Regulation of T Cell Responses in Atherosclerosis

描述（由申请方提供）：令人信服的证据支持炎症显著促进动脉粥样硬化病变发展和与不稳定病变相关的灾难性临床事件的假设。来自人类和小鼠研究的充分证据表明，T淋巴细胞在动脉粥样硬化疾病中驱动炎症中起重要作用。我们实验室的研究表明，调节T细胞免疫的生理机制，包括辅助性T细胞亚群分化的调节、共刺激/共抑制途径和调节性T细胞，都显著影响致动脉粥样硬化性T细胞应答。此外，我们已经确定他汀类药物通过上调转录因子KLF 2抑制炎症效应T细胞反应。这些发现作为拟议项目的基础，其广泛目标是发现治疗性改变或阻断动脉中致病性T细胞反应的方法。这一目标将通过小鼠和人树突状细胞、巨噬细胞和T细胞的体外和体内实验来实现。本工作将被组织成以下三个相互关联的具体目标：1-基于树突状细胞中KLF 2的诱导，开发耐受致动脉粥样硬化性T细胞的方法。2-开发在长期高胆固醇血症条件下维持动脉粥样硬化病变中调节性T细胞（Treg）反应的方法。3-确定PD-1介导的致动脉粥样硬化免疫应答抑制的细胞基础。将采取几种实验方法，包括：药理学操作和过继转移的树突状细胞之间的动脉粥样硬化倾向的小鼠品系;谱系特异性cre-lox介导的调控基因，包括KLF 2在DC和PD-1在T细胞和骨髓细胞，所有在动脉粥样硬化倾向的mince的删除;和分析的影响，胆固醇诱导的先天性炎症对Treg的活力和表型。在每个目标中提出的工作解决了动脉粥样硬化疾病中T细胞调节的不同基本机制，我们知道这与我们以前的工作有关。这些机制中的每一个都可能影响其他机制，我们将研究这些相互作用。总体而言，所获得的信息将直接翻译相关的心血管疾病的免疫方法的发展。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Compelling evidence supports the hypothesis that inflammation contributes significantly to the development of atherosclerotic lesions and to the catastrophic clinical events associated with unstable lesions. Ample evidence from both human and mouse studies indicate that T lymphocytes play important roles in driving inflammation in atherosclerotic disease. Studies from our laboratory have shown that physiologic mechanisms of regulation of T cell immunity, including modulation of helper T cell subset differentiation, co-stimulatory/co-inhibitory pathways, and regulatory T cells, all significantly impact pro-atherogenic T cell responses. Furthermore, we have established that statins suppress inflammatory effector T cell responses through up-regulation of the transcription factor KLF2. These finding serve as the basis for the proposed project, with the broad objective of discovering ways to therapeutically alter or block the pathogenic T cell responses in arteries. This objective will be pursued through experiments with both mouse and human dendritic cells, macrophages and T cells, both in vitro and in vivo. The work will be organized into the following three interrelated Specific Aims: 1- Develop methods of tolerizing proatherogenic T cells based on induction of KLF2 in dendritic cells. 2- Develop approaches to sustain regulatory T cell (Treg) responses in atherosclerotic lesions under conditions of prolonged hypercholesterolemia. 3- Determine the cellular basis of PD-1 mediated suppression of proatherogenic immune responses. Several experimental approaches will be taken including: pharmacologic manipulation and adoptive transfer of dendritic cells between atherosclerotic-prone mouse strains; lineage specific cre-lox mediated deletion of regulatory genes including KLF2 in DCs and PD-1 in T cells and myeloid cells, all in atherosclerotic-prone mince; and analyses of the effects of cholesterol-induced innate inflammation on Treg viability and phenotype. The work proposed in each Aim address a different basic mechanism of the regulation of T cells in atherosclerotic disease that we know is relevant from our previous work. Each of these mechanisms will likely impact the others, and we will study these interactions. Overall, the information obtained will be of direct translational relevance to the development of immunotherapeutic approaches for cardiovascular disease.