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Torstensson S, Ascani A, Risal S, Lu H, Zhao A, Espinosa A, Lindgren E, Johansson MH, Eriksson G, Barakat M, Karlsson MC, Svensson C, Benrick A, Stener‐Victorin E. Androgens Modulate the Immune Profile in a Mouse Model of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2024; 11:e2401772. [PMID: 38767114 PMCID: PMC11267352 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202401772] [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: 02/19/2024] [Revised: 04/30/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is associated with a low-grade inflammation, but it is unknown how hyperandrogenism, the hallmark of PCOS, affects the immune system. Using a PCOS-like mouse model, it is demonstrated that hyperandrogenism affects immune cell populations in reproductive, metabolic, and immunological tissues differently in a site-specific manner. Co-treatment with an androgen receptor antagonist prevents most of these alterations, demonstrating that these effects are mediated through androgen receptor activation. Dihydrotestosterone (DHT)-exposed mice displayed a drastically reduced eosinophil population in the uterus and visceral adipose tissue (VAT). A higher frequency of natural killer (NK) cells and elevated levels of IFN-γ and TNF-α are seen in uteri of androgen-exposed mice, while NK cells in VAT and spleen displayed a higher expression level of CD69, a marker of activation or tissue residency. Distinct alterations of macrophages in the uterus, ovaries, and VAT are also found in DHT-exposed mice and can potentially be linked to PCOS-like traits of the model. Indeed, androgen-exposed mice are insulin-resistant, albeit unaltered fat mass. Collectively, it is demonstrated that hyperandrogenism causes tissue-specific alterations of immune cells in reproductive organs and VAT, which can have considerable implications on tissue function and contribute to the reduced fertility and metabolic comorbidities associated with PCOS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Torstensson
- Department of Physiology and PharmacologyKarolinska InstitutetStockholm171 77Sweden
| | - Angelo Ascani
- Department of Internal MedicineMedical University of GrazAuenbruggerplaz 15Graz8036Austria
| | - Sanjiv Risal
- Department of Physiology and PharmacologyKarolinska InstitutetStockholm171 77Sweden
| | - Haojiang Lu
- Department of Physiology and PharmacologyKarolinska InstitutetStockholm171 77Sweden
| | - Allan Zhao
- Department of Physiology and PharmacologyKarolinska InstitutetStockholm171 77Sweden
| | - Alexander Espinosa
- Department of MedicineKarolinska InstitutetK2 Reuma Wahren‐Herlenius MStockholm171 77Sweden
| | - Eva Lindgren
- Department of Physiology and PharmacologyKarolinska InstitutetStockholm171 77Sweden
| | - Maria H. Johansson
- Department of MicrobiologyTumor and Cell BiologyKarolinska InstitutetStockholm171 77Sweden
| | - Gustaw Eriksson
- Department of Physiology and PharmacologyKarolinska InstitutetStockholm171 77Sweden
| | - Maya Barakat
- Department of Physiology and PharmacologyKarolinska InstitutetStockholm171 77Sweden
| | - Mikael C.I. Karlsson
- Department of MicrobiologyTumor and Cell BiologyKarolinska InstitutetStockholm171 77Sweden
| | - Camilla Svensson
- Department of Physiology and PharmacologyKarolinska InstitutetStockholm171 77Sweden
| | - Anna Benrick
- Department of PhysiologyInstitute of Neuroscience and PhysiologySahlgrenska AcademyUniversity of GothenburgBox 432Gothenburg40530Sweden
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Fujimori S, Ohigashi I. The role of thymic epithelium in thymus development and age-related thymic involution. THE JOURNAL OF MEDICAL INVESTIGATION 2024; 71:29-39. [PMID: 38735722 DOI: 10.2152/jmi.71.29] [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] [Indexed: 05/14/2024]
Abstract
The establishment of an adaptive immune system is critical for protecting our bodies from neoplastic cancers and invading pathogens such as viruses and bacteria. As a primary lymphoid organ, the thymus generates lymphoid T cells that play a major role in the adaptive immune system. T cell generation in the thymus is controlled by interactions between thymocytes and other thymic cells, primarily thymic epithelial cells. Thus, the normal development and function of thymic epithelial cells are important for the generation of immunocompetent and self-tolerant T cells. On the other hand, the degeneration of the thymic epithelium due to thymic aging causes thymic involution, which is associated with the decline of adaptive immune function. Herein we summarize basic and current knowledge of the development and function of thymic epithelial cells and the mechanism of thymic involution. J. Med. Invest. 71 : 29-39, February, 2024.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sayumi Fujimori
- Division of Experimental Immunology, Institute of Advanced Medical Sciences, Tokushima University, Tokushima, Japan
| | - Izumi Ohigashi
- Division of Experimental Immunology, Institute of Advanced Medical Sciences, Tokushima University, Tokushima, Japan
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Hoffmann JP, Liu JA, Seddu K, Klein SL. Sex hormone signaling and regulation of immune function. Immunity 2023; 56:2472-2491. [PMID: 37967530 DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2023.10.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2023] [Revised: 09/25/2023] [Accepted: 10/14/2023] [Indexed: 11/17/2023]
Abstract
Immune responses to antigens, including innocuous, self, tumor, microbial, and vaccine antigens, differ between males and females. The quest to uncover the mechanisms for biological sex differences in the immune system has intensified, with considerable literature pointing toward sex hormonal influences on immune cell function. Sex steroids, including estrogens, androgens, and progestins, have profound effects on immune function. As such, drastic changes in sex steroid concentrations that occur with aging (e.g., after puberty or during the menopause transition) or pregnancy impact immune responses and the pathogenesis of immune-related diseases. The effect of sex steroids on immunity involves both the concentration of the ligand and the density and distribution of genomic and nongenomic receptors that serve as transcriptional regulators of immune cellular responses to affect autoimmunity, allergy, infectious diseases, cancers, and responses to vaccines. The next frontier will be harnessing these effects of sex steroids to improve therapeutic outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph P Hoffmann
