B Lymphocyte-induced Maturation Protein 1 Research Articles

Peripheral T cell activation, not thymic selection, expands the T follicular helper repertoire in a lupus-prone murine model.

Many autoimmune diseases are characterized by the activation of autoreactive T cells. The T cell repertoire is established in the thymus; it remains uncertain whether the presence of disease-associated autoreactive T cells reflects abnormal T cell selection in the thymus or aberrant T cell activation in the periphery. Here, we describe T cell selection, activation, and T cell repertoire diversity in female mice deficient for B lymphocyte-induced maturation protein (BLIMP)-1 in dendritic cells (DCs) (Prdm1 CKO). These mice exhibit a lupus-like phenotype with an expanded population of T follicular helper (Tfh) cells having a more diverse T cell receptor (TCR) repertoire than wild-type mice and, in turn, develop a lupus-like pathology. To understand the origin of the aberrant Tfh population, we analyzed the TCR repertoire of thymocytes and naive CD4 T cells from Prdm1 CKO mice. We show that early development and selection of T cells in the thymus are not affected. Importantly, however, we observed increased TCR signal strength and increased proliferation of naive T cells cultured in vitro with antigen and BLIMP1-deficient DCs compared to control DCs. Moreover, there was increased diversity in the TCR repertoire in naive CD4+ T cells stimulated in vitro with BLIMP1-deficient DCs. Collectively, our data indicate that lowering the threshold for peripheral T cell activation without altering thymic selection and naive T cell TCR repertoire leads to an expanded repertoire of antigen-activated T cells and impairs peripheral T cell tolerance.

Mechanism of BLIMP1/TRIM66/COX2 in human decidua participates in parturition†.

The mechanism underlying the initiation of parturition remains unclear. Cyclooxygenase 2 and prostaglandins in decidual membrane tissue play an important role in the "parturition cascade." With the advancement of gestation, the expression of the transcriptional suppressor B lymphocyte-induced maturation protein 1 in the decidual membrane gradually decreases. Through chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing, we found that B lymphocyte-induced maturation protein 1 has a binding site in the distal intergenic of PTGS2(COX2). Tripartite motif-containing protein 66 is a chromatin-binding protein that usually performs transcriptional regulatory functions by "reading" histone modification sites in chromatin. In this study, tripartite motif-containing protein 66 exhibits the same trend of expression as B lymphocyte-induced maturation protein 1 in the decidua during gestation. Moreover, the co-immunoprecipitation assay revealed that tripartite motif-containing protein 66 combined with B lymphocyte-induced maturation protein 1. This finding indicated that tripartite motif-containing protein 66 formed a transcription complex with B lymphocyte-induced maturation protein 1, which coregulated the expression of COX2. In animal experiments, we injected si-Blimp1 adenoviruses (si-Blimp1), Blimp1 overexpression plasmid (Blimp1-OE), and Trim66 overexpression plasmid (Trim66-OE) through the tail vein of mice. The results showed that B lymphocyte-induced maturation protein 1 and tripartite motif-containing protein 66 affected the initiation of parturition in mice. Therefore, the present evidence suggests that B lymphocyte-induced maturation protein 1 and tripartite motif-containing protein 66 partially participate in the initiation of labor, which may provide a new perspective for exploring the mechanism of term labor.

Role of an adaptor protein human germinal center-associated lymphoma (HGAL) in cell signaling and lymphomagenesis

