Project description:Graves’ disease is characterized by goiter, palpitation and exophthalmos (Merseburg’s trias). However, a few patients develop exophthalmos even though their thyroid function is normal, a condition known as euthyroid Graves’ disease (EGD). It remains unknown why these patients remain euthyroid, even though they have potent thyroid-stimulating antibody (TSAb). To investigate whether the immunoglobulins (IgGs) obtained from EGD patients elicit thyroid hormone-releasing activity (THRA), thyroid follicles obtained from Graves’ patients were cultured in agarose-coated culture dishes, and 125I incorporated into the thyroid follicles and organic 125I (mainly de novo-synthesized 125I-T3+125I-T4) released into the culture medium by TSH or purified IgGs were determined as thyroid hormone-releasing activity (THRA). This thyroid follicle culture system allows maintenance of the Wolff-Chaikoff effect, and the expression of mRNA for the sodium-iodide symporter is decreased by high concentrations of iodide (10-6-10-4M) and therapeutic concentrations of amiodarone (1-2microM). hTSH elicited THRA most efficiently at 0.4-10 microU/ml, suggesting that thyroid function is controlled within the normal range of TSH concentration (0.4-4.0 microU/ml). All IgGs obtained from hyperthyroid Graves’ patients elicited THRA equivalent to more than 4.6 microU/ml hTSH. IgGs obtained from EGD patients also had potent THRA, whereas IgGs obtained from normal subjects and Graves’ patients in complete remission had no significant THRA. When thyroid follicles from Graves’ thyroid, into which a number of lymphocytes had infiltrated, were used, only slight THRA was elicited by bTSH or Graves’ IgGs, probably due to inflammatory cytokines produced by immunocompetent cells that could not be separated during gentle centrifugation. Indeed, when thyroid follicles were cultured with autologous intrathyroidal lymphocytes, interleukin-2 completely abolished TSH-induced THRA. When thyroid follicles were cultured with inflammatory cytokines (interleukin-1, tumor-necrosis factor-alpha, or interferon-gamma), each cytokine inhibited TSH-induced THRA in a concentration-dependent manner. These cytokines at lower concentrations synergistically and completely inhibited TSH-induced THRA. Microarray analyses of thyroid follicles cultured with IL-1alpha, TNF-alpha, or INF-gamma revealed decreased expression of mRNAs for TSHR, NIS, TPO and thyroglobulin, accompanied by increased expression of mRNAs for chemokines and cytokines. These findings suggest that IgGs obtained from patients with EGD have potent THRA in vitro, whereas in vivo, these IgGs are unable to elicit biological activity in the thyroid gland. Presumably, immunocompetent cells that infiltrate the thyroid gland produce inflammatory cytokines that synergistically inhibit thyroid function. Since a similar phenomenon may occur in the retroorbital tissues, these patients may develop exophthalmos despite having a normal serum level of TSH. This data will be published in Hyperthyroidism: Etiology, Diagnosis and Treatment (editor-in-chief;Dr.Frank Clumbus,Nova Science Publishers, Inc, New York, USA) Experiment Overall Design: One conditioned experiments: control vs. IL-1 alpha 5ng/ml, cultured for 24 hours; control vs. TNF alpha 20ng/ml, cultured for 24 hours; control vs. IFN gamma 1000U/ml, cultured for 48 hours.
Project description:Graves’ disease is characterized by goiter, palpitation and exophthalmos (Merseburg’s trias). However, a few patients develop exophthalmos even though their thyroid function is normal, a condition known as euthyroid Graves’ disease (EGD). It remains unknown why these patients remain euthyroid, even though they have potent thyroid-stimulating antibody (TSAb). To investigate whether the immunoglobulins (IgGs) obtained from EGD patients elicit thyroid hormone-releasing activity (THRA), thyroid follicles obtained from Graves’ patients were cultured in agarose-coated culture dishes, and 125I incorporated into the thyroid follicles and organic 125I (mainly de novo-synthesized 125I-T3+125I-T4) released into the culture medium by TSH or purified IgGs were determined as thyroid hormone-releasing activity (THRA). This thyroid follicle culture system allows maintenance of the Wolff-Chaikoff effect, and the expression of mRNA for the sodium-iodide symporter is decreased by high concentrations of iodide (10-6-10-4M) and therapeutic concentrations of amiodarone (1-2microM). hTSH elicited THRA most efficiently at 0.4-10 microU/ml, suggesting that thyroid function is controlled within the normal range of TSH concentration (0.4-4.0 microU/ml). All IgGs obtained from hyperthyroid Graves’ patients elicited THRA equivalent to more than 4.6 microU/ml hTSH. IgGs obtained from EGD patients also had potent THRA, whereas IgGs obtained from normal subjects and Graves’ patients in complete remission had no significant THRA. When thyroid follicles from Graves’ thyroid, into which a number of lymphocytes had infiltrated, were used, only slight THRA was elicited by bTSH or Graves’ IgGs, probably due to inflammatory cytokines produced by immunocompetent cells that could not be