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Th17 plasticity in human autoimmune arthritis is driven by the inflammatory environment.

ABSTRACT: In several murine models of autoimmune arthritis, Th17 cells are the dominant initiators of inflammation. In human arthritis the majority of IL-17-secreting cells within the joint express a cytokine phenotype intermediate between Th17 and Th1. Here we show that Th17/1 cells from the joints of children with inflammatory arthritis express high levels of both Th17 and Th1 lineage-specific transcription factors, RORC2 and T-bet. Modeling the generation of Th17/1 in vitro, we show that Th17 cells "convert" to Th17/1 under conditions that mimic the disease site, namely low TGFbeta and high IL-12 levels, whereas Th1 cells cannot convert to Th17. Th17/1 cells from the inflamed joint share T-cell receptor (TCR) clonality with Th17 cells, suggesting a shared clonal origin between Th17 and Th17/1 cells in arthritis. Using CD161, a lectin-like receptor that is a marker of human Th17, we show synovial Th17 and Th17/1 cells, and unexpectedly, a large proportion of Th1 cells express CD161. We provide evidence to support a Th17 origin for Th1 cells expressing CD161. In vitro, Th17 cells that convert to a Th1 phenotype maintain CD161 expression. In the joint CD161+ Th1 cells share features with Th17 cells, with shared TCR clonality, expression of RORC2 and CCR6 and response to IL-23, although they are IL-17 negative. We propose that the Th17 phenotype may be unstable and that Th17 cells may convert to Th17/1 and Th1 cells in human arthritis. Therefore therapies targeting the induction of Th17 cells could also attenuate Th17/1 and Th1 effector populations within the inflamed joint.

SUBMITTER: Nistala K

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2930428 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Th17 plasticity in human autoimmune arthritis is driven by the inflammatory environment.

Nistala Kiran K Adams Stuart S Cambrook Helen H Ursu Simona S Olivito Biagio B de Jager Wilco W Evans Jamie G JG Cimaz Rolando R Bajaj-Elliott Mona M Wedderburn Lucy R LR

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 20100802 33

In several murine models of autoimmune arthritis, Th17 cells are the dominant initiators of inflammation. In human arthritis the majority of IL-17-secreting cells within the joint express a cytokine phenotype intermediate between Th17 and Th1. Here we show that Th17/1 cells from the joints of children with inflammatory arthritis express high levels of both Th17 and Th1 lineage-specific transcription factors, RORC2 and T-bet. Modeling the generation of Th17/1 in vitro, we show that Th17 cells "co ...[more]

PMID: 20679229

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Project description:ObjectiveIntestinal microbiota are associated with the development of inflammatory arthritis. The aim of this study was to dissect intestinal mucosal immune responses in the preclinical phase of arthritis and determine whether the presence of Th17 cells, beyond involvement of the cytokine interleukin-17 (IL-17), is required for arthritis development, and whether the involvement of Th17 cells in arthritis depends on the composition of the host microbiota.MethodsMucosal T cell production of IL-17, interferon-γ, tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα), IL-22, and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) was analyzed by flow cytometry and Luminex assay before arthritis onset in mice immunized to develop collagen-induced arthritis (CIA). Pathogenic features of arthritis in mice with CIA and mice with antigen-induced arthritis were compared between Th17 cell-deficient (CD4-Cre+ Rorcflox/flox ) and Th17 cell-sufficient (CD4-Cre- Rorcflox/flox ) mice. In addition, the impact of intestinal microbiota on the Th17 cell dependence of CIA was assessed.ResultsLamina propria CD4 T cells were activated before the onset of arthritis in mice with CIA, with marked up-regulation of several cytokines, including IL-17A, TNFα, and GM-CSF. CD4-Cre+ Rorcflox/flox mice showed a specific reduction in intestinal mucosal levels of Th17 cells and partially reduced levels of IL-17-producing CD8 T cells. However, total levels of IL-17A, mostly produced by γδ T cells and neutrophils, were unaffected. The severity of arthritis was significantly reduced in Th17 cell-deficient mice, suggesting that Th17 cells have additional, IL-17A-independent roles in inflammatory arthritis. Accordingly, antigen-stimulated T cells from Th17 cell-deficient mice produced less IL-17A, IL-17F, and GM-CSF. Importantly, the dependence of CIA on the involvement of Th17 cells was mitigated in the presence of an alternative microbiome.ConclusionThese data from murine models suggest that activation of mucosal immunity precedes the development of arthritis, and also that Th17 cells have a microbiota-dependent role in arthritis. Therefore, a microbiome-guided stratification of patients might improve the efficacy of Th17-targeted therapies.

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Th17 plasticity in human autoimmune arthritis is driven by the inflammatory environment.

Publications

Th17 plasticity in human autoimmune arthritis is driven by the inflammatory environment.

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