Graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD) is a severe complication of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) characterized by the production of high levels of proinflammatory cytokines. ...Activated Janus kinases (JAKs) are required for T-effector cell responses in different inflammatory diseases, and their blockade could potently reduce acute GVHD. We observed that inhibition of JAK1/2 signaling resulted in reduced proliferation of effector T cells and suppression of proinflammatory cytokine production in response to alloantigen in mice. In vivo JAK 1/2 inhibition improved survival of mice developing acute GVHD and reduced histopathological GVHD grading, serum levels of proinflammatory cytokines, and expansion of alloreactive luc-transgenic T cells. Mechanistically, we could show that ruxolitinib impaired differentiation of CD4+T cells into IFN-γ– and IL17A-producing cells, and that both T-cell phenotypes are linked to GVHD. Conversely, ruxolitinib treatment in allo-HCT recipients increased FoxP3+regulatory T cells, which are linked to immunologic tolerance. Based on these results, we treated 6 patients with steroid-refractory GVHD with ruxolitinib. All patients responded with respect to clinical GVHD symptoms and serum levels of proinflammatory cytokines. In summary, ruxolitinib represents a novel targeted approach in GVHD by suppression of proinflammatory signaling that mediates tissue damage and by promotion of tolerogenic Treg cells.
•We report that ruxolitinib reduces murine GVHD via increased Treg numbers.•We demonstrate the potent activity of ruxolitinib treatment in patients with corticosteroid-refractory GVHD.
The success of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation is limited by acute graft-versus-host disease (GvHD), a severe complication accompanied by high mortality rates. Yet, the molecular ...mechanisms initiating this disease remain poorly defined. In this study, we show that, after conditioning therapy, intestinal commensal bacteria and the damage-associated molecular pattern uric acid contribute to Nlrp3 inflammasome-mediated IL-1β production and that gastrointestinal decontamination and uric acid depletion reduced GvHD severity. Early blockade of IL-1β or genetic deficiency of the IL-1 receptor in dendritic cells (DCs) and T cells improved survival. The Nlrp3 inflammasome components Nlrp3 and Asc, which are required for pro-IL-1β cleavage, were critical for the full manifestation of GvHD. In transplanted mice, IL-1β originated from multiple intestinal cell compartments and exerted its effects on DCs and T cells, the latter being preferentially skewed toward Th17. Compatible with these mouse data, increased levels of active caspase-1 and IL-1β were found in circulating leukocytes and intestinal GvHD lesions of patients. Thus, the identification of a crucial role for the Nlrp3 inflammasome sheds new light on the pathogenesis of GvHD and opens a potential new avenue for the targeted therapy of this severe complication.
The molecular pathways that regulate the tissue repair function of type I interferon (IFN-I) during acute tissue damage are poorly understood. We describe a protective role for IFN-I and the ...RIG-I/MAVS signaling pathway during acute tissue damage in mice. Mice lacking mitochondrial antiviral-signaling protein (MAVS) were more sensitive to total body irradiation- and chemotherapy-induced intestinal barrier damage. These mice developed worse graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) in a preclinical model of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) than did wild-type mice. This phenotype was not associated with changes in the intestinal microbiota but was associated with reduced gut epithelial integrity. Conversely, targeted activation of the RIG-I pathway during tissue injury promoted gut barrier integrity and reduced GVHD. Recombinant IFN-I or IFN-I expression induced by RIG-I promoted growth of intestinal organoids in vitro and production of the antimicrobial peptide regenerating islet-derived protein 3 γ (RegIIIγ). Our findings were not confined to RIG-I/MAVS signaling because targeted engagement of the STING (stimulator of interferon genes) pathway also protected gut barrier function and reduced GVHD. Consistent with this, STING-deficient mice suffered worse GVHD after allo-HSCT than did wild-type mice. Overall, our data suggest that activation of either RIG-I/MAVS or STING pathways during acute intestinal tissue injury in mice resulted in IFN-I signaling that maintained gut epithelial barrier integrity and reduced GVHD severity. Targeting these pathways may help to prevent acute intestinal injury and GVHD during allogeneic transplantation.