Human germinal center (GC)-associated lymphoma (HGAL) is a multi-domain adaptor protein expressed in GC B lymphocytes, T follicular helper (Tfh) cells and lymphomas derived from these cells. HGAL expression is an independent predictor of longer survival of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and classical Hodgkin’s lymphoma (HL) patients. HGAL regulates B cell receptor (BCR) signaling and immunological synapse formation by binding to either the downstream effectors [e.g., spleen tyrosine kinase (Syk)] or other signaling regulators [e.g., growth factor receptor-bound protein 2 (Grb2)]. HGAL regulates the cytoskeleton that reshapes B cell morphology during BCR signaling and cell motility by at least two molecular mechanisms: enhanced Ras homolog gene family member A (RhoA) signaling and inhibition of myosin-actin translocation. These effects on the cytoskeleton decrease lymphoma dissemination in animal models and contribute to decreased lymphoma dissemination in patients. The latter may contribute to the association of HGAL protein expression with longer survival of patients with DLBCL and HL tumors. The ability to regulate multiple and distinct functions simultaneously in B cells implies that the HGAL protein level is tightly regulated. It was demonstrated that HGAL can be regulated by PR/SET domain 1 (PRDM1)/B lymphocyte-induced maturation protein-1 (BLIMP1) and interleukin-4 (IL-4) at the transcription level, by microRNA-155 (miR-155) at the post-transcriptional level, and by F-box protein 10 (FBXO10) at the post-translational level. Constitutive enforced expression of HGAL at physiological levels leads to lymphoid hyperplasia and DLBCL in mice. Future studies need to focus on identifying HGAL interactome, dissecting its interaction network, and understanding HGAL spatiotemporal signaling in live cells in physiological conditions. Further, the recent demonstration of HGAL expression in Tfh cells requires the determination of its function in these cells. These studies will contribute to new insights into the biology of these cellular subsets and how immune dysregulation contributes to lymphomagenesis.

Identification of the promoter region regulating the transcription of the REV7 gene

REV7 is involved in various biological processes including DNA repair and mutagenesis, cell cycle regulation, gene transcription, and carcinogenesis. REV7 is highly expressed in adult testicular germ cells as well as several malignant tumors. REV7 expression levels are associated with prognosis in several human cancers, however, the mechanism of REV7 transcriptional regulation has not been elucidated. In this study, we characterized the promoter region of the REV7 gene. A luciferase reporter assay using the human germ cell tumor cell line NEC8 was utilized to examine the upstream genomic region of REV7 for transcriptional activity, and two transcriptional activation regions were identified. We determined a small genomic region important for transcriptional activation using site-directed mutagenesis; this region is shared by several putative binding motifs for transcription factors, including the cAMP-responsive element modulator (CREM), cAMP-response element binding protein (CREB), and B-lymphocyte-induced maturation protein-1 (BLIMP-1). Exogenous CREM and CREB expression had no effect on the transcriptional activity in NEC8 cells or the human embryonic kidney cell line HEK293T. In contrast, exogenous BLIMP-1 expression increased luciferase reporter activity in HEK293T cells but unexpectedly decreased activity in NEC8 cells. Chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis demonstrated that BLIMP-1 binds to the genomic region near the binding motif in the REV7 promoter. Additionally, BLIMP-1 overexpression promoted endogenous REV7 expression in HEK293T cells. These findings suggest that BLIMP-1 may be a putative transcriptional regulator of REV7 in mammalian cells.

Potential Pathogenic Impact of Cow's Milk Consumption and Bovine Milk-Derived Exosomal MicroRNAs in Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma.

Epidemiological evidence supports an association between cow's milk consumption and the risk of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), the most common non-Hodgkin lymphoma worldwide. This narrative review intends to elucidate the potential impact of milk-related agents, predominantly milk-derived exosomes (MDEs) and their microRNAs (miRs) in lymphomagenesis. Upregulation of PI3K-AKT-mTORC1 signaling is a common feature of DLBCL. Increased expression of B cell lymphoma 6 (BCL6) and suppression of B lymphocyte-induced maturation protein 1 (BLIMP1)/PR domain-containing protein 1 (PRDM1) are crucial pathological deviations in DLBCL. Translational evidence indicates that during the breastfeeding period, human MDE miRs support B cell proliferation via epigenetic upregulation of BCL6 (via miR-148a-3p-mediated suppression of DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) and miR-155-5p/miR-29b-5p-mediated suppression of activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AICDA) and suppression of BLIMP1 (via MDE let-7-5p/miR-125b-5p-targeting of PRDM1). After weaning with the physiological termination of MDE miR signaling, the infant's BCL6 expression and B cell proliferation declines, whereas BLIMP1-mediated B cell maturation for adequate own antibody production rises. Because human and bovine MDE miRs share identical nucleotide sequences, the consumption of pasteurized cow's milk in adults with the continued transfer of bioactive bovine MDE miRs may de-differentiate B cells back to the neonatal "proliferation-dominated" B cell phenotype maintaining an increased BLC6/BLIMP1 ratio. Persistent milk-induced epigenetic dysregulation of BCL6 and BLIMP1 expression may thus represent a novel driving mechanism in B cell lymphomagenesis. Bovine MDEs and their miR cargo have to be considered potential pathogens that should be removed from the human food chain.

