Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) hinders the efficacy of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). Plasma levels of soluble serum stimulation-2 (sST2) are elevated during human and murine aGVHD and are correlated to a type 1 T cell response. Membrane-bound ST2 (ST2) on donor T cells has been shown to be protective against aGVHD. ST2 signals through the adapter protein myeloid differentiation primary response 88 (MyD88). The role of MyD88 signaling in donor T cells during aGVHD remains unknown. We found that knocking out MyD88 in the donor T cells protected against aGVHD independent of interleukin 1 receptor (IL-1R) and toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) signaling, both of which also signal through MyD88, in two murine HCT models. This protection was entirely driven by MyD88-/- CD4 T cells, leading to a decreased type 1 response without affecting T cell proliferation, apoptosis, or migration. In our aGVHD models, loss of intrinsic MyD88 signaling is not responsible for the observed protection. However, transplanting donor MyD88-/- T conventional cells (Tcons) with wild type (WT) or MyD88-/- T regulatory cells (Tregs) ameliorated aGVHD severity and lowered aGVHD mortality. Transcriptome analysis of sorted MyD88-/- CD4 T cells from the intestine ten days post-HCT showed lower levels of Il1rl1 (gene of ST2), Ifng, Csf2, Stat5, and Jak2, among others. Decreased sST2 was confirmed at the protein level with less secretion of sST2 and more expression of ST2 compared to WT T cells. Transplanting donor ST2-/- Tcons with WT or ST2-/- Tregs mirrored observations when using donor MyD88-/- Tcons. This suggests that Treg suppression from lack of MyD88 signaling in Tcons during alloreactivity uses the ST2 but not the IL-1R or TLR4 pathways. The results of our study confirm that ST2 represents an aGVHD therapeutic target that spares Treg function.

Les maladies pulmonaires, responsables de 3,1 millions de décès de part le monde représentent un problème majeur de santé publique. En particulier, la fibrose pulmonaire et la broncho-pneumopathie chronique obstructive (BPCO) conduisent à la perte de la fonction pulmonaire. Aucun traitement efficace n’a été identifié à ce jour pour lutter contre ces maladies, la seule alternative étant la transplantation. Au cours de ma thèse, j’ai exploré les mécanismes du développement de ces maladies en utilisant différents modèles chez la souris, soit par l’instillation de nanoparticules de métaux ou de bléomycine, conduisant à l’inflammation et/ou à la fibrose pulmonaire, soit par exposition à la fumée de cigarette provoquant une inflammation. Nous avons montré le rôle de la voie de signalisation IL-33/ST2 dans les réponses inflammatoires induites par les nanoparticules ou la bléomycine et identifié de nouveaux mécanismes de régulation de l’IL-33 au sein des macrophages, différents de ceux décrits pour les cellules épithéliales. Nos résultats indiquent que l’expression intracellulaire de l’IL-33 et de son récepteur ST2, joue un rôle important dans l’inflammation, ainsi que la translocation nucléaire de l’IL-33. D’autre part, mes travaux de thèse ont permis d’identifier le rôle clef du senseur intracytosolique NLRP6 dans l’inflammation provoquée par l’exposition à la fumée de cigarette. Nos résultats indiquent que NLRP6, aux fonctions pulmonaires inexplorées, contrôle l’activation des cellules épithéliales et le recrutement des neutrophiles de façon indépendante de la formation d’un inflammasome mais dépendante de la signalisation par les récepteurs des interférons de type I et III. / Pulmonary diseases are a major health problem with 3.1 million deaths in the worldwide. Among them pulmonary fibrosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which occur after repeated lung epithelium injury, are characterized by impaired lung functions. To date, no effective therapy against pulmonary fibrosis and COPD were developed, lung transplantation being the only alternative. During my thesis, I studied the mechanisms leading to disease development using different experimental models in mice in particular by metal dioxide nanoparticles or bleomycin instillation leading to inflammation and/or pulmonary fibrosis, or by cigarette smoke exposure promoting pulmonary inflammation which may lead to emphysema. We show the crucial role of IL-33/ST2 signaling pathway in response to nanoparticles or bleomycine and identify new mechanisms for IL-33 regulation in macrophages which are different from those described in epithelial cells. Our results indicate that intracellular expression of IL-33 and of its receptor ST2, together with nuclear IL-33 translocation, play an important role in inflammatory response to nanoparticles instillation. On the other hand, my thesis work allowed identifying that the cytosolic sensor NLRP6 as a key player in pulmonary inflammation developed upon mouse cigarette smoke exposure. Interestingly, our results show that the receptor NLRP6, whose pulmonary functions are still unexplored, controls epithelial cells activation leading to neutrophils recruitment in the airways, in an inflammasome-independent manner but dependently of type I and III interferon receptors signaling.

