Gene expression profiles of Wnt/²-catenin pathway elements in thymocytes and CD4 + T lymphocytes of BALB/c mice

• Grant number: 12/13584-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: September 01, 2012
• End date: August 31, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Immunology - Applied Immunology
• Principal Investigator: Edecio Cunha Neto
• Grantee: Taccyanna Mikulski Ali
• Host Institution: Instituto do Coração Professor Euryclides de Jesus Zerbini (INCOR). Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da USP (HCFMUSP). Secretaria da Saúde (São Paulo - Estado). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

HIG2 (hypoxia inducible gene 2) is a gene that encodes a protein that is called HIG2. This protein is able to bind to Frizzled receptors and activate the Wnt/beta-catenin pathway. Recent data from our group has shown differential expression of the gene HIG2 in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and specially in naïve CD4+ T cells isolated from healthy individuals, but not in memory CD4+ T cells. We have also observed that treatment in vitro of CD4 + T lymphocytes from healthy individuals with synthetic peptide HIG2 induced Wnt/beta-catenin pathway activation, HIG2 production and proliferation of naive CD4 + T cells. Together, these data suggest that HIG2 - and possibly activation of the Wnt pathway - may be involved in the homeostatic proliferation of naïve CD4+ T cells. As naïve CD4 + T cells are directly exported by the thymus, it can be hypothesized that increased levels of HIG2 in this cell type is due to the Wnt/beta-catenin pathway activation in the later stages of thymocyte differentiation. Although the involvement of the Wnt/beta-catenin pathway in thymocyte proliferation, survival and differentiation has been demonstrated in a great variety of studies, most of them have used transgenic mice, or genetically deficient in key protein of the pathway. Also, there are few studies evaluating the activation of this pathway and expression of its targets products, their role is even less known in peripheral T lymphocytes. Besides, nothing is known about the expression of HIG2 in those cells. Thus, the aim of this study is to investigate the expression of HIG2 as well other components of the Wnt canonical pathway in thymocytes and CD4+ T cells of BALB/c mice.

Academic Publications

(References retrieved automatically from State of São Paulo Research Institutions)

ALI, Taccyanna Mikulski. Gene expression profile of Wnt/beta-catenin pathway elements in thymocytes and CD4 + T lymphocytes of BALB/c mice.. 2015. Master's Dissertation - Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Faculdade de Medicina (FM/SBD) São Paulo.