Blimp-1 molds the epigenetic architecture of IL-21-mediated autoimmune diseases through an autoregulatory circuit.

Positive regulatory domain 1 (PRDM1) encodes B lymphocyte–induced maturation protein 1 (BLIMP1), also known as a master regulator of T cell homeostasis. We observed a negative relationship between Blimp-1 and IL-21 based on our previous data that Blimp-1 overexpression in T cells suppresses autoimmune diabetes while Blimp-1–deficient T cells contribute to colitis in NOD mice. Reanalysis of published data sets also revealed an inverse correlation between PRDM1 and IL21 in Crohn’s disease. Here, we illustrate that Blimp-1 repressed IL-21 by reducing chromatin accessibility and evicting an IL-21 activator, c-Maf, from the Il21 promoter. Moreover, Blimp-1 overexpression–mediated reduction in permissive chromatin structures at the Il21 promoter could override IL-21–accelerated autoimmune diabetogenesis in small ubiquitin-like modifier–defective c-Maf–transgenic mice. An autoregulatory feedback loop to harness IL-21 expression was unveiled by the evidence that IL-21 addition induced time-dependent Blimp-1 expression and subsequently enriched its binding to the Il21 promoter to suppress IL-21 overproduction. Furthermore, intervention of this feedback loop by IL-21 blockade, with IL-21R.Fc administration or IL-21 receptor deletion, attenuated Blimp-1 deficiency–mediated colitis and reinforced the circuit between Blimp-1 and IL-21 in the regulation of autoimmunity. We highlight the translation of Blimp-1–based epigenetic and transcriptomic profiles applicable to a personalized medicine approach in autoimmune diseases.

IL-17–producing follicular Th cells enhance plasma cell differentiation in lupus-prone mice

Follicular Th (Tfh) cells are key CD4+ Th cells involved in regulating B cell differentiation in the germinal center. Mice with conditional KO (CKO) of B lymphocyte-induced maturation protein-1 (BLIMP-1) expression in CD11chi DCs (Prdm1 CKO) spontaneously develop a lupus-like disease. We found an increase in the number of Tfh cells in secondary lymphoid organs in lupus-prone Prdm1-CKO mice. B cells stimulated with Tfh cells become Ab-secreting cells (ASCs); there was an increase in ASC differentiation mediated by Tfh cells from Prdm1-CKO mice compared with Tfh cells from control mice. This was mainly due to the increased expression of molecules within the IL-23/IL-17 pathway in Tfh cells from Prdm1-CKO mice. There was an increased frequency of IL-17A+ Tfh cells in Prdm1-CKO mice. These Tfh cells secrete IL-17A and an increased amount of IL-21. Furthermore, neutralizing IL-17A and IL-21 reduced ASC differentiation induced by Tfh cells. Lastly, we found the expression of IL-1β and IL-6 was increased in BLIMP-1–deficient DCs, which are key for Th17 induction. Altogether, the lack of BLIMP-1 expression in DCs induces not only an increased number of Tfh cells, but also functionally distinct Tfh cells that lead to increased ASC differentiation.

