1
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Romero‐Castillo L, Li T, Do N, Sareila O, Xu B, Hennings V, Xu Z, Svensson C, Oliveira‐Coelho A, Sener Z, Urbonaviciute V, Ekwall O, Burkhardt H, Holmdahl R. Human MHC Class II and Invariant Chain Knock-in Mice Mimic Rheumatoid Arthritis with Allele Restriction in Immune Response and Arthritis Association. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2024; 11:e2401513. [PMID: 38602454 PMCID: PMC11187888 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202401513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024]
Abstract
Transgenic mice expressing human major histocompatibility complex class II (MHCII) risk alleles are widely used in autoimmune disease research, but limitations arise due to non-physiologic expression. To address this, physiologically relevant mouse models are established via knock-in technology to explore the role of MHCII in diseases like rheumatoid arthritis. The gene sequences encoding the ectodomains are replaced with the human DRB1*04:01 and 04:02 alleles, DRA, and CD74 (invariant chain) in C57BL/6N mice. The collagen type II (Col2a1) gene is modified to mimic human COL2. Importantly, DRB1*04:01 knock-in mice display physiologic expression of human MHCII also on thymic epithelial cells, in contrast to DRB1*04:01 transgenic mice. Humanization of the invariant chain enhances MHCII expression on thymic epithelial cells, increases mature B cell numbers in spleen, and improves antigen presentation. To validate its functionality, the collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) model is used, where DRB1*04:01 expression led to a higher susceptibility to arthritis, as compared with mice expressing DRB1*04:02. In addition, the humanized T cell epitope on COL2 allows autoreactive T cell-mediated arthritis development. In conclusion, the humanized knock-in mouse faithfully expresses MHCII, confirming the DRB1*04:01 alleles role in rheumatoid arthritis and being also useful for studying MHCII-associated diseases.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Mice
- Arthritis, Rheumatoid/genetics
- Arthritis, Rheumatoid/immunology
- Antigens, Differentiation, B-Lymphocyte/genetics
- Antigens, Differentiation, B-Lymphocyte/immunology
- Humans
- Disease Models, Animal
- Mice, Inbred C57BL
- Mice, Transgenic
- Gene Knock-In Techniques/methods
- Histocompatibility Antigens Class II/genetics
- Histocompatibility Antigens Class II/immunology
- Alleles
- Arthritis, Experimental/genetics
- Arthritis, Experimental/immunology
- HLA-DRB1 Chains/genetics
- HLA-DRB1 Chains/immunology
- Collagen Type II/genetics
- Collagen Type II/immunology
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Romero‐Castillo
- Medical Inflammation ResearchDivision of ImmunologyDepartment of Medical Biochemistry and BiophysicsKarolinska InstituteStockholm17177Sweden
| | - Taotao Li
- Medical Inflammation ResearchDivision of ImmunologyDepartment of Medical Biochemistry and BiophysicsKarolinska InstituteStockholm17177Sweden
| | - Nhu‐Nguyen Do
- Medical Inflammation ResearchDivision of ImmunologyDepartment of Medical Biochemistry and BiophysicsKarolinska InstituteStockholm17177Sweden
- Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology ITMPFraunhofer Cluster of Excellence for Immune‐Mediated Diseases CIMDTheodor‐Stern‐Kai 760596Frankfurt am MainGermany
| | - Outi Sareila
- Medical Inflammation ResearchDivision of ImmunologyDepartment of Medical Biochemistry and BiophysicsKarolinska InstituteStockholm17177Sweden
- Medical Inflammation ResearchMediCity Research LaboratoryUniversity of TurkuTurkuFI‐20520Finland
| | - Bingze Xu
- Medical Inflammation ResearchDivision of ImmunologyDepartment of Medical Biochemistry and BiophysicsKarolinska InstituteStockholm17177Sweden
| | - Viktoria Hennings
- Department of PediatricsInstitute of Clinical Sciences and Department of Rheumatology and Inflammation ResearchInstitute of MedicineThe Sahlgrenska AcademyUniversity of GothenburgGothenburg41345Sweden
| | - Zhongwei Xu
- Medical Inflammation ResearchDivision of ImmunologyDepartment of Medical Biochemistry and BiophysicsKarolinska InstituteStockholm17177Sweden
| | - Carolin Svensson
- Medical Inflammation ResearchDivision of ImmunologyDepartment of Medical Biochemistry and BiophysicsKarolinska InstituteStockholm17177Sweden
| | - Ana Oliveira‐Coelho
- Medical Inflammation ResearchDivision of ImmunologyDepartment of Medical Biochemistry and BiophysicsKarolinska InstituteStockholm17177Sweden
| | - Zeynep Sener
- Medical Inflammation ResearchDivision of ImmunologyDepartment of Medical Biochemistry and BiophysicsKarolinska InstituteStockholm17177Sweden
| | - Vilma Urbonaviciute
- Medical Inflammation ResearchDivision of ImmunologyDepartment of Medical Biochemistry and BiophysicsKarolinska InstituteStockholm17177Sweden
| | - Olov Ekwall
- Department of PediatricsInstitute of Clinical Sciences and Department of Rheumatology and Inflammation ResearchInstitute of MedicineThe Sahlgrenska AcademyUniversity of GothenburgGothenburg41345Sweden
| | - Harald Burkhardt
- Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology ITMPFraunhofer Cluster of Excellence for Immune‐Mediated Diseases CIMDTheodor‐Stern‐Kai 760596Frankfurt am MainGermany
- Division of RheumatologyUniversity Hospital FrankfurtGoethe University60590Frankfurt am MainGermany
| | - Rikard Holmdahl
- Medical Inflammation ResearchDivision of ImmunologyDepartment of Medical Biochemistry and BiophysicsKarolinska InstituteStockholm17177Sweden
- Medical Inflammation ResearchMediCity Research LaboratoryUniversity of TurkuTurkuFI‐20520Finland
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2
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Wang T, Wang B, Fan X, Cai Y, Li L, Fu S. Type B thymomas in patients with myasthenia gravis display a distinctive pattern of αβ TCR and IL-7 receptor α expression on CD4 +CD8 + thymocytes. Autoimmunity 2024; 57:2347379. [PMID: 38723105 DOI: 10.1080/08916934.2024.2347379] [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: 09/04/2023] [Accepted: 04/21/2024] [Indexed: 06/07/2024]
Abstract
Thymoma is closely associated with myasthenia gravis (MG). However, due to the heterogeneity of thymoma and the intricate pathogenesis of MG, it remains unclear why some patients with thymoma develop MG and others do not. In this study, we conducted a comparative phenotype analysis of thymocytes in type B thymomas in patients with MG (MG (+) thymomas) and without MG (MG (-) thymomas) via fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS). Our results show that the developmental stages defined by the expression of CD3, CD4, and CD8 were largely maintained in both MG (+) and MG (-) thymomas, with CD4+CD8+ cells constituting the majority of thymocytes in type B thymoma, and no significant difference between this cell population was observed in MG (+) and MG (-) thymomas.We discovered that CD4+CD8+ thymocytes in MG (+) thymomas expressed low levels of αβ TCR and high levels of IL-7 receptor α (IL-7Rα), whereas in MG (-) thymomas, CD4+CD8+ thymocytes exhibited the opposite pattern of αβ TCR and IL-7Rα expression. These results suggest that the positive and negative selection processes of CD4+CD8+ thymocytes might differ between MG (+) thymomas and MG (-) thymomas. The expression of the Helios transcription factor is induced during negative selection and marks a group of T cells that have undergone negative selection and are likely to be deleted due to strong TCR binding with self-peptides/MHC ligands. We observed that the percentage of Helios-positive CD4SP T cells was greater in MG (-) than in MG (+) thymomas. Thus, the differentially regulated selection process of CD4+CD8+ thymocytes, which involves TCR and IL-7/IL-7Rα signaling, is associated with the presence of MG in type B thymomas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianlai Wang
- Thoracic Surgery Laboratory, Department of Thoracic Surgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Boyu Wang
- Thoracic Surgery Laboratory, Department of Thoracic Surgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Xiaowu Fan
- Thoracic Surgery Laboratory, Department of Thoracic Surgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Yixin Cai
- Thoracic Surgery Laboratory, Department of Thoracic Surgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Lequn Li
- Thoracic Surgery Laboratory, Department of Thoracic Surgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Shengling Fu
- Thoracic Surgery Laboratory, Department of Thoracic Surgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
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3
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Rajan A, Sivapiromrat AK, McAdams MJ. Immunotherapy for Thymomas and Thymic Carcinomas: Current Status and Future Directions. Cancers (Basel) 2024; 16:1369. [PMID: 38611047 PMCID: PMC11010813 DOI: 10.3390/cancers16071369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2024] [Revised: 03/25/2024] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Thymic epithelial tumors are a histologically diverse group of cancers arising from the epithelial compartment of the thymus. These tumors are characterized by a low tumor mutation burden, a lack of actionable genomic changes, and, especially with thymomas, defects in immune tolerance. Surgery is the mainstay of the management of resectable disease, whereas advanced, unresectable tumors are treated with platinum-based chemotherapy. Disease recurrence can occur months to years after frontline treatment. Although several options are available for conventional treatment of recurrent thymic tumors, response rates are generally low, and treatment-related toxicity can affect quality of life. A subset of patients benefit from biologic therapies, but there remains an unmet need for the development of new treatments. Immune checkpoint inhibitors are safe, clinically active, and have contributed to an improvement in survival for patients with a wide variety of cancers. However, the application of these revolutionary treatments for thymic cancers is limited to their use for the management of recurrent thymic carcinoma because of the risk of immune toxicity. In this paper, we review the current uses of immunotherapy for the management of thymic epithelial tumors and highlight potential strategies to improve safety and broaden the application of these treatments for patients with thymic cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arun Rajan
- Thoracic and Gastrointestinal Malignancies Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
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4
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Shirafkan F, Hensel L, Rattay K. Immune tolerance and the prevention of autoimmune diseases essentially depend on thymic tissue homeostasis. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1339714. [PMID: 38571951 PMCID: PMC10987875 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1339714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2023] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024] Open
Abstract
The intricate balance of immune reactions towards invading pathogens and immune tolerance towards self is pivotal in preventing autoimmune diseases, with the thymus playing a central role in establishing and maintaining this equilibrium. The induction of central immune tolerance in the thymus involves the elimination of self-reactive T cells, a mechanism essential for averting autoimmunity. Disruption of the thymic T cell selection mechanisms can lead to the development of autoimmune diseases. In the dynamic microenvironment of the thymus, T cell migration and interactions with thymic stromal cells are critical for the selection processes that ensure self-tolerance. Thymic epithelial cells are particularly significant in this context, presenting self-antigens and inducing the negative selection of autoreactive T cells. Further, the synergistic roles of thymic fibroblasts, B cells, and dendritic cells in antigen presentation, selection and the development of regulatory T cells are pivotal in maintaining immune responses tightly regulated. This review article collates these insights, offering a comprehensive examination of the multifaceted role of thymic tissue homeostasis in the establishment of immune tolerance and its implications in the prevention of autoimmune diseases. Additionally, the developmental pathways of the thymus are explored, highlighting how genetic aberrations can disrupt thymic architecture and function, leading to autoimmune conditions. The impact of infections on immune tolerance is another critical area, with pathogens potentially triggering autoimmunity by altering thymic homeostasis. Overall, this review underscores the integral role of thymic tissue homeostasis in the prevention of autoimmune diseases, discussing insights into potential therapeutic strategies and examining putative avenues for future research on developing thymic-based therapies in treating and preventing autoimmune conditions.
