Enhanced HbF reactivation by multiplex mutagenesis of thalassemic CD34+ cells in vitro and in vivo

Blood ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikoletta Psatha ◽  
Aphrodite Georgakopoulou ◽  
Chang Li ◽  
Vivek Nandakumar ◽  
Grigorios Georgolopoulos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fetal Hemoglobin ◽  
Therapeutic Window ◽  
Pronounced Increase ◽  
Human Red Blood Cells ◽  
Transfusion Independence ◽  
Cd34 Cells ◽  
Proliferation And Differentiation ◽  
Cis And Trans

Thalassemia or sickle cell patients with hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin (HPFH) have an ameliorated clinical phenotype and in some cases, can achieve transfusion independence. Inactivation via genome editing of γ-globin developmental suppressors, such as BCL11A or LRF/ZBTB7A, or of their binding sites have been shown to significantly increase expression of endogenous fetal hemoglobin (HbF). To broaden the therapeutic window beyond a single editing approach, we have explored combinations of cis and trans editing targets to enhance HbF reactivation. Multiplex mutagenesis in adult CD34+ cells was well tolerated and did not lead to any detectable defect in the cells' proliferation and differentiation, either in vitro or in vivo. The combination of one trans and one cis mutation resulted in high editing retention in vivo, coupled with almost pancellular HbF expression in NBSGW mice. The greater in vivo performance of this combination was also recapitulated using a novel helper dependent adenoviral-CRISPR vector (HD-Ad-dualCRISPR) in CD34+ cells from β-thalassemia patients transplanted to NBSGW mice. A pronounced increase in HbF expression was observed in human red blood cells in mice with established predominant β0/β0 thalassemic hemopoiesis after in vivo injection of the HD-Ad-dualCRISPR vector. Collectively, our data suggest that the combination of cis and trans fetal globin reactivation mutations has the potential to significantly increase HbF both totally and on a per cell basis over single editing and could thus provide significant clinical benefit to patients with severe beta globin phenotype.

scholarly journals Truncated Erythropoietin Receptors Confer an In Vivo Selective Advantage in Gene-Modified Erythroid Cells Expressing Fetal Hemoglobin Due to BCL11A Interference

Blood ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 134 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 2063-2063
Author(s):  
Naoya Uchida ◽  
Claire Drysdale ◽  
Morgan Yapundich ◽  
Jackson Gamer ◽  
Tina Nassehi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rhesus Macaques ◽  
Fetal Hemoglobin ◽  
Selective Advantage ◽  
Erythroid Cells ◽  
Post Transplant ◽  
Human Cd34 ◽  
Cd34 Cells ◽  
Hbf Induction

