Distinct roles for Blimp-1 in autoreactive CD4 T cells during priming and effector phase of autoimmune encephalomyelitis

J Neuroimmunol. 2018 Dec 15:325:20-28. doi: 10.1016/j.jneuroim.2018.10.007. Epub 2018 Oct 15.

Abstract

B lymphocyte-induced maturation protein (Blimp-1) is a transcription factor that regulates effector/memory B cells and CD8 T cells. Here we show that Blimp-1 is expressed in both Th1 and Th17 cells in vitro and highly expressed in effector/memory myelin-specific CD4 T cells in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) mice. The immunized Blimp-1 conditional knockout mice have a significantly delayed disease onset but enhanced disease severity during the effector phase compared to their wild-type littermates, suggesting that Blimp-1 is a unique transcription factor with distinct roles in the regulation of myelin-specific CD4 T cells during priming and effector phase of EAE.

Keywords: B lymphocyte-induced maturation protein (Blimp-1); Multiple Sclerosis (MS); Th1; Th17; experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE).

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / immunology*
  • CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / metabolism
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Encephalomyelitis, Autoimmune, Experimental / immunology*
  • Encephalomyelitis, Autoimmune, Experimental / metabolism
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Mice, Knockout
  • Mice, Transgenic
  • Positive Regulatory Domain I-Binding Factor 1 / immunology*
  • Positive Regulatory Domain I-Binding Factor 1 / metabolism

Substances

  • Prdm1 protein, mouse
  • Positive Regulatory Domain I-Binding Factor 1