Interleukin-33 (IL-33) is a multifunctional cytokine that mediates local inflammation upon tissue damage. IL-33 is known to act on multiple cell types including group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s), Th2 cells, and mast cells to drive production of Th2 cytokines including IL-5 and IL-13. IL-33 signaling activity through transmembrane ST2L can be inhibited by soluble ST2 (sST2), which acts as a decoy receptor. Previous findings suggested that modulation of IL-13 levels in mice lacking decoy IL-13Rα2, or mice lacking IL-13, impacted responsiveness to IL-33. In this study, we used Il13-/- mice to investigate whether IL-13 regulates IL-33 activity by modulating the transmembrane and soluble forms of ST2. In Il13-/- mice, the effects of IL-33 administration were exacerbated relative to wild type (WT). Il13-/- mice administered IL-33 i.p. had heightened splenomegaly, more immune cells in the peritoneum including an expanded ST2L+ ILC2 population, increased eosinophilia in the spleen and peritoneum, and reduced sST2 in the circulation and peritoneum. In the spleen, lung, and liver of mice given IL-33, gene expression of both isoforms of ST2 was increased in Il13-/- mice relative to WT. Because IL-13 and IL-4 signal through a shared receptor complex IL-13Rα1/IL-4Rα, we also studied the combined deficiency of IL-4 and IL-13 using Il4rα-/- mice which are defective in both IL-4 and IL-13 signaling. Responses of Il4rα-/- mice were indistinguishable from those of Il13-/- mice in our model system of IL-33-induced inflammation, suggesting that IL-4 does not play a distinct role separate from IL-13 in regulation of IL-33 activity. Through in vitro experiments, we confirmed fibroblasts to be an IL-13-responsive cell type that can regulate IL-33 activity through production of sST2. This study elucidates the important regulatory activity that IL-13 exerts on IL-33 through induction of IL-33 decoy receptor sST2 and through modulation of ST2L+ ILC2s.

No description available.

Contexto: Os mecanismos inflamatórios que determinam a gravidade da bronquiolite viral aguda em criançasainda não estão bem estabelecidos e parecem relacionados à disfunção da resposta imune. Objetivos: Avaliar a associação da interleucina-33 e do receptor ST2 com a gravidade da bronquiolite viral aguda. Métodos: Concentrações de IL-33, ST2, IL- 1ß, TNF?, IL-4, IL-6 e IL-8 foram avaliadas em secreção nasofaríngea e plasma de pacientes com bronquiolite viral aguda em dois momentos da internação hospitalar. A necessidade de ventilação mecânica constituiu o critério de gravidade da doença. Resultados: De janeiro de 2015 a dezembro de 2016, 261 crianças foram internadas com diagnóstico de bronquiolite viral aguda. Setenta e nove crianças foram incluídas no estudo; 33 (41,7%) foram submetidas à ventilação mecânica. Cento e oitenta e dois pacientes (69,7%) foram excluídos pelos seguintes motivos: uso de corticoide > 24h (n=156), múltiplas comorbidades (n=7), falha de recrutamento (n=11) e recusa dos responsáveis (n=8). Não houve associações entre etiologias virais ou presença de coinfecções e gravidade da doença. Verificaram-se detecções mais frequentes da IL-33 em secreção nasofaríngea à admissão hospitalar de pacientes submetidos à ventilação mecânica comparados com aqueles que não necessitaram de ventilação mecânica (50% vs. 13,3%, respectivamente; p<0,001). Observou-se o mesmo para o ST2 (87,5% no grupo submetido à ventilação vs. 40,9% no grupo não submetido à ventilação; p< 0,001). Na análise do quinto dia de internação entre os dois grupos, verificaram-se valores mais elevados em secreção nasofaríngea da IL-6 (mediana 152,6 pcg/ml no grupo submetido à ventilação vs. mediana 14,4 pcg/ml no grupo não submetido à ventilação; p=0,001) e IL-8 (mediana 1113 pcg/ml no grupo submetido à ventilação e mediana 792,2 pcg/ml no grupo não submetido à ventilação; p=0,03). Na comparação em secreção nasofaríngea entre os dois períodos de coleta, pacientes que necessitaram ventilação mecânica apresentaram redução das concentrações de ST2 (mediana 5,63 pcg/ml à admissão e mediana 2,44 pcg/ml no quinto dia de internação hospitalar; p=0,03) e aumento das concentrações de IL-4 (mediana 0,2 pcg/ml à admissão