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Abstract
Mechanisms underlying motor neuron degeneration in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are yet unclear. Specific deletion of the ER-component membralin in astrocytes manifested postnatal motor defects and lethality in mice, causing the accumulation of extracellular glutamate through reducing the glutamate transporter EAAT2. Restoring EAAT2 levels in membralin-KO astrocytes limited astrocyte-dependent excitotoxicity in motor neurons. Transcriptomic profiles from mouse astrocytic membralin-KO motor cortex indicated significant perturbation in KEGG pathway components related to ALS, including downregulation of Eaat2 and upregulation of Tnfrsf1a. Changes in gene expression with membralin deletion also overlapped with mouse ALS models and reactive astrocytes. Our results show that activation of the TNF receptor (TNFR1) NFκB pathway known to suppress Eaat2 transcription was upregulated with membralin deletion. Further, reduced membralin and EAAT2 levels correlated with disease progression in spinal cord from SOD1-mutant mouse models, and reductions in membralin/EAAT2 were observed in human ALS spinal cord. Importantly, overexpression of membralin in SOD1G93A astrocytes decreased TNFR1 levels and increased EAAT2 expression, and improved motor neuron survival. Importantly, upregulation of membralin in SOD1G93A mice significantly prolonged mouse survival. Our study provided a mechanism for ALS pathogenesis where membralin limited glutamatergic neurotoxicity, suggesting that modulating membralin had potential in ALS therapy.
Authors
Lu-Lin Jiang, Bing Zhu, Yingjun Zhao, Xiaoguang Li, Tongfei Liu, Juan Pina-Crespo, Lisa Zhou, Wenxi Xu, Maria J. Rodriguez, Haiyang Yu, Don W. Cleveland, John Ravits, Sandrine Da Cruz, Tao Long, Dongxian Zhang, Timothy Y. Huang, Huaxi Xu
Abstract
Gliomas account for approximately 80% of primary malignant tumors in the central nervous system. Despite aggressive therapy, the prognosis of patients remains extremely poor. Glioma stem cells (GSCs), considered a potential target of therapy for their crucial role in therapeutic resistance and tumor recurrence, are believed to be key factors in the disappointing outcome. Here, we took advantage of GSCs as the cell model to perform high-throughput drug screening, and the old antibiotic clofoctol was identified as the most effective compound, showing reduction of colony formation and induction of apoptosis of GSCs. Moreover, growth of tumors was obviously inhibited in vivo after clofoctol treatment especially in primary patient-derived xenografts and transgenic xenografts. The anticancer mechanisms demonstrated by analysis of related downstream genes and discovery of the targeted binding protein revealed that clofoctol exhibited the inhibition of GSCs by upregulation of Krüppel-like factor 13 (KLF13), a tumor suppressor gene, through clofoctol’s targeted binding protein, Upstream of N-ras (UNR). Collectively, these data demonstrate that induction of KLF13 expression suppressed growth of gliomas and provide a potential therapy for gliomas targeting GSCs. Importantly, our results also identify the RNA-binding protein UNR as a drug target.
Authors
Yan Hu, Meilian Zhang, Ningyu Tian, Dengke Li, Fan Wu, Peishan Hu, Zhixing Wang, Liping Wang, Wei Hao, Jingting Kang, Bin Yin, Zhi Zheng, Tao Jiang, Jiangang Yuan, Boqin Qiang, Wei Han, Xiaozhong Peng
Abstract
Highly effective direct-acting antivirals against hepatitis C virus (HCV) have created an opportunity to transplant organs from HCV-positive individuals into HCV-negative recipients, since de novo infection can be routinely cured. As this procedure is performed more widely, it becomes increasingly important to understand the biological underpinnings of virus transmission, especially the multiplicity of infection. Here, we used single genome sequencing of plasma virus in 4 genotype 1a HCV-positive organ donors and their 7 organ recipients to assess the genetic bottleneck associated with HCV transmission following renal and cardiac transplantation. In all recipients, de novo infection was established by multiple genetically distinct viruses that reflect the full phylogenetic spectrum of replication-competent virus circulating in donor plasma. This was true in renal and cardiac transplantation and in recipients with peak viral loads ranging between 2.9–6.6 log10 IU/mL. The permissive transmission process characterized here contrasts sharply with sexual or injection-related transmission, which occurs less frequently per exposure and is generally associated with a stringent genetic bottleneck. These findings highlight the effectiveness of current anti-HCV regimens while raising caution regarding the substantially higher multiplicity of infection seen in organ transplantation–associated HCV acquisition.
