Tim-3 and PD-1 are powerful immunoinhibitory molecules involved in immune tolerance, autoimmune responses, and antitumor or antiviral immune evasion. A current model for Tim-3 regulation during immune responses suggests a divergent function, such that Tim-3 acts synergistically with TLR signaling pathways in innate immune cells to promote inflammation, yet the same molecule terminates Th1 immunity in adaptive immune cells. To better understand how Tim-3 might be functioning in innate immune responses, we examined the kinetics of Tim-3 expression in human CD14 + M/M 4 in relation to expression of IL-12, a key cytokine in the transition of innate to adaptive immunity. Here, we show that Tim-3 is constitutively expressed on unstimulated peripheral blood CD14 + monocytes but decreases rapidly upon TLR stimulation. Conversely, IL-12 expression is low in these cells but increases rapidly in CD14 + M/M.J, in correlation with the decrease in Tim-3. Blocking Tim-3 signaling or silencing Tim-3 expression led to a significant increase in TLR-mediated IL-12 production, as well as a decrease in activation-induced up-regula-tion of the immunoinhibitor, PD-1; TNF-a production was not altered significantly, but IL-10 production was increased. These results suggest that Tim-3 has a role as a regulator of pro- and anti-inflammatory innate immune responses.

Effective treatment of the acute systemic inflammatory response associated with sepsis is lacking, but likely will require new ways to rebalance dysregulated immune responses. One challenge is that human sepsis often is diagnosed too late to reduce the hyperinflammation of early sepsis. Another is that the sequential response to sepsis inflammation rapidly generates an adaptive and immunosuppressive state, which by epigenetic imprint may last for months or years. Emerging data support that the immunosuppressive phase of sepsis can both directly reprogram gene expression of circulating and tissue cells, and disrupt development and differentiation of myeloid precursor cells into competent immunocytes. We recently reported that adoptive transfer of bone marrow CD34+ cells into mice after sepsis induction by cecal ligation and puncture significantly improves late-sepsis survival by enhancing bacterial clearance through improved neutrophil and macrophage phagocytosis. That study, however, did not examine whether CD34+ transfer can modify noninfectious acute systemic inflammatory responses. Here, we report that CD34+ cell transfer mice that have survived late sepsis also resist lethal lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammatory shock (88% lived vs 0% of naive mice). The CD34+ cell-recipient survivor mice administered LPS had globally reduced levels of circulating inflammatory mediators compared with naive mice, but their peritoneal and bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs), unlike those from naïve mice, remained LPS responsive ex vivo. We further found that CD34+ cell transfer into LPS-challenged naïve mice had diminished immunosuppression, as assessed by ex vivo responses of peritoneal and BMDMs to LPS challenge. We conclude that CD34+ cell adoptive transfer rebalances dysregulated immune responses associated with sepsis and endotoxin shock.

We identified the C-type-lectin-like receptor, Dectin-1, as the major receptor for fungal β-glucans on murine macrophages and have demonstrated that it plays a significant role in the cellular response to these carbohydrates. Using two novel, isoform-specific mAb, we show here that human Dectin-1, the β-glucan receptor (βGR), is widely expressed and present on all monocyte populations as well as macrophages, DC, neutrophils and eosinophils. This receptor is also expressed on B cells and a subpopulation of T cells, demonstrating that human Dectin-1 is not myeloid restricted. Both major functional βGR isoforms - βGR-A and βGR-B - were expressed by these cell populations in peripheral blood; however, only βGR-B was significantly expressed on mature monocyte-derived macrophages and immature DC, suggesting cell-specific control of isoform expression. Inflammatory cells, recruited in vivo using a new skin-window technique, demonstrated that Dectin-1 expression was not significantly modulated on macrophages during inflammation, but is decreased on recruited granulocytes. Despite previous reports detailing the involvement of other β-glucan receptors on mature human macrophages, we have demonstrated that Dectin-1 acted as the major β-glucan receptor on these cells and contributed to the inflammatory response to these carbohydrates.

