1
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Wells AC, Hioki KA, Angelou CC, Lynch AC, Liang X, Ryan DJ, Thesmar I, Zhanybekova S, Zuklys S, Ullom J, Cheong A, Mager J, Hollander GA, Pobezinskaya EL, Pobezinsky LA. Let-7 enhances murine anti-tumor CD8 T cell responses by promoting memory and antagonizing terminal differentiation. Nat Commun 2023; 14:5585. [PMID: 37696797 PMCID: PMC10495470 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-40959-7] [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: 12/21/2022] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 09/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The success of the CD8 T cell-mediated immune response against infections and tumors depends on the formation of a long-lived memory pool, and the protection of effector cells from exhaustion. The advent of checkpoint blockade therapy has significantly improved anti-tumor therapeutic outcomes by reversing CD8 T cell exhaustion, but fails to generate effector cells with memory potential. Here, using in vivo mouse models, we show that let-7 miRNAs determine CD8 T cell fate, where maintenance of let-7 expression during early cell activation results in memory CD8 T cell formation and tumor clearance. Conversely, let-7-deficiency promotes the generation of a terminal effector population that becomes vulnerable to exhaustion and cell death in immunosuppressive environments and fails to reject tumors. Mechanistically, let-7 restrains metabolic changes that occur during T cell activation through the inhibition of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway and production of reactive oxygen species, potent drivers of terminal differentiation and exhaustion. Thus, our results reveal a role for let-7 in the time-sensitive support of memory formation and the protection of effector cells from exhaustion. Overall, our data suggest a strategy in developing next-generation immunotherapies by preserving the multipotency of effector cells rather than enhancing the efficacy of differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandria C Wells
- Department of Veterinary and Animal science, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA
| | - Kaito A Hioki
- Department of Veterinary and Animal science, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA
- UMass Biotech Training Program (BTP), Amherst, MA, USA
| | - Constance C Angelou
- Department of Veterinary and Animal science, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA
| | - Adam C Lynch
- Department of Veterinary and Animal science, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA
| | - Xueting Liang
- Department of Veterinary and Animal science, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA
| | - Daniel J Ryan
- Department of Veterinary and Animal science, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA
| | - Iris Thesmar
- Department of Veterinary and Animal science, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA
| | - Saule Zhanybekova
- Pediatric Immunology, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel and University Children's Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Saulius Zuklys
- Pediatric Immunology, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel and University Children's Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Jacob Ullom
- Department of Veterinary and Animal science, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA
| | - Agnes Cheong
- Department of Veterinary and Animal science, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA
| | - Jesse Mager
- Department of Veterinary and Animal science, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA
| | - Georg A Hollander
- Pediatric Immunology, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel and University Children's Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Elena L Pobezinskaya
- Department of Veterinary and Animal science, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA.
| | - Leonid A Pobezinsky
- Department of Veterinary and Animal science, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA.
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2
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Klein F, Veiga-Villauriz C, Börsch A, Maio S, Palmer S, Dhalla F, Handel AE, Zuklys S, Calvo-Asensio I, Musette L, Deadman ME, White AJ, Lucas B, Anderson G, Holländer GA. Combined multidimensional single-cell protein and RNA profiling dissects the cellular and functional heterogeneity of thymic epithelial cells. Nat Commun 2023; 14:4071. [PMID: 37429879 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-39722-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2022] [Accepted: 06/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The network of thymic stromal cells provides essential niches with unique molecular cues controlling T cell development and selection. Recent single-cell RNA sequencing studies have uncovered previously unappreciated transcriptional heterogeneity among thymic epithelial cells (TEC). However, there are only very few cell markers that allow a comparable phenotypic identification of TEC. Here, using massively parallel flow cytometry and machine learning, we deconvoluted known TEC phenotypes into novel subpopulations. Using CITEseq, these phenotypes were related to corresponding TEC subtypes defined by the cells' RNA profiles. This approach allowed the phenotypic identification of perinatal cTEC and their physical localisation within the cortical stromal scaffold. In addition, we demonstrate the dynamic change in the frequency of perinatal cTEC in response to developing thymocytes and reveal their exceptional efficiency in positive selection. Collectively, our study identifies markers that allow for an unprecedented dissection of the thymus stromal complexity, as well as physical isolation of TEC populations and assignment of specific functions to individual TEC subtypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabian Klein
- Department of Paediatrics and Institute of Developmental and Regenerative Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Clara Veiga-Villauriz
- Department of Paediatrics and Institute of Developmental and Regenerative Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | | | - Stefano Maio
- Department of Paediatrics and Institute of Developmental and Regenerative Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Sam Palmer
- Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Fatima Dhalla
- Department of Paediatrics and Institute of Developmental and Regenerative Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Adam E Handel
- Department of Paediatrics and Institute of Developmental and Regenerative Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Saulius Zuklys
- Paediatric Immunology, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel and University Children's Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Irene Calvo-Asensio
- Paediatric Immunology, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel and University Children's Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Lucas Musette
- Paediatric Immunology, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel and University Children's Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Mary E Deadman
- Department of Paediatrics and Institute of Developmental and Regenerative Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Andrea J White
- Institute for Immunology and Immunotherapy, Medical School, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Beth Lucas
- Institute for Immunology and Immunotherapy, Medical School, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Graham Anderson
- Institute for Immunology and Immunotherapy, Medical School, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Georg A Holländer
- Department of Paediatrics and Institute of Developmental and Regenerative Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
- Paediatric Immunology, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel and University Children's Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, Basel, Switzerland.