Authors
Muhammad N. Zahid, Shuyi Wang, Gerald H. Learn, Peter L. Abt, Emily A. Blumberg, Peter P. Reese, David S. Goldberg, George M. Shaw, Katharine J. Bar
Abstract
Lactation induces bone loss to provide sufficient calcium in the milk, a process that involves osteoclastic bone resorption but also osteocytes and perilacunar resorption. The exact mechanisms by which osteocytes contribute to bone loss remain elusive. Osteocytes express genes required in osteoclasts for bone resorption, including cathepsin K (Ctsk), and lactation elevates their expression. We show that Ctsk deletion in osteocytes prevented the increase in osteocyte lacunar area seen during lactation, as well as the effects of lactation to increase osteoclast numbers and decrease trabecular bone volume, cortical thickness, and mechanical properties. In addition, we show that Ctsk deletion in osteocytes increased bone parathyroid hormone–related peptide (PTHrP) and prevented the decrease in serum parathyroid hormone (PTH) induced by lactation, but amplified the increase in serum 1,25-dyhydroxyvitamin D [1,25(OH)2D]. The net result of these changes is to maintain serum and milk calcium levels in the normal range, ensuring normal offspring skeletal development. Our studies confirm the fundamental role of osteocytic perilacunar remodeling in physiological states of lactation and provide genetic evidence that osteocyte-derived Ctsk contributes not only to osteocyte perilacunar remodeling, but also to the regulation of PTH, PTHrP, 1,25(OH)2D, osteoclastogenesis, and bone loss in response to the high calcium demand associated with lactation.
Authors
Sutada Lotinun, Yoshihito Ishihara, Kenichi Nagano, Riku Kiviranta, Vincent T. Carpentier, Lynn Neff, Virginia Parkman, Noriko Ide, Dorothy Hu, Pamela Dann, Daniel Brooks, Mary L. Bouxsein, John Wysolmerski, Francesca Gori, Roland Baron
Abstract
Lumen integrity in vascularization requires fully differentiated endothelial cells (ECs). Here, we report that endothelial-mesenchymal transitions (EndMTs) emerged in ECs of cerebral arteriovenous malformation (AVMs) and caused disruption of the lumen or lumen disorder. We show that excessive Sry-box 2 (Sox2) signaling was responsible for the EndMTs in cerebral AVMs. EC-specific suppression of Sox2 normalized endothelial differentiation and lumen formation and improved the cerebral AVMs. Epigenetic studies showed that induction of Sox2 altered the cerebral-endothelial transcriptional landscape and identified jumonji domain–containing protein 5 (JMJD5) as a direct target of Sox2. Sox2 interacted with JMJD5 to induce EndMTs in cerebral ECs. Furthermore, we utilized a high-throughput system to identify the β-adrenergic antagonist pronethalol as an inhibitor of Sox2 expression. Treatment with pronethalol stabilized endothelial differentiation and lumen formation, which limited the cerebral AVMs.
Authors
Jiayi Yao, Xiuju Wu, Daoqin Zhang, Lumin Wang, Li Zhang, Eric X. Reynolds, Carlos Hernandez, Kristina I. Boström, Yucheng Yao
Abstract
Authors
Ayumi Usui-Ouchi, Martin Friedlander
Abstract
Solid organ transplantation from hepatitis C virus–positive (HCV-positive) deceased donors into HCV-negative recipients is a recent approach aimed to expand the donor organ pool in the setting of severe shortage. Good short-term outcomes have been reported with this approach in combination with direct-acting antivirals. In this issue of the JCI, Zahid and colleagues have characterized early viral kinetics and the genetic landscape of donor-to-recipient HCV transmission using single-genome sequencing. In seven HCV-negative recipients of four HCV-positive donor organs, productive infection with a highly diverse viral population was seen by day three after transplantation. The degree of genetic diversity seen in recipients of HCV-positive organs was unlike the narrow genetic bottleneck typically observed with acute HCV acquisition from intravenous drug use or sexual activity. All recipients achieved HCV cure with treatment. The consequences of acute infection with a genetically diverse HCV population are unknown; however, early clinical experience with this transplantation strategy is promising.
