Biology subjects

Neuwirth, A.

Publications and source records attributed to Neuwirth, A..

5 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

IFNG-producing self-reactive CD4+ T cells drive autoimmune adrenalitis in a mouse model of Addison's disease

Autoimmune Addisons disease (AD) is a rare but life-threatening disorder caused by immune-mediated destruction of the adrenal cortex, and progress in therapy has been limited by insufficient mechanistic insight. Here, we establish a model of Experimental Autoimmune Adrenalitis (EAA) that recapitulates key features of AD and reveals sex-dependent differences in disease manifestation within the model. Immunization with peptides derived from the adrenal self-antigen CYP11A1 induces corticosterone insufficiency. We show that autoimmune adrenalitis is driven by IFNG produced by self-reactive CD4 T cells, promoting granulomatous inflammation in the adrenal cortex. Together, these findings identify IFNG as a central effector of autoimmune adrenalitis and suggest that targeting the IFNG pathway may represent a potential therapeutic strategy for AD. SignificanceAddisons disease (AD) is a rare autoimmune disorder that destroys the adrenal cortex, yet its underlying mechanisms remain unknown. We developed a mouse model of Experimental Autoimmune Adrenalitis (EAA) that mirrors the hormonal and immunological features of AD. Our study reveals that IFNG-producing CD4 T cells drive adrenal inflammation and dysfunction, identifying IFNG as a key pathogenic factor and a potential therapeutic target.

immunology↗

bioRxiv2024

An imbalance of naive and effector T-cell phenotypes in early type 1 diabetes across conventional and regulatory subsets

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease caused by the loss of self-tolerance toward insulin-producing pancreatic {beta}-cells. Although the etiology of T1D is not fully understood, it is linked to dysregulation of the T-cell compartment. To identify T-cell signatures associated with T1D, we performed single-cell transcriptomic analysis of peripheral blood T-cells from newly diagnosed children, the same children after one year, and healthy donors. We observed reduced expression of genes related to effector and cytotoxic T-cell functions across conventional, unconventional, and regulatory T-cell subsets in diabetic children, particularly at the time of diagnosis. These findings were supported by flow cytometry analysis of the same cohort and by reanalysis of publicly available data. Overall, our results suggest that T1D is associated with impaired T-cell effector differentiation, which may contribute to immune dysregulation and loss of self-tolerance.

immunology↗

bioRxiv2023

ABIN1 is a negative regulator of effector functions in cytotoxic T cells

T cells are pivotal in the adaptive immune defense, necessitating a delicate balance between robust response against infections and self-tolerance. Their activation involves intricate cross-talk among signaling pathways triggered by the T-cell antigen receptors (TCR) and co-stimulatory or inhibitory receptors. The molecular regulation of these complex signaling networks is still incompletely understood. We identified an adaptor protein, ABIN1 as a component of the signaling complexes of GITR and OX40 co-stimulation receptors. T cells lacking ABIN1 are hyper-responsive ex vivo, and exhibit enhanced responses to cognate infections, and superior ability to induce experimental autoimmune diabetes in mice. We observed that ABIN1 negatively regulates NF-{kappa}B and p38 pathways. The latter was at least partially responsible for the upregulation of key effector proteins, IFNG and GZMB in ABIN1-deficient T cells after TCR stimulation. Our findings reveal the intricate role of ABIN1 in T-cell regulation and its potential as a target for therapeutic fine-tuning of T-cell responses.

immunology↗

bioRxiv2021

Eosinophils are dispensable for development of MOG35-55-induced experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis in mice

Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) represents the mouse model of multiple sclerosis, a devastating neurological disorder. EAE development and progression involves the infiltration of different immune cells into the brain and spinal cord. However, less is known about a potential role of eosinophil granulocytes for EAE disease pathogenesis. In the present study, we found enhanced eosinophil abundance accompanied by increased concentration of the eosinophil chemoattractant eotaxin-1 in the spinal cord in the course of EAE induced in C57BL/6 mice by immunization with MOG35-55 peptide. However, the absence of eosinophils did not affect neuroinflammation, demyelination and clinical development or severity of EAE, as assessed in {Delta}dblGATA1 eosinophil-deficient mice. Taken together, despite their enhanced abundance in the inflamed spinal cord during disease progression, eosinophils were dispensable for EAE development.

immunology↗

bioRxiv2020

Phenotypic and clonal stability of antigen-inexperienced memory-like T cells across the genetic background, hygienic status, and aging

Antigen-inexperienced memory-like T (AIMT) cells are functionally unique T cells representing one of the two largest subsets of murine CD8+ T cells. However, differences between laboratory inbred strains, insufficient data from germ-free mice, a complete lack of data from feral mice, and unclear relationship between AIMT cells formation during aging represent major barriers for better understanding of their biology. We performed a thorough characterization of AIMT cells from mice of different genetic background, age, and hygienic status by flow cytometry and multi-omics approaches including analyses of gene expression, TCR repertoire, and microbial colonization. Our data showed that AIMT cells are steadily present in mice independently of their genetic background and hygienic status. Despite differences in their gene expression profiles, young and aged AIMT cells originate from identical clones. We identified that CD122 discriminates two major subsets of AIMT cells in a strain-independent manner. Whereas thymic CD122LOW AIMT cells (innate memory) prevail only in young animals with high thymic IL-4 production, peripheral CD122HIGH AIMT cells (virtual memory) dominate in aged mice. Co-housing with feral mice changed the bacterial colonization of laboratory strains, but had only minimal effects on the CD8+ T-cell compartment including AIMT cells.

immunology↗