separated during gentle centrifugation. Indeed, when thyroid follicles were cultured with autologous intrathyroidal lymphocytes, interleukin-2 completely abolished TSH-induced THRA. When thyroid follicles were cultured with inflammatory cytokines (interleukin-1, tumor-necrosis factor-alpha, or interferon-gamma), each cytokine inhibited TSH-induced THRA in a concentration-dependent manner. These cytokines at lower concentrations synergistically and completely inhibited TSH-induced THRA. Microarray analyses of thyroid follicles cultured with IL-1alpha, TNF-alpha, or INF-gamma revealed decreased expression of mRNAs for TSHR, NIS, TPO and thyroglobulin, accompanied by increased expression of mRNAs for chemokines and cytokines. These findings suggest that IgGs obtained from patients with EGD have potent THRA in vitro, whereas in vivo, these IgGs are unable to elicit biological activity in the thyroid gland. Presumably, immunocompetent cells that infiltrate the thyroid gland produce inflammatory cytokines that synergistically inhibit thyroid function. Since a similar phenomenon may occur in the retroorbital tissues, these patients may develop exophthalmos despite having a normal serum level of TSH. This data will be published in Hyperthyroidism: Etiology, Diagnosis and Treatment (editor-in-chief;Dr.Frank Clumbus,Nova Science Publishers, Inc, New York, USA)
Project description:Analysis of MIN6 murine beta cell line transfected with ARH3 RNAi and treated with pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-alpha, IL-1beta and IFN-gamma.
Project description:Analysis of MIN6 murine beta cell line transfected with Pla2g6 RNAi and treated with pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-alpha, IL-1beta and IFN-gamma.
Project description:G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) have diverse roles in physiological processes, including immunity. Gs-coupled GPCRs increase while Gi-coupled ones decrease intracellular cAMP. Previous studies suggest that, in epithelial cells, Gs-coupled GPCRs enhance whereas Gi-coupled GPCRs suppress pro-inflammatory immune responses. In order to examine the issue, we chose beta2 adrenergic receptor and GPR40 as representatives of Gs- and Gi- coupled GPCRs, respectively, and examined their effects on TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma-(TNF-alpha + IFN-gamma) induced gene expression by HaCaT. We used microarrays to detail the global changes of gene expression induced by a beta2 adrenergic receptor agonist terbutaline or GPR40 agonist GW9508 pre-treatment in TNF-alpha + IFN-gamma - stimulated HaCaT cells. HaCaT cells were pre-treated with terbutaline or GW9508, TNF-alpha + IFN-gamma were then added, and cultured for another 24 h. Cells were then used for RNA extraction and hybridization on Affymetrix microarrays. We sought to clarify changes in gene expression after 1) TNF-alpha + IFN-gamma, 2) TNF-alpha + IFN-gamma + terbutaline, and 3) TNF-alpha + IFN-gamma + GW9508 treatment. To this end, we set 4 groups of samples; 1) unstimulated group, 2) TNF-alpha + IFN-gamma-stimulated group, 3) TNF-alpha + IFN-gamma + terbutaline-stimulated group, and 4) TNF-alpha + IFN-gamma + GW9508-stimulated group. In each group, HaCaT cells were stimulated in triplicate wells (n=3).
Project description:Borrelia burgdorferi, the agent of Lyme disease, promotes pro-inflammatory changes in endothelium that lead to the recruitment of leukocytes. The host immune response to infection results in increased levels of IFN-gamma in the serum and lesions of Lyme disease patients that correlate with greater severity of disease. Therefore, the effect of IFN-gamma on the gene expression profile of primary human endothelial cells exposed to B. burgdorferi was determined. B. burgdorferi and IFN-gamma synergistically augmented the expression of 34 genes, seven of which encode chemokines. Six of these (CCL7, CCL8, CX3CL1, CXCL9, CXCL10, and CXCL11) attract T lymphocytes, and one (CXCL2) is specific for neutrophils. Synergistic production of the attractants for T cells was confirmed at the protein level. IL-1beta, TNF-alpha, and LPS also cooperated with IFN-gamma to induce synergistic production of CXCL10 by endothelium, indicating that IFN-gamma potentiates inflammation in concert with a variety of mediators. An in vitro model of the blood vessel wall revealed that an increased number of human T lymphocytes traversed endothelium exposed to B. burgdorferi and IFN-gamma, as compared to unstimulated endothelial monolayers. In contrast, addition of IFN-gamma diminished the migration of neutrophils across B. burgdorferi-activated endothelium. IFN-gamma thus alters gene expression by endothelium exposed to B. burgdorferi in a manner that promotes recruitment of T cells and suppresses that of neutrophils. This modulation may facilitate the development of chronic inflammatory lesions in Lyme disease. Experiment Overall Design: Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) were stimulated with Interferon-gamma (IFN-g), Borrelia burgdorferi or both IFN-g and Borrelia or were left unstimulated. Affymetrix HGU133 plus 2.0 slides were used in duplicate for each condition.
