Mechanism of interleukin-27 mediated inhibition of Th17 cells in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.
Final Report Abstract
Autoimmune diseases have become increasingly frequent in recent decades. Understanding how autoimmunity evolves is thus very important. A certain type of immune cells – termed Th17 cells – was originally thought to cause autoimmune diseases. More recently it has become clear that such Th17 cells may actually be “good” or “bad” in terms of autoimmune diseases depending on the products they produce. It was unknown how the balance between such “good” and “bad” immune cells is controlled. In my project, I discovered that a molecule, that had previously been named RBPJ, is actually required for such “bad” immune cells. Mice lacking this molecule cannot develop an autoimmune disease of the brain that models human multiple sclerosis. Also, they develop more “good” immune cells. This finding firstly helps to understand how “good” and “bad” immune cells are made and secondly may allow to treat brain autoimmune diseases in the future.
Publications
- (2013). Recovery of the T-cell repertoire in CIDP by IV immunoglobulins. Neurology 80(3):296-303
Mausberg AK, Dorok M, Stettner M, Müller M, Hartung HP, Dehmel T, Warnke C, Meyer Zu Hörste G, Kieseier BC
(See online at https://doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0b013e31827debad) - (2014). FoxP3+ regulatory T cells determine disease severity in rodent models of inflammatory neuropathies. PLoS One 9(10):e108756
Meyer zu Hörste G, Cordes S, Mausberg AK, Zozulya AL, Wessig C, Sparwasser T, Mathys C, Wiendl H, Hartung HP, Kieseier BC
(See online at https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0108756) - Deficiency of full-length ICAM-1 in thymic epithelium determines neuritis in NOD mice (2014). The Journal of Immunology 193(6):2678-90
Meyer zu Horste G, Mausberg AK, Cordes S, El-Haddad H, Partke HJ, Martin S, Roden M, Steinman L, Hartung HP, Kieseier BC
(See online at https://doi.org/10.4049/jimmunol.1400367) - Burkett PR, Meyer Zu Horste G, Kuchroo VK (2015). Pouring fuel on the fire: Th17 cells, the environment, and autoimmunity. J Clin Invest 125(6):2211-9
Burkett PR, Meyer Zu Horste G, Kuchroo VK
(See online at https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI78085) - RBPJ Controls Development of Pathogenic Th17 Cells by Regulating IL-23 Receptor Expression. Cell reports Volume 16, Issue 2, 12 July 2016, Pages 392-404
Meyer zu Horste G, Wu C, Wang C, Cong L, Pawlak M, Lee Y, Elyaman W, Xiao S, Regev A, Kuchroo VK
(See online at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2016.05.088)
