Estrogen regulates sex-specific localization of regulatory T cells in adipose tissue of obese female mice

PLoS One. 2020 Apr 2;15(4):e0230885. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0230885. eCollection 2020.

Abstract

Regulatory T cells (Treg) play essential roles in maintaining immune homeostasis. Resident Treg in visceral adipose tissue (VAT-Treg) decrease in male obese mice, which leads to the development of obesity-associated chronic inflammations and insulin resistance. Although gender differences in immune responses have been reported, the effects of the difference in metabolic environment on VAT-Treg are unclear. We investigated the localization of VAT-Treg in female mice in comparison with that in male mice. On a high-fat diet (HFD), VAT-Treg decreased in male mice but increased in female mice. The increase was abolished in ovariectomized and HFD-fed mice, but was restored by estrogen supplementation. The IL33 receptor ST2, which is important for the localization and maturation of VAT-Treg in males, was reduced in CD4+CD25+ T cells isolated from gonadal fat of obese mice of both genders, suggesting that a different system exists for VAT-Treg localization in females. Extensive analysis of chemokine expression in gonadal fat and adipose CD4+CD25+T cells revealed several chemokine signals related to female-specific VAT-Treg accumulation such as CCL24, CCR6, and CXCR3. Taken together, the current study demonstrated sexual dimorphism in VAT-Treg localization in obese mice. Estrogen may attenuate obesity-associated chronic inflammation partly through altering chemokine-related VAT-Treg localization in females.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adipose Tissue / metabolism
  • Adiposity
  • Animals
  • Diet, High-Fat
  • Estradiol / pharmacology
  • Estrogens / immunology
  • Estrogens / metabolism*
  • Female
  • Inflammation / metabolism
  • Insulin Resistance / immunology
  • Interleukin-1 Receptor-Like 1 Protein / metabolism
  • Intra-Abdominal Fat / metabolism
  • Macrophages / metabolism
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Obesity / immunology*
  • Sex Factors
  • T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / immunology
  • T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / metabolism*

Substances

  • Estrogens
  • Il1rl1 protein, mouse
  • Interleukin-1 Receptor-Like 1 Protein
  • Estradiol

Grants and funding

This study was funded by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number JP15K09410) to TW and a research grant from Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation to TW. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.