of primary immunodeficiency disorders and has been described as a side effect of checkpoint inhibitor therapy. Given the severity of AIHA and the lack of treatment options, understanding the initiation of autoimmunity is imperative. Herein, we utilized a well-described model of RBC biology to dissect how RBC-specific autoreactive T cells become educated against RBC autoantigens. We show that, unlike most autoantigens, T cells do not encounter RBC autoantigens in the thymus. Instead, when they leave the thymus as recent thymic emigrants (RTEs), they retain the ability to positively respond to RBC autoantigens; only after several weeks in circulation do RTEs become nonresponsive. Together, these data suggest that any disruption in this process would lead to breakdown of tolerance and initiation of autoimmunity. Thus, RTEs and this developmental process are potential targets to prevent and treat AIHA.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Annie Qiu
- Columbia University Irving Medical Center, Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, New York, NY, USA
| | - Ariel Hay
- University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Krystalyn E Hudson
- Columbia University Irving Medical Center, Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, New York, NY, USA.
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23
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Cardamone G, Paraboschi EM, Soldà G, Cantoni C, Supino D, Piccio L, Duga S, Asselta R. Not only cancer: the long non-coding RNA MALAT1 affects the repertoire of alternatively spliced transcripts and circular RNAs in multiple sclerosis. Hum Mol Genet 2020; 28:1414-1428. [PMID: 30566690 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddy438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2018] [Revised: 12/12/2018] [Accepted: 12/14/2018] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are post-transcriptional and epigenetic regulators, whose implication in neurodegenerative and autoimmune diseases remains poorly understood. We analyzed publicly available microarray data sets to identify dysregulated lncRNAs in multiple sclerosis (MS), a neuroinflammatory autoimmune disease. We found a consistent upregulation in MS of the lncRNA MALAT1 (2.7-fold increase; meta-analysis, P = 1.3 × 10-8; 190 cases, 182 controls), known to regulate alternative splicing (AS). We confirmed MALAT1 upregulation in two independent MS cohorts (1.5-fold increase; P < 0.01; 59 cases, 50 controls). We hence performed MALAT1 overexpression/knockdown in cell lines, demonstrating that its modulation impacts on endogenous expression of splicing factors (HNRNPF and HNRNPH1) and on AS of MS-associated genes (IL7R and SP140). Minigene-based splicing assays upon MALAT1 modulation recapitulated IL7R and SP140 isoform unbalances observed in patients. RNA-sequencing of MALAT1-knockdown Jurkat cells further highlighted MALAT1 role in splicing (approximately 1100 significantly-modulated AS events) and revealed its contribution to backsplicing (approximately 50 differentially expressed circular RNAs). Our study proposes a possible novel role for MALAT1 dysregulation and the consequent AS alteration in MS pathogenesis, based on anomalous splicing/backsplicing profiles of MS-relevant genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Cardamone
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele Milan, Italy
| | - Elvezia M Paraboschi
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele Milan, Italy
| | - Giulia Soldà
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele Milan, Italy.,Humanitas Clinical and Research Center, Rozzano Milan, Italy
| | - Claudia Cantoni
- Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Domenico Supino
- Humanitas Clinical and Research Center, Rozzano Milan, Italy
| | - Laura Piccio
- Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Stefano Duga
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele Milan, Italy.,Humanitas Clinical and Research Center, Rozzano Milan, Italy
| | - Rosanna Asselta
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele Milan, Italy.,Humanitas Clinical and Research Center, Rozzano Milan, Italy
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24
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Abstract
The generation of a functional T cell repertoire in the thymus is mainly orchestrated by thymic epithelial cells (TECs), which provide developing T cells with cues for their navigation, proliferation, differentiation and survival. The TEC compartment has been segregated historically into two major populations of medullary TECs and cortical TECs, which differ in their anatomical localization, molecular characteristics and functional roles. However, recent studies have shown that TECs are highly heterogeneous and comprise multiple subpopulations with distinct molecular and functional characteristics, including tuft cell-like or corneocyte-like phenotypes. Here, we review the most recent advances in our understanding of TEC heterogeneity from a molecular, functional and developmental perspective. In particular, we highlight the key insights that were recently provided by single-cell genomic technologies and in vivo fate mapping and discuss them in the context of previously published data.
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25
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Abstract
The contributions of the peripheral adaptive and innate immune systems to CNS autoimmunity have been extensively studied. However, the role of thymic selection in these conditions is much less well understood. The thymus is the primary lymphoid organ for the generation of T cells; thymic mechanisms ensure that cells with an overt autoreactive specificity are eliminated before they emigrate to the periphery and control the generation of thymic regulatory T cells. Evidence from animal studies demonstrates that thymic T cell selection is important for establishing tolerance to autoantigens. However, there is a considerable knowledge gap regarding the role of thymic selection in autoimmune conditions of the human CNS. In this Review, we critically examine the current body of experimental evidence for the contribution of thymic tolerance to CNS autoimmune diseases. An understanding of why dysfunction of either thymic or peripheral tolerance mechanisms rarely leads to CNS inflammation is currently lacking. We examine the potential of de novo T cell formation and thymic selection as novel therapeutic avenues and highlight areas for future study that are likely to make these targets the focus of future treatments.
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Inventories of naive and tolerant mouse CD4 T cell repertoires reveal a hierarchy of deleted and diverted T cell receptors. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:18537-18543. [PMID: 31451631 PMCID: PMC6744931 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1907615116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Deletion or Treg cell differentiation are alternative fates of autoreactive MHCII-restricted thymocytes. How these different modes of tolerance determine the size and composition of polyclonal cohorts of autoreactive T cells with shared specificity is poorly understood. We addressed how tolerance to a naturally expressed autoantigen of the central nervous system shapes the CD4 T cell repertoire. Specific cells in the tolerant peripheral repertoire either were Foxp3+ or displayed anergy hallmarks and, surprisingly, were at least as frequent as in the nontolerant repertoire. Despite this apparent lack of deletional tolerance, repertoire inventories uncovered that some T cell receptors (TCRs) were lost from the CD4 T cell pool, whereas others mediated Treg cell differentiation. The antigen responsiveness of these TCRs supported an affinity model of central tolerance. Importantly, the contribution of different diverter TCRs to the nascent thymic Treg cell population reflected their antigen reactivity rather than their frequency among precursors. This reveals a multilayered TCR hierarchy in CD4 T cell tolerance that separates deleted and diverted TCRs and assures that the Treg cell compartment is filled with cells of maximal permissive antigen reactivity.
