| 1. |
- Brenden, N, et al.
(författare)
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Analysis of mercury-induced immune activation in nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice
- 2001
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Ingår i: Clinical and experimental immunology. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0009-9104 .- 1365-2249. ; 125:2, s. 202-210
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In susceptible mice, the heavy metal ion mercury is able to induce a strong immune activation, which resembles a T helper 2 (Th2) type of immune response and is characterized by a polyclonal B cell activation, formation of high levels of IgG1 and IgE antibodies, production of autoantibodies of different specificities and development of renal IgG deposits. In the present study, we analysed the in vivo effects of mercury in nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice, which is believed to develop a spontaneous Th1 cell-mediated autoimmune diabetes similar to type 1 diabetes in humans. Three weeks of treatment with mercury induced a strong Th2 like immune/autoimmune response in NOD mice. This response was characterized by an intensive increase in splenic IgG1 antibody secreting cells, a marked elevation in serum IgE levels, a substantial increase in splenic IL-4 mRNA, but a significant decrease in splenic IFN-γ mRNA. Mercury-induced IgG1 antibodies were mainly against ssDNA, TNP and thyroglobulin, but not against nucleolar antigen. Moreover, mercury-injected NOD mice developed high titres of IgG1 deposits in the kidney glomeruli. We further tested if the generated Th2 response could interfere with the development of insulitis and diabetes in NOD mice. We found that three weeks of treatment with mercury was also able to significantly suppress the development of insulitis and postpone the onset of diabetes in these mice. Thus, mercury-induced immune activation can counter-regulate the Th1 cell-mediated autoimmune responses and confer a partial protection against autoimmune diabetes in NOD mice.
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| 2. |
- Brenden, N., et al.
(författare)
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Differential MHC expression requirements for positive selection of separate TCR Vb families
- 1999
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Ingår i: Immunogenetics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0093-7711 .- 1432-1211. ; 49:1, s. 1-6
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Positive selection has been proposed to be involved in protection from diabetes. We examined positive selection by fluorescence-activated cell sorter analyses in thymocytes of protected and susceptible E-transgenic and non-transgenic NOD mice. Three Vb families showed positive selection in E-transgenic mice. Vb6+CD4+ and Vb10+CD4+ thymocytes were found at higher frequencies in both protected NOD-Ea and susceptible NOD-DY mice. The increased frequencies of Vb13+CD8+ thymocytes were found in protected NOD-Ea mice only, and not in susceptible NOD-DY transgenic mice. These three Vb families were further examined in bone-marrow chimeras between NOD-Ea and non-transgenic NOD mice, where we could examine the contribution of E-expressing bone-marrow-derived cells in positive selection. We find that NOD-Ea→NOD-Ea chimeras have an increased positive selection of Vb13+CD8+ cells and that positive selection is more efficient when both thymic epithelium and bone-marrow-derived cells express the E molecule. This was also seen for Vb6+CD4+ cells. However, for Vb6, bone-marrow-derived cells alone were also capable of positive selection. Positive selection of Vb10+CD4+ cells was restricted to E-expressing thymic epithelium only. For Vb13+CD8+ cells, we found that positive selection is most efficient with E-expression on both thymic epithelium and bone-marrow-derived cells, although positive selection also occurs with E-positive epithelium only. For Vb6+CD4+ cells, the dominating selecting cells are bone-marrow-derived cells, and Vb10+CD4+ cells seem to be selected exclusively by the thymic epithelium. Thus, the conditions for positive selection seem to vary considerably between different Vb families.
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| 3. |
- Brenden, N., et al.
(författare)
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Disease-protected major histocompatibility complex Ea-transgenic non- obese diabetic (NOD) mice show interleukin-4 production not seen in susceptible Ea-transgenic and non-transgenic NOD mice
- 1998
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Ingår i: Immunology. - : Wiley. - 0019-2805 .- 1365-2567. ; 95:1, s. 1-7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The non-obese diabetic (NOD) mouse is an animal model for insulin- dependent diabetes that has many similarities to the human disease. NOD mice transgenic for the Ea gene, allowing expression of the E molecule, are protected from diabetes and rarely develop insulitis. An Ea transgene mutated in the promoter region, (ΔY) lacks E expression on most B cells, thymic medullary epithelium and primary antigen-presenting cells, and confers no protection whatsoever. We have used these transgenic NOD mice, together with non-transgenic NOD mice, to study the correlation of E expression and production of interleukin-4 (IL-4) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ). We show that protected E-transgenic NOD mice have elevated levels of IL-4 compared with non-transgenic mice, both in the thymus and in the periphery. However, susceptible ΔY-transgenic mice have elevated thymic IL-4 levels, but express almost as little IL-4 as non-transgenic NOD mice in the periphery. This drop in peripheral IL-4 production seen in ΔY-transgenic mice thus correlates with the decreased E expression in the periphery of ΔY-transgenic NOD mice. In contrast, there were no differences in IFN-γ production between the three NOD lines. We suggest that Ea-transgenic NOD mice have E-selected regulatory T cells producing IL-4, which are subsequently activated by E-expressing primary antigen-presenting cells in the periphery. This activation would then be instrumental for the E-mediated protection from disease in NOD mice. Such a process would explain the total absence of protection in ΔY-transgenic NOD mice, despite their widespread E expression.