Upon detection of viral RNA, the helicases RIG-I and/or MDA5 trigger, via their adaptor Cardif (also known as IPS-1, MAVS, or VISA), the activation of the transcription factors NF-κB and IRF3, which ...collaborate to induce an antiviral type I interferon (IFN) response. FADD and RIP1, known as mediators of death-receptor signaling, are implicated in this antiviral pathway; however, the link between death-receptor and antiviral signaling is not known. Here we showed that TRADD, a crucial adaptor of tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNFRI), was important in RIG-like helicase (RLH)-mediated signal transduction. TRADD is recruited to Cardif and orchestrated complex formation with the E3 ubiquitin ligase TRAF3 and TANK and with FADD and RIP1, leading to the activation of IRF3 and NF-κB. Loss of TRADD prevented Cardif-dependent activation of IFN-β, reduced the production of IFN-β in response to RNA viruses, and enhanced vesicular stomatitis virus replication. Thus, TRADD is not only an essential component of proinflammatory TNFRI signaling, but is also required for RLH-Cardif-dependent antiviral immune responses.
Genetic and epigenetic plasticity allows tumors to evade single-targeted treatments. Here we direct Bcl2-specific short interfering RNA (siRNA) with 5'-triphosphate ends (3p-siRNA) against melanoma. ...Recognition of 5'-triphosphate by the cytosolic antiviral helicase retinoic acid-induced protein I (Rig-I, encoded by Ddx58) activated innate immune cells such as dendritic cells and directly induced expression of interferons (IFNs) and apoptosis in tumor cells. These Rig-I-mediated activities synergized with siRNA-mediated Bcl2 silencing to provoke massive apoptosis of tumor cells in lung metastases in vivo. The therapeutic activity required natural killer cells and IFN, as well as silencing of Bcl2, as evidenced by rescue with a mutated Bcl2 target, by site-specific cleavage of Bcl2 messenger RNA in lung metastases and downregulation of Bcl-2 protein in tumor cells in vivo. Together, 3p-siRNA represents a single molecule-based approach in which Rig-I activation on both the immune- and tumor cell level corrects immune ignorance and in which gene silencing corrects key molecular events that govern tumor cell survival.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Chemoattractants control lymphocyte recruitment from the blood, contributing to the systemic organization of the immune system. The G protein-linked receptor GPR15 mediates lymphocyte homing to the ...large intestines and skin. Here we show that the 9 kDa CC-motif containing cationic polypeptide AP57/colon-derived sushi containing domain-2 binding factor (CSBF), encoded by
in the human and
in the mouse, functions as a chemokine ligand for GPR15 (GPR15L). GPR15L binds GPR15 and attracts GPR15-expressing T cells including lymphocytes in colon-draining lymph nodes and Vγ3
thymic precursors of dermal epithelial T cells. Patterns of GPR15L expression by epithelial cells in adult mice and humans suggest a homeostatic role for the chemokine in lymphocyte localization to the large intestines, as well as a role in homing to the epidermis during wound healing or inflammation. GPR15L is also significantly expressed in squamous mucosa of the oral cavity and esophagus with still poorly defined regulation. Identification of the chemotactic activity of GPR15L adds to its reported antibacterial and tumor cell growth regulatory functions and suggests the potential of targeting GPR15L-GPR15 interactions for modulation of mucosal and cutaneous inflammation.
