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Dinkel BA, Walser-Kuntz DR. Too Many B cells, When Food Fights Back, and Hacking T cells: The effective use of case studies to teach methods in an undergraduate Immunology course. The Journal of Immunology 2018. [DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.200.supp.113.5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
The rapidly changing nature of immunology makes it a challenging course for both undergraduate students and faculty. A teaching approach that incorporates essential immunological techniques and an introduction to the primary literature helps undergraduates navigate the discipline and remain current. Case studies are an effective active learning approach that provide real world examples to engage undergraduates and an opportunity for hands on problem solving, data analysis, and critical thinking as students must consider outcomes and consequences. Although case studies that explore clinical connections already exist for undergraduates, they do not include key techniques or provide experience working with the primary literature. We have developed several case studies to help undergraduate immunology students understand and analyze data involving: flow cytometry, CRISPR/Cas, CAR T cells, and ELISAs. The case studies 1) introduce students to techniques and methods they may not have access to in their laboratory courses due to the lack of appropriate instruments or the cost of reagents, 2) build on difficult concepts covered in the course, and 3) incorporate figures from papers that challenge students to apply what they have learned. Assessment of student learning includes in-class quizzes and small group responses to data analysis questions, the use of “clickers”/personal response system, and related exam questions. Students self-report that the case studies are a highly effective teaching method that allow them to both reinforce their understanding of the course material and apply it to practical problems.
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vom Saal FS, Akingbemi BT, Belcher SM, Birnbaum LS, Crain DA, Eriksen M, Farabollini F, Guillette LJ, Hauser R, Heindel JJ, Ho SM, Hunt PA, Iguchi T, Jobling S, Kanno J, Keri RA, Knudsen KE, Laufer H, LeBlanc GA, Marcus M, McLachlan JA, Myers JP, Nadal A, Newbold RR, Olea N, Prins GS, Richter CA, Rubin BS, Sonnenschein C, Soto AM, Talsness CE, Vandenbergh JG, Vandenberg LN, Walser-Kuntz DR, Watson CS, Welshons WV, Wetherill Y, Zoeller RT. Chapel Hill bisphenol A expert panel consensus statement: integration of mechanisms, effects in animals and potential to impact human health at current levels of exposure. Reprod Toxicol 2007; 24:131-8. [PMID: 17768031 PMCID: PMC2967230 DOI: 10.1016/j.reprotox.2007.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 544] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2007] [Revised: 07/11/2007] [Accepted: 07/20/2007] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Benson T. Akingbemi
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, United States
| | - Scott M. Belcher
- Department of Pharmacology and Cell Biophysics, Center for Environmental Genetics, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45267, United States
| | - Linda S. Birnbaum
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, United States
| | - D. Andrew Crain
- Biology Department, Maryville College, Maryville, TN 37804, United States
| | - Marcus Eriksen
- Algalita Marine Research Foundation, Los Angeles, CA 90034, United States
| | | | - Louis J. Guillette
- Department of Zoology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, United States
| | - Russ Hauser
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, United States
| | - Jerrold J. Heindel
- Division of Extramural Research and Training, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, United States
| | - Shuk-Mei Ho
- Department of Environmental Health, University of Cincinnati Medical School, Cincinnati, OH 45267, United States
| | - Patricia A. Hunt
- School of Molecular Biosciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, United States
| | - Taisen Iguchi
- National Institutes of Natural Science, Okazaki Institute For Integrative Bioscience Bioenvironmental Science, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787, Japan
| | - Susan Jobling
- Department of Biological Sciences, Brunel University, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UK
| | - Jun Kanno
- Division of Cellular & Molecular Toxicology, National Institute of Health Sciences, Tokyo 158-8501, Japan
| | - Ruth A. Keri
- Department of Pharmacology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, United States
| | - Karen E. Knudsen
- Department of Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45267, United States
| | - Hans Laufer
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, United States
| | - Gerald A. LeBlanc
- Department of Environmental and Molecular Toxicology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, United States
| | - Michele Marcus
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, United States
| | - John A. McLachlan
- Center for Bioenvironmental Research, Tulane and Xavier Universities, New Orleans, LA 70112, United States
| | | | - Angel Nadal
- Instituto de Bioingeniería, Universidad Miguel Hernández, Elche 03202, Alicante, Spain
| | - Retha R. Newbold