e mediana 6,9 pcg/ml no quinto dia; p<0,01) e IL-8 (mediana 342,9 pcg/ml à admissão e mediana 1.113 pcg/ml no quinto dia; p<0,01). Na análise entre os dois momentos de coleta no grupo não submetido à ventilação, demonstraram-se incrementos das concentrações em secreção nasofaríngea da IL-4 (mediana 0,2 pcg/ml à admissão e mediana 5,3 pcg/ml no quinto dia; p<0,01) e IL-8 (mediana 300,2 pcg/ml à admissão e mediana 792,2 pcg/ml no quinto dia; p<0,01), acompanhados de redução da IL-6 (mediana 86,0 pcg/ml à admissão e mediana 14,4 pcg/ml no quinto dia; p=0,04) e de incremento nas concentrações séricas da IL-33 (mediana 0,186,0 pcg/ml à admissão e mediana 36,2 pcg/ml no quinto dia; p=0,04). Conclusão: Detecções mais frequentes da IL-33 e do receptor ST2 durante a admissão hospitalar e concentrações elevadas de IL-6 e IL-8 em secreção nasofaríngea durante o quinto dia da internação foram associadas à gravidade da bronquiolite viral aguda. Não houve associação entre as etiologias virais ou a presença de coinfecções e a gravidade da doença. / Background: The inflammatory mechanisms influencing the severity of acute viral bronchiolitis in children are still not well established and seem to be caused by an immune dysfunction. Objectives: To assess if interleukin-33 and its receptor, ST2, can be used as clinical severity biomarkers in acute viral bronchiolitis. Methods: Levels of IL-33, ST2, IL-1ß, TNF?, IL-4, IL-6 e IL-8 were analyzed in nasopharyngeal aspirates and blood plasma of patients in two different moments after hospital admission. Severity of disease was defined by the presence of mechanical ventilation. Results: From January 2015 to December 2016, 261 were admitted due to acute viral bronchiolitis. Of the 79 children included in the study, 33 (41,7%) were submitted to mechanical ventilation. One hundred and eighty-two patients (69,7%) were excluded, due to use of corticosteroids (n=156), pre-existing comorbidities (n=7), recruitment failure (n=11) and parents refusal (n=8). No associations between viral etiology or the presence of coinfecctions and severity of disease were observed. IL-33 was more frequently detected in nasopharyngeal aspirates of patients submitted to mechanical ventilation during hospital admission (50% of samples of the mechanically ventilated group vs. 13,3% of the samples of children with no need of ventilator support; p<0,001). The same correlation was observed in ST2 levels (87,5% in the mechanically ventilated group vs. 40,9% of samples of children with no need of ventilator support; p< 0,001). On day five postadmission, an increase in concentrarions of nasopharyngeal aspirates in the mechanically ventilated patients was detected for IL-6 (median 152,6 pcg/ml in the mechanically ventilated group and median 14,4 pcg/ml for the group with no need of ventilator support; p=0,001) and IL-8 (median 1.113 pcg/ml in the mechanically ventilated group and median 792,2 pcg/ml for the group with no need of ventilator support; p=0,03). Between admission and day 5, increases of IL-4 (median 0,2 pcg/ml on admission and median 6,9 pcg/ml on day 5; p<0,01) and IL-8 (median 342,9 pcg/ml on admission and median 1.113 pcg/ml on day 5; p<0,01) levels were detected in nasopharyngeal aspirates, whereas ST2 levels showed a decrease (median 5,63 pcg/ml on admission and median 2,44 pcg/ml on day 5; p=0,03). In the same analysis performed in nasopharyngeal aspirates of patients with no need of ventilation support, an increase in IL-4 (median 0,2 pcg/ml on admission and median 5,3 pcg/ml on day 5; p<0,01) and IL-8 (median 300,2 pcg/ml on admission and median 792,2 pcg/ml on day 5; p<0,01) levels was observed and a decrease in IL-6 levels (median 86,0 pcg/ml on admission and median 14,4 pcg/ml on day 5; p=0,04), along with an increase in IL-33 blood plasma levels (median 0,186 pcg/ml on admission and median 36,2 pcg/ml on day 5; p=0,04) were also shown. Conclusion: More frequent detections of IL-33 and ST2 on the day of admission and higher IL-6 and IL-8 levels in nasopharyngeal aspirates were associated with more severe forms of acute viral bronchiolitis. No correlations between viral etiologies or the presence of coinfecctions and severity of disease were observed.

Contexto: Os mecanismos inflamatórios que determinam a gravidade da bronquiolite viral aguda em criançasainda não estão bem estabelecidos e parecem relacionados à disfunção da resposta imune. Objetivos: Avaliar a associação da interleucina-33 e do receptor ST2 com a gravidade da bronquiolite viral aguda. Métodos: Concentrações de IL-33, ST2, IL- 1ß, TNF?, IL-4, IL-6 e IL-8 foram avaliadas em secreção nasofaríngea e plasma de pacientes com bronquiolite viral aguda em dois momentos da internação hospitalar. A necessidade de ventilação mecânica constituiu o critério de gravidade da doença. Resultados: De janeiro de 2015 a dezembro de 2016, 261 crianças foram internadas com diagnóstico de bronquiolite viral aguda. Setenta e nove crianças foram incluídas no estudo; 33 (41,7%) foram submetidas à ventilação mecânica. Cento e oitenta e dois pacientes (69,7%) foram excluídos pelos seguintes motivos: uso de corticoide > 24h (n=156), múltiplas comorbidades (n=7), falha de recrutamento (n=11) e recusa dos responsáveis (n=8). Não houve associações entre etiologias virais ou presença de coinfecções e gravidade da doença. Verificaram-se detecções mais frequentes da IL-33 em secreção nasofaríngea à admissão hospitalar de pacientes submetidos à ventilação mecânica comparados com aqueles que não necessitaram de ventilação mecânica (50% vs. 13,3%, respectivamente; p<0,001). Observou-se o mesmo para o ST2 (87,5% no grupo submetido à ventilação vs. 40,9% no grupo não submetido à ventilação; p< 0,001). Na análise do quinto dia de internação entre os dois grupos, verificaram-se valores mais elevados em secreção nasofaríngea da IL-6 (mediana 152,6 pcg/ml no grupo submetido à ventilação vs. mediana 14,4 pcg/ml no grupo não submetido à ventilação; p=0,001) e IL-8 (mediana 1113 pcg/ml no grupo submetido à ventilação e mediana 792,2 pcg/ml no grupo não submetido à ventilação; p=0,03). Na comparação em secreção nasofaríngea entre os dois períodos de coleta, pacientes que necessitaram ventilação mecânica apresentaram redução das concentrações de ST2 (mediana 5,63 pcg/ml à admissão e mediana 2,44 pcg/ml no quinto dia de internação hospitalar; p=0,03) e aumento das concentrações de IL-4 (mediana 0,2 pcg/ml à admissão e mediana 6,9 pcg/ml no quinto dia; p<0,01) e IL-8 (mediana 342,9 pcg/ml à admissão e mediana 1.113 pcg/ml no quinto dia; p<0,01). Na análise entre os dois momentos de coleta no grupo não submetido à ventilação, demonstraram-se incrementos das concentrações em secreção nasofaríngea da IL-4 (mediana 0,2 pcg/ml à admissão e mediana 5,3 pcg/ml no quinto dia; p<0,01) e IL-8 (mediana 300,2 pcg/ml à admissão e mediana 792,2 pcg/ml no quinto dia; p<0,01), acompanhados de redução da IL-6 (mediana 86,0 pcg/ml à admissão e mediana 14,4 pcg/ml no quinto dia; p=0,04) e de incremento nas concentrações séricas da IL-33 (mediana 0,186,0 pcg/ml à admissão e mediana 36,2 pcg/ml no quinto dia; p=0,04). Conclusão: Detecções mais frequentes da IL-33 e do receptor ST2 durante a admissão hospitalar e concentrações elevadas de IL-6 e IL-8 em secreção nasofaríngea durante o quinto dia da internação foram associadas à gravidade da bronquiolite viral aguda. Não houve associação entre as etiologias virais ou a presença