TY  - JOUR
A1  - Gernert, Michael
A1  - Tony, Hans-Peter
A1  - Schwanek, Eva Christina
A1  - Gadeholt, Ottar
A1  - Fröhlich, Matthias
A1  - Portegys, Jan
A1  - Strunz, Patrick-Pascal
A1  - Schmalzing, Marc
T1  - Lymphocyte subsets in the peripheral blood are disturbed in systemic sclerosis patients and can be changed by immunosuppressive medication
JF  - Rheumatology International
N2  - Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a severe chronic disease with a broad spectrum of clinical manifestations. SSc displays disturbed lymphocyte homeostasis. Immunosuppressive medications targeting T or B cells can improve disease manifestations. SSc clinical manifestations and immunosuppressive medication in itself can cause changes in lymphocyte subsets. The aim of this study was to investigate peripheral lymphocyte homeostasis in SSc with regards to the immunosuppression and to major organ involvement. 44 SSc patients and 19 healthy donors (HD) were included. Immunophenotyping of peripheral whole blood by fluorescence-activated cell sorting was performed. Cytokine secretions of stimulated B cell cultures were measured. SSc patients without immunosuppression compared to HD displayed lower γδ T cells, lower T helper cells (CD3+/CD4+), lower transitional B cells (CD19+/CD38++/CD10+/IgD+), lower pre-switched memory B cells (CD19+/CD27+/IgD+), and lower post-switched memory B cells (CD19+/CD27+/IgD-). There was no difference in the cytokine production of whole B cell cultures between SSc and HD. Within the SSc cohort, mycophenolate intake was associated with lower T helper cells and lower NK cells (CD56+/CD3-). The described differences in peripheral lymphocyte subsets between SSc and HD generate further insight in SSc pathogenesis. Lymphocyte changes under effective immunosuppression indicate how lymphocyte homeostasis in SSc might be restored.
KW  - mycophenolate
KW  - systemic sclerosis
KW  - scleroderma
KW  - memory B cells
KW  - B cell culture
KW  - cytokines
KW  - γδ T cells
KW  - immunophenotyping
Y1  - 2022
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-266482
SN  - 1437-160X
VL  - 42
IS  - 8
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Mahmood, Zafar
A1  - Schmalzing, Marc
A1  - Dörner, Thomas
A1  - Tony, Hans-Peter
A1  - Muhammad, Khalid
T1  - Therapeutic Cytokine Inhibition Modulates Activation and Homing Receptors of Peripheral Memory B Cell Subsets in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients
JF  - Frontiers in Immunology
N2  - Memory B cells have known to play an important role in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). With the emergence of B cell-targeted therapies, the modulation of memory B cells appears to be a key therapeutic target. Human peripheral memory B cells can be distinguished based on the phenotypic expression of CD27 and IgD, characterizing the three major B cell subpopulations: CD27+IgD+ pre-switch, CD27+IgD- post-switch, and CD27-IgD- double-negative memory B cells. We evaluated different memory cell populations for activation markers (CD95 and Ki-67) and chemokine receptors (CXCR3 and 4) expressing B cells in active RA, as well as under IL6-R blockade by tocilizumab (TCZ) and TNF-α blockade by adalimumab (ADA). Memory B cells were phenotypically analyzed from RA patients at baseline, week 12, and week 24 under TCZ or ADA treatment, respectively. Using flow cytometry, surface expression of CD95, intracellular Ki-67, and surface expressions of CXCR3 and CXCR4 were determined. Compared with healthy donors (n = 40), the phenotypic analysis of RA patients (n = 80) demonstrated that all three types of memory B cells were activated in RA patients. Surface and intracellular staining of B cells showed a significantly higher percentage of CD95+ (p < 0.0001) and Ki-67+ (p < 0.0001) cells, with numerically altered CXCR3+ and CXCR4+ cells in RA. CD95 and Ki-67 expressions were highest in post-switch memory B cells, whereas CD19+CXCR3+ and CD19+CXCR4+ expressing cells were substantially higher in the pre-switch compartment. In all subsets of the memory B cells, in vivo IL-6R, and TNF-α blockade significantly reduced the enhanced expressions of CD95 and Ki-67. Based on our findings, we conclude that the three major peripheral memory B cell populations, pre-, post-switch, and double-negative B cells, are activated in RA, demonstrating enhanced CD95 and Ki-67 expressions, and varied expression of CXCR3 and CXCR4 chemokine receptors when compared with healthy individuals. This activation can be efficaciously modulated under cytokine inhibition in vivo.
