Person: Quintana, Francisco
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Quintana
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Francisco
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Quintana, Francisco
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Publication Detection of aryl hydrocarbon receptor agonists in human samples(Nature Publishing Group UK, 2018) Rothhammer, Veit; Borucki, Davis M.; Kenison, Jessica E.; Hewson, Patrick; Wang, Zhongyan; Bakshi, Rohit; Sherr, David H.; Quintana, FranciscoThe aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) is a ligand-activated transcription factor with important functions in the immune response and cancer. AHR agonists are provided by the environment, the commensal flora and the metabolism. Considering AHR physiological functions, AHR agonists may have important effects on health and disease. Thus, the quantification of AHR agonists in biological samples is of scientific and clinical relevance. We compared different reporter systems for the detection of AHR agonists in serum samples of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients, and assessed the influence of transfection methods and cell lines in a reporter-based in vitro assay. While the use of stable or transient reporters did not influence the measurement of AHR agonistic activity, the species of the cell lines used in these reporter assays had important effects on the reporter readings. These observations suggest that cell-specific factors influence AHR activation and signaling. Thus, based on the reported species selectivity of AHR ligands and the cell species-of-origin effects that we describe in this manuscript, the use of human cell lines is encouraged for the analysis of AHR agonistic activity in human samples. These findings may be relevant for the analysis of AHR agonists in human samples in the context of inflammatory and neoplastic disorders.Publication Characterization of Human CD39+ Th17 Cells with Suppressor Activity and Modulation in Inflammatory Bowel Disease(Public Library of Science, 2014) Longhi, Maria Serena; Moss, Alan; Bai, A; Wu, Yan; Huang, Huang; Cheifetz, Adam; Quintana, Francisco; Robson, SimonInduced regulatory T-cells (iT-reg) and T helper type 17 (Th17) in the mouse share common CD4 progenitor cells and exhibit overlapping phenotypic and functional features. Here, we show that human Th17 cells endowed with suppressor activity (supTh17) can be derived following exposure of iT-reg populations to Th17 polarizing conditions. In contrast to “pathogenic” Th17, supTh17 display immune suppressive function and express high levels of CD39, an ectonucleotidase that catalyzes the conversion of pro-inflammatory extracellular nucleotides ultimately generating nucleosides. Accordingly, supTh17 exhibit nucleoside triphosphate diphosphohydrolase activity, as demonstrated by the efficient generation of extracellular AMP, adenosine and other purine derivatives. In addition supTh17 cells are resistant to the effects of adenosine as result of the low expression of the A2A receptor and accelerated adenosine catalysis by adenosine deaminase (ADA). These supTh17 can be detected in the blood and in the lamina propria of healthy subjects. However, these supTh17 cells are diminished in patients with Crohn’s disease. In summary, we describe a human Th17 subpopulation with suppressor activity, which expresses high levels of CD39 and consequently produces extracellular adenosine. As these uniquely suppressive CD39+ Th17 cells are decreased in patients with inflammatory bowel disease, our findings might have implications for the development of novel anti-inflammatory therapeutic approaches in these and potentially other immune disorders.Publication Toll-like receptor stimulation differentially regulates vasoactive intestinal peptide type 2 receptor in macrophages(John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, 2009) Herrera, Juan Luis; Gonzalez-Rey, Elena; Fernandez-Montesinos, Rafael; Quintana, Francisco; Najmanovich, Rafael; Pozo, DavidVasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) was originally isolated as a vasodilator intestinal peptide, then as a neuropeptide. In the immune system, VIP is described as an endogenous macrophage-deactivating factor. VIP exerts its immunological actions in a paracrine and/or autocrine manner, through specific receptors. However, very little is known about the molecular regulation of VIP type 2 receptor (VPAC2) in the immune system. We now report that different toll-like receptor (TLR) ligands