Melatonin, an Endogenous Hormone, Modulates Th17 Cells via the Reactive Oxygen Species/TXNIP/HIF-1α Axis to Alleviate Autoimmune Uveitis

Background Melatonin, an indoleamine produced by the pineal gland, plays a pivotal role in maintaining circadian rhythm homeostasis. Recently, the strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of melatonin have attracted attention of researchers. We evaluated the therapeutic efficacy of melatonin in experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU), which is a representative animal model of human autoimmune uveitis. Methods EAU was induced in mice via immunization with the peptide interphotoreceptor retinoid binding protein 1-20 (IRBP1−20). melatonin was then administered via intraperitoneal injection to induce protection against EAU. With EAU induction for 14 days, clinical and histopathological scores were employed to evaluate the disease progression. T lymphocytes accumulation, the expression of inflammatory cytokines in the retinas were assessed via flow cytometry and RT-PCR. In vivo and in vitro experiments, T helper 1 (Th1), T helper 17 (Th17) and regulatory T (Treg) cells were detected via flow cytometry, the level reactive oxygen species(ROS) from CD4+ cells were tested via flow cytometry, and the expression of thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP) and hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF-1α)proteins were also quantified via western blot analysis, to elucidate the mechanism of melatonin inhibiting EAU. Results Melatonin treatment resulted in notable attenuation of ocular inflammation in EAU mice, evidenced by decreasing optic disc edema, few signs of retinal vasculitis, and minimal retinal and choroidal infiltrates. Mechanistic studies revealed that melatonin restricted the proliferation of peripheral Th1 and Th17 cells and potentiated Treg cells by suppressing their transcription factors. In vitro studies corroborated that melatonin restrains the polarization of retina-specific T cells towards Th17 and Th1 cells in addition to enhancing the proportion of Treg cells. Pretreatment of retina-specific T cells with melatonin failed to induce EAU in naïve recipients. Furthermore, the ROS/ TXNIP/ HIF-1α pathway was shown to mediate the therapeutic effect of melatonin in EAU. Conclusions Melatonin regulates autoimmune T cells by restraining effector T cells and facilitating Treg generation, indicating that melatonin could be a hopeful treatment alternative for autoimmune uveitis.

Inhibiting TLR7 Expression in the Retinal Pigment Epithelium Suppresses Experimental Autoimmune Uveitis

Experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU), a model of human uveitis, is an organ-specific, T cell-mediated autoimmune disease. Autoreactive T cells can penetrate the blood-retinal barrier, which is a physical defense composed of tight junction-linked retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells. RPE cells serve as antigen-presenting cells (APCs) in the eye since they express MHC class I and II and Toll-like receptors (TLRs). Although previous studies have shown that supplementation with TLR agonists exacerbates uveitis, little is known about how TLR signaling in the RPE contributes to the development of uveitis. In this study, we isolated the RPE from EAU mice, which were induced by active immunization (aEAU) or adoptive transfer of antigen-specific T cells (tEAU). The expression of TLRs on RPE was determined, and both aEAU and tEAU mice exhibited induced tlr7 expression. The TLR7 agonist R848 was shown to induce aggressive disease progression, along with significantly elevated levels of the uveopathogenic cytokine IL-17. Furthermore, not only IL-17 but also R848 appeared to enhance the inflammatory response and to impair the barrier function of the RPE, indicating that TLR7 signaling is involved in the pathogenesis of EAU by affecting the behaviors of the RPE and consequently allowing the infiltration of autoreactive T cells intraocularly. Finally, local application of shRNA against TLR7 delivered by recombinant AAV effectively inhibited disease severity and reduced IFN-γ and IL-17. Our findings highlight an immunomodulatory role of RPE TLR7 in EAU development and provide a potential therapeutic strategy for autoimmune uveitis.

