Relationships between Circulating Urea Concentrations and Endometrial Function in Postpartum Dairy Cows
ANIMALS
Authors: Cheng, Zhangrui; Oguejiofor, Chike F.; Swangchan-Uthai, Theerawat; Carr, Susan; Wathes, D. Claire
Abstract
Simple Summary: Dairy cows fed high levels of protein to increase milk yield tend to have reduced fertility but the reasons behind this are unclear. Differing dietary protein levels are reflected in altered urea concentrations in both blood and other tissues including the uterus. We showed that the circulating urea concentration was highly correlated to changed expression levels of many genes in the endometrium shortly after calving. These were predominantly associated with tissue repair, innate immunity and lipid metabolism. A subsequent study found no effect of altered urea concentration on endometrial gene expression in vitro implying that the dietary influence is indirect. Abstract: Both high and low circulating urea concentrations, a product of protein metabolism, are associated with decreased fertility in dairy cows through poorly defined mechanisms. The rate of involution and the endometrial ability to mount an adequate innate immune response after calving are both critical for subsequent fertility. Study 1 used microarray analysis to identify genes whose endometrial expression 2 weeks postpartum correlated significantly with the mean plasma urea per cow, ranging from 3.2 to 6.6 mmol/L. The biological functions of 781 mapped genes were analysed using Ingenuity Pathway Analysis. These were predominantly associated with tissue turnover (e.g., BRINP1, FOXG1), immune function (e.g., IL17RB, CRISPLD2), inflammation (e.g., C3, SERPINF1, SERPINF2) and lipid metabolism (e.g., SCAP, ACBD5, SLC10A). Study 2 investigated the relationship between urea concentration and expression of 6 candidate genes (S100A8, HSP5A, IGF1R, IL17RB, BRINP1, CRISPLD2) in bovine endometrial cell culture. These were treated with 0, 2.5, 5.0 or 7.5 mmol/L urea, equivalent to low, medium and high circulating values with or without challenge by bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS). LPS increased S100A8 expression as expected but urea treatment had no effect on expression of any tested gene. Examination of the genes/pathways involved suggests that plasma urea levels may reflect variations in lipid metabolism. Our results suggest that it is the effects of lipid metabolism rather than the urea concentration which probably alter the rate of involution and innate immune response, in turn influencing subsequent fertility.
Single-cell profiling of peanut-responsive T cells in patients with peanut allergy reveals heterogeneous effector T(H)2 subsets
JOURNAL OF ALLERGY AND CLINICAL IMMUNOLOGY
Authors: Chiang, David; Chen, Xintong; Jones, Stacie M.; Wood, Robert A.; Sicherer, Scott H.; Burks, A. Wesley; Leung, Donald Y. M.; Agashe, Charuta; Grishin, Alexander; Dawson, Peter; Davidson, Wendy F.; Newman, Leah; Sebra, Robert; Merad, Miriam; Sampson, Hugh A.; Losic, Bojan; Berin, M. Cecilia
Abstract
Background: The contribution of phenotypic variation of peanut-specific T cells to clinical allergy or tolerance to peanut is not well understood. Objectives: Our objective was to comprehensively phenotype peanut-specific T cells in the peripheral blood of subjects with and without peanut allergy (PA). Methods: We obtained samples from patients with PA, including a cohort undergoing baseline peanut challenges for an immunotherapy trial (Consortium of Food Allergy Research [CoFAR] 6). Subjectswere confirmed as having PA, or if they passed a 1-g peanut challenge, they were termed high-threshold subjects. Healthy control (HC) subjects were also recruited. PeanutresponsiveTcellswere identified based onCD154 expression after 6 to 18 hours of stimulation with peanut extract. Cells were analyzed by using flow cytometry and single-cell RNA sequencing. Results: Patients with PA had tissue-and follicle-homing peanutresponsive CD4 1 T cells with a heterogeneous pattern of TH2 differentiation, whereas control subjects had undetectable T-cell responses to peanut. The PA group had a delayed and IL-2-dependent upregulation of CD154 on cells expressing regulatory T (Treg) cell markers, which was absent in HC or high-threshold subjects. Depletion of Treg cells enhanced cytokine production in HC subjects and patients with PA in vitro, but cytokines associated with highly differentiated T(H)2 cells were more resistant to Treg cell suppression in patients with PA. Analysis of gene expression by means of single-cell RNA sequencing identified T cells with highly correlated expression of IL4, IL5, IL9, IL13, and the IL-25 receptor IL17RB. Conclusions: These results demonstrate the presence of highly differentiated T(H)2 cells producing T(H)2-associated cytokines with functions beyond IgE class-switching in patients with PA. A multifunctional T(H)2 response was more evident than a Treg cell deficit among peanut-responsive T cells.