de coinfecções e a gravidade da doença. / Background: The inflammatory mechanisms influencing the severity of acute viral bronchiolitis in children are still not well established and seem to be caused by an immune dysfunction. Objectives: To assess if interleukin-33 and its receptor, ST2, can be used as clinical severity biomarkers in acute viral bronchiolitis. Methods: Levels of IL-33, ST2, IL-1ß, TNF?, IL-4, IL-6 e IL-8 were analyzed in nasopharyngeal aspirates and blood plasma of patients in two different moments after hospital admission. Severity of disease was defined by the presence of mechanical ventilation. Results: From January 2015 to December 2016, 261 were admitted due to acute viral bronchiolitis. Of the 79 children included in the study, 33 (41,7%) were submitted to mechanical ventilation. One hundred and eighty-two patients (69,7%) were excluded, due to use of corticosteroids (n=156), pre-existing comorbidities (n=7), recruitment failure (n=11) and parents refusal (n=8). No associations between viral etiology or the presence of coinfecctions and severity of disease were observed. IL-33 was more frequently detected in nasopharyngeal aspirates of patients submitted to mechanical ventilation during hospital admission (50% of samples of the mechanically ventilated group vs. 13,3% of the samples of children with no need of ventilator support; p<0,001). The same correlation was observed in ST2 levels (87,5% in the mechanically ventilated group vs. 40,9% of samples of children with no need of ventilator support; p< 0,001). On day five postadmission, an increase in concentrarions of nasopharyngeal aspirates in the mechanically ventilated patients was detected for IL-6 (median 152,6 pcg/ml in the mechanically ventilated group and median 14,4 pcg/ml for the group with no need of ventilator support; p=0,001) and IL-8 (median 1.113 pcg/ml in the mechanically ventilated group and median 792,2 pcg/ml for the group with no need of ventilator support; p=0,03). Between admission and day 5, increases of IL-4 (median 0,2 pcg/ml on admission and median 6,9 pcg/ml on day 5; p<0,01) and IL-8 (median 342,9 pcg/ml on admission and median 1.113 pcg/ml on day 5; p<0,01) levels were detected in nasopharyngeal aspirates, whereas ST2 levels showed a decrease (median 5,63 pcg/ml on admission and median 2,44 pcg/ml on day 5; p=0,03). In the same analysis performed in nasopharyngeal aspirates of patients with no need of ventilation support, an increase in IL-4 (median 0,2 pcg/ml on admission and median 5,3 pcg/ml on day 5; p<0,01) and IL-8 (median 300,2 pcg/ml on admission and median 792,2 pcg/ml on day 5; p<0,01) levels was observed and a decrease in IL-6 levels (median 86,0 pcg/ml on admission and median 14,4 pcg/ml on day 5; p=0,04), along with an increase in IL-33 blood plasma levels (median 0,186 pcg/ml on admission and median 36,2 pcg/ml on day 5; p=0,04) were also shown. Conclusion: More frequent detections of IL-33 and ST2 on the day of admission and higher IL-6 and IL-8 levels in nasopharyngeal aspirates were associated with more severe forms of acute viral bronchiolitis. No correlations between viral etiologies or the presence of coinfecctions and severity of disease were observed.