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5
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Yu H, Yang W, Cao M, Lei Q, Yuan R, Xu H, Cui Y, Chen X, Su X, Zhuo H, Lin L. Mechanism study of ubiquitination in T cell development and autoimmune disease. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1359933. [PMID: 38562929 PMCID: PMC10982411 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1359933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
T cells play critical role in multiple immune processes including antigen response, tumor immunity, inflammation, self-tolerance maintenance and autoimmune diseases et. Fetal liver or bone marrow-derived thymus-seeding progenitors (TSPs) settle in thymus and undergo T cell-lineage commitment, proliferation, T cell receptor (TCR) rearrangement, and thymic selections driven by microenvironment composed of thymic epithelial cells (TEC), dendritic cells (DC), macrophage and B cells, thus generating T cells with diverse TCR repertoire immunocompetent but not self-reactive. Additionally, some self-reactive thymocytes give rise to Treg with the help of TEC and DC, serving for immune tolerance. The sequential proliferation, cell fate decision, and selection during T cell development and self-tolerance establishment are tightly regulated to ensure the proper immune response without autoimmune reaction. There are remarkable progresses in understanding of the regulatory mechanisms regarding ubiquitination in T cell development and the establishment of self-tolerance in the past few years, which holds great potential for further therapeutic interventions in immune-related diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Yu
- Department of Urology, Medical Research Center, Department of Neurosurgery, The Third People’s Hospital of Chengdu, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Jiaotong University, The Second Chengdu Hospital Affiliated to Chongqing Medical University, Chengdu, China
| | - Wenyong Yang
- Department of Urology, Medical Research Center, Department of Neurosurgery, The Third People’s Hospital of Chengdu, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Jiaotong University, The Second Chengdu Hospital Affiliated to Chongqing Medical University, Chengdu, China
| | - Min Cao
- Department of Urology, Medical Research Center, Department of Neurosurgery, The Third People’s Hospital of Chengdu, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Jiaotong University, The Second Chengdu Hospital Affiliated to Chongqing Medical University, Chengdu, China
| | - Qingqiang Lei
- Department of Urology, Medical Research Center, Department of Neurosurgery, The Third People’s Hospital of Chengdu, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Jiaotong University, The Second Chengdu Hospital Affiliated to Chongqing Medical University, Chengdu, China
| | - Renbin Yuan
- Department of Urology, Medical Research Center, Department of Neurosurgery, The Third People’s Hospital of Chengdu, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Jiaotong University, The Second Chengdu Hospital Affiliated to Chongqing Medical University, Chengdu, China
| | - He Xu
- Department of Urology, Medical Research Center, Department of Neurosurgery, The Third People’s Hospital of Chengdu, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Jiaotong University, The Second Chengdu Hospital Affiliated to Chongqing Medical University, Chengdu, China
| | - Yuqian Cui
- Department of Urology, Medical Research Center, Department of Neurosurgery, The Third People’s Hospital of Chengdu, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Jiaotong University, The Second Chengdu Hospital Affiliated to Chongqing Medical University, Chengdu, China
| | - Xuerui Chen
- Department of Urology, Medical Research Center, Department of Neurosurgery, The Third People’s Hospital of Chengdu, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Jiaotong University, The Second Chengdu Hospital Affiliated to Chongqing Medical University, Chengdu, China
| | - Xu Su
- Department of Urology, Medical Research Center, Department of Neurosurgery, The Third People’s Hospital of Chengdu, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Jiaotong University, The Second Chengdu Hospital Affiliated to Chongqing Medical University, Chengdu, China
- College of Medicine, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, China
| | - Hui Zhuo
- Department of Urology, Medical Research Center, Department of Neurosurgery, The Third People’s Hospital of Chengdu, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Jiaotong University, The Second Chengdu Hospital Affiliated to Chongqing Medical University, Chengdu, China
| | - Liangbin Lin
- Department of Urology, Medical Research Center, Department of Neurosurgery, The Third People’s Hospital of Chengdu, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Jiaotong University, The Second Chengdu Hospital Affiliated to Chongqing Medical University, Chengdu, China
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6
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Lagou MK, Argyris DG, Vodopyanov S, Gunther-Cummins L, Hardas A, Poutahidis T, Panorias C, DesMarais S, Entenberg C, Carpenter RS, Guzik H, Nishku X, Churaman J, Maryanovich M, DesMarais V, Macaluso FP, Karagiannis GS. Morphometric Analysis of the Thymic Epithelial Cell (TEC) Network Using Integrated and Orthogonal Digital Pathology Approaches. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.03.11.584509. [PMID: 38559037 PMCID: PMC10979902 DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.11.584509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
The thymus, a central primary lymphoid organ of the immune system, plays a key role in T cell development. Surprisingly, the thymus is quite neglected with regards to standardized pathology approaches and practices for assessing structure and function. Most studies use multispectral flow cytometry to define the dynamic composition of the thymus at the cell population level, but they are limited by lack of contextual insight. This knowledge gap hinders our understanding of various thymic conditions and pathologies, particularly how they affect thymic architecture, and subsequently, immune competence. Here, we introduce a digital pathology pipeline to address these challenges. Our approach can be coupled to analytical algorithms and utilizes rationalized morphometric assessments of thymic tissue, ranging from tissue-wide down to microanatomical and ultrastructural levels. This pipeline enables the quantitative assessment of putative changes and adaptations of thymic structure to stimuli, offering valuable insights into the pathophysiology of thymic disorders. This versatile pipeline can be applied to a wide range of conditions that may directly or indirectly affect thymic structure, ranging from various cytotoxic stimuli inducing acute thymic involution to autoimmune diseases, such as myasthenia gravis. Here, we demonstrate applicability of the method in a mouse model of age-dependent thymic involution, both by confirming established knowledge, and by providing novel insights on intrathymic remodeling in the aged thymus. Our orthogonal pipeline, with its high versatility and depth of analysis, promises to be a valuable and practical toolset for both basic and translational immunology laboratories investigating thymic function and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria K Lagou
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
- Tumor Microenvironment and Metastasis Program, Montefiore-Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Dimitrios G Argyris
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
- Tumor Microenvironment and Metastasis Program, Montefiore-Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center, Bronx, NY, USA
- Integrated Imaging Program for Cancer Research, Montefiore-Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Stepan Vodopyanov
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
- Tumor Microenvironment and Metastasis Program, Montefiore-Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Leslie Gunther-Cummins
- Gruss-Lipper Biophotonics Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
- Analytical Imaging Facility, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
- Department of Cell Biology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
- Montefiore-Einstein Comprehensive Cancer, Center, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Alexandros Hardas
- Department of Pathobiology and Population Sciences, The Royal Veterinary College, North Mymms, Hatfield, United Kingdom
| | - Theofilos Poutahidis
- Laboratory of Pathology, School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Christos Panorias
- Division of Statistics and Operational Research, Department of Mathematics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Sophia DesMarais
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Conner Entenberg
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Randall S Carpenter
- Department of Cell Biology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
- Ruth L. and David S. Gottesman Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Hillary Guzik
- Gruss-Lipper Biophotonics Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
- Analytical Imaging Facility, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
- Montefiore-Einstein Comprehensive Cancer, Center, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Xheni Nishku
- Gruss-Lipper Biophotonics Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
- Analytical Imaging Facility, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
- Montefiore-Einstein Comprehensive Cancer, Center, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Joseph Churaman
- Gruss-Lipper Biophotonics Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
- Analytical Imaging Facility, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
- Montefiore-Einstein Comprehensive Cancer, Center, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Maria Maryanovich
- Department of Cell Biology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
- Ruth L. and David S. Gottesman Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
- Cancer Dormancy and Tumor Microenvironment Institute, Montefiore-Einstein Comprehensive Cancer, Center, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Vera DesMarais
- Gruss-Lipper Biophotonics Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
- Analytical Imaging Facility, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
- Department of Cell Biology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
- Montefiore-Einstein Comprehensive Cancer, Center, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Frank P Macaluso
- Gruss-Lipper Biophotonics Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
- Analytical Imaging Facility, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
- Department of Cell Biology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
- Montefiore-Einstein Comprehensive Cancer, Center, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - George S Karagiannis
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
- Tumor Microenvironment and Metastasis Program, Montefiore-Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center, Bronx, NY, USA
- Integrated Imaging Program for Cancer Research, Montefiore-Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center, Bronx, NY, USA
- Gruss-Lipper Biophotonics Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
- Cancer Dormancy and Tumor Microenvironment Institute, Montefiore-Einstein Comprehensive Cancer, Center, Bronx, NY, USA
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7
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Ohigashi I, White AJ, Yang MT, Fujimori S, Tanaka Y, Jacques A, Kiyonari H, Matsushita Y, Turan S, Kelly MC, Anderson G, Takahama Y. Developmental conversion of thymocyte-attracting cells into self-antigen-displaying cells in embryonic thymus medulla epithelium. eLife 2024; 12:RP92552. [PMID: 38466627 PMCID: PMC10928509 DOI: 10.7554/elife.92552] [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] [Indexed: 03/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Thymus medulla epithelium establishes immune self-tolerance and comprises diverse cellular subsets. Functionally relevant medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs) include a self-antigen-displaying subset that exhibits genome-wide promiscuous gene expression promoted by the nuclear protein Aire and that resembles a mosaic of extrathymic cells including mucosal tuft cells. An additional mTEC subset produces the chemokine CCL21, thereby attracting positively selected thymocytes from the cortex to the medulla. Both self-antigen-displaying and thymocyte-attracting mTEC subsets are essential for self-tolerance. Here, we identify a developmental pathway by which mTECs gain their diversity in functionally distinct subsets. We show that CCL21-expressing mTECs arise early during thymus ontogeny in mice. Fate-mapping analysis reveals that self-antigen-displaying mTECs, including Aire-expressing mTECs and thymic tuft cells, are derived from CCL21-expressing cells. The differentiation capability of CCL21-expressing embryonic mTECs is verified in reaggregate thymus experiments. These results indicate that CCL21-expressing embryonic mTECs carry a developmental potential to give rise to self-antigen-displaying mTECs, revealing that the sequential conversion of thymocyte-attracting subset into self-antigen-displaying subset serves to assemble functional diversity in the thymus medulla epithelium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Izumi Ohigashi
- Division of Experimental Immunology, Institute of Advanced Medical Sciences, University of TokushimaTokushimaJapan
| | - Andrea J White
- Institute for Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of BirminghamBirminghamUnited Kingdom
| | - Mei-Ting Yang
- Thymus Biology Section, Experimental Immunology Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of HealthBethesdaUnited States
| | - Sayumi Fujimori
- Division of Experimental Immunology, Institute of Advanced Medical Sciences, University of TokushimaTokushimaJapan
| | - Yu Tanaka
- Thymus Biology Section, Experimental Immunology Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of HealthBethesdaUnited States
| | - Alison Jacques
- Thymus Biology Section, Experimental Immunology Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of HealthBethesdaUnited States
| | - Hiroshi Kiyonari
- Laboratory for Animal Resources and Genetic Engineering, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics ResearchHyogoJapan
| | - Yosuke Matsushita
- Division of Genome Medicine, Institute of Advanced Medical Sciences, University of TokushimaTokushimaJapan
| | - Sevilay Turan
- Sequencing Facility, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, National Cancer InstituteFrederickUnited States
| | - Michael C Kelly
- Single Cell Analysis Facility, Cancer Research Technology Program, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of HealthBethesdaUnited States
| | - Graham Anderson
- Institute for Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of BirminghamBirminghamUnited Kingdom
| | - Yousuke Takahama
- Thymus Biology Section, Experimental Immunology Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of HealthBethesdaUnited States
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8
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Lammers S, Barrera V, Brennecke P, Miller C, Yoon J, Balolong J, Anderson MS, Ho Sui S, Steinmetz LM, von Andrian UH, Rattay K. Ehf and Fezf2 regulate late medullary thymic epithelial cell and thymic tuft cell development. Front Immunol 2024; 14:1277365. [PMID: 38420512 PMCID: PMC10901246 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1277365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/29/2023] [Indexed: 03/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Thymic epithelial cells are indispensable for T cell maturation and selection and the induction of central immune tolerance. The self-peptide repertoire expressed by medullary thymic epithelial cells is in part regulated by the transcriptional regulator Aire (Autoimmune regulator) and the transcription factor Fezf2. Due to the high complexity of mTEC maturation stages (i.e., post-Aire, Krt10+ mTECs, and Dclk1+ Tuft mTECs) and the heterogeneity in their gene expression profiles (i.e., mosaic expression patterns), it has been challenging to identify the additional factors complementing the transcriptional regulation. We aimed to identify the transcriptional regulators involved in the regulation of mTEC development and self-peptide expression in an unbiased and genome-wide manner. We used ATAC footprinting analysis as an indirect approach to identify transcription factors involved in the gene expression regulation in mTECs, which we validated by ChIP sequencing. This study identifies Fezf2 as a regulator of the recently described thymic Tuft cells (i.e., Tuft mTECs). Furthermore, we identify that transcriptional regulators of the ELF, ESE, ERF, and PEA3 subfamily of the ETS transcription factor family and members of the Krüppel-like family of transcription factors play a role in the transcriptional regulation of genes involved in late mTEC development and promiscuous gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sören Lammers
- Institute for Theoretical Physics, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Victor Barrera
- Bioinformatics Core, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Philip Brennecke
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University, School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States
- Stanford Genome Technology Center, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Corey Miller
- Diabetes Center, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Joon Yoon
- Bioinformatics Core, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Jared Balolong
- Diabetes Center, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Mark S. Anderson
- Diabetes Center, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Shannan Ho Sui
- Bioinformatics Core, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Lars M. Steinmetz
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University, School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States
- Stanford Genome Technology Center, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States
- Genome Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Ulrich H. von Andrian
- Department of Immunology & HMS Center for Immune Imaging, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
- The Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Kristin Rattay
- Department of Immunology & HMS Center for Immune Imaging, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
- Pharmacological Institute, Biochemical Pharmacological Center, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
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9
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Miccoli A, Pianese V, Bidoli C, Fausto AM, Scapigliati G, Picchietti S. Transcriptome profiling of microdissected cortex and medulla unravels functional regionalization in the European sea bass Dicentrarchus labrax thymus. FISH & SHELLFISH IMMUNOLOGY 2024; 145:109319. [PMID: 38145782 DOI: 10.1016/j.fsi.2023.109319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2023] [Revised: 12/15/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 12/27/2023]
Abstract
The thymus is a sophisticated primary lymphoid organ in jawed vertebrates, but knowledge on teleost thymus remains scarce. In this study, for the first time in the European sea bass, laser capture microdissection was leveraged to collect two thymic regions based on histological features, namely the cortex and the medulla. The two regions were then processed by RNAseq and in-depth functional transcriptome analyses with the aim of revealing differential gene expression patterns and gene sets enrichments, ultimately unraveling unique microenvironments imperative for the development of functional T cells. The sea bass cortex emerged as a hub of T cell commitment, somatic recombination, chromatin remodeling, cell cycle regulation, and presentation of self antigens from autophagy-, proteasome- or proteases-processed proteins. The cortex therefore accommodated extensive thymocyte proliferation and differentiation up to the checkpoint of positive selection. The medulla instead appeared as the center stage in autoimmune regulation by negative selection and deletion of autoreactive T cells, central tolerance mechanisms and extracellular matrix organization. Region-specific canonical markers of T and non-T lineage cells as well as signals for migration to/from, and trafficking within, the thymus were identified, shedding light on the highly coordinated and exquisitely complex bi-directional interactions among thymocytes and stromal components. Markers ascribable to thymic nurse cells and poorly characterized post-aire mTEC populations were found in the cortex and medulla, respectively. An in-depth data mining also exposed previously un-annotated genomic resources with differential signatures. Overall, our findings contribute to a broader understanding of the relationship between regional organization and function in the European sea bass thymus, and provide essential insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying T-cell mediated adaptive immune responses in teleosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Miccoli
- National Research Council, Institute for Marine Biological Resources and Biotechnology (IRBIM), 60125, Ancona, Italy
| | - V Pianese
- Dept. for Innovation in Biological, Agro-food and Forest Systems (DIBAF), University of Tuscia, Largo Dell'Università Snc, 01100, Viterbo, Italy
| | - C Bidoli
- Dept. of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, 34127, Trieste, Italy
| | - A M Fausto
- Dept. for Innovation in Biological, Agro-food and Forest Systems (DIBAF), University of Tuscia, Largo Dell'Università Snc, 01100, Viterbo, Italy
| | - G Scapigliati
- Dept. for Innovation in Biological, Agro-food and Forest Systems (DIBAF), University of Tuscia, Largo Dell'Università Snc, 01100, Viterbo, Italy
| | - S Picchietti
- Dept. for Innovation in Biological, Agro-food and Forest Systems (DIBAF), University of Tuscia, Largo Dell'Università Snc, 01100, Viterbo, Italy.
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10
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Laan M, Giraud M, Irla M. Editorial: Thymic function at single cell resolution. Front Immunol 2024; 14:1358957. [PMID: 38259446 PMCID: PMC10801162 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1358957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 12/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Martti Laan
- Molecular Pathology, Department of Biomedicine, Institute of Biomedicine and Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Matthieu Giraud
- INSERM, Nantes Université, Center for Research in Transplantation and Translational Immunology, UMR 1064, Nantes, France
| | - Magali Irla
- Centre d’Immunologie de Marseille-Luminy (CIML), CNRS, INSERM, Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille, France
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11
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Jiang Q, Ma X, Zhu G, Si W, He L, Yang G. Altered T cell development in an animal model of multiple sclerosis. Exp Neurol 2024; 371:114579. [PMID: 37866699 DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2023.114579] [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: 06/20/2023] [Revised: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 10/24/2023]
Abstract
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system (CNS), leading to demyelination and axonal degeneration. Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is an animal model of MS that has significantly improved our understanding of MS. Studies have observed early thymic involution in MS patients, suggesting the potential involvement of the thymus in CNS autoimmunity. However, our knowledge of the thymus's role in autoimmune disorders affecting the CNS remains limited. In this study, we examined the effects of EAE induction on thymopoiesis and observed alterations in T cell development. These changes were characterized by increased apoptosis and decreased proliferation of thymocytes at the EAE peak stage. We also identified a blockade in the transition from CD4-CD8- double-negative thymocytes to CD4+CD8+ double-positive cells, as evidenced by the accumulation of double-negative stage 1 thymocytes at both the EAE onset and peak stages. Furthermore, positive selection was disrupted in the thymus of EAE mice at both stages, leading to an elevated proportion and number of CD4+CD8- and CD4-CD8+ single-positive cells. Meanwhile, we observed an augmented production of regulatory T cells in the thymus of EAE mice. Moreover, peripheral blood analysis of EAE mice at the onset stage showed expanded T cell subsets but not at the peak stage. We also observed altered expression patterns in thymus-derived CD4+CD8- and CD4-CD8+ single-positive cells between MS patients and healthy controls. Our findings demonstrate a modified T cell development in EAE/MS, providing valuable insights into the potential of modulating thymic function as a targeted therapeutic approach to MS/EAE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qianling Jiang
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Public Health, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, 999077, China
| | - Xin Ma
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Public Health, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, 999077, China
| | - Gaochen Zhu
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Public Health, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, 999077, China
| | - Wen Si
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Public Health, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, 999077, China
| | - Lingyu He
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Public Health, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, 999077, China
| | - Guan Yang
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Public Health, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, 999077, China.
