Imbalance of placental regulatory T cell and Th17 cell population dynamics in the FIV-infected pregnant cat

Boudreaux, Crystal E.; Chumbley, Lyndon B.; Scott, Veronica L.; Wise, Dwayne A.; Coats, Karen S.

Imbalance of placental regulatory T cell and Th17 cell population dynamics in the FIV-infected pregnant cat

dc.contributor.author	Boudreaux, Crystal E.	en
dc.contributor.author	Chumbley, Lyndon B.	en
dc.contributor.author	Scott, Veronica L.	en
dc.contributor.author	Wise, Dwayne A.	en
dc.contributor.author	Coats, Karen S.	en
dc.date.accessioned	2012-08-15T18:59:38Z	en
dc.date.available	2012-08-15T18:59:38Z	en
dc.date.issued	2012-05-04	en
dc.date.updated	2012-08-15T18:59:38Z	en
dc.description.abstract	Background An appropriate balance in placental regulatory T cells (Tregs), an immunosuppressive cell population, and Th17 cells, a pro-inflammatory cell population, is essential in allowing tolerance of the semi-allogeneic fetus. TGF-β and IL-6 are cytokines that promote differentiation of Tregs and Th17 cells from a common progenitor; aberrant expression of the cytokines may perturb the balance in the two cell populations. We previously reported a pro-inflammatory placental environment with decreased levels of FoxP3, a Treg marker, and increased levels of IL-6 in the placentas of FIV-infected cats at early pregnancy. Thus, we hypothesized that FIV infection in the pregnant cat causes altered placental Treg and Th17 cell populations, possibly resulting in placental inflammation. Methods We examined the effect of FIV infection on Treg and Th17 populations in placentas at early pregnancy using quantitative confocal microscopy to measure FoxP3 or RORΩ, a Th17 marker, and qPCR to quantify expression of the key cytokines TGF-β and IL-6. Results FoxP3 and RORΩ were positively correlated in FIV-infected placentas at early pregnancy, but not placentas from normal cats, indicating virus-induced alteration in the balance of these cell populations. In control cats the expression of IL-6 and RORΩ was positively correlated as predicted, but this relationship was disrupted in infected animals. TGF-β was reduced in infected queens, an occurrence that could dysregulate both Treg and Th17 cell populations. Co-expression analyses revealed a highly significant positive correlation between IL-6 and TGF-β expression in control animals that did not occur in infected animals. Conclusion Collectively, these data point toward potential disruption in the balance of Treg and Th17 cell populations that may contribute to FIV-induced inflammation in the feline placenta.	en
dc.description.version	Published version	en
dc.format.mimetype	application/pdf	en
dc.identifier.citation	Virology Journal. 2012 May 04;9(1):88	en
dc.identifier.doi	https://doi.org/10.1186/1743-422X-9-88	en
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10919/18770	en
dc.language.iso	en	en
dc.rights	Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International	en
dc.rights.holder	Crystal E Boudreaux et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.	en
dc.rights.uri	http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/	en
dc.title	Imbalance of placental regulatory T cell and Th17 cell population dynamics in the FIV-infected pregnant cat	en
dc.title.serial	Virology Journal	en
dc.type	Article - Refereed	en
dc.type.dcmitype	Text	en