selectively regulate the VPAC2 receptor gene and show a gene repression system controlled by key protein kinase signalling cascades in macrophages. VPAC2 gene expression is regulated by gram-positive (TLR2 ligands) and gram-negative bacteria wall constituents (TLR4 ligands). Moreover, VPAC2 is tightly regulated: TLR2- or TLR2/6- but not TLR2/1-mediated mechanisms are responsible for the induction of VPAC2. TLR stimulation by viral or bacterial nucleic acids did not modify the VPAC2 mRNA levels. Remarkably, imiquimod – a synthetic TLR7 ligand – led to a potent up-regulation of VPAC2 gene expression. TLR5 stimulation by flagellin present in gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria did not affect VPAC2 mRNA. The p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activity accounted for the TLR4-mediated induction of VPAC2 gene expression. Surprisingly, our data strongly suggest for the first time a tightly repressed control of VPAC2 mRNA induction by elements downstream of MAPK kinase 1/2, PI3K/Akt, and particularly Jun-NH2-terminal kinase signalling pathways.Publication Purinergic Signaling as a Regulator of Th17 Cell Plasticity(Public Library of Science, 2016) Fernández, Dominique; Flores-Santibáñez, Felipe; Neira, Jocelyn; Osorio-Barrios, Francisco; Tejón, Gabriela; Nuñez, Sarah; Hidalgo, Yessia; Fuenzalida, Maria Jose; Meza, Daniel; Ureta, Gonzalo; Lladser, Alvaro; Pacheco, Rodrigo; Acuña-Castillo, Claudio; Guixé, Victoria; Quintana, Francisco; Bono, Maria Rosa; Rosemblatt, Mario; Sauma, DanielaT helper type 17 (Th17) lymphocytes, characterized by the production of interleukin-17 and other pro-inflammatory cytokines, are present in intestinal lamina propria and have been described as important players driving intestinal inflammation. Recent evidence, supporting the notion of a functional and phenotypic instability of Th17 cells, has shown that Th17 differentiate into type 1 regulatory (Tr1) T cells during the resolution of intestinal inflammation. Moreover, it has been suggested that the expression of CD39 ectonucleotidase endows Th17 cells with immunosuppressive properties. However, the exact role of CD39 ectonucleotidase in Th17 cells has not been studied in the context of intestinal inflammation. Here we show that Th17 cells expressing CD39 ectonucleotidase can hydrolyze ATP and survive to ATP-induced cell death. Moreover, in vitro-generated Th17 cells expressing the CD39 ectonucleotidase produce IL-10 and are less pathogenic than CD39 negative Th17 cells in a model of experimental colitis in Rag-/- mice. Remarkably, we show that CD39 activity regulates the conversion of Th17 cells to IL-10-producing cells in vitro, which is abrogated in the presence of ATP and the CD39-specific inhibitor ARL67156. All these data suggest that CD39 expression by Th17 cells allows the depletion of ATP and is crucial for IL-10 production and survival during the resolution of intestinal inflammation.Publication Type I interferons and microbial metabolites of tryptophan modulate astrocyte activity and CNS inflammation via the aryl hydrocarbon receptor(2016) Rothhammer, Veit; Mascanfroni, Ivan D.; Bunse, Lukas; Takenaka, Maisa C.; Kenison, Jessica E.; Mayo, Lior; Chao, Chun-Cheih; Patel, Bonny; Yan, Raymond; Blain, Manon; Alvarez, Jorge I.; Kébir, Hania; Anandasabapathy, Niroshana; Izquierdo, Guillermo; Jung, Steffen; Obholzer, Nikolaus; Pochet, Nathalie; Clish, Clary B.; Prinz, Marco; Prat, Alexandre; Antel, Jack; Quintana, FranciscoAstrocytes play important roles in the central nervous system (CNS) during health and disease. Through genome-wide analyses we detected a transcriptional response to type I interferons (IFN-I) in astrocytes during experimental CNS autoimmunity and also in CNS lesions from multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. IFN-I signaling in astrocytes reduces inflammation and experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) disease scores via the ligand-activated transcription factor aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) and suppressor of cytokine signaling 2 (SOCS2). The anti-inflammatory effects of nasally administered IFN-β are partly mediated by AhR. Dietary tryptophan is metabolized by the gut microbiota into AhR agonists that act on astrocytes to limit CNS inflammation. EAE scores were increased following ampicillin treatment during the recovery phase, and CNS inflammation was reduced in antibiotic-treated mice by supplementation with the tryptophan metabolites indole, indoxyl-3-sulfate (I3S), indole-3-propionic acid (IPA) and