O carcinoma espinocelular (CEC) é um dos cânceres humanos mais incidentes. A despeito do entendimento da fisiopatologia do CEC, as opções terapêuticas ainda são limitadas e o(s) exato(s) mecanismo(s) envolvido(s) na progressão deste tipo de tumor ainda não foi descrito. Estudos recentes mostram a existência de uma associação direta entre a resposta imune TH1 e um melhor prognóstico em pacientes com CEC. Aumento da expressão de componentes do eixo IL-33/ST2 foi demonstrado contribuir para transformação neoplásica em diversos modelos tumorais, incluindo cânceres de estômago e de mama. Trabalho recente do nosso e de outros laboratórios indicam que IL-33 pode impedir a resposta imune TH1 . Baseado nessas observações, a hipótese testada foi que o impedimento da resposta imune pela interação IL-33/ST2 pode contribuir para iniciação e progressão do CEC. Utilizando modelo de carcinogênese química em camundongos WT e deficientes de ST2 (ST2KO), os resultados mostram que a deficiência de ST2 leva a uma notável redução da severidade das lesões 20 semanas após a carcinogênese química, sugerindo que a sinalização ST2 é necessária para o desenvolvimento tumoral neste modelo. Análises do infiltrado inflamatório presente nas lesões em camundongos WT e ST2KO revelaram redução significativa nas percentagens de macrófagos, células T CD4+ e células dendríticas, mas não em células T CD8+, células B e células natural killer (NK) no microambiente tumoral de camundongos ST2KO. Além disso, células NK esplênicas isoladas de camundongos ST2KO exibiram atividade citotóxica aumentada contra células YAC quando comparado com células de camundongos do grupo controle (WT). Os resultados indicam que a via IL-33/ST2 contribui para o desenvolvimento de carcinoma espinocelular recrutando células T CD4+, macrófagos e células dendríticas e reduzindo a citotoxicidade de células NK. / Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is the second most common form of skin cancer and is most commonly observed in photo-exposed areas of the body. The mechanism(s) involved in the progression of this tumor are unknown. Recent studies have shown that there is a direct association between a TH1-related immune response and a better prognosis in patients with SCC. Increased expression of the IL33/ST2 axis components has been demonstrated to contribute to neoplastic transformation in several tumor models, including gastric and breast cancer. Recent work from ours and other laboratories indicate that can IL-33 impair TH1-type immune responses. Based on these observations, we hypothesized that TH1-type immune response impairment by IL33/ST2 could contribute to the initiation and progress SCC. We found that ST2 deficiency led to a marked decreased in severity of skin lesions at 20 weeks post-DMBA, suggesting that ST2 signaling is necessary for tumor development in this model. Analysis of tumor lesions in WT and ST2KO mice revealed that lack of ST2 led to a specific and significant reduction in the frequency of macrophages, T CD4+ and dendritic cells, but not CD8+, B and NK cells. In addition, splenic NK cells isolated from DMBA-treated ST2KO mice exhibited increased cytotoxicity activity against YAC cells targets when compared with WT splenic NK cells in the same cytotoxic assay. Altogether, our findings indicate that IL-33/ST2 pathway contributes to the SCC development by recruitment T CD4+ cells, macrophages, and dendritic cells and impairing NK cytotoxicity.

O carcinoma espinocelular (CEC) é um dos cânceres humanos mais incidentes. A despeito do entendimento da fisiopatologia do CEC, as opções terapêuticas ainda são limitadas e o(s) exato(s) mecanismo(s) envolvido(s) na progressão deste tipo de tumor ainda não foi descrito. Estudos recentes mostram a existência de uma associação direta entre a resposta imune TH1 e um melhor prognóstico em pacientes com CEC. Aumento da expressão de componentes do eixo IL-33/ST2 foi demonstrado contribuir para transformação neoplásica em diversos modelos tumorais, incluindo cânceres de estômago e de mama. Trabalho recente do nosso e de outros laboratórios indicam que IL-33 pode impedir a resposta imune TH1 . Baseado nessas observações, a hipótese testada foi que o impedimento da resposta imune pela interação IL-33/ST2 pode contribuir para iniciação e progressão do CEC. Utilizando modelo de carcinogênese química em camundongos WT e deficientes de ST2 (ST2KO), os resultados mostram que a deficiência de ST2 leva a uma notável redução da severidade das lesões 20 semanas após a carcinogênese química, sugerindo que a sinalização ST2 é necessária para o desenvolvimento tumoral neste modelo. Análises do infiltrado inflamatório presente nas lesões em camundongos WT e ST2KO revelaram redução significativa nas percentagens de macrófagos, células T CD4+ e células dendríticas, mas não em células T CD8+, células B e células natural killer (NK) no microambiente tumoral de camundongos ST2KO. Além disso, células NK esplênicas isoladas de camundongos ST2KO exibiram atividade citotóxica aumentada contra células YAC quando comparado com células de camundongos do grupo controle (WT). Os resultados indicam que a via IL-33/ST2 contribui para o desenvolvimento de carcinoma espinocelular recrutando