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CUTTING EDGE |

* Department of Molecular Virology, Immunology, and Medical Genetics and
Department of Microbiology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210
| Abstract |
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, IFN-
, IL-2, and IL-6 before, during, and after EAE onset. Taken together, these findings support that MIF is an important mediator of EAE progression through glucocorticoid antagonism and up-regulation of the inflammatory response. | Introduction |
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Evidence suggests that glucocorticoids can influence the clinical course of inflammatory autoimmune diseases. Steroids have been widely used to treat relapses of multiple sclerosis (MS) and high doses of glucocorticoids administered during murine experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) relapses promote amelioration of EAE (5, 6). We have previously reported that mice producing high levels of corticosterone (CORT) induced by restraint stress showed reductions in disease severity and blocking CORT abrogated this effect. Glucocorticoids have been shown to potentiate a shift from Th1 cytokine production (IL-2 and IFN-
) to Th2 cytokines (IL-4 and IL-10), which have protective effects in MS and EAE (7, 8, 9, 10).
Studies in MS and EAE suggest that MIF may play a role in regulation of disease severity as well as in exacerbations of disease. Levels of MIF measured in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of MS patients during relapse were significantly elevated relative to levels during remission (11). Increased levels of MIF were also found in the plasma of patients with sepsis and inflammatory bowel disease and were correlated with the severity of symptoms (12, 13). Importantly, MIF/ mice were shown to be resistant to sepsis and inflammatory bowel disease (13, 14, 15). In EAE, Denkinger et al. (16) reported that anti-MIF Ab treatment reduced the severity of clinical signs and accelerated recovery. Blockade of MIF activity by Ab impaired the migration of neuroantigen reactive T cells to the CNS by down-regulation of VCAM-1. In our study, a role for MIF in the acute as well as the progressive phases of EAE was examined using mice genetically depleted of MIF. We show here that MIF promotes EAE progression via glucocorticoid antagonism and regulation of inflammatory cytokine production.
| Materials and Methods |
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MIF / mice (B6;129S4-Miftm1Dvd), which were generated as previously described (14), or wild-type (WT) mice of the same strain combination (B6129) (Taconic Farms) were injected s.c. over four sites on the back with 100 µl containing 200 µg of myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) 3555 peptide (Princeton Biomolecules) combined with complete Freunds adjuvant (containing 200 µg of heat-killed Mycobacterium tuberculosis Jamaica strain). Pertussis toxin (200 ng) (List Biological Laboratories) was injected i.p. in 0.2 ml of PBS at the time of immunization and 48 h later. All animals were observed daily for clinical signs and scored as described previously (5). Brains and spinal cords were examined for inflammatory cell infiltration by H&E staining. All animal procedures were performed in accordance with approved university protocols.
Measurement of CORT levels
Blood was obtained from the retroorbital plexus of anesthetized mice using heparinized tubes on days 10, 17, and 25 after MOG peptide immunization at the same time each day. Serum was collected and stored at 20°C. CORT levels were determined using a Correlate-EIA Corticosterone Immunoassay kit (Assay Designs).
Frequency of cytokine-producing cells by ELISPOT analysis
Spleen cells were harvested as described above and analyzed for frequency of IL-4- and IL-10-secreting cells by ELISPOT. The IL-4-secreting cell number was determined as described previously (17). IL-10-secreting cell number was determined using an IL-10 Development ELISPOT Module and Blue Color ELISPOT Module (R&D Systems). The plates were analyzed by computer-assisted image analysis using KS ELISPOT software and microscope control processor MCP4 (Carl Zeiss Vision).
Analysis of secreted cytokines by cytometric bead array
Spleens were obtained from immunized MIF/ or WT mice on days 10, 17, and 25 postimmunization. Spleen cells (4 x 105 cells/well) were cultured in 96-well plates together with medium, MOG 3555 (10 µg/ml), or anti-CD3 (2 µg/ml) for 72 h. Supernatants were harvested and cytokine analyses performed using the murine Th1/Th2 cytokine bead array (BD Biosciences). Flow cytometry was conducted on a FACSCalibur (BD Biosciences) with data analysis using CBA software (BD Pharmingen).
