1
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Root SH, Matthews BG, Torreggiani E, Aguila HL, Kalajzic I. Hematopoietic and stromal DMP1-Cre labeled cells form a unique niche in the bone marrow. Sci Rep 2023; 13:22403. [PMID: 38104230 PMCID: PMC10725438 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-49713-x] [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: 08/05/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Skeletogenesis and hematopoiesis are interdependent. Niches form between cells of both lineages where microenvironmental cues support specific lineage commitment. Because of the complex topography of bone marrow (BM), the identity and function of cells within specialized niches has not been fully elucidated. Dentin Matrix Protein 1 (DMP1)-Cre mice have been utilized in bone studies as mature osteoblasts and osteocytes express DMP1. DMP1 has been identified in CXCL12+ cells and an undefined CD45+ population. We crossed DMP1-Cre with Ai9 reporter mice and analyzed the tdTomato+ (tdT+) population in BM and secondary hematopoietic organs. CD45+tdT+ express myeloid markers including CD11b and are established early in ontogeny. CD45+tdT+ cells phagocytose, respond to LPS and are radioresistant. Depletion of macrophages caused a significant decrease in tdT+CD11b+ myeloid populations. A subset of CD45+tdT+ cells may be erythroid island macrophages (EIM) which are depleted after G-CSF treatment. tdT+CXCL12+ cells are in direct contact with F4/80 macrophages, express RANKL and form a niche with B220+ B cells. A population of resident cells within the thymus are tdT+ and express myeloid markers and RANKL. In conclusion, in addition to targeting osteoblast/osteocytes, DMP1-Cre labels unique cell populations of macrophage and stromal cells within BM and thymus niches and expresses key microenvironmental factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sierra H Root
- Center for Regenerative Medicine and Skeletal Development, MC 3705, School of Dental Medicine, UConn Health, 263 Farmington Ave, Farmington, CT, 06030, USA.
- Division of Pediatric Dentistry, MC1610, School of Dental Medicine, UConn Health, 263 Farmington Ave, Farmington, CT, 06030, USA.
| | - Brya G Matthews
- Center for Regenerative Medicine and Skeletal Development, MC 3705, School of Dental Medicine, UConn Health, 263 Farmington Ave, Farmington, CT, 06030, USA
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Elena Torreggiani
- Center for Regenerative Medicine and Skeletal Development, MC 3705, School of Dental Medicine, UConn Health, 263 Farmington Ave, Farmington, CT, 06030, USA
| | | | - Ivo Kalajzic
- Center for Regenerative Medicine and Skeletal Development, MC 3705, School of Dental Medicine, UConn Health, 263 Farmington Ave, Farmington, CT, 06030, USA.
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2
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Li H, Ren B, Yu S, Gao H, Sun PL. The clinicopathological significance of thymic epithelial markers expression in thymoma and thymic carcinoma. BMC Cancer 2023; 23:161. [PMID: 36797681 PMCID: PMC9936685 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-023-10619-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2022] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/18/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The classification of thymomas is based on the morphology of epithelial tumor cells and the proportion of lymphocytes. Type A thymomas are composed of the spindle or oval tumor epithelial cells. Tumor cells of B thymomas are epithelioid-shaped with increasing atypia. Type AB thymomas have the features of epithelial tumor cells of A and B thymomas. The diagnosis can be difficult because of the complex morphology. Some novel thymic epithelial markers have been reported in several preclinical studies, but they have not been applied to clinical practice. Here, we investigated the expression of 3 cortical and 3 medullary markers, which are thymoproteasome-specific subunit β5t (β5t), thymus-specific serine protease 16 (PRSS16), cathepsin V, autoimmune regulator (AIRE), CD40 and claudin-4. METHODS Immunohistochemistry was used to analyze 53 cases of thymomas and thymic squamous cell carcinomas (TSCC), aiming to explore the expression of cortical and medullary epithelial markers and their correlation with histological classification, Masaoka-Koga stage, and prognosis. RESULTS Our results found that for cortical epithelial markers the expression of β5t, PRSS16, and cathepsin V was higher in type AB and B thymomas than in micronodular thymoma with lymphoid stroma (MNT), and we observed a dramatic increase of β5t and PRSS16 expression in type AB compared to type A thymomas. In