Hypercholesterolemia Enhances T Cell Receptor Signaling and Increases the Regulatory T Cell Population

Overview

Journal Sci Rep

Specialty Science

Date 2017 Nov 17

PMID 29142309

Citations 39

Authors

Reiner K W Mailer

Anton Gistera

Konstantinos A Polyzos

Daniel F J Ketelhuth

Goran K Hansson

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Hypercholesterolemia promotes the inflammation against lipoproteins in atherosclerosis. Development of atherosclerosis is affected by the balance between pro-inflammatory effector T cells and anti-inflammatory regulatory T (Treg) cells. However, phenotype and function of T cell subpopulations in hypercholesterolemia remain to be investigated. Here, we found that cholesterol-containing diet increased the expression of the Treg cell lineage-defining transcription factor FoxP3 among thymocytes and splenocytes. Hypercholesterolemia elevated the FoxP3 expression level and population size of peripheral Treg cells, but did not prevent enhanced proliferation of stimulated T cells. Moreover, cholesterol supplementation in diet as well as in cell culture medium promoted T cell antigen receptor (TCR) signaling in CD4+ T cells. Our results demonstrate that hypercholesterolemia enhances TCR stimulation, Treg cell development as well as T cell proliferation. Thus, our findings may help to understand why hypercholesterolemia correlates with altered CD4+ T cell responses.

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