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Heimli M, Tennebø Flåm S, Sagsveen Hjorthaug H, Bjørnstad PM, Chernigovskaya M, Le QK, Tekpli X, Greiff V, Lie BA. Human thymic putative CD8αα precursors exhibit a biased TCR repertoire in single cell AIRR-seq. Sci Rep 2023; 13:17714. [PMID: 37853083 PMCID: PMC10584817 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-44693-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Thymic T cell development comprises T cell receptor (TCR) recombination and assessment of TCR avidity towards self-peptide-MHC complexes presented by antigen-presenting cells. Self-reactivity may lead to negative selection, or to agonist selection and differentiation into unconventional lineages such as regulatory T cells and CD8[Formula: see text] T cells. To explore the effect of the adaptive immune receptor repertoire on thymocyte developmental decisions, we performed single cell adaptive immune receptor repertoire sequencing (scAIRR-seq) of thymocytes from human young paediatric thymi and blood. Thymic PDCD1+ cells, a putative CD8[Formula: see text] T cell precursor population, exhibited several TCR features previously associated with thymic and peripheral ZNF683+ CD8[Formula: see text] T cells, including enrichment of large and positively charged complementarity-determining region 3 (CDR3) amino acids. Thus, the TCR repertoire may partially explain the decision between conventional vs. agonist selected thymocyte differentiation, an aspect of importance for the development of therapies for patients with immune-mediated diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marte Heimli
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital, 0424, Oslo, Norway
| | - Siri Tennebø Flåm
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital, 0424, Oslo, Norway
| | - Hanne Sagsveen Hjorthaug
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital, 0424, Oslo, Norway
| | - Pål Marius Bjørnstad
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital, 0424, Oslo, Norway
| | - Maria Chernigovskaya
- Department of Immunology, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital, 0372, Oslo, Norway
| | - Quy Khang Le
- Department of Immunology, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital, 0372, Oslo, Norway
| | - Xavier Tekpli
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital, 0424, Oslo, Norway
| | - Victor Greiff
- Department of Immunology, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital, 0372, Oslo, Norway
| | - Benedicte Alexandra Lie
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital, 0424, Oslo, Norway.
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Heimli M, Flåm ST, Hjorthaug HS, Trinh D, Frisk M, Dumont KA, Ribarska T, Tekpli X, Saare M, Lie BA. Multimodal human thymic profiling reveals trajectories and cellular milieu for T agonist selection. Front Immunol 2023; 13:1092028. [PMID: 36741401 PMCID: PMC9895842 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1092028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
To prevent autoimmunity, thymocytes expressing self-reactive T cell receptors (TCRs) are negatively selected, however, divergence into tolerogenic, agonist selected lineages represent an alternative fate. As thymocyte development, selection, and lineage choices are dependent on spatial context and cell-to-cell interactions, we have performed Cellular Indexing of Transcriptomes and Epitopes by sequencing (CITE-seq) and spatial transcriptomics on paediatric human thymus. Thymocytes expressing markers of strong TCR signalling diverged from the conventional developmental trajectory prior to CD4+ or CD8+ lineage commitment, while markers of different agonist selected T cell populations (CD8αα(I), CD8αα(II), T(agonist), Treg(diff), and Treg) exhibited variable timing of induction. Expression profiles of chemokines and co-stimulatory molecules, together with spatial localisation, supported that dendritic cells, B cells, and stromal cells contribute to agonist selection, with different subsets influencing thymocytes at specific developmental stages within distinct spatial niches. Understanding factors influencing agonist T cells is needed to benefit from their immunoregulatory effects in clinical use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marte Heimli
- Department of Medical Genetics, Oslo University Hospital, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Siri Tennebø Flåm
- Department of Medical Genetics, Oslo University Hospital, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | | | - Don Trinh
- Department of Pathology, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Michael Frisk
- Institute for Experimental Medical Research, Oslo University Hospital, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway,KG Jebsen Centre for Cardiac Research, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Karl-Andreas Dumont
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Teodora Ribarska
- Department of Medical Genetics, Oslo University Hospital, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Xavier Tekpli
- Department of Medical Genetics, Oslo University Hospital, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Mario Saare
- Department of Medical Genetics, Oslo University Hospital, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Benedicte Alexandra Lie
- Department of Medical Genetics, Oslo University Hospital, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway,*Correspondence: Benedicte Alexandra Lie,