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12
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Lin L, Hu M, Li Q, Du L, Lin L, Xue Y, Zheng F, Wang F, Liu K, Wang Y, Ye J, Jiang X, Wang X, Wang J, Zhai J, Liu B, Xie H, You Y, Wang J, Kong X, Feng D, Green DR, Shi Y, Wang Y. Oleic acid availability impacts thymocyte preprogramming and subsequent peripheral T reg cell differentiation. Nat Immunol 2024; 25:54-65. [PMID: 38062135 PMCID: PMC10918613 DOI: 10.1038/s41590-023-01672-1] [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: 01/06/2023] [Accepted: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/04/2024]
Abstract
The nature of activation signals is essential in determining T cell subset differentiation; however, the features that determine T cell subset preference acquired during intrathymic development remain elusive. Here we show that naive CD4+ T cells generated in the mouse thymic microenvironment lacking Scd1, encoding the enzyme catalyzing oleic acid (OA) production, exhibit enhanced regulatory T (Treg) cell differentiation and attenuated development of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. Scd1 deletion in K14+ thymic epithelia recapitulated the enhanced Treg cell differentiation phenotype of Scd1-deficient mice. The dearth of OA permitted DOT1L to increase H3K79me2 levels at the Atp2a2 locus of thymocytes at the DN2-DN3 transition stage. Such epigenetic modification persisted in naive CD4+ T cells and facilitated Atp2a2 expression. Upon T cell receptor activation, ATP2A2 enhanced the activity of the calcium-NFAT1-Foxp3 axis to promote naive CD4+ T cells to differentiate into Treg cells. Therefore, OA availability is critical for preprogramming thymocytes with Treg cell differentiation propensities in the periphery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liangyu Lin
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tissue Microenvironment and Tumor, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Mingyuan Hu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tissue Microenvironment and Tumor, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Qing Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tissue Microenvironment and Tumor, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Liming Du
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tissue Microenvironment and Tumor, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Li Lin
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yueqing Xue
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tissue Microenvironment and Tumor, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Fanjun Zheng
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tissue Microenvironment and Tumor, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Fei Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tissue Microenvironment and Tumor, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Keli Liu
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yu Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tissue Microenvironment and Tumor, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Jiayin Ye
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tissue Microenvironment and Tumor, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Xu Jiang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tissue Microenvironment and Tumor, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Xuefeng Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tissue Microenvironment and Tumor, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Jiaqi Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tissue Microenvironment and Tumor, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Jingjie Zhai
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tissue Microenvironment and Tumor, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Benming Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tissue Microenvironment and Tumor, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Hongzhen Xie
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tissue Microenvironment and Tumor, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Yanqin You
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, First Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Jinyong Wang
- Institute for Stem Cell and Regeneration, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xiangyin Kong
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tissue Microenvironment and Tumor, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Dechun Feng
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tissue Microenvironment and Tumor, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Douglas R Green
- Department of Immunology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Yufang Shi
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tissue Microenvironment and Tumor, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
- The Third Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Protection, Institutes for Translational Medicine, Soochow University, Suzhou, China.
| | - Ying Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tissue Microenvironment and Tumor, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
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13
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Ohigashi I, White AJ, Yang MT, Fujimori S, Tanaka Y, Jacques A, Kiyonari H, Matsushita Y, Turan S, Kelly MC, Anderson G, Takahama Y. Developmental conversion of thymocyte-attracting cells into self-antigen-displaying cells in embryonic thymus medulla epithelium. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.10.03.560657. [PMID: 37873155 PMCID: PMC10592888 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.03.560657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2023]
Abstract
Thymus medulla epithelium establishes immune self-tolerance and comprises diverse cellular subsets. Functionally relevant medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs) include a self-antigen-displaying subset that exhibits genome-wide promiscuous gene expression promoted by the nuclear protein Aire and that resembles a mosaic of extrathymic cells including mucosal tuft cells. An additional mTEC subset produces the chemokine CCL21, thereby attracting positively selected thymocytes from the cortex to the medulla. Both self-antigen-displaying and thymocyte-attracting mTEC subsets are essential for self-tolerance. Here we identify a developmental pathway by which mTECs gain their diversity in functionally distinct subsets. We show that CCL21-expressing mTECs arise early during thymus ontogeny. Fate-mapping analysis reveals that self-antigen-displaying mTECs, including Aire-expressing mTECs and thymic tuft cells, are derived from CCL21-expressing cells. The differentiation capability of CCL21-expressing embryonic mTECs is verified in reaggregate thymus experiments. These results indicate that CCL21-expressing embryonic mTECs carry a developmental potential to give rise to self-antigen-displaying mTECs, revealing that the sequential conversion of thymocyte-attracting subset into self-antigen-displaying subset serves to assemble functional diversity in the thymus medulla epithelium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Izumi Ohigashi
- Division of Experimental Immunology, Institute of Advanced Medical Sciences, University of Tokushima, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan
| | - Andrea J. White
- Institute for Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Mei-Ting Yang
- Thymus Biology Section, Experimental Immunology Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA
| | - Sayumi Fujimori
- Division of Experimental Immunology, Institute of Advanced Medical Sciences, University of Tokushima, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan
| | - Yu Tanaka
- Thymus Biology Section, Experimental Immunology Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA
| | - Alison Jacques
- Thymus Biology Section, Experimental Immunology Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA
| | - Hiroshi Kiyonari
- Laboratory for Animal Resources and Genetic Engineering, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, 2-2-3 Minatojima-minamimachi, Chuo, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0047, Japan
| | - Yosuke Matsushita
- Division of Genome Medicine, Institute of Advanced Medical Sciences, University of Tokushima, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan
| | - Sevilay Turan
- Sequencing Facility, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21701, USA
| | - Michael C. Kelly
- Single Cell Analysis Facility, Cancer Research Technology Program, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA
| | - Graham Anderson
- Institute for Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Yousuke Takahama
- Thymus Biology Section, Experimental Immunology Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA
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14
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Stakišaitis D, Kapočius L, Kilimaitė E, Gečys D, Šlekienė L, Balnytė I, Palubinskienė J, Lesauskaitė V. Preclinical Study in Mouse Thymus and Thymocytes: Effects of Treatment with a Combination of Sodium Dichloroacetate and Sodium Valproate on Infectious Inflammation Pathways. Pharmaceutics 2023; 15:2715. [PMID: 38140056 PMCID: PMC10747708 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics15122715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2023] [Revised: 11/17/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
The research presents data from a preclinical study on the anti-inflammatory effects of a sodium dichloroacetate and sodium valproate combination (DCA-VPA). The 2-week treatment with a DCA 100 mg/kg/day and VPA 150 mg/kg/day combination solution in drinking water's effects on the thymus weight, its cortex/medulla ratio, Hassall's corpuscles (HCs) number in the thymus medulla, and the expression of inflammatory and immune-response-related genes in thymocytes of male Balb/c mice were studied. Two groups of mice aged 6-7 weeks were investigated: a control (n = 12) and a DCA-VPA-treated group (n = 12). The treatment did not affect the body weight gain (p > 0.05), the thymus weight (p > 0.05), the cortical/medulla ratio (p > 0.05), or the number of HCs (p > 0.05). Treatment significantly increased the Slc5a8 gene expression by 2.1-fold (p < 0.05). Gene sequence analysis revealed a significant effect on the expression of inflammation-related genes in thymocytes by significantly altering the expression of several genes related to the cytokine activity pathway, the inflammatory response pathway, and the Il17 signaling pathway in thymocytes. Data suggest that DCA-VPA exerts an anti-inflammatory effect by inhibiting the inflammatory mechanisms in the mouse thymocytes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donatas Stakišaitis
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Medical Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, 44307 Kaunas, Lithuania; (L.K.); (L.Š.); (I.B.); (J.P.)
- Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, National Cancer Institute, 08660 Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Linas Kapočius
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Medical Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, 44307 Kaunas, Lithuania; (L.K.); (L.Š.); (I.B.); (J.P.)
| | - Evelina Kilimaitė
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Medical Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, 44307 Kaunas, Lithuania; (L.K.); (L.Š.); (I.B.); (J.P.)
| | - Dovydas Gečys
- Laboratory of Molecular Cardiology, Institute of Cardiology, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Sukileliu Ave., 50161 Kaunas, Lithuania;
| | - Lina Šlekienė
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Medical Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, 44307 Kaunas, Lithuania; (L.K.); (L.Š.); (I.B.); (J.P.)
| | - Ingrida Balnytė
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Medical Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, 44307 Kaunas, Lithuania; (L.K.); (L.Š.); (I.B.); (J.P.)
| | - Jolita Palubinskienė
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Medical Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, 44307 Kaunas, Lithuania; (L.K.); (L.Š.); (I.B.); (J.P.)
| | - Vaiva Lesauskaitė
- Laboratory of Molecular Cardiology, Institute of Cardiology, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Sukileliu Ave., 50161 Kaunas, Lithuania;
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15
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Zhong X, Peddada N, Wang J, Moresco JJ, Zhan X, Shelton JM, SoRelle JA, Keller K, Lazaro DR, Moresco EMY, Choi JH, Beutler B. OVOL2 sustains postnatal thymic epithelial cell identity. Nat Commun 2023; 14:7786. [PMID: 38012144 PMCID: PMC10682436 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43456-z] [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: 02/13/2023] [Accepted: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 11/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Distinct pathways and molecules may support embryonic versus postnatal thymic epithelial cell (TEC) development and maintenance. Here, we identify a mechanism by which TEC numbers and function are maintained postnatally. A viable missense allele (C120Y) of Ovol2, expressed ubiquitously or specifically in TECs, results in lymphopenia, in which T cell development is compromised by loss of medullary TECs and dysfunction of cortical TECs. We show that the epithelial identity of TECs is aberrantly subverted towards a mesenchymal state in OVOL2-deficient mice. We demonstrate that OVOL2 inhibits the epigenetic regulatory BRAF-HDAC complex, specifically disrupting RCOR1-LSD1 interaction. This causes inhibition of LSD1-mediated H3K4me2 demethylation, resulting in chromatin accessibility and transcriptional activation of epithelial genes. Thus, OVOL2 controls the epigenetic landscape of TECs to enforce TEC identity. The identification of a non-redundant postnatal mechanism for TEC maintenance offers an entry point to understanding thymic involution, which normally begins in early adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xue Zhong
- Center for the Genetics of Host Defense, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 75390-8505, USA
| | - Nagesh Peddada
- Center for the Genetics of Host Defense, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 75390-8505, USA
| | - Jianhui Wang
- Center for the Genetics of Host Defense, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 75390-8505, USA
| | - James J Moresco
- Center for the Genetics of Host Defense, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 75390-8505, USA
| | - Xiaowei Zhan
- Center for the Genetics of Host Defense, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 75390-8505, USA
- Department of Population and Data Sciences, Quantitative Biomedical Research Center, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 75390-8821, USA
| | - John M Shelton
- Intermal Medicine-Histopathology Core, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 75390-8573, USA
| | - Jeffrey A SoRelle
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 75390-9072, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 75390-9063, USA
| | - Katie Keller
- Center for the Genetics of Host Defense, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 75390-8505, USA
| | - Danielle Renee Lazaro
- Center for the Genetics of Host Defense, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 75390-8505, USA
| | - Eva Marie Y Moresco
- Center for the Genetics of Host Defense, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 75390-8505, USA
| | - Jin Huk Choi
- Center for the Genetics of Host Defense, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 75390-8505, USA.
| | - Bruce Beutler
- Center for the Genetics of Host Defense, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, 75390-8505, USA.
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16
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Acenas DV, Dudakov JA. Feeling at home: Identifying a human thymic epithelial progenitor cell niche. Dev Cell 2023; 58:2411-2412. [PMID: 37989079 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2023.10.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2023] [Revised: 10/31/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 11/23/2023]
Abstract
T cell development relies on a supportive epithelial microenvironment. Embryonic and postnatal epithelial progenitors have been identified in mice, but not humans. In this issue of Developmental Cell, Raggazzini et al. use scRNAseq, spatial sequencing, and clonogenic assays to identify a putative bipotent TEPC in pediatric human thymic tissue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dante V Acenas
- Translational Science and Therapeutics Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA; Department of Immunology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Jarrod A Dudakov
- Translational Science and Therapeutics Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA; Department of Immunology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
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17
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Ocampo-Godinez JM, Gonzalez-Quiroz JL, Cote-Palafox H, George E, Vergara-Lope Nuñez JA, Villagomez-Olea G, Vazquez-Vazquez FC, Lopez-Villegas EO, Leon-Avila G, Dominguez-Lopez ML, Alvarez-Perez MA. Primary explants of the postnatal thymus allow the expansion of clonogenic thymic epithelial cells that constitute thymospheres. Stem Cell Res Ther 2023; 14:312. [PMID: 37904232 PMCID: PMC10617125 DOI: 10.1186/s13287-023-03529-8] [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: 08/11/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 11/01/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Thymic epithelial cells (TECs) are responsible for shaping the repertoires of T cells, where their postnatal regeneration depends on a subset of clonogenic TECs. Despite the implications for regenerative medicine, their cultivation and expansion remain challenging. Primary explant cell culture is a technique that allows the seeding and expansion of difficult-to-culture cells. Here, we report a reliable and simple culture system to obtain functional TECs and thymic interstitial cells (TICs). METHODS To establish primary thymic explants, we harvested 1 mm cleaned fragments of thymus from 5-week-old C57/BL6 mice. Tissue fragments of a complete thymic lobe were placed in the center of a Petri dish with 1 mL of DMEM/F-12 medium supplemented with 20% fetal bovine serum (FBS) and 1% penicillin‒streptomycin. To compare, thymic explants were also cultivated by using serum-free DMEM/F-12 medium supplemented with 10% KnockOut™. RESULTS We obtained high numbers of functional clonogenic TECs and TICs from primary thymic explants cultivated with DMEM/F-12 with 20% FBS. These cells exhibited a highly proliferative and migration profile and were able to constitute thymospheres. Furthermore, all the subtypes of medullary TECs were identified in this system. They express functional markers to shape T-cell and type 2 innate lymphoid cells repertoires, such as Aire, IL25, CCL21 and CD80. Finally, we also found that ≥ 70% of lineage negative TICs expressed high amounts of Aire and IL25. CONCLUSION Thymic explants are an efficient method to obtain functional clonogenic TECs, all mTEC subsets and different TICs Aire+IL25+ with high regenerative capacity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan M Ocampo-Godinez
- Laboratorio de Bioingeniería de Tejidos, División de Estudios de Posgrado e Investigación, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico
- Laboratorio de Genética, Departamento de Zoología, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Mexico City, Mexico
- Carrera de Médico Cirujano, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico, Mexico City, Estado de Mexico, Mexico
- Laboratorio de Inmunoquímica I, Departamento de Inmunología, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Jose L Gonzalez-Quiroz
- Laboratorio de Inmunoquímica I, Departamento de Inmunología, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Hector Cote-Palafox
- Carrera de Médico Cirujano, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico, Mexico City, Estado de Mexico, Mexico
| | - Elizabeth George
- Carrera de Médico Cirujano, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico, Mexico City, Estado de Mexico, Mexico
| | - Jael A Vergara-Lope Nuñez
- Laboratorio de Bioingeniería de Tejidos, División de Estudios de Posgrado e Investigación, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico
- Central de Microscopia, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Guillermo Villagomez-Olea
- Laboratorio de Bioingeniería de Tejidos, División de Estudios de Posgrado e Investigación, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Febe C Vazquez-Vazquez
- Laboratorio de Investigación de Materiales Dentales y Biomateriales, Departamento de Estudios de Posgrado e Investigación, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Edgar O Lopez-Villegas
- Central de Microscopia, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Gloria Leon-Avila
- Carrera de Médico Cirujano, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico, Mexico City, Estado de Mexico, Mexico
| | - Maria L Dominguez-Lopez
- Laboratorio de Inmunoquímica I, Departamento de Inmunología, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Mexico City, Mexico.
| | - Marco A Alvarez-Perez
- Laboratorio de Bioingeniería de Tejidos, División de Estudios de Posgrado e Investigación, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico.
