Department of Digestive Endoscopy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China.
Guangdong Clinical Research Academy of Chinese Medicine, Postdoctoral Research Station of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, No. 16 Airport Road, Baiyun District, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510405, China.
Cell Commun Signal. 2024 Apr 3;22(1):215. doi: 10.1186/s12964-024-01588-9.
More than 80% of patients with myasthenia gravis (MG) are positive for anti-acetylcholine receptor (AChR) antibodies. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) suppress overproduction of these antibodies, and patients with AChR antibody-positive MG (AChR MG) exhibit impaired Treg function and reduced Treg numbers. The gut microbiota and their metabolites play a crucial role in maintaining Treg differentiation and function. However, whether impaired Tregs correlate with gut microbiota activity in patients with AChR MG remains unknown. Here, we demonstrate that butyric acid-producing gut bacteria and serum butyric acid level are reduced in patients with AChR MG. Butyrate supplementation effectively enhanced Treg differentiation and their suppressive function of AChR MG. Mechanistically, butyrate activates autophagy of Treg cells by inhibiting the mammalian target of rapamycin. Activation of autophagy increased oxidative phosphorylation and surface expression of cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 on Treg cells, thereby promoting Treg differentiation and their suppressive function in AChR MG. This observed effect of butyrate was blocked using chloroquine, an autophagy inhibitor, suggesting the vital role of butyrate-activated autophagy in Tregs of patients with AChR MG. We propose that gut bacteria derived butyrate has potential therapeutic efficacy against AChR MG by restoring impaired Tregs.
超过 80%的重症肌无力(MG)患者的抗乙酰胆碱受体(AChR)抗体呈阳性。调节性 T 细胞(Tregs)抑制这些抗体的过度产生,而 AChR 抗体阳性 MG(AChR MG)患者的 Treg 功能受损,Treg 数量减少。肠道微生物群及其代谢物在维持 Treg 分化和功能方面发挥着至关重要的作用。然而,AChR MG 患者的 Tregs 功能受损是否与肠道微生物群的活性有关尚不清楚。在这里,我们证明 AChR MG 患者体内产生丁酸的肠道细菌和血清丁酸水平降低。丁酸盐补充剂可有效增强 Treg 的分化及其对 AChR MG 的抑制功能。在机制上,丁酸盐通过抑制哺乳动物雷帕霉素靶蛋白来激活 Treg 细胞的自噬。自噬的激活增加了 Treg 细胞的氧化磷酸化和细胞毒性 T 淋巴细胞相关蛋白 4 的表面表达,从而促进了 AChR MG 中 Treg 的分化及其抑制功能。使用自噬抑制剂氯喹阻断了丁酸盐的这种作用,表明丁酸盐激活的自噬在 AChR MG 的 Tregs 中起着至关重要的作用。我们提出,源自肠道细菌的丁酸通过恢复受损的 Tregs 对 AChR MG 具有潜在的治疗效果。
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