Authors
Christine M. Durand, Michael A. Chattergoon
Abstract
Lymph nodes (LNs) filter lymph to mount effective immune responses. Small soluble lymph-borne molecules from the periphery enter the draining LNs via a reticular conduit system. Intact antibodies and other larger molecules, in contrast, are physically unable to enter the conduits, and they are thought to be transported to the LNs only within migratory DCs after proteolytic degradation. Here, we discovered that lymph-borne antibodies and other large biomolecules enter within seconds into the parenchyma of the draining LN in an intact form. Mechanistically, we found that the uptake of large molecules is a receptor-independent, fluid-phase process that takes place by dynamin-dependent vesicular transcytosis through the lymphatic endothelial cells in the subcapsular sinus of the LN. Physiologically, this pathway mediates a very fast transfer of large protein antigens from the periphery to LN-resident DCs and macrophages. We show that exploitation of the transcytosis system allows enhanced whole-organ imaging and spatially controlled lymphocyte activation by s.c. administered antibodies in vivo. Transcytosis through the floor of the subcapsular sinus thus represents what we believe to be a new physiological and targetable mode of lymph filtering.
Authors
Laura Kähäri, Ruth Fair-Mäkelä, Kaisa Auvinen, Pia Rantakari, Sirpa Jalkanen, Johanna Ivaska, Marko Salmi
Abstract
Lactation is a unique period in which the maternal skeleton acts as a storehouse to provide substantial calcium to milk. Women who exclusively breastfeed lose an average of 210 mg of calcium per day, which doubles or triples with twins and triplets. Data from rodent and clinical studies are consistent with skeletal calcium being released to provide much of the calcium needed for milk production. This is programmed to occur independently of dietary calcium intake or intestinal calcium absorption, which remains at the prepregnant rate in breastfeeding women. After weaning, the skeleton is restored to its prior mineralization and strength, but the factors that regulate this remain to be elucidated.
Authors
Brittany A. Ryan, Christopher S. Kovacs
Abstract
Because of the less-than-robust response to therapy and impact on choice of optimal chemotherapy and prognosis, chronic kidney disease has drawn attention in the treatment of multiple myeloma, a malignant hematologic disorder that can produce significant amounts of monoclonal immunoglobulin free light chains (FLCs). These low-molecular-weight proteins are relatively freely filtered through the glomerulus and are reabsorbed by the proximal tubule. The present study demonstrated that during the process of metabolism of immunoglobulin FLCs, ROS activated the STAT1 pathway in proximal tubule epithelium. STAT1 activation served as the seminal signaling molecule that produced the proinflammatory molecule IL-1β, as well as the profibrotic agent TGF-β by this portion of the nephron. These effects occurred in vivo and were produced specifically by the generation of hydrogen peroxide by the VL domain of the light chain. To the extent that the experiments reflect the human condition, these studies offer insights into the pathogenesis of progressive kidney failure in the setting of lymphoproliferative disorders, such as multiple myeloma, that feature increased circulating levels of monoclonal immunoglobulin fragments that require metabolism by the kidney.