medullary epithelial markers, the expression of AIRE was higher in type A than in B3 thymomas. CD40 and β5t expression were associated with the Masaoka-Koga stage. High cathepsin V expression was related to a good prognosis and a longer progression-free survival. CONCLUSION This is the first comprehensive analysis of the role of thymic cortical and medullary epithelial markers as biomarkers for differential diagnosis and prognosis in thymic tumors. Thymic medullary epithelial immunophenotype was found to exhibit in type A, MNT, and TSCC. Type B thymomas primarily exhibited a cortical epithelial immunophenotype. Type AB thymomas showed cortical, medullary, or mixed corticomedullary epithelial immunophenotype. Our results demonstrated that thymic cortical and medullary epithelial markers including β5t, PRSS16, cathepsin V, and AIRE could be used as ancillary markers in the diagnosis and prognosis of thymic epithelial tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huiyang Li
- grid.452829.00000000417660726Department of Pathology, The Second Hospital of Jilin University, 218 Ziqiang Road, 130041 Changchun, Jilin China
| | - Bo Ren
- grid.452829.00000000417660726Department of Pathology, The Second Hospital of Jilin University, 218 Ziqiang Road, 130041 Changchun, Jilin China
| | - Shili Yu
- grid.452829.00000000417660726Department of Pathology, The Second Hospital of Jilin University, 218 Ziqiang Road, 130041 Changchun, Jilin China
| | - Hongwen Gao
- grid.452829.00000000417660726Department of Pathology, The Second Hospital of Jilin University, 218 Ziqiang Road, 130041 Changchun, Jilin China
| | - Ping-Li Sun
- Department of Pathology, The Second Hospital of Jilin University, 218 Ziqiang Road, 130041, Changchun, Jilin, China.
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3
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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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4
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Morimoto J, Matsumoto M, Miyazawa R, Yoshida H, Tsuneyama K, Matsumoto M. Aire suppresses CTLA-4 expression from the thymic stroma to control autoimmunity. Cell Rep 2022; 38:110384. [PMID: 35172142 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2021] [Revised: 06/08/2021] [Accepted: 01/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Impaired production of thymic regulatory T cells (Tregs) is implicated in the development of Aire-dependent autoimmunity. Because Tregs require agonistic T cell receptor stimuli by self-antigens to develop, reduced expression of self-antigens from medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs) has been considered to play a major role in the reduced Treg production in Aire deficiency. Here, we show that mTECs abnormally express co-inhibitory receptor CTLA-4 if Aire is non-functional. Upon binding with CD80/CD86 ligands expressed on thymic dendritic cells (DCs), the ectopically expressed CTLA-4 from Aire-deficient mTECs removes the CD80/CD86 ligands from the DCs. This attenuates the ability of DCs to provide co-stimulatory signals and to present self-antigens transferred from mTECs, both of which are required for Treg production. Accordingly, impaired production of Tregs and organ-specific autoimmunity in Aire-deficient mice are rescued by the depletion of CTLA-4 expression from mTECs. Our studies illuminate the significance of mTEC-DC interaction coordinated by Aire for the establishment of thymic tolerance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junko Morimoto
- Division of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Enzyme Research, Tokushima University, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan
| | - Minoru Matsumoto
- Division of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Enzyme Research, Tokushima University, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan; Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Tokushima University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan
| | - Ryuichiro Miyazawa
- Division of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Enzyme Research, Tokushima University, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan
| | - Hideyuki Yoshida
- YCI Laboratory for Immunological Transcriptomics, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Science, Yokohama 230-0045, Japan
| | - Koichi Tsuneyama
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Tokushima University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan
| | - Mitsuru Matsumoto
- Division of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Enzyme Research, Tokushima University, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan.
