Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri 63110, USA.
Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri 63110, USA.
Nat Commun. 2014 Apr 3;5:3551. doi: 10.1038/ncomms4551.
TH1 and TH17 cells mediate neuroinflammation in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a mouse model of multiple sclerosis. Pathogenic TH cells in EAE must produce the pro-inflammatory cytokine granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF). TH cell pathogenicity in EAE is also regulated by cell-intrinsic production of the immunosuppressive cytokine interleukin 10 (IL-10). Here we demonstrate that mice deficient for the basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factor Bhlhe40 (Bhlhe40(-/-)) are resistant to the induction of EAE. Bhlhe40 is required in vivo in a T cell-intrinsic manner, where it positively regulates the production of GM-CSF and negatively regulates the production of IL-10. In vitro, GM-CSF secretion is selectively abrogated in polarized Bhlhe40(-/-) TH1 and TH17 cells, and these cells show increased production of IL-10. Blockade of IL-10 receptor in Bhlhe40(-/-) mice renders them susceptible to EAE. These findings identify Bhlhe40 as a critical regulator of autoreactive T-cell pathogenicity.
辅助性 T 细胞 1(TH1)和辅助性 T 细胞 17(TH17)细胞介导实验性自身免疫性脑脊髓炎(EAE)中的神经炎症,EAE 是多发性硬化症的一种小鼠模型。EAE 中的致病性 TH 细胞必须产生促炎细胞因子粒细胞-巨噬细胞集落刺激因子(GM-CSF)。EAE 中 TH 细胞的致病性还受到免疫抑制细胞因子白细胞介素 10(IL-10)的细胞内产生的调节。在这里,我们证明缺乏基本螺旋-环-螺旋(bHLH)转录因子 Bhlhe40(Bhlhe40(-/-))的小鼠对 EAE 的诱导具有抗性。Bhlhe40 在体内以 T 细胞内在的方式被需要,其中它正向调节 GM-CSF 的产生,负向调节 IL-10 的产生。在体外,极化的 Bhlhe40(-/-)TH1 和 TH17 细胞中 GM-CSF 的分泌被选择性地消除,并且这些细胞显示出增加的 IL-10 产生。在 Bhlhe40(-/-)小鼠中阻断 IL-10 受体使它们易患 EAE。这些发现确定了 Bhlhe40 作为自身反应性 T 细胞致病性的关键调节剂。