B7-H3 Promotes Pathogenesis of Autoimmune Disease and Inflammation by Regulating the Activity of Different T Cell Subsets

PLoS One. 2015 Jun 11;10(6):e0130126. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0130126. eCollection 2015.

Abstract

B7-H3 is a cell surface molecule in the immunoglobulin superfamily that is frequently upregulated in response to autoantigens and pathogens during host T cell immune responses. However, B7-H3's role in the differential regulation of T cell subsets remains largely unknown. Therefore, we constructed a new B7-H3 deficient mouse strain (B7-H3 KO) and evaluated the functions of B7-H3 in the regulation of Th1, Th2, and Th17 subsets in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), experimental asthma, and collagen-induced arthritis (CIA); these mouse models were used to predict human immune responses in multiple sclerosis, asthma, and rheumatoid arthritis, respectively. Here, we demonstrate that B7-H3 KO mice have significantly less inflammation, decreased pathogenesis, and limited disease progression in both EAE and CIA mouse models when compared with littermates; these results were accompanied by a decrease in IFN-γ and IL-17 production. In sharp contrast, B7-H3 KO mice developed severe ovalbumin (OVA)-induced asthma with characteristic infiltrations of eosinophils in the lung, increased IL-5 and IL-13 in lavage fluid, and elevated IgE anti-OVA antibodies in the blood. Our results suggest B7-H3 has a costimulatory function on Th1/Th17 but a coinhibitory function on Th2 responses. Our studies reveal that B7-H3 could affect different T cell subsets which have important implications for regulating pathogenesis and disease progression in human autoimmune disease.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Apoptosis
  • Arthritis, Experimental / chemically induced
  • Arthritis, Experimental / immunology
  • Arthritis, Experimental / pathology*
  • Asthma / chemically induced
  • Asthma / immunology
  • Asthma / pathology*
  • B7 Antigens / physiology*
  • Blotting, Western
  • Cell Differentiation
  • Cell Proliferation
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Encephalomyelitis, Autoimmune, Experimental / chemically induced
  • Encephalomyelitis, Autoimmune, Experimental / immunology
  • Encephalomyelitis, Autoimmune, Experimental / pathology*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Immunoenzyme Techniques
  • Inflammation / chemically induced
  • Inflammation / immunology
  • Inflammation / pathology*
  • Lymphocyte Activation
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Mice, Knockout
  • RNA, Messenger / genetics
  • Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Th1 Cells / immunology*
  • Th17 Cells / immunology*
  • Th2 Cells / immunology*

Substances

  • B7 Antigens
  • Cd276 protein, mouse
  • RNA, Messenger