Immunosuppressive therapy exacerbates autoimmunity in NOD mice and diminishes the protective activity of regulatory T cells.
Mounting evidence indicates that immunosuppressive therapy and autologous bone marrow transplantation are relatively inefficient approaches to treat autoimmune diabetes. In this study we assessed the impact of immunosuppression on inflammatory insulitis in NOD mice, and the effect of radiation on immunomodulation mediated by adoptive transfer of various cell subsets. Sublethal radiation of NOD females at the age of 14 weeks (onset of hyperglycemia) delayed the onset of hyperglycemia, however two thirds of the mice became diabetic. Adoptive transfer of splenocytes into irradiated NON and NOD mice precipitated disease onset despite increased contents of CD25(+)FoxP3(+) T cells in the pancreas and regional lymphatics. Similar phenotypic changes were observed when CD25(+) T cells were infused after radiation, which also delayed disease onset without affecting its incidence. Importantly, irradiation increased the susceptibility to diabetes in NOD and NON mice (71-84%) as compared to immunomodulation with splenocytes and CD25(+) T cells in naïve recipients (44-50%). Although irradiation had significant and durable influence on pancreatic infiltrates and the fractions of functional CD25(+)FoxP3(+) Treg cells were elevated by adoptive cell transfer, this approach conferred no protection from disease progression. Irradiation was ineffective both in debulking of pathogenic clones and in restoring immune homeostasis, and the consequent homeostatic expansion evolves as an unfavorable factor in attempts to restore self-tolerance and might even provoke uncontrolled proliferation of pathogenic clones. The obstacles imposed by immunosuppression on abrogation of autoimmune insulitis require replacement of non-specific immunosuppressive therapy by selective immunomodulation that does not cause lymphopenia.
Kaminitz
Ayelet
A
Frankel Laboratory, Center for Stem Cell Research, Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel, 14 Kaplan Street, Petach Tikva, Israel.
Mizrahi
Keren
K
Yaniv
Isaac
I
Stein
Jerry
J
Askenasy
Nadir
N
D019264:Adoptive Transfer; D000818:Animals; D015551:Autoimmunity / Q000528:radiation effects; D002452:Cell Count; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D004198:Disease Susceptibility / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors / Q000096:biosynthesis; D006943:Hyperglycemia; D056747:Immunomodulation / Q000528:radiation effects; D007167:Immunotherapy; D053645:Interleukin-2 Receptor alpha Subunit / Q000096:biosynthesis; D051379:Mice; D016688:Mice, Inbred NOD; D010179:Pancreas / Q000473:pathology; D011878:Radiotherapy / Q000009:adverse effects; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000528:radiation effects
D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors; C498833:Foxp3 protein, mouse; D053645:Interleukin-2 Receptor alpha Subunit