1
|
Schumacher A, Wafula PO, Teles A, El-Mousleh T, Linzke N, Zenclussen ML, Langwisch S, Heinze K, Wollenberg I, Casalis PA, Volk HD, Fest S, Zenclussen AC. Blockage of heme oxygenase-1 abrogates the protective effect of regulatory T cells on murine pregnancy and promotes the maturation of dendritic cells. PLoS One 2012; 7:e42301. [PMID: 22900010 PMCID: PMC3416808 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0042301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [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: 06/20/2011] [Accepted: 07/06/2012] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Regulatory T cells (Treg) play an important role in fetal protection. They expand during normal pregnancy and protect fetal antigens from maternal effector cells. Their effect is associated with the up-regulation of tolerance-associated molecules at the fetal-maternal interface. Among these, Heme Oxygenase-1 (HO-1, coded by Hmox1) is of special importance as its blockage correlates with increased abortion rates and its up-regulation positively affects pregnancy outcome. Here, we aimed to investigate whether the protective effect of Treg is mediated by HO-1 in a mouse model. HO-1 blockage by Zinc Protoporhyrin (ZnPPIX) abrogated the protective effect of Treg transfer. We found that HO-1 is important in maintaining maternal dendritic cells (DCs) in an immature state, which contributes to the expansion of the peripheral Treg population. This brings to light one essential pathway through which Treg mediates the semi-allogeneic fetus tolerance.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anne Schumacher
- Department of Experimental Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Medical Faculty, Otto-von Guericke University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Paul Ojiambo Wafula
- Institute of Medical Immunology, Charité, Medical University Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Ana Teles
- Department of Experimental Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Medical Faculty, Otto-von Guericke University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Tarek El-Mousleh
- Department of Experimental Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Medical Faculty, Otto-von Guericke University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Nadja Linzke
- Department of Experimental Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Medical Faculty, Otto-von Guericke University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Maria Laura Zenclussen
- Department of Experimental Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Medical Faculty, Otto-von Guericke University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Stefanie Langwisch
- Department of Experimental Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Medical Faculty, Otto-von Guericke University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Kristina Heinze
- Department of Experimental Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Medical Faculty, Otto-von Guericke University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Ivonne Wollenberg
- Institute of Medical Immunology, Charité, Medical University Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Pablo Ariel Casalis
- Institute of Medical Immunology, Charité, Medical University Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Hans-Dieter Volk
- Institute of Medical Immunology, Charité, Medical University Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Stefan Fest
- Paediatric Oncology, Hematology and Haemostaseology, Universitätsklinikum Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Ana Claudia Zenclussen
- Department of Experimental Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Medical Faculty, Otto-von Guericke University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
- Institute of Medical Immunology, Charité, Medical University Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- * E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
El-Mousleh T, Casalis PA, Wollenberg I, Zenclussen ML, Volk HD, Langwisch S, Jensen F, Zenclussen AC. Exploring the potential of low doses carbon monoxide as therapy in pregnancy complications. Med Gas Res 2012; 2:4. [PMID: 22348450 PMCID: PMC3837472 DOI: 10.1186/2045-9912-2-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2011] [Accepted: 02/20/2012] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Heme Oxygenase-1 (HO-1) has been shown to play a pivotal role in pregnancy outcome and its ablation leads to abnormal placentation, intrauterine fetal growth restriction (IUGR) and subsequent intrauterine fetal death. Carbon monoxide (CO) has been found to mimic the protective effects of HO-1 activity, rescuing HO-1-deficient fetuses. This gasotransmitter