Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the arterial wall, involving the innate and adaptive arms (especially subsets of T cells). Effector T (Teff) cells such as Th1 cells play a pathogenic role, whereas regulatory T cells, particularly CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ regulatory T (Treg) cells, play an anti-atherogenic role. One way to combat the disease is to suppress pathogenic responses by amplifying Treg cells in vivo. This calls for developing murine atherosclerosis model(s) permitting simple analysis of T cells, especially Treg cells. We cross-bred strains to generate ApoE-/-/Foxp3-eGFP/Ki67-tagRFP (“AFK”) mice. In AFK mice, the markers for Treg cells (Foxp3) and activation/proliferation (Ki67) are tracked by the green (GFP) and red (RFP) fluorescent protein tags, respectively; by bypassing intracellular immunostaining, cell loss in flow cytometry is minimized. In AFK mice fed western-type diet, we analyzed T cell responses in atherogenesis. We show that Treg and Teff cells in blood and tissues, including the aorta (having Treg cells at a low number), can be easily assessed for quantity and activation as well. Thus, the AFK model enables us to assess the “real-time” responses in atherosclerosis. It can facilitate research on immunology of atherosclerosis and assessment of athero-protective efficacy of immunotherapy. The possibility of using it in designing and evaluating novel anti-atherosclerosis modalities resetting the balance between Teff and Treg cells emerges.
Assessment of T Cell Responses in Atherogenesis using AFK Mouse Model
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Late Breaking Abstracts
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Date: May 6 Presentation Time: 11:30 AM to 12:45 PM Room: Exhibit Hall F1