Authors
Wei-Zhong Ying, Xingsheng Li, Sunil Rangarajan, Wenguang Feng, Lisa M. Curtis, Paul W. Sanders
Abstract
Phosphorylation of dynamin-related protein 1 (Drp1) represents an important regulatory mechanism for mitochondrial fission. Here, we established the role of Drp1 serine 600 (Drp1S600) phosphorylation in mitochondrial fission in vivo and assessed the functional consequences of targeted elimination of the Drp1S600 phosphorylation site in the progression of diabetic nephropathy (DN). We generated a knockin mouse in which S600 was mutated to alanine (Drp1S600A). We found that diabetic Drp1S600A mice exhibited improved biochemical and histological features of DN along with reduced mitochondrial fission and diminished mitochondrial ROS in vivo. Importantly, we observed that the effect of Drp1S600 phosphorylation on mitochondrial fission in the diabetic milieu was stimulus dependent but not cell type dependent. Mechanistically, we show that mitochondrial fission in high-glucose conditions occurs through concomitant binding of phosphorylated Drp1S600 with mitochondrial fission factor (MFF) and actin-related protein 3 (Arp3), ultimately leading to accumulation of F-actin and Drp1 on the mitochondria. Taken together, these findings establish the idea that a single phosphorylation site in Drp1 can regulate mitochondrial fission and progression of DN in vivo and highlight the stimulus-specific consequences of Drp1S600 phosphorylation in mitochondrial dynamics.
Authors
Daniel L. Galvan, Jianyin Long, Nathanael Green, Benny H. Chang, Jamie S. Lin, Paul Schumacker, Luan D. Truong, Paul Overbeek, Farhad R. Danesh
Abstract
About 1% of all newborns are affected by congenital heart disease (CHD). Recent findings identify aberrantly functioning cilia as a possible source for CHD. Faulty cilia also prevent the development of proper left-right asymmetry and cause heterotaxy, the incorrect placement of visceral organs. Intriguingly, signaling cascades such as mTOR that influence mitochondrial biogenesis also affect ciliogenesis, and can cause heterotaxy-like phenotypes in zebrafish. Here, we identify levels of mitochondrial function as a determinant for ciliogenesis and a cause for heterotaxy. We detected reduced mitochondrial DNA content in biopsies of heterotaxy patients. Manipulation of mitochondrial function revealed a reciprocal influence on ciliogenesis and affected cilia-dependent processes in zebrafish, human fibroblasts and Tetrahymena thermophila. Exome analysis of heterotaxy patients revealed an increased burden of rare damaging variants in mitochondria-associated genes as compared with 1000 Genome controls. Knock down of such candidate genes caused cilia elongation and ciliopathy-like phenotypes in zebrafish, which could not be rescued by RNA encoding damaging rare variants identified in heterotaxy patients. Our findings suggest that ciliogenesis is coupled to the abundance and function of mitochondria. Our data further reveal disturbed mitochondrial function as an underlying cause for heterotaxy-linked CHD and provide a mechanism for unexplained phenotypes of mitochondrial disease.
Authors
Martin D. Burkhalter, Arthi Sridhar, Pedro Sampaio, Raquel Jacinto, Martina S. Burczyk, Cornelia Donow, Max Angenendt, Competence Network for Congenital Heart Defects Investigators, Maja Hempel, Paul Walther, Petra Pennekamp, Heymut Omran, Susana S. Lopes, Stephanie M. Ware, Melanie Philipp
Abstract
Recent studies have demonstrated that CD4+ T cells can efficiently reject MHC-II–negative tumors. This requires indirect presentation of tumor-associated antigens on surrounding antigen-presenting cells. We hypothesized that intercellular transfer of proteins is not the sole consequence of cell death–mediated protein release, but depends on heat-shock cognate protein 70 (HSC70) and its KFERQ-like binding motif on substrate proteins. Using human Y chromosome antigen DBY, we showed that mutation of one of its 2 putative binding motifs markedly diminished T cell activation after indirect presentation and reduced protein-protein interaction with HSC70. Intercellular antigen transfer was shown to be independent of cell-cell contact, but relied on engulfment within secreted microvesicles. In vivo, alterations of the homologous KFERQ-like motif in murine DBY hampered tumor rejection, T cell activation, and migration into the tumor and substantially impaired survival. Collectively, we show that intercellular antigen transfer of DBY is tightly regulated via binding to HSC70 and that this mechanism influences recognition and rejection of MHC-II–negative tumors in vivo.
