核心概念
Heightened self-reactivity of CD8+ T cells during thymic positive selection, as indicated by increased CD5 expression, predisposes them to an effector/memory-like phenotype and enhanced diabetogenic potential in non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice.
摘要
This study investigates the influence of thymic positive selection on the development of diabetogenic CD8+ T cells in the non-obese diabetic (NOD) mouse model of type 1 diabetes (T1D). The authors demonstrate that naïve CD8+ T cells from NOD mice can be stratified based on their CD5 expression, which serves as a surrogate marker for T cell receptor (TCR) self-reactivity during thymic selection.
Key findings:
- Naïve CD8+ T cells with higher CD5 expression (CD5hi) exhibit a more differentiated/memory-like phenotype, with increased activation, proliferation, and effector molecule expression compared to their CD5lo counterparts.
- Transcriptomic analysis reveals that CD5hi CD8+ T cells have a gene expression profile associated with T cell activation, effector function, and autoimmune disease pathways, such as type 1 diabetes and inflammatory bowel disease.
- In an adoptive transfer experiment, CD5hi CD8+ T cells induce more severe insulitis and accelerated diabetes onset in NOD Rag1-/- recipient mice compared to CD5lo CD8+ T cells.
- The heightened self-reactivity of CD8+ T cells in NOD8.3 transgenic mice, which express a diabetogenic TCR, overrides the protective effects of transgenic phosphatase Pep expression, which normally attenuates TCR signaling and diabetes incidence in NOD mice.
- TCR repertoire analysis reveals increased utilization of specific TRAV, TRAJ, TRBV, and TRBJ gene segments in the CD5hi CD8+ T cell population, suggesting a link between self-reactivity and autoimmune disease-associated clonotypes.
Overall, the data indicate that the degree of self-reactivity acquired during thymic positive selection shapes the pathogenic potential of autoantigen-specific CD8+ T cells in autoimmune diabetes.
統計資料
The CD5hi CD8+ T cells from NOD mice exhibit higher levels of p-CD3ζ and p-Erk compared to CD5lo CD8+ T cells.
The CD5hi CD8+ T cells from NOD mice have increased expression of T-bet, Eomes, Granzyme B, TNF-α, IFN-γ, and IL-2 compared to CD5lo CD8+ T cells.
The CD5hi CD8+ T cell-transferred group in NOD Rag1-/- mice showed earlier diabetes onset and more severe insulitis compared to the CD5lo CD8+ T cell-transferred group.
The transgenic Pep expression failed to attenuate the diabetogenic potential of CD8+ T cells in NOD8.3 mice, which have intrinsically high CD5 expression.
引述
"CD5hiCD8+ clones may be potential targets for autoimmune diabetes treatment."
"Exploring a potential modulation of CD5-dependent TCR basal signaling and its impact on T cell reactivity may offer a promising therapeutic strategy for the treatment of T1D in the future."