TY - JOUR
T1 - Murine lupus susceptibility locus Sle1c2 mediates CD4+ T cell activation and maps to estrogen-related receptor γ
AU - Perry, Daniel J.
AU - Yin, Yiming
AU - Telarico, Tiffany
AU - Baker, Henry V.
AU - Dozmorov, Igor
AU - Perl, Andras
AU - Morel, Laurence
PY - 2012/7/15
Y1 - 2012/7/15
N2 - Sle1c is a sublocus of the NZM2410-derived Sle1 major lupus susceptibility locus. We have shown previously that Sle1c contributes to lupus pathogenesis by conferring increased CD4+ T cell activation and increased susceptibility to chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD), which mapped to the centromeric portion of the locus. In this study, we have refined the centromeric sublocus to a 675-kb interval, termed Sle1c2. Mice from recombinant congenic strains expressing Sle1c2 exhibited increased CD4+ T cell intrinsic activation and cGVHD susceptibility, similar to mice with the parental Sle1c. In addition, B6. Sle1c2 mice displayed a robust expansion of IFN-γ - expressing T cells. NZB complementation studies showed that Sle1c2 expression exacerbated B cell activation, autoantibody production, and renal pathology, verifying that Sle1c2 contributes to lupus pathogenesis. The Sle1c2 interval contains two genes, only one of which, Esrrg, is expressed in T cells. B6.Sle1c2 CD4+ T cells expressed less Esrrg than B6 CD4+ T cells, and Esrrg expression was correlated negatively with CD4+ T cell activation. Esrrg encodes an orphan nuclear receptor that regulates oxidative metabolism and mitochondrial functions. In accordance with reduced Esrrg expression, B6. Sle1c2 CD4+ T cells present reduced mitochondrial mass and altered mitochondrial functions as well as altered metabolic pathway utilization when compared with B6 CD4+ T cells. Taken together, we propose Esrrg as a novel lupus susceptibility gene regulating CD4+ T cell function through their mitochondrial metabolism.
AB - Sle1c is a sublocus of the NZM2410-derived Sle1 major lupus susceptibility locus. We have shown previously that Sle1c contributes to lupus pathogenesis by conferring increased CD4+ T cell activation and increased susceptibility to chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD), which mapped to the centromeric portion of the locus. In this study, we have refined the centromeric sublocus to a 675-kb interval, termed Sle1c2. Mice from recombinant congenic strains expressing Sle1c2 exhibited increased CD4+ T cell intrinsic activation and cGVHD susceptibility, similar to mice with the parental Sle1c. In addition, B6. Sle1c2 mice displayed a robust expansion of IFN-γ - expressing T cells. NZB complementation studies showed that Sle1c2 expression exacerbated B cell activation, autoantibody production, and renal pathology, verifying that Sle1c2 contributes to lupus pathogenesis. The Sle1c2 interval contains two genes, only one of which, Esrrg, is expressed in T cells. B6.Sle1c2 CD4+ T cells expressed less Esrrg than B6 CD4+ T cells, and Esrrg expression was correlated negatively with CD4+ T cell activation. Esrrg encodes an orphan nuclear receptor that regulates oxidative metabolism and mitochondrial functions. In accordance with reduced Esrrg expression, B6. Sle1c2 CD4+ T cells present reduced mitochondrial mass and altered mitochondrial functions as well as altered metabolic pathway utilization when compared with B6 CD4+ T cells. Taken together, we propose Esrrg as a novel lupus susceptibility gene regulating CD4+ T cell function through their mitochondrial metabolism.
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U2 - 10.4049/jimmunol.1200411
DO - 10.4049/jimmunol.1200411
M3 - Article
C2 - 22711888
AN - SCOPUS:84861167773
SN - 0022-1767
VL - 189
SP - 793
EP - 803
JO - Journal of Immunology
JF - Journal of Immunology
IS - 2
ER -