Autoimmunity results from a breakdown in tolerance to self-antigens. Interleukin-17A (IL-17A) is a cytokine that has been implicated in the development of certain
autoimmune disorders, notably multiple sclerosis and its mouse model experimental
autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). In order to further understand mechanisms
that lead to the development of autoimmunity, the objectives of this study were to
investigate the sequence of immunological events that lead to the development of an
autoimmune response and to generate and characterise a reporter mouse for IL-17A.
EAE is a well-established model of an autoimmune response directed against selfantigens
in the central nervous system and mimics many aspects of the human
disease multiple sclerosis. EAE is a CD4 T cell-mediated disease, in that these cells
can be used to transfer disease to naïve recipient mice. Following EAE induction,
IL-17A-expressing cells were increased in frequency within the CD4 and γδ T cell
populations in the draining lymph nodes, with a simultaneous increase in the number
of these cell populations in the blood. Disease development was associated with the
appearance of IL-17A and IFN-γ-expressing CD4 T cells, as well as IL-17Aexpressing
γδ T cells in the spinal cord. EAE induction requires the systemic
administration of pertussis toxin for disease development. It was found that
pertussis toxin enhanced antigen-specific IL-17A and IFN-γ production in the
periphery.
An IL-17A reporter mouse was generated in which activation of the IL-17A
promoter is reported by expression of Enhanced Yellow Fluorescence Protein
(EYFP). In order to generate the mouse, a strain was first generated in which Cre
recombinase expression is driven by the IL-17A promoter. This mouse was then
crossed with a ROSA-26_EYFP strain in which expression of EYFP in the
ubiquitously expressed ROSA-26 locus is usually inhibited by the presence of a
LoxP-flanked-transcriptional stop sequence. Expression of Cre recombinase would remove the transcriptional stop sequence, leading to irreversible expression of EYFP
in all cells that had activated IL-17A and their progeny.
The results from this study suggest that pertussis toxin can amplify antigen-specific
cytokine responses in EAE, an effect which could be attributed to enhancing disease
pathogenesis. The IL-17A reporter mouse will be an invaluable tool to investigate
the generation, lifespan and function of IL-17A-expressing cells in the development
of immune responses