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Hjorthaug HS, Gervin K, Mowinckel P, Munthe-Kaas MC. Exploring the influence from whole blood DNA extraction methods on Infinium 450K DNA methylation. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0208699. [PMID: 30540848 PMCID: PMC6291135 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0208699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2018] [Accepted: 11/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Genome-wide DNA methylation studies are becoming increasingly important in unraveling the epigenetic basis of cell biology, aging and human conditions. The aim of the present study was to explore whether different methods for extracting DNA from whole blood can affect DNA methylation outcome, potentially confounding DNA methylation studies. DNA was isolated from healthy blood donors (n = 10) using three different extraction methods (i.e. two automatic extractions methods based on magnetic beads or isopropanol precipitation, and manual organic extraction). DNA methylation was analyzed using the Infinium HumanMethylation450 Bead Chip (Infinium 450K) (n = 30 samples in total), which is a frequently used method in genome-wide DNA methylation analyses. Overall, the different extraction methods did not have a significant impact on the global DNA methylation patterns. However, DNA methylation differences between organic extraction and each of the automated methods were in general larger than differences between the two automated extraction methods. No CpG sites or regions reached genome-wide significance when testing for differential methylation between extraction methods. Although this study is based on a small sample, these results suggest that extraction method is unlikely to confound Infinium 450K methylation analysis in whole blood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanne Sagsveen Hjorthaug
- Department of Medical Genetics, Oslo University Hospital and University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- * E-mail:
| | - Kristina Gervin
- PharmaTox Strategic Research Initiative, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety Research Group, Department of Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Petter Mowinckel
- Department of Pediatric and Adolescent medicine, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
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Gervin K, Andreassen BK, Hjorthaug HS, Carlsen KCL, Carlsen KH, Undlien DE, Lyle R, Munthe-Kaas MC. Intra-individual changes in DNA methylation not mediated by cell-type composition are correlated with aging during childhood. Clin Epigenetics 2016; 8:110. [PMID: 27785156 PMCID: PMC5073885 DOI: 10.1186/s13148-016-0277-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2016] [Accepted: 10/14/2016] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Several studies have reported age-associated changes in DNA methylation in the first few years of life and in adult populations, but the extent of such changes during childhood is less well studied. The goals of this study were to investigate to what degree intra-individual changes in DNA methylation are associated with aging during childhood and dissect the methylation changes directly associated with aging from the effect mediated through variation in cell-type composition (CTC). Results We performed reduced representation bisulfite sequencing (RRBS) in peripheral whole-blood samples collected at 2, 10, and 16 years of age. We identified age-associated longitudinal changes in DNA methylation at 346 CpGs in 178 genes. Analyses separating the effect mediated by CTC variability across age identified 26 CpGs located in 12 genes that associated directly with age. Hence, the CTC changes across age appear to act as a mediator of the observed DNA methylation associated with age. The results were replicated using EpiTYPER in a second sample set selected from the same cohort. Gene ontology analyses revealed enrichment of transcriptional regulation and developmental processes. Further, comparisons of the mean DNA methylation differences between the time points reveal greater differences between 2 to 10 years and 10 to 16 years, suggesting that the identified age-associated DNA methylation patterns manifests in early childhood. Conclusions This study reveals insights into the epigenetic dynamics associated with aging early in life. Such information could ultimately provide clues and point towards molecular pathways that are susceptible to aging-related disease-associated epigenetic dysregulation. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13148-016-0277-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristina Gervin
- Department of Medical Genetics, Oslo University Hospital and University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Bettina Kulle Andreassen
- Department of Molecular Biology, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.,Cancer Registry of Norway, Institute of population based Cancer Research, Oslo, Norway
| | | | | | - Kai-Håkon Carlsen
- Department of Pediatrics, Oslo University Hospital and University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Dag Erik Undlien
- Department of Medical Genetics, Oslo University Hospital and University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Robert Lyle
- Department of Medical Genetics, Oslo University Hospital and University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.,School of Pharmacy, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Monica Cheng Munthe-Kaas
