Upon activation, naïve CD4
T cells differentiate into a number of specialized T helper (Th) cell subsets. Th2 cells are central players in immunity to helminths and are implicated in mediating the ...inflammatory pathology associated with allergies. The differentiation of Th2 cells is dependent on transcription factors such as GATA3 and STAT6, which prime Th2 cells for the secretion of interleukin- (IL-) 4, IL-5, and IL-13. Several lines of work now suggest that differentiating Th2 cells in the lymph node are potent IL-4 cytokine producers, but do not become competent IL-5- and IL-13-producing cells until after receiving cues from non-lymphoid tissue. It is evident that Th2 cells that enter tissues undergo considerable changes in chromatin architecture and gene expression, and that over this time, the metabolic requirements of these cells change considerably. Herein, we discuss the metabolic requirements of Th2 cells during their early and late differentiation, focusing on the impact of glucose and lipid metabolism, mTOR activation, the nuclear receptor PPAR-γ and several metabolites.
The Maersk Tower in the heart of Copenhagen, Denmark, is home to the Leo Foundation Skin Immunology Research Centre (SIC) and the broader Department of Microbiology and Immunology (ISIM) of the ...University of Copenhagen. In this article, ICB Deputy Editor Associate Professor Jonathan Coquet interviews Professor Liv Eidsmo and discusses her research career, interest in skin diseases and what inspired her move to Copenhagen.
Associate Professor Victor Peperzak from the University Medical Center (UMC) Utrecht in the Netherlands discusses the opportunities and challenges of building a research group in the Netherlands. ...Victor highlights the scientific strengths of UMC Utrecht in juxtaposition with other universities and centers around the Netherlands, and highlights the collaborative nature of the Dutch research scene.
Associate Professor Victor Peperzak is a group leader in the Center for Translational Immunology at the University Medical Center (UMC) Utrecht, the Netherlands. Here, Jonathan Coquet sat down with Victor to discuss his scientific journey, his experience in several research environments in the Netherlands and how life is at UMC Utrecht. The image shows the Utrecht Science Park, which is home to the Center for Translational Immunology and is a hub for innovative cancer research in the Netherlands. Photo Credit: Irvin van Hemert.
Asthma is a T helper 2 (Th2)-cell-mediated disease; however, recent findings implicate Th17 and innate lymphoid cells also in regulating airway inflammation. Herein, we have demonstrated profound ...interleukin-21 (IL-21) production after house dust mite (HDM)-driven asthma by using T cell receptor (TCR) transgenic mice reactive to Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus 1 and an IL-21GFP reporter mouse. IL-21-producing cells in the mediastinal lymph node (mLN) bore characteristics of T follicular helper (Tfh) cells, whereas IL-21+ cells in the lung did not express CXCR5 (a chemokine receptor expressed by Tfh cells) and were distinct from effector Th2 or Th17 cells. Il21r−/− mice developed reduced type 2 responses and the IL-21 receptor (IL-21R) enhanced Th2 cell function in a cell-intrinsic manner. Finally, administration of recombinant IL-21 and IL-25 synergistically promoted airway eosinophilia primarily via effects on CD4+ lymphocytes. This highlights an important Th2-cell-amplifying function of IL-21-producing CD4+ T cells in allergic airway inflammation.
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•House dust mites induce potent IL-21 production by Tfh cells in lymphoid organs•IL-21+ cells are distinct from Th2 cells and migrate to the lung tissue and airway•IL-21R provides cell-intrinsic cues for Th2 cell functions•IL-21 synergizes with innate signals to promote adaptive Th2 cell responses
Asthma is a well-described Th2-cell-mediated disease. Coquet, Lambrecht, and colleagues demonstrate that the allergen house dust mite induces pronounced IL-21 production in lymph nodes draining the lung, and also in lung tissue and in the airways. IL-21 and its receptor promote type 2 responses from adaptive CD4+ T cells.
Germinal centers (GCs) are sites of B cell proliferation, somatic hypermutation, and selection of variants with improved affinity for antigen. Long-lived memory B cells and plasma cells are also ...generated in GCs, although how B cell differentiation in GCs is regulated is unclear. IL-21, secreted by T follicular helper cells, is important for adaptive immune responses, although there are conflicting reports on its target cells and mode of action in vivo. We show that the absence of IL-21 signaling profoundly affects the B cell response to protein antigen, reducing splenic and bone marrow plasma cell formation and GC persistence and function, influencing their proliferation, transition into memory B cells, and affinity maturation. Using bone marrow chimeras, we show that these activities are primarily a result of CD3-expressing cells producing IL-21 that acts directly on B cells. Molecularly, IL-21 maintains expression of Bcl-6 in GC B cells. The absence of IL-21 or IL-21 receptor does not abrogate the appearance of T cells in GCs or the appearance of CD4 T cells with a follicular helper phenotype. IL-21 thus controls fate choices of GC B cells directly.
