Project 4: Environmental PPARy Agonist-Mediated Toxicity in the Dev. Immune Syst

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Peroxisome proliferator activated receptor y (PPARy) is poised at the apex of a regulatory network that controls bone physiology, yet it remains unclear how activation of PPARy in the bone marrow may alter the microenvironment that supports life-long B cell development. This is an important problem, as a growing number of environmental contaminants, including Superfund chemicals such as phthalates and organotins, are being recognized for their ability to activate PPARy and its heterodimerization partners the retinoid X receptors (RXR). Our long-term goal is to understand the molecular mechanisms by which individual and complex mixtures of Superfund chemicals impair development in the mammalian immune system, a system that requires ongoing development in the face of continuing pathogen exposures. The objective here is to determine the role of PPARy activation in phthalate- and organotin-induced alteration of bone marrow physiology. We hypothesize that environmental PPAR/RXR ligands suppress B lymphopoiesis by two mechanisms, directly by inducing apoptosis in early B cells and indirectly by altering the bone marrow microenvironment that supports lymphopoiesis, resulting in aging-like suppression of immune responses. We will investigate this hypothesis by pursuing three Specific Aims: 1) Determine the relationship between PPAR and RXR activation and the functional consequences for multipotent mesenchymal stromal cell differentiation by determining changes in the osteogenic transcriptome induced by a phthalate, an organotin, and contaminant mixtures, 2) Determine the mechanisms by which environmental PPAR/RXR agonists damage B lymphopoiesis, both directly and indirectly by defining mechanisms of toxicant-induced apoptosis and by testing contaminant-altered bone marrow environments for the ability to support B cell development, and 3) Determine mechanisms by which in vivo exposure to environmental PPAR/RXR agonists negatively affects bone physiology, lymphopoiesis and immune responses by examining organotin-induced defects in bone integrity, B cell development and B cell function. Critical knowledge will be gained to refine human risk assessment and to improve prevention of both bone loss and immune compromise.