Authors
Sascha Kretschmann, Stefanie Herda, Heiko Bruns, Josefine Russ, Edith D. van der Meijden, Ursula Schlötzer-Schrehardt, Marieke Griffioen, Il-Kang Na, Andreas Mackensen, Anita N. Kremer
Abstract
Multiple myeloma (MM) is a relatively common hematologic malignancy, and up to half of patients with MM present with renal dysfunction at the time of diagnosis. MM-associated renal injury has been linked to an excess level of monoclonal immunoglobulin free light chains (FLCs) in the circulation; however, it is not clear how these FLCs drive renal pathology. In this issue of the JCI, Ying et al. unravel a novel mechanism by which FLCs mediate renal injury in MM by inducing fibrotic and inflammatory pathways in the kidney. Specifically, FLC-mediated production of H2O2 was shown to activate JAK2/STAT1 signaling, increase production of IL-1β via induction of capsase-1, and promote activation of TGF-β via αvβ6 integrin. Moreover, the authors identified a tryptophan residue within a specific monoclonal FLC that was required for optimal H2O2 production and downstream signaling. A better understanding of the drivers of MM-associated renal injury has potential for the identification of promising therapeutic targets.
Authors
Erin B. Taylor, Michael J. Ryan
Shear stress–induced endothelial adrenomedullin signaling regulates vascular tone and blood pressure
Abstract
Hypertension is a primary risk factor for cardiovascular diseases including myocardial infarction and stroke. Major determinants of blood pressure are vasodilatory factors such as nitric oxide (NO) released from the endothelium under the influence of fluid shear stress exerted by the flowing blood. Several endothelial signaling processes mediating fluid shear stress–induced formation and release of vasodilatory factors have been described. It is, however, still poorly understood how fluid shear stress induces these endothelial responses. Here we show that the endothelial mechanosensitive cation channel PIEZO1 mediated fluid shear stress–induced release of adrenomedullin, which in turn activated its Gs-coupled receptor. The subsequent increase in cAMP levels promoted the phosphorylation of endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) at serine 633 through protein kinase A (PKA), leading to the activation of the enzyme. This Gs/PKA-mediated pathway synergized with the AKT-mediated pathways leading to eNOS phosphorylation at serine 1177. Mice with endothelium-specific deficiency of adrenomedullin, the adrenomedullin receptor, or Gαs showed reduced flow-induced eNOS activation and vasodilation and developed hypertension. Our data identify fluid shear stress–induced PIEZO1 activation as a central regulator of endothelial adrenomedullin release and establish the adrenomedullin receptor and subsequent Gs-mediated formation of cAMP as a critical endothelial mechanosignaling pathway regulating basal endothelial NO formation, vascular tone, and blood pressure.
Authors
Andras Iring, Young-June Jin, Julián Albarrán-Juárez, Mauro Siragusa, ShengPeng Wang, Péter T. Dancs, Akiko Nakayama, Sarah Tonack, Min Chen, Carsten Künne, Anna M. Sokol, Stefan Günther, Alfredo Martínez, Ingrid Fleming, Nina Wettschureck, Johannes Graumann, Lee S. Weinstein, Stefan Offermanns
Abstract
Neutrophils are the most abundant immune cells in humans and serve as first responders to a myriad of host perturbations. Equipped with a plethora of antimicrobial molecules, neutrophils invade sites of inflammation to eradicate pathogens and clear debris. Traditionally, neutrophils were thought to cause collateral tissue damage before dying at the site. However, the presence of neutrophil infiltration into sterile injuries (in the absence of infections) suggests additional roles for these cells. Now, the view of neutrophils as indiscriminate killers seems to be changing as evolving evidence suggests that neutrophils actively orchestrate resolution of inflammation and contribute to tissue repair. Novel concepts include the idea that neutrophils are key to revascularization and subsequently reverse-transmigrate back to the vasculature, actively leaving sites of tissue damage to re-home to functional niches in the lung and bone marrow. This Review scrutinizes the role of neutrophils in tissue damage and repair, discussing recent findings and raising unresolved questions around this intriguing immune cell.