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3
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García-León MJ, Mosquera M, Cela C, Alcain J, Zuklys S, Holländer G, Toribio ML. Abrogation of Notch Signaling in Embryonic TECs Impacts Postnatal mTEC Homeostasis and Thymic Involution. Front Immunol 2022; 13:867302. [PMID: 35707539 PMCID: PMC9189879 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.867302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [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: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 04/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Notch signaling is crucial for fate specification and maturation of thymus-seeding progenitors along the T-cell lineage. Recent studies have extended the role of Notch signaling to thymic epithelial cells (TECs), showing that Notch regulates TEC progenitor maintenance and emergence of medullary TECs (mTECs) in fetal thymopoiesis. Based on immunohistochemistry studies of spatiotemporal regulation of Notch activation in the postnatal thymus, we show that in vivo Notch activation is not confined to fetal TECs. Rather, Notch signaling, likely mediated through the Notch1 receptor, is induced in postnatal cortical and medullary TECs, and increases significantly with age in the latter, in both humans and mice, suggesting a conserved role for Notch signaling in TEC homeostasis during thymus aging. To investigate the functional impact of Notch activation in postnatal TEC biology, we used a mouse model in which RPBJκ, the transcriptional effector of canonical Notch signaling, is deleted in epithelial cells, including TECs, under the control of the transcription factor Foxn1. Immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry analyses revealed no significant differences in TEC composition in mutant (RPBJκ-KOTEC) and wild-type (WT) littermate mice at early postnatal ages. However, a significant reduction of the medullary region was observed in mutant compared to WT older thymi, which was accompanied by an accelerated decrease of postnatal mTEC numbers. Also, we found that organization and integrity of the postnatal thymic medulla critically depends on activation of the canonical Notch signaling pathway, as abrogation of Notch signaling in TECs led to the disruption of the medullary thymic microenvironment and to an accelerated thymus atrophy. These features paralleled a significant increase in the proportion of intrathymic non-T lineage cells, mostly B cells, and a slight decrease of DP thymocyte numbers compatible with a compromised thymic function in mutant mice. Therefore, impaired Notch signaling induced in embryonic development impacts postnatal TECs and leads to an accelerated mTEC degeneration and a premature thymus involution. Collectively, our data have uncovered a new role for Notch1 signaling in the control of adult mTEC homeostasis, and point toward Notch signaling manipulation as a novel strategy for thymus regeneration and functional recovery from immunosenescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Jesús García-León
- Immune System Development and Function Unit, Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), Madrid, Spain
| | - Marta Mosquera
- Immune System Development and Function Unit, Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), Madrid, Spain
| | - Carmela Cela
- Immune System Development and Function Unit, Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), Madrid, Spain
| | - Juan Alcain
- Immune System Development and Function Unit, Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), Madrid, Spain
| | - Saulius Zuklys
- Department of Biomedicine and University Children's Hospital of Basel, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Georg Holländer
- Department of Biomedicine and University Children's Hospital of Basel, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.,Department of Paediatrics and the Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - María L Toribio
- Immune System Development and Function Unit, Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), Madrid, Spain
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4
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Rota IA, Handel AE, Maio S, Klein F, Dhalla F, Deadman ME, Cheuk S, Newman JA, Michaels YS, Zuklys S, Prevot N, Hublitz P, Charles PD, Gkazi AS, Adamopoulou E, Qasim W, Davies EG, Hanson I, Pagnamenta AT, Camps C, Dreau HM, White A, James K, Fischer R, Gileadi O, Taylor JC, Fulga T, Lagerholm BC, Anderson G, Sezgin E, Holländer GA. FOXN1 forms higher-order nuclear condensates displaced by mutations causing immunodeficiency. Sci Adv 2021; 7:eabj9247. [PMID: 34860543 PMCID: PMC8641933 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abj9247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2021] [Accepted: 10/15/2021] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
