CD28 and ITK signals regulate autoreactive T cell trafficking
Jain, Nitya ; Miu, Bing ; Jiang, Jian-kang ; McKinstry, Kai K. ; Prince, Amanda L. ; Swain, Susan L ; Greiner, Dale L. ; Thomas, Craig J. ; Sanderson, Michael J. ; Berg, Leslie J. ... show 1 more
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UMass Chan Affiliations
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Keywords
Antigens, CD28
CHO Cells
CTLA-4 Antigen
Cells, Cultured
Chemotaxis, Leukocyte
Cricetinae
Cricetulus
Female
Homeostasis
Male
Mice
Mice, Inbred C57BL
Mice, Inbred NOD
Mice, Knockout
Mice, SCID
Protein-Tyrosine Kinases
Signal Transduction
T-Lymphocytes
Immunology of Infectious Disease
Immunopathology
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Abstract
Activation of self-reactive T cells and their trafficking to target tissues leads to autoimmune organ destruction. Mice lacking the co-inhibitory receptor cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA-4) develop fatal autoimmunity characterized by lymphocytic infiltration into nonlymphoid tissues. Here, we demonstrate that the CD28 co-stimulatory pathway regulates the trafficking of self-reactive Ctla4(-/-) T cells to tissues. Concurrent ablation of the CD28-activated Tec family kinase ITK does not block spontaneous T cell activation but instead causes self-reactive Ctla4(-/-) T cells to accumulate in secondary lymphoid organs. Despite excessive spontaneous T cell activation and proliferation in lymphoid organs, Itk(-/-); Ctla4(-/-) mice are otherwise healthy, mount antiviral immune responses and exhibit a long lifespan. We propose that ITK specifically licenses autoreactive T cells to enter tissues to mount destructive immune responses. Notably, ITK inhibitors mimic the null mutant phenotype and also prevent pancreatic islet infiltration by diabetogenic T cells in mouse models of type 1 diabetes, highlighting their potential utility for the treatment of human autoimmune disorders.
Source
Nat Med. 2013 Dec;19(12):1632-7. doi: 10.1038/nm.3393. Epub 2013 Nov 24. Link to article on publisher's site