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5
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Ferreirinha P, Ribeiro C, Morimoto J, Landry JJM, Matsumoto M, Meireles C, White AJ, Ohigashi I, Araújo L, Benes V, Takahama Y, Anderson G, Matsumoto M, Alves NL. A novel method to identify Post-Aire stages of medullary thymic epithelial cell differentiation. Eur J Immunol 2021; 51:311-318. [PMID: 32845012 PMCID: PMC7891440 DOI: 10.1002/eji.202048764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2020] [Revised: 07/14/2020] [Accepted: 08/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Autoimmune regulator+ (Aire) medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs) play a critical role in tolerance induction. Several studies demonstrated that Aire+ mTECs differentiate further into Post-Aire cells. Yet, the identification of terminal stages of mTEC maturation depends on unique fate-mapping mouse models. Herein, we resolve this limitation by segmenting the mTEChi (MHCIIhi CD80hi ) compartment into mTECA/hi (CD24- Sca1- ), mTECB/hi (CD24+ Sca1- ), and mTECC/hi (CD24+ Sca1+ ). While mTECA/hi included mostly Aire-expressing cells, mTECB/hi contained Aire+ and Aire- cells and mTECC/hi were mainly composed of cells lacking Aire. The differential expression pattern of Aire led us to investigate the precursor-product relationship between these subsets. Strikingly, transcriptomic analysis of mTECA/hi , mTECB/hi , and mTECC/hi sequentially mirrored the specific genetic program of Early-, Late- and Post-Aire mTECs. Corroborating their Post-Aire nature, mTECC/hi downregulated the expression of tissue-restricted antigens, acquired traits of differentiated keratinocytes, and were absent in Aire-deficient mice. Collectively, our findings reveal a new and simple blueprint to survey late stages of mTEC differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro Ferreirinha
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde (I3S)Universidade do PortoPortoPortugal
- Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular (IBMC)Universidade do PortoPortoPortugal
| | - Camila Ribeiro
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde (I3S)Universidade do PortoPortoPortugal
- Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular (IBMC)Universidade do PortoPortoPortugal
| | - Junko Morimoto
- Division of Molecular ImmunologyInstitute for Enzyme ResearchTokushima UniversityTokushimaJapan
| | | | - Minoru Matsumoto
- Division of Molecular ImmunologyInstitute for Enzyme ResearchTokushima UniversityTokushimaJapan
| | - Catarina Meireles
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde (I3S)Universidade do PortoPortoPortugal
| | - Andrea J. White
- Institute of Immunology and ImmunotherapyCollege of Medical and Dental SciencesMedical SchoolUniversity of BirminghamBirminghamUK
| | - Izumi Ohigashi
- Division of Experimental ImmunologyInstitute of Advanced Medical SciencesUniversity of TokushimaTokushimaJapan
| | - Leonor Araújo
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde (I3S)Universidade do PortoPortoPortugal
- Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular (IBMC)Universidade do PortoPortoPortugal
| | - Vladimir Benes
- Genomics Core FacilityEuropean Molecular Biology LaboratoryHeidelbergGermany
| | | | - Graham Anderson
- Institute of Immunology and ImmunotherapyCollege of Medical and Dental SciencesMedical SchoolUniversity of BirminghamBirminghamUK
| | - Mitsuru Matsumoto
- Division of Molecular ImmunologyInstitute for Enzyme ResearchTokushima UniversityTokushimaJapan
| | - Nuno L. Alves
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde (I3S)Universidade do PortoPortoPortugal
- Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular (IBMC)Universidade do PortoPortoPortugal
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6
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Matsumoto M, Tsuneyama K, Morimoto J, Hosomichi K, Matsumoto M, Nishijima H. Tissue-specific autoimmunity controlled by Aire in thymic and peripheral tolerance mechanisms. Int Immunol 2020; 32:117-131. [PMID: 31586207 PMCID: PMC7005526 DOI: 10.1093/intimm/dxz066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2019] [Accepted: 10/02/2019] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Tissue-specific autoimmune diseases are assumed to arise through malfunction of two checkpoints for immune tolerance: defective elimination of autoreactive T cells in the thymus and activation of these T cells by corresponding autoantigens in the periphery. However, evidence for this model and the outcome of such alterations in each or both of the tolerance mechanisms have not been sufficiently investigated. We studied these issues by expressing human AIRE (huAIRE) as a modifier of tolerance function in NOD mice wherein the defects of thymic and peripheral tolerance together cause type I diabetes (T1D). Additive huAIRE expression in the thymic stroma had no major impact on the production of diabetogenic T cells in the thymus. In contrast, huAIRE expression in peripheral antigen-presenting cells (APCs) rendered the mice resistant to T1D, while maintaining other tissue-specific autoimmune responses and antibody production against an exogenous protein antigen, because of the loss of Xcr1+ dendritic cells, an essential component for activating diabetogenic T cells in the periphery. These results contrast with our recent demonstration that huAIRE expression in both the thymic stroma and peripheral APCs resulted in the paradoxical development of muscle-specific autoimmunity. Our results reveal that tissue-specific autoimmunity is differentially controlled by a combination of thymic function and peripheral tolerance, which can be manipulated by expression of huAIRE/Aire in each or both of the tolerance mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minoru Matsumoto