Hematopoietic stem cell gene therapy for hemoglobin disorders, such as sickle cell disease, requires high-level gene marking and robust therapeutic globin expression in erythroid cells (>20% of γ- or β-globin production) for widespread successful clinical application. We previously demonstrated that lentiviral transduction of a truncated human erythropoietin receptor (thEpoR) gene allows for erythropoietin-dependent selective proliferation of gene-modified human erythroid cells during in vitro differentiation (ASH 2017). In this study, we sought to evaluate whether thEpoR can enhance the phenotypic effect of a therapeutic vector in erythroid cells in xenograft mouse and autologous non-human primate transplantation models. To investigate this hypothesis, we designed lentiviral vectors encoding both thEpoR and BCL11A-targeting micro RNA-adapted short hairpin RNA (shmiBCL11A), driven off an erythroid specific ankyrin 1 (ANK1) promoter. Both selective proliferation and high-level fetal hemoglobin (HbF) induction were observed in in vitro erythroid differentiation cultures using transduced human CD34+ cells. Healthy donor CD34+ cells were transduced with shmiBCL11A vector, thEpoR-shmiBCL11A vector, and GFP vector (control). Transduced cells were transplanted into immunodeficient NBSGW mice. Five months post-transplant, xenograft bone marrow cells were evaluated for human cell engraftment (human CD45+) and vector copy number (VCN) in both human CD34+ progenitor cells and glycophorin A+ (GPA+) erythroid cells. HbF production was also measured in GPA+ erythroid cells by reverse phase HPLC. We observed efficient transduction in transduced CD34+ cells in vitro (VCN 2.1-5.1) and similar human cell engraftment among all groups (84-89%). The VCN with thEpoR-shmiBCL11A transduction was 3-fold higher in human erythroid cells when compared to CD34+ cells (p<0.01), but not with shmiBCL11A or GFP vectors. HbF levels were significantly elevated in thEpoR-shmiBCL11A vector (43±6%, p<0.01) when compared to no transduction control (1±0%), but not for either shmiBCL11A vector (3±1%) or GFP vector (1±0%). These data demonstrate selective proliferation of gene-modified erythroid cells, as well as enhanced HbF induction with thEpoR-shmiBCL11A transduction. We then performed autologous rhesus CD34+ cell transplantation using either shmiBCL11A vector (142562 and RA0706, n=2, compared to a GPA promoter-derived shmiBCL11A vector) or thEpoR-shmiBCL11A vector (ZL50 and ZM24, n=2, compared to a Venus-encoding vector). Transduced CD34+ cells were transplanted into autologous rhesus macaques following 2x5Gy total body irradiation. Efficient transduction was observed in CD34+ cells in vitro among all 4 macaques (VCN 3.8-8.7) using a high-density culture protocol (Uchida N, Mol Ther Methods Clin Dev. 2019). In shmiBCL11A transduction animals, engraftment of gene-modified cells (VCN 0.2-1.0) and robust HbF induction (14-16%) were observed 1 month post-transplant. However, VCN and HbF levels were reduced down to VCN ~0.1 and HbF ~0.4% in both animals 6 months post-transplant. In contrast, a thEpoR-shmiBCL11A transduction animal (ZL50) resulted in engraftment of gene-modified cells (VCN 0.8-1.0) and robust HbF induction (~18%) 1 month post-transplant, with both gene marking and HbF levels remaining high at VCN 0.6-0.7 and HbF ~15% 4 months post-transplant. These data suggest that shmiBCL11A transduction results in transient HbF induction in gene-modified erythroid cells, while thEpoR-based selective advantage allows for sustained HbF induction with shmiBCL11A. In summary, we developed erythroid-specific thEpoR-shmiBCL11A expressing vectors, enhancing HbF induction in gene-modified erythroid cells in xenograft mice and rhesus macaques. While further in vivo studies are desirable, the use of thEpoR appears to provide a selective advantage for gene-modified erythroid cells in gene therapy strategies for hemoglobin disorders. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

scholarly journals Fetal Hemoglobin Rescues Ineffective Erythropoiesis in Sickle Cell Disease

Blood ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 136 (Supplement 1) ◽  
pp. 14-15
Author(s):  
Sara El Hoss ◽  
Sylvie Cochet ◽  
Auria Godard ◽  
Hongxia Yan ◽  
Michaël Dussiot ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Death ◽  
Fetal Hemoglobin ◽  
Erythroid Differentiation ◽  
Ineffective Erythropoiesis ◽  
Hypoxic Conditions ◽  
Cd34 Cells ◽  
F Cells