- Laboratory of Molecular Toxicology, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, United States
| | - Nicolas Olea
- CIBERESP Hospital Clinico-University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
| | - Gail S. Prins
- Department of Urology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, United States
| | | | - Beverly S. Rubin
- Department of Anatomy and Cellular Biology, Tufts Medical School, Boston, MA 02111, United States
| | - Carlos Sonnenschein
- Department of Anatomy and Cellular Biology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02111, United States
| | - Ana M. Soto
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02111, United States
| | - Chris E. Talsness
- Charité University Medical School Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Institute of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Department of Toxicology, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - John G. Vandenbergh
- Department of Zoology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, United States
| | - Laura N. Vandenberg
- Tufts University Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences, Boston, MA 02111, United States
| | | | - Cheryl S. Watson
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, United States
| | - Wade V. Welshons
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, United States
| | - Yelena Wetherill
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, United States
| | - R. Thomas Zoeller
- Biology Department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, United States
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Richter CA, Birnbaum LS, Farabollini F, Newbold RR, Rubin BS, Talsness CE, Vandenbergh JG, Walser-Kuntz DR, vom Saal FS. In vivo effects of bisphenol A in laboratory rodent studies. Reprod Toxicol 2007; 24:199-224. [PMID: 17683900 PMCID: PMC2151845 DOI: 10.1016/j.reprotox.2007.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 809] [Impact Index Per Article: 47.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2007] [Revised: 06/06/2007] [Accepted: 06/11/2007] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Concern is mounting regarding the human health and environmental effects of bisphenol A (BPA), a high-production-volume chemical used in synthesis of plastics. We have reviewed the growing literature on effects of low doses of BPA, below 50 mg/(kg day), in laboratory exposures with mammalian model organisms. Many, but not all, effects of BPA are similar to effects seen in response to the model estrogens diethylstilbestrol and ethinylestradiol. For most effects, the potency of BPA is approximately 10-1000-fold less than that of diethylstilbestrol or ethinylestradiol. Based on our review of the literature, a consensus was reached regarding our level of confidence that particular outcomes occur in response to low dose BPA exposure. We are confident that adult exposure to BPA affects the male reproductive tract, and that long lasting, organizational effects in response to developmental exposure to BPA occur in the brain, the male reproductive system, and metabolic processes. We consider it likely, but requiring further confirmation, that adult exposure to BPA affects the brain, the female reproductive system, and the immune system, and that developmental effects occur in the female reproductive system.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Retha R. Newbold
- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, NIH, DHHS, Research Triangle Park, NC
| | - Beverly S. Rubin
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA
| | - Chris E. Talsness
- Institute of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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Abstract
HLA molecules influence the selection of naive CD4+ T cells as demonstrated by HLA-DR-dependent differences in BV8-BJ frequencies. The repertoire of mature peripheral T cells utilized in antigen responses is shaped by additional factors such as antigens encountered in the environment. To identify mechanisms underlying the formation of the memory repertoire, differences in the BV8-BJ repertoire of CD45RO- and CD45RO+ CD4+ T cells were examined in 21 normal donors. The naive and memory CD4+ compartments displayed unique BV8-BJ repertoires in all individuals, demonstrating that the recruitment of CD4+ T cells into the memory population is a non-random process. The frequencies of selected BV8-BJ combinations were increased among CD45RO+ T cells. Size fractionation of such expanded BV8-BJ populations demonstrated that most of them were polyclonal in nature. Twenty-five percent of the expanded BV-BJ combinations included a dominant TCR sequence, indicating monoclonal proliferation. Selection of BV8-BJ combinations for preferential use among memory T cells was HLA dependent. HLA-DR1/4+ individuals were characterized by an increased usage of BV8-BJ2S7+ TCR, and decreased usage of BV8-BJ2S1 + and BV8-BJ2S2+ TCR, whereas HLA-DR3/7+ individuals preferentially recruited BV8-BJ2S5+ T cells, and disfavored BV8-BJ2S3+ and BV8-BJ2S7+ T cells. HLA-imposed effects on the naive and memory repertoire were distinct. The BV-BJ frequencies of CD45RO+ T cells could not be predicted from the pattern of TCR found in naive CD4+ T cells, suggesting that the HLA-DR polymorphisms influence thymic selection processes differently than peripheral selection forces.
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Affiliation(s)
- D R Walser-Kuntz
- Department of Immunology, Mayo Clinic and Foundation, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
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Yoshikawa H, Lambert EH, Walser-Kuntz DR, Yasukawa Y, McCormick DJ, Lennon VA. A 17-Mer self-peptide of acetylcholine receptor binds to B cell MHC class II, activates helper T cells, and stimulates autoantibody production and electrophysiologic signs of myasthenia gravis. J Immunol 1997; 159:1570-7. [PMID: 9233656] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
We have identified in an extracellular segment of the alpha1 subunit of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AChR) of homologous muscle a 17-residue autoantigen that, without conjugation to a carrier, activates Th lymphocytes and induces production of autoantibodies that cause electrophysiologic signs of experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis. A panel of overlapping synthetic peptides revealed two T cell epitopes, one encompassed by residues 121-136 and the other by 129-145. Residues 129 (glutamic acid) and 130 (isoleucine) were implicated in a pathogenic B cell epitope. Peptide 129-145 (Glu-Ile-Ile-Val-Thr-His-Phe-Pro-Phe-Asp-Glu-Gln-Asn-Cys-Ser-Met-Lys, a conserved sequence in rat and human AChR) induced autoantibody production in 76% of rats. All seropositive rats had evidence of experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis; five of five tested had electrophysiologic signs, and all had loss of immunochemically measured autologous muscle AChR. Analogues of 129-145, with single residues substituted by alanine, revealed phenylalanine 135, phenylalanine 137, and glutamic acid 139 as most important determinants of Ag/MHC-II/TCR interactions; phenylalanine 137 is critical for T cell activation. B cells were the major MHC-II-positive cell type to which the self-peptide 129-145 bound in a population of nonimmune splenic cells. More efficient processing and presentation of the Th cell epitope by an expanded population of immune B cells selected by specifically binding another epitope of the same peptide would greatly amplify the production of autoantibodies. Peptide autoantigens of this type could plausibly perpetuate the autoantibody response in myasthenia gravis, and are a rational target for strategies aimed at Ag-specific therapeutic intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Yoshikawa
- Department of Immunology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
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Yoshikawa H, Lambert EH, Walser-Kuntz DR, Yasukawa Y, McCormick DJ, Lennon VA. A 17-Mer self-peptide of acetylcholine receptor binds to B cell MHC class II, activates helper T cells, and stimulates autoantibody production and electrophysiologic signs of myasthenia gravis. The Journal of Immunology 1997. [DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.159.3.1570] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
We have identified in an extracellular segment of the alpha1 subunit of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AChR) of homologous muscle a 17-residue autoantigen that, without conjugation to a carrier, activates Th lymphocytes and induces production of autoantibodies that cause electrophysiologic signs of experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis. A panel of overlapping synthetic peptides revealed two T cell epitopes, one encompassed by residues 121-136 and the other by 129-145. Residues 129 (glutamic acid) and 130 (isoleucine) were implicated in a pathogenic B cell epitope. Peptide 129-145 (Glu-Ile-Ile-Val-Thr-His-Phe-Pro-Phe-Asp-Glu-Gln-Asn-Cys-Ser-Met-Lys, a conserved sequence in rat and human AChR) induced autoantibody production in 76% of rats. All seropositive rats had evidence of experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis; five of five tested had electrophysiologic signs, and all had loss of immunochemically measured autologous muscle AChR. Analogues of 129-145, with single residues substituted by alanine, revealed phenylalanine 135, phenylalanine 137, and glutamic acid 139 as most important determinants of Ag/MHC-II/TCR interactions; phenylalanine 137 is critical for T cell activation. B cells were the major MHC-II-positive cell type to which the self-peptide 129-145 bound in a population of nonimmune splenic cells. More efficient processing and presentation of the Th cell epitope by an expanded population of immune B cells selected by specifically binding another epitope of the same peptide would greatly amplify the production of autoantibodies. Peptide autoantigens of this type could plausibly perpetuate the autoantibody response in myasthenia gravis, and are a rational target for strategies aimed at Ag-specific therapeutic intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Yoshikawa
- Department of Immunology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - E H Lambert
- Department of Immunology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | | | - Y Yasukawa
- Department of Immunology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - D J McCormick
- Department of Immunology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - V A Lennon
- Department of Immunology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
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Abstract
Forces influencing the composition of the mature TCR repertoire have been well studied in the mouse. In particular, the contribution of MHC molecules in negative and positive selection events of T lymphocytes has been established. To understand whether the allelic polymorphism of HLA-DRB1 molecules can shape the human TCR repertoire, we compared the usage of TCR V beta segments in two cohorts of unrelated individuals who were selected for the expression of HLA-DRB1 alleles. To investigate the potential role of antigenic experience in shaping the TCR repertoire, we compared the usage of V beta gene elements in CD45RO- CD4+ (naive) T cells versus CD45RO+ CD4+ (memory) T cells. A correlation between V beta gene segment usage and HLA-DRB1 alleles could be demonstrated for the repertoire of the naive CD4+ T cells, suggesting a shaping force of the HLA-DRB1 allele on the peripheral TCR repertoire. While the HLA-DRB1 imposed profile in V beta distribution was maintained in CD45RO+ CD4+ T cells, it was less pronounced, indicating that antigenic experience modulates the functional TCR repertoire.