- Division of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Enzyme Research, Tokushima University, Tokushima, Japan
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Tokushima University Graduate School, Tokushima, Japan
| | - Koichi Tsuneyama
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Tokushima University Graduate School, Tokushima, Japan
| | - Junko Morimoto
- Division of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Enzyme Research, Tokushima University, Tokushima, Japan
| | - Kazuyoshi Hosomichi
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kanazawa University, Ishikawa, Japan
| | - Mitsuru Matsumoto
- Division of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Enzyme Research, Tokushima University, Tokushima, Japan
| | - Hitoshi Nishijima
- Division of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Enzyme Research, Tokushima University, Tokushima, Japan
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7
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Ribeiro C, Alves NL, Ferreirinha P. Medullary thymic epithelial cells: Deciphering the functional diversity beyond promiscuous gene expression. Immunol Lett 2019; 215:24-27. [PMID: 30853502 DOI: 10.1016/j.imlet.2019.01.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2019] [Revised: 01/28/2019] [Accepted: 01/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Within the thymus, cortical and medullary thymic epithelial cells (cTECs and mTECs, respectively) provide unique microenvironments for the development of T cells that are responsive to diverse foreign antigens while self-tolerant. Essential for tolerance induction, mTECs play a critical role in negative selection and T regulatory cell differentiation. In this article, we review the current knowledge on the functional diversity within mTECs and discuss how these novel subsets contribute to tolerance induction and are integrated in the complex blueprint of mTEC differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camila Ribeiro
- i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Portugal; IBMC - Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, Portugal
| | - Nuno L Alves
- i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Portugal; IBMC - Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, Portugal
| | - Pedro Ferreirinha
- i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Portugal; IBMC - Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, Portugal.
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8
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Kijimoto-Ochiai S, Kamimura K, Koda T. Neu-medullocytes, sialidase-positive B cells in the thymus, express autoimmune regulator (AIRE). Sci Rep 2019; 9:858. [PMID: 30696872 PMCID: PMC6351566 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-37225-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2018] [Accepted: 12/04/2018] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Neu-medullocytes, which were previously identified and named by our group, are sialidase (neuraminidase)-positive B cells that express immunoglobulin and Mac-1 in the mouse thymus. Recently, B cells that migrated into the thymus were reported to express autoimmune regulator (AIRE) and to contribute to self-tolerance. We sought to determine whether Neu-medullocytes also express AIRE. We obtained positive results by triple staining Neu-medullocytes for in situ sialidase activity, anti-AIRE, and either anti-IgG or anti-IgM antibodies and observing the staining with confocal microscopy. Additional molecules including CD5, IgM, major histocompatibility complex (MHC) Class II, and neuraminidase 1 (NEU1) were found in sialidase-positive cells independently. The real-time PCR results suggest that the primary sialidase in AIRE-positive cells is neuraminidase 2 (NEU2). Furthermore, some of the AIRE-positive medullary thymic epithelial cells also clearly showed sialidase activity when a triple staining of sialidase activity, anti-AIRE, and Ulex europaeus agglutinin-1 (UEA-1) was performed. Neu-medullocytes may present Aire-dependent antigens for negative selection. We discuss the negative selection steps in consideration of sialidases and sialic acids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shigeko Kijimoto-Ochiai
- Faculty of Advanced Life Science, Hokkaido University, N21 W11, Kitaku, Sapporo, 001-0021, Japan.
- Life Space COSMOS, Hirosaki, 036-8222, Japan.
| | - Keiko Kamimura
- Faculty of Advanced Life Science, Hokkaido University, N21 W11, Kitaku, Sapporo, 001-0021, Japan
| | - Toshiaki Koda
- Faculty of Advanced Life Science, Hokkaido University, N21 W11, Kitaku, Sapporo, 001-0021, Japan.
