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McCullough MJ, Bose PG, Mock JR. Regulatory T cells: Supporting lung homeostasis and promoting resolution and repair after lung injury. Int J Biochem Cell Biol 2024; 170:106568. [PMID: 38518980 PMCID: PMC11031275 DOI: 10.1016/j.biocel.2024.106568] [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: 01/30/2024] [Revised: 03/17/2024] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/24/2024]
Abstract
Regulatory T cells, characterized by their expression of the transcription factor Forkhead box P3, are indispensable in maintaining immune homeostasis. The respiratory system is constantly exposed to many environmental challenges, making it susceptible to various insults and infections. Regulatory T cells play essential roles in maintaining homeostasis in the lung and promoting repair after injury. Regulatory T cell function dysregulation can lead to inflammation, tissue damage, or aberrant repair. Research on regulatory T cell mechanisms in the lung has unveiled their influence on lung inflammation and repair mechanisms. In this review, our goal is to highlight the advances in regulatory T cell biology with respect to lung injury and resolution. We further provide a perspective that a deeper understanding of regulatory T cell interactions in the lung microenvironment in health and disease states offers opportunities for therapeutic interventions as treatments to promote lung health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morgan J McCullough
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Marsico Lung Institute, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Pria G Bose
- Marsico Lung Institute, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Jason R Mock
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Marsico Lung Institute, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Division of Pulmonary Diseases and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine School of Medicine, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
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Mock JR, Tune MK, Bose PG, McCullough MJ, Doerschuk CM. Comparison of different methods of initiating lung inflammation and the sex-specific effects on inflammatory parameters. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol 2023; 324:L199-L210. [PMID: 36594854 PMCID: PMC9925158 DOI: 10.1152/ajplung.00118.2022] [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: 04/12/2022] [Revised: 12/22/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Sex as a biological variable is an essential element of preclinical research. Sex-specific differences in lung volume, alveolar number, body weight, and the relationship between lung and body weight result in important questions about generating equivalent injuries in males and females so that comparisons in their responses can be assessed. Few studies compare stimulus dosing methods for murine lung models investigating immune responses. To examine sex-specific effects, we explored several dosing techniques for three stimuli, LPS, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and influenza A, on survival, injury parameters in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), and immune cell numbers in single-cell lung suspensions after injury. These data demonstrate that body weight-based dosing produced fewer differences between sexes when compared with injury initiated with inocula containing the same number of organisms. Comparison of the lung and body weights showed that females had a greater lung-to-body weight ratio than males. However, in LPS-induced injury, adjusting the dose for sex differences in this ratio in addition to body weight provided no new information about sex differences compared with dosing by body weight alone, most likely due to the variability in measures of the immune response. Studies evaluating BAL volumes revealed that smaller but more lavages resulted in greater returns and lower protein concentrations, particularly in the smaller female lungs. Thus, designing dosing and measurement methods that generate equivalent injuries facilitates comparison of immune responses between sexes. Continued development of methods for both induction and evaluation of injury will likely facilitate identification of sex differences in immune responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason R Mock
- Division of Pulmonary Diseases and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
- Marsico Lung Institute, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Miriya K Tune
- Division of Pulmonary Diseases and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
- Marsico Lung Institute, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Pria G Bose
- Biological and Biomedical Sciences Program, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Morgan J McCullough
- Marsico Lung Institute, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Claire M Doerschuk
- Division of Pulmonary Diseases and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
- Marsico Lung Institute, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
- Center for Airways Disease University of North Carolina, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
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