CD83 expression is essential for Treg cell differentiation and stability

Foxp3-positive regulatory T cells (Tregs) are crucial for the maintenance of immune homeostasis and keep immune responses in check. Upon activation, Tregs are transferred into an effector state expressing transcripts essential for their suppressive activity, migration, and survival. However, it is not completely understood how different intrinsic and environmental factors control differentiation. Here, we present for the first time to our knowledge data suggesting that Treg-intrinsic expression of CD83 is essential for Treg differentiation upon activation. Interestingly, mice with Treg-intrinsic CD83 deficiency are characterized by a proinflammatory phenotype. Furthermore, the loss of CD83 expression by Tregs leads to the downregulation of Treg-specific differentiation markers and the induction of an inflammatory profile. In addition, Treg-specific conditional knockout mice showed aggravated autoimmunity and an impaired resolution of inflammation. Altogether, our results show that CD83 expression in Tregs is an essential factor for the development and function of effector Tregs upon activation. Since Tregs play a crucial role in the maintenance of immune tolerance and thus prevention of autoimmune disorders, our findings are also clinically relevant

Metacognition, entrepreneurial orientation, and firm performance : An upper echelons view

Upper echelons theory suggests that cognitive diversity in top management teams (TMTs) affects firms’ operation and performance. Prior research in this stream has focused primarily on lower-order cognitive factors, such as beliefs, perceptions, and preferences, rather than higher-order ones, known as metacognitive abilities. This study is an early, perhaps the first, attempt to begin this line of enquiry. Adopting a multidimensional view of entrepreneurial orientation, we propose that diversity in the metacognitive ability of top teams has different impacts on each dimension of the team’s entrepreneurial behavior and through this firm performance. Our empirical analysis, based on data from 105 TMTs of Australian small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), partially supports our theorization. We found that while metacognitive diversity is positively associated with the innovative endeavors of TMTs, it has no significant effects on their risk-taking and proactive behaviors. We found additional evidence that each aspect of the TMT’s entrepreneurial orientation has a different implication for firm performance. Overall, our research offers novel and more nuanced insights into how and when diversity in the metacognitive ability of TMTs matters for the performance of the firm