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9
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Fergusson JR, Morgan MD, Bruchard M, Huitema L, Heesters BA, van Unen V, van Hamburg JP, van der Wel NN, Picavet D, Koning F, Tas SW, Anderson MS, Marioni JC, Holländer GA, Spits H. Maturing Human CD127+ CCR7+ PDL1+ Dendritic Cells Express AIRE in the Absence of Tissue Restricted Antigens. Front Immunol 2019; 9:2902. [PMID: 30692988 PMCID: PMC6340304 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.02902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2018] [Accepted: 11/27/2018] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Expression of the Autoimmune regulator (AIRE) outside of the thymus has long been suggested in both humans and mice, but the cellular source in humans has remained undefined. Here we identify AIRE expression in human tonsils and extensively analyzed these "extra-thymic AIRE expressing cells" (eTACs) using combinations of flow cytometry, CyTOF and single cell RNA-sequencing. We identified AIRE+ cells as dendritic cells (DCs) with a mature and migratory phenotype including high levels of antigen presenting molecules and costimulatory molecules, and specific expression of CD127, CCR7, and PDL1. These cells also possessed the ability to stimulate and re-stimulate T cells and displayed reduced responses to toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists compared to conventional DCs. While expression of AIRE was enriched within CCR7+CD127+ DCs, single-cell RNA sequencing revealed expression of AIRE to be transient, rather than stable, and associated with the differentiation to a mature phenotype. The role of AIRE in central tolerance induction within the thymus is well-established, however our study shows that AIRE expression within the periphery is not associated with an enriched expression of tissue-restricted antigens (TRAs). This unexpected finding, suggestive of wider functions of AIRE, may provide an explanation for the non-autoimmune symptoms of APECED patients who lack functional AIRE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joannah R. Fergusson
- Department of Experimental Immunology, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | | | - Melanie Bruchard
- Department of Experimental Immunology, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Leonie Huitema
- Department of Rheumatology & Clinical Immunology and Department of Experimental Immunology, Amsterdam Infection & Immunity Institute, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Amsterdam Rheumatology & immunology Center (ARC), Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Balthasar A. Heesters
- Department of Experimental Immunology, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | | | - Jan Piet van Hamburg
- Department of Rheumatology & Clinical Immunology and Department of Experimental Immunology, Amsterdam Infection & Immunity Institute, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Amsterdam Rheumatology & immunology Center (ARC), Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | | | - Daisy Picavet
- EMCA, Medical Biology, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Frits Koning
- Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Sander W. Tas
- Department of Rheumatology & Clinical Immunology and Department of Experimental Immunology, Amsterdam Infection & Immunity Institute, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Amsterdam Rheumatology & immunology Center (ARC), Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Mark S. Anderson
- UCSF Diabetes Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - John C. Marioni
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, United Kingdom
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory - European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Hinxton, United Kingdom
- Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Georg A. Holländer
- Laboratory of Developmental Immunology, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine and Department of Paediatrics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Hergen Spits
- Department of Experimental Immunology, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands
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10
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Morimoto J, Nishikawa Y, Kakimoto T, Furutani K, Kihara N, Matsumoto M, Tsuneyama K, Kozono Y, Kozono H, Hozumi K, Hosomichi K, Nishijima H, Matsumoto M. Aire Controls in Trans the Production of Medullary Thymic Epithelial Cells Expressing Ly-6C/Ly-6G. JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY (BALTIMORE, MD. : 1950) 2018; 201:3244-3257. [PMID: 30389776 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1800950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2018] [Accepted: 09/27/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs), which express a wide range of tissue-restricted Ags (TRAs), contribute to the establishment of self-tolerance by eliminating autoreactive T cells and/or inducing regulatory T cells. Aire controls a diverse set of TRAs within Aire-expressing cells by employing various transcriptional pathways. As Aire has a profound effect on transcriptomes of mTECs, including TRAs not only at the single-cell but also the population level, we suspected that Aire (Aire+ mTECs) might control the cellular composition of the thymic microenvironment. In this study, we confirmed that this is indeed the case by identifying a novel mTEC subset expressing Ly-6 family protein whose production was defective in Aire-deficient thymi. Reaggregated thymic organ culture experiments demonstrated that Aire did not induce the expression of Ly-6C/Ly-6G molecules from mTECs as Aire-dependent TRAs in a cell-intrinsic manner. Instead, Aire+ mTECs functioned in trans to maintain Ly-6C/Ly-6G+ mTECs. Thus, Aire not only controls TRA expression transcriptionally within the cell but also controls the overall composition of mTECs in a cell-extrinsic manner, thereby regulating the transcriptome from mTECs on a global scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junko Morimoto