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27
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Marín-Sánchez A, Álvarez-Sierra D, González O, Lucas-Martin A, Sellés-Sánchez A, Rudilla F, Enrich E, Colobran R, Pujol-Borrell R. Regulation of TSHR Expression in the Thyroid and Thymus May Contribute to TSHR Tolerance Failure in Graves' Disease Patients via Two Distinct Mechanisms. Front Immunol 2019; 10:1695. [PMID: 31379878 PMCID: PMC6657650 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.01695] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2019] [Accepted: 07/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Graves' disease (GD) involves the presence of agonistic auto-antibodies against the thyrotropin receptor (TSHR), which are responsible for the clinical symptoms. While failure of TSHR tolerance is central to GD pathogenesis, the process leading to this failure remains poorly understood. Two mechanisms intimately linked to tolerance have been proposed to explain the association of SNPs located in TSHR intron 1 to GD: (1) differential alternative splicing in the thyroid; and (2) modulation of expression in the thymus. To elucidate the relative contribution to these two mechanisms to GD pathogenesis, we analyzed the level of full-length and ST4 and ST5 isoform expression in the thyroid (n = 49) and thymus (n = 39) glands, and the influence of intron 1-associated SNPs on such expression. The results show that: (1) the level of flTSHR and ST4 expression in the thymus was unexpectedly high (20% that of the thyroid); (2) while flTSHR is the predominant isoform, the levels are similar to ST4 (ratio flTSHR/ST4 = 1.34 in the thyroid and ratio flTSHR/ST4 in the thymus = 1.93); (3) next-generation sequencing confirmed the effect of the TSHR intron 1 polymorphism on TSHR expression in the thymus with a bias of 1.5 ± 0.2 overexpression of the protective allele in the thymus compared to the thyroid; (4) GD-associated intron 1 SNPs did not influence TSHR alternative splicing of ST4 and ST5 in the thyroid and thymus; and (5) three-color confocal imaging showed that TSHR is associated with both thymocytes, macrophages, and dendritic cells in the thymus. Our findings confirm the effect of intron 1 polymorphisms on thymic TSHR expression and we present evidence against an effect on the relative expression of isoforms. The high level of ST4 expression in the thymus and its distribution within the tissue suggest that this would most likely be the isoform that induces central tolerance to TSHR thus omitting most of the hinge and transmembrane portion. The lack of central tolerance to a large portion of TSHR may explain the relatively high frequency of autoimmunity related to TSHR and its clinical consequence, GD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Marín-Sánchez
- Immunology Division, FOCIS Center of Excellence, Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron, Barcelona, Spain.,Diagnostic Immunology Group, Vall d'Hebron Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain.,Department of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Daniel Álvarez-Sierra
- Diagnostic Immunology Group, Vall d'Hebron Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain.,Department of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Oscar González
- Surgery Department, Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ana Lucas-Martin
- Endocrinology Division, Hospital Universitari Germans Trias Pujol, Badalona, Spain
| | | | - Francesc Rudilla
- Immunogenetics and Histocompatibility Laboratory, Blood and Tissue Bank, Transfusional Medicine Group, Vall d'Hebron Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Emma Enrich
- Immunogenetics and Histocompatibility Laboratory, Blood and Tissue Bank, Transfusional Medicine Group, Vall d'Hebron Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Roger Colobran
- Immunology Division, FOCIS Center of Excellence, Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron, Barcelona, Spain.,Diagnostic Immunology Group, Vall d'Hebron Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain.,Department of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ricardo Pujol-Borrell
- Immunology Division, FOCIS Center of Excellence, Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron, Barcelona, Spain.,Diagnostic Immunology Group, Vall d'Hebron Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain.,Department of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
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28
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Gabrielsen ISM, Helgeland H, Akselsen H, D. Aass HC, Sundaram AYM, Snowhite IV, Pugliese A, Flåm ST, Lie BA. Transcriptomes of antigen presenting cells in human thymus. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0218858. [PMID: 31261375 PMCID: PMC6602790 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0218858] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2018] [Accepted: 06/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Antigen presenting cells (APCs) in the thymus play an essential role in the establishment of central tolerance, i.e. the generation of a repertoire of functional and self-tolerant T cells to prevent autoimmunity. In this study, we have compared the transcriptomes of four primary APCs from human thymus (mTECs, CD19+ B cells, CD141+ and CD123+ DCs). We investigated a set of genes including the HLA genes, genes encoding transcriptional regulators and finally, tissue-enriched genes, i.e, genes with a five-fold higher expression in a particular human tissue. We show that thymic CD141+ DCs express the highest levels of all classical HLA genes and 67% (14/21) of the HLA class I and II pathway genes investigated in this study. CD141+ DCs also expressed the highest levels of the transcriptional regulator DEAF1, whereas AIRE and FEZF2 expression were mainly found in primary human mTECs. We found expression of "tissue enriched genes" from the Human Protein Atlas (HPA) in all four APC types, but the mTECs were clearly dominating in the number of uniquely expressed tissue enriched genes (20% in mTECs, 7% in CD19+ B cells, 4% in CD123+ DCs and 2% in CD141+ DCs). The tissue enriched genes also overlapped with reported human autoantigens. This is, to our knowledge, the first study that performs RNA sequencing of mTECs, CD19+ B cells, CD141+ and CD123+ DCs isolated from the same individuals and provides insight into the transcriptomes of these human thymic APCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ingvild S. M. Gabrielsen
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
- K. G. Jebsen Inflammation Research Centre, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Hanna Helgeland
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
- K. G. Jebsen Inflammation Research Centre, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Helle Akselsen
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Hans Christian D. Aass
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Medical Biochemistry, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Arvind Y. M. Sundaram
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Isaac V. Snowhite
- Diabetes Research Institute, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, Florida, United States of America
| | - Alberto Pugliese
- Diabetes Research Institute, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, Florida, United States of America
- Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Microbiology and Immunology, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, Florida, United States of America
| | - Siri T. Flåm
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
- K. G. Jebsen Inflammation Research Centre, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Benedicte A. Lie
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
- K. G. Jebsen Inflammation Research Centre, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
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29
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Culina S, Lalanne AI, Afonso G, Cerosaletti K, Pinto S, Sebastiani G, Kuranda K, Nigi L, Eugster A, Østerbye T, Maugein A, McLaren JE, Ladell K, Larger E, Beressi JP, Lissina A, Appay V, Davidson HW, Buus S, Price DA, Kuhn M, Bonifacio E, Battaglia M, Caillat-Zucman S, Dotta F, Scharfmann R, Kyewski B, Mallone R. Islet-reactive CD8 + T cell frequencies in the pancreas, but not in blood, distinguish type 1 diabetic patients from healthy donors. Sci Immunol 2018; 3:3/20/eaao4013. [PMID: 29429978 DOI: 10.1126/sciimmunol.aao4013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 148] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2017] [Accepted: 12/04/2017] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
The human leukocyte antigen-A2 (HLA-A2)-restricted zinc transporter 8186-194 (ZnT8186-194) and other islet epitopes elicit interferon-γ secretion by CD8+ T cells preferentially in type 1 diabetes (T1D) patients compared with controls. We show that clonal ZnT8186-194-reactive CD8+ T cells express private T cell receptors and display equivalent functional properties in T1D and healthy individuals. Ex vivo analyses further revealed that CD8+ T cells reactive to ZnT8186-194 and other islet epitopes circulate at similar frequencies and exhibit a predominantly naïve phenotype in age-matched T1D and healthy donors. Higher frequencies of ZnT8186-194-reactive CD8+ T cells with a more antigen-experienced phenotype were detected in children versus adults, irrespective of disease status. Moreover, some ZnT8186-194-reactive CD8+ T cell clonotypes were found to cross-recognize a Bacteroides stercoris mimotope. Whereas ZnT8 was poorly expressed in thymic medullary epithelial cells, variable thymic expression levels of islet antigens did not modulate the peripheral frequency of their cognate CD8+ T cells. In contrast, ZnT8186-194-reactive cells were enriched in the pancreata of T1D patients versus nondiabetic and type 2 diabetic individuals. Thus, islet-reactive CD8+ T cells circulate in most individuals but home to the pancreas preferentially in T1D patients. We conclude that the activation of this common islet-reactive T cell repertoire and progression to T1D likely require defective peripheral immunoregulation and/or a proinflammatory islet microenvironment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Slobodan Culina
- INSERM, U1016, Cochin Institute, Paris, France.,CNRS, UMR8104, Cochin Institute, Paris, France.,Paris Descartes University, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Ana Ines Lalanne
- INSERM, U1016, Cochin Institute, Paris, France.,CNRS, UMR8104, Cochin Institute, Paris, France.,Paris Descartes University, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Georgia Afonso
- INSERM, U1016, Cochin Institute, Paris, France.,CNRS, UMR8104, Cochin Institute, Paris, France.,Paris Descartes University, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Karen Cerosaletti
- Benaroya Research Institute, Translational Research Program, Seattle, WA 98101, USA
| | - Sheena Pinto
- Division of Developmental Immunology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Guido Sebastiani
- Diabetes Unit, Department of Medicine, Surgery and Neuroscience, University of Siena, and Fondazione Umberto di Mario ONLUS, Toscana Life Sciences, Siena, Italy
| | - Klaudia Kuranda
- INSERM, U1016, Cochin Institute, Paris, France.,CNRS, UMR8104, Cochin Institute, Paris, France.,Paris Descartes University, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Laura Nigi
- Diabetes Unit, Department of Medicine, Surgery and Neuroscience, University of Siena, and Fondazione Umberto di Mario ONLUS, Toscana Life Sciences, Siena, Italy
| | - Anne Eugster
- CRTD-DFG Research Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden, Medical Faculty, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Thomas Østerbye
- Department of International Health, Immunology and Microbiology, Panum Institute, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Alicia Maugein
- INSERM, U1016, Cochin Institute, Paris, France.,CNRS, UMR8104, Cochin Institute, Paris, France.,Paris Descartes University, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - James E McLaren
- Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, UK
| | - Kristin Ladell
- Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, UK
| | - Etienne Larger
- INSERM, U1016, Cochin Institute, Paris, France.,CNRS, UMR8104, Cochin Institute, Paris, France.,Paris Descartes University, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France.,Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Paris, Service de Diabétologie, Cochin Hospital, Paris, France
| | - Jean-Paul Beressi
- Centre Hospitalier de Versailles André Mignot, Service de Diabétologie, Le Chesnay, France
| | - Anna Lissina
- Pierre et Marie Curie Paris 6 University, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Département Hospitalo-Universitaire FAST, CR7, Centre d'Immunologie et des Maladies Infectieuses (CIMI-Paris), Paris, France.,INSERM, U1135, CIMI-Paris, Paris, France
| | - Victor Appay
- Pierre et Marie Curie Paris 6 University, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Département Hospitalo-Universitaire FAST, CR7, Centre d'Immunologie et des Maladies Infectieuses (CIMI-Paris), Paris, France.,INSERM, U1135, CIMI-Paris, Paris, France
| | - Howard W Davidson
- Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes and Integrated Department of Immunology, University of Colorado Denver Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Søren Buus
- Department of International Health, Immunology and Microbiology, Panum Institute, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - David A Price
- Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, UK.,Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Matthias Kuhn
- Institut für Medizinische Informatik und Biometrie, Medical Faculty, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Ezio Bonifacio
- CRTD-DFG Research Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden, Medical Faculty, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Manuela Battaglia
- Diabetes Research Institute, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Sophie Caillat-Zucman
- Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Paris, Laboratoire d'Immunologie et Histocompatibilité, Hôpital Saint-Louis, Paris, France
| | - Francesco Dotta
- Diabetes Unit, Department of Medicine, Surgery and Neuroscience, University of Siena, and Fondazione Umberto di Mario ONLUS, Toscana Life Sciences, Siena, Italy
| | - Raphael Scharfmann
- INSERM, U1016, Cochin Institute, Paris, France.,CNRS, UMR8104, Cochin Institute, Paris, France.,Paris Descartes University, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Bruno Kyewski
- Division of Developmental Immunology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Roberto Mallone
- INSERM, U1016, Cochin Institute, Paris, France. .,CNRS, UMR8104, Cochin Institute, Paris, France.,Paris Descartes University, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France.,Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Paris, Service de Diabétologie, Cochin Hospital, Paris, France
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30
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das Neves SP, Serre-Miranda C, Nobrega C, Roque S, Cerqueira JJ, Correia-Neves M, Marques F. Immune Thymic Profile of the MOG-Induced Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis Mouse Model. Front Immunol 2018; 9:2335. [PMID: 30369926 PMCID: PMC6194318 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.02335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2018] [Accepted: 09/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, immune-mediated, demyelinating disease that affects the neurons of the central nervous system. Activated T cells, specific for myelin epitopes, cross the brain barriers, and react against the myelin sheath, leading to demyelination. Since T cells are generated within the thymus, here we explored, in mice, the alterations occurring in this organ throughout the different phases of the disease. We induced experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in C57BL/6 females and sacrifice them at the onset (day 16) and chronic phases of disease (day 23), along with non-induced controls. We observed thymic atrophy in EAE mice at the onset that remained until the chronic phase of disease. This atrophy was associated with a preferential loss of the CD4+CD8+ double positive thymocytes, an intermediate population between the more immature CD4−CD8− double negative and the most mature single positive thymocytes. This was accompanied by an increase in the thymic medullary/cortical ratio and by an altered expression levels of genes important for T cell survival. During the chronic phase, the thymi remained atrophic, but reacquired the normal proportion of the main four thymocyte populations and the normal medullary/cortical ratio. Importantly, at the onset phase, and accompanying these thymic alterations, EAE animals presented an increased percentage of demyelinating lesion area in the cerebellum, and an increased expression of interferon gamma (Ifng), interleukin (Il) 12a, and Il17a. This study suggests dynamic thymic alterations occurring in response to EAE, from the induction to the chronic phase, that might help to elucidate the MS pathophysiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofia P das Neves
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Cláudia Serre-Miranda
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Claudia Nobrega
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Susana Roque
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - João J Cerqueira
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal.,Clinical Academic Center-Braga, Braga, Portugal
| | - Margarida Correia-Neves
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Fernanda Marques
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.,ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
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31
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Anderson G. Bruno Kyewski (1950-2018). Eur J Immunol 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/eji.201870077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Graham Anderson
- Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy; College of Medical and Dental Sciences; Medical School; University of Birmingham; Edgbaston Birmingham UK
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32