Project description:Transcriptional response of KBM7 cells to IFN-gamma or TNF-alpha was investigated in control or cells with genetrap insertions in JAK2 or TNFRS1A, respectively. The experiment shows that, as expected, cells lacking JAK2 or TNFRS1A expression display a severly blunted response to the tested cytokines. KBM7 genetrap mutant cells stimulated with TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma Sample WT_1 corresponds with the control sample for the IFN-gamma stimulation; Sample WT_2 corresponds with the control sample for the TNF-alpha stimulation. As the expected differences between the samples was large, only single replicates were performed for each condition
Project description:Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is associated with the accumulation of collagen-secreting fibroblasts and myofibroblasts in the lung parenchyma. Many mechanisms contribute to their accumulation, including resistance to apoptosis. In previous work, we showed that exposure to the pro-inflammatory cytokines, TNF-α and IFN-γ reverses fibroblast resistance to apoptosis. The goal of this study was to investigate the underlying mechanism. Based on an initial interrogation of the transcriptomes of unstimulated and TNF-α and IFN-γ-stimulated primary lung fibroblasts and the lung fibroblast cell line, MRC5, we show here that among Fas-signaling pathway molecules, Fas expression was increased ~6-fold in an NF-κB and p38mapk-dependent fashion. Prevention of the increase in Fas expression using Fas siRNAs blocked the ability of TNF-α and IFN-γ to sensitize fibroblasts to Fas ligation induced-apoptosis; while enforced adenovirus-mediated Fas overexpression was sufficient to overcome basal resistance to Fas-induced apoptosis. Examination of lung tissues from IPF patients revealed low to absent staining of Fas in fibroblastic cells of fibroblast foci. Collectively, these findings suggest that increased expression of Fas is necessary and sufficient to overcome the resistance of lung fibroblasts to Fas-induced apoptosis. They also suggest that approaches aimed at increasing Fas expression by lung fibroblasts and myofibroblasts may be therapeutically relevant. To investigate the mechanism by which TNF-α and IFN-γ reprogram fibroblasts from resistance to sensitivity to Fas-ligation-induce apoptosis, we exposed human primary lung fibroblasts from an IPF patient (FS087) and non-disease control subject (N78) and the human fetal lung fibroblast cell lung (MRC-5) to TNF-α (10 ng/ml) and IFN-γ (50 U/ml) for 36 hr and analyzed changes in their transcriptomes using Affymetrix microarrays.
Project description:The CD40 gene, an important immune regulatory gene, is also expressed and functional on non-myeloid derived cells, many of which are targets for tissue specific autoimmune diseases, including d thyroid follicular cells in Graves’ disease (GD). Whether target tissue CD40 expression plays a role in autoimmune disease etiology has yet to be determined. Here we show for the first time, that target-tissue over-expression of CD40 plays a key role in the etiology of autoimmunity. Using a murine model of GD, we demonstrated that thyroidal CD40 over-expression augmented the production of thyroid specific antibodies, resulting in more severe experimental autoimmune Graves’ disease (EAGD), whereas deletion of thyroidal CD40 suppressed disease. Using transcriptome and immune-pathway analyses we showed that in both EAGD mouse thyroids and human primary thyrocytes, CD40 mediates this effect by activating downstream cytokines and chemokines, most notably IL-6. To translate these findings into therapy, we blocked IL-6 during EAGD induction in the setting of thyroidal CD40 over-expression, and showed decreased levels of TSHR stimulating antibodies and frequency of disease. We conclude that target tissue over-expression of CD40 plays a key role in the etiology of organ specific autoimmune disease. CD40 in Thyroid Autoimmunity: 1) Incubation of human thyroid cells with G28.5, a CD40 stimulating antibody, and purification of RNA, conversion to cDNA, measurement of mRNA expression using RNAseq. 2) Removal of thyroid tissues from CD40 over-expressing transgenic mice and wild type mice, purification of RNA, conversion to cDNA measurement of mRNA expression using RNAseq.
Project description:A protein microarray kit (QAR-INF-1-2, RayBiotech Life Inc., Norcross, GA, USA) was used to detect 10 kinds of inflammatory factors in the CSF and serum (nN=5 per group), including IFN-γ, IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IL-13, MCP-1, and TNF-α.