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18
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den Berge KV, Chou HJ, Kunda D, Risso D, Street K, Purdom E, Dudoit S, Ngai J, Heavner W. A Latent Activated Olfactory Stem Cell State Revealed by Single Cell Transcriptomic and Epigenomic Profiling. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.10.26.564041. [PMID: 37961539 PMCID: PMC10634988 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.26.564041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
The olfactory epithelium is one of the few regions of the nervous system that sustains neurogenesis throughout life. Its experimental accessibility makes it especially tractable for studying molecular mechanisms that drive neural regeneration after injury-induced cell death. In this study, we used single cell sequencing to identify major regulatory players in determining olfactory epithelial stem cell fate after acute injury. We combined gene expression and accessible chromatin profiles of individual lineage traced olfactory stem cells to predict transcription factor activity specific to different lineages and stages of recovery. We further identified a discrete stem cell state that appears poised for activation, characterized by accessible chromatin around wound response and lineage specific genes prior to their later expression in response to injury. Together these results provide evidence that a subset of quiescent olfactory epithelial stem cells are epigenetically primed to support injury-induced regeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Hsin-Jung Chou
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA
| | - Divya Kunda
- Molecular Neurobiology Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
| | - Davide Risso
- Department of Statistical Sciences, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Kelly Street
- Division of Biostatistics, Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
| | - Elizabeth Purdom
- Department of Statistics, University of California, Berkeley, CA
| | - Sandrine Dudoit
- Department of Statistics, University of California, Berkeley, CA
- Division of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA
| | - John Ngai
- Molecular Neurobiology Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
| | - Whitney Heavner
- Molecular Neurobiology Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
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19
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Yayon N, Kedlian VR, Boehme L, Suo C, Wachter B, Beuschel RT, Amsalem O, Polanski K, Koplev S, Tuck E, Dann E, Van Hulle J, Perera S, Putteman T, Predeus AV, Dabrowska M, Richardson L, Tudor C, Kreins AY, Engelbert J, Stephenson E, Kleshchevnikov V, De Rita F, Crossland D, Bosticardo M, Pala F, Prigmore E, Chipampe NJ, Prete M, Fei L, To K, Barker RA, He X, Van Nieuwerburgh F, Bayraktar O, Patel M, Davies GE, Haniffa MA, Uhlmann V, Notarangelo LD, Germain RN, Radtke AJ, Marioni JC, Taghon T, Teichmann SA. A spatial human thymus cell atlas mapped to a continuous tissue axis. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.10.25.562925. [PMID: 37986877 PMCID: PMC10659407 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.25.562925] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2023]
Abstract
T cells develop from circulating precursors, which enter the thymus and migrate throughout specialised sub-compartments to support maturation and selection. This process starts already in early fetal development and is highly active until the involution of the thymus in adolescence. To map the micro-anatomical underpinnings of this process in pre- vs. post-natal states, we undertook a spatially resolved analysis and established a new quantitative morphological framework for the thymus, the Cortico-Medullary Axis. Using this axis in conjunction with the curation of a multimodal single-cell, spatial transcriptomics and high-resolution multiplex imaging atlas, we show that canonical thymocyte trajectories and thymic epithelial cells are highly organised and fully established by post-conception week 12, pinpoint TEC progenitor states, find that TEC subsets and peripheral tissue genes are associated with Hassall's Corpuscles and uncover divergence in the pace and drivers of medullary entry between CD4 vs. CD8 T cell lineages. These findings are complemented with a holistic toolkit for spatial analysis and annotation, providing a basis for a detailed understanding of T lymphocyte development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadav Yayon
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cellular Genetics, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | | | - Lena Boehme
- Ghent University, Department of Diagnostic Sciences, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Chenqu Suo
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cellular Genetics, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Brianna Wachter
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, Division of Intramural Research, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Rebecca T Beuschel
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Lymphocyte Biology Section and Center for Advanced Tissue Imaging, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Oren Amsalem
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Boston, MA, United States
| | | | - Simon Koplev
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cellular Genetics, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Elizabeth Tuck
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cellular Genetics, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Emma Dann
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cellular Genetics, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Jolien Van Hulle
- Ghent University, Department of Diagnostic Sciences, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Shani Perera
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cellular Genetics, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Tom Putteman
- Ghent University, Department of Diagnostic Sciences, Ghent, Belgium
| | | | - Monika Dabrowska
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cellular Genetics, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Laura Richardson
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cellular Genetics, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Catherine Tudor
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cellular Genetics, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Alexandra Y Kreins
- Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust, Department of Immunology and Gene Therapy, London, United Kingdom
- UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, Infection, Immunity and Inflammation Research & Teaching Department, London, United Kingdom
| | - Justin Engelbert
- Newcastle University, Biosciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - Emily Stephenson
- Newcastle University, Biosciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | | | - Fabrizio De Rita
- Freeman Hospital, Department of Adult Congenital Heart Disease and Paediatric Cardiology/Cardiothoracic Surgery, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - David Crossland
- Freeman Hospital, Department of Adult Congenital Heart Disease and Paediatric Cardiology/Cardiothoracic Surgery, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - Marita Bosticardo
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, Division of Intramural Research, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Francesca Pala
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, Division of Intramural Research, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Elena Prigmore
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cellular Genetics, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | | | - Martin Prete
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cellular Genetics, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Lijiang Fei
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cellular Genetics, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Ken To
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cellular Genetics, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Roger A Barker
- University of Cambridge, John van Geest Centre for Brain Repair, Department of Clinical Neurosciences and Wellcome-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Xiaoling He
- University of Cambridge, John van Geest Centre for Brain Repair, Department of Clinical Neurosciences and Wellcome-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Filip Van Nieuwerburgh
- Ghent University, Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Ghent, Belgium
- Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent, Belgium
| | - Omer Bayraktar
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cellular Genetics, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Minal Patel
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cellular Genetics, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Graham E Davies
- Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust, Department of Immunology and Gene Therapy, London, United Kingdom
- UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, Infection, Immunity and Inflammation Research & Teaching Department, London, United Kingdom
| | - Muzlifah A Haniffa
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cellular Genetics, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Newcastle University, Biosciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - Virginie Uhlmann
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Luigi D Notarangelo
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, Division of Intramural Research, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Ronald N Germain
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Lymphocyte Biology Section and Center for Advanced Tissue Imaging, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Andrea J Radtke
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Lymphocyte Biology Section and Center for Advanced Tissue Imaging, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - John C Marioni
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- University of Cambridge, Cancer Research UK, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Tom Taghon
- Ghent University, Department of Diagnostic Sciences, Ghent, Belgium
- Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent, Belgium
| | - Sarah A Teichmann
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cellular Genetics, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- University of Cambridge, Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge, United Kingdom
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20
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Sin JH, Sucharov J, Kashyap S, Wang Y, Proekt I, Liu X, Parent AV, Gupta A, Kastner P, Chan S, Gardner JM, Ntranos V, Miller CN, Anderson MS, Schjerven H, Waterfield MR. Ikaros is a principal regulator of Aire + mTEC homeostasis, thymic mimetic cell diversity, and central tolerance. Sci Immunol 2023; 8:eabq3109. [PMID: 37889983 DOI: 10.1126/sciimmunol.abq3109] [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: 03/31/2022] [Accepted: 10/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023]
Abstract
Mutations in the gene encoding the zinc-finger transcription factor Ikaros (IKZF1) are found in patients with immunodeficiency, leukemia, and autoimmunity. Although Ikaros has a well-established function in modulating gene expression programs important for hematopoietic development, its role in other cell types is less well defined. Here, we uncover functions for Ikaros in thymic epithelial lineage development in mice and show that Ikzf1 expression in medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs) is required for both autoimmune regulator-positive (Aire+) mTEC development and tissue-specific antigen (TSA) gene expression. Accordingly, TEC-specific deletion of Ikzf1 in mice results in a profound decrease in Aire+ mTECs, a global loss of TSA gene expression, and the development of autoimmunity. Moreover, Ikaros shapes thymic mimetic cell diversity, and its deletion results in a marked expansion of thymic tuft cells and muscle-like mTECs and a loss of other Aire-dependent mimetic populations. Single-cell analysis reveals that Ikaros modulates core transcriptional programs in TECs that correlate with the observed cellular changes. Our findings highlight a previously undescribed role for Ikaros in regulating epithelial lineage development and function and suggest that failed thymic central tolerance could contribute to the autoimmunity seen in humans with IKZF1 mutations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Hyung Sin
- Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Juliana Sucharov
- Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Sujit Kashyap
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Yi Wang
- Diabetes Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- 10x Genomics, Pleasanton, CA, USA
| | - Irina Proekt
- Diabetes Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Xian Liu
- Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Diabetes Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Audrey V Parent
- Diabetes Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Alexander Gupta
- Diabetes Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Department of Surgery, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Philippe Kastner
- Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire (IGBMC), INSERM U 1258, CNRS UMR 7104, Université de Strasbourg, 67404 Illkirch, France
| | - Susan Chan
- Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire (IGBMC), INSERM U 1258, CNRS UMR 7104, Université de Strasbourg, 67404 Illkirch, France
| | - James M Gardner
- Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Diabetes Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Department of Surgery, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Vasilis Ntranos
- Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Diabetes Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Corey N Miller
- Diabetes Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Mark S Anderson
- Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Diabetes Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Hilde Schjerven
- Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Michael R Waterfield
- Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
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21
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Kim DH, Lim Y, Kim S, Ock C, Youk J, Kim M, Kim TM, Kim D, Kim HJ, Koh J, Jung KC, Na KJ, Kang CH, Keam B. Artificial intelligence-powered spatial analysis of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes as a biomarker in locally advanced unresectable thymic epithelial neoplasm: A single-center, retrospective, longitudinal cohort study. Thorac Cancer 2023; 14:3001-3011. [PMID: 37675597 PMCID: PMC10599973 DOI: 10.1111/1759-7714.15089] [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: 07/19/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 09/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Thymic epithelial tumors (TET) are rare malignancies and lack well-defined biomarkers for neoadjuvant therapy. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical utility of artificial intelligence (AI)-powered tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) analysis in TET. METHODS Patients initially diagnosed with unresectable thymoma or thymic carcinoma who underwent neoadjuvant therapy between January 2004 and December 2021 formed our study population. Hematoxylin and eosin-stained sections from the initial biopsy and surgery were analyzed using an AI-powered spatial TIL analyzer. Intratumoral TIL (iTIL) and stromal TIL (sTIL) were quantified and their immune phenotype (IP) was identified. RESULTS Thirty-five patients were included in this study. The proportion of patients with partial response to neoadjuvant therapy was higher in the group with nondesert IP in preneoadjuvant biopsy (63.6% vs. 17.6%, p = 0.038). A significant increase in both iTIL (median 22.18/mm2 vs. 340.69/mm2 , p < 0.001) and sTIL (median 175.19/mm2 vs. 531.02/mm2 , p = 0.004) was observed after neoadjuvant therapy. Patients with higher iTIL (>147/mm2 ) exhibited longer disease-free survival (median, 29 months vs. 12 months, p = 0.009) and overall survival (OS) (median, 62 months vs. 45 months, p = 0.002). Patients with higher sTIL (>232.1/mm2 ) exhibited longer OS (median 62 months vs. 30 months, p = 0.021). CONCLUSIONS Nondesert IP in initial biopsy was associated with a better response to neoadjuvant therapy. Increased infiltration of both iTIL and sTIL in surgical specimens were associated with longer OS in patients with TET who underwent resection followed by neoadjuvant therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dong Hyun Kim
- Department of Internal MedicineSeoul National University HospitalSeoulRepublic of Korea
| | | | | | | | - Jeonghwan Youk
- Department of Internal MedicineSeoul National University HospitalSeoulRepublic of Korea
- Cancer Research InstituteSeoul National University College of MedicineSeoulRepublic of Korea
| | - Miso Kim
- Department of Internal MedicineSeoul National University HospitalSeoulRepublic of Korea
- Cancer Research InstituteSeoul National University College of MedicineSeoulRepublic of Korea
| | - Tae Min Kim
- Department of Internal MedicineSeoul National University HospitalSeoulRepublic of Korea
- Cancer Research InstituteSeoul National University College of MedicineSeoulRepublic of Korea
| | - Dong‐Wan Kim
- Department of Internal MedicineSeoul National University HospitalSeoulRepublic of Korea
- Cancer Research InstituteSeoul National University College of MedicineSeoulRepublic of Korea
| | - Hak Jae Kim
- Department of Radiation OncologySeoul National University HospitalSeoulRepublic of Korea
| | - Jiwon Koh
- Department of PathologySeoul National University HospitalSeoulRepublic of Korea
| | - Kyeong Cheon Jung
- Department of PathologySeoul National University HospitalSeoulRepublic of Korea
| | - Kwon Joong Na
- Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular SurgerySeoul National University HospitalSeoulRepublic of Korea
| | - Chang Hyun Kang
- Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular SurgerySeoul National University HospitalSeoulRepublic of Korea
| | - Bhumsuk Keam
- Department of Internal MedicineSeoul National University HospitalSeoulRepublic of Korea
- Cancer Research InstituteSeoul National University College of MedicineSeoulRepublic of Korea
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22
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Gatti DM, Gauthier CM, Moeller BE, FitzPatrick RD, Kennedy MHE, Pluzhnikova V, Conway KME, Smazynski J, Chow RL, Reynolds LA. MHCII+CD80+ thymic eosinophils increase in abundance during neonatal development in mice and their accumulation is microbiota dependent. J Leukoc Biol 2023; 114:223-236. [PMID: 37227004 DOI: 10.1093/jleuko/qiad064] [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: 01/13/2023] [Revised: 05/03/2023] [Accepted: 05/16/2023] [Indexed: 05/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Eosinophils are present in the thymus of mammals, yet their function at this site during homeostatic development is unknown. We used flow cytometry to determine the abundance and phenotype of eosinophils (here defined as SSchigh SiglecF+ CD11b+ CD45+ cells) in the thymus of mice during the neonatal period, the later postnatal period, and into adulthood. We show that both the total number of thymic eosinophils and their frequency among leukocytes increase over the first 2 wk of life and that their accumulation in the thymus is dependent on the presence of an intact bacterial microbiota. We report that thymic eosinophils express the interleukin-5 receptor (CD125), CD80, and IDO, and that subsets of thymic eosinophils express CD11c and major histocompatibility complex II (MHCII). We found that the frequency of MHCII-expressing thymic eosinophils increases over the first 2 wk of life, and that during this early-life period the highest frequency of MHCII-expressing thymic eosinophils is located in the inner medullary region. These data suggest a temporal and microbiota-dependent regulation of eosinophil abundance and functional capabilities in the thymus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominique M Gatti
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Victoria, 3800 Finnerty Road, Victoria, British Columbia, V8P 5C2, Canada
| | - Courtney M Gauthier
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Victoria, 3800 Finnerty Road, Victoria, British Columbia, V8P 5C2, Canada
| | - Brandon E Moeller
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Victoria, 3800 Finnerty Road, Victoria, British Columbia, V8P 5C2, Canada
| | - Rachael D FitzPatrick
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Victoria, 3800 Finnerty Road, Victoria, British Columbia, V8P 5C2, Canada
| | - Mia H E Kennedy
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Victoria, 3800 Finnerty Road, Victoria, British Columbia, V8P 5C2, Canada
| | - Victoria Pluzhnikova
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Victoria, 3800 Finnerty Road, Victoria, British Columbia, V8P 5C2, Canada
| | - Kate M E Conway
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Victoria, 3800 Finnerty Road, Victoria, British Columbia, V8P 5C2, Canada
| | - Julian Smazynski
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Victoria, 3800 Finnerty Road, Victoria, British Columbia, V8P 5C2, Canada
- Deeley Research Centre, BC Cancer, 2410 Lee Avenue, Victoria, British Columbia, V8R 6VSCanada
| | - Robert L Chow
- Department of Biology, University of Victoria, 3800 Finnerty Road, Victoria, British Columbia, V8P 5C2, Canada
| | - Lisa A Reynolds
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Victoria, 3800 Finnerty Road, Victoria, British Columbia, V8P 5C2, Canada
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23
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Cuevas MVR, Hardy MP, Larouche JD, Apavaloaei A, Kina E, Vincent K, Gendron P, Laverdure JP, Durette C, Thibault P, Lemieux S, Perreault C, Ehx G. BamQuery: a proteogenomic tool to explore the immunopeptidome and prioritize actionable tumor antigens. Genome Biol 2023; 24:188. [PMID: 37582761 PMCID: PMC10426134 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-023-03029-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2022] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 08/17/2023] Open
Abstract
MHC-I-associated peptides deriving from non-coding genomic regions and mutations can generate tumor-specific antigens, including neoantigens. Quantifying tumor-specific antigens' RNA expression in malignant and benign tissues is critical for discriminating actionable targets. We present BamQuery, a tool attributing an exhaustive RNA expression to MHC-I-associated peptides of any origin from bulk and single-cell RNA-sequencing data. We show that many cryptic and mutated tumor-specific antigens can derive from multiple discrete genomic regions, abundantly expressed in normal tissues. BamQuery can also be used to predict MHC-I-associated peptides immunogenicity and identify actionable tumor-specific antigens de novo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Virginia Ruiz Cuevas
- Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC), Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada
| | - Marie-Pierre Hardy
- Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC), Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada
| | - Jean-David Larouche
- Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC), Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada
- Department of Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada
| | - Anca Apavaloaei
- Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC), Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada
- Department of Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada
| | - Eralda Kina
- Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC), Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada
- Department of Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada
| | - Krystel Vincent
- Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC), Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada
| | - Patrick Gendron
- Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC), Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada
| | - Jean-Philippe Laverdure
- Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC), Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada
| | - Chantal Durette
- Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC), Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada
| | - Pierre Thibault
- Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC), Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada
- Department of Chemistry, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada
| | - Sébastien Lemieux
- Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC), Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada
| | - Claude Perreault
- Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC), Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada
- Department of Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada
| | - Grégory Ehx
- Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC), Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada.