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is an autosomal hereditary recessive disorder caused by a point mutation in the β globin gene resulting in a Glu-to-Val substitution at the 6th position of the β globin protein. The resulting abnormal hemoglobin (HbS) polymerizes under hypoxic conditions driving red blood cell (RBC) sickling (Pauling et al., 1949). While pathobiology of circulating RBCs has been extensively analyzed in SCD, erythropoiesis is surprisingly poorly documented. In β-thalassemia, ineffective erythropoiesis is characterized by high levels of apoptotic erythroblasts during the late stages of terminal differentiation, due to an accumulation of free β-globin chains (Arlet et al., 2016). Ineffective erythropoiesis is the major cause of anemia in β-thalassemia patients. In contrast, a marked decrease in life span of circulating red cells, a feature of sickle red cells, is considered to be the major determinant of chronic anemia in SCD. It is generally surmised that ineffective erythropoiesis contributes little to anemia. The bone marrow environment has been well documented to be hypoxic (0.1 to 6% O2) (Mantel et al., 2015). As hypoxia induces HbS polymerization, we hypothesized that cell death may occur in vivo because of HbS polymer formation in the late stages of differentiation characterized by high intracellular hemoglobin concentration. In the present study, using both in vitro and in vivo derived human erythroblasts we assessed the extent of ineffective erythropoiesis in SCD. We explored the mechanistic basis of the ineffective erythropoiesis in SCD using biochemical, cellular and imaging techniques. In vitro erythroid differentiation using CD34+ cells isolated from SCD patients and from healthy donors was performed. A 2-phase erythroid differentiation protocol was used and cultures were performed at two different oxygen conditions, i.e. normoxia and partial hypoxia (5% O2). We found that hypoxia induces cell death of sickle erythroblasts starting at the polychromatic stage, positively selecting cells with high levels of fetal hemoglobin (HbF). This inference was supported by flow cytometry data showing higher percentages of dead cells within the non-F-cell population as compared to the F-cell population for SCD cells. Moreover, SCD dead cells showed higher levels of chaperon protein HSP70 in the cytoplasm than live cells, while no difference was detected between both subpopulations for control cells, suggesting that cell death of SCD erythroblasts was probably due to HSP70 cytoplasmic sequestration. This was supported by western-blot experiments showing less HSP70 in the nucleus of SCD erythroblasts under hypoxia, associated with decreased levels of GATA-1. At the molecular level, HSP70 was co-immunoprecipitated with HbS under hypoxia indicating that both proteins were in the same complex and suggesting interaction between HSP70 and HbS polymers in the cyotplasm. Importantly, we confirm these results in vivo by showing that in bone marrow of SCD patients (n = 5) cell loss occurs during terminal erythroid differentiation, with a significant drop in the cell count between the polychromatic and the orthochromatic stages (Figure 1). In order to specifically address the role of HbF in cell survival, we used a CRISPR-Cas9 approach to mimic the effect of hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin (HPFH). CD34+ cells were transfected either with a gRNA targeting the LRF binding site (-197) or a gRNA targeting an unrelated locus (AAVS1) (Weber, Frati, et al. 2020). As expected, the disruption of the LRF binding site resulted in HbF induction as shown by higher %F-cells compared to AAVS1 control. These higher levels of F-cells resulted in decreased apoptosis, under both normoxic and hypoxic conditions, clearly demonstrating the positive and selective effect of HbF on SCD cell survival (Figure 2). In summary, our study shows that HbF has a dual beneficial effect in SCD by conferring a preferential survival of F-cells in the circulation and by decreasing ineffective erythropoiesis. These findings thus bring new insights into the role of HbF in modulating clinical severity of anemia in SCD by both regulating red cell production and red cell destruction. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

High-level ectopic HOXB4 expression confers a profound in vivo competitive growth advantage on human cord blood CD34+ cells, but impairs lymphomyeloid differentiation

Blood ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 101 (5) ◽  
pp. 1759-1768 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernhard Schiedlmeier ◽  
Hannes Klump ◽  
Elke Will ◽  
Gökhan Arman-Kalcek ◽  
Zhixiong Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stem Cells ◽  
Cord Blood ◽  
Therapeutic Window ◽  
Hematopoietic Stem ◽  
Expression Levels ◽  
Cd34 Cells ◽  
Cord Blood Cd34 ◽  
The Impact

