Person:
Madi, Asaf

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Madi

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Asaf

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Madi, Asaf

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Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    Publication
    SGK1 Governs the Reciprocal Development of Th17 and Regulatory T Cells
    (2018) Wu, Chuan; Chen, Zuojia; Xiao, Sheng; Thalhamer, Theresa; Madi, Asaf; Han, Timothy; Kuchroo, Vijay
    SUMMARY A balance between Th17 and regulatory T (Treg) cells is critical for immune homeostasis and tolerance. Our previous work has shown Serum- and glucocorticoid-induced kinase 1 (SGK1) is critical for the development and function of Th17 cells. Here, we show that SGK1 restrains the function of Treg cells and reciprocally regulates development of Th17/Treg balance. SGK1 deficiency leads to protection against autoimmunity and enhances self-tolerance by promoting Treg cell development and disarming Th17 cells. Treg cell-specific deletion of SGK1 results in enhanced Treg cell-suppressive function through preventing Foxo1 out of the nucleus, thereby promoting Foxp3 expression by binding to Foxp3 CNS1 region. Furthermore, our data suggest that SGK1 also plays a critical role in IL-23R-mediated inhibition of Treg and development of Th17 cells. Therefore, we demonstrate that SGK1 functions as a pivotal node in regulating the reciprocal development of pro-inflammatory Th17 and Foxp3+ Treg cells during autoimmune tissue inflammation.
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    IL-10-dependent Tr1 cells attenuate astrocyte activation and ameliorate chronic central nervous system inflammation
    (Oxford University Press, 2016) Mayo, Lior; Cunha, Andre Pires Da; Madi, Asaf; Beynon, Vanessa; Yang, Zhiping; Alvarez, Jorge I.; Prat, Alexandre; Sobel, Raymond A.; Kobzik, Lester; Lassmann, Hans; Quintana, Francisco; Weiner, Howard
    See Winger and Zamvil (doi:10.1093/brain/aww121) for a scientific commentary on this article. The innate immune system plays a central role in the chronic central nervous system inflammation that drives neurological disability in progressive forms of multiple sclerosis, for which there are no effective treatments. The mucosal immune system is a unique tolerogenic organ that provides a physiological approach for the induction of regulatory T cells. Here we report that nasal administration of CD3-specific antibody ameliorates disease in a progressive animal model of multiple sclerosis. This effect is IL-10-dependent and is mediated by the induction of regulatory T cells that share a similar transcriptional profile to Tr1 regulatory cells and that suppress the astrocyte inflammatory transcriptional program. Treatment results in an attenuated inflammatory milieu in the central nervous system, decreased microglia activation, reduced recruitment of peripheral monocytes, stabilization of the blood–brain barrier and less neurodegeneration. These findings suggest a new therapeutic approach for the treatment of progressive forms of multiple sclerosis and potentially other types of chronic central nervous system inflammation.
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    TIM3 Mediates T Cell Exhaustion during Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection
    (Public Library of Science, 2016) Jayaraman, Pushpa; Jacques, Miye K.; Zhu, Chen; Steblenko, Katherine M.; Stowell, Britni L.; Madi, Asaf; Anderson, Ana; Kuchroo, Vijay; Behar, Samuel M.
    While T cell immunity initially limits Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection, why T cell immunity fails to sterilize the infection and allows recrudescence is not clear. One hypothesis is that T cell exhaustion impairs immunity and is detrimental to the outcome of M. tuberculosis infection. Here we provide functional evidence for the development T cell exhaustion during chronic TB. Second, we evaluate the role of the inhibitory receptor T cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain–containing-3 (TIM3) during chronic M. tuberculosis infection. We find that TIM3 expressing T cells accumulate during chronic infection, co-express other inhibitory receptors including PD1, produce less IL-2 and TNF but more IL-10, and are functionally exhausted. Finally, we show that TIM3 blockade restores T cell function and improves bacterial control, particularly in chronically infected susceptible mice. These data show that T cell immunity is suboptimal during chronic M. tuberculosis infection due to T cell exhaustion. Moreover, in chronically infected mice, treatment with anti-TIM3 mAb is an effective therapeutic strategy against tuberculosis.
  • Publication
    Targeting PGLYRP1 promotes antitumor immunity while inhibiting autoimmune neuroinflammation
    (Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2023-10-12) Schnell, Alexandra; Huang, Linglin; Regan, Brianna; Vonficht, Dominik; Bollhagen, Alina; Wang, Mona; Hou, Yu; Bod, Lloyd; Chihara, Norio; Madi, Asaf; Anderson, Ana; Kuchroo, Vijay
    Co-inhibitory and checkpoint molecules suppress T-cell function in the tumor microenvironment, thereby rendering T cells dysfunctional. While immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) has emerged as a successful treatment option for multiple human cancers, severe autoimmune-like side effects limit its application. Here we found the gene encoding the Peptidoglycan Recognition Protein 1 (PGLYRP1) to be highly co-expressed with co-inhibitory molecules and hypothesized that it might be a promising target for cancer immunotherapy. Indeed, genetic deletion of PGLYRP1 in mice led to decreased tumor growth and an increased activation/effector phenotype in CD8+ T cells, suggesting an inhibitory function of PGLYRP1 in CD8+ T cells. Surprisingly, the genetic deletion of PGLYRP1 strongly protected against the development of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a model of autoimmune disease in the central nervous system (CNS). Pglyrp1-deficient myeloid cells had a defect in antigen presentation and T-cell activation, indicating that PGLYRP1 might act as a proinflammatory molecule in myeloid cells during autoimmunity. Our results highlight PGLYRP1 as a promising target for immunotherapy that, when targeted, elicits a potent antitumor immune response while protecting against some forms of tissue inflammation and autoimmunity.