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Elevated mitochondrial superoxide disrupts normal T cell development, impairing adaptive immune responses to an influenza challenge
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Elevated mitochondrial superoxide disrupts normal T cell development, impairing adaptive immune responses to an influenza challenge

Adam J Case, Jodi L McGill, Lorraine T Tygrett, Takuji Shirasawa, Douglas R Spitz, Thomas J Waldschmidt, Kevin L Legge and Frederick E Domann
Free radical biology & medicine, Vol.50(3), pp.448-458
02/01/2011
DOI: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2010.11.025
PMID: 21130157

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Abstract

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are critical in a broad spectrum of cellular processes including signaling, tumor progression, and innate immunity. The essential nature of ROS signaling in the immune systems of Drosophila and zebrafish has been demonstrated; however, the role of ROS, if any, in mammalian adaptive immune system development and function remains unknown. This work provides the first clear demonstration that thymus-specific elevation of mitochondrial superoxide (O2•−) disrupts normal T cell development and impairs the function of the mammalian adaptive immune system. To assess the effect of elevated mitochondrial superoxide in the developing thymus, we used a T-cell-specific knockout of manganese superoxide dismutase (i.e., SOD2) and have thus established a murine model to examine the role of mitochondrial superoxide in T cell development. Conditional loss of SOD2 led to increased superoxide, apoptosis, and developmental defects in the T cell population, resulting in immunodeficiency and susceptibility to the influenza A virus H1N1. This phenotype was rescued with mitochondrially targeted superoxide-scavenging drugs. These findings demonstrate that loss of regulated levels of mitochondrial superoxide lead to aberrant T cell development and function, and further suggest that manipulations of mitochondrial superoxide levels may significantly alter clinical outcomes resulting from viral infection.
Antioxidants Cre/loxP Free radicals Mouse Developmental biology Influenza Immunodeficiency Transgenic Superoxide Adaptive immunity Manganese superoxide dismutase Apoptosis

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