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TSC1 regulates the balance between effector and regulatory T cells
Yoon Park, … , Mitchell Kronenberg, Yun-Cai Liu
Yoon Park, … , Mitchell Kronenberg, Yun-Cai Liu
Published November 25, 2013
Citation Information: J Clin Invest. 2013;123(12):5165-5178. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI69751.
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Research Article

TSC1 regulates the balance between effector and regulatory T cells

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Abstract

Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) plays a crucial role in the control of T cell fate determination; however, the precise regulatory mechanism of the mTOR pathway is not fully understood. We found that T cell–specific deletion of the gene encoding tuberous sclerosis 1 (TSC1), an upstream negative regulator of mTOR, resulted in augmented Th1 and Th17 differentiation and led to severe intestinal inflammation in a colitis model. Conditional Tsc1 deletion in Tregs impaired their suppressive activity and expression of the Treg marker Foxp3 and resulted in increased IL-17 production under inflammatory conditions. A fate-mapping study revealed that Tsc1-null Tregs that lost Foxp3 expression gained a stronger effector-like phenotype compared with Tsc1–/– Foxp3+ Tregs. Elevated IL-17 production in Tsc1–/– Treg cells was reversed by in vivo knockdown of the mTOR target S6K1. Moreover, IL-17 production was enhanced by Treg-specific double deletion of Tsc1 and Foxo3a. Collectively, these studies suggest that TSC1 acts as an important checkpoint for maintaining immune homeostasis by regulating cell fate determination.

Authors

Yoon Park, Hyung-Seung Jin, Justine Lopez, Chris Elly, Gisen Kim, Masako Murai, Mitchell Kronenberg, Yun-Cai Liu

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Figure 3

Treg cells from Cd4creTsc1f/f mice have a defect in colitis suppression.

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Treg cells from Cd4creTsc1f/f mice have a defect in colitis suppression....
(A) Sorted naive CD4+CD62L+CD25– T cells from WT and Cd4CreTsc1f/f mice were stimulated with anti-CD3/CD28 in the presence of the indicated concentrations of TGF-β. Induction of Foxp3+ Treg cells was examined by flow cytometry on day 4. (B) Cells in A were cocultured with Violet-labeled CD4+CD25– naive T cells at a 1:1 ratio in the presence of irradiated T cell–depleted splenocytes and anti-CD3. Violet dilution was assessed 4 days later by flow cytometry. Data are representative of three to five independent experiments (A and B). (C) Rag1–/– mice were given sorted WT or TSC1-deficient CD4+CD25+ (CD45.2+) Treg cells, together with CD4+CD45RBhi (CD45.1+) T cells or CD4+CD45RBhi (CD45.1+) T cells alone (None). Weight loss in individual mice was monitored every week for 12 weeks. (D–F) H&E staining and colon histological scores. Original magnification, ×100 (D); ratios of CD4+CD45RBhi (CD45.1+) to CD4+CD25+ (CD45.2+) Treg cells in the SP, LNs, MLNs, and cLP (E); absolute numbers of CD4+CD45.2+ T cells (F) in Rag1–/– recipient mice, as in C, 12 weeks after transfer. (G and H) Flow cytometric analysis of Foxp3+ expression in sorted CD4+CD45RBloCD25+ Treg cells before adoptive transfer (G) or 12 weeks after transfer (H) in Rag1–/– recipient mice, as in C. Data are compiled from (C, E, and F) or representative of (D and H) three independent experiments with two mice each. Error bars indicate the mean ± SD. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, and ***P < 0.001 by two-tailed, unpaired Student’s t test.
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