@phdthesis{Weirather2014,
  author    = {Weirather, Johannes},
  title     = {Role of CD4+ T lymphocytes in cardiac wound healing and remodeling after experimental myocardial infarction in mice},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-107225},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2014},
  abstract  = {Cardiac healing after myocardial infarction (MI) represents the cardinal prerequisite for proper replacement of the irreversibly injured myocardium. In contrast to innate immunity, the functional role of adaptive immunity in postinfarction healing has not been systematically addressed. The present study focused on the influence of CD4+ T lymphocytes on wound healing and cardiac remodeling after experimental myocardial infarction in mice. Both conventional and Foxp3+ regulatory CD4+ T cells (Treg cells) became activated in heart draining lymph nodes after MI and accumulated in the infarcted myocardium. T cell activation was strictly antigen-dependant as T cell receptor-transgenic OT-II mice in which CD4+ T cells exhibit a highly limited T cell receptor repertoire did not expand in heart-draining lymph nodes post-MI. Both OT-II and major histocompatibility complex class II-deficient mice lacking a CD4+ T cell compartment showed a fatal clinical postinfarction outcome characterized by disturbed scar tissue construction that resulted in impaired survival due to a prevalence of left-ventricular ruptures. To assess the contribution of anti-inflammatory Treg cells on wound healing after MI, the Treg cell compartment was depleted using DEREG mice that specifically express the human diphtheria toxin receptor in Foxp3-positive cells, resulting in Treg cell ablation after diphtheria toxin administration. In a parallel line of experiments, a second model of anti-CD25 antibody-mediated Treg cell immuno-depletion was used. Treg cell ablation prior to MI resulted in adverse postinfarction left-ventricular dilatation associated with cardiac deterioration. Mechanistically, Treg cell depletion resulted in an increased recruitment of pro-inflammatory neutrophils and Ly-6Chigh monocytes into the healing myocardium. Furthermore, Treg cell-ablated mice exhibited an adverse activation of conventional non-regulatory CD4+ and CD8+ T cells that showed a reinforced infiltration into the infarct zone. Increased synthesis of TNFα and IFNγ by conventional CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in hearts of Treg cell-depleted mice provoked an M1-like macrophage polarization characterized by heightened expression of healing-compromising induced NO synthase, in line with a reduced synthesis of healing-promoting transglutaminase factor XIII (FXIII), osteopontin (OPN) and transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGFβ1). Therapeutic Treg cell activation by a superagonistic anti-CD28 monoclonal antibody stimulated Treg cell accumulation in the infarct zone and led to an increased expression of mediators inducing an M2-like macrophage polarization state, i.e. interleukin-10, interleukin-13 and TGFβ1. M2-like macrophage differentiation in the healing infarct was associated with heightened expression of scar-forming procollagens as well as scar-stabilizing FXIII and OPN, resulting in improved survival due to a reduced incidence of left-ventricular ruptures. Therapeutic Treg cell activation and the induction of a beneficial M2-like macrophage polarization was further achieved by employing a treatment modality of high clinical potential, i.e. by therapeutic administration of IL-2/ anti-IL-2 monoclonal antibody complexes. The findings of the present study suggest that therapeutic Treg cell activation and the resulting improvement of healing may represent a suitable strategy to attenuate adverse infarct expansion, left-ventricular remodeling, or infarct ruptures in patients with MI.},
  subject      = {Antigen CD4},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Camara2014,
  author    = {Camara, Monika},
  title     = {Die Rolle der CD8+ T Zellen in der Pathogenese der Experimentellen Autoimmunen Enzephalomyelitis in der Lewis Ratte},
  publisher = {Journal of Neuroimmunology (2013)},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-98497},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2014},
  abstract  = {Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and its corresponding animal model Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis (EAE) are autoimmune diseases of the central nervous system (CNS). Besides CD4+ T cells specific for myelin-derived antigens CD8+ T cells additionally contribute to the pathogenesis of that disease. However, the role of CD8+ T cells during the induction phase of the disease outside the CNS has not been clarified so far. Thus the contribution of CD8+ T cells to the immunopathogenesis of EAE in the Lewis rat was investigated in this work. For that purpose active EAE was induced in normal Lewis rats and animals that were deficient for CD8+ T cells due to the application of CD8-specific monoclonal antibodies. The CD8-depleted animals showed diminished disease activity in comparison to control rats. Equally, CD8-knockout rats, characterized by the absence of functional CD8+ T cells, developed clearly reduced symptoms of the disease in comparison to wild type littermates. Reduced disease activity of the CD8-deficient animals was accompanied by reduced infiltration of T cells and macrophages into the CNS. In the draining lymph nodes activated gpMBP-specific CD4+ T cells could be detected in the absence of CD8+ T cells, but they produced less amounts of proinflammatory cytokines like interferon-gamma than CD4+ T cells of normal rats. Obviously in the active EAE, myelin-specific CD4+ T cells are not able to differentiate completely into effector cells and invade the CNS upon absence of CD8+ T cells. In contrast fully differentiated encephalitogenic CD4+ effector cells equally potently induced EAE upon transfer into either normal or CD8-deficient rats. Hence, the pathogenic potential of completely differentiated CD4+ effector cells does not depend on the presence of CD8+ T cells. With the help of a rat-IFN-gamma ELISpot interferon-gamma-producing gpMBP-specific CD8+ T cells were detected in animals immunized with gpMBP. To directly detect gpMBP-specific CD8+ T cells, RT1.Al-Ig dimeres were generated and loaded with different gpMBP-derived peptides. Indeed, CD8+ T cells specifically recognizing RT1.Al-Ig dimeres loaded with gpMBP125-133 could be detected in the draining lymph nodes of rats, immunized with gpMBP in CFA. The results of this work allow the conclusion that in the EAE of the Lewis rat interferon--producing CD8+ T cells interact with myelin-specific CD4+ T cells, thus licensing these cells to differentiate into CNS invading effector cells.},
  subject      = {Multiple Sklerose},
  language  = {de}
}