@phdthesis{Boerner2020,
  author    = {B{\"o}rner, Kevin},
  title     = {How CLEC16A modifies the function of thymic epithelial cells},
  doi       = {10.25972/OPUS-20023},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-200230},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2020},
  abstract  = {Genomweite Assoziationsstudien haben CLEC16A als ein Suszeptibilit{\"a}tsgen f{\"u}r Typ 1 Diabetes und weitere Autoimmunerkrankungen identifiziert. Die genaue Funktion von CLEC16A bleibt jedoch ungekl{\"a}rt. Studien zeigten, dass sowohl das Drosophila Ortholog ema als auch das murine Clec16a eine Rolle in Autophagie spielen. Autophagie tr{\"a}gt zur Beladung der MHC-Klasse-II Molek{\"u}le und somit der Antigenpr{\"a}sentation bei. Dar{\"u}ber hinaus konnten Studien belegen, dass Autophagie zur Antigenpr{\"a}sentation w{\"a}hrend der T-Zell Selektion in Thymus-Epithelzellen ben{\"o}tigt wird. Dies schl{\"a}gt eine m{\"o}gliche Funktion von CLEC16A in Thymus-Epithelzellen w{\"a}hrend der T-Zell Selektion vor. Außerdem berichteten Arbeiten, dass CLEC16A als quantitativer Trait Locus f{\"u}r seine Nachbargene fungiert und dass Clec16a KD in Langerhans Inseln im Pankreas die Insulinsekretion und den Glukosestoffwechsel beeintr{\"a}chtigt. Dieser Arbeit vorausgehend hatten Schuster et al. eine Clec16a KD NOD Maus generiert, welche vor spontanem autoimmunem Diabetes gesch{\"u}tzt war. F{\"u}r diese Arbeit wurde vermutet, dass CLEC16A als Suszeptibilit{\"a}tsgen f{\"u}r Typ 1 Diabetes den Prozess der Autophagie in Thymus-Epithelzellen beeintr{\"a}chtigt und somit Antigenpr{\"a}sentation und das T-Zell Repertoire beeinflusst. Um auf der Vorarbeit von Schuster et al. aufzubauen und diese zu erg{\"a}nzen, zielte diese Arbeit darauf ab, den Einfluss von CLEC16A auf Thymus-Epithelzellen zu untersuchen. Hierf{\"u}r wurde ein CLEC16A KD in menschlichen Zellen mittels RNA Interferenz erzeugt und Autophagie durch Immunoblotting untersucht. Zus{\"a}tzlich wurde die Entz{\"u}ndung im Pankreasgewebe von Clec16a KD NOD M{\"a}usen mittels H.E. F{\"a}rbung beurteilt und bewertet. Thymus-Transplanationen wurden durchgef{\"u}hrt, um zu sehen, ob der Einfluss von Clec16a KD T-Zell intrinsisch ist. Außerdem wurden intraperitoneale Glukosetoleranztests durchgef{\"u}hrt, um den Blutzuckerstoffwechsel in Clec16a KD M{\"a}usen zu beurteilen. Schließlich wurden mittels qPCR Expressionslevel der benachbarten Gene, wie zum Beispiel Dexi und Socs1, erhoben, um die Eigenschaften von CLEC16A als quantitativer Trait Locus einzuordnen. Gemeinsam mit den Ergebnissen von Schuster et al. kann diese Arbeit aufzeigen, dass Clec16a KD die Auspr{\"a}gung von Insulitis im Pankreas reduziert und Clec16a KD NOD M{\"a}use vor spontanem Autoimmundiabetes sch{\"u}tzt. Dieser Schutz vor Erkrankung wird durch beeintr{\"a}chtigte Autophagie in Thymus-Epithelzellen hervorgerufen, welche die T-Zell Selektion beeinflusst und die Reaktivit{\"a}t von T-Zellen reduziert. Der Einfluss des Clec16a KD ist innerhalb des Thymus wirksam. Der Blutzuckerstoffwechsel in Clec16a KD NOD M{\"a}usen bleibt unver{\"a}ndert und kann deshalb als Ursache f{\"u}r den Schutz vor Type 1 Diabetes ausgeschlossen werden. Clec16a und Dexi zeigen {\"a}hnliche Expressionslevel auf, dennoch ben{\"o}tigt es weitere detaillierte Studien, um eine Beziehung zwischen den beiden Genen etablieren zu k{\"o}nnen. Letztlich konnte die Beeintr{\"a}chtigung von Autophagie in menschlichen CLEC16A KD Zellen nachgewiesen werden, was bedeutet, dass die Funktion von CLEC16A evolution{\"a}r konserviert ist und ein m{\"o}glicher Zusammenhang zwischen CLEC16A Polymorphismen und einem erh{\"o}hten Risiko f{\"u}r Typ 1 Diabetes im Menschen besteht.},
  subject      = {Thymus},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Pletinckx2011,
  author    = {Pletinckx, Katrien},
  title     = {Dendritic cell maturation and instruction of CD4+ T cell tolerance in vitro},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-67375},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2011},
  abstract  = {Effective T cell immunity was believed to occur by mature DC, whereas tolerogenicity was attributed strictly to immature DC phenotypes. However, intermediate DC maturation stages were identified conditioned by inflammatory mediators like TNF. Furthermore, the T cell tolerance mechanisms are dependent on distinct modes and intensities of co-stimulation. Therefore, in this study it was addressed how distinct DC maturation signatures instruct CD4+ T cell tolerance mechanisms. DC acquire antigens from apoptotic cells for self-peptide-MHC presentation and functionally adapt presumed tolerogenic DC phenotypes. Here, immature murine bone-marrow derived DC representing both inflammatory and conventional DC subsets adapted a maturationresistant DC