Combinatorial Guidance by CCR7 Ligands for T Lymphocytes Migration in Co-Existing Chemokine Fields

Chemokines mediate the trafficking and positioning of lymphocytes in lymphoid tissues that is crucial for immune surveillance and immune responses. In particular, a CCR7 ligand, CCL21, plays important roles in recruiting T cells to secondary lymphoid tissues (SLT). Furthermore, CCL21 together with another CCR7 ligand, CCL19, direct the navigation and compartmentation of T cells within SLT. However, the distinct roles of these two chemokines for regulating cell trafficking and positioning are not clear. In this study, we explore the effect of co-existing CCL19 and CCL21 concentration fields on guiding T cell migration. Using microfluidic devices that can configure single and superimposed chemokine fields we show that under physiological gradient conditions, human peripheral blood T cells chemotax to CCL21 but not CCL19. Furthermore, T cells migrate away from the CCL19 gradient in a uniform background of CCL21. This repulsive migratory response is predicted by mathematical modeling based on the competition of CCL19 and CCL21 for CCR7 signaling and the differential ability of the two chemokines for desensitizing CCR7. These results suggest a new combinatorial guiding mechanism by CCL19 and CCL21 for the migration and trafficking of CCR7 expressing leukocytes

Disrupted lymph node and splenic stroma in mice with induced inflammatory melanomas is associated with impaired recruitment of T and dendritic cells

International audienceMigration of dendritic cells (DC) from the tumor environment to the T cell cortex in tumor-draining lymph nodes (TDLN) is essential for priming naïve T lymphocytes (TL) to tumor antigen (Ag). We used a mouse model of induced melanoma in which similar oncogenic events generate two phenotypically distinct melanomas to study the influence of tumor-associated inflammation on secondary lymphoid organ (SLO) organization. One tumor promotes inflammatory cytokines, leading to mobilization of immature myeloid cells (iMC) to the tumor and SLO; the other does not. We report that inflammatory tumors induced alterations of the stromal cell network of SLO, profoundly altering the distribution of TL and the capacity of skin-derived DC and TL to migrate or home to TDLN. These defects, which did not require tumor invasion, correlated with loss of fibroblastic reticular cells in T cell zones and in impaired production of CCL21. Infiltrating iMC accumulated in the TDLN medulla and the splenic red pulp. We propose that impaired function of the stromal cell network during chronic inflammation induced by some tumors renders spleens non-receptive to TL and TDLN non-receptive to TL and migratory DC, while the entry of iMC into these perturbed SLO is enhanced. This could constitute a mechanism by which inflammatory tumors escape immune control. If our results apply to inflammatory tumors in general, the demonstration that SLO are poorly receptive to CCR7-dependent migration of skin-derived DC and naïve TL may constitute an obstacle for proposed vaccination or adoptive TL therapies of their hosts

The structure and function of Alzheimer's gamma secretase enzyme complex

The production and accumulation of the beta amyloid protein (Aβ) is a key event in the cascade of oxidative and inflammatory processes that characterizes Alzheimer’s disease (AD). A multi-subunit enzyme complex, referred to as gamma (γ) secretase, plays a pivotal role in the generation of Aβ from its parent molecule, the amyloid precursor protein (APP). Four core components (presenilin, nicastrin, aph-1, and pen-2) interact in a high-molecular-weight complex to perform intramembrane proteolysis on a number of membrane-bound proteins, including APP and Notch. Inhibitors and modulators of this enzyme have been assessed for their therapeutic benefit in AD. However, although these agents reduce Aβ levels, the majority have been shown to have severe side effects in pre-clinical animal studies, most likely due to the enzymes role in processing other proteins involved in normal cellular function. Current research is directed at understanding this enzyme and, in particular, at elucidating the roles that each of the core proteins plays in its function. In addition, a number of interacting proteins that are not components of γ-secretase also appear to play important roles in modulating enzyme activity. This review will discuss the structural and functional complexity of the γ-secretase enzyme and the effects of inhibiting its activity

Deficiency of complement component 5 ameliorates glaucoma in DBA/2J mice

BACKGROUND: Glaucoma is an age-related neurodegenerative disorder involving the loss of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), which results in blindness. Studies in animal models have shown that activation of inflammatory processes occurs early in the disease. In particular, the complement cascade is activated very early in DBA/2J mice, a widely used mouse model of glaucoma. A comprehensive analysis of the role of the complement cascade in DBA/2J glaucoma has not been possible because DBA/2J mice are naturally deficient in complement component 5 (C5, also known as hemolytic complement, Hc), a key mediator of the downstream processes of the complement cascade, including the formation of the membrane attack complex. METHODS: To assess the role of C5 in DBA/2J glaucoma, we backcrossed a functional C5 gene from strain C57BL/6J to strain DBA/2J for at least 10 generations. The prevalence and severity of glaucoma was evaluated using ocular examinations, IOP measurements, and assessments of optic nerve damage and RGC degeneration. To understand how C5 affects glaucoma, C5 expression was assessed in the retinas and optic nerves of C5-sufficient DBA/2J mice, using immunofluorescence. RESULTS: C5-sufficient DBA/2J mice developed a more severe glaucoma at an earlier age than standard DBA/2J mice, which are therefore protected by C5 deficiency. Components of the membrane attack complex were found to be deposited at sites of axonal injury in the optic nerve head and associated with RGC soma in the retina. CONCLUSION: C5 plays an important role in glaucoma, with its deficiency lessening disease severity. These results highlight the importance of fully understanding the role of the complement cascade in neurodegenerative diseases. Inhibiting C5 may be beneficial as a therapy for human glaucoma