The JI
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     
 

This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Agarwal, R. K.
Right arrow Articles by Caspi, R. R.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Agarwal, R. K.
Right arrow Articles by Caspi, R. R.
The Journal of Immunology, 1999, 162: 2648-2654.
Copyright © 1999 by The American Association of Immunologists

Pregnancy Ameliorates Induction and Expression of Experimental Autoimmune Uveitis

Rajeev K. Agarwal*, Chi-Chao Chan*, Barbara Wiggert{dagger} and Rachel R. Caspi1,*

* Laboratory of Immunology and {dagger} Retinal Cell and Molecular Biology, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892

Female patients suffering from autoimmune uveitis are reported to experience a temporary remission during pregnancy. Experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU) is a model for human uveitis. Here we examine the effect of pregnancy on the development of EAU and its associated immunological responses. Susceptible C57BL/6 mice were immunized with interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein (IRBP). EAU scores and Ag-specific responses were evaluated 21 days later. Mice immunized during pregnancy developed significantly less EAU than nonpregnant controls. Their lymph node cells and splenocytes produced a distinct pattern of cytokines in response to IRBP: reduced IFN-{gamma} and IL-12 p40, but unchanged levels of TNF-{alpha}, IL-4, IL-5, and IL-10. Anti-IRBP Ab isotypes revealed an up-regulation of IgG1, indicating a possible Th2 bias at the humoral level. Ag-specific proliferation and delayed hypersensitivity, as well as mitogen-induced IFN-{gamma} production, remained undiminished, arguing against an overall immune deficit. Interestingly, pregnant mice that received an infusion of IRBP-primed lymphoid cells from nonpregnant donors also developed reduced EAU, suggesting that pregnancy suppresses not only the generation, but also the function of mature uveitogenic effector T cells. Pregnant mice at the time of immunization exhibited elevated levels of TGF-ß, but not of IL-10, in the serum. We suggest that protection from EAU during pregnancy is due primarily to a selective reduction of Ag-specific Th1 responses with only marginal enhancement of Th2 function, and that these effects may in part be secondary to elevated systemic levels of TGF-ß.




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 J. Immunol.Home page
R. K. Agarwal, R. Horai, A. M. Viley, P. B. Silver, R. S. Grajewski, S. Bo Su, A. T. Yazdani, W. Zhu, M. Kronenberg, P. J. Murray, et al.
Abrogation of Anti-Retinal Autoimmunity in IL-10 Transgenic Mice Due to Reduced T Cell Priming and Inhibition of Disease Effector Mechanisms
J. Immunol., April 15, 2008; 180(8): 5423 - 5429.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Immunol.Home page
M. A. Toscano, A. G. Commodaro, J. M. Ilarregui, G. A. Bianco, A. Liberman, H. M. Serra, J. Hirabayashi, L. V. Rizzo, and G. A. Rabinovich
Galectin-1 Suppresses Autoimmune Retinal Disease by Promoting Concomitant Th2- and T Regulatory-Mediated Anti-Inflammatory Responses
J. Immunol., May 15, 2006; 176(10): 6323 - 6332.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Br. J. Ophthalmol.Home page
C-C Chan, G F Reed, Y Kim, E Agron, and R R Buggage
A correlation of pregnancy term, disease activity, serum female hormones, and cytokines in uveitis
Br. J. Ophthalmol., December 1, 2004; 88(12): 1506 - 1509.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Immunol.Home page
A. L. Kindzelskii, T. Ueki, H. Michibata, T. Chaiworapongsa, R. Romero, and H. R. Petty
6-Phosphogluconate Dehydrogenase and Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase Form a Supramolecular Complex in Human Neutrophils That Undergoes Retrograde Trafficking during Pregnancy
J. Immunol., May 15, 2004; 172(10): 6373 - 6381.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Immunol.Home page
H. Xu, A. Manivannan, H.-R. Jiang, J. Liversidge, P. F. Sharp, J. V. Forrester, and I. J. Crane
Recruitment of IFN-{gamma}-Producing (Th1-Like) Cells into the Inflamed Retina In Vivo Is Preferentially Regulated by P-Selectin Glycoprotein Ligand 1:P/E-Selectin Interactions
J. Immunol., March 1, 2004; 172(5): 3215 - 3224.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 IOVSHome page
H. Xu, P. B. Silver, T. K. Tarrant, C.-C. Chan, and R. R. Caspi
TGF-{beta} Inhibits Activation and Uveitogenicity of Primary but Not of Fully Polarized Retinal Antigen-Specific Memory-Effector T Cells
Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci., November 1, 2003; 44(11): 4805 - 4812.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Immunol.Home page
A. Langer-Gould, H. Garren, A. Slansky, P. J. Ruiz, and L. Steinman
Late Pregnancy Suppresses Relapses in Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis: Evidence for a Suppressive Pregancy-Related Serum Factor
J. Immunol., July 15, 2002; 169(2): 1084 - 1091.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Immunol.Home page
K. Ohta, B. Wiggert, S. Yamagami, A. W. Taylor, and J. W. Streilein
Analysis of Immunomodulatory Activities of Aqueous Humor from Eyes of Mice with Experimental Autoimmune Uveitis
J. Immunol., February 1, 2000; 164(3): 1185 - 1192.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
This Website Copyright © 1999 by The American Association of Immunologists, Inc. All rights reserved.
All Contents Copyright © 1999 by The American Association of Immunologists, Inc. All rights reserved.