High-dimensional single cell profiling coupled with computational modeling is emerging as a powerful tool to elucidate developmental programs directing cell lineages. We introduce tSpace, an ...algorithm based on the concept of “trajectory space”, in which cells are defined by their distance along nearest neighbor pathways to every other cell in a population. Graphical mapping of cells in trajectory space allows unsupervised reconstruction and exploration of complex developmental sequences. Applied to flow and mass cytometry data, the method faithfully reconstructs thymic T cell development and reveals development and trafficking regulation of tonsillar B cells. Applied to the single cell transcriptome of mouse intestine and C. elegans, the method recapitulates development from intestinal stem cells to specialized epithelial phenotypes more faithfully than existing algorithms and orders C. elegans cells concordantly to the associated embryonic time. tSpace profiling of complex populations is well suited for hypothesis generation in developing cell systems.
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•tSpace: trajectory analysis agnostic to biological systems and technology platforms•tSpace faithfully reconstructs complex developmental trees within one or more tissues•tSpace reveals rare transient cells usually missed by trajectory inference algorithms•tSpace confirms known and unveils novel biology in human B cells and mouse intestine
Developmental Biology; Systems Biology; In Silico Biology
The consensus molecular subtypes (CMS) of colorectal cancer (CRC) is the most widely-used gene expression-based classification and has contributed to a better understanding of disease heterogeneity ...and prognosis. Nevertheless, CMS intratumoral heterogeneity restricts its clinical application, stressing the necessity of further characterizing the composition and architecture of CRC. Here, we used Spatial Transcriptomics (ST) in combination with single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) to decipher the spatially resolved cellular and molecular composition of CRC. In addition to mapping the intratumoral heterogeneity of CMS and their microenvironment, we identified cell communication events in the tumor-stroma interface of CMS2 carcinomas. This includes tumor growth-inhibiting as well as -activating signals, such as the potential regulation of the ETV4 transcriptional activity by DCN or the PLAU-PLAUR ligand-receptor interaction. Our study illustrates the potential of ST to resolve CRC molecular heterogeneity and thereby help advance personalized therapy.
Summary
Vitamin D (VD3) has been linked to immunological processes, and its supplementation may have a role in treatment or prevention of diseases with underlying autoimmune or pro‐inflammatory ...states. As initiators of the immune responses, dendritic cells (DC) are a potential target of VD3 to dampen autoimmunity and inflammation, but the role of DC in VD3‐mediated immunomodulation in vivo is not understood. In addition to being targets of VD3, DC can provide a local source of bioactive VD3 for regulation of T‐cell responses. Here we review existing studies that describe the tolerogenic potential of VD3 on DC, and discuss them in the context of current understanding of DC development and function. We speculate on mechanisms that might account for the potent but poorly understood tolerogenic activities of VD3 and the role of DC as both targets and sources of this hormone.
The multiphasic etiology of tissue inflammation and the fundamental immunological differences between species render inflammatory pathologies difficult to recapitulate in animal models, and account ...for the paucity of therapies that are successfully translated from rodents to humans. Here, we present a human-relevant organ-on-a-chip platform for experimental inflammatory diseases. We created an immunocompetent
in vitro
gut model by incorporating intestinal epithelial and immune cells into microfluidic chambers that permit cell movement across an extracellular matrix (ECM) and fluidic channels. This is the first model that integrates a mucosal barrier, a three-dimensional ECM, resident and infiltrating immune cells, and simulates a functional crosstalk that ultimately triggers cellular processes representative of inflammation. Under homeostatic conditions, enterocytes form a tight epithelium and subepithelial macrophages are non-activated. Introduction of pro-inflammatory mediators triggers macrophage activation and inflammation-induced intestinal barrier leakiness. Neutrophils in a parallel, matrix-separated non-epithelial channel are attracted by such a pro-inflammatory microenvironment and migrate through the extracellular matrix, further exacerbating tissue inflammation and damage. With this model, we provide the foundations to recapitulate and investigate the onset of tissue inflammation in a controlled, human-relevant system.
We describe a microphysiological model of intestinal inflammation, which incorporates and captures the functional interactions between an epithelial barrier, resident macrophages, infiltrating neutrophils, and extrcellular matrix degradation products.