- Laboratory of Hematology, GIGA-I3, University of Liege, CHU of Liege, Liege, Belgium.
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24
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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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25
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Sun J, Li MX, Xie YM, Zhang YR, Chai YR. Thymic tuft cells: potential "regulators" of non-mucosal tissue development and immune response. Immunol Res 2023; 71:554-564. [PMID: 36961668 PMCID: PMC10037390 DOI: 10.1007/s12026-023-09372-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2022] [Accepted: 03/09/2023] [Indexed: 03/25/2023]
Abstract
As the leading central immune organ, the thymus is where T cells differentiate and mature, and plays an essential regulatory role in the adaptive immune response. Tuft cells, as chemosensory cells, were first found in rat tracheal epithelial, later gradually confirmed to exist in various mucosal and non-mucosal tissues. Although tuft cells are epithelial-derived, because of their wide heterogeneity, they show functions similar to cholinergic and immune cells in addition to chemosensory ability. As newly discovered non-mucosal tuft cells, thymic tuft cells have been demonstrated to be involved in and play vital roles in immune responses such as antigen presentation, immune tolerance, and type 2 immunity. In addition to their unique functions in the thymus, thymic tuft cells have the characteristics of peripheral tuft cells, so they may also participate in the process of tumorigenesis and virus infection. Here, we review tuft cells' characteristics, distribution, and potential functions. More importantly, the potential role of thymic tuft cells in immune response, tumorigenesis, and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2) infection was summarized and discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Sun
- Medical School of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, 450052, People's Republic of China
- The Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, 450052, People's Republic of China
| | - Ming-Xin Li
- Medical School of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, 450052, People's Republic of China
| | - Yi-Meng Xie
- School of Fine Arts of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, 450001, People's Republic of China
| | - Ya-Ru Zhang
- Department of Histology and Embryology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, No.100, Kexuedadao Road, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, 450001, People's Republic of China
| | - Yu-Rong Chai
- Department of Histology and Embryology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, No.100, Kexuedadao Road, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, 450001, People's Republic of China.
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26
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Gunther-Cummins L, Lagou M, Guzik H, DesMarais S, Karagiannis G, DesMarais V, Macaluso FP. Method Development: Characterization of the Structure of the Thymic Epithelial Cell Network Utilizing Fluorescent Whole Slide Scanning and 3D SEM Array Tomography. MICROSCOPY AND MICROANALYSIS : THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF MICROSCOPY SOCIETY OF AMERICA, MICROBEAM ANALYSIS SOCIETY, MICROSCOPICAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 2023; 29:1217-1218. [PMID: 37613328 DOI: 10.1093/micmic/ozad067.626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/25/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Leslie Gunther-Cummins
- Analytical Imaging Facility, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States
- Montefiore Einstein Cancer Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States
| | - Maria Lagou
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States
- Gruss-Lipper Biophotonics Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States
- Montefiore Einstein Cancer Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States
| | - Hillary Guzik
- Analytical Imaging Facility, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States
- Montefiore Einstein Cancer Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States
| | - Sophia DesMarais
- State University of New York New Paltz, New Paltz, NY, United States
| | - George Karagiannis
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States
- Gruss-Lipper Biophotonics Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States
- Montefiore Einstein Cancer Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States
| | - Vera DesMarais
- Analytical Imaging Facility, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States
- Department of Cell Biology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States
- Gruss-Lipper Biophotonics Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States
- Montefiore Einstein Cancer Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States
| | - Frank P Macaluso
- Analytical Imaging Facility, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States
- Department of Cell Biology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States
- Gruss-Lipper Biophotonics Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States
- Montefiore Einstein Cancer Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States
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27
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Klein F, Veiga-Villauriz C, Börsch A, Maio S, Palmer S, Dhalla F, Handel AE, Zuklys S, Calvo-Asensio I, Musette L, Deadman ME, White AJ, Lucas B, Anderson G, Holländer GA. Combined multidimensional single-cell protein and RNA profiling dissects the cellular and functional heterogeneity of thymic epithelial cells. Nat Commun 2023; 14:4071. [PMID: 37429879 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-39722-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2022] [Accepted: 06/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The network of thymic stromal cells provides essential niches with unique molecular cues controlling T cell development and selection. Recent single-cell RNA sequencing studies have uncovered previously unappreciated transcriptional heterogeneity among thymic epithelial cells (TEC). However, there are only very few cell markers that allow a comparable phenotypic identification of TEC. Here, using massively parallel flow cytometry and machine learning, we deconvoluted known TEC phenotypes into novel subpopulations. Using CITEseq, these phenotypes were related to corresponding TEC subtypes defined by the cells' RNA profiles. This approach allowed the phenotypic identification of perinatal cTEC and their physical localisation within the cortical stromal scaffold. In addition, we demonstrate the dynamic change in the frequency of perinatal cTEC in response to developing thymocytes and reveal their exceptional efficiency in positive selection. Collectively, our study identifies markers that allow for an unprecedented dissection of the thymus stromal complexity, as well as physical isolation of TEC populations and assignment of specific functions to individual TEC subtypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabian Klein
- Department of Paediatrics and Institute of Developmental and Regenerative Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Clara Veiga-Villauriz
- Department of Paediatrics and Institute of Developmental and Regenerative Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | | | - Stefano Maio
- Department of Paediatrics and Institute of Developmental and Regenerative Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Sam Palmer
- Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Fatima Dhalla
- Department of Paediatrics and Institute of Developmental and Regenerative Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Adam E Handel
- Department of Paediatrics and Institute of Developmental and Regenerative Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Saulius Zuklys
- Paediatric Immunology, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel and University Children's Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Irene Calvo-Asensio
- Paediatric Immunology, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel and University Children's Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Lucas Musette
- Paediatric Immunology, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel and University Children's Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Mary E Deadman
- Department of Paediatrics and Institute of Developmental and Regenerative Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Andrea J White
- Institute for Immunology and Immunotherapy, Medical School, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Beth Lucas
- Institute for Immunology and Immunotherapy, Medical School, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Graham Anderson
- Institute for Immunology and Immunotherapy, Medical School, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Georg A Holländer
- Department of Paediatrics and Institute of Developmental and Regenerative Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
- Paediatric Immunology, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel and University Children's Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, Basel, Switzerland.
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28
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Lucas B, White AJ, Klein F, Veiga-Villauriz C, Handel A, Bacon A, Cosway EJ, James KD, Parnell SM, Ohigashi I, Takahama Y, Jenkinson WE, Hollander GA, Lu WY, Anderson G. Embryonic keratin19 + progenitors generate multiple functionally distinct progeny to maintain epithelial diversity in the adult thymus medulla. Nat Commun 2023; 14:2066. [PMID: 37045811 PMCID: PMC10097809 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-37589-4] [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: 10/25/2022] [Accepted: 03/21/2023] [Indexed: 04/14/2023] Open
Abstract
The thymus medulla is a key site for immunoregulation and tolerance, and its functional specialisation is achieved through the complexity of medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTEC). While the importance of the medulla for thymus function is clear, the production and maintenance of mTEC diversity remains poorly understood. Here, using ontogenetic and inducible fate-mapping approaches, we identify mTEC-restricted progenitors as a cytokeratin19+ (K19+) TEC subset that emerges in the embryonic thymus. Importantly, labelling of a single cohort of K19+ TEC during embryogenesis sustains the production of multiple mTEC subsets into adulthood, including CCL21+ mTEClo, Aire+ mTEChi and thymic tuft cells. We show K19+ progenitors arise prior to the acquisition of multiple mTEC-defining features including RANK and CCL21 and are generated independently of the key mTEC regulator, Relb. In conclusion, we identify and define a multipotent mTEC progenitor that emerges during embryogenesis to support mTEC diversity into adult life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beth Lucas
- Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
| | - Andrea J White
- Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
| | - Fabian Klein
- Department of Paediatrics and Institute of Developmental and Regenerative Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Clara Veiga-Villauriz
- Department of Paediatrics and Institute of Developmental and Regenerative Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Adam Handel
- Department of Paediatrics and Institute of Developmental and Regenerative Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Andrea Bacon
- Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
| | - Emilie J Cosway
- Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
| | - Kieran D James
- Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
| | - Sonia M Parnell
- Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
| | - Izumi Ohigashi
- Institute for Advanced Medical Sciences, Tokushima University, Tokushima, Japan
| | - Yousuke Takahama
- Thymus Biology Section, Experimental Immunology Branch, NCI/NIH, Bethesda, USA
| | - William E Jenkinson
- Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
| | - Georg A Hollander
- Department of Paediatrics and Institute of Developmental and Regenerative Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Paediatric Immunology, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel and University Children's Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Wei-Yu Lu
- Centre for Inflammation Research, Queen's Medical Research Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Graham Anderson
- Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK.
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29
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Ramos SA, Armitage LH, Morton JJ, Alzofon N, Handler D, Kelly G, Homann D, Jimeno A, Russ HA. Generation of functional thymic organoids from human pluripotent stem cells. Stem Cell Reports 2023; 18:829-840. [PMID: 36963390 PMCID: PMC10147832 DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2023.02.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2022] [Revised: 02/25/2023] [Accepted: 02/26/2023] [Indexed: 03/26/2023] Open
Abstract
The thymus is critical for the establishment of a functional and self-tolerant adaptive immune system but involutes with age, resulting in reduced naive T cell output. Generation of a functional human thymus from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) is an attractive regenerative strategy. Direct differentiation of thymic epithelial progenitors (TEPs) from hPSCs has been demonstrated in vitro, but functional thymic epithelial cells (TECs) only form months after transplantation of TEPs in vivo. We show the generation of TECs in vitro in isogenic stem cell-derived thymic organoids (sTOs) consisting of TEPs, hematopoietic progenitor cells, and mesenchymal cells, differentiated from the same hPSC line. sTOs support T cell development, express key markers of negative selection, including the autoimmune regulator (AIRE) protein, and facilitate regulatory T cell development. sTOs provide the basis for functional patient-specific thymic organoid models, allowing for the study of human thymus function, T cell development, and transplant immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephan A Ramos
- Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Lucas H Armitage
- Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - John J Morton
- Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Nathaniel Alzofon
- Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Diana Handler
- Human Immune Monitoring Center, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Geoffrey Kelly
- Human Immune Monitoring Center, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Dirk Homann
- Diabetes, Metabolism and Obesity Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Antonio Jimeno
- Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO 80045, USA; Charles C. Gates Center for Regenerative Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Holger A Russ
- Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA; Charles C. Gates Center for Regenerative Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO 80045, USA; Diabetes Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA; Department of Pathology and Therapeutics, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA.
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30
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Thymus transplantation regulates blood pressure and alleviates hypertension-associated heart and kidney damage via transcription factors FoxN1 pathway. Int Immunopharmacol 2023; 116:109798. [PMID: 36738681 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2023.109798] [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: 10/19/2022] [Revised: 01/15/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Previous studies have found that thymus is involved in the process of hypertension. However, whether thymus transplantation alleviates target organ damage in hypertensive mice remains unknown. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of thymus transplantation on blood pressure and target organ changes in mice with hypertension. Mice were randomly divided into normal control group (Con), hypertensive group (HTN) and thymus transplantation group (HTN + Trans). Thymus of neonatal mice was transplanted into the renal capsule of the transplantation group. After transplantation, the mouse tail noninvasive pressure was measured and heart function was evaluated weekly. Then mice were euthanized and organs or tissues were harvested at 4 weeks post-transplantation. The blood pressure of HTN + Trans group was lower than that in the HTN group. The expression of FoxN1, Aire, ATRAP, thymosin β4 and the content of sjTREC in thymus of HTN group was decreased and the number of naïve T cells in HTN group was lower compared with other two groups. The ratio of cTEC/mTEC in HTN group was higher than that in Con group and lower than that in HTN + Trans group. Cardiac pathology showed cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis in HTN group whereas thymus transplantation improved heart function and structure. Altogether, our findings demonstrated thymus transplantation could improve thymus function of hypertensive mice, which increased the expression of thymus transcription factor FoxN1, affected the proportion of T cell subsets, and increased thymosin β4 thereby reducing blood pressure and reversing the progression of target organ damage.