arises in biological systems during the oxidative catabolism of heme by HO. Here, we explored the potential of CO in preventing IUGR and established the optimal doses and therapeutic time window in a clinically relevant mouse model. We additionally investigated the pathways activated upon CO application in vivo. We established 50 ppm as the best lowest dose of CO necessary to prevent growth restriction being the optimal time frame during days 3 to 8 of mouse pregnancy. CO lead to higher fetal and placental weights and avoided fetal death without showing any pathologic effects. CO breathing further suppressed inflammatory responses, diminished placenta apoptosis and complement deposition and regulated placental angiogenesis. Our results confirm the protective role of the HO-1/CO axis and point this gas as an emerging therapeutic possibility which is worth to further explore.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tarek El-Mousleh
- Department of Experimental Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical Faculty, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
3
|
Wollenberg I, Agua-Doce A, Hernández A, Almeida C, Oliveira VG, Faro J, Graca L. Regulation of the germinal center reaction by Foxp3+ follicular regulatory T cells. J Immunol 2011; 187:4553-60. [PMID: 21984700 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1101328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 454] [Impact Index Per Article: 34.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Follicular helper T (T(FH)) cells participate in humoral responses providing selection signals to germinal center B cells. Recently, expression of CXCR5, PD-1, and the transcription factor Bcl-6 has allowed the identification of T(FH) cells. We found that a proportion of follicular T cells, with phenotypic characteristics of T(FH) cells and expressing Foxp3, are recruited during the course of a germinal center (GC) reaction. These Foxp3(+) cells derive from natural regulatory T cells. To establish the in vivo physiologic importance of Foxp3(+) follicular T cells, we used CXCR5-deficient Foxp3(+) cells, which do not have access to the follicular region. Adoptive cell transfers of CXCR5-deficient Foxp3(+) cells have shown that Foxp3(+) follicular T cells are important regulators of the GC reaction following immunization with a thymus-dependent Ag. Our in vivo data show that Foxp3(+) follicular T cells can limit the magnitude of the GC reaction and also the amount of secreted Ag-specific IgM, IgG1, IgG2b, and IgA. Therefore, Foxp3(+) follicular regulatory T cells appear to combine characteristics of T(FH) and regulatory T cells for the control of humoral immune responses.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ivonne Wollenberg
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, P1649-028 Lisbon, Portugal
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
4
|
Monteiro M, Almeida CF, Caridade M, Ribot JC, Duarte J, Agua-Doce A, Wollenberg I, Silva-Santos B, Graca L. Identification of regulatory Foxp3+ invariant NKT cells induced by TGF-beta. J Immunol 2010; 185:2157-63. [PMID: 20639482 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1000359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 105] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Invariant NKT (iNKT) cells were shown to prevent the onset of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis in mice following administration of their specific TCR agonist alpha-galactosylceramide. We found that this protection was associated with the emergence of a Foxp3(+) iNKT cell population in cervical lymph nodes. We demonstrate that the differentiation of these cells is critically dependent on TGF-beta in both mice and humans. Moreover, in vivo generation of Foxp3(+) iNKT cells was observed in the TGF-beta-rich environment of the murine gut. Foxp3(+) iNKT cells displayed a phenotype similar to that of Foxp3(+) regulatory T cells, and they suppress through a contact-dependent, glucocorticoid-induced TNFR-mediated mechanism. Nevertheless, Foxp3(+) iNKT cells retain distinctive NKT cell characteristics, such as promyelocytic leukemia zinc finger protein expression and preferential homing to the liver following adoptive transfer, where they stably maintained Foxp3 expression. Our data thus unveil an unexpected capacity of iNKT cells to acquire regulatory functions that may contribute to the establishment of immunological tolerance.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marta Monteiro
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
5
|
Dillmann U, Heide G, Wollenberg I, Schimrigk K. Der Klick-evozierte vestribulo-kolläre Reflex bei topologhisch definierten Hirnstammläsionen. KLIN NEUROPHYSIOL 2008. [DOI: 10.1055/s-2008-1060168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