Multi-Scale Modeling Recapitulates the Effect of Genetic Alterations Associated With Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma in the Germinal Center Dynamics

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma is the most common subtype of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. It is a germinal center (GC)–derived, aggressive, and heterogeneous disease. Several transcription factors and signaling pathways that play a central role in the progression of the GC reaction and B-cell differentiation have been shown to play an oncogenic role in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. B-cell lymphoma 6 (BCL6) is a transcriptional repressor that induces the GC B-cell phenotype and blocks plasma cell (PC) differentiation, while interferon regulatory factor 4 (IRF4) and B lymphocyte-induced maturation protein 1 (BLIMP1), a transcriptional promoter, both mediate PC differentiation and exit from the GC (1). Computational models are useful alternatives to trial-and-error experimental investigation. Ordinary differential equation (ODE) models have been used to study different known mechanisms of lymphomagenesis and suggest candidate tumorigenic alterations (2). Furthermore, multi-scale models (MSMs) have been used to study the role of cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in tumor growth (3–6). In this study, we used an existing MSM of PC differentiation in the GC to simulate eight different models with several candidate genetic alterations of the BCL6-IRF4-BLIMP1 regulatory network that lead to transcription factor deregulation and could explain the onset of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and recapitulate the GC dynamics observed in such conditions. We observed that models with loss of BLIMP1 function (BLIMPloss and BLIMPlossIRFinc) result in an accumulation of B cells in the GC and a block of PC differentiation and thus correctly recapitulate the observed GC and transcription factor dynamics. Models with constitutive activation of the nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B-cell (NF-kB) pathway alone and in codominance or co-expression with the enforced BCL6 expression (IRFinc and BCLincIRFinc) result in a decrease of GC B cells and unaltered PC production at early stages of the GC reaction, as observed experimentally. Interestingly, we also found that in IRFinc and BCLincIRFinc models, an increase in PC production could happen at later stages of the GC reaction. Nevertheless, models with enforced BCL6 expression (BCLauto and BCLinc) result in an expansion of GC B cell population and a block in the PC production that was not observed experimentally. Finally, models with loss of IRF4- and BLIMP1-mediated silencing of BCL6 (IRFsil and BLIMPsil) did not affect GC and transcription factor dynamics.

The suppression of Brd4 inhibits peripheral plasma cell differentiation and exhibits therapeutic potential for systemic lupus erythematosus

The mechanisms that control B cell terminal differentiation remain undefined. Here, we investigate the role of bromodomain-containing protein 4 (Brd4) in regulating B cell differentiation and its therapeutic potential for B cell-mediated autoimmune diseases including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We showed that Brd4 inhibitor PFI-1 suppressed plasmablast-mediated plasma cell differentiation in healthy human CD19+ B cells. PFI-1 reduced IgG and IgM secretion in costimulation-induced human B cells. We also observed a reduced percentage of plasma cells in mice with B cell-specific deletion of the Brd4 gene (Brd4flox/floxCD19-cre+). Mechanistically, using the luciferase reporter assay and the chromatin immunoprecipitation, we explored that Brd4 regulates the expression of B lymphocyte-induced maturation protein 1 (BLIMP1), an important transcript factor that is involved in modulation of plasma cell differentiation. Interestingly, PFI-1 decreased the percentages of plasmablasts and plasma cells from patients with SLE. PFI-1 administration reduced the percentages of plasma cells, hypergammaglobulinemia, and attenuated nephritis in MRL/lpr lupus mice. Pristane-injected Brd4flox/floxCD19-cre+ mice exhibited improved nephritis and reduced percentages of plasma cells. These findings suggest an essential factor of Brd4 in regulating plasma cell differentiation. Brd4 inhibition may be a potential strategy for the treatment of B cell-associated autoimmune disorders.

Evaluation of MicroRNA-125b-5p and Transcription Factors BLIMP1 and IRF4 Expression in Unsolved Common Variable Immunodeficiency Patients.

Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) is the most prevalent form of symptomatic primary humoral immunodeficiencies characterized by failure in the final differentiation of B lymphocytes. The majority of CVID cases have no identified genetic defect, and epigenetic alteration could be involved in the pathogenesis of CVID. Hence, we aimed to evaluate the expression of hsa-miR-125b-5p -and, B lymphocyte-induced maturation protein-1(BLIMP-1) and interferon regulatory protein-4 (IRF-4) in a group of CVID patients with no definitive genetic diagnosis in comparison with healthy individuals. Ten CVID patients (all known genes excluded) and 10 age and sex-matched healthy controls participated in the study. B lymphocytes were isolated and expression of miR-125b-5p, IRF4, and BLIMP1 were evaluated by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Moreover, B cell subsets were analyzed by flow cytometry. The results showed that the relative expression of miR-125b-5p in CVID patients was increased while it was decreased for the BLIMP1 and IRF4 transcription factors compared with the healthy controls. Although a reduction was observed in switched and non-switched memory B cells among all high-miR patients, these subsets were decreased in patients with normal miRexpression (71.0% and 85.0%, respectively). Our results suggest that overexpression of miR-125b-5p affects the terminal differentiation of B cells in a selected group of CVID patients by downregulating the BLIMP-1 gene and more intensively for the IRF-4 gene expressions.

CRISPRi-mediated knock-down of PRDM1/BLIMP1 programs central memory differentiation in ex vivo-expanded human T cells.

Introduction: B lymphocyte-induced maturation protein 1 (BLIMP1) encoded by the positive regulatory domain 1 gene (PRDM1), is a key regulator in T cell differentiation in mouse models. BLIMP1-deficiency results in a lower effector phenotype and a higher memory phenotype. Methods: In this study, we aimed to determine the role of transcription factor BLIMP1 in human T cell differentiation. Specifically, we investigated the role of BLIMP1 in memory differentiation and exhaustion of human T cells. We used CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) to knock-down BLIMP1 and investigated the differential expressions of T cell memory and exhaustion markers in BLIMP1-deficient T cells in comparison with BLIMP1-sufficient ex vivo expanded human T cells. Results: BLIMP1-deficiency caused an increase in central memory (CM) T cells and a decrease in effector memory (EM) T cells. There was a decrease in the amount of TIM3 exhaustion marker expression in BLIMP1-deficient T cells; however, there was an increase in PD1 exhaustion marker expression in BLIMP1-deficient T cells compared with BLIMP1-sufficient T cells. Conclusion: Our study provides the first functional evidence of the impact of BLIMP1 on the regulation of human T cell memory and exhaustion phenotype. These findings suggest that BLIMP1 may be a promising target to improve the immune response in adoptive T cell therapy settings.

Combined gene and environmental engineering offers a synergetic strategy to enhance r‐protein production in Chinese hamster ovary cells

Environmental growth-inhibition conditions (GICs) have been used extensively for increasing cell-specific productivity (qP ) of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, with the most common being temperature downshift and sodium butyrate (NaBu) treatment. B lymphocyte-induced maturation protein-1 (BLIMP1) overexpression in CHO cells can also inhibit cell growth and increase product titers and qP . Given the similar responses, this study evaluated the individual and combined effects of BLIMP1 expression, low temperature, and NaBu treatment on culture performance, cell metabolism, and recombinant protein production of CHO cells. As expected, all three interventions decreased cell growth, arrested cells in G1/G0 cell cycle phase, and increased qP . However, CHO cells presented different responses when considering cell viability, recombinant gene expression, and cell metabolism that indicated differences in the molecular loci by which BLIMP1 and GICs generated higher productivities. Combinations of BLIMP1 expression and GICs acted synergistically to inhibit cell growth and maximize r-protein production, with the BLIMP1/NaBu condition leading to the most significant improvements in product titers and qP . This latter condition also proved to substantially increase product yields (up to 9.8 g immunoglobulin G1 [IgG1]/L and 2.2 g erythropoietin-Fc [EPO-Fc]/L) and qP (up to 179 pg/cell/day [pcd] for IgG1 and 30 pcd for EPO-Fc) in high-density perfusion cultures. These findings offered mechanistic insights about the productivity-enhancing effects of BLIMP1 and GICs, as well as their complementarity for generating highly productive processes.

Restricted Water Diffusion in Diffusion-Weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Pancreatic Cancer is Associated with Tumor Hypoxia.

Simple SummaryPancreatic cancer is characterized by a dense network of connective tissue surrounding clusters of cancer cells, the so-called stroma. This ubiquitous connective tissue impairs the delivery of oxygen to cancer cells. This results in hypoxia, which renders the cancer more aggressive and more resistant to treatment. In the present study, we investigated whether the extent of hypoxia in pancreatic cancer can be predicted by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), a widely used medical imaging technique. More specifically, we used an MRI sequence which can quantitate the random motion (i.e., diffusion) of water molecules within the cancer tissue, namely diffusion-weighted (DW) MRI. We found that the random motion of water molecules is lower in cancer lesions with high hypoxia compared to those with low hypoxia. The findings from our study imply that DW-MRI can be used to identify pancreatic cancer lesions with high hypoxia which are at high risk for treatment failure.Hypoxia is a hallmark of pancreatic cancer (PDAC) due to its compact and extensive fibrotic tumor stroma. Hypoxia contributes to high lethality of this disease, by inducing a more malignant phenotype and resistance to radiation and chemotherapy. Thus, non-invasive methods to quantify hypoxia could be helpful for treatment decisions, for monitoring, especially in non-resectable tumors, or to optimize personalized therapy. In the present study, we investigated whether tumor hypoxia in PDAC is reflected by diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW-MRI), a functional imaging technique, frequently used in clinical practice for identification and characterization of pancreatic lesions. DW-MRI assesses the tissue microarchitecture by measuring the diffusion of water molecules, which is more restricted in highly compact tissues. As reliable surrogate markers for hypoxia, we determined Blimp-1 (B-lymphocyte induced maturation protein), a transcription factor, as well as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which are up-regulated in response to hypoxia. In 42 PDAC patients, we observed a close association between restricted water diffusion in DW-MRI and tumor hypoxia in matched samples, as expressed by high levels of Blimp-1 and VEGF in tissue samples of the respective patients. In summary, our data show that DW-MRI is well suited for the evaluation of tumor hypoxia in PDAC and could potentially be used for the identification of lesions with a high hypoxic fraction, which are at high risk for failure of radiochemotherapy.

Increased Expression of B Lymphocyte Induced Maturation Protein 1 (BLIMP1) in Patients with Common Variable Immunodeficiency (CVID).

Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) is a primary immune deficiency disorder characterized by a failure in B cell differentiation, impaired immunoglobulin production,and defect in response to vaccines. As a result of defective B cell maturation and differentiation in CVID, the affected patients commonly present with reduced numbers of memory B cell and antibody-secreting plasma cells. B-cell lymphoma 6 protein (BCL6) and B lymphocyte induced maturation protein 1 (BLIMP1) molecules are two important transcription factors that have key roles in the maturation of B cells to plasma cells. Hence, in the current survey, we aimed to evaluate the mRNA and protein expression levels of BCL6 and BLIMP1 in B lymphocytes isolated from peripheral blood in CVID patients. We collected blood samples from 12 CVID patients and 12 healthy controls. We isolated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) using Ficoll density gradient separation. Then, CD19+ B cells were purified using MACS. The protein expression and transcriptional level of BCL6 and BLIMP1 were respectively measured using flow cytometry and real-time PCR. Our results showed that the BLIMP1 mRNA expression, as well as BLIMP1 protein expression, were significantly higher in CVID patients compared to control subjects (p=0.009 and p=0.007, respectively). However, we found no significant difference in mRNA and protein expression of BCL6 between patients and healthy controls. According to our findings, increased mRNA and protein expression levels of BLIMP1 could be involved in defective maturation of B cells in patients with CVID and elucidate mechanistic insights into the pathogenesis of this disorder.

IL-10-producing B cells play important role in the pathogenesis of recurrent pregnancy loss