No description available.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Liver fibrosis is a common consequence of various chronic liver diseases. Although transforming growth factor β 1 (TGFβ1) expression is known to be associated with liver fibrosis, the reduced clinical efficacy of TGFβ1 inhibition or the inefficiency to completely prevent liver fibrosis in mice with liver-specific knockout of TGF receptor II suggests that other factors can mediate liver fibrogenesis. As a TGFβ superfamily ligand, activin A signaling modulates liver injury by prohibiting hepatocyte proliferation, mediating hepatocyte apoptosis, promoting Kupffer cell activation, and inducing hepatic stellate cell (HSC) activation in vitro. However, the mechanism of action and in vivo functional significance of activin A in liver fibrosis models remain uncertain. Moreover, whether activin B, another ligand structurally related to activin A, is involved in liver fibrogenesis is not yet known. This study aimed to investigate the role of activin A and B in liver fibrosis initiation and progression. The levels of hepatic and circulating activin B and A were analyzed in patients with various chronic liver diseases, including end-stage liver diseases (ESLD), non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), and alcoholic liver disease (ALD). In addition, their levels were measured in mouse carbon tetrachloride (CCl4), bile duct ligation (BDL), and ALD liver injury models. Mouse primary hepatocytes, RAW264.7 cells, and LX-2 cells were used as in vitro models of hepatocytes, macrophages, and HSCs, respectively. The specificity and potency of anti-activin B monoclonal antibody (mAb) and anti-activin A mAb were evaluated using Smad2/3 luciferase assay. Activin A, activin B, or their combination were immunologically inactivated by the neutralizing mAbs in mice with progressive or established liver fibrosis induced by CCl4 or with developing cholestatic liver fibrosis induced by BDL surgery. In patients with ESLD, NASH, and ALD, increases in hepatic and circulating activin B, but not activin A, were associated with liver fibrosis, irrespective of etiology. In mice with CCl4-, BDL-, or alcohol-induced liver injury, activin B was persistently elevated in the liver and circulation, whereas activin A showed only transient increases. Activin B was expressed and secreted mainly by the hepatocytes and other cells, including cholangiocytes, activated HSCs, and immune cells. Exogenous administration of activin B promoted hepatocyte injury, activated macrophages to release cytokines, and induced a pro-fibrotic expression profile and septa formation in HSCs. Co-treatment of activin A and B interdependently activated the chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 1 (CXCL1)/inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) pathway in macrophages and additively upregulated connective tissue growth factor expression in HSCs. Activin B and A had redundant, unique, and interactive effects on the transcripts related to HSC activation. The neutralization of activin B attenuated the development of liver fibrosis and improved liver function in mice with CCl4- or BDL-induced liver fibrosis and largely reversed the already established liver fibrosis in the CCl4 mouse model. These effects were improved by the administration of additional anti-activin A antibody. Combination of both antibodies also inhibited hepatic and circulating inflammatory cytokine production in the BDL mouse model. In conclusion, activin B is a potential circulating biomarker and potent promotor of liver fibrosis. Its levels in the liver and circulation increase significantly in both acute and chronic states of liver injury. Activin B might additively or interdependently cooperate with activin A, which directly acts on multiple liver cell populations during liver injury and fibrosis, as the combination of both proteins increases pro-inflammatory and pro-fibrotic responses in vitro. In addition, the neutralization of both activin A and activin B in vivo enhances the preventive and reversible effects of liver injury and fibrosis compared to that when activin B alone is neutralized. Our data reveal a novel target of liver fibrosis and the mechanism of activin B-mediated initiation of this process by damaging hepatocytes and activating macrophages and HSCs. Our findings show that activin B promotes hepatic fibrogenesis, and that targeting of activin B has anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic effects, which ameliorate liver injury by preventing or regressing liver fibrosis. Antagonizing either activin B alone or in combination with activin A prevents and regresses liver fibrosis in multiple animal studies, paving way for future clinical studies.

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・論文博士 / 博士(医学) / 乙第13000号 / 論医博第2108号 / 新制||医||1016(附属図書館) / 32928 / (主査)教授 森田 智視, 教授 武藤 学, 教授 中山 健夫 / 学位規則第4条第2項該当 / Doctor of Medical Science / Kyoto University / DFAM

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(農学) / 甲第20068号 / 農博第2197号 / 新制||農||1046(附属図書館) / 学位論文||H28||N5024(農学部図書室) / 京都大学大学院農学研究科食品生物科学専攻 / (主査)教授 河田 照雄, 教授 金本 龍平, 教授 谷 史人 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Agricultural Science / Kyoto University / DGAM

