Comparative analysis of human and mouse transcriptomes of Th17 cell priming.

Uncontrolled Th17 cell activity is associated with cancer and autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. To validate the potential relevance of mouse models of targeting the Th17 pathway in human diseases we used RNA sequencing to compare the expression of coding and non-coding transcripts during the priming of Th17 cell differentiation in both human and mouse. In addition to already known targets, several transcripts not previously linked to Th17 cell polarization were found in both species.

Standard of hygiene and immune adaptation in newborn infants.

The prevalence of immune-mediated diseases, such as allergies and type 1 diabetes, is on the rise in the developed world. In order to explore differences in the gene expression patterns induced in utero in infants born in contrasting standards of living and hygiene, we collected umbilical cord blood RNA samples from infants born in Finland (modern society), Estonia (rapidly developing society) and the Republic of Karelia, Russia (poor economic conditions). The whole blood transcriptome of Finnish and Estonian neonates differed from their Karelian counterparts, suggesting exposure to toll-like receptor (TLR) ligands and a more matured immune response in infants born in Karelia.

Autoantigen-specific memory CD4+ T cells are prevalent early in progression to Type 1 diabetes.

Autoreactive CD4(+) T cells contribute to the destruction of insulin producing beta cells in Type 1 diabetes (T1D). Using MHC class II tetramers, we have analyzed the frequency of GAD65- (274-286; 555-567) and insulin- (A1-15; A6-21) specific CD4(+) T cells in 31 children with T1D, 65 multiple autoantibody-positive children and 93 HLA- and age-matched controls. In a smaller group of children T-cell responses of memory origin to the same autoantigens were investigated.

A low antigen dose selectively promotes expansion of high-avidity autoreactive T cells with distinct phenotypic characteristics: a study of human autoreactive CD4+T cells specific for GAD65.

T cells specific for pancreatic islet proteins can be detected in type 1 diabetes patients and at-risk individuals, suggesting a failure of the central tolerance and negative selection. We addressed the question, how antigen dose shapes the diversity of CD4+ autoreactive T cells specific for glutamate decarboxylase 65 (GAD65) in a healthy HLA-DR*0404+ individual, with a persistent GAD65-specific T-cell response. CD4+T cells from this subject were stimulated with decreasing concentrations of the GAD65 555-567 (557I) peptide, and T-cell clones were derived from the tetramer-binding cell population.

Circulating CD4+CD25 high regulatory T cells and natural killer T cells in children with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes or with diabetes-associated autoantibodies.

Type 1 diabetes is a T-cell-mediated autoimmune disease in which insufficient regulatory mechanisms are perceived to be involved in the pathogenesis. We used flow cytometry to analyze the proportion of CD4(+)CD25(high) regulatory T cells and natural killer T (NKT) cells in peripheral blood obtained from 25 children with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes, 21 nondiabetic subjects positive for two or more diabetes-associated autoantibodies, and from 39 autoantibody-negative age- and HLA-matched control subjects. CD4(+)CD25(high) T cells were also stained for additional markers HLA-DR, CD69, and CD62L.