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Alvaro-Benito M, Morrison E, Wieczorek M, Sticht J, Freund C. Human leukocyte Antigen-DM polymorphisms in autoimmune diseases. Open Biol 2017; 6:rsob.160165. [PMID: 27534821 PMCID: PMC5008016 DOI: 10.1098/rsob.160165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2016] [Accepted: 07/19/2016] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Classical MHC class II (MHCII) proteins present peptides for CD4+ T-cell surveillance and are by far the most prominent risk factor for a number of autoimmune disorders. To date, many studies have shown that this link between particular MHCII alleles and disease depends on the MHCII's particular ability to bind and present certain peptides in specific physiological contexts. However, less attention has been paid to the non-classical MHCII molecule human leucocyte antigen-DM, which catalyses peptide exchange on classical MHCII proteins acting as a peptide editor. DM function impacts the presentation of both antigenic peptides in the periphery and key self-peptides during T-cell development in the thymus. In this way, DM activity directly influences the response to pathogens, as well as mechanisms of self-tolerance acquisition. While decreased DM editing of particular MHCII proteins has been proposed to be related to autoimmune disorders, no experimental evidence for different DM catalytic properties had been reported until recently. Biochemical and structural investigations, together with new animal models of loss of DM activity, have provided an attractive foundation for identifying different catalytic efficiencies for DM allotypes. Here, we revisit the current knowledge of DM function and discuss how DM function may impart autoimmunity at the organism level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel Alvaro-Benito
- Protein Biochemistry Group, Institute for Chemistry and Biochemistry, Department of Biology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Eliot Morrison
- Protein Biochemistry Group, Institute for Chemistry and Biochemistry, Department of Biology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Marek Wieczorek
- Protein Biochemistry Group, Institute for Chemistry and Biochemistry, Department of Biology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Jana Sticht
- Protein Biochemistry Group, Institute for Chemistry and Biochemistry, Department of Biology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Christian Freund
- Protein Biochemistry Group, Institute for Chemistry and Biochemistry, Department of Biology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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33
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Wang L, Winnewisser J, Federle C, Jessberger G, Nave KA, Werner HB, Kyewski B, Klein L, Hinterberger M. Epitope-Specific Tolerance Modes Differentially Specify Susceptibility to Proteolipid Protein-Induced Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis. Front Immunol 2017; 8:1511. [PMID: 29170668 PMCID: PMC5684123 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2017.01511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2017] [Accepted: 10/25/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Immunization with myelin components can elicit experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). EAE susceptibility varies between mouse strains, depending on the antigen employed. BL/6 mice are largely resistant to EAE induction with proteolipid protein (PLP), probably a reflection of antigen-specific tolerance. However, the extent and mechanism(s) of tolerance to PLP remain unclear. Here, we identified three PLP epitopes in PLP-deficient BL/6 mice. PLP-sufficient mice did not respond against two of these, whereas tolerance was “leaky” for an epitope with weak predicted MHCII binding, and only this epitope was encephalitogenic. In TCR transgenic mice, the “EAE-susceptibility-associated” epitope was “ignored” by specific CD4 T cells, whereas the “resistance-associated” epitope induced clonal deletion and Treg induction in the thymus. Central tolerance was autoimmune regulator dependent and required expression and presentation of PLP by thymic epithelial cells (TECs). TEC-specific ablation of PLP revealed that peripheral tolerance, mediated by dendritic cells through recessive tolerance mechanisms (deletion and anergy), could largely compensate for a lack of central tolerance. However, adoptive EAE was exacerbated in mice lacking PLP in TECs, pointing toward a non-redundant role of the thymus in dominant tolerance to PLP. Our findings reveal multiple layers of tolerance to a central nervous system autoantigen that vary among epitopes and thereby specify disease susceptibility. Understanding how different modalities of tolerance apply to distinct T cell epitopes of a target in autoimmunity has implications for antigen-specific strategies to therapeutically interfere with unwanted immune reactions against self.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Wang
- Institute for Immunology, Biomedical Center (BMC) Munich, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany
| | - Julia Winnewisser
- Institute for Immunology, Biomedical Center (BMC) Munich, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany
| | - Christine Federle
- Institute for Immunology, Biomedical Center (BMC) Munich, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany
| | - Gregor Jessberger
- Institute for Immunology, Biomedical Center (BMC) Munich, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany
| | - Klaus-Armin Nave
- Department of Neurogenetics, Max Planck Institute of Experimental Medicine, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Hauke B Werner
- Department of Neurogenetics, Max Planck Institute of Experimental Medicine, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Bruno Kyewski
- Division of Developmental Immunology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Ludger Klein
- Institute for Immunology, Biomedical Center (BMC) Munich, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany
| | - Maria Hinterberger
- Institute for Immunology, Biomedical Center (BMC) Munich, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany
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34
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Veiga-Fernandes H, Freitas AA. The S(c)ensory Immune System Theory. Trends Immunol 2017; 38:777-788. [DOI: 10.1016/j.it.2017.02.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2016] [Revised: 01/09/2017] [Accepted: 02/15/2017] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
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35
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Basavalingappa RH, Massilamany C, Krishnan B, Gangaplara A, Kang G, Khalilzad-Sharghi V, Han Z, Othman S, Li Q, Riethoven JJ, Sobel RA, Steffen D, Reddy J. Identification of an Epitope from Adenine Nucleotide Translocator 1 That Induces Inflammation in Heart in A/J Mice. THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PATHOLOGY 2017; 186:3160-3175. [PMID: 27876151 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajpath.2016.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2016] [Revised: 06/27/2016] [Accepted: 08/03/2016] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Heart failure, a leading cause of death in humans, can emanate from myocarditis. Although most individuals with myocarditis recover spontaneously, some develop chronic dilated cardiomyopathy. Myocarditis may result from both infectious and noninfectious causes, including autoimmune responses to cardiac antigens. In support of this notion, intracellular cardiac antigens, like cardiac myosin heavy chain-α, cardiac troponin-I, and adenine nucleotide translocator 1 (ANT1), have been identified as autoantigens in cardiac autoimmunity. Herein, we demonstrate that ANT1 can induce autoimmune myocarditis in A/J mice by generating autoreactive T cells. We show that ANT1 encompasses multiple immunodominant epitopes (namely, ANT1 21-40, ANT1 31-50, ANT1 171-190, and ANT1 181-200). Although all four peptides induce comparable T-cell responses, only ANT1 21-40 was found to be a major myocarditogenic epitope in immunized animals. The myocarditis-inducing ability of ANT1 21-40 was associated with the generation of T cells producing predominantly IL-17A, and the antigen-sensitized T cells could transfer the disease to naïve recipients. These data indicate that cardiac mitochondrial proteins can be target autoantigens in myocarditis, supporting the notion that the antigens released as a result of primary damage may contribute to the persistence of chronic inflammation through autoimmunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rakesh H Basavalingappa
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska
| | | | - Bharathi Krishnan
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska
| | - Arunakumar Gangaplara
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska
| | - Guobin Kang
- Nebraska Center for Virology and School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska
| | - Vahid Khalilzad-Sharghi
- Department of Biological Systems Engineering, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska
| | - Zhongji Han
- Department of Biological Systems Engineering, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska
| | - Shadi Othman
- Department of Biological Systems Engineering, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska
| | - Qingsheng Li
- Nebraska Center for Virology and School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska
| | | | - Raymond A Sobel
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
| | - David Steffen
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska
| | - Jay Reddy
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska.