Ectopic retroviral expression of homeobox B4 (HOXB4) causes an accelerated and enhanced regeneration of murine hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and is not known to compromise any program of lineage differentiation. However, HOXB4 expression levels for expansion of human stem cells have still to be established. To test the proposed hypothesis that HOXB4 could become a prime tool for in vivo expansion of genetically modified human HSCs, we retrovirally overexpressed HOXB4 in purified cord blood (CB) CD34+ cells together with green fluorescent protein (GFP) as a reporter protein, and evaluated the impact of ectopic HOXB4 expression on proliferation and differentiation in vitro and in vivo. When injected separately into nonobese diabetic–severe combined immunodeficient (NOD/SCID) mice or in competition with control vector–transduced cells, HOXB4-overexpressing cord blood CD34+ cells had a selective growth advantage in vivo, which resulted in a marked enhancement of the primitive CD34+ subpopulation (P = .01). However, high HOXB4 expression substantially impaired the myeloerythroid differentiation program, and this was reflected in a severe reduction of erythroid and myeloid progenitors in vitro (P < .03) and in vivo (P = .01). Furthermore, HOXB4 overexpression also significantly reduced B-cell output (P < .01). These results show for the first time unwanted side effects of ectopic HOXB4 expression and therefore underscore the need to carefully determine the therapeutic window of HOXB4 expression levels before initializing clinical trials.

scholarly journals Combining HPFH Mutations in Human Adult HSCs to Enhance Reactivation of Fetal Hemoglobin

Blood ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 134 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 2246-2246
Author(s):  
Nikoletta Psatha ◽  
Afrodite Georgakopoulou ◽  
Chang Li ◽  
Pavel Sova ◽  
Hongjie Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Conflicts Of Interest ◽  
Fetal Hemoglobin ◽  
Beta Globin ◽  
Gamma Globin ◽  
Hbf Induction ◽  
Hereditary Persistence ◽  
Globin Promoter ◽  
Cis And Trans

Despite the significant advances in developing novel therapies for hemoglobinopathies, developing a universal and robust therapeutic approach, able to achieve an event-free result in all β0/β0 thalassemic and sickle cell patients is a work in progress. It is known that increase of Fetal hemoglobin (HbF) can lead to an ameliorated clinical picture up to transfusion independency. Inactivation via genome editing of γ-globin suppressors or introduction of Hereditary Persistence of Fetal Hemoglobin (HPFH) mutations in the promoter of hemoglobin gamma (HBG) have been shown to significantly increase the endogenous HbF expression. Here we studied the effect in HbF reactivation by targeting the binding site of the two main HbF silencers, BCL11a and LRF and how it compares to the well-established editing of the BCL11a erythroid enhancer. Furthermore, in order to achieve higher levels of fetal hemoglobin, we assayed the effect of all combinations of these cis and trans acting mutations. We first observed that all single knock outs had similar effects in HbF reactivation. Interestingly, by targeting both sites in the gamma globin promoter we observed a decrease in HbF induction compared to each single edit, suggesting a possible binding of a gamma globin activator in the in-between region. However, editing of the BCL11a erythroid enhancer and either of the two silencer binding sites yielded maximum levels of fetal hemoglobin, with pancellular HbF expression, both in vitro and in vivo following xeno-transplantation in NSGW mice. Collectively, our data suggest that the combination of two fetal globin reactivation mutations, one cis and one trans, have the potential to significantly increase HbF both totally and on per cell basis. This strategy has the potential to induce higher levels of HbF reactivation with a clinical benefit in patients with beta globin disorders. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

scholarly journals H2S in acute lung injury: a therapeutic dead end(?)

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (S1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamara Merz ◽  
Nicole Denoix ◽  
Martin Wepler ◽  
Holger Gäßler ◽  
David A. C. Messerer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hydrogen Sulfide ◽  
Acute Lung Injury ◽  
Lung Injury ◽  
Circulatory Shock ◽  
Therapeutic Window ◽  
Pharmacokinetics And Pharmacodynamics ◽  
Clinical Reality ◽  
Dead End

