ABSTRACT: IL-17C is important for the pathogenesis of inflammatory diseases such as IBD and psoriasis. We found that IL-17C is highly induced in a murine model of psoriasis. Recent results suggest that IL-17C can target epithelial cells that express both IL-17RA and IL-17RE receptor chains. Here we identify genes induced in response to IL-17C treatment of human keratinocytes to provide the tools for dissection of the IL-17C signaling pathway. Human keratinocytes, HEKn, were incubated in the absence (n = 3) and presence (n = 5) of 500 ng/ml recombinant human IL-17C for 3 and 24 hours. Whole RNA was isolated via RNeasy kit (Qiagen).
Project description:In psoriasis lesions, a diverse mixture of cytokines is upregulated which influence each other generating a complex inflammatory situation. Although this is the case, the inhibition of Interleukin-17A (IL-17A) alone showed unprecedented clinical results in patients, indicating that IL-17A is a critical inducer of psoriasis pathogenesis. To elucidate IL-17A-driven keratinocyte-intrinsic signaling pathways, we treated monolayers of normal human epidermal keratinocytes in vitro with a mixture of 6 cytokines (IL-17A, TNF-a, IL-17C, IL-22, IL-36g and IFN-g) involved in psoriasis, to mimic the inflammatory milieu in psoriasis lesions. Microarray and gene set enrichment analysis revealed that this cytokine mixture induced similar gene expression changes with the previous transcriptome studies using psoriasis lesions. Importantly, we identified a set of IL-17A-regulated genes in keratinocytes, which recapitulate typical psoriasis genes exemplified by DEFB4A, S100A7, IL19 and CSF3, based on differences in the expression profiles of cells stimulated with 6 cytokines versus cells stimulated with only 5 cytokines lacking IL-17A. Furthermore a specific IL-17A-induced gene, NFKBIZ, which encodes IkappaB-zeta, a transcriptional regulator for NF-kappaB, was demonstrated to have a significant role for IL-17A-induced gene expression. Thus, we present novel in vitro data from normal human keratinocytes that would help elucidating the IL-17A-driven keratinocyte activation in psoriasis. Cytokine mixture-induced gene expression in primary normal human epidermal keratinocytes (NHEKs) was measured at 24 hours after exposure. NHEKs were exposed to the combination of selected six cytokines (IL-17A: 100 ng/ml, TNF-a: 10 ng/ml, IFN-g: 10 ng/ml, IL-17C: 100 ng/ml, IL-22: 100 ng/ml, IL-36g: 500 ng/ml) , or to the different combinations of five of the six cytokines (in total, 7 different treatments and one untreated control). No replicate experiments were conducted.
Project description:IL-6 inhibition has been unsuccessful in treating psoriasis, despite high levels of tissue and serum IL-6 in patients. Additionally, de novo psoriasis onset has been reported following IL-6 blockade in rheumatoid arthritis patients. To explore mechanisms underlying these clinical observations, we backcrossed an established psoriasiform mouse model (IL-17C+ mice) with IL-6 deficient mice (IL-17C+KO) and examined the cutaneous phenotype. IL-17C+KO mice initially exhibited decreased skin inflammation, however this decrease was transient and reversed rapidly, concomitant with increases in skin Tnf, Il36α/β/γ, Il24, epigen and S100a8/a9 to levels higher than those found in IL-17C+ mice. Comparison of IL-17C+ and IL-17C+KO mouse skin transcriptomes with that of human psoriasis skin, revealed significant correlation among transcripts of psoriasis patient skin and IL-17C+KO mouse skin, and confirmed an exacerbation of the inflammatory signature in IL-17C+KO mice that aligns closely with human psoriasis. Transcriptional analyses of IL-17C+ and IL-17C+KO primary keratinocytes confirmed increased expression of proinflammatory molecules, suggesting that in the absence of IL-6, keratinocytes increase production of numerous additional proinflammatory cytokines. These preclinical findings may provide insight into why arthritis patients being treated with IL-6 inhibitors develop new onset psoriasis and why IL-6 blockade for the treatment of psoriasis has not been clinically effective.
Project description:IL-6 inhibition has been unsuccessful in treating psoriasis, despite high levels of tissue and serum IL-6 in patients. Additionally, de novo psoriasis onset has been reported following IL-6 blockade in rheumatoid arthritis patients. To explore mechanisms underlying these clinical observations, we backcrossed an established psoriasiform mouse model (IL-17C+ mice) with IL-6 deficient mice (IL-17C+KO) and examined the cutaneous phenotype. IL-17C+KO mice initially exhibited decreased skin inflammation, however this decrease was transient and reversed rapidly, concomitant with increases in skin Tnf, Il36α/β/γ, Il24, epigen and S100a8/a9 to levels higher than those found in IL-17C+ mice. Comparison of IL-17C+ and IL-17C+KO mouse skin transcriptomes with that of human psoriasis skin, revealed significant correlation among transcripts of psoriasis patient skin and IL-17C+KO mouse skin, and confirmed an exacerbation of the inflammatory signature in IL-17C+KO mice that aligns closely with human psoriasis. Transcriptional analyses of IL-17C+ and IL-17C+KO primary keratinocytes confirmed increased expression of proinflammatory molecules, suggesting that in the absence of IL-6, keratinocytes increase production of numerous additional proinflammatory cytokines. These preclinical findings may provide insight into why arthritis patients being treated with IL-6 inhibitors develop new onset psoriasis and why IL-6 blockade for the treatment of psoriasis has not been clinically effective.