| Results and Discussion |
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and TNF-
(19, 20). In contrast, Th2 cytokines, such as IL-4 and IL-10, in the CNS as well as in the periphery have been associated with reduced disease severity and recovery (21, 22, 23). Because MIF up-regulates proinflammatory Th1 cytokines, it is possible that the lack of MIF would promote a shift to a more Th2-like cytokine profile. We analyzed cytokine production in MIF/ and WT mice before the onset of disease, during acute EAE, and during the progressive phase of disease. As shown in Fig. 3, lymphoid cells from MIF/ animals produced IL-4 at a much higher frequency than WT lymphoid cells during acute EAE (Fig. 3A) in response to MOG3555 stimulation. In addition, we also observed an elevated frequency of cells producing IL-10 during the progressive phase of EAE (Fig. 3B). In contrast, levels of proinflammatory cytokines such as IFN-
(Fig. 4C) and TNF-
(Fig. 4B) were significantly decreased in MIF/ animals before the onset of disease and during acute disease, respectively. In addition, IL-6 (Fig. 4A) and TNF-
(Fig. 4B) levels in the MIF/ mice were significantly decreased during disease progression. These data show that MIF may be influencing disease progression through the up-regulation of Th1 cytokines.
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during early disease. A reciprocal relationship between CORT and IFN-
is also seen later when decreasing levels of CORT in the MIF-deficient animals at day 25 correlate with an elevation in IFN-
. Interestingly, IFN-
has also been shown to be important in the control and regulation of EAE exacerbation (24, 25, 26). Elevated levels of glucocorticoids during acute EAE in the MIF/ mice also likely contribute to increases in IL-10, which is important for EAE recovery. In addition, IL-6 and TNF-
, two cytokines that stimulate the synthesis of glucocorticoids and in turn are inhibited by glucocorticoids (27, 28), are significantly decreased after CORT elevation in MIF/ animals. Our data indicate that the relationship between MIF and glucocorticoids may have a significant influence on the course of disease and that the elevation in glucocorticoids produces an alteration in disease progression due to modulation of cytokine production. Glucocorticoids are an essential part of the homeostatic mechanism regulating the immune and endocrine systems. Those individuals with chronic inflammatory disorders, such as MS, have been successfully treated with glucocorticoids for a finite period of time. However, no long-term benefit has been identified and dose-limiting side effects are consequences of long-term glucocorticoid therapy (29). In EAE, exogenous administration of glucocorticoids results in suppression of EAE, a decrease in lymphoid cell numbers, and a decrease in Thl cytokine production (5). In this study, we propose that a relationship exists between MIF and glucocorticoid hormone levels. It has been shown previously by Fingerle-Rowson et al. (30) that exogenous glucocorticoids administered to rats induce increased levels of MIF in the blood and tissue. Conversely, adrenalectomized rats showed no dysregulation in MIF production, indicating that MIF is affected by the presence of increased glucocorticoids but is not affected by the absence of endogenous glucocorticoids (30). To further understand the effects of MIF on EAE, the levels of MIF during the normal course of disease as well as in animals treated with CORT need to be determined. Although levels of MIF in the CSF have been shown to be elevated in patients during MS relapse, the levels of MIF after glucocorticoid treatment have not been determined in relapsing or progressive MS patients.
Collectively, our findings suggest that MIF plays a crucial role in mediating the progression of EAE. The mechanism by which MIF exerts its effects appears to be via glucocorticoid antagonism and by promotion of Th1 cytokines such as IL-6, IFN-
, and TNF-
. Our data also suggest a significant role for glucocorticoids and Th2 cytokines in the pathway to EAE remission and recovery. High levels of glucocorticoids, in the absence of MIF, influence both the clinical disease course and cytokine profiles in EAE affected animals. Therapeutic strategies targeting MIF regulation may provide new insights into the treatment of MS.
| Acknowledgments |
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| Disclosures |
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| Footnotes |
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1 These studies were supported by National Institutes of Health Grant AI43376 and National Multiple Sclerosis Society Grants RG 3091 and RG 3272. ![]()
2 Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Caroline C. Whitacre, Department of Molecular Virology, Immunology and Medical Genetics, College of Medicine and Public Health, The Ohio State University, 260 Meiling Hall, 370 West 9th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210. E-mail address: whitacre.3{at}osu.edu ![]()
3 Abbreviations used in this paper: MIF, macrophage migration inhibitory factor; MS, multiple sclerosis; EAE, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis; CORT, corticosterone; CSF, cerebrospinal fluid; WT, wild type; MOG, myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein. ![]()
Received for publication June 6, 2005. Accepted for publication August 15, 2005.
| References |
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and IFN-
in the brain of rats with chronic relapsing autoimmune encephalomyelitis. J. Neuroimmunol. 96:73.-79. [Medline]
-deficient mice leads to exacerbation of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. J. Exp. Med. 192:123.-128.
gene are susceptible to the induction of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). J. Immunol. 156:5.-7. [Abstract]
plays a critical down-regulatory role in the induction and effector phase of myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein-induced autoimmune encephalomyelitis. J. Immunol. 157:3223.-3227. [Abstract]
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