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| 4. |
- Brenden, N., et al.
(författare)
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E expression is needed on both bone marrow derived cells and thymic epithelium to increase IL-4 production and achieve protection in NOD bone marrow chimeras
- 1999
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Ingår i: Cytokine. - : Elsevier BV. - 1043-4666 .- 1096-0023. ; 11:10, s. 766-772
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The NOD mouse is an animal model for insulin-dependent diabetes with many similarities to the human disease. NOD mice which are transgenic for the Ea gene, allowing expression of the E molecule, are protected from diabetes and rarely develop insulitis. We have constructed bone marrow chimeras between transgenic and non-transgenic NOD mice to study the correlation of E expression on bone marrow derived cells and thymic epithelium vs the production of IL-4 and IFN-γ. We show that NOD-E→NOD-E and NOD-E→NOD chimeras have elevated levels of IL-4 compared to NOD→NOD and NOD→NOD-E chimeras in the thymus. However, in the periphery the protected NOD-E→NOD-E show much higher IL-4 levels than any of the other chimeras. This drop in peripheral IL-4 production seen in NOD-E→NOD, NOD→NOD-E and NOD→NOD chimeras correlates with the increased insulitis seen in these mice compared to NOD-E→NOD-E. In contrast, there were no differences in IFN-γ production between the chimeras. We suggest that the precommitted, regulatory T cells, selected in an E-expressing thymic environment, need continuous interaction with E-expressing primary antigen presenting cells in the periphery for optimal IL-4 production. Decrease in IL-4 production correlates with increased insulitis.
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| 5. |
- Rietz, C., et al.
(författare)
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Minute defects in the expression of MHC E molecules lead to impaired protection from autoimmunity in NOD mice
- 1999
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Immunology. - : Wiley. - 0300-9475 .- 1365-3083. ; 50:4, s. 405-410
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The E complex of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) can prevent the spontaneous development of diabetes in nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice transgenic for the Ea gene. None of three promoter-mutated Ea constructs with Ea expression directed to different subsets of immunocompetent cells exerts full protection in NOD mice. The promoter-mutated constructs are all capable of mediating intrathymic elimination of I-E-restricted T cells. Thus, thymic negative selection is not responsible for the protective effect but a more complex effect is likely. Here we show that combinations of two or three different mutated Ea constructs do not protect against intra-islet insulitis either. We also show that spleen cells from protected animals are sufficient to protect NOD mice in adoptive transfer experiments. The only detectable expression defects in splenic cells or cells influencing the repertoire of splenic cells are in the B-cell compartment. Furthermore, in three construct combinations, the differences to wild-type expression are extremely small. Thus, we conclude that even minute disturbances of the E expression pattern might reduce the protection of NOD mice from insulitis.
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| 6. |
- Rietz, C, et al.
(författare)
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Overexpression of Bcl-2 in T cells affects insulitis in the nonobese diabetic mouse
- 2003
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Immunology. - : Wiley. - 0300-9475 .- 1365-3083. ; 57:4, s. 342-349
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The nonobese diabetic (NOD) mouse is a useful model for human autoimmune diabetes. The gene for the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 has previously been suggested as a probable susceptibility candidate for the NOD mouse disease. In this study, we investigated how overexpression of Bcl-2 in lymphocytes might affect insulitis in NOD mice. A bcl-2 transgene expressed constitutively under the SV40-promoter and the 5'Igh enhancer, Emu, was bred onto NOD background. Two bcl-2 transgenic NOD strains were produced and analysed, one with overexpression of Bcl-2 on only B cells and the other with overexpression of Bcl-2 on both B and T cells. Subsequent to verification of expression pattern and functionality of the transgene, insulitis intensity was investigated in different backcross generations of the two transgenic strains. Overexpression of Bcl-2 on both B and T cells leads to a statistically significant protection of the mice from insulitis compared with normal littermates. Overexpression of Bcl-2 on only B cells, on the other hand, does not have any statistically significant effect on insulitis. Possible mechanisms for the effect of Bcl-2 on insulitis in NOD mice are discussed.
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