- Department of Pediatrics, Section of Hematology and Oncology, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
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Munthe-Kaas MC, Bertelsen RJ, Torjussen TM, Hjorthaug HS, Undlien DE, Lyle R, Gervin K, Granum B, Mowinckel P, Carlsen KH, Carlsen KCL. Pet keeping and tobacco exposure influence CD14 methylation in childhood. Pediatr Allergy Immunol 2012. [PMID: 23194293 DOI: 10.1111/pai.12021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Several CD14 gene-environment interactions in relation to the development of allergic diseases have been reported, but the underlying biological mechanisms are unclear. We recently showed that CD14 methylation increased during childhood, parallelling a decreased impact of CD14 polymorphisms on soluble CD14 levels. Here, we aim to explore whether environmental stimuli during childhood affects CD14 methylation, thereby providing a biological mechanism through which environment may modulate genetic effect. METHODS CD14 methylation levels were quantified in 157 children from the prospective Environment and Childhood Asthma birth cohort at ages 2 and 10. Associations between CD14 methylation levels and house dust levels of endotoxin, β(1,3)-glucans (at 2 yr only), allergens (dog, cat, and house dust mite), pet keeping and tobacco smoke exposure (TSE; questionnaire data) at 2 and 10 yr were explored. RESULTS Children in homes without pets had larger increases in CD14 methylation through childhood (2-10 yr) compared with children with pets (2.1% increase (p = 0.003) vs. 0.4% decrease (n.s.), global p = 0.04). At 10 yr of age, lower CD14 methylation values were found in children with pets compared with children without pets at both 2 and 10 yr (5.4% vs. 7.5% [p = 0.02]). A similar trend was detected for TSE; children not exposed show larger increases in CD14 methylation, most pronounced in school-age girls exposed vs. not exposed to tobacco (5.5% vs. 7.5% methylation, p = 0.037). CONCLUSION Pet keeping and TSE appears to limit increase in CD14 methylation from 2 to 10 yr of age. This may partly explain the diverging CD14 allele associations with allergic diseases detected in different environments.
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Munthe-Kaas MC, Torjussen TM, Gervin K, Lødrup Carlsen KC, Carlsen KH, Granum B, Hjorthaug HS, Undlien D, Lyle R. CD14 polymorphisms and serum CD14 levels through childhood: a role for gene methylation? J Allergy Clin Immunol 2010; 125:1361-8. [PMID: 20398919 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaci.2010.02.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2009] [Revised: 01/18/2010] [Accepted: 02/04/2010] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND CD14 is a pattern-recognition receptor for environmental LPS, and engagement of the CD14-LPS complex activates innate host defense mechanisms. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the CD14 gene have been associated with soluble CD14 (sCD14) levels, but inconsistencies between studies suggest the presence of regulatory mechanisms hitherto not well understood. OBJECTIVE We sought to investigate possible associations between CD14 SNPs and sCD14 levels at different time points in childhood (at birth [cord blood] and 2 and 10 years) and to explore whether these associations were related to CD14 gene methylation. METHODS Four SNPs, rs2569191 (-1145GA), rs5744455 (-550CT or -651CT), rs2569190 (-159CT or -260CT), and rs4914 in CD14 were genotyped in 762 children from the Environmental and Childhood Asthma study. Genotype frequencies were analyzed for association with sCD14 levels in 660 babies, 346 children at age 2 years, and 360 children at age 10 years. In a subgroup of 157 children with DNA available at both 2 and 10 years of age, CD14 methylation patterns were determined and analyzed against detected CD14 gene-sCD14 associations. RESULTS rs2569191, rs5744455, and rs2569190 were associated with sCD14 levels at birth and 2 years, but only rs5744455 was associated with sCD14 levels at 10 years. CD14 methylation increased significantly from age 2 to 10 years, and the level of methylation was inversely correlated with sCD14 levels at 10 years. CONCLUSION The reduced effect of CD14 polymorphisms on sCD14 levels from early to late childhood paralleled a small but significant increase in CD14 methylation during the same period.
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Aasheim HC, Patzke S, Hjorthaug HS, Finne EF. Characterization of a novel Eph receptor tyrosine kinase, EphA10, expressed in testis. Biochim Biophys Acta Gen Subj 2005; 1723:1-7. [PMID: 15777695 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagen.2005.01.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2004] [Revised: 01/12/2005] [Accepted: 01/18/2005] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
In mammals, 14 members of the Eph receptor tyrosine kinase family have been described so far. Here we present a not yet described member of this family denoted EphA10. We report the identification of three putative EphA10 isoforms: one soluble and two transmembrane isoforms. One of the latter isoforms lacked the sterile alpha motif commonly found in Eph receptors. The gene encoding EphA10 is located on chromosome 1p34 and expression studies show that EphA10 mRNA is mainly expressed in testis. Binding studies to ephrin ligands suggests that this receptor belongs to the EphA subclass of Eph receptors binding mainly to ephrin-A ligands.
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