KW  - B cells
KW  - inflammation
KW  - adalimumab
KW  - tocilizumab (IL-6 inhibitor)
KW  - memory B cells
KW  - rheumatoid arhritis
Y1  - 2020
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-212380
SN  - 1664-3224
VL  - 11
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Boivin, Valérie
A1  - Beyersdorf, Niklas
A1  - Palm, Dieter
A1  - Nikolaev, Viacheslav O.
A1  - Schlipp, Angela
A1  - Müller, Justus
A1  - Schmidt, Doris
A1  - Kocoski, Vladimir
A1  - Kerkau, Thomas
A1  - Hünig, Thomas
A1  - Ertl, Georg
A1  - Lohse, Martin J.
A1  - Jahns, Roland
T1  - Novel Receptor-Derived Cyclopeptides to Treat Heart Failure Caused by \(Anti-β_1-Adrenoceptor\) Antibodies in a Human-Analogous Rat Model
JF  - PLoS One
N2  - Despite recent therapeutic advances the prognosis of heart failure remains poor. Recent research suggests that heart failure is a heterogeneous syndrome and that many patients have stimulating auto-antibodies directed against the second extracellular loop of the \(β_1\) adrenergic receptor \((β_1EC2)\). In a human-analogous rat model such antibodies cause myocyte damage and heart failure. Here we used this model to test a novel antibody-directed strategy aiming to prevent and/or treat antibody-induced cardiomyopathy. To generate heart failure, we immunised n = 76/114 rats with a fusion protein containing the human β1EC2 (amino-acids 195–225) every 4 weeks; n = 38/114 rats were control-injected with 0.9% NaCl. Intravenous application of a novel cyclic peptide mimicking \(β_1EC2\) (\(β_1EC2-CP\), 1.0 mg/kg every 4 weeks) or administration of the \(β_1-blocker\) bisoprolol (15 mg/kg/day orally) was initiated either 6 weeks (cardiac function still normal, prevention-study, n = 24 (16 treated vs. 8 untreated)) or 8.5 months after the 1st immunisation (onset of cardiomyopathy, therapy-study, n = 52 (40 treated vs. 12 untreated)); n = 8/52 rats from the therapy-study received \(β_1EC2-CP/bisoprolol\) co-treatment. We found that \(β_1EC2-CP\) prevented and (alone or as add-on drug) treated antibody-induced cardiac damage in the rat, and that its efficacy was superior to mono-treatment with bisoprolol, a standard drug in heart failure. While bisoprolol mono-therapy was able to stop disease-progression, \(β_1EC2-CP\) mono-therapy -or as an add-on to bisoprolol- almost fully reversed antibody-induced cardiac damage. The cyclo¬peptide acted both by scavenging free \(anti-β_1EC2-antibodies\) and by targeting \(β_1EC2\)-specific memory B-cells involved in antibody-production. Our model provides the basis for the clinical translation of a novel double-acting therapeutic strategy that scavenges harmful \(anti-β_1EC2-antibodies\) and also selectively depletes memory B-cells involved in the production of such antibodies. Treatment with immuno-modulating cyclopeptides alone or as an add-on to \(β_1\)-blockade represents a promising new therapeutic option in immune-mediated heart failure.
KW  - memory B cells
KW  - antibodies
KW  - T cells
KW  - B cells
KW  - heart
KW  - heart failure
KW  - kidneys
KW  - enzyme-linked immunoassays
Y1  - 2015
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-126028
VL  - 10
IS  - 2
ER  -