DigitalCommons@UNMC

Title

CD4+ Effector T cells Accelerate Alzheimer's Disease in Mice

Authors

Jatin Machhi, University of Nebraska Medical CenterFollow
Pravin Yeapuri, University of Nebraska Medical CenterFollow
Yaman Lu, University of Nebraska Medical CenterFollow
Emma Foster, Northern Kentucky University
Rupesh Chikhale, University College London School of Pharmacy
Jonathan Herskovitz, University of Nebraska Medical CenterFollow
Krista L. Namminga, University of Nebraska Medical CenterFollow
Katherine E. Olson, University of Nebraska Medical Center
Mai Mohamed Abdelmoaty, University of Nebraska Medical Center
Ju Gao, University of Nebraska Medical CenterFollow
Rolen M. Quadros, University of Nebraska Medical CenterFollow
Tomomi Kiyota, Genentech Inc.
Liang Jingjing, University of Nebraska Medical Center
Bhavesh D. Kevadiya, University of Nebraska Medical CenterFollow
Xinglong Wang, University of Nebraska Medical CenterFollow
Yutong Liu, University of Nebraska Medical CenterFollow
Larisa Y. Poluektova, University of Nebraska Medical CenterFollow
Channabasavaiah B. Gurumurthy, University of Nebraska Medical CenterFollow
R. Lee Mosley, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NEFollow
Howard Gendelman, University of Nebraska Medical Center & Nebraska Center for VirologyFollow

Document Type

Article

Journal Title

Journal of Neuroinflammation

Publication Date

2021

Volume

18

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by pathological deposition of misfolded self-protein amyloid beta (Aβ) which in kind facilitates tau aggregation and neurodegeneration. Neuroinflammation is accepted as a key disease driver caused by innate microglia activation. Recently, adaptive immune alterations have been uncovered that begin early and persist throughout the disease. How these occur and whether they can be harnessed to halt disease progress is unclear. We propose that self-antigens would induct autoreactive effector T cells (Teffs) that drive pro-inflammatory and neurodestructive immunity leading to cognitive impairments. Here, we investigated the role of effector immunity and how it could affect cellular-level disease pathobiology in an AD animal model.

METHODS: In this report, we developed and characterized cloned lines of amyloid beta (Aβ) reactive type 1 T helper (Th1) and type 17 Th (Th17) cells to study their role in AD pathogenesis. The cellular phenotype and antigen-specificity of Aβ-specific Th1 and Th17 clones were confirmed using flow cytometry, immunoblot staining and Aβ T cell epitope loaded haplotype-matched major histocompatibility complex II IA

RESULTS: The propagated Aβ-Th1 and Aβ-Th17 clones were confirmed stable and long-lived. Treatment of APP/PS1 mice with Aβ reactive Teffs accelerated memory impairment and systemic inflammation, increased amyloid burden, elevated microglia activation, and exacerbated neuroinflammation. Both Th1 and Th17 Aβ-reactive Teffs progressed AD pathology by downregulating anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive regulatory T cells (Tregs) as recorded in the periphery and within the central nervous system.

CONCLUSIONS: These results underscore an important pathological role for CD4+ Teffs in AD progression. We posit that aberrant disease-associated effector T cell immune responses can be controlled. One solution is by Aβ reactive Tregs.

DOI Link

10.1186/s12974-021-02308-7

ISSN

1742-2094

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Recommended Citation

Machhi, Jatin; Yeapuri, Pravin; Lu, Yaman; Foster, Emma; Chikhale, Rupesh; Herskovitz, Jonathan; Namminga, Krista L.; Olson, Katherine E.; Abdelmoaty, Mai Mohamed; Gao, Ju; Quadros, Rolen M.; Kiyota, Tomomi; Jingjing, Liang; Kevadiya, Bhavesh D.; Wang, Xinglong; Liu, Yutong; Poluektova, Larisa Y.; Gurumurthy, Channabasavaiah B.; Mosley, R. Lee; and Gendelman, Howard, "CD4+ Effector T cells Accelerate Alzheimer's Disease in Mice" (2021). Journal Articles: Pharmacology & Experimental Neuroscience. 60.
https://digitalcommons.unmc.edu/com_pen_articles/60