Absence of MHC-II expression by lymph node stromal cells results in autoimmunity

J Dubrot, FV Duraes, G Harlé… - Life science …, 2018 - life-science-alliance.org
J Dubrot, FV Duraes, G Harlé, A Schlaeppi, D Brighouse, N Madelon, C Göpfert…
Life science alliance, 2018life-science-alliance.org
How lymph node stromal cells (LNSCs) shape peripheral T-cell responses remains unclear.
We have previously demonstrated that murine LNSCs, lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs),
blood endothelial cells (BECs), and fibroblastic reticular cells (FRCs) use the IFN-γ–
inducible promoter IV (pIV) of the MHC class II (MHCII) transactivator CIITA to express
MHCII. Here, we show that aging mice (> 1 yr old) in which MHCII is abrogated in LNSCs by
the selective deletion of pIV exhibit a significant T-cell dysregulation in LNs, including …
How lymph node stromal cells (LNSCs) shape peripheral T-cell responses remains unclear. We have previously demonstrated that murine LNSCs, lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs), blood endothelial cells (BECs), and fibroblastic reticular cells (FRCs) use the IFN-γ–inducible promoter IV (pIV) of the MHC class II (MHCII) transactivator CIITA to express MHCII. Here, we show that aging mice (>1 yr old) in which MHCII is abrogated in LNSCs by the selective deletion of pIV exhibit a significant T-cell dysregulation in LNs, including defective Treg and increased effector CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell frequencies, resulting in enhanced peripheral organ T-cell infiltration and autoantibody production. The proliferation of LN-Tregs interacting with LECs increases following MHCII up-regulation by LECs upon aging or after exposure to IFN-γ, this effect being abolished in mice in which LECs lack MHCII. Overall, our work underpins the importance of LNSCs, particularly LECs, in supporting Tregs and T-cell tolerance.
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