AbstractThis review addresses the plausibility of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) therapy for acute lung injury (ALI) and circulatory shock, by contrasting the promising preclinical results to the present clinical reality. The review discusses how the narrow therapeutic window and width, and potentially toxic effects, the route, dosing, and timing of administration all have to be balanced out very carefully. The development of standardized methods to determine in vitro and in vivo H2S concentrations, and the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of H2S-releasing compounds is a necessity to facilitate the safety of H2S-based therapies. We suggest the potential of exploiting already clinically approved compounds, which are known or unknown H2S donors, as a surrogate strategy.

scholarly journals Translational Research in FLASH Radiotherapy—From Radiobiological Mechanisms to In Vivo Results

Biomedicines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 181
Author(s):  
Loredana G. Marcu ◽  
Eva Bezak ◽  
Dylan D. Peukert ◽  
Puthenparampil Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Dose Rate ◽  
High Dose Rate ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Therapeutic Window ◽  
High Dose ◽  
Linear Accelerators ◽  
Radiation Delivery ◽  
Tissue Sparing

FLASH radiotherapy, or the administration of ultra-high dose rate radiotherapy, is a new radiation delivery method that aims to widen the therapeutic window in radiotherapy. Thus far, most in vitro and in vivo results show a real potential of FLASH to offer superior normal tissue sparing compared to conventionally delivered radiation. While there are several postulations behind the differential behaviour among normal and cancer cells under FLASH, the full spectra of radiobiological mechanisms are yet to be clarified. Currently the number of devices delivering FLASH dose rate is few and is mainly limited to experimental and modified linear accelerators. Nevertheless, FLASH research is increasing with new developments in all the main areas: radiobiology, technology and clinical research. This paper presents the current status of FLASH radiotherapy with the aforementioned aspects in mind, but also to highlight the existing challenges and future prospects to overcome them.

scholarly journals The Great Capacity on Promoting Melanogenesis of Three Compatible Components in Vernonia anthelmintica (L.) Willd.

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (8) ◽  
pp. 4073
Author(s):  
Yifan Lai ◽  
Qingyuan Feng ◽  
Rui Zhang ◽  
Jing Shang ◽  
Hui Zhong
Keyword(s):  
Herbal Medicine ◽  
Caffeic Acid ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine ◽  
Expression Of Genes ◽  
Proliferation And Differentiation ◽  
Green Fluorescent ◽  
Vernonia Anthelmintica

To investigate a possible methodology of exploiting herbal medicine and design polytherapy for the treatment of skin depigmentation disorder, we have made use of Vernonia anthelmintica (L.) Willd., a traditional Chinese herbal medicine that has been proven to be effective in treating vitiligo. Here, we report that the extract of Vernonia anthelmintica (L.) Willd. effectively enhances melanogenesis responses in B16F10. In its compound library, we found three ingredients (butin, caffeic acid and luteolin) also have the activity of promoting melanogenesis in vivo and in vitro. They can reduce the accumulation of ROS induced by hydrogen peroxide and inflammatory response induced by sublethal concentrations of copper sulfate in wild type and green fluorescent protein (GFP)-labeled leukocytes zebrafish larvae. The overall objective of the present study aims to identify which compatibility proportions of the medicines may be more effective in promoting pigmentation. We utilized the D-optimal response surface methodology to optimize the ratio among three molecules. Combining three indicators of promoting melanogenesis, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant capacities, we get the best effect of butin, caffeic acid and luteolin at the ratio (butin:caffeic acid:luteolin = 7.38:28.30:64.32) on zebrafish. Moreover, the effect of melanin content recovery in the best combination is stronger than that of the monomer, which suggests that the three compounds have a synergistic effect on inducing melanogenesis. After simply verifying the result, we performed in situ hybridization on whole-mount zebrafish embryos to further explore the effects of multi-drugs combination on the proliferation and differentiation of melanocytes and the expression of genes (tyr, mitfa, dct, kit) related to melanin synthesis. In conclusion, the above three compatible compounds can significantly enhance melanogenesis and improve depigmentation in vivo.