The transcription factor FOXN1 is a master regulator of thymic epithelial cell (TEC) development and function. Here, we demonstrate that FOXN1 expression is differentially regulated during organogenesis and participates in multimolecular nuclear condensates essential for the factor’s transcriptional activity. FOXN1’s C-terminal sequence regulates the diffusion velocity within these aggregates and modulates the binding to proximal gene regulatory regions. These dynamics are altered in a patient with a mutant FOXN1 that is modified in its C-terminal sequence. This mutant is transcriptionally inactive and acts as a dominant negative factor displacing wild-type FOXN1 from condensates and causing athymia and severe lymphopenia in heterozygotes. Expression of the mutated mouse ortholog selectively impairs mouse TEC differentiation, revealing a gene dose dependency for individual TEC subtypes. We have therefore identified the cause for a primary immunodeficiency disease and determined the mechanism by which this FOXN1 gain-of-function mutant mediates its dominant negative effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ioanna A. Rota
- Department of Paediatrics and the MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Adam E. Handel
- Department of Paediatrics and the MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Stefano Maio
- Department of Paediatrics and the MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Fabian Klein
- Department of Paediatrics and the MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Fatima Dhalla
- Department of Paediatrics and the MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Mary E. Deadman
- Department of Paediatrics and the MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Stanley Cheuk
- Department of Paediatrics and the MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Joseph A. Newman
- Structural Genomics Consortium, University of Oxford, ORCRB, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford, UK
| | - Yale S. Michaels
- Genome Engineering and Synthetic Biology Unit, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Saulius Zuklys
- Paediatric Immunology, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel and University Children’s Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Nicolas Prevot
- Department of Paediatrics and the MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Philip Hublitz
- MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Genome engineering services, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Philip D. Charles
- Target Discovery Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7FZ, UK
| | - Athina Soragia Gkazi
- Great Ormond Street Hospital and Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London WC1N 1EH, UK
| | - Eleni Adamopoulou
- Department of Paediatrics and the MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Waseem Qasim
- Great Ormond Street Hospital and Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London WC1N 1EH, UK
| | - Edward Graham Davies
- Great Ormond Street Hospital and Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London WC1N 1EH, UK
| | - Imelda Hanson
- Department of Pediatrics, Section of Pediatric Immunology, Allergy, and Retrovirology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Alistair T. Pagnamenta
- National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centre, Oxford, UK
- Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7BN, UK
| | - Carme Camps
- National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centre, Oxford, UK
- Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7BN, UK
| | - Helene M. Dreau
- Department of Oncology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7DQ, UK
| | - Andrea White
- Institute for Immunology and Immunotherapy, Medical School, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Kieran James
- Institute for Immunology and Immunotherapy, Medical School, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Roman Fischer
- Target Discovery Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7FZ, UK
| | - Opher Gileadi
- Structural Genomics Consortium, University of Oxford, ORCRB, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford, UK
| | - Jenny C. Taylor
- National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centre, Oxford, UK
- Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7BN, UK
| | - Tudor Fulga
- Genome Engineering and Synthetic Biology Unit, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - B. Christoffer Lagerholm
- Wolfson Imaging Centre Oxford, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Headley Way, Oxford OX3 9DS, UK
| | - Graham Anderson
- Institute for Immunology and Immunotherapy, Medical School, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Erdinc Sezgin
- Paediatric Immunology, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel and University Children’s Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- MRC Human Immunology Unit, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Georg A. Holländer
- Department of Paediatrics and the MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Paediatric Immunology, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel and University Children’s Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, Basel, Switzerland
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5