- W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Jennifer A Liu
- W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Kumba Seddu
- W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Sabra L Klein
- W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
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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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Polesso F, Caruso B, Hammond SA, Moran AE. Restored Thymic Output after Androgen Blockade Participates in Antitumor Immunity. JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY (BALTIMORE, MD. : 1950) 2023; 210:496-503. [PMID: 36548468 PMCID: PMC9898132 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.2200696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The thymus is a hormone-sensitive organ, which involutes with age in response to production of sex steroids. Thymic involution leads to a decrease in the generation of recent thymic emigrants (RTEs), resulting in a reduced response to immune challenges such as cancer. Interestingly, the standard of care for prostate cancer patients is androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), which leads to thymic regeneration and an increase in thymic output. It remains unknown whether these newly produced T cells can contribute to the antitumor immune response. This study defines the kinetics of thymic regeneration in response to ADT in mice, determining that thymic epithelial cell proliferation is critical for the increase in RTE output. Using a mouse model to track RTE in vivo, we demonstrate that these newly generated RTEs can traffic to tumors, where they become activated and produce effector cytokines at levels similar to more mature T cells. Collectively, these data suggest that RTEs produced from ADT-induced thymic regeneration could be harnessed for the antitumor immune response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fanny Polesso
- Cell, Developmental and Cancer Biology, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR
| | - Breanna Caruso
- Cell, Developmental and Cancer Biology, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR
| | - Scott A Hammond
- Discovery Biosciences, R&D Oncology, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, MD; and
| | - Amy E Moran
- Cell, Developmental and Cancer Biology, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR
- Knight Cancer Institute, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR
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Taves MD, Ashwell JD. Effects of sex steroids on thymic epithelium and thymocyte development. Front Immunol 2022; 13:975858. [PMID: 36119041 PMCID: PMC9478935 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.975858] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2022] [Accepted: 07/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Sex steroid hormones have major effects on the thymus. Age-related increases in androgens and estrogens and pregnancy-induced increases in progestins all cause dramatic thymic atrophy. Atrophy can also be induced by treatment with exogenous sex steroids and reversed by ablation of endogenous sex steroids. Although these observations are frequently touted as evidence of steroid lymphotoxicity, they are often driven by steroid signaling in thymic epithelial cells (TEC), which are highly steroid responsive. Here, we outline the effects of sex steroids on the thymus and T cell development. We focus on studies that have examined steroid signaling in vivo, aiming to emphasize the actions of endogenous steroids which, via TEC, have remarkable programming effects on the TCR repertoire. Due to the dramatic effects of steroids on TEC, especially thymic involution, the direct effects of sex steroid signaling in thymocytes are less well understood. We outline studies that could be important in addressing these possibilities, and highlight suggestive findings of sex steroid generation within the thymus itself.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew D. Taves
- Laboratory of Immune Cell Biology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
| | - Jonathan D. Ashwell
- Laboratory of Immune Cell Biology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
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Ikuta K, Ejima A, Abe S, Shimba A. Control of Immunity and Allergy by Steroid Hormones. Allergol Int 2022; 71:432-436. [PMID: 35973911 DOI: 10.1016/j.alit.2022.07.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2022] [Accepted: 07/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Steroid hormones, especially glucocorticoids, androgens, and estrogens, have profound influence on immunity. Recent studies using cell-type specific steroid hormone receptor-deficient mice have revealed the precise roles of some of these hormones in the immune system. Glucocorticoids are known to have strong anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive effects and pleiotropic effects on innate and adaptive immune responses. They suppress the production of inflammatory cytokines by macrophages and DCs and the production of IFN-γ by NK cells, thus inhibiting innate immunity. By contrast, glucocorticoids enhance the immune response by inducing the expression of IL-7R and CXCR4 in T cells and the accumulation of T cells in lymphoid organs in accordance with the diurnal change of the glucocorticoid concentration. Thus, glucocorticoids suppress innate immunity but enhance adaptive immunity. Androgens suppress the homeostasis and activation of ILC2s and the differentiation of Th2 and Th17 cells and enhance the suppressive function of Tregs, thereby alleviating allergic airway inflammation. Thus, these steroid hormones have pleiotropic functions in the immune system. Further investigations are awaited on the regulation of immunity and allergy by estrogens using cell-specific steroid hormone receptor-deficient mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Koichi Ikuta
- Laboratory of Immune Regulation, Department of Virus Research, Institute for Life and Medical Sciences, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
| | - Aki Ejima
- Laboratory of Immune Regulation, Department of Virus Research, Institute for Life and Medical Sciences, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan; Graduate School of Biostudies, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Shinya Abe