Interleukin (IL)-10-producing B cells are recently known for their regulatory function in several disorders. However, the possible role of these cells remains unclear in recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) pathogenesis. Total B cells from 24 RPL patients with cellular immune abnormalities, as well as that of 25 normal pregnant women were cultured and stimulated by Toll Like Receptor (TLR) agonists (CpG oligodeoxynucleotides (ODN) and imiquimod). Then, the frequency of IL-10+ CD19+ B cells was found out using flow cytometry. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to assess the levels of IL-10 in supernatant medium and serum of stimulated B cells, as well as those of several serum autoantibodies. Real-Time PCR method was carried out for determining the IL-10 expression level and specific genes transcripts. RPL patients indicated a lower proportion of IL-10+ CD19+ B cells, and reduced levels of IL-10 in both serum and supernatant of the culture medium of the stimulated B cells. According to the results, total IgG levels was greater in serum of RPL patients in comparison with healthy pregnant women. Similarly, the percentage of these cells was negatively correlated with serum total IgG levels and the number of miscarriages. The expression levels of the mRNA of programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) and IL-10 were lower in RPL patients, while those of x binding protein 1 (XBP-1), interferon regulatory factor 4 (IRF4), and B lymphocyte-induced maturation protein 1 (BLIMP1) were significantly increased. These observations indicated that the reduction in the population of peripheral blood IL-10-synthesizing B cells may prompt RPL pathogenesis, suggesting suppressive effects of these cells on autoantibody production and successful pregnancy outcomes.

PRDM1 rs1010273 polymorphism is associated with overall survival of patients with hepatitis B virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma

T cell exhaustion is involved in the pathogenesis of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). B lymphocyte-induced maturation protein 1 (BLIMP-1), encoded by the PRDM1 gene, plays a crucial role in T cell exhaustion. This study investigated PRDM1 rs1010273 and rs2185379 polymorphisms in 403 patients with chronic HBV infection (171 chronic hepatitis, 119 liver cirrhosis and 113 HCC), 70 spontaneous HBV infection resolvers and 196 healthy controls. The results showed that the rs1010273 and rs2185379 polymorphisms had no significant differences between patients with chronic HBV infection and healthy controls or between patients with different clinical diseases. However, PRDM1 rs1010273 polymorphism was shown to be significantly associated with the overall survival of patients with HBV-related HCC. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates of HCC patients were 70.5%, 34.6%, and 11.5%, respectively, in genotype GG carriers and 91.4%, 51.4% and 31.4%, respectively, in genotypes AA + GA carriers (p = 0.008). Multivariate analysis showed that PRDM1 rs1010273 polymorphism was an independent factor associated with the overall survival of patients with HCC (odds ratio, 0.529; 95% confidence interval, 0.126-0.862; p = 0.002). These results provide novel evidence for a role of PRDM1 rs1010273 in the pathogenesis of HBV-related HCC. Additional studies are needed to replicate and extend the findings of this study and to elucidate the underlying mechanisms.

Effect of 50-Hz Magnetic Fields on Serum IL-1β and IL-23 and Expression of BLIMP-1, XBP-1, and IRF-4.

Investigations demonstrated that magnetic fields (MFs) change cytokine production and expression of some immune system genes. This alteration can affect the immune system function and may lead to some diseases. Therefore, this study investigated two important inflammatory cytokines, i.e., IL-1β and IL-23 at two phases of pre- and post-immunization of the immune system. In addition, the expressions of three important genes in the humoral immunity, i.e., B lymphocyte-induced maturation protein-1 (BLIMP-1), X-box-binding protein-1 (XBP-1), and interferon regulatory factor-4 (IRF-4) were evaluated at post-immunization phase. Eighty adult male rats were divided into four experimental groups and a control. The experimental groups were exposed to 50-Hz MFs with magnetic flux densities of 1, 100, 500, and 2000μT, 2h/day for 2months. The animals were injected by human serum albumin (100μg/rat) on days 31, 44, and 58 of exposure. The cytokine levels in serum were measured with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and the expression of genes was evaluated with reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Serum IL-1β was decreased at pre-immunization phase after exposure to 1 and 100μT of 50-Hz MFs. In contrast, serum IL-23 was increased at post-immunization phase in 100μT group. No change was observed in serum IL-1β and IL-23 in each group at pre-immunization phase compared with post-immunization. Furthermore, exposure to 100μT downregulated expression of BLIMP-1, XBP-1, and IRF-4. In conclusion, exposure to 50-Hz MFs may decrease inflammation at short time and increase it at longer time exposures. In addition, 50-Hz MF exposure may decrease the humoral immune responses. It seems that 50-Hz MFs cause more alteration in immune system function at lower densities (100μT).