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Handel AE, Shikama-Dorn N, Zhanybekova S, Maio S, Graedel AN, Zuklys S, Ponting CP, Holländer GA. Comprehensively Profiling the Chromatin Architecture of Tissue Restricted Antigen Expression in Thymic Epithelial Cells Over Development. Front Immunol 2018; 9:2120. [PMID: 30283453 PMCID: PMC6156148 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.02120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2018] [Accepted: 08/28/2018] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Thymic epithelial cells (TEC) effect crucial roles in thymopoiesis including the control of negative thymocyte selection. This process depends on their capacity to express promiscuously genes encoding tissue-restricted antigens. This competence is accomplished in medullary TEC (mTEC) in part by the presence of the transcriptional facilitator AutoImmune REgulator, AIRE. AIRE-regulated gene transcription is marked by repressive chromatin modifications, including H3K27me3. When during TEC development these chromatin marks are established, however, remains unclear. Here we use a comprehensive ChIP-seq dataset of multiple chromatin modifications in different TEC subtypes to demonstrate that the chromatin landscape is established early in TEC differentiation. Much of the chromatin architecture found in mature mTEC was found to be present already over earlier stages of mTEC lineage differentiation as well as in non-TEC tissues. This was reflected by the fact that a machine learning approach accurately classified genes as AIRE-induced or AIRE-independent both in immature and mature mTEC. Moreover, analysis of TEC specific enhancer elements identified candidate transcription factors likely to be important in mTEC development and function. Our findings indicate that the mature mTEC chromatin landscape is laid down early in mTEC differentiation, and that AIRE is not required for large-scale re-patterning of chromatin in mTEC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam E. Handel
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Department of Paediatrics, University of Oxford, OxfordUnited Kingdom
| | | | | | - Stefano Maio
- Department of Paediatrics, University of Oxford, OxfordUnited Kingdom
| | - Annina N. Graedel
- Department of Paediatrics, University of Oxford, OxfordUnited Kingdom
| | - Saulius Zuklys
- Department of Biomedicine, Universität Basel, BaselSwitzerland
| | - Chris P. Ponting
- MRC Human Genetics Unit, University of Edinburgh, EdinburghUnited Kingdom
| | - Georg A. Holländer
- Department of Paediatrics, University of Oxford, OxfordUnited Kingdom
- Department of Biomedicine, Universität Basel, BaselSwitzerland
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6
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Ohigashi I, Zuklys S, Sakata M, Mayer CE, Zhanybekova S, Murata S, Tanaka K, Holländer GA, Takahama Y. Aire-expressing thymic medullary epithelial cells originate from β5t-expressing progenitor cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2013; 110:9885-90. [PMID: 23720310 PMCID: PMC3683726 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1301799110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 98] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [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: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The thymus provides multiple microenvironments that are essential for the development and repertoire selection of T lymphocytes. The thymic cortex induces the generation and positive selection of T lymphocytes, whereas the thymic medulla establishes self-tolerance among the positively selected T lymphocytes. Cortical thymic epithelial cells (cTECs) and medullary TECs (mTECs) constitute the major stromal cells that structurally form and functionally characterize the cortex and the medulla, respectively. cTECs and mTECs are both derived from the endodermal epithelium of the third pharyngeal pouch. However, the molecular and cellular characteristics of the progenitor cells for the distinct TEC lineages are unclear. Here we report the preparation and characterization of mice that express the recombinase Cre instead of β5t, a proteasome subunit that is abundant in cTECs and not detected in other cell types, including mTECs. By crossing β5t-Cre knock-in mice with loxP-dependent GFP reporter mice, we found that β5t-Cre-mediated recombination occurs specifically in TECs but not in any other cell types in the mouse. Surprisingly, in addition to cTECs, β5t-Cre-loxP-mediated GFP expression was detected in almost all mTECs. These results indicate that the majority of mTECs, including autoimmune regulator-expressing mTECs, are derived from β5t-expressing progenitor cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Izumi Ohigashi
- Division of Experimental Immunology, Institute for Genome Research, University of Tokushima, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan
| | - Saulius Zuklys
- Laboratory of Pediatric Immunology, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel and University Children's Hospital Basel, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Mie Sakata
- Division of Experimental Immunology, Institute for Genome Research, University of Tokushima, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan
| | - Carlos E. Mayer
- Laboratory of Pediatric Immunology, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel and University Children's Hospital Basel, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Saule Zhanybekova
- Laboratory of Pediatric Immunology, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel and University Children's Hospital Basel, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Shigeo Murata
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Keiji Tanaka
- Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo 156-8506, Japan; and
| | - Georg A. Holländer
- Laboratory of Pediatric Immunology, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel and University Children's Hospital Basel, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
