Open this publication in new window or tab >>2015 (English)Doctoral thesis, comprehensive summary (Other academic)
Abstract [en]
The type I interferon (IFN) system plays a central role in the etiopathogenesis of many autoimmune diseases, e.g. systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Activation of the type I IFN system in SLE is promoted by endogenous nucleic acid-containing immune complexes (ICs) which stimulate plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs). This thesis focuses on the regulation of IFN-α production in pDCs, by interactions with B cells and natural killer (NK) cells, and by genetic factors.
In Study I, RNA-IC-stimulated CD56dim NK cells were found to be activated via FcγRIIIa and enhanced the IFN-α production by pDCs. The enhancing effect of the NK cells was mediated via both soluble factors, such as the cytokine MIP-1β, and in a cell-cell contact mediated manner via the adhesion molecule LFA-1. In Study II, B cells enhanced the IFN-α production by pDCs via cell-cell contact or soluble factors, depending on the stimuli. The cell-cell contact-mediated enhancement, when the cells were stimulated with RNA-IC, was abolished by blocking the cell adhesion molecule CD31. B cells stimulated with the oligonucleotide ODN2216 enhanced the IFN-α production via soluble factors. In Study III, gene variants related to autoimmune or inflammatory diseases were analyzed for the association to the IFN-α production by pDCs, alone or in coculture with NK or B cells. Depending on cell combination, 18-86 SNPs (p < 0.001) were associated with the IFN-α production. Several of the SNPs showed novel associations to the type I IFN system, while some loci have been described earlier for their association with SLE, e.g. IL10 and PXK. In Study IV, several B cell populations were affected by cocultivation with pDCs and stimulation with RNA-IC. The frequency of CD24hiCD38hi B cells of regulatory character was increased in the pDC-B cell cocultures. However, RNA-IC-stimulation only induced modest levels of IL-10. A remarkably increased frequency of double negative CD27-IgD- B cells was found in the RNA-IC-stimulated cocultures of pDCs and B cells.
In conclusion, the findings in the present thesis reveal novel mechanisms behind the regulation of the type I IFN system which could be important targets in autoimmune diseases with constantly activated pDCs.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Uppsala: Acta Universitatis Upsaliensis, 2015. p. 59
Series
Digital Comprehensive Summaries of Uppsala Dissertations from the Faculty of Medicine, ISSN 1651-6206 ; 1083
Keywords
Systemic lupus erythemtosus, IFN-alpha, autoimmunity, immune complex, single nuclear polymorphisms
National Category
Rheumatology and Autoimmunity
Research subject
Medical Science
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-246526 (URN)978-91-554-9203-8 (ISBN)
Public defence
2015-05-08, Fåhraeussalen, Rudbecklaboratoriet, Dag Hammarskjölds väg 20, Uppsala, 09:15 (English)
Opponent
Supervisors
2015-04-142015-03-092015-04-17