Helminth-induced regulation of T-cell transfer colitis requires intact and regulated T cell Stat6 signaling in mice.

Infection with parasitic worms (helminths) alters host immune responses and can inhibit pathogenic inflammation. Helminth infection promotes a strong Th2 and T regulatory response while suppressing Th1 and Th17 function. Th2 responses are largely dependent on transcriptional programs directed by Stat6-signaling. We examined the importance of intact T cell Stat6 signaling on helminth-induced suppression of murine colitis that results from T cell transfer into immune-deficient mice. Colonization with the intestinal nematode Heligmosomoides polygyrus bakeri resolves WT T cell transfer colitis. However, if the transferred T cells lack intact Stat6 then helminth exposure failed to attenuate colitis or suppress MLN T cell IFN-γ or IL17 production. Loss of Stat6 signaling resulted in decreased IL10 and increased IFN-γ co-expression by IL-17+ T cells. We also transferred T cells from mice with constitutive T cell expression of activated Stat6 (Stat6VT). These mice developed a severe eosinophilic colitis that also was not attenuated by helminth infection. These results show that T cell expression of intact but regulated Stat6 signaling is required for helminth infection-associated regulation of pathogenic intestinal inflammation.

Recirculating Immunocompetent Cells in Colitic Mice Intensify Their Lung Response to Bacterial Endotoxin.

BACKGROUND: Patients with inflammatory bowel disease have higher incidence of airway hyperresponsiveness compared to the general population. Lung inflammation leading to airway hyperresponsiveness causes illnesses for more than ten percent of the population in USA. AIMS: We investigated the lung response to bacterial endotoxin in colitic mice. METHODS: Rag-1 mice were transplanted with negatively selected splenic T cells. Some mice groups were treated with NSAID to develop colitis. All mice were treated with bacterial endotoxin and necropsied 3 weeks later. RESULTS: Colitic mice developed intensified lung inflammation on day 21 of treatment with bacterial endotoxin. Pulmonary lymphocytes from colitic mice displayed a proinflammatory cytokine profile, expressed high ICAM1 and low FoxP3. CD11c+, CD8+ cells bound and responded to non-systemic antigens from gut-localized microbiota and had higher expression of TLR4. CONCLUSIONS: Colitic mice developed exacerbated lung inflammation in response to bacterial endotoxin compared to non-colitic mice. Proinflammatory cytokines from pulmonary lymphocytes induced high expression of ICAM1 and suppressed FoxP3 on CD4+ cells. CD11c+, CD8+ cells binding and responding to gut-localized antigens as well as high expression of TLR4 indicate innate and adaptive lung response to bacterial endotoxin. Inflammatory cells from colons of colitic mice homed in the lungs as well as the intestine suggesting recirculation of sensitized immunocompetent cells. These data support our hypothesis that colitis intensifies lung inflammation.

Cyclin G1 has growth inhibitory activity linked to the ARF-Mdm2-p53 and pRb tumor suppressor pathways.

Cyclin G1 is a p53-responsive gene that is induced in alternative reading frame (ARF)-arrested cells, yet its role in growth control is unclear. We tested its effects on growth and involvement in the ARF-Mdm2-p53 tumor suppressor pathway. We show that cyclin G1 interacts with ARF, Mdm2, and p53 in vitro and in vivo. At high levels, cyclin G1 induces a G(1)-phase arrest in mammalian cells that coincides with p53 activation. Conversely, lower levels of cyclin G1 lack intrinsic growth inhibitory effects yet potentiate ARF-mediated growth arrest. Notably, cyclin G1 is down-regulated by Mdm2 through proteasome-mediated degradation. These data suggest that cyclin G1 is a positive feedback regulator of p53 whose expression is restrained by Mdm2. Interestingly, growth inhibition by cyclin G1 does not require p53 but instead exhibits partial retinoblastoma protein (pRb) dependence. These findings reveal that cyclin G1 has growth inhibitory activity that is mechanistically linked to ARF-p53 and pRb tumor suppressor pathways.