indole-3-aldehyde (IAld), or the bacterial enzyme tryptophanase. In individuals with MS, the circulating levels of AhR agonists were decreased. These findings suggest that IFN-I produced in the CNS act in combination with metabolites derived from dietary tryptophan by the gut flora to activate AhR signaling in astrocytes and suppress CNS inflammation.Publication Immunological Relevance of the Coevolution of IDO1 and AHR(Frontiers Media S.A., 2014) Jaronen, Merja; Quintana, FranciscoThe aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) is a ligand-activated transcription factor initially identified because of its role in controlling the cellular response to environmental molecules. More recently, AHR has been shown to play a crucial role in controlling innate and adaptive immune responses through several mechanisms, one of which is the regulation of tryptophan metabolism. Indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) and tryptophan-2,3-dioxygenase (TDO) are considered rate-limiting enzymes in the tryptophan catabolism and play important roles in the regulation of the immunity. Moreover, AHR and IDO/TDO are closely interconnected: AHR regulates IDO and TDO expression, and kynurenine produced by IDO/TDO is an AHR agonist. In this review, we propose to examine the relationship between AHR and IDO/TDO and its relevance for the regulation of the immune response in health and disease.Publication IL-21 induces IL-22 production in CD4+ T-cells(2014) Yeste, Ada; Mascanfroni, Ivan D.; Nadeau, Meghan; Burns, Evan J.; Tukpah, Ann-Marcia; Santiago, Andrezza; Wu, Chuan; Patel, Bonny; Kumar, Deepak; Quintana, FranciscoIL-22 produced by innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) and CD4+ T cells plays an important role in host defense and mucosal homeostasis, thus it is important to investigate the mechanisms that regulate IL-22 production. We investigated the regulation IL-22 production by CD4+ T cells. Here we show that IL-21 triggers IL-22, but not IL-17 production by CD4+ T cells. STAT3, activated by IL-21, controls the epigenetic status of the il22 promoter and its interaction with the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR). Moreover, IL-21 and AhR signaling in T cells control IL-22 production and the development of dextran sodium sulfate-induced colitis in ILC-deficient mice. Thus, we have identified IL-21 as an inducer of IL-22 production in CD4+ T cells in vitro and in vivo.Publication Alterations of the human gut microbiome in multiple sclerosis(Nature Publishing Group, 2016) Jangi, Sushrut; Gandhi, Roopali; Cox, Laura; Li, Ning; von Glehn, Felipe; Yan, Raymond; Patel, Bonny; Mazzola, Maria; Liu, Shirong; Glanz, Bonnie; Cook, Sandra; Tankou, Stephanie; Stuart, Fiona; Melo, Kirsy; Nejad, Parham; Smith, Kathleen; Topçuolu, Begüm D.; Holden, James; Kivisakk, Pia; Chitnis, Tanuja; De Jager, Philip; Quintana, Francisco; Gerber, Georg; Bry, Lynn; Weiner, HowardThe gut microbiome plays an important role in immune function and has been implicated in several autoimmune disorders. Here we use 16S rRNA sequencing to investigate the gut microbiome in subjects with multiple sclerosis (MS, n=60) and healthy controls (n=43). Microbiome alterations in MS include increases in Methanobrevibacter and Akkermansia and decreases in Butyricimonas, and correlate with variations in the expression of genes involved in dendritic cell maturation, interferon signalling and NF-kB signalling pathways in circulating T cells and monocytes. Patients on disease-modifying treatment show increased abundances of Prevotella and Sutterella, and decreased Sarcina, compared with untreated patients. MS patients of a second cohort show elevated breath methane compared with controls, consistent with our observation of increased gut Methanobrevibacter in MS in the first cohort. Further study is required to assess whether the observed alterations in the gut microbiome play a role in, or are a consequence of, MS pathogenesis.Publication 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, HowardSee 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.Publication Quantitative MRI study of Pineal Gland in MS.(2016) Egorova, Svetlana; Denes, Palma; Polgar-Turcsanyi, Mariann; Anderson, Mark; Cavallari, Michele; Guttmann, Charles; Glanz, Bonnie; Chitnis, Tanuja; Bove, Riley; Buckle, Guy; De Jager, Philip; Severson, Cristopher; Stankiewicz, James; Houtchens, Maria; Quintana, Francisco; Gandhi, Roopali; Webb, Pia; Meier, Dominik; Healy, Brian; Weiner, Howard
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