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31
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Rosichini M, Bordoni V, Silvestris DA, Mariotti D, Matusali G, Cardinale A, Zambruno G, Condorelli AG, Flamini S, Genah S, Catanoso M, Del Nonno F, Trezzi M, Galletti L, De Stefanis C, Cicolani N, Petrini S, Quintarelli C, Agrati C, Locatelli F, Velardi E. SARS-CoV-2 infection of thymus induces loss of function that correlates with disease severity. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2023; 151:911-921. [PMID: 36758836 PMCID: PMC9907790 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaci.2023.01.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2022] [Revised: 12/14/2022] [Accepted: 01/19/2023] [Indexed: 02/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Lymphopenia, particularly when restricted to the T-cell compartment, has been described as one of the major clinical hallmarks in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and proposed as an indicator of disease severity. Although several mechanisms fostering COVID-19-related lymphopenia have been described, including cell apoptosis and tissue homing, the underlying causes of the decline in T-cell count and function are still not completely understood. OBJECTIVE Given that viral infections can directly target thymic microenvironment and impair the process of T-cell generation, we sought to investigate the impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on thymic function. METHODS We performed molecular quantification of T-cell receptor excision circles and κ-deleting recombination excision circles to assess, respectively, T- and B-cell neogenesis in SARS-CoV-2-infected patients. We developed a system for in vitro culture of primary human thymic epithelial cells (TECs) to mechanistically investigate the impact of SARS-CoV-2 on TEC function. RESULTS We showed that patients with COVID-19 had reduced thymic function that was inversely associated with the severity of the disease. We found that angiotensin-converting enzyme 2, through which SARS-CoV-2 enters the host cells, was expressed by thymic epithelium, and in particular by medullary TECs. We also demonstrated that SARS-CoV-2 can target TECs and downregulate critical genes and pathways associated with epithelial cell adhesion and survival. CONCLUSIONS Our data demonstrate that the human thymus is a target of SARS-CoV-2 and thymic function is altered following infection. These findings expand our current knowledge of the effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection on T-cell homeostasis and suggest that monitoring thymic activity may be a useful marker to predict disease severity and progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Rosichini
- Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy,Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Veronica Bordoni
- Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy,Cellular Immunology Laboratory, INMI L Spallanzani – IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Domenico Alessandro Silvestris
- Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Davide Mariotti
- Cellular Immunology Laboratory, INMI L Spallanzani – IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Giulia Matusali
- Virology Laboratory, INMI L Spallanzani – IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Antonella Cardinale
- Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Giovanna Zambruno
- Genodermatosis Unit, Genetics and Rare Diseases Research Division, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Angelo Giuseppe Condorelli
- Genodermatosis Unit, Genetics and Rare Diseases Research Division, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Sara Flamini
- Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Shirley Genah
- Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Marialuigia Catanoso
- Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy,Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Matteo Trezzi
- Cardiac Surgery Unit, Department of Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Galletti
- Cardiac Surgery Unit, Department of Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Cristiano De Stefanis
- Pathology Unit, Core Research Laboratories, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Nicolò Cicolani
- Confocal Microscopy Core Facility, Research Center, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Stefania Petrini
- Confocal Microscopy Core Facility, Research Center, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Concetta Quintarelli
- Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy,Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples Federico II, Rome, Italy
| | - Chiara Agrati
- Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy,Cellular Immunology Laboratory, INMI L Spallanzani – IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Franco Locatelli
- Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy,Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy
| | - Enrico Velardi
- Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Cell and Gene Therapy, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy.
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32
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Matsumoto M, Yoshida H, Tsuneyama K, Oya T, Matsumoto M. Revisiting Aire and tissue-restricted antigens at single-cell resolution. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1176450. [PMID: 37207224 PMCID: PMC10191227 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1176450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Accepted: 04/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/21/2023] Open
Abstract
The thymus is a highly specialized organ that plays an indispensable role in the establishment of self-tolerance, a process characterized by the "education" of developing T-cells. To provide competent T-cells tolerant to self-antigens, medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs) orchestrate negative selection by ectopically expressing a wide range of genes, including various tissue-restricted antigens (TRAs). Notably, recent advancements in the high-throughput single-cell analysis have revealed remarkable heterogeneity in mTECs, giving us important clues for dissecting the mechanisms underlying TRA expression. We overview how recent single-cell studies have furthered our understanding of mTECs, with a focus on the role of Aire in inducing mTEC heterogeneity to encompass TRAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minoru Matsumoto
- Department of Molecular Pathology, Tokushima University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima, Japan
- Division of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Enzyme Research, Tokushima University, Tokushima, Japan
- *Correspondence: Minoru Matsumoto,
| | - Hideyuki Yoshida
- YCI Laboratory for Immunological Transcriptomics, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Science, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Koichi Tsuneyama
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Tokushima University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima, Japan
| | - Takeshi Oya
- Department of Molecular Pathology, Tokushima University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima, Japan
| | - Mitsuru Matsumoto
- Division of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Enzyme Research, Tokushima University, Tokushima, Japan
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33
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Depoërs L, Dumont-Lagacé M, Trinh VQH, Houques C, Côté C, Larouche JD, Brochu S, Perreault C. Klf4 protects thymus integrity during late pregnancy. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1016378. [PMID: 37180153 PMCID: PMC10174329 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1016378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Accepted: 04/12/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Pregnancy causes abrupt thymic atrophy. This atrophy is characterized by a severe decrease in the number of all thymocyte subsets and qualitative (but not quantitative) changes in thymic epithelial cells (TECs). Pregnancy-related thymic involution is triggered by progesterone-induced functional changes affecting mainly cortical TECs (cTECs). Remarkably, this severe involution is rapidly corrected following parturition. We postulated that understanding the mechanisms of pregnancy-related thymic changes could provide novel insights into signaling pathways regulating TEC function. When we analyzed genes whose expression in TECs was modified during late pregnancy, we found a strong enrichment in genes bearing KLF4 transcription factor binding motifs. We, therefore, engineered a Psmb11-iCre : Klf4lox/lox mouse model to study the impact of TEC-specific Klf4 deletion in steady-state conditions and during late pregnancy. Under steady-state conditions, Klf4 deletion had a minimal effect on TEC subsets and did not affect thymic architecture. However, pregnancy-induced thymic involution was much more pronounced in pregnant females lacking Klf4 expression in TECs. These mice displayed a substantial ablation of TECs with a more pronounced loss of thymocytes. Transcriptomic and phenotypic analyses of Klf4 -/- TECs revealed that Klf4 maintains cTEC numbers by supporting cell survival and preventing epithelial-to-mesenchymal plasticity during late pregnancy. We conclude that Klf4 is essential for preserving TEC's integrity and mitigating thymic involution during late pregnancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucyle Depoërs
- Department of Medicine, Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Maude Dumont-Lagacé
- ExCellThera, Inc., Montréal, QC, Canada
- Piercing Star Technologies, Rabat, Morocco
| | - Vincent Quoc-Huy Trinh
- Department of Medicine, Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
- Department of Pathology and Cellular Biology, Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer, and Centre de recherche du Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Chloé Houques
- Institut de Génétique Moléculaire de Montpellier, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Caroline Côté
- Department of Medicine, Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Jean-David Larouche
- Department of Medicine, Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Sylvie Brochu
- Department of Medicine, Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
- *Correspondence: Sylvie Brochu, ; Claude Perreault,
| | - Claude Perreault
- Department of Medicine, Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
- *Correspondence: Sylvie Brochu, ; Claude Perreault,
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Miyazawa R, Nagao JI, Arita-Morioka KI, Matsumoto M, Morimoto J, Yoshida M, Oya T, Tsuneyama K, Yoshida H, Tanaka Y, Matsumoto M. Dispensable Role of Aire in CD11c+ Conventional Dendritic Cells for Antigen Presentation and Shaping the Transcriptome. Immunohorizons 2023; 7:140-158. [PMID: 36695731 PMCID: PMC10563386 DOI: 10.4049/immunohorizons.2200103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Aire, the defect of which is responsible for the development of autoimmunity, is predominantly expressed in medullary thymic epithelial cells, and it controls a wide variety of genes, including those of tissue-restricted Ags, for establishing thymic tolerance. Aire is also expressed from APCs in the periphery, called extrathymic Aire-expressing cells (eTACs), and their complementing role to thymic tolerance has been suggested. eTACs are composed of two distinct classes of APCs, conventional dendritic cell (cDC)-type and group 3 innate lymphoid cell (ILC3)-like-type expressing retinoic acid receptor-related orphan receptor γt (RORγt). Although the essential role of Aire in the latter in the Th17-mediated immune response against Candida albicans has been reported, the role of Aire in the cDC-type eTACs for this action has not been examined. Furthermore, the significance of Aire in the production of the transcriptome of the cDC-type eTACs remains unknown. We have approached these issues using a high-fidelity Aire-reporter mouse strain. We found that although the cDC-type eTACs dominated ILC3-like-type eTACs in number and they served as efficient APCs for the immune response against an exogenous Ag as well as for the C. albicans-specific Th17 immune response, loss of Aire in cDC-type eTACs showed no clear effect on these functions. Furthermore, loss of Aire showed no major impact on the transcriptome from cDC-type eTACs. These results suggested that Aire in cDC-type eTACs may not have a cell-intrinsic role in the immune response in contrast to the role of Aire in ILC3-like-type eTACs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryuichiro Miyazawa
- Division of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Enzyme Research, Tokushima University, Tokushima, Japan
| | - Jun-ichi Nagao
- Section of Infection Biology, Department of Functional Bioscience, Fukuoka Dental College, Sawara-ku, Fukuoka, Japan
- Oral Medicine Research Center, Fukuoka Dental College, Sawara-ku, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Ken-ichi Arita-Morioka
- Section of Infection Biology, Department of Functional Bioscience, Fukuoka Dental College, Sawara-ku, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Minoru Matsumoto
- Division of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Enzyme Research, Tokushima University, Tokushima, Japan
- Department of Molecular Pathology, Tokushima University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima, Japan
| | - Junko Morimoto
- Division of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Enzyme Research, Tokushima University, Tokushima, Japan
| | - Masaki Yoshida
- YCI Laboratory for Immunological Transcriptomics, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Science, Yokohama, Japan; and
| | - Takeshi Oya
- Department of Molecular Pathology, Tokushima University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima, Japan
| | - Koichi Tsuneyama
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Tokushima University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima, Japan
| | - Hideyuki Yoshida
- YCI Laboratory for Immunological Transcriptomics, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Science, Yokohama, Japan; and
| | - Yoshihiko Tanaka
- Section of Infection Biology, Department of Functional Bioscience, Fukuoka Dental College, Sawara-ku, Fukuoka, Japan
- Oral Medicine Research Center, Fukuoka Dental College, Sawara-ku, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Mitsuru Matsumoto
- Division of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Enzyme Research, Tokushima University, Tokushima, Japan
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35
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Yasumizu Y, Ohkura N, Murata H, Kinoshita M, Funaki S, Nojima S, Kido K, Kohara M, Motooka D, Okuzaki D, Suganami S, Takeuchi E, Nakamura Y, Takeshima Y, Arai M, Tada S, Okumura M, Morii E, Shintani Y, Sakaguchi S, Okuno T, Mochizuki H. Myasthenia gravis-specific aberrant neuromuscular gene expression by medullary thymic epithelial cells in thymoma. Nat Commun 2022; 13:4230. [PMID: 35869073 PMCID: PMC9305039 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-31951-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2021] [Accepted: 07/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
AbstractMyasthenia gravis (MG) is a neurological disease caused by autoantibodies against neuromuscular-associated proteins. While MG frequently develops in thymoma patients, the etiologic factors for MG are not well understood. Here, by constructing a comprehensive atlas of thymoma using bulk and single-cell RNA-sequencing, we identify ectopic expression of neuromuscular molecules in MG-type thymoma. These molecules are found within a distinct subpopulation of medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs), which we name neuromuscular mTECs (nmTECs). MG-thymoma also exhibits microenvironments dedicated to autoantibody production, including ectopic germinal center formation, T follicular helper cell accumulation, and type 2 conventional dendritic cell migration. Cell–cell interaction analysis also predicts the interaction between nmTECs and T/B cells via CXCL12-CXCR4. The enrichment of nmTECs presenting neuromuscular molecules within MG-thymoma is further confirmed immunohistochemically and by cellular composition estimation from the MG-thymoma transcriptome. Altogether, this study suggests that nmTECs have a significant function in MG pathogenesis via ectopic expression of neuromuscular molecules.
