Publications by authors named "L E Wrenshall"
Article Synopsis
- IL-2Rα knock out (KO) mice have revealed that IL-2Rα is important for controlling immune responses and has unexpected roles in vascular smooth muscle cells, despite initial beliefs that it functioned primarily in lymphocytes.
- Through various genetic and protein-based methods, the study found that IL-2Rα can still be present in KO vascular smooth muscle cells, suggesting mechanisms like maternal microchimerism and cell-to-cell transmission contribute to this protein's presence.
- The research indicates that the absence of IL-2Rα leads to more severe effects than previously understood, highlighting its previously unknown role in regulating proliferation in non-lymphoid cells.
Although FOXP3 regulatory T cells (Treg) depend on IL-2 produced by other cells for their survival and function, the levels of IL-2 in inflamed tissue are low, making it unclear how Treg access this critical resource. Here, we show that Treg use heparanase (HPSE) to access IL-2 sequestered by heparan sulfate (HS) within the extracellular matrix (ECM) of inflamed central nervous system tissue. HPSE expression distinguishes human and murine Treg from conventional T cells and is regulated by the availability of IL-2.
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- IL-2Rα knockout (KO) mice have been key in uncovering the dual role of IL-2Rα in regulating immune responses beyond just stimulation, particularly through effects on T regulatory cells and cell death.
- Recent research identified that IL-2Rα is also present in smooth muscle cells, leading to an investigation into its function in these non-lymphoid cells using the KO mice model.
- Surprisingly, a subset of IL-2Rα was found in KO vascular smooth muscle cells, linked to maternal microchimerism, and the absence of IL-2Rα significantly altered cell characteristics, indicating its important regulatory role in cell proliferation beyond immune cells.
FOXP3 regulatory T cells (Treg) depend on exogenous IL-2 for their survival and function, but circulating levels of IL-2 are low, making it unclear how Treg access this critical resource . Here, we show that Treg use heparanase (HPSE) to access IL-2 sequestered by heparan sulfate (HS) within the extracellular matrix (ECM) of inflamed central nervous system tissue. HPSE expression distinguishes human and murine Treg from conventional T cells and is regulated by the availability of IL-2.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe ability of a cell to proliferate is integral to the normal function of most cells, and dysregulation of proliferation is at the heart of many disease processes. For these reasons, measuring proliferation is a common tool used to assess cell function. Cell proliferation can be measured simply by counting; however, this is an indirect means of measuring proliferation.
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