Association Between Interleukin 35 Gene Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms and the Uveitis Immune Status in a Chinese Han Population

Autoimmune uveitis is characterized by immune disorders of the eyes and the whole body and is often recurrent in young adults, but its pathogenesis is still unclear. IL-35 is an essential regulatory factor in many autoimmune diseases, which is produced by Breg cells and can induce Breg cells to regulate the immune response. The relationship between the expression and gene polymorphism of IL-35 and the immune status of patients with autoimmune uveitis has not been reported. The peripheral blood of the subjects was collected from patients with Behçet’s Disease (BD) and those with Vogt–Koyanagi–Harada (VKH) syndrome. The percentage of immune cell subsets including B cells, DC, and T cells, and the expression of IL-35 in serum of these two kinds of disease were analyzed. And then, the associations between seven IL-35 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) sites and disease susceptibility, the immune status, the clinical characteristics, and the serum IL-35 levels were analyzed. Our results showed that the percentage of Breg cells was significantly decreased in the blood of patients with VKH syndrome compared to that of healthy controls. The levels of IL-35 in the serum of patients with VKH syndrome or BD patients were not changed significantly, compared to that of healthy controls. Furthermore, the associations between two subunits of IL-35 (IL-12p35 and EBI3) and BD or VKH patients were analyzed. We found that there was an association between the EBI3 rs428253 and the occurrence of BD. There was an association between the IL-12p35 rs2243131 and the low level of Breg cell of VKH patients. In addition, there were associations between the polymorphisms of EBI3 rs4740 and the occurrence of headache and tinnitus of VKH patients, respectively. And the genotype frequency of IL-12p35 rs2243115 was related to the concentration of serum IL-35 in patients with VKH syndrome. Thus, the specific SNP sites change of IL-35 were correlated to the immune disorders in uveitis. And they may also play a guiding role in the occurrence of clinical symptoms in patients with uveitis, especially for VKH syndrome.

Whole transcriptome-sequencing and network analysis of CD1c+ human dendritic cells identifies cytokine-secreting subsets linked to type I IFN-negative autoimmunity to the eye

Background: Inflammatory subsets of CD1c+ conventional dendritic cells (CD1c+ DCs) are promoted by type I interferons (IFN), but the molecular basis for CD1c+ DCs involvement in conditions not driven by type I IFNs is unknown. Methods: Our objective was to use RNA-sequencing of blood CD1c+ DCs and high-dimensional flow cytometry of two cohorts of autoimmune uveitis patients and healthy donors to characterize the CD1c+ DCs population of type I IFN-negative autoimmune uveitis. Results: We report that the CD1c+ DCs pool from patients with autoimmune uveitis (n=45) is skewed towards a transcriptional network characterized by surface receptor genes CX3CR1, CCR2, and CD36. We confirmed the association of the transcriptional network with autoimmune uveitis by RNA-sequencing in another case-control cohort (n=35) and demonstrated that this network was governed by NOTCH2-RUNX3 signaling. Unbiased flow cytometry analysis based on the transcriptional network identified blood CD1c+ DC subsets that can be distinguished by CX3CR1 and CD36 surface expression. A CD36+CX3CR1+CD1c+ DC subset within the novel DC3 population was diminished in peripheral blood of patients, while CD1c+ DCs expressing CD36 and CX3CR1 accumulate locally in the inflamed eye. The CD36+CX3CR1+CD1c+ DC subset showed a differential capacity to produce cytokines, including TNF-alpha, IL-6, and VEGF, but not IL-23. Conclusion: These results show that CD1c+ DC subsets defined on the basis of surface expression of CD36 and CX3CR1 are linked to type I IFN-negative human autoimmune uveitis and show a differential capacity to secrete proinflammatory mediators that drive its pathophysiology.

Aging weakens Th17 cell pathogenicity and ameliorates experimental autoimmune uveitis in mice

Aging-induced changes in the immune system are associated with a higher incidence of infection and vaccination failure. Lymph nodes, which filter the lymph to identify and fight infections, play a central role in this process. However, careful characterization of the impact of aging on lymph nodes and associated autoimmune diseases is lacking. We combined single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) with flow cytometry to delineate the immune cell atlas of cervical draining lymph nodes (CDLNs) of both young and old mice with or without experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU). We found extensive and complicated changes in the cellular constituents of CDLNs during aging. When confronted with autoimmune challenges, old mice developed milder EAU compared to young mice. Within this EAU process, we highlighted that the pathogenicity of T helper 17 cells (Th17) was dampened, as shown by reduced GM-CSF secretion in old mice. The mitigated secretion of GM-CSF contributed to alleviation of IL-23 secretion by antigen-presenting cells (APCs) and may, in turn, weaken APCs’ effects on facilitating the pathogenicity of Th17 cells. Meanwhile, our study further unveiled that aging downregulated GM-CSF secretion through reducing both the transcript and protein levels of IL-23R in Th17 cells from CDLNs. Overall, aging altered immune cell responses, especially through toning down Th17 cells, counteracting EAU challenge in old mice.