Results are expressed as the mean??s.e.m. Tfh cells. Together our results suggest that ApoAI, the main protein in high-density lipoprotein particles, modulates the cellular fate of Treg cells and thus influences the immune response during atherosclerosis. Introduction Regulatory T cells (Treg) play an important role during atherosclerosis development. Depletion of Treg exacerbates atherosclerosis in mouse models, while the transfer of Treg prevents disease progression1C4. IL-10 and TGF also Dabigatran ethyl ester inhibit atherosclerosis development5C7. Treg are a dynamic cell populace that are reduced in the aorta of mice fed an atherogenic diet, and can increase when mice are then switched to a regular chow diet8. Treg can drop Foxp3 and convert into other CD4 T cell subsets9C11, indicating the Treg conversion in inflammatory conditions. A recent study by Butcher et al. has shown that Treg can convert to IFN+ CD4 T cells in older mice12. Whether Treg conversion is limited to IFN+ cells or can extend to other pathogenic T cell subsets during atherogenesis, and understanding the factors that govern this conversion need to be decided. Apolipoprotein AI (ApoAI) is the major structural protein of plasma HDL. Without ApoAI, plasma HDL concentrations are dramatically reduced13. ApoAI is made by hepatocytes and before its release into the plasma interacts around the plasma membrane with ABCA1 to acquire phospholipids and cholesterol to form nascent HDL or pre-HDL particles ABCA114C16. The formation of pre-HDL promotes cholesterol efflux from cells, and thereby stimulates the process of reverse cholesterol transport. Because of ApoAIs inherent ability to form cholesterol-rich nascent HDL particles, its anti-inflammatory properties Dabigatran ethyl ester have been associated with changes in lipid raft composition, which can modulate immune cell signaling and proliferation17,18. The anti-inflammatory role of ApoAI is usually documented in multiple inflammatory conditions, including lupus19, Alzheimers disease20 and dermatitis21. ApoAI can Dabigatran ethyl ester also decrease the maturation of dendritic cells in a way that dampens T cell activation22, suggesting that ApoAI can also indirectly influence T cell responses during inflammation. The relationship between ApoAI and Treg is usually poorly comprehended. A study by Wilhelm et al. showed that administration of ApoAI to ApoAImice resulted in a decrease in T effector to Treg ratios in the skin draining lymph nodes, and reduced the number of skin-infiltrating T cells in these mice23. Can ApoAI influence Treg plasticity during atherogenesis? If yes, what are the mechanisms involved? In this study, we sought to determine the fate of Treg during atherogenesis and how ApoAI affected this process. Collectively, our results show novel findings regarding Treg plasticity and their conversion to T follicular helper cells during atherogenesis and indicate a role for ApoAI in regulating this Treg conversion, shedding light on a collaborative effort between cholesterol metabolism and Treg homeostasis that dampens pro-atherogenic immune responses. Results ExTreg cells convert to Tfh cells during atherogenesis In order to be able to track Treg during atherosclerosis and since Foxp3 is the marker that defines Treg, we needed to produce a mouse model that allowed us to track Treg despite Foxp3 expression, around the assumption that Treg may drop Foxp3 expression during atherogenesis. Thus, we developed a novel Treg lineage tracker mouse model; (LT-ApoEfusion gene. Cre recombinase deletes the sites that flank RFP, marking Treg red as well. In this mouse model, current Treg cells, which express Foxp3, are both yellow and red. If Treg drop Foxp3 expression, they become an exTreg, where they drop YFP expression but retain RFP expression (Fig.?1a). The original Foxp3-IRES-YFP-Cre mice were described in Rubtsov et al.24. Using flow cytometry, we can identify and track both current and exTreg cells in the aorta and lymphoid tissues in vivo and can determine the fate of Treg during atherogenesis. Open in a separate windows Fig. 1 ExTreg cells are increased during atherogenesis. a Schematic diagram with a representative flow cytometry plot of the Treg lineage tracker-ApoE(LT-ApoEmice were fed a western diet for 15 weeks. Bar graphs compare the numbers of total CD4 T cells and effector CD62Llo cells (b), the percentages and numbers of exTreg and current Treg (c) in the aorta, and the ratio of current Treg to exTreg in the aorta and PaLN (d) of western fed-diet to chow controls. c Representative flow cytometry plots and graphs showing the percentages of exTreg and current Treg in the aorta of the above mice. Rabbit Polyclonal to KLF (e) Current and exTreg cells were sorted from the PaLN of LT-ApoEmice and mRNA levels for were examined in the extracted RNA and normalized to mice. Sorted current and exTreg cells.