Central nervous system (CNS)-infiltrating effector T cells play critical roles in the development and progression of multiple sclerosis (MS). However, current drugs for MS are very limited due to the difficulty of delivering drugs into the CNS. Here we identify a cell-permeable peptide, dNP2, which efficiently delivers proteins into mouse and human T cells, as well as various tissues. Moreover, it enters the brain tissue and resident cells through blood vessels by penetrating the tightly organized blood–brain barrier. The dNP2-conjugated cytoplasmic domain of cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4 (dNP2-ctCTLA-4) negatively regulates activated T cells and shows inhibitory effects on experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis in both preventive and therapeutic mouse models, resulting in the reduction of demyelination and CNS-infiltrating T helper 1 and T helper 17 cells. Thus, this study demonstrates that dNP2 is a blood–brain barrier-permeable peptide and dNP2-ctCTLA-4 could be an effective agent for treating CNS inflammatory diseases such as MS.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) is a transcription factor that regulates lipid and glucose metabolism. Although studies of PPARγ ligands have demonstrated its regulatory functions in inflammation and adaptive immunity, its intrinsic role in T cells and autoimmunity has yet to be fully elucidated. Here we used CD4-PPARγKO mice to investigate PPARγ-deficient T cells, which were hyper-reactive to produce higher levels of cytokines and exhibited greater proliferation than wild type T cells with increased ERK and AKT phosphorylation. Diminished expression of IκBα, Sirt1, and Foxo1, which are inhibitors of NF-κB, was observed in PPARγ-deficient T cells that were prone to produce all the signature cytokines under Th1, Th2, Th17, and Th9 skewing condition. Interestingly, 1-year-old CD4-PPARγKO mice spontaneously developed moderate autoimmune phenotype by increased activated T cells, follicular helper T cells (TFH cells) and germinal center B cells with glomerular inflammation and enhanced autoantibody production. Sheep red blood cell immunization more induced TFH cells and germinal centers in CD4-PPARγKO mice and the T cells showed increased of Bcl-6 and IL-21 expression suggesting its regulatory role in germinal center reaction. Collectively, these results suggest that PPARγ has a regulatory role for TFH cells and germinal center reaction to prevent autoimmunity.

The prevalence of autoimmune, infectious and metabolic diseases is different for men and women owing to the respective ability of their immune systems to respond to self and foreign antigens. Although several factors, including hormones and the X-chromosome, have been suggested to contribute to such sex-specific immune responses, the underlying factors remain poorly defined. Recent studies using peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) ligands and knockout mice have identified sex-dimorphic expression of PPARs, and have shown that the inhibitory functions of PPAR in T cells are substantially affected by the sex hormones. In this review, we consider the sex-specific differences in PPARs and summarize the diverse PPAR-mediated, sex-specific properties of effector T-cell responses, such as T-cell activation, survival and differentiation, as well as their involvement in T-cell-related autoimmune diseases, including colitis, graft-versus-host disease and experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. Understanding PPAR-mediated sex differences in immune responses will provide more precise insights into the roles of PPARs in effector T cells.