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36
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White AJ, Parnell SM, Handel A, Maio S, Bacon A, Cosway EJ, Lucas B, James KD, Cowan JE, Jenkinson WE, Hollander GA, Anderson G. Diversity in Cortical Thymic Epithelial Cells Occurs through Loss of a Foxn1-Dependent Gene Signature Driven by Stage-Specific Thymocyte Cross-Talk. JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY (BALTIMORE, MD. : 1950) 2022; 210:ji2200609. [PMID: 36427001 PMCID: PMC9772400 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.2200609] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2022] [Accepted: 10/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
In the thymus, cortical thymic epithelial cells (cTECs) and medullary thymic epithelial cells support αβT cell development from lymphoid progenitors. For cTECs, expression of a specialized gene signature that includes Cxcl12, Dll4, and Psmb11 enables the cortex to support T lineage commitment and the generation and selection of CD4+CD8+ thymocytes. Although the importance of cTECs in T cell development is well defined, mechanisms that shape the cTEC compartment and regulate its functional specialization are unclear. Using a Cxcl12DsRed reporter mouse model, we show that changes in Cxcl12 expression reveal a developmentally regulated program of cTEC heterogeneity. Although cTECs are uniformly Cxcl12DsRed+ during neonatal stages, progression through postnatal life triggers the appearance of Cxcl12DsRed- cTECs that continue to reside in the cortex alongside their Cxcl12DsRed+ counterparts. This appearance of Cxcl12DsRed- cTECs is controlled by maturation of CD4-CD8-, but not CD4+CD8+, thymocytes, demonstrating that stage-specific thymocyte cross-talk controls cTEC heterogeneity. Importantly, although fate-mapping experiments show both Cxcl12DsRed+ and Cxcl12DsRed- cTECs share a common Foxn1+ cell origin, RNA sequencing analysis shows Cxcl12DsRed- cTECs no longer express Foxn1, which results in loss of the FOXN1-dependent cTEC gene signature and may explain the reduced capacity of Cxcl12DsRed- cTECs for thymocyte interactions. In summary, our study shows that shaping of the cTEC compartment during the life course occurs via stage-specific thymocyte cross-talk, which drives loss of Foxn1 expression and its key target genes, which may then determine the functional competence of the thymic cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea J. White
- Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Sonia M. Parnell
- Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Adam Handel
- Department of Paediatrics and Institute of Developmental and Regenerative Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Stefano Maio
- Department of Paediatrics and Institute of Developmental and Regenerative Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Andrea Bacon
- Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Emilie J. Cosway
- Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Beth Lucas
- Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Kieran D. James
- Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Jennifer E. Cowan
- Division of Infection and Immunity, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - William E. Jenkinson
- Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Georg A. Hollander
- Department of Paediatrics and Institute of Developmental and Regenerative Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Paediatric Immunology, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel and University Children’s Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland; and
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Graham Anderson
- Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
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37
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Xu L, Wei C, Chen Y, Wu Y, Shou X, Chen W, Lu D, Sun H, Li W, Yu B, Wang X, Zhang X, Yu Y, Lei Z, Tang R, Zhu J, Li Y, Lu L, Zhou H, Zhou S, Su C, Chen X. IL-33 induces thymic involution-associated naive T cell aging and impairs host control of severe infection. Nat Commun 2022; 13:6881. [PMID: 36371464 PMCID: PMC9653498 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-34660-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2022] [Accepted: 11/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Severe infection commonly results in immunosuppression, which leads to impaired pathogen clearance or increased secondary infection in both humans and animals. However, the exact mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that IL-33 results in immunosuppression by inducing thymic involution-associated naive T cell dysfunction with aberrant expression of aging-associated genes and impairs host control of infection in mouse disease models of schistosomiasis or sepsis. Furthermore, we illustrate that IL-33 triggers the excessive generation of medullary thymic epithelial cell (mTEC) IV (thymic tuft cells) in a Pou2f3-dependent manner, as a consequence, disturbs mTEC/cortical TEC (cTEC) compartment and causes thymic involution during severe infection. More importantly, IL-33 deficiency, the anti-IL-33 neutralizing antibody treatment, or IL-33 receptor ST2 deficient thymus transplantation rescues T cell immunity to better control infection in mice. Our findings not only uncover a link between severe infection-induced IL-33 and thymic involution-mediated naive T cell aging, but also suggest that targeting IL-33 or ST2 is a promising strategy to rejuvenate T cell immunity to better control severe infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Xu
- grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Pathogen Biology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166 P. R. China ,grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984State Key Lab of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166 P. R. China ,grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984Department of Pathogen Biology and Immunology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166 P. R. China ,grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984Center for Global Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166 P. R. China ,grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984Department of Respiratory, Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210006 P. R. China ,grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984Department of Clinical Laboratory, Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210006 P. R. China
| | - Chuan Wei
- grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Pathogen Biology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166 P. R. China ,grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984State Key Lab of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166 P. R. China ,grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984Department of Pathogen Biology and Immunology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166 P. R. China ,grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984Center for Global Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166 P. R. China
| | - Ying Chen
- grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Pathogen Biology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166 P. R. China ,grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984State Key Lab of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166 P. R. China ,grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984Department of Pathogen Biology and Immunology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166 P. R. China ,grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984Center for Global Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166 P. R. China
| | - Yue Wu
- grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Pathogen Biology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166 P. R. China ,grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984State Key Lab of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166 P. R. China ,grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984Department of Pathogen Biology and Immunology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166 P. R. China ,grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984Center for Global Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166 P. R. China
| | - Xiaoli Shou
- grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Pathogen Biology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166 P. R. China ,grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984State Key Lab of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166 P. R. China ,grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984Department of Pathogen Biology and Immunology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166 P. R. China ,grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984Center for Global Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166 P. R. China
| | - Wenjie Chen
- grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Pathogen Biology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166 P. R. China ,grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984State Key Lab of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166 P. R. China ,grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984Department of Pathogen Biology and Immunology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166 P. R. China ,grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984Center for Global Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166 P. R. China
| | - Di Lu
- grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Pathogen Biology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166 P. R. China ,grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984State Key Lab of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166 P. R. China ,grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984Department of Pathogen Biology and Immunology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166 P. R. China ,grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984Center for Global Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166 P. R. China
| | - Haoran Sun
- grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Pathogen Biology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166 P. R. China ,grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984State Key Lab of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166 P. R. China ,grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984Department of Pathogen Biology and Immunology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166 P. R. China ,grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984Center for Global Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166 P. R. China
| | - Wei Li
- grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984Department of Clinical Laboratory, Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210006 P. R. China
| | - Beibei Yu
- grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Pathogen Biology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166 P. R. China ,grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984State Key Lab of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166 P. R. China ,grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984Department of Pathogen Biology and Immunology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166 P. R. China ,grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984Center for Global Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166 P. R. China
| | - Xiaowei Wang
- grid.452511.6Department of Blood Transfusion, Children’s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210008 P. R. China
| | - Xiaojun Zhang
- grid.452511.6Imaging Center, Children’s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210008 P. R. China
| | - Yanxiong Yu
- grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Pathogen Biology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166 P. R. China ,grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984State Key Lab of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166 P. R. China ,grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984Department of Pathogen Biology and Immunology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166 P. R. China ,grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984Center for Global Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166 P. R. China
| | - Zhigang Lei
- grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Pathogen Biology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166 P. R. China ,grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984State Key Lab of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166 P. R. China ,grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984Department of Pathogen Biology and Immunology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166 P. R. China ,grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984Center for Global Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166 P. R. China
| | - Rui Tang
- grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Pathogen Biology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166 P. R. China ,grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984State Key Lab of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166 P. R. China ,grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984Department of Pathogen Biology and Immunology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166 P. R. China ,grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984Center for Global Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166 P. R. China
| | - Jifeng Zhu
- grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Pathogen Biology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166 P. R. China ,grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984State Key Lab of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166 P. R. China ,grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984Department of Pathogen Biology and Immunology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166 P. R. China ,grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984Center for Global Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166 P. R. China
| | - Yalin Li
- grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Pathogen Biology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166 P. R. China ,grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984State Key Lab of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166 P. R. China ,grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984Department of Pathogen Biology and Immunology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166 P. R. China ,grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984Center for Global Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166 P. R. China
| | - Linrong Lu
- grid.13402.340000 0004 1759 700XInstitute of Immunology, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058 P. R. China
| | - Hong Zhou
- grid.186775.a0000 0000 9490 772XDepartment of Cell Biology, School of Life Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032 P. R. China
| | - Sha Zhou
- grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Pathogen Biology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166 P. R. China ,grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984State Key Lab of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166 P. R. China ,grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984Department of Pathogen Biology and Immunology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166 P. R. China ,grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984Center for Global Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166 P. R. China
| | - Chuan Su
- grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Pathogen Biology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166 P. R. China ,grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984State Key Lab of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166 P. R. China ,grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984Department of Pathogen Biology and Immunology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166 P. R. China ,grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984Center for Global Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166 P. R. China
| | - Xiaojun Chen
- grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Pathogen Biology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166 P. R. China ,grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984State Key Lab of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166 P. R. China ,grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984Department of Pathogen Biology and Immunology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166 P. R. China ,grid.89957.3a0000 0000 9255 8984Center for Global Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211166 P. R. China
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38
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Abstract
The microenvironment of the thymus is composed of a group of stromal cells that include endoderm-derived thymic epithelial cells (TECs) and mesenchymal stromal cells such as fibroblasts and serves as a site for the development of T cells. TECs are known to play an essential role in T cell differentiation and selection. Mesenchymal stromal cells have been less studied in terms of their immunological significance compared to TECs. Recently, new technologies have made it possible to identify and characterize mesenchymal stromal cells in the thymus, revealing their unique functions in thymic organogenesis and T cell development. This review outlines the current views on mesenchymal stromal cells in the thymus, particularly highlighting the newly discovered function of thymic fibroblasts in T cell repertoire selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takeshi Nitta
- grid.26999.3d0000 0001 2151 536XDepartment of Immunology, Graduate School of Medicine and Faculty of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
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39
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Postoak JL, Song W, Yang G, Guo X, Xiao S, Saffold CE, Zhang J, Joyce S, Manley NR, Wu L, Van Kaer L. Thymic epithelial cells require lipid kinase Vps34 for CD4 but not CD8 T cell selection. J Exp Med 2022; 219:e20212554. [PMID: 35997680 PMCID: PMC9402993 DOI: 10.1084/jem.20212554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2021] [Revised: 06/22/2022] [Accepted: 08/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
Abstract
The generation of a functional, self-tolerant T cell receptor (TCR) repertoire depends on interactions between developing thymocytes and antigen-presenting thymic epithelial cells (TECs). Cortical TECs (cTECs) rely on unique antigen-processing machinery to generate self-peptides specialized for T cell positive selection. In our current study, we focus on the lipid kinase Vps34, which has been implicated in autophagy and endocytic vesicle trafficking. We show that loss of Vps34 in TECs causes profound defects in the positive selection of the CD4 T cell lineage but not the CD8 T cell lineage. Utilizing TCR sequencing, we show that T cell selection in conditional mutants causes altered repertoire properties including reduced clonal sharing. cTECs from mutant mice display an increased abundance of invariant chain intermediates bound to surface MHC class II molecules, indicating altered antigen processing. Collectively, these studies identify lipid kinase Vps34 as an important contributor to the repertoire of selecting ligands processed and presented by TECs to developing CD4 T cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- J. Luke Postoak
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN
| | - Wenqiang Song
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN
| | - Guan Yang
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN
| | - Xingyi Guo
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN
| | - Shiyun Xiao
- Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA
| | - Cherie E. Saffold
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN
| | - Jianhua Zhang
- Department of Pathology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL
- Birmingham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Birmingham, AL
| | - Sebastian Joyce
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN
- Department of Veterans Affairs, Tennessee Valley Healthcare System, Nashville, TN
| | | | - Lan Wu
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN
| | - Luc Van Kaer
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN
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40
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Human thymoma-associated mutation of the GTF2I transcription factor impairs thymic epithelial progenitor differentiation in mice. Commun Biol 2022; 5:1037. [PMID: 36175547 PMCID: PMC9522929 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-04002-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2022] [Accepted: 09/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Few human tumours present with a recurrent pathognomonic mutation in a transcription factor. Thymomas are an exception, with the majority of some subtypes exhibiting a distinct somatically acquired missense mutation in the general transcription factor GTF2I. Co-dominant expression of wild-type and mutated forms of Gtf2i in the mouse thymic epithelium is associated with aberrant thymic architecture and reduced thymopoietic activity. Phenotypic and molecular characterization of the mutant epithelium indicates that medullary differentiation is particularly affected as a result of impaired differentiation of bi-potent epithelial progenitors. The resulting gene expression signature is dominated by that of immature cortex-like thymic epithelial cells. TCR repertoire analysis of the cytopenic T cell compartment indicates efficient intrathymic selection; hence, despite marked homeostatic proliferation of T cell clones, autoimmunity is not observed. Thus, our transgenic mouse model recapitulates some aspects of the pathophysiology of a genetically defined type of human thymoma. Thymic architecture and T cell repertoire analysis of a mouse model for thymoma and the role of the transcription factor GTF2I shows suitability of this model to recapitulate human thymomas and a severe effect of Gtf2i mutations on the medullary compartment.
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41
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The immune landscape of human thymic epithelial tumors. Nat Commun 2022; 13:5463. [PMID: 36115836 PMCID: PMC9482639 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-33170-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2021] [Accepted: 09/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Human thymic epithelial tumors (TET) are common malignancies in the anterior mediastinum with limited biological understanding. Here we show, by single cell analysis of the immune landscape, that the developmental pattern of intra-tumoral T-cells identify three types within TETs. We characterize the developmental alterations and TCR repertoires of tumor-infiltrating T cells in the context of the distinguishing epithelial tumor cell types. We demonstrate that a subset of tumor cells, featuring medullary thymic epithelial cell (TEC) phenotype and marked by KRT14/GNB3 expression, accumulate in type 1 TETs, while T-cell positive selection is inhibited. Type 2 TETs are dominated by CCL25+ cortical TEC-like cells that appear to promote T-cell positive selection. Interestingly, the CHI3L1+ medullary TEC-like cells that are the characteristic feature of type 3 TETs don’t seem to support T-cell development, however, they may induce a tissue-resident CD8+ T cell response. In summary, our work suggests that the molecular subtype of epithelial tumour cells in TETs determine their tumour immune microenvironment, thus GNB3 and CHI3L1 might predict the immunological behavior and hence prognosis of these tumours. Thymic epithelial tumours represent a heterogenous group of malignancies with varied immune cell infiltration and prognosis. Here authors systematically analyze the phenotypes of both epithelial and immune cells that form these tumours, and identify three major subtypes with different T cell involvement that might affect prognosis.
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42
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Rubin SA, Baron CS, Pessoa Rodrigues C, Duran M, Corbin AF, Yang SP, Trapnell C, Zon LI. Single-cell analyses reveal early thymic progenitors and pre-B cells in zebrafish. J Exp Med 2022; 219:e20220038. [PMID: 35938989 PMCID: PMC9365674 DOI: 10.1084/jem.20220038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2022] [Revised: 06/11/2022] [Accepted: 07/06/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The zebrafish has proven to be a valuable model organism for studying hematopoiesis, but relatively little is known about zebrafish immune cell development and functional diversity. Elucidating key aspects of zebrafish lymphocyte development and exploring the breadth of effector functions would provide valuable insight into the evolution of adaptive immunity. We performed single-cell RNA sequencing on ∼70,000 cells from the zebrafish marrow and thymus to establish a gene expression map of zebrafish immune cell development. We uncovered rich cellular diversity in the juvenile and adult zebrafish thymus, elucidated B- and T-cell developmental trajectories, and transcriptionally characterized subsets of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells and early thymic progenitors. Our analysis permitted the identification of two dendritic-like cell populations and provided evidence in support of the existence of a pre-B cell state. Our results provide critical insights into the landscape of zebrafish immunology and offer a foundation for cellular and genetic studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara A. Rubin
- Stem Cell Program and Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children’s Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
- Department of Immunology, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
- Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology Department, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
| | - Chloé S. Baron
- Stem Cell Program and Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children’s Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
- Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology Department, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
| | - Cecilia Pessoa Rodrigues
- Stem Cell Program and Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children’s Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
- Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology Department, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
| | - Madeleine Duran
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
| | - Alexandra F. Corbin
- Stem Cell Program and Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children’s Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
| | - Song P. Yang
- Stem Cell Program and Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children’s Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
| | - Cole Trapnell
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
| | - Leonard I. Zon
- Stem Cell Program and Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children’s Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
- Department of Immunology, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
- Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology Department, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA
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43
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Axin2/Conductin Is Required for Normal Haematopoiesis and T Lymphopoiesis. Cells 2022; 11:cells11172679. [PMID: 36078085 PMCID: PMC9454631 DOI: 10.3390/cells11172679] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2022] [Revised: 08/23/2022] [Accepted: 08/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The development of T lymphocytes in the thymus and their stem cell precursors in the bone marrow is controlled by Wnt signaling in strictly regulated, cell-type specific dosages. In this study, we investigated levels of canonical Wnt signaling during hematopoiesis and T cell development within the Axin2-mTurquoise2 reporter. We demonstrate active Wnt signaling in hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and early thymocytes, but also in more mature thymic subsets and peripheral T lymphocytes. Thymic epithelial cells displayed particularly high Wnt signaling, suggesting an interesting crosstalk between thymocytes and thymic epithelial cells (TECs). Additionally, reporter mice allowed us to investigate the loss of Axin2 function, demonstrating decreased HSC repopulation upon transplantation and the partial arrest of early thymocyte development in Axin2Tg/Tg full mutant mice. Mechanistically, loss of Axin2 leads to supraphysiological Wnt levels that disrupt HSC differentiation and thymocyte development.
