Project description:Auto Immune REgulator (AIRE) protein expression in HEK293 cells Three cell-lines where used in the study: HEK293-NC; control cell-line expressing yellow fluorescent protein (YFP) HEK-AIRE1, HEK-AIRE2; two different clone-derived Autoimmune regulator protein expressing cell-lines HEK-AIRE-D312A; cell line expressing Autoimmune regulator protein with D312A mutation in the first PHD finger With all cell-lines three independent experiments were performed.
Project description:Male gender is protective against multiple sclerosis and other T cell-mediated autoimmune diseases. This protection may be due, in part, to higher androgen levels in males. Androgen binds to the androgen receptor (AR) to regulate gene expression, but how androgen protects against autoimmunity is not well-understood. Autoimmune Regulator (Aire) prevents autoimmunity by promoting self-antigen expression in medullary thymic epithelial cells, such that developing T cells that recognize these self-antigens within the thymus undergo clonal deletion. Here, we show that androgen upregulates Aire-mediated thymic tolerance to protect against autoimmunity. Androgen recruits AR to Aire promoter regions, with consequent enhancement of Aire transcription. In mice and humans, thymic Aire expression is higher in males compared to females. Androgen administration and male gender protect against autoimmunity in a multiple sclerosis mouse model in an Aire-dependent manner. Thus, androgen control of an intrathymic Aire-mediated tolerance mechanism contributes to gender differences in autoimmunity. RNA-seq comparison of male vs. female expression in mTEC cells. Pools of 10 mice each were used for each replicate (two for male and two for female)
Project description:Comparison of gene expression profile of HEK293-CT cells and HEK293 cells stably over-expressing the BAHD1 gene (HEK-BAHD1) We used micrarrays to identify the repertoire of genes differentially expressed upon overexpression of the chromatin repressor BAHD1 in HEK293 cells.
Project description:Male gender is protective against multiple sclerosis and other T cell-mediated autoimmune diseases. This protection may be due, in part, to higher androgen levels in males. Androgen binds to the androgen receptor (AR) to regulate gene expression, but how androgen protects against autoimmunity is not well-understood. Autoimmune Regulator (Aire) prevents autoimmunity by promoting self-antigen expression in medullary thymic epithelial cells, such that developing T cells that recognize these self-antigens within the thymus undergo clonal deletion. Here, we show that androgen upregulates Aire-mediated thymic tolerance to protect against autoimmunity. Androgen recruits AR to Aire promoter regions, with consequent enhancement of Aire transcription. In mice and humans, thymic Aire expression is higher in males compared to females. Androgen administration and male gender protect against autoimmunity in a multiple sclerosis mouse model in an Aire-dependent manner. Thus, androgen control of an intrathymic Aire-mediated tolerance mechanism contributes to gender differences in autoimmunity.
Project description:Medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs) contribute to self-tolerance through the ectopic expression of peripheral tissue antigens (PTAs) in the thymus. Autoimmune regulator (Aire) is to date the best characterized transcriptional regulator known to at least partially coordinate PTA expression in mTECs. Furthermore the expression of Aire-dependent and -independent genes is also modulated by microRNAs. Given the transcriptional regulation exerted by Aire in mTEC cells and the role of miRNAs in post-transcriptional control, we used a Mus musculus mTEC cell line (3.10) which constitutively express Aire in culture) to knockdown Aire gene by means of siRNA transfection and then observe the effect of Aire knockdown in the transcriptional profile of miRNAs by means of oligomicroarrays. The Agilent oligomicroarrays were used to determine the large scale the miRNA transcriptional profiles of control or Aire-knockdown 3.10 mTECs.