PurposeCpG oligodeoxynucleotide (CpG-ODN), a TLR9 agonist, activates innate immunity and induces Th1 response. Although the immune modulatory effect of CpG-ODN has been extensively studied, its function in cockroach extract-induced allergic asthma has not been studied. Here, we investigated the inhibitory function of CpG-ODN in cockroach extract-induced asthma in mice with different treatment schemes.MethodsScheme 1: BALB/C mice were intra-nasally co-administered by cockroach extract and CpG-ODN twice a week for 3 weeks; Scheme 2: The mice were intra-nasally pre-treated with CpG-ODN at day 0 and cockroach allergen challenge was performed from day 3 as in scheme 1. Scheme 3: Cockroach allergen challenge was performed as in scheme 1 and CpG-ODN was post-treated at day 21. Then, BAL cell count, flow cytometric analysis of alveolar macrophages, regulatory T cells, and lung tissue histology, Th1 and Th2 cytokines, serum IgE, cockroach specific IgE, IgG1/IgG2a ratio, and airway hyper-responsiveness were evaluated.ResultsMice with repeated intra-nasal exposure to CpG-ODN showed a dramatic decrease in eosinophilic inflammation, goblet cell hyperplasia, and airway hyper-responsiveness with reduction of IL-13, IL-5, and serum IgE, cockroach specific IgE and IgG1/IgG2a ratio. This inhibitory function might be related to the up-regulation of IL-10 and CD4+Foxp3+ regulatory T cells in the lung. Interestingly, one-time challenge of CpG-ODN either prior or posterior to cockroach extract exposure could modulate airway inflammation and hyper-responsiveness via increase of Th1 response.ConclusionsCollectively, our data suggest that CpG-ODN treatment modulates Th2 inflammation in the lung by induction of regulatory T cells or Th1 response in a cockroach-induced asthma model.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) has recently been recognized to regulate adaptive immunity through Th17 differentiation, Treg functions, and TFH responses. However, its role in adaptive immunity and autoimmune disease is still not clear, possibly due to sexual differences. Here, we investigated in vitro treatment study with the PPARγ agonist pioglitazone to compare Th1, Th2, and Th17 differentiation in male and female mouse splenic T cells. Pioglitazone treatment significantly inhibited various effector T cell differentiations including Th1, Th2, and Th17 cells from female naïve T cells, but it selectively reduced IL-17 production in male Th17 differentiation. Interestingly, pioglitazone and estradiol (E2) co-treatment of T cells in males inhibited differentiation of Th1, Th2, and Th17 cells, suggesting a mechanism for the greater sensitivity of PPARγ to ligand treatment in the regulation of effector T cell differentiation in females. Collectively, these results demonstrate that PPARγ selectively inhibits Th17 differentiation only in male T cells and modulates Th1, Th2, and Th17 differentiation in female T cells based on different level of estrogen exposure. Accordingly, PPARγ could be an important immune regulator of sexual differences in adaptive immunity.

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The pathogenic fungus, Botrytis cinerea, causing gray mold disease in a variety of plant species, secretes at least four polygalacturonases (PGs), cell wall degrading enzymes. Among them, we prepared polyclonal antibody against purified 66-kDa exo-PG in rabbit. Immunoblot analysis revealed that the antibody recognized two exo-PGs, 66 kDa and 70 kDa in molecular mass, secreted from B. cinerea cultured in the medium containing citrus pectin as a carbon source. By immunohistochemical analysis, the expression of exo-PGs was identified in cucumber leaves inoculated with spores of B. cinerea. The exo-PGs were observed 9 h after inoculation, and the amount of exo-PGs increased with time in the leaves. The exo-PGs were induced by polygalacturonic acid as well as its monomer, galacturonic acid, in vitro. The expression of 66-kDa exo-PG (exo-PG I) increased with time of culture, while 70-kDa exo-PG (exo-PG II) was transiently expressed soon after the start of culture. Therefore, exo-PGs might play an important role in pathogenesis at an early stage of infection as well as in tissue maceration of host plant.

Follicular helper T cells (Tfh) play a significant role in providing T cell help to B cells during the germinal center reaction, where somatic hypermutation, affinity maturation, isotype class switching, and the differentiation of memory B cells and long-lived plasma cells occur. Antigen-specific T cells with IL-6 and IL-21 upregulate CXCR5, which is required for the migration of T cells into B cell follicles, where these T cells mature into Tfh. The surface markers including PD-1, ICOS, and CD40L play a significant role in providing T cell help to B cells. The upregulation of transcription factor Bcl-6 induces the expression of CXCR5, which is an important factor for Tfh differentiation, by inhibiting the expression of other lineage-specific transcription factors such as T-bet, GATA3, and RORγt. Surprisingly, recent evidence suggests that CD4 T cells already committed to Th1, Th2, and Th17 cells obtain flexibility in their differentiation programs by downregulating T-bet, GATA3, and RORγt, upregulating Bcl-6 and thus convert into Tfh. Limiting the numbers of Tfh within germinal centers is important in the regulation of the autoantibody production that is central to autoimmune diseases. Recently, it was revealed that the germinal center reaction and the size of the Tfh population are also regulated by thymus-derived follicular regulatory T cells (Tfr) expressing CXCR5 and Foxp3. Dysregulation of Tfh appears to be a pathogenic cause of autoimmune disease suggesting that tight regulation of Tfh and germinal center reaction by Tfr is essential for maintaining immune tolerance. Therefore, the balance between Tfh and Tfr appears to be a critical peripheral tolerance mechanism that can inhibit autoimmune disorders.