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44
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Kadouri N, Givony T, Nevo S, Hey J, Ben Dor S, Damari G, Dassa B, Dobes J, Weichenhan D, Bähr M, Paulsen M, Haffner-Krausz R, Mall MA, Plass C, Goldfarb Y, Abramson J. Transcriptional regulation of the thymus master regulator Foxn1. Sci Immunol 2022; 7:eabn8144. [PMID: 36026441 DOI: 10.1126/sciimmunol.abn8144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
FOXN1 is a transcription factor critical for the development of both thymic epithelial cell (TEC) and hair follicle cell (HFC) compartments. However, mechanisms controlling its expression remain poorly understood. To address this question, we performed thorough analyses of the evolutionary conservation and chromatin status of the Foxn1 locus in different tissues and states and identified several putative cis-regulatory regions unique to TECs versus HFCs. Furthermore, experiments using genetically modified mice with specific deletions in the Foxn1 locus and additional bioinformatic analyses helped us identify key regions and transcription factors involved in either positive or negative regulation of Foxn1 in both TECs and HFCs. Specifically, we identified SIX1 and FOXN1 itself as key factors inducing Foxn1 expression in embryonic and neonatal TECs. Together, our data provide important mechanistic insights into the transcriptional regulation of the Foxn1 gene in TEC versus HFC and highlight the role of FOXN1 in its autoregulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noam Kadouri
- Department of Immunology and Regenerative Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Tal Givony
- Department of Immunology and Regenerative Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Shir Nevo
- Department of Immunology and Regenerative Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Joschka Hey
- Division of Cancer Epigenomics, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany.,Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Shifra Ben Dor
- Bioinformatics Unit, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Golda Damari
- Department of Veterinary Resources, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Bareket Dassa
- Bioinformatics Unit, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Jan Dobes
- Department of Immunology and Regenerative Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Dieter Weichenhan
- Division of Cancer Epigenomics, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Marion Bähr
- Division of Cancer Epigenomics, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Michelle Paulsen
- Translational Lung Research Center Heidelberg (TLRC), German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Heidelberg, Germany.,Department of Translational Pulmonology, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | | | - Marcus A Mall
- Translational Lung Research Center Heidelberg (TLRC), German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Heidelberg, Germany.,Department of Translational Pulmonology, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.,Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Christoph Plass
- Division of Cancer Epigenomics, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Yael Goldfarb
- Department of Immunology and Regenerative Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Jakub Abramson
- Department of Immunology and Regenerative Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
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45
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Dong X, Liang Z, Zhang J, Zhang Q, Xu Y, Zhang Z, Zhang L, Zhang B, Zhao Y. Trappc1 deficiency impairs thymic epithelial cell development by breaking endoplasmic reticulum homeostasis. Eur J Immunol 2022; 52:1789-1804. [PMID: 35908180 DOI: 10.1002/eji.202249915] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2022] [Revised: 06/28/2022] [Accepted: 07/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Thymic epithelial cells (TECs) are important for T cell development and immune tolerance establishment. Although comprehensive molecular regulation of TEC development has been studied, the role of transport protein particle complexes (Trappcs) in TECs is not clear. Using TEC-specific homozygous or heterozygous Trappc1 deleted mice model, we found that Trappc1 deficiency caused severe thymus atrophy with decreased cell number and blocked maturation of TECs. Mice with a TEC-specific Trappc1 deletion show poor thymic T cell output and have a greater percentage of activated/memory T cells, suffered from spontaneous autoimmune disorders. Our RNA-seq and molecular studies indicated that the decreased endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and Golgi apparatus, enhanced unfolded protein response (UPR) and subsequent Atf4-CHOP-mediated apoptosis, and reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated ferroptosis coordinately contributed to the reduction of Trappc1-deleted TECs. Additionally, reduced Aire+ mTECs accompanied by the decreased expression of Irf4, Irf8, and Tbx21 in Trappc1 deficiency mTECs, may further coordinately block the tissue-restricted antigen expression. In this study, we reveal that Trappc1 plays an indispensable role in TEC development and maturation and provide evidence for the importance of inter-organelle traffic and ER homeostasis in TEC development. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xue Dong
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
| | - Zhanfeng Liang
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences.,Beijing Institute for Stem Cell and Regeneration
| | - Jiayu Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
| | - Qian Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
| | - Yanan Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
| | - Zhaoqi Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
| | - Lianfeng Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Human Diseases and Comparative Medicine, Ministry of Health, Institute of Laboratory Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences
| | - Baojun Zhang
- Department of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong University
| | - Yong Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences.,Beijing Institute for Stem Cell and Regeneration
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46
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Lagou MK, Anastasiadou DP, Karagiannis GS. A Proposed Link Between Acute Thymic Involution and Late Adverse Effects of Chemotherapy. Front Immunol 2022; 13:933547. [PMID: 35844592 PMCID: PMC9283860 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.933547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2022] [Accepted: 05/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Epidemiologic data suggest that cancer survivors tend to develop a protuberant number of adverse late effects, including second primary malignancies (SPM), as a result of cytotoxic chemotherapy. Besides the genotoxic potential of these drugs that directly inflict mutational burden on genomic DNA, the precise mechanisms contributing to SPM development are poorly understood. Cancer is nowadays perceived as a complex process that goes beyond the concept of genetic disease and includes tumor cell interactions with complex stromal and immune cell microenvironments. The cancer immunoediting theory offers an explanation for the development of nascent neoplastic cells. Briefly, the theory suggests that newly emerging tumor cells are mostly eliminated by an effective tissue immunosurveillance, but certain tumor variants may occasionally escape innate and adaptive mechanisms of immunological destruction, entering an equilibrium phase, where immunologic tumor cell death "equals" new tumor cell birth. Subsequent microenvironmental pressures and accumulation of helpful mutations in certain variants may lead to escape from the equilibrium phase, and eventually cause an overt neoplasm. Cancer immunoediting functions as a dedicated sentinel under the auspice of a highly competent immune system. This perspective offers the fresh insight that chemotherapy-induced thymic involution, which is characterized by the extensive obliteration of the sensitive thymic epithelial cell (TEC) compartment, can cause long-term defects in thymopoiesis and in establishment of diverse T cell receptor repertoires and peripheral T cell pools of cancer survivors. Such delayed recovery of T cell adaptive immunity may result in prolonged hijacking of the cancer immunoediting mechanisms, and lead to development of persistent and mortal infections, inflammatory disorders, organ-specific autoimmunity lesions, and SPMs. Acknowledging that chemotherapy-induced thymic involution is a potential risk factor for the emergence of SPM demarcates new avenues for the rationalized development of pharmacologic interventions to promote thymic regeneration in patients receiving cytoreductive chemotherapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria K. Lagou
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States
- Tumor Microenvironment and Metastasis Program, Albert Einstein Cancer Center, Bronx, NY, United States
| | - Dimitra P. Anastasiadou
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States
- Tumor Microenvironment and Metastasis Program, Albert Einstein Cancer Center, Bronx, NY, United States
| | - George S. Karagiannis
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States
- Tumor Microenvironment and Metastasis Program, Albert Einstein Cancer Center, Bronx, NY, United States
- Cancer Dormancy and Tumor Microenvironment Institute, Albert Einstein Cancer Center, Bronx, NY, United States
- Gruss-Lipper Biophotonics Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States
- Integrated Imaging Program, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States
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47
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Provin N, Giraud M. Differentiation of Pluripotent Stem Cells Into Thymic Epithelial Cells and Generation of Thymic Organoids: Applications for Therapeutic Strategies Against APECED. Front Immunol 2022; 13:930963. [PMID: 35844523 PMCID: PMC9277542 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.930963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2022] [Accepted: 05/26/2022] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The thymus is a primary lymphoid organ essential for the induction of central immune tolerance. Maturing T cells undergo several steps of expansion and selection mediated by thymic epithelial cells (TECs). In APECED and other congenital pathologies, a deficiency in genes that regulate TEC development or their ability to select non auto-reactive thymocytes results in a defective immune balance, and consequently in a general autoimmune syndrome. Restoration of thymic function is thus crucial for the emergence of curative treatments. The last decade has seen remarkable progress in both gene editing and pluripotent stem cell differentiation, with the emergence of CRISPR-based gene correction, the trivialization of reprogramming of somatic cells to induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSc) and their subsequent differentiation into multiple cellular fates. The combination of these two approaches has paved the way to the generation of genetically corrected thymic organoids and their use to control thymic genetic pathologies affecting self-tolerance. Here we review the recent advances in differentiation of iPSc into TECs and the ability of the latter to support a proper and efficient maturation of thymocytes into functional and non-autoreactive T cells. A special focus is given on thymus organogenesis and pathway modulation during iPSc differentiation, on the impact of the 2/3D structure on the generated TECs, and on perspectives for therapeutic strategies in APECED based on patient-derived iPSc corrected for AIRE gene mutations.
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48
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García-León MJ, Mosquera M, Cela C, Alcain J, Zuklys S, Holländer G, Toribio ML. Abrogation of Notch Signaling in Embryonic TECs Impacts Postnatal mTEC Homeostasis and Thymic Involution. Front Immunol 2022; 13:867302. [PMID: 35707539 PMCID: PMC9189879 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.867302] [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: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 04/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Notch signaling is crucial for fate specification and maturation of thymus-seeding progenitors along the T-cell lineage. Recent studies have extended the role of Notch signaling to thymic epithelial cells (TECs), showing that Notch regulates TEC progenitor maintenance and emergence of medullary TECs (mTECs) in fetal thymopoiesis. Based on immunohistochemistry studies of spatiotemporal regulation of Notch activation in the postnatal thymus, we show that in vivo Notch activation is not confined to fetal TECs. Rather, Notch signaling, likely mediated through the Notch1 receptor, is induced in postnatal cortical and medullary TECs, and increases significantly with age in the latter, in both humans and mice, suggesting a conserved role for Notch signaling in TEC homeostasis during thymus aging. To investigate the functional impact of Notch activation in postnatal TEC biology, we used a mouse model in which RPBJκ, the transcriptional effector of canonical Notch signaling, is deleted in epithelial cells, including TECs, under the control of the transcription factor Foxn1. Immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry analyses revealed no significant differences in TEC composition in mutant (RPBJκ-KOTEC) and wild-type (WT) littermate mice at early postnatal ages. However, a significant reduction of the medullary region was observed in mutant compared to WT older thymi, which was accompanied by an accelerated decrease of postnatal mTEC numbers. Also, we found that organization and integrity of the postnatal thymic medulla critically depends on activation of the canonical Notch signaling pathway, as abrogation of Notch signaling in TECs led to the disruption of the medullary thymic microenvironment and to an accelerated thymus atrophy. These features paralleled a significant increase in the proportion of intrathymic non-T lineage cells, mostly B cells, and a slight decrease of DP thymocyte numbers compatible with a compromised thymic function in mutant mice. Therefore, impaired Notch signaling induced in embryonic development impacts postnatal TECs and leads to an accelerated mTEC degeneration and a premature thymus involution. Collectively, our data have uncovered a new role for Notch1 signaling in the control of adult mTEC homeostasis, and point toward Notch signaling manipulation as a novel strategy for thymus regeneration and functional recovery from immunosenescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Jesús García-León
- Immune System Development and Function Unit, Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), Madrid, Spain
| | - Marta Mosquera
- Immune System Development and Function Unit, Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), Madrid, Spain
| | - Carmela Cela
- Immune System Development and Function Unit, Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), Madrid, Spain
| | - Juan Alcain
- Immune System Development and Function Unit, Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), Madrid, Spain
| | - Saulius Zuklys
- Department of Biomedicine and University Children's Hospital of Basel, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Georg Holländer
- Department of Biomedicine and University Children's Hospital of Basel, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.,Department of Paediatrics and the Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - María L Toribio
- Immune System Development and Function Unit, Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), Madrid, Spain
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49
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Březina J, Vobořil M, Filipp D. Mechanisms of Direct and Indirect Presentation of Self-Antigens in the Thymus. Front Immunol 2022; 13:926625. [PMID: 35774801 PMCID: PMC9237256 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.926625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2022] [Accepted: 05/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The inevitability of evolution of the adaptive immune system with its mechanism of randomly rearranging segments of the T cell receptor (TCR) gene is the generation of self-reactive clones. For the sake of prevention of autoimmunity, these clones must be eliminated from the pool of circulating T cells. This process occurs largely in the thymic medulla where the strength of affinity between TCR and self-peptide MHC complexes is the factor determining thymocyte fate. Thus, the display of self-antigens in the thymus by thymic antigen presenting cells, which are comprised of medullary thymic epithelial (mTECs) and dendritic cells (DCs), is fundamental for the establishment of T cell central tolerance. Whereas mTECs produce and present antigens in a direct, self-autonomous manner, thymic DCs can acquire these mTEC-derived antigens by cooperative antigen transfer (CAT), and thus present them indirectly. While the basic characteristics for both direct and indirect presentation of self-antigens are currently known, recent reports that describe the heterogeneity of mTEC and DC subsets, their presentation capacity, and the potentially non-redundant roles in T cell selection processes represents another level of complexity which we are attempting to unravel. In this review, we underscore the seminal studies relevant to these topics with an emphasis on new observations pertinent to the mechanism of CAT and its cellular trajectories underpinning the preferential distribution of thymic epithelial cell-derived self-antigens to specific subsets of DC. Identification of molecular determinants which control CAT would significantly advance our understanding of how the cellularly targeted presentation of thymic self-antigens is functionally coupled to the T cell selection process.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Dominik Filipp
- Laboratory of Immunobiology, Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czechia
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50
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Zhang Q, Zhang J, Lei T, Liang Z, Dong X, Sun L, Zhao Y. Sirt6-mediated epigenetic modification of DNA accessibility is essential for Pou2f3-induced thymic tuft cell development. Commun Biol 2022; 5:544. [PMID: 35668088 PMCID: PMC9170729 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-03484-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2021] [Accepted: 05/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
AbstractThymic epithelial cells (TECs) are essential for the production of self-tolerant T cells. The newly identified thymic tuft cells are regulated by Pou2f3 and represent important elements for host type 2 immunity. However, epigenetic involvement in thymic tuft cell development remains unclear. We performed single-cell ATAC-seq of medullary TEC (mTEC) and established single-cell chromatin accessibility profiling of mTECs. The results showed that mTEC III cells can be further divided into three groups (Late Aire 1, 2, and 3) and that thymic tuft cells may be derived from Late Aire 2 cells. Pou2f3 is expressed in both Late Aire 2 cells and thymic tuft cells, while Pou2f3-regulated genes are specifically expressed in thymic tuft cells with simultaneous opening of chromatin accessibility, indicating the involvement of epigenetic modification in this process. Using the epigenetic regulator Sirt6-defect mouse model, we found that Sirt6 deletion increased Late Aire 2 cells and decreased thymic tuft cells and Late Aire 3 cells without affecting Pou2f3 expression. However, Sirt6 deletion reduced the chromatin accessibility of Pou2f3-regulated genes in thymic tuft cells, which may be caused by Sirt6–mediated regulation of Hdac9 expression. These data indicate that epigenetic regulation is indispensable for Pou2f3-mediated thymic tuft cell development.
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