células T CD4+, macrófagos e células dendríticas e reduzindo a citotoxicidade de células NK. / Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is the second most common form of skin cancer and is most commonly observed in photo-exposed areas of the body. The mechanism(s) involved in the progression of this tumor are unknown. Recent studies have shown that there is a direct association between a TH1-related immune response and a better prognosis in patients with SCC. Increased expression of the IL33/ST2 axis components has been demonstrated to contribute to neoplastic transformation in several tumor models, including gastric and breast cancer. Recent work from ours and other laboratories indicate that can IL-33 impair TH1-type immune responses. Based on these observations, we hypothesized that TH1-type immune response impairment by IL33/ST2 could contribute to the initiation and progress SCC. We found that ST2 deficiency led to a marked decreased in severity of skin lesions at 20 weeks post-DMBA, suggesting that ST2 signaling is necessary for tumor development in this model. Analysis of tumor lesions in WT and ST2KO mice revealed that lack of ST2 led to a specific and significant reduction in the frequency of macrophages, T CD4+ and dendritic cells, but not CD8+, B and NK cells. In addition, splenic NK cells isolated from DMBA-treated ST2KO mice exhibited increased cytotoxicity activity against YAC cells targets when compared with WT splenic NK cells in the same cytotoxic assay. Altogether, our findings indicate that IL-33/ST2 pathway contributes to the SCC development by recruitment T CD4+ cells, macrophages, and dendritic cells and impairing NK cytotoxicity.

Les traitements actuels de la leucémie myéloïde chronique (LMC) ne permettent pas d’éliminer la totalité des cellules leucémiques. Dans le but de développer un traitement curatif, il est donc nécessaire de parvenir à une meilleure compréhension des mécanismes sous-jacents des réponses partielles aux traitements, Dans ce travail, nous avons postulé qu’il existe des mécanismes de contrôle extrinsèques de la LMC pouvant influencer l’efficacité des différents traitements. Nous avons choisi d’étudier le rôle potentiel dans la LMC des lymphocytes iNKT, cellules T de type « inné » auxquelles la littérature attribue de nombreuses fonctions antitumorales et des facteurs moléculaires, la cytokine/alarmine IL-33, produite dans la niche hématopoïétique, et son récepteur ST2 à la surface des cellules hématopoïétiques comme cibles de l’IL-33.La première partie de notre travail a ainsi permis de mettre en évidence de profondes altérations fonctionnelles des lymphocytes iNKT chez les patients atteints de LMC ainsi qu’une correction partielle de ces défauts après traitement par l’Imatinib (IM) ou l’IFN-. L’ensemble de ces résultats permet de proposer que l’altération des fonctions des cellules iNKT au cours du développement de la LMC pourrait participer aux mécanismes d’échappement de la tumeur au contrôle par le système immunitaire. La deuxième partie de notre travail a permis de mettre en évidence une expression de la molécule ST2, chaîne spécifique du récepteur à l’IL-33, à la surface des cellules CD34+ de patients atteints de LMC, expression non décelée chez les sujets sains et les patients en rémission après traitement par l’IM. De plus, contrairement aux cellules CD34+ de sujets sains, les cellules progénititrices de patients en phase chronique prolifèrent en réponse à l’IL-33. Enfin, nous avons montré que l’IL-33 est capable de contrecarrer in vitro les effets antiprolifératifs de l’IM. Ainsi nous pouvons émettre l’hypothèse selon laquelle l’IL-33, une cytokine/alarmine, puisse participer aux phénomènes conduisant à la persistance de progéniteurs hématopoïétiques leucémiques chez les patients sous traitement par IM. / To date, treatment of Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia (CML) is not sufficient to completely eradicate leukaemia cells. Hence, in order to develop a curative treatment, it is necessary to have a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms explaining why response to treatment is only partial..We therefore addressed the question whether the extrinsic mechanisms of CML control can affect the effectiveness of different treatments. We first provided evidence of profound functional impairments of iNKT cells in patients with CML. Interestingly these impairments were partially corrected after treatment with Imatinib (IM) or IFN-. Consequently our results suggest that altered functions of iNKT cells during the development of CML could facilitate tumour escape from immune destruction. . The second part of our work revealed that CD34+ progenitors from CML patients upregulate their cell surface expression of the IL-33-specific receptor chain ST2, proliferate and produce cytokines in response to IL-33, conversely to CD34+ cells from healthy individuals. Moreover, ST2 overexpression is normalized following IM therapy, while IL-33 counteracts in vitro IM-induced growth arrest in CML CD34+ progenitors. From these findings, it can be surmised that IL-33, a cytokine/alarmin likely expressed in the hematopoietic niche, facilitates the development of CML and IM resistance.