- Division of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Enzyme Research, Tokushima University, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan
| | - Yumiko Nishikawa
- Division of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Enzyme Research, Tokushima University, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan
| | - Takumi Kakimoto
- Division of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Enzyme Research, Tokushima University, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan
- Student Lab, Tokushima University Faculty of Medicine, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan
| | - Kohei Furutani
- Division of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Enzyme Research, Tokushima University, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan
- Student Lab, Tokushima University Faculty of Medicine, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan
| | - Naoki Kihara
- Division of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Enzyme Research, Tokushima University, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan
- Student Lab, Tokushima University Faculty of Medicine, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan
| | - Minoru Matsumoto
- Division of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Enzyme Research, Tokushima University, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan
- Department of Molecular and Environmental Pathology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Tokushima Graduate School, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan
| | - Koichi Tsuneyama
- Department of Molecular and Environmental Pathology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Tokushima Graduate School, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan
| | - Yuko Kozono
- Research Institute for Biomedical Sciences, Tokyo University of Science, Chiba 278-0022, Japan
| | - Haruo Kozono
- Research Institute for Biomedical Sciences, Tokyo University of Science, Chiba 278-0022, Japan
| | - Katsuto Hozumi
- Department of Immunology, Tokai University School of Medicine, Isehara, Kanagawa 259-1193, Japan
| | - Kazuyoshi Hosomichi
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kanazawa University, Ishikawa 920-0934, Japan; and
| | - Hitoshi Nishijima
- Division of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Enzyme Research, Tokushima University, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan
| | - Mitsuru Matsumoto
- Division of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Enzyme Research, Tokushima University, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan;
- Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development-Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology, Tokyo 100-0004, Japan
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11
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Zhao B, Chang L, Fu H, Sun G, Yang W. The Role of Autoimmune Regulator (AIRE) in Peripheral Tolerance. J Immunol Res 2018; 2018:3930750. [PMID: 30255105 PMCID: PMC6142728 DOI: 10.1155/2018/3930750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2018] [Revised: 07/02/2018] [Accepted: 08/11/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Autoimmune regulator (AIRE), whose gene mutation is considered to be a causative factor of autoimmune polyglandular syndrome type 1 (APS1), is an important transcriptional regulator. Studies on the role of AIRE in the central immune system have demonstrated that AIRE can eliminate autoreactive T cells by regulating the expression of a series of tissue specific antigens promiscuously in medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs) and induce regulatory T cell (Treg) production to maintain central immune tolerance. However, the related research of AIRE in peripheral tolerance is few. In order to understand the current research progress on AIRE in peripheral tolerance, this review mainly focuses on the expression and distribution of AIRE in peripheral tissues and organs, and the role of AIRE in peripheral immune tolerance such as regulating Toll-like receptor (TLR) expression and the maturation status of antigen presenting cells (APCs), inducing T cell tolerance and differentiation. This review will show us that AIRE also plays an indispensable role in the periphery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bingjie Zhao
- Department of Immunology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, China
| | - Lu Chang
- Department of Immunology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, China
| | - Haiying Fu
- Department of Immunology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, China
| | - Guangyu Sun
- Department of Immunology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, China
| | - Wei Yang
- Department of Immunology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, China
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12
