Modulation of T cell signaling threshold and T cell sensitivity to antigens

摘要

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a diverse and abundant class of ˜22-nucleotide (nt) endogenous regulatory RNAs that play a variety of roles in animal cells by controlling gene expression at the posttranscriptional level. Increased miR-181a expression in mature T cells is shown to cause a marked increase in T cell activation and augments T cell sensitivity to peptide antigens. Moreover, T cell blasts with higher miR-181a expression become reactive to antagonists. The effects of miR-181a on antigen discrimination are in part achieved by dampening the expression of multiple negative regulators in the T cell receptor (TCR) signaling pathway, including PTPN22 and the dual specificity phosphatases DUSP5 and DUSP6. This results in a reduction in the TCR signaling threshold, thus quantitatively and qualitatively enhancing T cell sensitDynaivity to antigens.

主权项

1. A method of decreasing T cell activity to an autoantigen, the method comprising:
reducing the activity of miR-181a in peripheral T cells of an individual with a T cell mediated autoimmune disease by administering a modified oligonucleotide that is complementary to miR-181a, wherein the oligonucleotide is at least 12 but not more than 25 nucleotides in length and has no more than 2 mismatches over its length compared to an equal length portion of miR-181a; and thereby raising T cell receptor signaling threshold and decreasing T cell sensitivity to antigen.