Project description:miRNA expression profiling of CD4+ T cells comparing naïve mice and experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU) mice. EAU was induced by immunization of retinal antigen (IRBP1-20) in complete Freund’s adjuvant (CFA). CD4+ T cells were isolated and purified from the spleen and draining lymph nodes 13 days after immunization.
Project description:Experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU) in Lewis rats is a model for the clinical heterogeneity of human uveitis. The autoantigens inducing disease in the rat are also seen in human disease. Depending upon the specific autoantigen used, the experimental disease course can be either monophasic or relapsing/remitting and appears to be dictated by the T cell effector phenotype elicited. We investigated potential differences between monophasic and relapsing/remitting effector T cells using transcriptomic profiling and pathway analysis. RNA samples isolated from three independent T cell lines derived from each specificity where analyzed by microarrays. Microarray data was used to obtain transcriptomic changes reflecting signal transduction pathway dysregulation. Keywords: Two group comparison Comparison of two types of cell lines of two different antigen specificities.
Project description:Experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU) in Lewis rats is a model for the clinical heterogeneity of human uveitis. The autoantigens inducing disease in the rat are also seen in human disease. Depending upon the specific autoantigen used, the experimental disease course can be either monophasic or relapsing/remitting and appears to be dictated by the T cell effector phenotype elicited. We investigated potential differences between monophasic and relapsing/remitting effector T cells using transcriptomic profiling and pathway analysis. RNA samples isolated from three independent T cell lines derived from each specificity where analyzed by microarrays. Microarray data was used to obtain transcriptomic changes reflecting signal transduction pathway dysregulation. Keywords: Two group comparison
Project description:Uveitis is characterised by breakdown of the blood-retinal barrier (BRB), allowing infiltration of immune cells that mediate intraocular inflammation, which can lead to irreversible damage of the neuroretina and the loss of sight. Treatment of uveitis relies heavily on corticosteroids and systemic immunosuppression due to limited understanding of the molecular immune interactions that underpin ocular immune homeostasis. By performing single-cell transcriptomic analysis of whole dissociated mouse retinas with experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU) versus healthy control, we gained an unbiased appreciation of the immune interactions that drive retinal inflammation in a model of posterior uveitis.
Project description:Through this comparative proteomic study of equine CD4+ cells 376 membrane proteins could be identified. Several proteins showed changed abundance in horses affected by a spontaneous autoimmune disease (equine recurrent uveitis, ERU). Findings provide novel knowledge about changes in the CD4+ immune cell membrane proteome in a spontaneously and naturally occurring autoimmune disease in horses. The data is highly relevant for veterinary medicine and has proven translational quality for autoimmune uveitis in man.
Project description:Background: Blood-retinal barrier cells are known to exhibit a massive phenotypic change during experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU) development. In an attempt to investigate the mechanisms of blood-retinal barrier (BRB) breakdown at a global level, we studied the gene regulation of total retinal cells and retinal endothelial cells during non-infectious uveitis. Methods: Retinal endothelial cells were isolated by flow cytometry either in Tie2-GFP mice (CD31+ CD45- GFP+ cells), or in wild type C57BL/6 mice (CD31+ CD45- endoglin+ cells). EAU was induced in C57BL/6 mice by adoptive transfer of IRBP1-20-specific T cells. Total retinal cells and retinal endothelial cells from naïve and EAU mice were sorted and their gene expression compared by RNA-Seq. Protein expression of selected genes was validated by immunofluorescence on retinal wholemounts and cryosections and by flow cytometry. Results: Retinal endothelial cell sorting in wild type C57BL/6 mice was validated by comparative transcriptome analysis with retinal endothelial cells sorted from Tie2-GFP mice, which express GFP under the control of the endothelial-specific receptor tyrosine kinase promoter Tie2. RNA-Seq analysis of total retinal cells mainly brought to light upregulation of genes involved in antigen presentation and T cell activation during EAU. Specific transcriptome analysis of retinal endothelial cells allowed us to identify 82 genes modulated in retinal endothelial cells during EAU development. Protein expression of 5 of those genes (serpina3n, lipocalin 2, ackr1, lrg1 and lamc3) was validated at the level of inner BRB cells. Conclusion: Those data not only confirm the involvement of known pathogenic molecules but further provide a list of new candidate genes and pathways possibly implicated in inner BRB breakdown during non-infectious posterior uveitis.
Project description:In this study we determined whole genome gene expression of murine naive CD4+ T cells, in vitro differentiated Th17 cells, and CD4+ T cells isolated from experimental autoimmune encephalitomyelitis (EAE)-affected animals either after adoptive transfer of Th17 cells or after immunization with MOG35-55-peptide. The overall goal was to identify candidate genes involved in T cell pathology, encephalitogenicity and plasticity. These findings could then be correlated to multiple sclerosis pathology.
Project description:In this study we determined whole genome gene expression of murine naive CD4+ T cells, in vitro differentiated Th17 cells, and CD4+ T cells isolated from experimental autoimmune encephalitomyelitis (EAE)-affected animals either after adoptive transfer of Th17 cells or after immunization with MOG35-55-peptide. The overall goal was to identify candidate genes involved in T cell pathology, encephalitogenicity and plasticity. These findings could then be correlated to multiple sclerosis pathology. Naive CD4+ T cells were isolated from B6.2d2 transgenic mice with MOG-specific T cell receptors and differentiated in vitro into Th17 cells. These Th17 cells were adoptively transferred into lymphopenic RAG1-/- mice to induce EAE. Further, EAE was induced by immunizing wild-type C57BL/6 mice with MOG35-55 peptide. RNA was extracted from naive CD4+ T cells, Th17 cells, and from CD4+ T cells isolated from the CNS of EAE-affected mice for gene expression analysis. Replicates from three independent experiments were analyzed.
Project description:Equine recurrent uveitis (ERU) is the only spontaneous model for recurrent autoimmune uveitis in humans, where T cells target retinal proteins. Differences between normal and autoaggressive lymphocytes were identified in this study by analyzing peripheral blood derived lymphocytes (PBL) proteomes from the same case with IRBP-induced uveitis sampled before (day 0), during (day 15) and after uveitic attack (day 23). Relative protein abundances of PBL were investigated in a quantitative, label-free differential proteome analysis in cells that were kept frozen for 14 years since the initial experiment. Quantitative data could be acquired for 2632 proteins at all three time-points. Profound changes (> 2 fold change) in PBL protein abundance were observed when comparing day 0 to 15, representing acute inflammation (234 regulated proteins) and day 0 to 23 (cessation; 382 regulated). Significant differences applied to proteins with functions in integrin signaling during active uveitis, involving “Erk and pi-3 kinase are necessary for collagen binding in corneal epithelia”, “Integrins in angiogenesis” and “Integrin-linked kinase signaling” pathways. In contrast, at cessation of uveitic attack, significantly changed proteins belonged to pathways of “nongenotropic androgen signaling”, “classical complement pathway” and “Amb2 integrin signaling”. Several members of respective pathways were earlier shown to be changed in naturally occurring uveitis, underscoring the significance of these findings here and proofing the value of the induced model in mimicking spontaneous autoimmune uveitis.