P2Y2R deficiency attenuates experimental autoimmune uveitis development

PLoS One. 2015 Feb 18;10(2):e0116518. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0116518. eCollection 2015.

Abstract

We aimed to study the role of the nucleotide receptor P2Y2R in the development of experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU). EAU was induced in P2Y2+/+ and P2Y2-/- mice by immunization with IRBP peptide or by adoptive transfer of in vitro restimulated semi-purified IRBP-specific enriched T lymphocytes from spleens and lymph nodes isolated from native C57Bl/6 or P2Y2+/+ and P2Y2-/- immunized mice. Clinical and histological scores were used to grade disease severity. Splenocytes and lymph node cell phenotypes were analyzed using flow cytometry. Semi-purified lymphocytes and MACS-purified CD4+ T lymphocytes from P2Y2+/+ and P2Y2-/- immunized mice were tested for proliferation and cytokine secretion. Our data show that clinical and histological scores were significantly decreased in IRBP-immunized P2Y2-/- mice as in P2Y2-/- mice adoptively transfered with enriched T lymphocytes from C57Bl/6 IRBP-immunized mice. In parallel, naïve C57Bl/6 mice adoptively transferred with T lymphocytes from P2Y2-/- IRBP-immunized mice also showed significantly less disease. No differences in term of spleen and lymph node cell recruitment or phenotype appeared between P2Y2-/- and P2Y2+/+ immunized mice. However, once restimulated in vitro with IRBP, P2Y2-/- T cells proliferate less and secrete less cytokines than the P2Y2+/+ one. We further found that antigen-presenting cells of P2Y2-/- immunized mice were responsible for this proliferation defect. Together our data show that P2Y2-/- mice are less susceptible to mount an autoimmune response against IRBP. Those results are in accordance with the danger model, which makes a link between autoreactive lymphocyte activation, cell migration and the release of danger signals such as extracellular nucleotides.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adoptive Transfer
  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Antigen-Presenting Cells / immunology
  • Autoimmune Diseases / immunology*
  • Autoimmune Diseases / metabolism*
  • Cell Proliferation
  • Cytokines / metabolism
  • Eye Proteins / chemistry
  • Gene Knockout Techniques
  • Humans
  • Immunization
  • Lymph Nodes / immunology
  • Mice
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Peptide Fragments / immunology
  • Receptors, Purinergic P2Y2 / deficiency*
  • Receptors, Purinergic P2Y2 / genetics
  • Retinol-Binding Proteins / chemistry
  • Spleen / immunology
  • T-Lymphocytes / immunology
  • T-Lymphocytes / metabolism
  • Uveitis / immunology*
  • Uveitis / metabolism*

Substances

  • Cytokines
  • Eye Proteins
  • Peptide Fragments
  • Receptors, Purinergic P2Y2
  • Retinol-Binding Proteins
  • interstitial retinol-binding protein

Grants and funding

Funding provided by Fondation Vésale, LJR; Fondation Brugmann, LJR; Fond de recherche en ophtalmologie (FRO), LJR. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.