Publications by authors named "Sarah Ahmadi"
Background: CTLA-4 immunoglobulin fusion proteins (CTLA4-Ig) suppress immune reactions by blocking the T-cell costimulatory CD28-CD80-86 pathway and are used in clinical trials for diseases featuring exaggerated T-cell reactivity including autoimmune diseases and allograft rejection. However, because CTLA4-Ig has been suspected to interfere with T regulatory (Treg) cell homeostasis and function, recently, substantial concerns on CTLA4-Ig's potentially antitolerogenic effects have been raised.
Methods: We tested immunoregulatory CTLA4-Ig explicitly for its effect on Treg cell numbers, frequencies and function in an in vitro murine major histocompatibility complex mismatched setting using C57BL/6 bone marrow-derived dendritic cells as stimulators of allogeneic Balb/c Foxp3 T cells, which allowed for tracing Treg cells in a straightforward fashion.
Article Synopsis
- CTLA4-Ig is a fusion protein that inhibits T cell responses by blocking the CD28:CD80/86 costimulatory pathway and influences dendritic cell (DC) function.
- The study investigated the effects of CTLA4-Ig on C57BL/6-derived DCs and their ability to stimulate allogeneic Balb/c T cells.
- Findings show that CTLA4-Ig does not impair the stimulatory capacity of DCs when removed prior to T cell interaction, indicating that its immunosuppressive effects are only active during the co-culture with T cells.
Autoantibodies to brain proteins are present in Juvenile Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis (Batten disease) patients and in the Cln3-/- mouse model of this disease, suggesting an autoimmune component to pathogenesis. Using genetic or pharmaceutical approaches to attenuate this immune response in Cln3-/- mice, we demonstrate decreased neuroinflammation, decreased deposition of immunoglobulin G in the brain and protection of vulnerable neuron populations. Moreover, immune suppression results in a significant improvement in motor performance providing for the first plausible therapeutic approach for juvenile Batten disease.
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