Project description:IL-17C is important for the pathogenesis of inflammatory diseases such as IBD and psoriasis. We found that IL-17C is highly induced in a murine model of psoriasis. Recent results suggest that IL-17C can target epithelial cells that express both IL-17RA and IL-17RE receptor chains. Here we identify genes induced in response to IL-17C treatment of human keratinocytes to provide the tools for dissection of the IL-17C signaling pathway.
Project description:In this study we tested interactions between IL-36 and IL-17A in human keratinocytes. 24 hours of IL-36 stimulation in keratinocytes promoted IL-36, IL-17C, and characteristic psoriasis-related molecule expressions in normal human epidermal keratinocytes in dose-dependent manners as measured by mRNA and protein quantification.
Project description:The IL-23/IL-17 immune axis is of central importance in psoriasis. However, the contribution of IL-17 family cytokines other than IL-17A to drive skin inflammation in psoriasis has not been fully established. To further elucidate the role of individual IL-17 family cytokines in psoriasis, we investigated their expression and localization in psoriasis skin at the mRNA and protein level. Moreover, we investigated the gene expression signatures induced by individual IL-17 family cytokines in human skin ex vivo as well as modulation of responses induced by the combination of IL-17 family cytokines in human keratinocytes by brodalumab, a human monoclonal antibody targeting the IL-17RA, versus the IL-17A blocking antibody ixekizumab. We demonstrate that IL-17A, IL-17AF, IL-17F and IL-17C are expressed at increased levels in psoriasis lesional skin and induce inflammatory gene expression signatures in human skin ex vivo that correlate with those observed in psoriasis. Furthermore, we show that brodalumab, in contrast to ixekizumab, fully blocks gene expression responses induced by the combination of IL-17A, IL-17AF, IL-17F and IL-17C in human keratinocytes. These findings suggest that inhibition of several IL-17 family cytokines, e.g. by targeting of the IL-17RA receptor, could be a favored mechanism to obtain a profound suppression of the inflammatory processes in psoriasis and thereby achieve high levels of skin clearance and sustained efficacy in patients with psoriasis.
Project description:In psoriasis lesions, a diverse mixture of cytokines is upregulated which influence each other generating a complex inflammatory situation. Although this is the case, the inhibition of Interleukin-17A (IL-17A) alone showed unprecedented clinical results in patients, indicating that IL-17A is a critical inducer of psoriasis pathogenesis. To elucidate IL-17A-driven keratinocyte-intrinsic signaling pathways, we treated monolayers of normal human epidermal keratinocytes in vitro with a mixture of 6 cytokines (IL-17A, TNF-a, IL-17C, IL-22, IL-36g and IFN-g) involved in psoriasis, to mimic the inflammatory milieu in psoriasis lesions. Microarray and gene set enrichment analysis revealed that this cytokine mixture induced similar gene expression changes with the previous transcriptome studies using psoriasis lesions. Importantly, we identified a set of IL-17A-regulated genes in keratinocytes, which recapitulate typical psoriasis genes exemplified by DEFB4A, S100A7, IL19 and CSF3, based on differences in the expression profiles of cells stimulated with 6 cytokines versus cells stimulated with only 5 cytokines lacking IL-17A. Furthermore a specific IL-17A-induced gene, NFKBIZ, which encodes IkappaB-zeta, a transcriptional regulator for NF-kappaB, was demonstrated to have a significant role for IL-17A-induced gene expression. Thus, we present novel in vitro data from normal human keratinocytes that would help elucidating the IL-17A-driven keratinocyte activation in psoriasis.
Project description:Immunotherapies targeting IL-17 greatly improve plaque psoriasis. Most previous studies on IL-17 focused on the Th17 immune response, but investigation of the effects of IL-17A on psoriatic epidermal structure are limited. Using an in vitro three-dimensional (3D) human epidermis model, we investigated the effects of IL-17A and IL-17C on morphological changes and gene expression. IL-17A directly suppressed the formation of the granular layer, whereas IL-17C did not. IL-17A significantly downregulated the gene expression of profilaggrin (FLG), which is a major component of keratohyalin granules in the granular layer. Global gene expression analysis of this 3D epidermis model showed that both IL-17A and IL-17C upregulated S100A7A and type 1 interferon-related genes including MX1, IFI44L, XAF1 and IFIT1. However, only IL-17A directly downregulated keratinocyte differentiation-related and cornified envelope-related genes including FLG, LOR, C1ORF68, LCE1E, LCE1B, KRT10, CST6 and RPTN. In conclusion, IL-17A, a systemic inflammatory cytokine, affected keratinization in our 3D epidermis model. In contrast, IL-17C, a locally produced cytokine, did not have strong effects on keratinization. Targeting IL-17A does not only reduce inflammation but it may also directly affect epidermal differentiation in psoriasis.
Project description:Stimulated primary keratinocytes with mature IL-36B cytokine and analysed differential mRNA expression at 8 h timepoint IL-36B induced gene expression in primary human neonatal keratinocytes was measured at 8 hours after exposure to dose IL-36B (5 nM).