- Department of Paediatrics and the Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DU, United Kingdom
| | - Yousuke Takahama
- Division of Experimental Immunology, Institute for Genome Research, University of Tokushima, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan
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7
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Shitara S, Hara T, Liang B, Wagatsuma K, Zuklys S, Holländer GA, Nakase H, Chiba T, Tani-ichi S, Ikuta K. IL-7 produced by thymic epithelial cells plays a major role in the development of thymocytes and TCRγδ+ intraepithelial lymphocytes. J Immunol 2013; 190:6173-9. [PMID: 23686483 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1202573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
IL-7 is a cytokine essential for T cell development and survival. However, the local function of IL-7 produced by thymic epithelial cells (TECs) is poorly understood. To address this question, we generated IL-7-floxed mice and crossed them with FoxN1 promoter-driven Cre (FoxN1-Cre) mice to establish knockout mice conditionally deficient for the expression of IL-7 by TECs. We found that αβ and γδ T cells were significantly reduced in the thymus of IL-7(f/f) FoxN1-Cre mice. Proportion of mature single-positive thymocytes was increased. In lymph nodes and the spleen, the numbers of T cells were partially restored in IL-7(f/f) FoxN1-Cre mice. In addition, γδ T cells were absent from the fetal thymus and epidermis of IL-7(f/f) FoxN1-Cre mice. Furthermore, TCRγδ(+) intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs) were significantly decreased in the small intestines of IL-7(f/f) FoxN1-Cre mice. To evaluate the function of IL-7 produced in the intestine, we crossed the IL-7(f/f) mice with villin promoter-driven Cre (Vil-Cre) mice to obtain the mice deficient in IL-7 production from intestinal epithelial cells. We observed that αβ and γδ IELs of IL-7(f/f) Vil-Cre mice were comparable to control mice. Collectively, our results suggest that TEC-derived IL-7 plays a major role in proliferation, survival, and maturation of thymocytes and is indispensable for γδ T cell development. This study also demonstrates that IL-7 produced in the thymus is essential for the development of γδ IELs and indicates the thymic origin of γδ IELs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soichiro Shitara
- Laboratory of Biological Protection, Department of Biological Responses, Institute for Virus Research, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan
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8
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Zuklys S, Mayer CE, Zhanybekova S, Stefanski HE, Nusspaumer G, Gill J, Barthlott T, Chappaz S, Nitta T, Dooley J, Nogales-Cadenas R, Takahama Y, Finke D, Liston A, Blazar BR, Pascual-Montano A, Holländer GA. MicroRNAs control the maintenance of thymic epithelia and their competence for T lineage commitment and thymocyte selection. J Immunol 2012; 189:3894-904. [PMID: 22972926 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1200783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Thymic epithelial cells provide unique cues for the lifelong selection and differentiation of a repertoire of functionally diverse T cells. Rendered microRNA (miRNA) deficient, these stromal cells in the mouse lose their capacity to instruct the commitment of hematopoietic precursors to a T cell fate, to effect thymocyte positive selection, and to achieve promiscuous gene expression required for central tolerance induction. Over time, the microenvironment created by miRNA-deficient thymic epithelia assumes the cellular composition and structure of peripheral lymphoid tissue, where thympoiesis fails to be supported. These findings emphasize a global role for miRNA in the maintenance and function of the thymic epithelial cell scaffold and establish a novel mechanism how these cells control peripheral tissue Ag expression to prompt central immunological tolerance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saulius Zuklys
- Laboratory of Pediatric Immunology, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel and Basel University Children's Hospital, Basel 4031, Switzerland
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9
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Loeffler S, Kovac M, Zuklys S, Keller M, Hess D, Piscuoglio S, Terraciano L, Heinimann K, Holländer G. Abstract 3081: Loss of Shoca-2 expression in colorectal cancer correlates with metastasis as Shoca-2 represses EGF-regulated STAT3 activation via recruitment of PP1beta. Cancer Res 2010. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.am10-3081] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Objective: We sought to define in colorectal cancer (CRC) the function of Shoca-2 (a.k.a. SH2D4A), an until now uncharacterized SH2 domain-containing protein.
Methods: Tandem affinity purification, immunoprecipitation, site-specific mutagenesis, shRNA expression targeting and gene expression analysis were used to characterize binding partners of human Shoca-2 and identify the signaling pathway(s) where this adapter protein is involved. To assess Shoca-2 function on cell growth, colony formation assays and cell cycle analyses were carried out. CRC biopsies were analyzed by immunohistochemistry and molecular genetic methods for the presence of Shoca-2.
