# Contribution of the effector Treg-B-antibody nexus to the regulation of CNS autoimmunity

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM · 2022 · $365,794

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY:
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a debilitating autoimmune inflammatory disease that affects the central nervous
system (CNS), and experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is the most commonly used animal
model of MS. Although emerging data have suggested the contribution of TFR-TFH-GC B-antibody (Ab)
responses to EAE and MS, the contribution of TFR cells to the disease pathogenesis and the nature of Ab
response remain largely unknown. Effector Tregs (eTregs) including TFR cells must maintain their suppressive
anergic phenotype at non-lymphoid tissues, including the CNS, and during ongoing inflammatory responses.
However, the mechanisms that ensure maintenance of anergy, lineage identity and expression of regulatory
activity by eTregs are not well defined. Our recent publication has revealed that expression of the transcription
factor Blimp1 in eTregs, including the TFR subset, is essential for maintenance of FoxP3 expression and stable
eTreg suppressive activity. The pro-inflammatory potential of Blimp1-deficient eTregs has prompted us to
examine their impact on the CNS autoimmunity using the myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG)-induced
EAE model. We observed that mice with a FoxP3-specific ablation of Blimp1 developed severe EAE, failed to
recover and all succumbed to paralysis compared to controls, which reflected conversion of unstable Blimp1-
deficient eTregs into IL-17A/GM-CSF-producing effector T-cells (Teff) associated with enhanced glycolysis and
loss of suppression on TFH-Ab responses as well as aberrant microglial activation. Surprisingly, serum IgE
titers were positively correlated with EAE scores and these mice had more IgE deposition in the CNS.
Moreover, compared to healthy controls (HC), MS patients had reduced circulating Blimp1+ Tregs and TFR cells
expressing lower levels of Blimp1 and IL-10, associated with elevated IgE levels. We hypothesize that Blimp1
expression enforces eTreg stability under CNS autoimmunity by preventing acquisition of effector activity and
metabolic skewing as well as restraining TFH-Ab response. Using combined transcriptomic, epigenomic and
metabolic assays, we will delineate the mechanisms by which eTregs, TFR cells and Ab responses regulate
neuroinflammation and how loss of Blimp1 in eTregs re-shape the CNS microenvironment. The proposed
study will uncover Blimp1 as a new regulator that is important for eTreg stability and for mediating disease
recovery during CNS autoimmunity. Our findings point to a previously unrecognized mechanism enforcing
eTreg stability by coordinating response to the autoimmune milieu and maintaining metabolic fitness via
regulation of Blimp1. This study also has the potential to reveal the unappreciated role of TFR cells, and to
clarify the role of B-cells and Ab responses (particularly IgE) in the regulation of CNS autoimmunity. Insights
from these studies may provide critical strategies to formulate novel therapeutic approaches to MS by
exploiting a su...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10404044
- **Project number:** 5R01AI148711-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM
- **Principal Investigator:** Jianmei Wu Leavenworth
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $365,794
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-06-01 → 2025-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10404044

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10404044, Contribution of the effector Treg-B-antibody nexus to the regulation of CNS autoimmunity (5R01AI148711-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10404044. Licensed CC0.

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