scholarly journals THU0080 PRECLINICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF TLL018, A NOVEL, HIGHLY POTENT AND SELECTIVE JAK1/TYK2 INHIBITOR FOR TREATING AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES

2020 ◽  
Vol 79 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. 252.1-252
Author(s):  
X. Liu ◽  
F. Tan ◽  
C. Liang
Keyword(s):  
Bone Resorption ◽  
Autoimmune Diseases ◽  
Whole Blood ◽  
Significant Inhibition ◽  
Clinical Development ◽  
Therapeutic Window ◽  
Collagen Induced Arthritis

Background:Janus kinases (JAKs) are important regulators of intracellular responses triggered by many key proinflammatory cytokines and are clinically validated therapeutic targets for treating various autoimmune diseases. However, current approved JAK inhibitors failed to achieve maximal clinical benefit in part due to their unfavorable selectivity for individual JAKs such as JAK2 and/or JAK3, leading to dose-limiting toxicities or severe toxicities (e.g., thrombosis, anemia, immune suppression). Selective inhibition of JAK1 and/or TYK2 may minimize or avoid some of the toxicities and potentially offer a better therapeutic window for treating autoimmune diseases. No highly selective JAK1/TYK2 inhibitor has been reported to date.Objectives:Discovery of a highly selective JAK1/TYK2 inhibitor that maximally avoids JAK2 and JAK3 inhibition. We described preclinical characterization of a novel, highly potent and selective JAK1/TYK2 inhibitor TLL018 and its potential utility in treating autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA).Methods:Using predicting SAR, TLL018 was designed to achieve exquisite selectivity for both JAK1 and TYK2 while sparing JAK2, JAK3 and other human kinases. Its enzyme and cell activities, kinase selectivity, andin vivoefficacy were assessed in a battery of relevant enzyme, cell and whole blood assays, andin vivoarthritis animal models. Additional preclinical DMPK and toxicology studies were conducted to support its clinical development.Results:TLL018 is a highly potent and selective, orally bioavailable JAK1/TYK2 inhibitor against JAK1 (IC50= 4 nM) and TYK2 (IC50= 5 nM) as measured inin vitrokinase assays with ATP concentrations at individual Km. Its potency against JAK2 or JAK3 is greater than 1 µM. Profiling against a panel of over 350 human kinase showed that TLL018 is exclusively selective for JAK1 and TYK2, with ≥ 90-fold selectivity against all other kinases tested. TLL018 exhibited potent cellular activity for JAK1-mediated IL-6 signaling (IC50= 0.6 µM) with greater than 100-fold selectivity against JAK2-mediated cytokine (e.g., TPO) signaling in human whole blood-based assays.Oral administration of TLL018 demonstrated dose-dependent efficacy in commonly studied rat adjuvant-induced arthritis (rAIA) model and mouse collagen-induced arthritis (mCIA) model. Significant inhibition of inflammation, bone resorption, splenomegaly and body weight change was observed in adjuvant-induced disease in rats. In addition, significant inhibition of inflammation, cartilage destruction, bone resorption and histological signs was demonstrated in collagen-induced arthritis in mice. Noticeably, TLL018 exhibited significant anti-inflammation activity at doses that only blocked JAK1 and TYK2 and exerted little inhibition of JAK2 and JAK3.In support of clinical development of TLL018, preclinical ADME and PK studies and IND-enabling toxicology and safety pharmacology studies were completed, confirming that TLL018 possesses excellent ADME and PK properties, and exhibits a clean on-target safety profile.Conclusion:TLL018 is a highly potent and selective JAK1/TYK2 inhibitor that demonstrated excellent efficacy and tolerability in relevant mouse and rat arthritis models. The collective data of its preclinical pharmacology, PK and toxicology showed a favorable pharmaceutical profile, further supporting its development for treating autoimmune diseases including RA. Clinical evaluation of TLL018 is ongoing.Disclosure of Interests:Xiangdong Liu Shareholder of: I own shares of TLL Pharmaceutical LLC, Employee of: I am employed by TLL Pharmaceutical LLC, Fenlai Tan Shareholder of: I own shares of TLL Pharmaceutical LLC, Employee of: I am employed by TLL Pharmaceutical LLC, Chris Liang Shareholder of: I own shares of TLL Pharmaceutical LLC, Employee of: I am employed by TLL Pharmaceutical LLC