Authors
Moritz Peiseler, Paul Kubes
Abstract
In this issue of the JCI, Panigrahy et al. demonstrate that preoperative administration of the antiinflammatory drug ketorolac or specialized proresolving mediators (SPM) called resolvins increases disease-free survival rates and prevents metastasis after surgery and chemotherapy in mouse models of cancer. The antitumor response was partially mediated by tumor-specific T cell immunity and immunological memory.
Authors
Esra Güç, Jeffrey W. Pollard
Abstract
Motile cilia provide propulsion, and immotile ones are enriched with receptors. Both are required to establish left-right identity in the developing embryo and are also implicated in a wide range of human diseases. Abnormalities in cilial function underlie heterotaxy congenital heart disease (CHD) occurring in individuals with laterality disturbance. Mitochondrial function and cellular energetics, through mTOR and autophagy, are now linked with cilial function, revealing new mechanisms and candidate genes for syndromic human disease. In the current issue of the JCI, Burkhalter et al. ask the question: Can mitochondrial disturbances produce ciliopathy and does this explain some cases of heterotaxy?
Authors
Bill Chaudhry, Deborah J. Henderson
Abstract
Impaired intestinal epithelial barrier (IEB) function with loss of desmosomal junctional protein desmoglein 2 (DSG2) is a hallmark in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). While previous studies have reported that glial cell line–derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) promotes IEB function, the mechanisms are poorly understood. We hypothesized that GDNF is involved in the loss of DSG2, resulting in impaired IEB function as seen in IBD. In the inflamed intestine of patients with IBD, there was a decrease in GDNF concentrations accompanied by a loss of DSG2, changes of the intermediate filament system, and increased phosphorylation of p38 MAPK and cytokeratins. DSG2-deficient and RET-deficient Caco2 cells revealed that GDNF specifically recruits DSG2 to the cell borders, resulting in increased DSG2-mediated intercellular adhesion via the RET receptor. Challenge of Caco2 cells and enteroids with proinflammatory cytokines as well as dextran sulfate sodium–induced (DSS-induced) colitis in C57Bl/6 mice led to impaired IEB function with reduced DSG2 mediated by p38 MAPK–dependent phosphorylation of cytokeratins. GDNF blocked all inflammation-induced changes in the IEB. GDNF attenuates inflammation-induced impairment of IEB function caused by the loss of DSG2 through p38 MAPK–dependent phosphorylation of cytokeratin. The reduced GDNF in patients with IBD indicates a disease-relevant contribution to the development of IEB dysfunction.
Authors
Michael Meir, Natalie Burkard, Hanna Ungewiß, Markus Diefenbacher, Sven Flemming, Felix Kannapin, Christoph-Thomas Germer, Matthias Schweinlin, Marco Metzger, Jens Waschke, Nicolas Schlegel
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Abstract
Induction of memory CD8 T cells is important for controlling infections such as malaria HIV/AIDS, and for cancer immunotherapy. Accurate assessment of antigen (Ag)-specific CD8 T-cells is critical for vaccine optimization and defining correlates of protection. However, conditions for determining Ag-specific CD8 T-cell responses ex-vivo using ICS may be variable, especially in humans with complex antigens. Here, we used an attenuated whole parasite malaria vaccine model in humans and various experimental infections in mice to show that the duration of antigenic stimulation and timing of brefeldin A (BFA) addition influences the magnitude of Ag-specific and bystander T cell responses. Indeed, following immunization with an attenuated whole sporozoite malaria vaccine in humans, significantly higher numbers of IFN-γ producing memory CD8 T-cells comprised of antigen specific and bystander responses were detected by increasing the duration of Ag-stimulation prior to addition of BFA. Mechanistic analyses of virus-specific CD8 T-cells in mice revealed that the increase in IFNg producing CD8 T-cells was due to bystander activation of Ag-experienced memory CD8 T-cells, and correlated with the proportion of Ag-experienced CD8 T-cells in the stimulated populations. Incubation with anti-cytokine antibodies (ex. IL-12) improved accuracy in detecting bona-fide memory CD8 T-cell responses suggesting this as the mechanism for the bystander activation. These data have important implications for accurate assessment of immune responses generated by vaccines intended to elicit protective memory CD8 T-cells.