signature upon apoptotic cell recognition but no additional tolerogenic features. Immature DC instruct CD4+ FoxP3+ regulatory T cells in a TGF-β prone micro-environment or generate anergic CD4+ T cells hampered in the TCR-induced proliferation and IL-2 secretion. Secondary stimulation of such anergic CD4+ T cells by immature DC increased primarily IL-10 production and conferred regulatory function. These IL-10+ regulatory T cells expressed high levels of CTLA-4, which is potently induced by immature DC in particular. Data in this work showed that anergic T cells can be re-programmed to become IL-10+ regulatory T cells upon ligation of CTLA-4 and CD28 signalling cascades by B7 costimulatory ligands on immature DC. In contrast, semi-mature DC phenotypes conditioned by the inflammatory mediator TNF prevented autoimmune disorders by induction of IL-10+ Th2 responses as demonstrated previously. Here, it was shown that TNF as an endogenous maturation stimulus and pathogenic Trypanosoma brucei variant-specific surface glycoproteins (VSG) induced highly similar DC gene expression signatures which instructed default effector Th2 responses. Repetitive administration of the differentially conditioned semi-mature DC effectively skewed T cell immunity to IL-10+ Th2 cells, mediating immune deviation and suppression. Collectively, the data presented in this work provide novel insights how immature and partially mature DC phenotypes generate T cell tolerance mechanisms in vitro, which has important implications for the design of effective DC-targeted vaccines. Unravelling the DC maturation signatures is central to the long-standing quest to break tolerance mimicked by malignant tumours or re-establish immune homeostasis in allergic or autoimmune disorders.},
  subject      = {Dendritische Zelle},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Lin2004,
  author    = {Lin, Chia-Huey},
  title     = {Functional characterization of rat CTLA-4 and CD25+CD4+ regulatory T cells},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-8521},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg},
  year      = {2004},
  abstract  = {Summary: In the present work, two important negative regulators of T cell responses in rats were examined. At the molecular level, rat CTLA-4, a receptor important for deactivating T cell responses, was examined for the expression pattern and in vitro functions. For this purpose, anti-rat CTLA-4 mAbs were generated. Consistent with the studies in mice and humans, rat CTLA-4 was detectable only in CD25+CD4+ regulatory T cells in unstimulated rats, and was upregulated in all activated T cells. Cross-linking rat CTLA-4 led to the deactivation of anti-TCR- and anti-CD28 stimulated (costimulation) T cell responses such as reduction in activation marker expression, proliferation, and cytokine IL-2 production. Although T cells stimulated with the superagonistic anti-CD28 antibody alone without TCR engagement also increased their CTLA-4 expression, a delayed kinetics of CTLA-4 upregulation was found in cells stimulated in this way. The physiological relevance of this finding needs further investigation. At the cellular level, rat CD25+CD4+ regulatory T cells were examined here in detail. Using rat anti-CTLA-4 mAbs, the phenotype of CD25+CD4+ regulatory T cells was investigated. Identical to the mouse and human Treg phenotype, rat CD25+CD4+ T cells constitutively expressed CTLA-4, were predominantly CD45RC low, and expressed high level of CD62L (L-selectin). CD25+CD4+ cells proliferated poorly and were unable to produce IL-2 upon engagement of the TCR and CD28. Furthermore, rat CD25+CD4+ cells produced high amounts of anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 upon stimulation. Importantly, freshly isolated CD25+CD4+ T cells from na{\"i}ve rats exhibited suppressor activities in the in vitro suppressor assays. In vitro, CD25+CD4+ regulatory T cells proliferated vigorously upon superagonistic anti-CD28 stimulation and became very potent suppressor cells. In vivo, a single injection of CD28 superagonist into rats induced transient accumulation and activation of CD25+CD4+ regulatory T cells. These findings suggest firstly that efficient expansion of CD25+CD4+ cells without losing their suppressive effects (even enhance their suppressive activities) can be achieved with the superagonistic anti- CD28 antibody in vitro. Secondly, the induction of disproportional expansion of CD25+CD4+ cells by a single injection of superagonistic anti-CD28 antibody in vivo implies that superagonistic anti-CD28 antibody may be a promising candidate in treating autoimmune diseases by causing a transient increase of activated CD25+CD4+ T cells and thus tipping ongoing autoimmune responses toward selftolerance.},
  subject      = {Ratte},
  language  = {en}
}