| First Author | Raveney BJ | Year | 2022 |
| Journal | EMBO Mol Med | Volume | 14 |
| Issue | 10 | Pages | e15864 |
| PubMed ID | 36069030 | Mgi Jnum | J:330044 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:7355269 | Doi | 10.15252/emmm.202215864 |
| Citation | Raveney BJ, et al. (2022) Neuropilin-1 (NRP1) expression distinguishes self-reactive helper T cells in systemic autoimmune disease. EMBO Mol Med 14(10):e15864 |
| abstractText | Pathogenic T helper cells (Th cells) that respond to self-antigen cannot be easily distinguished from beneficial Th cells. These cells can generate systemic autoimmune disease in response to widely expressed self-antigens. In this study, we have identified neuropilin-1 (NRP1) as a cell surface marker of self-reactive Th cells. NRP1(+) Th cells, absent in non-regulatory T cell subsets in normal mice, appeared in models of systemic autoimmune disease and strongly correlated with disease symptoms. NRP1(+) Th cells were greatly reduced in Nr4a2 cKO mice, which have reduced self-reactive responses but showed normal responses against exogenous antigens. Transfer of NRP1(+) Th cells was sufficient to initiate or accelerate systemic autoimmune disease, and targeting NRP1-expressing Th cells therapeutically ameliorated SLE-like autoimmune symptoms in BXSB-Yaa mice. Peripheral NRP1(+) Th cells were significantly increased in human SLE patients. Our data suggest that self-reactive Th cells can be phenotypically distinguished within the Th cell pool. These findings offer a novel approach to identify self-reactive Th cells and target them to treat systemic autoimmune disease. |