Authors
Matthew D. Martin, Isaac J. Jensen, Andrew S. Ishizuka, Mitchell Lefebvre, Qiang Shan, Hai-Hui Xue, John T. Harty, Robert A. Seder, Vladimir P. Badovinac
Abstract
Shwachman-Diamond Syndrome (SDS) is a rare and clinically-heterogeneous bone marrow (BM) failure syndrome caused by mutations in the Shwachman-Bodian-Diamond Syndrome (SBDS) gene. Although SDS was described over 50 years ago, the molecular pathogenesis is poorly understood due, in part, to the rarity and heterogeneity of the affected hematopoietic progenitors. To address this, we used single cell RNA sequencing to profile scant hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells from SDS patients. We generated a single cell map of early lineage commitment and found that SDS hematopoiesis was left-shifted with selective loss of granulocyte-monocyte progenitors. Transcriptional targets of transforming growth factor-beta (TGFβ) were dysregulated in SDS hematopoietic stem cells and multipotent progenitors, but not in lineage-committed progenitors. TGFβ inhibitors (AVID200 and SD208) increased hematopoietic colony formation of SDS patient BM. Finally, TGFβ3 and other TGFβ pathway members were elevated in SDS patient blood plasma. These data establish the TGFβ pathway as a novel candidate biomarker and therapeutic target in SDS and translate insights from single cell biology into a potential therapy.
Authors
Cailin E. Joyce, Assieh Saadatpour, Melisa Ruiz-Gutierrez, Ozge Vargel Bolukbasi, Lan Jiang, Dolly D. Thomas, Sarah Young, Inga Hofmann, Colin Sieff, Kasiani C. Myers, Jennifer Whangbo, Towia A. Libermann, Chad Nusbaum, Guo-Cheng Yuan, Akiko Shimamura, Carl D. Novina
Abstract
A population of Natural Killer (NK) cells expressing the activating receptor NKG2C and the maturation marker CD57 expands in response to human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection. CD3–CD56dimCD57+NKG2C+ NK cells are similar to CD8+ memory T cells with rapid and robust effector function upon re-stimulation, persistence, and epigenetic remodeling of the IFNG locus. Chronic antigen stimulation drives CD8+ memory T cell proliferation while also inducing genome-wide epigenetic reprograming and dysfunction. We hypothesized that chronic stimulation could similarly induce epigenetic reprograming and dysfunction in NK cells. Here we show that chronic stimulation of adaptive NK cells through NKG2C using plate-bound agonistic antibodies in combination with IL-15 drove robust proliferation and activation of CD3–CD56dimCD57+NKG2C+ NK cells while simultaneously inducing high expression of the checkpoint inhibitory receptors LAG-3 and PD-1. Marked induction of checkpoint inhibitory receptors was also observed on the surface of adaptive NK cells co-cultured with HCMV-infected endothelial cells. Chronically stimulated adaptive NK cells were dysfunctional when challenged with tumor targets. These cells exhibited a pattern of epigenetic reprograming, with genome-wide alterations in DNA methylation. Our study has important implications for cancer immunotherapy and suggest that exhausted NK cells could be targeted with inhibitory checkpoint receptor blockade.
Authors
Aimee M. Merino, Bin Zhang, Phillip R. Dougherty, Xianghua Luo, Jinhua Wang, Bruce R. Blazar, Jeffrey S. Miller, Frank Cichocki
Abstract
Resident microbiota activate regulatory cells that modulate intestinal inflammation and promote and maintain intestinal homeostasis. IL-10 is a key mediator of immune regulatory function. Our studies described the functional importance and mechanisms by which gut microbiota and specific microbial components influenced the development of intestinal IL-10-producing B cells. We used fecal transplant to germ-free (GF) Il10+/EGFP reporter and Il10-/- mice to demonstrate that microbiota from specific pathogen-free mice primarily stimulated IL-10-producing colon-specific B cells and T regulatory-1 cells in ex-GF mice. IL-10 in turn down-regulated microbiota-activated mucosal inflammatory cytokines. TLR2/9 ligands and enteric bacterial lysates preferentially induced IL-10 production and regulatory capacity of intestinal B cells. Analysis of Il10+/EGFP mice crossed with additional gene-deficient strains and B cell co-transfer studies demonstrated that microbiota-induced IL-10-producing intestinal B cells ameliorated chronic T cell-mediated colitis in a TLR2, MyD88 and PI3K-dependent fashion. In vitro studies implicated PI3Kp110δ and AKT downstream signaling. These studies demonstrated that resident enteric bacteria activated intestinal IL-10-producing B cells through TLR2, MyD88 and PI3K pathways. These B cells reduced colonic T cell activation and maintained mucosal homeostasis in response to intestinal microbiota.