Results: Here we demonstrate that Shoca-2 forms a complex with EGFR and STAT3. In response to EGF signaling, a Shoca-2/STAT3 dimer dissociates from EGFR and recruits the serine/threonine phosphatase PP1beta to the complex. Consequently, STAT3 activity is repressed and the EGF signaling pathway ceases to be activated. A lack of Shoca-2 expression secondary to a genomic loss of the locus is frequently observed in metastatic colorectal cancer and correlates with an increase in phosphorylated STAT3 in these cells. Conversely, the ectopic expression of wild type Shoca-2 but not of a mutant form defective in its ability to bind to PP1beta suppresses STAT3-dependent tumor cell growth.
Conclusion: Our results identify Shoca-2 as a tumor suppressor that acts upon EGF stimulation as an adaptor protein to target STAT3 for dephosphorylation.
Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3081.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sébastien Loeffler
- 1Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel and University Childrens Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Michal Kovac
- 1Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel and University Childrens Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Saulius Zuklys
- 1Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel and University Childrens Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Marcel Keller
- 1Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel and University Childrens Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | | | - Salvatore Piscuoglio
- 1Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel and University Childrens Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | | | - Karl Heinimann
- 1Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel and University Childrens Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Georg Holländer
- 1Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel and University Childrens Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
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10
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Vroegindeweij E, Crobach S, Itoi M, Satoh R, Zuklys S, Happe C, Germeraad WT, Cornelissen JJ, Cupedo T, Holländer GA, Kawamoto H, van Ewijk W. Thymic cysts originate from Foxn1 positive thymic medullary epithelium. Mol Immunol 2010; 47:1106-13. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molimm.2009.10.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2009] [Revised: 10/26/2009] [Accepted: 10/28/2009] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
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11
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Zuklys S, Gill J, Keller MP, Hauri-Hohl M, Zhanybekova S, Balciunaite G, Na KJ, Jeker LT, Hafen K, Tsukamoto N, Amagai T, Taketo MM, Krenger W, Holländer GA. Stabilized beta-catenin in thymic epithelial cells blocks thymus development and function. J Immunol 2009; 182:2997-3007. [PMID: 19234195 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.0713723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Thymic T cell development is dependent on a specialized epithelial microenvironment mainly composed of cortical and medullary thymic epithelial cells (TECs). The molecular programs governing the differentiation and maintenance of TECs remain largely unknown. Wnt signaling is central to the development and maintenance of several organ systems but a specific role of this pathway for thymus organogenesis has not yet been ascertained. In this report, we demonstrate that activation of the canonical Wnt signaling pathway by a stabilizing mutation of beta-catenin targeted exclusively to TECs changes the initial commitment of endodermal epithelia to a thymic cell fate. Consequently, the formation of a correctly composed and organized thymic microenvironment is prevented, thymic immigration of hematopoietic precursors is restricted, and intrathymic T cell differentiation is arrested at a very early developmental stage causing severe immunodeficiency. These results suggest that a precise regulation of canonical Wnt signaling in thymic epithelia is essential for normal thymus development and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saulius Zuklys
- Department of Clinical-Biological Sciences, Laboratory of Pediatric Immunology, University of Basel, and Basel University Children's Hospital, Basel, Switzerland
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12
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Jenkinson SR, Zuklys S, Hollander GA, Koni PA, Reizis B, Hodes RJ. Importance of MHCII expression on thymic epithelium versus dendritic cells for the positive and negative selection of CD4 T Cells (138.28). The Journal of Immunology 2009. [DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.182.supp.138.28] [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
Development of T cells from T cell precursors occurs in the thymus through interactions of T lineage cells with thymic stromal populations. These stromal populations are distributed in an ordered fashion that defines thymic architecture and provides the environment for thymic differentiation. The successful generation of a mature and self-tolerant CD4 T cell repertoire requires that developing T cells pass at least two checkpoints; positive and negative selection. Positive selection has been reported to be mediated by cortical epithelial cells, allowing T lineage cells that have rearranged a T cell receptor capable of recognizing self peptide-MHCII complexes at appropriately affinity, to survive and commit to the CD4 lineage. Positively selected cells can then move into the medulla where they must pass negative selection, which acts to remove highly self reactive cells. MHCII is expressed in the medulla on both medullary epithelial cells and dendritic cells and plays a critical role in negative selection. To further examine the cell populations in which MHCII expression is important in CD4 T cell development in unmanipulated mice, we are characterizing the effect of selective inactivation of MHCII, using a panel of mice expressing cre recombinase specifically in epithelial cells or in dendritic cells in combination with an MHCII floxed allele.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Saulius Zuklys
