Increased infiltration of CD4 < sup > + < /sup > IL-17A < sup > + < /sup > FOXP3 < sup > + < /sup > T cells in Helicobacter  pylori-induced gastritis

Eur J Immunol. 2024 Feb 17:e2350662. doi: 10.1002/eji.202350662. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTHelicobacter pylori is one of the main predisposing factors for gastric cancer, causing chronic inflammation and proper glands atrophy in the gastric mucosa. Although H. pylori-induced inflammation is a key inducer of precancerous lesions in the gastric mucosa, it remains unclear which precise immune cell subsets are responsible for the progression of H. pylori-induced gastritis. Here, we observed an abundance of CD4+ IL-17A+ FOXP3+ T cells exhibiting a Th17-like phenotype within the microenvironment of H. pylori-induced gastritis. Mechanistically, H. pylori upregulated the expression of IL-6 in Dendritic cells and macrophages, by activating NF-κB signaling through the virulence factor CagA and thus, induced IL-17A expression in FOXP3+ T cells. Moreover, CD4+ IL-17A+ FOXP3+ T cells were positively associated with advanced precancerous lesions. Therefore, these findings offer essential insights into how FOXP3+ T cells sense inflammatory signals from the environment, such as IL-6, during H. pylori infections, thereby guiding the effector immune response and aggravating the gastritis.PMID:38366919 | DOI:10.1002/eji.202350662
Source: European Journal of Immunology - Category: Allergy & Immunology Authors: Source Type: research