Adipose tissue is a key metabolic organ responsible for maintaining energy homeostasis throughout the body. Healthy adipocytes respond to physiological changes and perform a variety of important functions to regulate glucose and lipid metabolism. Dysregulation of adipose tissue function, on the other hand, is strongly associated with the development of metabolic diseases. Peroxisome Proliferator Activated Receptor gamma (PPARγ) is a key transcription factor that regulates various activities in adipocytes as well as other cell types. A growing body of evidence indicates a more complex role for PPARγ beyond its classical ligand-dependent activity, including the exploration of posttranslational modifications and associated target proteins in non-canonical adipogenic reservoirs and adipocyte-associated cells. The first part of the thesis describes our study identifying Adipsin as a downstream target of PPARγ deacetylation and further uncovers its function within the bone marrow niche. Unlike peripheral adipose tissues, marrow adipose tissue has been shown to be uniquely responsive to nutrient fluctuations, hormonal changes, and metabolic disturbances such as obesity and diabetes mellitus. Expansion of marrow adipose tissue has also been strongly associated with bone loss in mice and humans. However, the regulation of bone marrow plasticity remains poorly understood, as does the mechanism that links changes in marrow adiposity with bone remodeling. We show that Adipsin was robustly induced in the bone marrow during bone loss in mouse and humans, in a manner dependent on PPARγ acetylation. Ablation of Adipsin inhibited marrow adipose expansion and improved skeletal health in bone loss conditions of calorie restriction, thiazolidinedione treatment for insulin resistance, and aging. These effects were mediated by Adipsin’s downstream effector, Complement Component 3, to prime common progenitor cells toward adipogenesis rather than osteoblastogenesis through the inhibition of Wnt/β-catenin signaling. Together, our findings reveal an unknown function of Adipsin, mediated by PPARγ acetylation, to promote adiposity and affect skeletal remodeling in the bone marrow niche. The second part of the thesis addresses another novel role for PPARγ, through acetylation in macrophages, to promote adipose tissue inflammation. Chronic, low-grade inflammation characteristic of obesity and metabolic dysfunction is partially driven by macrophage infiltration of adipose tissue and associated inflammatory signaling. PPARγ plays a critical role in regulating anti-inflammatory, M2 polarization of macrophages. However, the involvement of post-translational modifications, such as acetylation, in macrophages is unknown. Here we generated a macrophage specific, PPARγ constitutive acetylation-mimetic mouse line (K293Qflox/flox;LysMcre, mK293Q) to dissect its role. Upon stimulating macrophage infiltration into adipose tissue by high-fat diet feeding, we assessed the overall metabolic profile and tissue-specific phenotype of the mutant mice. We found that the mK293Q mutant promotes pro-inflammatory macrophage infiltration and subsequent fibrosis specifically in epididymal but not subcutaneous white adipose tissue, driving an impaired metabolic response including decreased energy expenditure, insulin sensitivity, glucose tolerance, and adipose tissue function. These detriments are driven by suppressed anti-inflammatory activation of macrophages. Furthermore, mK293Q mice are resistant to improvements in adipose remodeling by Rosiglitazone treatment. Our study reveals acetylation as a new layer of PPARγ regulation in macrophage activation. These findings highlight the importance of post-translational modifications in determining the function of PPARγ when regulating metabolism and promote the discovery of anti-inflammatory associated therapeutics.

京都大学 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(医学) / 甲第24790号 / 医博第4982号 / 新制||医||1066(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院医学研究科医学専攻 / (主査)教授 竹内 理, 教授 斎藤 通紀, 教授 生田 宏一 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Medical Science / Kyoto University / DFAM

2-ω-carboxyethylpyrrole (CEP) is a product of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) oxidation, which forms covalent adducts with different proteins. CEP-modified proteins can interact with macrophage receptor, integrin αDβ2. This study aims to compare αDβ2 binding to its physiological ligand, fibrinogen, and CEP-modified fibrinogen, which is formed during inflammation. We hypothesize that modification of fibrinogen changes its ligand-binding properties to integrin αDβ2 which can affect macrophage migration and retention. Recombinant αD I-domain and αDβ2-transfected HEK293 cells were used for the experiments. Using biolayer interferometry, we found that the affinity of αD I-domain binding to fibrinogen-CEP was higher than fibrinogen and inhibited by the anti-CEP antibody. In agreement, αDβ2-transfected cells demonstrated stronger adhesion to fibrinogen-CEP and this adhesion was significantly inhibited by polyglutamic acid that mimics CEP-mediated binding. These findings suggest that αDβ2's interaction with DHA-modified extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins significantly increases macrophage adhesion and may serve for macrophage retention during chronic inflammation.