1. Photoreceptor Cells Constitutively Express IL-35 and Promote Ocular Immune Privilege.
- Author
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Yu, Cheng-Rong, Yadav, Manoj Kumar, Kang, Minkyung, Jittayasothorn, Yingyos, Dong, Lijin, and Egwuagu, Charles E.
- Subjects
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PHOTORECEPTORS , *INTERLEUKIN-27 , *UVEITIS , *CELL death , *RETINA , *NEUROINFLAMMATION , *DISEASE exacerbation - Abstract
Interleukin-27 is constitutively secreted by microglia in the retina or brain, and upregulation of IL-27 during neuroinflammation suppresses encephalomyelitis and autoimmune uveitis. However, while IL-35 is structurally and functionally similar to IL-27, the intrinsic roles of IL-35 in CNS tissues are unknown. Thus, we generated IL-35/YFP-knock-in reporter mice (p35-KI) and demonstrated that photoreceptor neurons constitutively secrete IL-35, which might protect the retina from persistent low-grade inflammation that can impair photoreceptor functions. Furthermore, the p35-KI mouse, which is hemizygous at the il12a locus, develops more severe uveitis because of reduced IL-35 expression. Interestingly, onset and exacerbation of uveitis in p35-KI mice caused by extravasation of proinflammatory Th1/Th17 lymphocytes into the retina were preceded by a dramatic decrease of IL-35, attributable to massive death of photoreceptor cells. Thus, while inflammation-induced death of photoreceptors and loss of protective effects of IL-35 exacerbated uveitis, our data also suggest that constitutive production of IL-35 in the retina might have housekeeping functions that promote sterilization immunity in the neuroretina and maintain ocular immune privilege. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
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