A CD153+ CD4+ T follicular cell population with cell-senescence features plays a crucial role in lupus pathogenesis via osteopontin production

S Tahir, Y Fukushima, K Sakamoto, K Sato… - The Journal of …, 2015 - journals.aai.org
S Tahir, Y Fukushima, K Sakamoto, K Sato, H Fujita, J Inoue, T Uede, Y Hamazaki, M Hattori…
The Journal of Immunology, 2015journals.aai.org
Immune aging results in diminished adaptive immunity and increased risk for autoimmunity.
We previously reported a unique PD-1+ CD44 high CD4+ T cell population that increases
with age in normal mice. In this study, we indicate that the age-dependent PD-1+ CD44 high
CD4+ T cells develop as unique T follicular (TF) cells in a B cell–dependent manner and
consist of two subpopulations, as follows: CD153+ cells preferentially secreting abundant
osteopontin on TCR stimulation and CD153− cells that are apparently TCR anergic. These …
Abstract
Immune aging results in diminished adaptive immunity and increased risk for autoimmunity. We previously reported a unique PD-1+ CD44 high CD4+ T cell population that increases with age in normal mice. In this study, we indicate that the age-dependent PD-1+ CD44 high CD4+ T cells develop as unique T follicular (TF) cells in a B cell–dependent manner and consist of two subpopulations, as follows: CD153+ cells preferentially secreting abundant osteopontin on TCR stimulation and CD153− cells that are apparently TCR anergic. These unique TF cells with essentially similar features increase much earlier and are accumulated in the spontaneous germinal centers (GCs) in lupus-prone female BWF1 (f-BWF1) mice. These TF cells showed characteristic cell-senescence features and developed in association with extensive CD4+ T cell proliferation in vivo, suggesting replicative senescence. Although the CD153+ TF cells were defective in proliferation capacity, they were quite stable and specifically responded to self GC-B cells to secret abundant osteopontin, which inhibited B cell receptor–induced GC-B cell apoptosis in f-BWF1 mice. Transfer of CD153+ PD-1+ CD4+ T cells promoted the growth of spontaneous GCs, whereas administration of anti-osteopontin Ab suppressed GC enlargement and anti-nuclear Ab production and ameliorated clinical lupus nephritis of f-BWF1 mice. Current results suggest that senescent CD153+ TF cells generated as a consequence of extensive endogenous CD4+ T cell proliferation play an essential, if not sufficient, role in lupus pathogenesis in lupus-prone genetic background and may also contribute to an increased autoimmunity risk with age.
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