- 2University Children's Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | | | | | - Boris Reizis
- 4Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY
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13
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Hozumi K, Mailhos C, Negishi N, Hirano KI, Yahata T, Ando K, Zuklys S, Holländer GA, Shima DT, Habu S. Delta-like 4 is indispensable in thymic environment specific for T cell development. J Biophys Biochem Cytol 2008. [DOI: 10.1083/jcb1831oia2] [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: 11/22/2022] Open
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14
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Hozumi K, Mailhos C, Negishi N, Hirano KI, Yahata T, Ando K, Zuklys S, Holländer GA, Shima DT, Habu S. Delta-like 4 is indispensable in thymic environment specific for T cell development. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2008; 205:2507-13. [PMID: 18824583 PMCID: PMC2571926 DOI: 10.1084/jem.20080134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 287] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.9] [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] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
The thymic microenvironment is required for T cell development in vivo. However, in vitro studies have shown that when hematopoietic progenitors acquire Notch signaling via Delta-like (Dll)1 or Dll4, they differentiate into the T cell lineage in the absence of a thymic microenvironment. It is not clear, however, whether the thymus supports T cell development specifically by providing Notch signaling. To address this issue, we generated mice with a loxP-flanked allele of Dll4 and induced gene deletion specifically in thymic epithelial cells (TECs). In the thymus of mutant mice, the expression of Dll4 was abrogated on the epithelium, and the proportion of hematopoietic cells bearing the intracellular fragment of Notch1 (ICN1) was markedly decreased. Corresponding to this, CD4 CD8 double-positive or single-positive T cells were not detected in the thymus. Further analysis showed that the double-negative cell fraction was lacking T cell progenitors. The enforced expression of ICN1 in hematopoietic progenitors restored thymic T cell differentiation, even when the TECs were deficient in Dll4. These results indicate that the thymus-specific environment for determining T cell fate indispensably requires Dll4 expression to induce Notch signaling in the thymic immigrant cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katsuto Hozumi
- Department of Immunology and Research Center for Embryogenesis and Organogenesis, Tokai University School of Medicine, Isehara 259-1193, Japan.
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15
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Rossi SW, Jeker LT, Ueno T, Kuse S, Keller MP, Zuklys S, Gudkov AV, Takahama Y, Krenger W, Blazar BR, Holländer GA. Keratinocyte growth factor (KGF) enhances postnatal T-cell development via enhancements in proliferation and function of thymic epithelial cells. Blood 2007; 109:3803-11. [PMID: 17213286 PMCID: PMC1874572 DOI: 10.1182/blood-2006-10-049767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 140] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [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: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The systemic administration of keratinocyte growth factor (KGF) enhances T-cell lymphopoiesis in normal mice and mice that received a bone marrow transplant. KGF exerts protection to thymic stromal cells from cytoablative conditioning and graft-versus-host disease-induced injury. However, little is known regarding KGF's molecular and cellular mechanisms of action on thymic stromal cells. Here, we report that KGF induces in vivo a transient expansion of both mature and immature thymic epithelial cells (TECs) and promotes the differentiation of the latter type of cells. The increased TEC numbers return within 2 weeks to normal values and the microenvironment displays a normal architectural organization. Stromal changes initiate an expansion of immature thymocytes and permit regular T-cell development at an increased rate and for an extended period of time. KGF signaling in TECs activates both the p53 and NF-kappaB pathways and results in the transcription of several target genes necessary for TEC function and T-cell development, including bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP2), BMP4, Wnt5b, and Wnt10b. Signaling via the canonical BMP pathway is critical for the KGF effects. Taken together, these data provide new insights into the mechanism(s) of action of exogenous KGF on TEC function and thymopoiesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simona W Rossi
- Laboratory of Pediatric Immunology, Center for Biomedicine, Department of Clinical-Biological Sciences, University of Basel, Mattenstrasse 28, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
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16
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Abstract
