Regulation of T helper cell functions by aryl hydrocarbon receptor

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Project Summary/Abstract: Autoimmune diseases collectively affect over 23 million Americans and impose a huge burden of disease. Many autoimmune diseases are characterized by pathologic T cell-B cell interactions and production of autoantibodies. The T cell populations that help B cells in autoimmune diseases vary in phenotype and include T follicular helper (Tfh) cells, which reside in follicles of secondary lymphoid organs, as well as T peripheral helper (Tph) cells, which are B cell-helper T cells that migrate to inflamed peripheral tissues such as the rheumatoid joint. Tph cells and Tfh cells share the ability to recruit B cells via production of a B cell chemoattractant CXCL13 and then promote B cell differentiation through both surface interactions and secreted cytokines. The signals that regulate development and function of Tph cells and Tfh cells in autoimmunity remain incompletely described, and particularly little is known about T cell production of CXCL13. Our preliminary data reveal the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR), a ligand-gated transcription factor, as a potent negative regulator of Tph and Tfh cell phenotype, with a dramatic effect on suppressing T cell CXCL13 production. In this project, we utilize human primary T cells and patient samples to evaluate the broad effects of AHR on Tph and Tfh cell development, function, and transcriptomic and epigenetic regulation. We will evaluate the direct targets of AHR in human T cells via ChIP-seq and seek to identify new transcriptional mediators downstream of AHR using CRISPR arrays. In addition, we will study synovial fluid and serum samples from patients with rheumatoid arthritis and comparator conditions to evaluate alterations in the extent of AHR agonist and antagonist activity in rheumatoid arthritis, a disease characterized by abundant accumulation of Tph cells in the target tissue. We expect that this project will reveal novel mechanisms mediated by AHR that regulate production of CXCL13 and key features of Tfh and Tph cell phenotypes. Understanding the molecular control of these key T cell functions may highlight new strategies to interfere with Tph and Tfh cells therapeutically.