Authors
Yoshiyuki Mishima, Akihiko Oka, Bo Liu, Jeremy W. Herzog, Chang Soo Eun, Ting-Jia Fan, Emily Bulik-Sullivan, Ian M. Carroll, Jonathan J. Hansen, Liang Chen, Justin E. Wilson, Nancy C. Fisher, Jenny P. Y. Ting, Tomonori Nochi, Angela Wahl, J. Victor Garcia, Christopher L. Karp, R. Balfour Sartor
Abstract
Although joint pain in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is conventionally thought to result from inflammation, arthritis pain and joint inflammation are at least partially uncoupled. This suggests that additional pain mechanisms in RA remain to be explored. Here we show that FcγRI, an immune receptor for IgG immune complex (IgG-IC), is expressed in a subpopulation of joint sensory neurons and that, under naïve conditions, FcγRI crosslinking by IgG-IC directly activates the somata and peripheral terminals of these neurons to evoke acute joint hypernociception without obvious concurrent joint inflammation. These effects were diminished in both global and sensory neuron-specific Fcgr1 knockout mice. In murine models of inflammatory arthritis, FcγRI signaling was upregulated in joint sensory neurons. Acute blockade or global genetic deletion of Fcgr1 significantly attenuated arthritis pain and hyperactivity of joint sensory neurons without measurably altering joint inflammation. Conditional deletion of Fcgr1 in sensory neurons produced similar analgesic effects in these models. We therefore suggest that FcγRI expressed in sensory neurons contributes to arthritis pain independently of its functions in inflammatory cells. These findings expand our understanding of the immunosensory capabilities of sensory neurons and imply that neuronal FcγRI merits consideration as a target for treating RA pain.
Authors
Li Wang, Xiaohua Jiang, Qin Zheng, Sang-Min Jeon, Tiane Chen, Yan Liu, Heather Kulaga, Randall Reed, Xinzhong Dong, Michael J. Caterina, Lintao Qu
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June 2019
On the cover:
Bariatric surgery’s effects on bone and marrow niche
June 2019 Issue
On the cover:
Bariatric surgery’s effects on bone and marrow niche
In this issue of the JCI, Li et al. examined bone loss in a mouse model of bariatric surgery, reporting that impaired bone mineralization and formation correlated with an expansion of myeloid cells in the bone marrow and increased circulating neutrophils, which were mediated by the neutrophil-stimulating factor G-CSF. This issue’s cover conceptualizes VSG’s effects on bone, the bone marrow niche, and circulating cells. Image credit: Ziru Li, Devika P. Bagchi, Callie A. Corsa, and other members of the MacDougald lab.
JCI This Month
June 2019 JCI This Month
JCI This Month is a digest of the research, reviews, and other features published each month.
Review Series - More
Series edited by Kari Nadeau
Allergy
Series edited by Kari Nadeau
The increasing prevalence of allergies worldwide has spurred numerous efforts to better understand risk factors and mechanisms underlying these potentially life-threatening immune responses. Coordinated by Series Editor Kari Nadeau, these reviews address our evolving understanding of the shared and distinct mechanisms underlying allergic diseases of the skin, respiratory system, and gastrointestinal tract. In topics ranging from the molecular and cellular basis of allergy to the influence of the central nervous system, microbiome, and environment, leaders in the field highlight major insights into allergic responses as well as new concepts in treating and preventing allergy.
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Copyright © 2019 American Society for Clinical Investigation
ISSN: 0021-9738 (print), 1558-8238 (online)