Smoking activates cytotoxic CD8(+) T cells and causes survivin release in rheumatoid arthritis

• CD8(+) T cells have an emerging role in RA. Resent research indicates a causal relationship between the non-exhausted state of CD8(+) T cells, defined by lost function of PD-1, and development of arthritis. We investigated how smoking contributes to the non-exhausted phenotype of CD8(+) T cells and cause survivin release to serum. We compared serum survivin levels between smokers and non-smokers in 252 RA and 168 healthy subjects. Nicotine effects on CD8(+) T cells were studied in peripheral blood of smoking women, bone marrow of nicotine treated mice and in sorted CD8 spleen cells in vitro using flow cytometry and quantitative PCR. Smoking increased the frequency of survivin release in serum of healthy women (OR 3.64, p = 0.025) and in RA patients (OR 1.98, p = 0.039). CD8(+) T cells of smokers gained a non-exhausted PD-1 deficient phenotype. Expression of the cytotoxic marker CD107 correlated to survivin levels in serum. In the experimental setting, nicotine exposure led to an accumulation of non-exhausted PD-1(-)IL-7R(+) CD8(+) T cells in the bone marrow that is abundant with survivin producing cells. The production of the cytolytic protein perforin in bone marrow correlated to serum survivin levels. In vitro stimulation of nicotinic receptors on murine CD8+ T cells induced repressive transcription factors T-bet and Blimp-1 in support of the non-exhausted phenotype. We conclude that nicotine contributes to autoimmunity by supporting the non-exhausted state of CD8+ T cells resulting in the release of survivin. This presents a new mechanism by which smoking may contribute to the pathogenesis of RA. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Ämnesord

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Medicinska och farmaceutiska grundvetenskaper -- Immunologi inom det medicinska området (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Basic Medicine -- Immunology in the medical area (hsv//eng)

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Reumatologi och inflammation (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- Rheumatology and Autoimmunity (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Rheumatoid arthritis

Survivin

Smoking

CD8(+) T cells

Programmed cell death 1

lnterleukin-7

alleviates experimental arthritis

chronic viral-infection

disease-activity

immune-responses

co-stimulation

il-7 receptor

expression

association

exhaustion

inhibition

Immunology

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

art (ämneskategori)