Competition between colitogenic Th1 and Th17 cells contributes to the amelioration of colitis

Eur J Immunol. 2010 Sep;40(9):2409-22. doi: 10.1002/eji.201040379.

Abstract

Th17 cells and Th1 cells coordinate to play a critical role in the formation of inflammatory bowel diseases. To examine how Th17 and Th1 cells are regulated at inflammatory sites, we used Th1-dominant CD4(+)CD45RB(high) T cell-transferred RAG-2(-/-) and Th1/Th17-mixed IL-10(-/-) mice. Interestingly, not only did colitic RAG-2(-/-) mice that were parabiosed with WT mice show significant amelioration of colitis, but amelioration of disease was also observed in those parabiosed with colitic IL-10(-/-) mice. To assess the interference between Th1 and Th17 colitogenic T cells, we co-transferred colitogenic CD4(+) T cells from the lamina propria (LP) of CD4(+)CD45RB(high) T cell-transferred RAG-2(-/-) mice and IL-10(-/-) mice into RAG-2(-/-) mice. Surprisingly, the co-transferred RAG-2(-/-) mice showed a vast cellular infiltration of LP CD4(+) T cells similar to that seen in RAG-2(-/-) mice re-transferred with the cells from colitic RAG-2(-/-) mice alone, but the co-transferred RAG-2(-/-) mice did not have the wasting symptoms, which are also absent in RAG-2(-/-) mice transferred with cells from colitic IL-10(-/-) mice alone. Furthermore, the percentages of Th1 and Th17 cells originating from IL-10(-/-) mice and those of Th1 cells originating from colitic RAG-2(-/-) mice were all significantly decreased in the co-transferred mice as compared with the singly-transferred paired RAG-2(-/-) mice, suggesting that Th1 and Th17 cells are in competition, and that their orchestration results in a merged clinical phenotype of the two types of murine colitis.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adoptive Transfer
  • Animals
  • CD4 Antigens / biosynthesis
  • Cell Communication* / immunology
  • Colitis / immunology*
  • Colitis / pathology
  • Colitis / physiopathology
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / genetics
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Humans
  • Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / immunology*
  • Interleukin-10 / genetics
  • Interleukin-17 / metabolism
  • Leukocyte Common Antigens / biosynthesis
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Mice, Knockout
  • Mucous Membrane / immunology*
  • Mucous Membrane / pathology
  • Parabiosis
  • Th1 Cells / immunology
  • Th1 Cells / metabolism*
  • Th1 Cells / pathology

Substances

  • CD4 Antigens
  • DNA-Binding Proteins
  • Interleukin-17
  • Rag2 protein, mouse
  • Interleukin-10
  • Leukocyte Common Antigens