BACKGROUND & AIMS Tight junction dysregulation and epithelial damage contribute to barrier loss in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). However, the mechanisms that regulate these processes and their relative contributions to disease pathogenesis are incompletely understood. We investigated these processes using colitis models in mice. METHODS We induced colitis by adoptive transfer of CD4+CD45RBhi cells or administration of dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) to mice, including those deficient in tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNFR) 1, TNFR2, or the long isoform of myosin light chain kinase (MLCK). Intestinal tissues and isolated epithelial cells were analyzed by immunoblot, immunofluorescence, ELISA, and real-time PCR assays. RESULTS Induction of immune-mediated colitis by CD4+CD45RBhi adoptive transfer increased intestinal permeability; epithelial expression of claudin-2, the long isoform of MLCK, and TNFR2 (but not TNFR1); and phosphorylation of the myosin II light chain (MLC). Long MLCK upregulation, MLC phosphorylation, barrier loss, and weight loss were attenuated in TNFR2−/−, but not TNFR1−/−, recipients of wildtype CD4+CD45RBhi cells. Similarly, long MLCK−/− mice had limited increases in MLC phosphorylation, claudin-2 expression, and intestinal permeability and delayed onset of cell transfer-induced colitis. However, coincident with onset of epithelial apoptosis, colitis ultimately developed. This indicates that disease progresses via apoptosis in the absence of MLCK-dependent tight junction regulation. In support of this conclusion, long MLCK−/− mice were not protected from epithelial apoptosis-mediated, damage-dependent DSS colitis. CONCLUSIONS In immune-mediated IBD models, TNFR2 signaling increases long MLCK expression, resulting in tight junction dysregulation, barrier loss and induction of colitis. At advanced stages, colitis progresses by apoptosis and mucosal damage that results in tight junction- and MLCK-independent barrier loss. Therefore, barrier loss in immune-mediated colitis occurs via two temporally and morphologically distinct mechanisms. Differential targeting of these mechanisms may lead to improved IBD therapies.

We identified three RORγt-specific inhibitors that suppress T helper 17 (Th17) cell responses including Th17 cell-mediated autoimmune disease. We systemically characterized RORγt binding in the presence and absence of drug with corresponding whole-genome transcriptome sequencing. RORγt acts both as a direct activator of Th17 cell signature genes and as a direct repressor of signature genes from other T-cell lineages, with the strongest transcriptional effects on cis-regulatory sites containing the RORα binding motif. RORγt is central in a densely interconnected regulatory network that shapes the balance of T-cell differentiation. The three inhibitors identified here modulated the RORγt-dependent transcriptional network to varying extents and through distinct mechanisms. Whereas one inhibitor displaced RORγt from its target-loci, the two more potent inhibitors affected transcription predominantly without removing DNA-binding. Our work illustrates the power of a system-scale analysis of transcriptional regulation to characterize potential therapeutic compounds that inhibit pathogenic Th17 cells and suppress autoimmunity.

SUMMARY Diarrhea is a host response to enteric pathogens, but its impact on pathogenesis remains poorly defined. By infecting mice with the attaching and effacing bacteria Citrobacter rodentium, we defined the mechanisms and contributions of diarrhea and intestinal barrier loss to host defense. Increased permeability occurred within 2 days of infection and coincided with IL-22-dependent upregulation of the epithelial tight junction protein claudin-2. Permeability increases were limited to small molecules, as expected for the paracellular water and Na+ channel formed by claudin-2. Relative to wildtype, claudin-2-deficient mice experienced severe disease, including increased mucosal colonization by C. rodentium, prolonged pathogen shedding, exaggerated cytokine responses, and greater tissue injury. Conversely, transgenic claudin-2 overexpression reduced disease severity. Chemically-induced osmotic diarrhea reduced colitis severity and C. rodentium burden in claudin-2 deficient, but not transgenic, mice, demonstrating that claudin-2-mediated protection is the result of enhanced water efflux. Thus, IL-22-induced claudin-2 upregulation drives diarrhea and pathogen clearance.

This paper presents an algorithm for joint estimation of carrier-frequency offset and timing offset for orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) systems in the tracking mode. The proposed weighted least-squares algorithm derives its estimates based on phase differences in the received pilot subcarrier signals between two symbols. Moreover, the optimal weights in two different channel conditions are derived. Both analysis and simulation show that the weighted least-squares algorithm can effectively and accurately estimate the carrier-frequency offset as well as the timing offset of OFDM signals in multipath fading channels.

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