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36
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Guha M, Saare M, Maslovskaja J, Kisand K, Liiv I, Haljasorg U, Tasa T, Metspalu A, Milani L, Peterson P. DNA breaks and chromatin structural changes enhance the transcription of autoimmune regulator target genes. J Biol Chem 2017; 292:6542-6554. [PMID: 28242760 PMCID: PMC5399106 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m116.764704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2016] [Revised: 01/30/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The autoimmune regulator (AIRE) protein is the key factor in thymic negative selection of autoreactive T cells by promoting the ectopic expression of tissue-specific genes in the thymic medullary epithelium. Mutations in AIRE cause a monogenic autoimmune disease called autoimmune polyendocrinopathy-candidiasis-ectodermal dystrophy. AIRE has been shown to promote DNA breaks via its interaction with topoisomerase 2 (TOP2). In this study, we investigated topoisomerase-induced DNA breaks and chromatin structural alterations in conjunction with AIRE-dependent gene expression. Using RNA sequencing, we found that inhibition of TOP2 religation activity by etoposide in AIRE-expressing cells had a synergistic effect on genes with low expression levels. AIRE-mediated transcription was not only enhanced by TOP2 inhibition but also by the TOP1 inhibitor camptothecin. The transcriptional activation was associated with structural rearrangements in chromatin, notably the accumulation of γH2AX and the exchange of histone H1 with HMGB1 at AIRE target gene promoters. In addition, we found the transcriptional up-regulation to co-occur with the chromatin structural changes within the genomic cluster of carcinoembryonic antigen-like cellular adhesion molecule genes. Overall, our results suggest that the presence of AIRE can trigger molecular events leading to an altered chromatin landscape and the enhanced transcription of low-expressed genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mithu Guha
- From the Molecular Pathology, Institute of Biomedical and Translational Medicine
| | - Mario Saare
- From the Molecular Pathology, Institute of Biomedical and Translational Medicine
| | - Julia Maslovskaja
- From the Molecular Pathology, Institute of Biomedical and Translational Medicine
| | - Kai Kisand
- From the Molecular Pathology, Institute of Biomedical and Translational Medicine
| | - Ingrid Liiv
- From the Molecular Pathology, Institute of Biomedical and Translational Medicine
| | - Uku Haljasorg
- From the Molecular Pathology, Institute of Biomedical and Translational Medicine
| | | | - Andres Metspalu
- Estonian Genome Center, and
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu, Tartu 50411, Estonia
| | | | - Pärt Peterson
- From the Molecular Pathology, Institute of Biomedical and Translational Medicine,
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37
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Gallego-Paez LM, Bordone MC, Leote AC, Saraiva-Agostinho N, Ascensão-Ferreira M, Barbosa-Morais NL. Alternative splicing: the pledge, the turn, and the prestige : The key role of alternative splicing in human biological systems. Hum Genet 2017; 136:1015-1042. [PMID: 28374191 PMCID: PMC5602094 DOI: 10.1007/s00439-017-1790-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2017] [Accepted: 03/25/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Alternative pre-mRNA splicing is a tightly controlled process conducted by the spliceosome, with the assistance of several regulators, resulting in the expression of different transcript isoforms from the same gene and increasing both transcriptome and proteome complexity. The differences between alternative isoforms may be subtle but enough to change the function or localization of the translated proteins. A fine control of the isoform balance is, therefore, needed throughout developmental stages and adult tissues or physiological conditions and it does not come as a surprise that several diseases are caused by its deregulation. In this review, we aim to bring the splicing machinery on stage and raise the curtain on its mechanisms and regulation throughout several systems and tissues of the human body, from neurodevelopment to the interactions with the human microbiome. We discuss, on one hand, the essential role of alternative splicing in assuring tissue function, diversity, and swiftness of response in these systems or tissues, and on the other hand, what goes wrong when its regulatory mechanisms fail. We also focus on the possibilities that splicing modulation therapies open for the future of personalized medicine, along with the leading techniques in this field. The final act of the spliceosome, however, is yet to be fully revealed, as more knowledge is needed regarding the complex regulatory network that coordinates alternative splicing and how its dysfunction leads to disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- L M Gallego-Paez
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - M C Bordone
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - A C Leote
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - N Saraiva-Agostinho
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - M Ascensão-Ferreira
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - N L Barbosa-Morais
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal.
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38
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Giles JR, Neves AT, Marshak-Rothstein A, Shlomchik MJ. Autoreactive helper T cells alleviate the need for intrinsic TLR signaling in autoreactive B cell activation. JCI Insight 2017; 2:e90870. [PMID: 28239656 PMCID: PMC5313065 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.90870] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2016] [Accepted: 01/06/2017] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
T cells play a significant role in the pathogenesis of systemic autoimmune diseases, including systemic lupus erythematosus; however, there is relatively little information on the nature and specificity of autoreactive T cells. Identifying such cells has been technically difficult because they are likely to be rare and low affinity. Here, we report a method for identifying autoreactive T cell clones that recognize proteins contained in autoantibody immune complexes, providing direct evidence that functional autoreactive helper T cells exist in the periphery of normal mice. These T cells significantly enhanced autoreactive B cell proliferation and altered B cell differentiation in vivo. Most importantly, these autoreactive T cells were able to rescue many aspects of the TLR-deficient AM14 (anti-IgG2a rheumatoid factor) B cell response, suggesting that TLR requirements can be bypassed. This result has implications for the efficacy of TLR-targeted therapy in the treatment of ongoing disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josephine R. Giles
- Departments of Laboratory Medicine and Immunobiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Adriana Turqueti Neves
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Ann Marshak-Rothstein
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, University of Massachusetts School of Medicine, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Mark J. Shlomchik
- Departments of Laboratory Medicine and Immunobiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
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39
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Lucca LE, Axisa PP, Aloulou M, Perals C, Ramadan A, Rufas P, Kyewski B, Derbinski J, Fazilleau N, Mars LT, Liblau RS. Myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein induces incomplete tolerance of CD4(+) T cells specific for both a myelin and a neuronal self-antigen in mice. Eur J Immunol 2016; 46:2247-59. [PMID: 27334749 DOI: 10.1002/eji.201646416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2016] [Revised: 05/09/2016] [Accepted: 06/17/2016] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
T-cell polyspecificity, predicting that individual T cells recognize a continuum of related ligands, implies that multiple antigens can tolerize T cells specific for a given self-antigen. We previously showed in C57BL/6 mice that part of the CD4(+) T-cell repertoire specific for myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) 35-55 also recognizes the neuronal antigen neurofilament medium (NF-M) 15-35. Such bi-specific CD4(+) T cells are frequent and produce inflammatory cytokines after stimulation. Since T cells recognizing two self-antigens would be expected to be tolerized more efficiently, this finding prompted us to study how polyspecificity impacts tolerance. We found that similar to MOG, NF-M is expressed in the thymus by medullary thymic epithelial cells, a tolerogenic population. Nevertheless, the frequency, phenotype, and capacity to transfer experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) of MOG35-55 -reactive CD4(+) T cells were increased in MOG-deficient but not in NF-M-deficient mice. We found that presentation of NF-M15-35 by I-A(b) on dendritic cells is of short duration, suggesting unstable MHC class II binding. Consistently, introducing an MHC-anchoring residue into NF-M15-35 (NF-M15-35 T20Y) increased its immunogenicity, activating a repertoire able to induce EAE. Our results show that in C57BL/6 mice bi-specific encephalitogenic T cells manage to escape tolerization due to inefficient exposure to two self-antigens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liliana E Lucca
- INSERM, U1043, Toulouse, France.,Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, U5282, Toulouse, France.,Centre de Physiopathologie Toulouse-Purpan, Université Toulouse 3, Toulouse, France
| | - Pierre-Paul Axisa
- INSERM, U1043, Toulouse, France.,Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, U5282, Toulouse, France.,Centre de Physiopathologie Toulouse-Purpan, Université Toulouse 3, Toulouse, France
| | - Meryem Aloulou
- INSERM, U1043, Toulouse, France.,Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, U5282, Toulouse, France.,Centre de Physiopathologie Toulouse-Purpan, Université Toulouse 3, Toulouse, France
| | - Corine Perals
- INSERM, U1043, Toulouse, France.,Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, U5282, Toulouse, France.,Centre de Physiopathologie Toulouse-Purpan, Université Toulouse 3, Toulouse, France
| | - Abdulraouf Ramadan
- INSERM, U1043, Toulouse, France.,Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, U5282, Toulouse, France.,Centre de Physiopathologie Toulouse-Purpan, Université Toulouse 3, Toulouse, France
| | - Pierre Rufas
- INSERM, U1043, Toulouse, France.,Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, U5282, Toulouse, France.,Centre de Physiopathologie Toulouse-Purpan, Université Toulouse 3, Toulouse, France
| | - Bruno Kyewski
- Developmental Immunobiology, Tumor Immunology Program, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Jens Derbinski
- Developmental Immunobiology, Tumor Immunology Program, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Nicolas Fazilleau
- INSERM, U1043, Toulouse, France.,Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, U5282, Toulouse, France.,Centre de Physiopathologie Toulouse-Purpan, Université Toulouse 3, Toulouse, France
| | - Lennart T Mars
- INSERM, U1043, Toulouse, France.,Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, U5282, Toulouse, France.,Centre de Physiopathologie Toulouse-Purpan, Université Toulouse 3, Toulouse, France
| | - Roland S Liblau
- INSERM, U1043, Toulouse, France. .,Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, U5282, Toulouse, France. .,Centre de Physiopathologie Toulouse-Purpan, Université Toulouse 3, Toulouse, France. .,CHU Toulouse, Département d'Immunologie, Toulouse, France.