|
6
|
Sollwedel A, Zambon Bertoja A, Zenclussen ML, Ritschel S, Wollenberg I, Gerlof K, Volk HD, Zenclussen AC. ASRI2005-87
Generation of treg cells in the CBA/J × DBA/2J combination by vaccination with male BALB/c splenocytes rescues from abortion. Am J Reprod Immunol 2005. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0897.2005.00295_3.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
|
7
|
Bertoja AZ, Zenclussen ML, Wollenberg I, Paeschke S, Sollwedel A, Gerlof K, Woiciechowsky C, Volk HD, Zenclussen AC. Upregulation of Bcl-2 at the foetal-maternal interface from mice undergoing abortion. Scand J Immunol 2005; 61:492-502. [PMID: 15963043 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-3083.2005.001625.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Several burning questions remain unanswered in pregnancy-related research. Pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines orchestrate an intriguing interaction leading either to the development of a normal individual or to its rejection. Augmented Th1 cytokines' production is involved in immunological rejection of the foetus. Excessive production of Th1 cytokines, particularly of tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, also triggers apoptosis. Thus, in the present work we investigated the incidence of apoptosis in a well-known experimental model of Th1-induced abortion, characterized by increased local TNF-alpha levels. Apoptosis of lymphocytes as well as their Th1 and Th2 cytokine production were analysed by flow cytometry. TNF-alpha mRNA levels were additionally analysed by real time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in placental and decidual samples. Total placental apoptosis activity was investigated by measuring caspase-3 activity and by TdT-mediated dUTP nick end label staining. Immunohistochemistry, Western blot and real time RT-PCR were used to localize and quantify several anti- and pro-apoptotic molecules at the foetal-maternal interface. Despite elevated Th1 levels at the foetal-maternal interface, mice undergoing abortion presented comparable apoptotic rates. Interestingly, we found a significant upregulation of the anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 protein at the foetal-maternal interface from abortion-prone mice, while no changes could be observed for pro-apoptotic molecules. In the light of our results, we conclude that there is no evidence of increased apoptosis in mice undergoing immunological abortion in spite of elevated TNF-alpha levels. This is probably due to a selective upregulation of anti-apoptotic pathways (i.e. Bcl-2) at the foetal-maternal interface as a compensatory and/or protective mechanism.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- A Zambon Bertoja
- Institute of Medical Immunology, Charite, Campus Virchow Klinikum, Medical University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
8
|
Heide G, Freitag S, Wollenberg I, Iro H, Schimrigk K, Dillmann U. Click evoked myogenic potentials in the differential diagnosis of acute vertigo. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 1999; 66:787-90. [PMID: 10329757 PMCID: PMC1736404 DOI: 10.1136/jnnp.66.6.787] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE In response to loud clicks, a vestibular evoked potential can be recorded from sternocleidomastoid muscles, called "click evoked myogenic potential" (CEMP). This paper reports on the usefulness of CEMP in the differential diagnosis of acute vertigo of presumed vestibular origin. METHODS CEMP was examined in 40 patients with acute vertigo of vestibular origin (26 with acute peripheral vestibulopathy, five with Ménière's disease, three with benign paroxysmal positioning vertigo (BPPV), six with psychogenic vertigo) and the results compared with standard caloric reaction (CR). For CEMPs, clicks were delivered unilaterally via a pair of headphones. EMG activity was collected by surface electrodes placed on the sternocleidomastoid belly and averaged. RESULTS In 29 patients, CR was unilaterally abnormal, pointing to a peripheral vestibular lesion. Seventeen of them had a corresponding loss of CEMPs; the other 12 patients had a normal CEMP. The remaining 11 patients had normal results in both tests. In comparison with CR, CEMP showed a sensitivity of 59% and a specificity of 100% for peripheral vestibular disorders. CONCLUSION CR is a test of the horizontal canal whereas CEMP is thought to be a sacculus test. Different results of CR and CEMP may be due to this difference between target organs stimulated and may be of prognostic value.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- G Heide
- Neurological Clinic, D-66421 Homburg, Germany
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|