Spontaneous Intestinal Tumorigenesis in Apc (/Min+) Mice Requires Altered T Cell Development with IL-17A

J Immunol Res. 2015:2015:860106. doi: 10.1155/2015/860106. Epub 2015 Jun 3.

Abstract

The control of inflammatory diseases requires functional regulatory T cells (Tregs) with significant Gata-3 expression. Here we address the inhibitory role of Tregs on intestinal tumorigenesis in the Apc (/Min+) mouse model that resembles human familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP). Apc (/Min+) mice had a markedly increased frequency of Foxp3+ Tregs and yet decreased Gata-3 expression in the lamina propria. To address the role of heterozygous Apc gene mutation in Tregs, we generated Foxp3-Cre, Apc (flox/+) mice. Tregs from these mice effectively inhibited tumorigenesis comparable to wild type Tregs after adoptive transfer into Apc (/Min+) mice, demonstrating that the heterozygous Apc gene mutation in Tregs does not induce the loss of control over tumor microenvironment. Adoptive transfer of in vitro generated Apc (/Min+) iTregs (inducible Tregs) failed to inhibit intestinal tumorigenesis, suggesting that naïve CD4 T cells generated from Apc (/Min+) mice thymus were impaired. We also showed that adoptively transferred IL-17A-deficient Apc (/Min+) Tregs inhibited tumor growth, suggesting that IL-17A was critical to impair the tumor regression function of Apc (/Min+) Tregs. Taken together, our results suggest that both T cell development in a functional thymus and IL-17A control the ability of Treg to inhibit intestinal tumorigenesis in Apc (/Min+) mice.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adenomatous Polyposis Coli / genetics
  • Adenomatous Polyposis Coli / immunology
  • Adenomatous Polyposis Coli / pathology
  • Adenomatous Polyposis Coli Protein / genetics*
  • Animals
  • Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / genetics*
  • Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / immunology*
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Heterozygote
  • Immunophenotyping
  • Interleukin-17 / metabolism*
  • Intestinal Mucosa / immunology
  • Intestinal Mucosa / metabolism
  • Intestinal Mucosa / pathology
  • Mice
  • Mice, Transgenic
  • Mutation
  • Phenotype
  • T-Lymphocyte Subsets / immunology*
  • T-Lymphocyte Subsets / metabolism*
  • T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / immunology
  • T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / metabolism

Substances

  • Adenomatous Polyposis Coli Protein
  • Interleukin-17