MO243STUDY ON THE EFFECT AND MECHANISM OF NOVEL REGULATORY T CELL (CD4+CD126LOWFOXP3+ TREG) IMMUNOTHERAPY IN LUPUS NEPHRITIS*

2021 ◽  
Vol 36 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhenjian Xu ◽  
Junzhe Chen ◽  
Anping Xu
Keyword(s):  
T Cell ◽  
Lupus Nephritis ◽  
Signaling Pathway ◽  
B Lymphocytes ◽  
Mtor Signaling ◽  
Mtor Signaling Pathway ◽  
Proliferation And Differentiation ◽  
Inflammatory State

Abstract Background and Aims Our previous study found a new regulatory T cell subpopulation, CD4+CD126lowFoxp3+ regulatory T cells (CD4+CD126lowFoxp3+ Treg). This cell can maintain a stable immune regulatory function in the inflammatory state. Through in vivo and in vitro experiments, we have confirmed that CD4+CD126lowFoxp3+ Treg has an immunotherapeutic effect on T cell-mediated mouse models of autoimmune diseases such as colitis and collagen-induced arthritis (CIA). Further experimental studies showed that CD4+CD126lowFoxp3+ Treg could reduce the kidney injury caused by autoantibodies and prolong the survival time of lupus mice. However, the mechanism of CD4+CD126lowFoxp3+ Treg immunotherapy in lupus nephritis is not clear. The purpose of this study was to explore the mechanism of CD4+CD126lowFoxp3+ Treg immunotherapy in mice with lupus nephritis. Method In vitro experiments CD4+CD126lowFoxp3+ Treg or CD4+CD126lowFoxp3+ Treg pretreated with PD-1 inhibitor were co-cultured with T or B lymphocytes of lupus mice under different in vitro culture condition. The expression levels of Akt and mTOR of Treg in each group were measured under immunoinflammatory conditions. To observe the effects and differences of Treg groups on the activation, proliferation and differentiation of T or B cells and other immunomodulatory effects. In vivo experiments CD4+CD126lowFoxp3+ Treg (2 × 106/mouse) and CD4+CD126lowFoxp3+ Treg (2 × 106/mouse) pretreated with PD-1 inhibitor and PBS were injected into NZM2328 lupus mice, respectively. After cell injection, urine protein was measured weekly. Autoantibody expression in lupus mice was measured every two weeks. The effects of Treg on the proliferation and differentiation of T/B cells in lupus mice were observed. The therapeutic effects of Treg on lupus mice were observed. Results Compared with CD4+CD126lowFoxp3+ Treg, the expression of Akt and mTOR increases in PD-1 inhibitors pretreatment cells. The activation, proliferation and differentiation functions of T or B lymphocytes of lupus mice were significantly weakened by immunosuppression of PD-1 inhibitors pretreated Treg in vitro, indicating that CD4+CD126lowFoxp3+ Treg may inhibit Akt-mTOR signaling pathway through PD-1 in in vitro. Compared with CD4+CD126lowFoxp3+ Treg, the activation, proliferation and differentiation functions of T or B lymphocytes of lupus mice were significantly weakened by immunosuppression of PD-1 inhibitors pretreated Treg in vivo. And its therapeutic effect on lupus mice was ineffective, indicating that CD4+CD126lowFoxp3+ Treg may inhibit Akt-MTOR signaling pathway through PD-1 in vivo. Conclusion CD4+CD126lowFoxp3+ Treg may inhibit the Akt-mTOR signaling pathway by expressing PD-1, and maintain stable immunomodulatory function in the inflammatory state, thus producing immunotherapeutic effect on lupus nephritis mice.

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