Identification of the early VIP-regulated transcriptome and its associated, interactome in resting and activated murine CD4 T cells

Mol Immunol. 2010 Mar;47(6):1181-94. doi: 10.1016/j.molimm.2010.01.003. Epub 2010 Feb 1.

Abstract

More than 40 years after the discovery of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), its transcriptome in the immune system has still not been completely elucidated. In an attempt to understand the biological role of this neuropeptide in immunity, we chose CD4 T cells as a cellular system. Agilent Mouse Whole Genome microarrays were hybridized with fluorescently labeled total RNA isolated from resting CD4 T cells cultured +/-10(-7)M VIP for 5h or PMA/ionomycin activated CD4 T cells cultured +/-10(-7)M VIP for 5h. These VIP-regulated transcriptomes were analyzed by Significance Analysis of Microarrays (SAM) and Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) software to identify relevant signaling pathways modulated by VIP in the absence and presence of T cell activation. In resting CD4 T cells, VIP-modulated 368 genes, ranging from 3.49 to -4.78-fold. In the PMA/ionomycin activated CD4 T cells, 326 gene expression levels were changed by VIP, ranging from 2.94 to -1.66-fold. IPA analysis revealed that VIP exposure alters cellular function through EGFR signaling in resting CD4 T cells, and modulates immediate early genes, Fos and CREM/ICER, in activated CD4 T cells. These gene expression changes are suggested to explain at a molecular level how VIP can regulate T cell homing to the gut and induce regulatory T cell generation.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / drug effects
  • CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / metabolism*
  • Female
  • Gene Expression Profiling*
  • Gene Expression Regulation / drug effects*
  • Gene Regulatory Networks
  • Lymphocyte Activation / drug effects*
  • Lymphocyte Activation / genetics*
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis
  • Phenotype
  • Receptors, Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide / genetics
  • Receptors, Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide / metabolism
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Signal Transduction / drug effects*
  • Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate / pharmacology
  • Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide / pharmacology*

Substances

  • Receptors, Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide
  • Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide
  • Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate