Immunoglobulins are key mediators of humoral immunity and can be appreciated in an isotype-dependent manner in autoimmune diseases, and to an extent, immune-mediated metabolic diseases. The most common isotype is Immunoglobulin G (IgG), yet there is little understanding of the role IgG plays in the pathogenesis of macrophage-driven metabolic disorders like atherosclerosis, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH).
The contents of this dissertation introduce IgG as an activator of the macrophage inflammasome and its deposition in atherosclerotic plaques and fatty livers as a driver of disease progression. The presence of IgG in these depots and its accumulation is dictated by the neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) in macrophages. IgG levels are known to be determined by recycling, especially in macrophages, rather than by production, and FcRn, encoded by the gene Fcgrt, is the sole receptor responsible.
Interestingly, we uncover a myriad of roles for FcRn involved in regulating the biological properties of macrophages, such as their transcriptional and secretory profiles and their polarization amidst an immune response. Taken together, we identify FcRn as a hitherto unknown contender in the manipulation of macrophage function and regulation of IgG in the development of macrophage-associated cardiometabolic diseases using a multitude of methodologies. These findings highlight the importance of macrophage IgG recycling in metabolism and may warrant the potential to explore this phenomenon for therapeutic pursuits.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:columbia.edu/oai:academiccommons.columbia.edu:10.7916/hfmd-nk32 |
| Date | January 2024 |
| Creators | Zahr, Tarik |
| Source Sets | Columbia University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Theses |
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