1. CX 3 CR1 modulates SLE-associated glomerulonephritis and cardiovascular disease in MRL/lpr mice.
- Author
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Cabana-Puig X, Lu R, Geng S, Michaelis JS, Oakes V, Armstrong C, Testerman JC, Liao X, Alajoleen R, Appiah M, Zhang Y, Reilly CM, Li L, and Luo XM
- Subjects
- Animals, Mice, CX3C Chemokine Receptor 1 genetics, Mice, Inbred MRL lpr, Autoantibodies, Disease Models, Animal, Cardiovascular Diseases, Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic complications, Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic genetics, Glomerulonephritis
- Abstract
Objective: Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) often develop multi-organ damages including heart and kidney complications. We sought to better define the underlying mechanisms with a focus on the chemokine receptor CX
3 CR1., Methods: We generated Cx3cr1-deficient MRL/lpr lupus-prone mice through backcrossing. We then employed heterozygous intercross to generate MRL/lpr littermates that were either sufficient or deficient of CX3 CR1. The mice were also treated with either Lactobacillus spp. or a high-fat diet (HFD) followed by assessments of the kidney and heart, respectively., Results: Cx3cr1-/- MRL/lpr mice exhibited a distinct phenotype of exacerbated glomerulonephritis compared to Cx3cr1+/+ littermates, which was associated with a decrease of spleen tolerogenic marginal zone macrophages and an increase of double-negative T cells. Interestingly, upon correction of the gut microbiota with Lactobacillus administration, the phenotype of exacerbated glomerulonephritis was reversed, suggesting that CX3 CR1 controls glomerulonephritis in MRL/lpr mice through a gut microbiota-dependent mechanism. Upon treatment with HFD, Cx3cr1-/- MRL/lpr mice developed significantly more atherosclerotic plaques that were promoted by Ly6C+ monocytes. Activated monocytes expressed ICOS-L that interacted with ICOS-expressing follicular T-helper cells, which in turn facilitated a germinal center reaction to produce more autoantibodies. Through a positive feedback mechanism, the increased circulatory autoantibodies further promoted the activation of Ly6C+ monocytes and their display of ICOS-L., Conclusions: We uncovered novel, Cx3cr1 deficiency-mediated pathogenic mechanisms contributing to SLE-associated glomerulonephritis and cardiovascular disease., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)- Published
- 2023
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