- Laboratory of Immune Regulation, Department of Virus Research, Institute for Life and Medical Sciences, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Akihiro Shimba
- Laboratory of Immune Regulation, Department of Virus Research, Institute for Life and Medical Sciences, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan; Human Health Sciences, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
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Cardinale A, De Luca CD, Locatelli F, Velardi E. Thymic Function and T-Cell Receptor Repertoire Diversity: Implications for Patient Response to Checkpoint Blockade Immunotherapy. Front Immunol 2021; 12:752042. [PMID: 34899700 PMCID: PMC8652142 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.752042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2021] [Accepted: 11/05/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The capacity of T cells to recognize and mount an immune response against tumor antigens depends on the large diversity of the T-cell receptor (TCR) repertoire generated in the thymus during the process of T-cell development. However, this process is dramatically impaired by immunological insults, such as that caused by cytoreductive cancer therapies and infections, and by the physiological decline of thymic function with age. Defective thymic function and a skewed TCR repertoire can have significant clinical consequences. The presence of an adequate pool of T cells capable of recognizing specific tumor antigens is a prerequisite for the success of cancer immunotherapy using checkpoint blockade therapy. However, while this approach has improved the chances of survival of patients with different types of cancer, a large proportion of them do not respond. The limited response rate to checkpoint blockade therapy may be linked to a suboptimal TCR repertoire in cancer patients prior to therapy. Here, we focus on the role of the thymus in shaping the T-cell pool in health and disease, discuss how the TCR repertoire influences patients’ response to checkpoint blockade therapy and highlight approaches able to manipulate thymic function to enhance anti-tumor immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonella Cardinale
- Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS), Rome, Italy
| | | | - Franco Locatelli
- Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS), Rome, Italy.,Department of Maternal and Child Health, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Enrico Velardi
- Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS), Rome, Italy
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Haunerdinger V, Moccia MD, Opitz L, Vavassori S, Dave H, Hauri-Hohl MM. Novel Combination of Surface Markers for the Reliable and Comprehensive Identification of Human Thymic Epithelial Cells by Flow Cytometry: Quantitation and Transcriptional Characterization of Thymic Stroma in a Pediatric Cohort. Front Immunol 2021; 12:740047. [PMID: 34659232 PMCID: PMC8514761 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.740047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2021] [Accepted: 09/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Thymic epithelial cells (TECs) are essential in supporting the development of mature T cells from hematopoietic progenitor cells and facilitate their lineage-commitment, proliferation, T-cell receptor repertoire selection and maturation. While animal model systems have greatly aided in elucidating the contribution of stromal cells to these intricate processes, human tissue has been more difficult to study, partly due to a lack of suitable surface markers comprehensively defining human TECs. Here, we conducted a flow cytometry based surface marker screen to reliably identify and quantify human TECs and delineate medullary from cortical subsets. These findings were validated by transcriptomic and histologic means. The combination of EpCAM, podoplanin (pdpn), CD49f and CD200 comprehensively identified human TECs and not only allowed their reliable distinction in medullary and cortical subsets but also their detailed quantitation. Transcriptomic profiling of each subset in comparison to fibroblasts and endothelial cells confirmed the identity of the different stromal cell subsets sorted according to the proposed strategy. Our dataset not only demonstrated transcriptional similarities between TEC and cells of mesenchymal origin but furthermore revealed a subset-specific distribution of a specific set of extracellular matrix-related genes in TECs. This indicates that TECs significantly contribute to the distinct compartmentalization - and thus function - of the human thymus. We applied the strategy to quantify TEC subsets in 31 immunologically healthy children, which revealed sex-specific differences of TEC composition early in life. As the distribution of mature CD4- or CD8-single-positive thymocytes was correspondingly altered, the composition of the thymic epithelial compartment may directly impact on the CD4-CD8-lineage choice of thymocytes. We prove that the plain, reliable strategy proposed here to comprehensively identify human TEC subpopulations by flow cytometry based on surface marker expression is suitable to determine their frequency and phenotype in health and disease and allows sorting of live cells for downstream analysis. Its use reaches from a reliable diagnostic tool for thymic biopsies to improved phenotypic characterization of thymic grafts intended for therapeutic use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronika Haunerdinger
- Division of Stem Cell Transplantation and Children's Research Center, University Children's Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Maria Domenica Moccia
- Functional Genomics Center Zurich, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Lennart Opitz
- Functional Genomics Center Zurich, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Stefano Vavassori
- Division of Immunology and Children's Research Center, University Children's Hospital, Pediatric Immunology, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Hitendu Dave
- Division of Congenital Cardiovascular Surgery, University Children's Hospital and Children's Research Centre, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Mathias M Hauri-Hohl
- Division of Stem Cell Transplantation and Children's Research Center, University Children's Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland
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