T helper 17 (Th17) cells protect against infection but also promote inflammation and autoimmunity. Therefore, the factors that govern Th17 cell differentiation are of special interest. The CD27 and ...CD70 costimulatory pathway impeded Th17 effector cell differentiation and associated autoimmunity in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis. CD27 or CD70 deficiency exacerbated disease, whereas constitutive CD27 signaling strongly reduced disease incidence and severity. CD27 signaling did not impact master regulators of T helper cell lineage commitment but selectively repressed transcription of the key effector molecules interleukin-17 (IL-17) and the chemokine receptor CCR6 in differentiating Th17 cells. CD27 mediated this repression at least in part via the c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) pathway that restrained IL-17 and CCR6 expression in differentiating Th17 cells. CD27 signaling also resulted in epigenetic silencing of the Il17a gene. Thus, CD27 costimulation via JNK signaling, transcriptional, and epigenetic effects suppresses Th17 effector cell function and associated pathological consequences.
► CD27 signaling inhibits IL-17 and CCR6 production by Th17 cells ► The CD27-CD70 pathway ameliorates EAE disease severity ► CD27 signaling induces repressive histone modifications at the Il17a promoter ► The JNK pathway impairs IL-17 and CCR6 expression in developing Th17 cells
Antibodies binding to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike have therapeutic promise, but emerging variants show the potential for virus escape. This emphasizes the ...need for therapeutic molecules with distinct and novel neutralization mechanisms. Here we describe the isolation of a nanobody that interacts simultaneously with two RBDs from different spike trimers of SARS-CoV-2, rapidly inducing the formation of spike trimer-dimers leading to the loss of their ability to attach to the host cell receptor, ACE2. We show that this nanobody potently neutralizes SARS-CoV-2, including the beta and delta variants, and cross-neutralizes SARS-CoV. Furthermore, we demonstrate the therapeutic potential of the nanobody against SARS-CoV-2 and the beta variant in a human ACE2 transgenic mouse model. This naturally elicited bispecific monomeric nanobody establishes an uncommon strategy for potent inactivation of viral antigens and represents a promising antiviral against emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants.
The Role of PPAR-γ in Allergic Disease Stark, Julian M.; Coquet, Jonathan M.; Tibbitt, Christopher A.
Current allergy and asthma reports,
11/2021, Volume:
21, Issue:
11
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
Purpose of Review
The incidence of allergic diseases such as asthma, rhinitis and atopic dermatitis has risen at an alarming rate over the last century. Thus, there is a clear need to understand the ...critical factors that drive such pathologic immune responses. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ) is a nuclear receptor that has emerged as an important regulator of multiple cell types involved in the inflammatory response to allergens; from airway epithelial cells to T Helper (TH) cells.
Recent Findings
Initial studies suggested that agonists of PPAR-γ could be employed to temper allergic inflammation, suppressing pro-inflammatory gene expression programs in epithelial cells. Several lines of work now suggest that PPAR-γ plays an essential in promoting ‘type 2’ immune responses that are typically associated with allergic disease. PPAR-γ has been found to promote the functions of TH2 cells, type 2 innate lymphoid cells, M2 macrophages and dendritic cells, regulating lipid metabolism and directly inducing effector gene expression. Moreover, preclinical models of allergy in gene-targeted mice have increasingly implicated PPAR-γ in driving allergic inflammation.
Summary
Herein, we highlight the contrasting roles of PPAR-γ in allergic inflammation and hypothesize that the availability of environmental ligands for PPAR-γ may be at the heart of the rise in allergic diseases worldwide.
NKT cell subsets can be divided based on CD4 and NK1.1 expression and tissue of origin, but the developmental and functional relationships between the different subsets still are poorly understood. A ...comprehensive study of 19 cytokines across different NKT cell subsets revealed that no two NKT subpopulations exhibited the same cytokine profile, and, remarkably, the amounts of each cytokine produced varied by up to 100-fold or more among subsets. This study also revealed the existence of a population of CD4⁻NK1.1⁻ NKT cells that produce high levels of the proinflammatory cytokine IL-17 within 2-3 h of activation. On intrathymic transfer these cells develop into mature CD4⁻NK1.1⁺ but not into CD4⁺NK1.1⁺ NKT cells, indicating that CD4⁻NK1.1⁻ NKT cells include an IL-17-producing subpopulation, and also mark the elusive branch point for CD4⁺ and CD4⁻ NKT cell sublineages.
Intestinal nematodes suppress immune responses in the context of allergy, gut inflammation, secondary infection and vaccination. Several mechanisms have been proposed for this suppression including ...alterations in Th2 cell differentiation and increased Treg cell suppressive function. In this study, we show that chronic nematode infection leads to reduced peripheral responses to vaccination because of a generalized reduction in the available responsive lymphocyte pool. We found that superficial skin-draining lymph nodes (LNs) in mice that are chronically infected with the intestinal nematode Heligmosomides polygyrus, do not reach the same cellularity as worm-free mice upon subsequent BCG infection in the skin. B cells and T cells, all declined in skin-draining LN of H. polygyrus-infected mice, resulting in LNs atrophy and altered lymphocyte composition. Importantly, anti-helminthic treatment improved lymphocyte numbers in skin-draining LN, indicating that time after de-worming is critical to regain full-scale LN cellularity. De-worming, and time for the skin LN to recover cellularity, also mended responses to Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) in the LN draining the footpad injection site. Thus, our findings show that chronic nematode infection leads to a paucity of lymphocytes in peripheral lymph nodes, which acts to reduce the efficacy of immune responses at these sites.
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