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40
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Kracht MJL, Zaldumbide A, Roep BO. Neoantigens and Microenvironment in Type 1 Diabetes: Lessons from Antitumor Immunity. Trends Endocrinol Metab 2016; 27:353-362. [PMID: 27094501 DOI: 10.1016/j.tem.2016.03.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2016] [Revised: 03/15/2016] [Accepted: 03/20/2016] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is characterized by the selective and progressive destruction of insulin-producing beta cells by the immune system. An incomplete thymic selection against self-reactive islet antigens partly explains how these T cells reach the periphery and become diabetogenic. Increasing evidence suggest that beta cells themselves also participate to their own demise by generating neoepitopes that could be recognized by the immune surveillance machinery. In this regard, these T cells eradicate self-tissue by mechanisms analogous to a classical antitumor response. Cancer immunotherapy has exploited mutations and transcriptional and translational errors to trigger a specific antitumor response. In this opinion article, we aim at merging insight in antitumor immunology and autoimmunity to reveal processes that had previously been ignored to create beta cell-specific neoantigens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria J L Kracht
- Department of Immunohematology and Blood Transfusion, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands; Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Arnaud Zaldumbide
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Bart O Roep
- Department of Immunohematology and Blood Transfusion, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands; Department of Diabetes Immunology, Diabetes and Metabolism Research Institute at the Beckman Research Institute of the City of Hope, Duarte, CA 91010, USA.
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41
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Nitta T, Suzuki H. Thymic stromal cell subsets for T cell development. Cell Mol Life Sci 2016; 73:1021-37. [PMID: 26825337 PMCID: PMC11108406 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-015-2107-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2015] [Revised: 11/26/2015] [Accepted: 12/01/2015] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The thymus provides a specialized microenvironment in which a variety of stromal cells of both hematopoietic and non-hematopoietic origin regulate development and repertoire selection of T cells. Recent studies have been unraveling the inter- and intracellular signals and transcriptional networks for spatiotemporal regulation of development of thymic stromal cells, mainly thymic epithelial cells (TECs), and the molecular mechanisms of how different TEC subsets control T cell development and selection. TECs are classified into two functionally different subsets: cortical TECs (cTECs) and medullary TECs (mTECs). cTECs induce positive selection of diverse and functionally distinct T cells by virtue of unique antigen-processing systems, while mTECs are essential for establishing T cell tolerance via ectopic expression of peripheral tissue-restricted antigens and cooperation with dendritic cells. In addition to reviewing the role of the thymic stroma in conventional T cell development, we will discuss recently discovered novel functions of TECs in the development of unconventional T cells, such as natural killer T cells and γδT cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takeshi Nitta
- Department of Immunology and Pathology, Research Institute, National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Chiba, 272-8516, Japan.
| | - Harumi Suzuki
- Department of Immunology and Pathology, Research Institute, National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Chiba, 272-8516, Japan.
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42
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Ortega SB, Kashi VP, Cunnusamy K, Franco J, Karandikar NJ. Autoregulatory CD8 T cells depend on cognate antigen recognition and CD4/CD8 myelin determinants. NEUROLOGY-NEUROIMMUNOLOGY & NEUROINFLAMMATION 2015; 2:e170. [PMID: 26587555 PMCID: PMC4635551 DOI: 10.1212/nxi.0000000000000170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2015] [Accepted: 09/10/2015] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Objective: To determine the antigenic determinants and specific molecular requirements for the generation of autoregulatory neuroantigen-specific CD8+ T cells in models of multiple sclerosis (MS). Methods: We have previously shown that MOG35-55-specific CD8+ T cells suppress experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in the C57BL/6 model. In this study, we utilized multiple models of EAE to assess the ability to generate autoregulatory CD8+ T cells. Results: We demonstrate that alternative myelin peptides (PLP178-191) and other susceptible mouse strains (SJL) generated myelin-specific CD8+ T cells, which were fully capable of suppressing disease. The disease-ameliorating function of these cells was dependent on the specific cognate myelin antigen. Generation of these autoregulatory CD8+ T cells was not affected by thymic selection, but was dependent on the presence of both CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell epitopes in the immunizing encephalitogenic antigen. Conclusions: These studies show that the generation of autoregulatory CD8+ T cells is a more generalized, antigen-specific phenomenon across multiple neuroantigens and mouse strains, with significant implications in understanding disease regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sterling B Ortega
- Departments of Pathology (S.B.O., V.P.K., K.C., J.F., N.J.K.) and Neurology and Neurotherapeutics (S.B.O., N.J.K.), UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX; and the Department of Pathology (N.J.K.), University of Iowa, Iowa City
| | - Venkatesh P Kashi
- Departments of Pathology (S.B.O., V.P.K., K.C., J.F., N.J.K.) and Neurology and Neurotherapeutics (S.B.O., N.J.K.), UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX; and the Department of Pathology (N.J.K.), University of Iowa, Iowa City
| | - Khrishen Cunnusamy
- Departments of Pathology (S.B.O., V.P.K., K.C., J.F., N.J.K.) and Neurology and Neurotherapeutics (S.B.O., N.J.K.), UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX; and the Department of Pathology (N.J.K.), University of Iowa, Iowa City
| | - Jorge Franco
- Departments of Pathology (S.B.O., V.P.K., K.C., J.F., N.J.K.) and Neurology and Neurotherapeutics (S.B.O., N.J.K.), UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX; and the Department of Pathology (N.J.K.), University of Iowa, Iowa City
| | - Nitin J Karandikar
- Departments of Pathology (S.B.O., V.P.K., K.C., J.F., N.J.K.) and Neurology and Neurotherapeutics (S.B.O., N.J.K.), UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX; and the Department of Pathology (N.J.K.), University of Iowa, Iowa City
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43
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Meredith M, Zemmour D, Mathis D, Benoist C. Aire controls gene expression in the thymic epithelium with ordered stochasticity. Nat Immunol 2015; 16:942-9. [PMID: 26237550 PMCID: PMC4632529 DOI: 10.1038/ni.3247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 133] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2015] [Accepted: 07/09/2015] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The transcription factor Aire controls immunological tolerance by inducing the ectopic thymic expression of many tissue-specific genes, acting broadly by removing stops on the transcriptional machinery. To better understand Aire's specificity, we performed single-cell RNA-seq and DNA-methylation analysis of Aire-sufficient and Aire-deficient medullary epithelial cells (mTECs). Each of Aire's target genes was induced in only a minority of mTECs, independently of DNA-methylation patterns, as small inter-chromosomal gene clusters activated in concert in a proportion of mTECs. These microclusters differed between individual mice. Thus, our results suggest an organization of the DNA or of the epigenome that results from stochastic determinism but is 'bookmarked' and stable through mTEC divisions, which ensures more effective presentation of self antigens and favors diversity of self-tolerance between individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Meredith