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Cheng M, Anderson MS. Thymic tolerance as a key brake on autoimmunity. Nat Immunol 2018; 19:659-664. [PMID: 29925986 PMCID: PMC6370479 DOI: 10.1038/s41590-018-0128-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2017] [Accepted: 02/20/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Although the thymus has long been recognized as a key organ for T cell selection, the intricate details linking these selection events to human autoimmunity have been challenging to decipher. Over the last two decades, there has been rapid progress in understanding the role of thymic tolerance mechanisms in autoimmunity through genetics. Here we review some of the recent progress in understanding key thymic tolerance processes that are critical for preventing autoimmune disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mickie Cheng
- Diabetes Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Mark S Anderson
- Diabetes Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
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13
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Abstract
About two decades ago, cloning of the autoimmune regulator (AIRE) gene materialized one of the most important actors on the scene of self-tolerance. Thymic transcription of genes encoding tissue-specific antigens (ts-ags) is activated by AIRE protein and embodies the essence of thymic self-representation. Pathogenic AIRE variants cause the autoimmune polyglandular syndrome type 1, which is a rare and complex disease that is gaining attention in research on autoimmunity. The animal models of disease, although not identically reproducing the human picture, supply fundamental information on mechanisms and extent of AIRE action: thanks to its multidomain structure, AIRE localizes to chromatin enclosing the target genes, binds to histones, and offers an anchorage to multimolecular complexes involved in initiation and post-initiation events of gene transcription. In addition, AIRE enhances mRNA diversity by favoring alternative mRNA splicing. Once synthesized, ts-ags are presented to, and cause deletion of the self-reactive thymocyte clones. However, AIRE function is not restricted to the activation of gene transcription. AIRE would control presentation and transfer of self-antigens for thymic cellular interplay: such mechanism is aimed at increasing the likelihood of engagement of the thymocytes that carry the corresponding T-cell receptors. Another fundamental role of AIRE in promoting self-tolerance is related to the development of thymocyte anergy, as thymic self-representation shapes at the same time the repertoire of regulatory T cells. Finally, AIRE seems to replicate its action in the secondary lymphoid organs, albeit the cell lineage detaining such property has not been fully characterized. Delineation of AIRE functions adds interesting data to the knowledge of the mechanisms of self-tolerance and introduces exciting perspectives of therapeutic interventions against the related diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberto Perniola
- Department of Pediatrics, Neonatal Intensive Care, Vito Fazzi Regional Hospital, Lecce, Italy
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14
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Passos GA, Speck‐Hernandez CA, Assis AF, Mendes‐da‐Cruz DA. Update on Aire and thymic negative selection. Immunology 2018; 153:10-20. [PMID: 28871661 PMCID: PMC5721245 DOI: 10.1111/imm.12831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2017] [Revised: 08/24/2017] [Accepted: 08/31/2017] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Twenty years ago, the autoimmune regulator (Aire) gene was associated with autoimmune polyendocrinopathy-candidiasis-ectodermal dystrophy, and was cloned and sequenced. Its importance goes beyond its abstract link with human autoimmune disease. Aire identification opened new perspectives to better understand the molecular basis of central tolerance and self-non-self distinction, the main properties of the immune system. Since 1997, a growing number of immunologists and molecular geneticists have made important discoveries about the function of Aire, which is essentially a pleiotropic gene. Aire is one of the functional markers in medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs), controlling their differentiation and expression of peripheral tissue antigens (PTAs), mTEC-thymocyte adhesion and the expression of microRNAs, among other functions. With Aire, the immunological tolerance became even more apparent from the molecular genetics point of view. Currently, mTECs represent the most unusual cells because they express almost the entire functional genome but still maintain their identity. Due to the enormous diversity of PTAs, this uncommon gene expression pattern was termed promiscuous gene expression, the interpretation of which is essentially immunological - i.e. it is related to self-representation in the thymus. Therefore, this knowledge is strongly linked to the negative selection of autoreactive thymocytes. In this update, we focus on the most relevant results of Aire as a transcriptional and post-transcriptional controller of PTAs in mTECs, its mechanism of action, and its influence on the negative selection of autoreactive thymocytes as the bases of the induction of central tolerance and prevention of autoimmune diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geraldo A. Passos
- Molecular Immunogenetics GroupDepartment of GeneticsRibeirão Preto Medical SchoolUniversity of São PauloRibeirão PretoSPBrazil
- Discipline of Genetics and Molecular BiologyDepartment of Morphology, Physiology and Basic PathologySchool of Dentistry of Ribeirão PretoUniversity of São PauloRibeirão PretoSPBrazil
| | - Cesar A. Speck‐Hernandez
- Graduate Programme in Basic and Applied ImmunologyRibeirão Preto Medical SchoolUniversity of São PauloRibeirão PretoSPBrazil
| | - Amanda F. Assis
- Molecular Immunogenetics GroupDepartment of GeneticsRibeirão Preto Medical SchoolUniversity of São PauloRibeirão PretoSPBrazil