Regulatory T cells (Treg) play a crucial role in controlling immune homeostasis. Several inflammatory diseases including multiple sclerosis and inflammatory bowel disease have been associated with dysfunctional and/or reduced numbers of Treg. While several mechanisms of action have been discovered by which Treg can exert their function, disease-specific Treg requirements remain unknown. The Treg pool consists of highly diverse subpopulations, indicating that there is a potential to optimise Treg-targeted therapies if disease-relevant mechanisms can be established. Microarray data from our lab suggests a marked upregulation of the integrin αv as well as the IL-33 receptor ST2 in Treg retrieved from the inflamed central nervous system (CNS) during experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis compared to peripheral lymphoid organs. These two molecules were further investigated within this PhD project with the aim to understand their role in Treg function during chronic inflammatory disease. αvβ integrins have been reported to be needed for effector T cell migration to inflamed sites through binding of extracellular matrix components and are involved in TGF-β activation by a variety of cell types. Conditional knockout mice lacking the integrin αv specifically in Foxpγ+ Treg were generated to address the role of αv integrins on regulatory T cells in inflammatory disease. αv-/- Treg showed a deficiency in activating latent TGF-β, but were able to suppress responder T cell proliferation in vitro as well as in vivo. αv-/- Treg were also able to migrate to the inflamed CNS during EAE and resolve disease. However, αv-/- Treg were detected at significantly lower numbers and proportions in the inflamed gut during a curative T cell transfer model of colitis; this led to a quantitative impairment in the ability of αv-/- Treg to cure colitis when compared to wild-type (WT) Treg. Whether this is a deficit in migration, survival, proliferation, or Foxp3 stability, remains to be investigated. IL-33 acts as an alarmin and is best studied as a cytokine released upon tissue damage that induces a potent type 2 immune response by acting on a multitude of immune cells. Expression of the IL-33 receptor ST2 on Treg has recently been associated with positive metabolic parameters in visceral adipose tissue, protection from gut inflammation, and tissue-restorative function in other inflamed tissues such as injured muscle or lung. This project showed that in steady state, ST2+ Treg expressed high levels of several markers which have been associated with potent regulatory function. When stimulated in vitro, ST2+ Treg showed a better survival and expansion rate compared to their ST2- counterparts, even more so in the presence of IL-33. T-bet deficiency in Treg resulted in an increased ST2+ Treg pool, and T-bet-associated cytokine IFN-γ was found to antagonise IL-33-induced expansion of the ST2+ Treg pool in a T-bet-independent manner. When ST2+ and ST2- Treg were tested for their respective suppressive capacity in vivo, ST2+ Treg were able to suppress responder T cell expansion despite being found only at low numbers in secondary lymphoid organs compared to ST2- Treg. However, in a curative model of T cell transfer colitis, ST2+ Treg were less capable of controlling the ongoing immune response than ST2- Treg. A possible explanation for the superiority of ST2- Treg in this setting can be found in the fact that injected ST2- Treg acquired a distribution of ST2 expression reminiscent of WT Treg over the course of disease. On the other hand, an increased starting pool of ST2+ Treg as occurs in T-bet-/- Treg significantly enhanced the capacity of Treg to control colitis compared to WT Treg. In conclusion, both ST2- and ST2+ Treg are likely to have a distinct, non-redundant role in suppressing T cell activation in secondary lymphoid organs and controlling ongoing inflammation in peripheral tissue, respectively.