- Division of Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunobiology, Harvard Medical School, and Evergrande Center for Immunologic Diseases, Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston MA 02115, USA
| | - David Zemmour
- Division of Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunobiology, Harvard Medical School, and Evergrande Center for Immunologic Diseases, Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston MA 02115, USA
| | - Diane Mathis
- Division of Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunobiology, Harvard Medical School, and Evergrande Center for Immunologic Diseases, Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston MA 02115, USA
| | - Christophe Benoist
- Division of Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunobiology, Harvard Medical School, and Evergrande Center for Immunologic Diseases, Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston MA 02115, USA
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44
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Brennecke P, Reyes A, Pinto S, Rattay K, Nguyen M, Küchler R, Huber W, Kyewski B, Steinmetz LM. Single-cell transcriptome analysis reveals coordinated ectopic gene-expression patterns in medullary thymic epithelial cells. Nat Immunol 2015; 16:933-41. [PMID: 26237553 PMCID: PMC4675844 DOI: 10.1038/ni.3246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 103] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2015] [Accepted: 07/08/2015] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Expression of tissue-restricted self antigens (TRAs) in medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs) is essential for the induction of self-tolerance and prevents autoimmunity, with each TRA being expressed in only a few mTECs. How this process is regulated in single mTECs and is coordinated at the population level, such that the varied single-cell patterns add up to faithfully represent TRAs, is poorly understood. Here we used single-cell RNA sequencing and obtained evidence of numerous recurring TRA-co-expression patterns, each present in only a subset of mTECs. Co-expressed genes clustered in the genome and showed enhanced chromatin accessibility. Our findings characterize TRA expression in mTECs as a coordinated process that might involve local remodeling of chromatin and thus ensures a comprehensive representation of the immunological self.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip Brennecke
- 1] Department of Genetics, Stanford University, School of Medicine, California, USA. [2] Stanford Genome Technology Center, Stanford University, California, USA
| | - Alejandro Reyes
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Genome Biology Unit, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Sheena Pinto
- Division of Developmental Immunology, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Kristin Rattay
- Division of Developmental Immunology, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Michelle Nguyen
- 1] Department of Genetics, Stanford University, School of Medicine, California, USA. [2] Stanford Genome Technology Center, Stanford University, California, USA
| | - Rita Küchler
- Division of Developmental Immunology, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Huber
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Genome Biology Unit, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Bruno Kyewski
- Division of Developmental Immunology, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Lars M Steinmetz
- 1] Department of Genetics, Stanford University, School of Medicine, California, USA. [2] Stanford Genome Technology Center, Stanford University, California, USA. [3] European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Genome Biology Unit, Heidelberg, Germany
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45
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Huseby ES, Kamimura D, Arima Y, Parello CS, Sasaki K, Murakami M. Role of T cell-glial cell interactions in creating and amplifying central nervous system inflammation and multiple sclerosis disease symptoms. Front Cell Neurosci 2015; 9:295. [PMID: 26300731 PMCID: PMC4525059 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2015.00295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2015] [Accepted: 07/17/2015] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory disease of the Central Nervous System (CNS) that causes the demyelination of nerve cells and destroys oligodendrocytes, neurons and axons. Historically, MS has been thought of as a T cell-mediated autoimmune disease of CNS white matter. However, recent studies have identified gray matter lesions in MS patients, suggesting that CNS antigens other than myelin proteins may be involved during the MS disease process. We have recently found that T cells targeting astrocyte-specific antigens can drive unique aspects of inflammatory CNS autoimmunity, including the targeting of gray matter and white matter of the brain and inducing heterogeneous clinical disease courses. In addition to being a target of T cells, astrocytes play a critical role in propagating the inflammatory response within the CNS induced NF-κB signaling. Here, we will discuss the pathophysiology of CNS inflammation mediated by T cell—glial cell interactions and its contributions to CNS autoimmunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric S Huseby
- Department of Pathology, University of Massachusetts Medical School Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Daisuke Kamimura
- Division of Molecular Neuroimmunology, Institute for Genetic Medicine and Graduate School of Medicine, Hokkaido University Sapporo, Japan
| | - Yasunobu Arima
- Division of Molecular Neuroimmunology, Institute for Genetic Medicine and Graduate School of Medicine, Hokkaido University Sapporo, Japan
| | - Caitlin S Parello
- Department of Pathology, University of Massachusetts Medical School Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Katsuhiro Sasaki
- Department of Pathology, University of Massachusetts Medical School Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Masaaki Murakami
- Division of Molecular Neuroimmunology, Institute for Genetic Medicine and Graduate School of Medicine, Hokkaido University Sapporo, Japan
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Massilamany C, Gangaplara A, Reddy J. Environmental microbes and uveitis: is microbial exposure always bad? Scand J Immunol 2015; 81:469-75. [PMID: 25833717 DOI: 10.1111/sji.12297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2015] [Accepted: 03/21/2015] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
The eye generally is considered to be an immune-privileged organ, but this notion is being increasingly challenged as ocular antigens can be expressed in the generative lymphoid organs, resulting in attainment of self-tolerance. What triggers a break in this tolerant state is a fundamental question in autoimmunity research. The general belief is that exposure to environmental microbes can break self-tolerance in genetically susceptible individuals, leading to the induction of autoimmune responses. The molecular mimicry hypothesis has been proposed as one major mechanistic, pathway through which microbes, by generating cross-reactive immune responses, can induce ocular damage of the kind that might occur in uveitis. However, our recent data suggest that exposure to microbial products containing mimicry epitopes for retinal antigens can potentially be beneficial to the host. In this review, we discuss the immune mechanisms with particular reference to the molecular mimicry hypothesis as it relates to immune-mediated uveitis.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Massilamany
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | - A Gangaplara
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA.,Laboratory of Immunology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - J Reddy
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
