Authors:
Yael Zlotnikov-Klionsky, Bar Nathansohn-Levi, Elias Shezen, Chava Rosen, Sivan Kagan, Liat Bar-On, Steffen Jung, Eric Shifrut, Shlomit Reich-Zeliger, Nir Friedman, Rina Aharoni, Ruth Arnon, Oren Yifa, Anna Aronovich, & Yair Reisner
Summary:
Emerging evidence suggests that immunological mechanisms underlie metabolic control of adipose tissue. Here, we have shown the regulatory impact of a rare subpopulation of dendritic cells, rich in perforin-containing granules (perf-DCs). Using bone marrow transplantation to generate animals selectively lacking perf-DCs, we found that these chimeras progressively gained weight and exhibited features of metabolic syndrome. This phenotype was associated with an altered repertoire of T cells residing in adipose tissue and could be completely prevented by T cell depletion in vivo. A similar impact of perf-DCs on inflammatory T cells was also found in a well-defined model of multiple sclerosis, experimental autoimmune encephlalomyelitis (EAE). Thus, perf-DCs probably represent a regulatory cell subpopulation critical for protection from metabolic syndrome and autoimmunity.
Source:
Immunity; Vol. 43, Issue 4, 776-787 (10/20/15)