| | - Daniella A. Mendes‐da‐Cruz
- Laboratory on Thymus ResearchOswaldo Cruz InstituteOswaldo Cruz FoundationRio de JaneiroRJBrazil
- National Institute of Science and Technology on NeuroimmunomodulationRio de JaneiroRJBrazil
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15
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Mouri Y, Ueda Y, Yamano T, Matsumoto M, Tsuneyama K, Kinashi T, Matsumoto M. Mode of Tolerance Induction and Requirement for Aire Are Governed by the Cell Types That Express Self-Antigen and Those That Present Antigen. JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY (BALTIMORE, MD. : 1950) 2017; 199:3959-3971. [PMID: 29101311 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1700892] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2017] [Accepted: 10/10/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Aire controls the fate of autoreactive thymocytes (i.e., clonal deletion or development into regulatory T cells [Tregs]) through transcriptional control of the expression of tissue-restricted self-antigens (TRAs) from medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs) and bone marrow (BM)-derived cells. Although TRAs expressed by mTECs and BM-derived cells are suggested to complement each other to generate a full spectrum of TRAs, little is known about the relative contribution of TRAs from each component for establishment of self-tolerance. Furthermore, the precise role of Aire in specific types of Aire-expressing APCs remains elusive. We have approached these issues by generating two different types of transgenic mouse (Tg) model, which express a prefixed model self-antigen driven by the insulin promoter or the Aire promoter. In the insulin-promoter Tg model, mTECs alone were insufficient for clonal deletion, and BM-derived APCs were required for this action by utilizing Ag transferred from mTECs. In contrast, mTECs alone were able to induce Tregs, although at a much lower efficiency in the absence of BM-derived APCs. Importantly, lack of Aire in mTECs, but not in BM-derived APCs, impaired both clonal deletion and production of Tregs. In the Aire-promoter Tg model, both mTECs and BM-derived APCs could independently induce clonal deletion without Aire, and production of Tregs was impaired by the lack of Aire in mTECs, but not in BM-derived APCs. These results suggest that the fate of autoreactive thymocytes together with the requirement for Aire depend on the cell types that express self-antigens and the types of APCs involved in tolerance induction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasuhiro Mouri
- Division of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Enzyme Research, Tokushima University, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan
| | - Yoshihiro Ueda
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Institute of Biomedical Science, Kansai Medical University, Osaka 570-8506, Japan
| | - Tomoyoshi Yamano
- Institute for Immunology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich 80336, Germany
| | - Minoru Matsumoto
- Division of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Enzyme Research, Tokushima University, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University Graduate School, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan; and
| | - Koichi Tsuneyama
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University Graduate School, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan; and
| | - Tatsuo Kinashi
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Institute of Biomedical Science, Kansai Medical University, Osaka 570-8506, Japan
| | - Mitsuru Matsumoto
- Division of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Enzyme Research, Tokushima University, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan;
- Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development-Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology, Tokyo 100-0004, Japan
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16
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Matsumoto M. Switching on the Aire conditioner. Eur J Immunol 2015; 45:3237-40. [PMID: 26643138 DOI: 10.1002/eji.201546098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2015] [Revised: 10/13/2015] [Accepted: 10/30/2015] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Aire has been cloned as the gene responsible for a hereditary type of organ-specific autoimmune disease. Aire controls the expression of a wide array of tissue-restricted Ags by medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs), thereby leading to clonal deletion and Treg-cell production, and ultimately to the establishment of self-tolerance. However, relatively little is known about the mechanism responsible for the control of Aire expression itself. In this issue of the European Journal of Immunology, Haljasorg et al. [Eur. J. Immunol. 2015. 45: 3246-3256] have reported the presence of an enhancer element for Aire that binds with NF-κB components downstream of the TNF receptor family member, RANK (receptor activator of NF-κB). The results suggest that RANK has a dual mode of action in Aire expression: one involving the promotion of mTEC differentiation and the other involving activation of the molecular switch for Aire within mature mTECs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mitsuru Matsumoto
- Division of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Enzyme Research, Tokushima University, Tokushima, Japan
- Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development-Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology, Tokyo, Japan
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