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Riedhammer C, Weissert R. Antigen Presentation, Autoantigens, and Immune Regulation in Multiple Sclerosis and Other Autoimmune Diseases. Front Immunol 2015; 6:322. [PMID: 26136751 PMCID: PMC4470263 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2015.00322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2015] [Accepted: 06/03/2015] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Antigen presentation is in the center of the immune system, both in host defense against pathogens, but also when the system is unbalanced and autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS) develop. It is not just by chance that a major histocompatibility complex gene is the major genetic susceptibility locus in MS; a feature that MS shares with other autoimmune diseases. The exact etiology of the disease, however, has not been fully understood yet. T cells are regarded as the major players in the disease, but most probably a complex interplay of altered central and peripheral tolerance mechanisms, T-cell and B-cell functions, characteristics of putative autoantigens, and a possible interference of environmental factors like microorganisms are at work. In this review, new data on all these different aspects of antigen presentation and their role in MS will be discussed, probable autoantigens will be summarized, and comparisons to other autoimmune diseases will be drawn.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine Riedhammer
- Neuroimmunology, Department of Neurology, University of Regensburg , Regensburg , Germany
| | - Robert Weissert
- Neuroimmunology, Department of Neurology, University of Regensburg , Regensburg , Germany
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48
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Keane P, Ceredig R, Seoighe C. Promiscuous mRNA splicing under the control of AIRE in medullary thymic epithelial cells. Bioinformatics 2015; 31:986-90. [PMID: 25429061 DOI: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btu785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2014] [Accepted: 11/20/2014] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
MOTIVATION The expression of tissue-restricted antigens (TRAs) in the thymus is required to ensure efficient negative selection of potentially auto-reactive T lymphocytes and avoid autoimmune disease. This promiscuous expression is under the control of the autoimmune regulator (AIRE), a transcription factor expressed in medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs). Tissue-specific alternative splicing may also produce TRAs but the extent to which splice isoforms that are restricted to specific tissues are expressed in mTECs is yet to be investigated. RESULTS We reanalyzed microarray and RNA-Seq datasets from mouse mTECs and other epithelial and non-epithelial cell types and found that the diversity of splice isoforms in mTECs was greater than in any of the other cell types or tissues studied. We identified tissue-specific isoforms from a panel of mouse tissues and found several examples of such isoforms that are expressed in mTECs. The number of isoforms with restricted expression found in mTECs was significantly higher than for comparable cell types. Furthermore, we found evidence that AIRE influences the increased splicing diversity observed in mTECs as the genes for which tissue restricted isoforms are produced in mTECs were significantly more likely than other genes to be differentially spliced between AIRE knock-out and wild-type samples. Our results suggest that developing T lymphocytes are exposed to diverse tissue-restricted splice isoforms in the thymus and that AIRE has a direct or indirect role in this process, representing a novel aspect of its role in the maintenance of immune self-tolerance. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Keane
- School of Mathematics, Statistics and Applied Mathematics and Regenerative Medicine Institute, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland
| | - Rhodri Ceredig
- School of Mathematics, Statistics and Applied Mathematics and Regenerative Medicine Institute, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland
| | - Cathal Seoighe
- School of Mathematics, Statistics and Applied Mathematics and Regenerative Medicine Institute, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland
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49
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Warren BD, Kinsey WK, McGinnis LK, Christenson LK, Jasti S, Stevens AM, Petroff BK, Petroff MG. Ovarian autoimmune disease: clinical concepts and animal models. Cell Mol Immunol 2014; 11:510-21. [PMID: 25327908 PMCID: PMC4220844 DOI: 10.1038/cmi.2014.97] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2014] [Revised: 09/11/2014] [Accepted: 09/11/2014] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The ovary is not an immunologically privileged organ, but a breakdown in tolerogenic mechanisms for ovary-specific antigens has disastrous consequences on fertility in women, and this is replicated in murine models of autoimmune disease. Isolated ovarian autoimmune disease is rare in women, likely due to the severity of the disease and the inability to transmit genetic information conferring the ovarian disease across generations. Nonetheless, autoimmune oophoritis is often observed in association with other autoimmune diseases, particularly autoimmune adrenal disease, and takes a toll on both society and individual health. Studies in mice have revealed at least two mechanisms that protect the ovary from autoimmune attack. These mechanisms include control of autoreactive T cells by thymus-derived regulatory T cells, as well as a role for the autoimmune regulator (AIRE), a transcriptional regulator that induces expression of tissue-restricted antigens in medullary thymic epithelial cells during development of T cells. Although the latter mechanism is incompletely defined, it is well established that failure of either results in autoimmune-mediated targeting and depletion of ovarian follicles. In this review, we will address the clinical features and consequences of autoimmune-mediated ovarian infertility in women, as well as the possible mechanisms of disease as revealed by animal models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bryce D Warren
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA
| | - William K Kinsey
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA
| | - Lynda K McGinnis
- Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA
| | - Lane K Christenson
- Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA
| | - Susmita Jasti
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA
| | - Anne M Stevens
- Research Center for Immunity and Immunotherapies, Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center, and Division of Rheumatology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Brian K Petroff
- 1] Department of Internal Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA [2] Present address: Department of Pathobiology and Diagnostic Investigation, Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Margaret G Petroff
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA
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Pinto S, Sommermeyer D, Michel C, Wilde S, Schendel D, Uckert W, Blankenstein T, Kyewski B. Misinitiation of intrathymic MART-1 transcription and biased TCR usage explain the high frequency of MART-1-specific T cells. Eur J Immunol 2014; 44:2811-21. [PMID: 24846220 DOI: 10.1002/eji.201444499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2014] [Revised: 04/23/2014] [Accepted: 05/16/2014] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Immunity to tumor differentiation antigens, such as melanoma antigen recognized by T cells 1 (MART-1), has been comprehensively studied. Intriguingly, CD8(+) T cells specific for the MART-1(26(27)-35) epitope in the context of HLA-A0201 are about 100 times more abundant compared with T cells specific for other tumor-associated antigens. Moreover, MART-1-specific CD8(+) T cells show a highly biased usage of the Vα-region gene TRAV12-2. Here, we provide independent support for this notion, by showing that the combinatorial pairing of different TCRα- and TCRβ- chains derived from HLA-A2-MART-1(26-35) -specific CD8(+) T-cell clones is unusually permissive in conferring MART-1 specificity, provided the CDR1α TRAV12-2 region is used. Whether TCR bias alone accounts for the unusual abundance of HLA-A2-MART-1(26-35) -specific CD8(+) T cells has remained conjectural. Here, we provide an alternative explanation: misinitiated transcription of the MART-1 gene resulting in truncated mRNA isoforms leads to lack of promiscuous transcription of the MART-1(26-35) epitope in human medullary thymic epithelial cells and, consequently, evasion of central self-tolerance toward this epitope. Thus, biased TCR usage and leaky central tolerance might act in an independent and additive manner to confer high frequency of MART-1(26-35) -specific CD8(+) T cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheena Pinto
- Division of Developmental Immunology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
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