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Affiliation(s)
- D R Walser-Kuntz
- Department of Medicine, Mayo Clinic and Foundation, Rochester, Minnesota 55905, USA
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Walser-Kuntz DR, Weyand CM, Weaver AJ, O'Fallon WM, Goronzy JJ. Mechanisms underlying the formation of the T cell receptor repertoire in rheumatoid arthritis. Immunity 1995; 2:597-605. [PMID: 7796293 DOI: 10.1016/1074-7613(95)90004-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
The contributions of germline-encoded T cell receptor segments and of HLA-DR polymorphisms in shaping the repertoire of human CD4+ CD45RO- T cells were investigated in healthy unrelated individuals and in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, an HLA-DRB1 04-associated disease. By comparing frequencies of V beta-J beta combinations, healthy individuals segregated into independent clusters, which strongly correlated with the HLA-DRB1 allele expression. The repertoire fingerprint imposed by the HLA-DRB1 alleles involved only a selected group of J beta elements, whereas the distribution of the other J beta segments was HLA independent. The HLA-restricted J beta elements are characterized by a Gly-Pro-Gly sequence within the conserved Phe-Gly-X-Gly motif, which induces rigidity in an otherwise more flexible protein backbone. The T cell receptor repertoire distinguished patients with RA from healthy HLA-DR-matched individuals, suggesting that patients share a selection mechanism that significantly distorts the composition of the T cell receptor repertoire.
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MESH Headings
- Amino Acid Sequence
- Arthritis, Rheumatoid/genetics
- Arthritis, Rheumatoid/metabolism
- Base Sequence
- Cluster Analysis
- HLA-DR Antigens/genetics
- Humans
- Molecular Sequence Data
- Nucleic Acid Hybridization
- Polymerase Chain Reaction
- Polymorphism, Genetic/genetics
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta/biosynthesis
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta/genetics
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta/immunology
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Affiliation(s)
- D R Walser-Kuntz
- Department of Immunology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota 55905, USA
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Goronzy JJ, Bartz-Bazzanella P, Hu W, Jendro MC, Walser-Kuntz DR, Weyand CM. Dominant clonotypes in the repertoire of peripheral CD4+ T cells in rheumatoid arthritis. J Clin Invest 1994; 94:2068-76. [PMID: 7962553 PMCID: PMC294644 DOI: 10.1172/jci117561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 121] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Clonal expansion of T cell specificities in the synovial fluid of patients has been taken as evidence for a local stimulation of T cells. By studying the T cell receptor (TCR) repertoire of CD4+ T cells in the synovial and peripheral blood compartments of patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA), we have identified clonally expanded CD4+ populations. Expanded clonotypes were present in the peripheral blood and the synovial fluid but were not preferentially accumulated in the joint. Dominant single clonotypes could not be isolated from CD4+ cells of HLA-DRB1*04+ normal individuals. Clonal expansion involved several distinct clonotypes with a preference for V beta 3+, V beta 14+, and V beta 17+CD4+ T cells. A fraction of clonally related T cells expressed IL-2 receptors, indicating recent activation. The frequencies of clonally expanded V beta 17+CD4+ T cells fluctuated widely over a period of one year. Independent variations in the frequencies of two distinct clonotypes in the same patient indicated that different mechanisms, and not stimulation by a single arthritogenic antigen, were involved in clonal proliferation. These data support the concept that RA patients have a grossly imbalanced TCR repertoire. Clonal expansion may result from intrinsic defects in T cell generation and regulation. The dominance of expanded clonotypes in the periphery emphasizes the systemic nature of RA and suggests that T cell proliferation occurs outside of the joint.
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Affiliation(s)
- J J Goronzy
- Division of Rheumatology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota 55905
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