The thymic stromal compartment consists of several cell types that collectively enable the attraction, survival, expansion, migration, and differentiation of T-cell precursors. The thymic epithelial cells constitute the most abundant cell type of the thymic microenvironment and can be differentiated into morphologically, phenotypically, and functionally separate subpopulations of the postnatal thymus. All thymic epithelial cells are derived from the endodermal lining of the third pharyngeal pouch. Very soon after the formation of a thymus primordium and prior to its vascularization, thymic epithelial cells orchestrate the first steps of intrathymic T-cell development, including the attraction of lymphoid precursor cells to the thymic microenvironment. The correct segmentation of pharyngeal epithelial cells and their subsequent crosstalk with cells in the pharyngeal arches are critical prerequisites for the formation of a thymus anlage. Mutations in several transcription factors and their target genes have been informative to detail some of the complex mechanisms that control the development of the thymus anlage. This review highlights recent findings related to the genetic control of early thymus organogenesis and provides insight into the molecular basis by which lymphocyte precursors are attracted to the thymus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georg Holländer
- Pediatric Immunology, The Center for Biomedicine, Department of Clinical-Biological Sciences, University of Basel, and The University Children's Hospital of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
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17
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Balciunaite G, Keller MP, Balciunaite E, Piali L, Zuklys S, Mathieu YD, Gill J, Boyd R, Sussman DJ, Holländer GA. Wnt glycoproteins regulate the expression of FoxN1, the gene defective in nude mice. Nat Immunol 2002; 3:1102-8. [PMID: 12379851 DOI: 10.1038/ni850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 206] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [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: 07/16/2002] [Accepted: 09/09/2002] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
T cell development and selection require the fully mature and diverse epithelial microenvironment of the thymus. Acquisition of these characteristics is dependent on expression of the forkhead (also known as winged-helix) transcription factor FoxN1, as a lack of functional FoxN1 results in aberrant epithelial morphogenesis and an inability to attract lymphoid precursors to the thymus primordium. However, the transcriptional control of Foxn1 expression has not been elucidated. Here we report that secreted Wnt glycoproteins, expressed by thymic epithelial cells and thymocytes, regulate epithelial Foxn1 expression in both autocrine and paracrine fashions. Wnt molecules therefore provide regulatory signals critical for thymic function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gina Balciunaite
- Pediatric Immunology, Department of Research and Clinical-biological Sciences, and the Children's Hospital, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
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18
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Zuklys S, Balciunaite G, Agarwal A, Fasler-Kan E, Palmer E, Holländer GA. Normal thymic architecture and negative selection are associated with Aire expression, the gene defective in the autoimmune-polyendocrinopathy-candidiasis-ectodermal dystrophy (APECED). J Immunol 2000; 165:1976-83. [PMID: 10925280 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.165.4.1976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 176] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
T cell development is tightly controlled by thymic stromal cells. Alterations in stromal architecture affect T cell maturation and the development of self-tolerance. The monogenic autoimmune syndrome APECED (autoimmune-polyendocrinopathy-candidiasis-ectodermal dystrophy) is characterized by the loss of self-tolerance to multiple organs. Although mutations in the autoimmune regulator (AIRE) gene are responsible for this disease, the function of AIRE is not known. Here we report on the spatial and temporal pattern of murine Aire expression during thymic ontogeny and T cell selection. Early during development, thymic Aire transcription is critically dependent on RelB and occurs in epithelial cells in response to lymphocyte-mediated signals. In adult tissue, Aire expression is confined to the medulla and the corticomedullary junction, where it is modulated by thymocytes undergoing negative selection. Aire may determine thymic stromal organization and with it the induction of self-tolerance.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Zuklys
- Pediatric Immunology, The Children's University Hospital, Basel University, Basel, Switzerland
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19
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Affiliation(s)
- G A Holländer
- Department of Research, Basel University Medical School, Switzerland.
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20
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Holländer GA, Zuklys S, Morel C, Mizoguchi E, Mobisson K, Simpson S, Terhorst C, Wishart W, Golan DE, Bhan AK, Burakoff SJ. Monoallelic expression of the interleukin-2 locus. Science 1998; 279:2118-21. [PMID: 9516115 DOI: 10.1126/science.279.5359.2118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 188] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [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: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
The lymphokine interleukin-2 (IL-2) is responsible for autocrine cell cycle progression and regulation of immune responses. Uncontrolled secretion of IL-2 results in adverse reactions ranging from anergy, to aberrant T cell activation, to autoimmunity. With the use of fluorescent in situ hybridization and single-cell polymerase chain reaction in cells with different IL-2 alleles, IL-2 expression in mature thymocytes and T cells was found to be tightly controlled by monoallelic expression. Because IL-2 is encoded at a nonimprinted autosomal locus, this result represents an unusual regulatory mode for controlling the precise expression of a single gene.
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Affiliation(s)
- G A Holländer
- Pediatric Immunology, Department of Research and Children's Hospital, Basel University Medical School, 4031 Basel, Switzerland
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