title: Galectin-1 suppresses autoimmune retinal disease by promoting concomitant Th2- and T regulatory-mediated anti-inflammatory responses.
abstract: Intraocular inflammatory diseases are a common cause of severe visual impairment and blindness. In this study, we investigated the immunoregulatory role of galectin-1 (Gal-1), an endogenous lectin found at sites of T cell activation and immune privilege, in experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU), a Th1-mediated model of retinal disease. Treatment with rGal-1 either early or late during the course of interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein-induced EAU was sufficient to suppress ocular pathology, inhibit leukocyte infiltration, and counteract pathogenic Th1 cells. Administration of rGal-1 at the early or late phases of EAU ameliorated disease by skewing the uveitogenic response toward nonpathogenic Th2 or T regulatory-mediated anti-inflammatory responses. Consistently, adoptive transfer of CD4(+) regulatory T cells obtained from rGal-1-treated mice prevented the development of active EAU in syngeneic recipients. In addition, increased levels of apoptosis were detected in lymph nodes from mice treated with rGal-1 during the efferent phase of the disease. Our results underscore the ability of Gal-1 to counteract Th1-mediated responses through different, but potentially overlapping anti-inflammatory mechanisms and suggest a possible therapeutic use of this protein for the treatment of human uveitic diseases of autoimmune etiology.
authors: Division of Immunogenetics, Hospital de Clínicas José de San Martín, Faculty of Medicine, University of Buenos Aires, Avenida Córdoba 2351, City of Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors: Marta A
authors: MA
authors: Toscano
authors: Alessandra G
authors: AG
authors: Commodaro
authors: Juan M
authors: JM
authors: Ilarregui
authors: Germán A
authors: GA
authors: Bianco
authors: Ana
authors: A
authors: Liberman
authors: Horacio M
authors: HM
authors: Serra
authors: Jun
authors: J
authors: Hirabayashi
authors: Luiz V
authors: LV
authors: Rizzo
authors: Gabriel A
authors: GA
authors: Rabinovich