PRDM14 and BLIMP1 control the development of chicken primordial germ cells

The differentiation of primordial germ cells (PGCs) is a fundamental step in development. PR domain-containing protein 14 (PRDM14) and B lymphocyte-induced maturation protein 1 (BLIMP1) play pivotal roles in mouse PGC specification. In the present study, we assessed the roles of chicken orthologs of PRDM14 and BLIMP1 in PGC development. PRDM14 and BLIMP1 were expressed in blastodermal cells and PGCs. The in vivo knockdown of PRDM14 or BLIMP1 by introducing a replication-competent retroviral vector expressing shRNAs to the blastodermal stage of embryos reduced the number of SSEA-1 or chicken vasa homologue-positive PGCs on day 5.5–6.5. Since the inhibition of Activin receptor-like kinase 4/5/7 in cultured PGCs reduced the expression of PRDM14, BLIMP1, and NANOG, and that of MEK inhibited PRDM14 expression, the expression of these genes seems to be controlled by Activin A and FGF2 signaling. Overall, PRDM14, BLIMP1, and NANOG seem to be involved in the self-renewal of PGCs in cultured PGCs and embryos.

PRDM1 levels are associated with clinical diseases in chronic HBV infection and survival of patients with HBV-related hepatocellular carcinoma

PR domain zinc finger protein 1 (PRDM1)/B lymphocyte-induced maturation protein 1 (BLIMP1) is a transcriptional repressor involved in B and T cell responses which are implicated in chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study investigated the association of PRDM1 with clinical diseases of chronic HBV infection and prognosis of HBV -related HCC patients. Serum PRDM1 levels were determined in 403 patients with chronic HBV infection (171 chronic hepatitis, 119 cirrhosis and 113 HCC), 70 HBV infection resolvers and 96 healthy control individuals. The PRDM1 levels were analyzed with regard to clinical diseases and overall survival of HCC patients. Serum PRDM1 concentrations in patients with chronic HBV infection were significantly elevated compared with infection resolvers and healthy controls. HBV-related HCC patients had the most significantly elevated PRDM1 levels. PRDM1 levels could considerably differentiate HCC from chronic hepatitis [area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) 0.889, p < 0.001] or cirrhosis (AUC 0.910, p < 0.001). HCC patients with high PRDM1 levels had a poor prognosis (>300 pg/mL vs. ≤300 pg/mL, p = 0.001). High PRDM1 levels were independently associated with increased mortality in HCC patients (hazard ratio 2.997, 95% confidence interval 1.103–4.722, p = 0.003). Overall, this study demonstrated that PRDM1 levels are associated with the clinical diseases of chronic HBV infection. Highly elevated PRDM1 levels are discriminative of HCC from other clinical diseases and indicative of a poor prognosis of HCC patients. The potential association of PRDM1 levels with disease progression and treatment response warrants further investigation.

The role of Blimp-1 in adipose Treg differentiation and effector function

Abstract Visceral adipose tissue regulatory T cells (VAT Tregs) protect against systemic inflammation and metabolic disease by limiting expansion of pro-inflammatory Th1 cells and M1 macrophages, and by preserving insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance. Although their basic markers and roles have been studied, less is known about the transcriptional machinery regulating their differentiation and function. B lymphocyte-induced maturation protein-1 (BLIMP-1) is a transcriptional regulator known to be involved in the development, polarization, and maintenance of various immune cells including CD4+ T cells. Using BLIMP-1 reporter mice, we have discovered that BLIMP-1 is constitutively expressed in a subset of VAT Tregs compared to lymphoid Tregs, and that BLIMP-1+ VAT Tregs are phenotypically distinct from their BLIMP-1-counterparts. Blimp-1 is not required for VAT Treg development, however Treg-specific deletion of BLIMP-1 led to unique changes in VAT Treg markers in lean versus obese adipose tissue. Based on these preliminary data, our project aims to elucidate the role of BLIMP-1 in shaping the VAT Treg compartment and to explore a possible role for BLIMP-1+ VAT Tregs in metabolic co-morbidities such as obesity and Type II diabetes.