Total CD3 T Cells Are Necessary and Sufficient to Induce Colitis in Immunodeficient Mice With Dendritic Cell–Specific Deletion of TGFbR2: A Novel IBD Model to Study CD4 and CD8 T-Cell Interaction

Abstract

Abstract Background Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a multifactorial disorder, with the innate and adaptive immune cells contributing to disease initiation and progression. However, the intricate cross-talk between immune cell lineages remains incompletely understood. The role of CD8+ T cells in IBD pathogenesis has been understudied, largely due to the lack of appropriate models. Methods We previously reported spontaneous colitis in mice with impaired TGFβ signaling due to dendritic cell–specific knockout of TGFbR2 (TGFβR2ΔDC). Here, we demonstrate that crossing TGFβR2ΔDC mice with a Rag1-/- background eliminates all symptoms of colitis and that adoptive transfer of unfractionated CD3+ splenocytes is sufficient to induce progressive colitis in Rag1-/-TGFβR2ΔDC mice. Results Both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells are required for the induction of colitis accompanied by activation of both T-cell lineages and DCs, increased expression of mucosal IFNγ, TNFα, IL6, IL1β, and IL12, and decreased frequencies of CD4+FoxP3+ regulatory T cells. Development of colitis required CD40L expression in CD4+ T cells, and the disease was partially ameliorated by IFNγ neutralization. Conclusions This novel model provides an important tool for studying IBD pathogenesis, in particular the complex interactions among innate and adaptive immune cells in a controlled fashion, and represents a valuable tool for preclinical evaluation of novel therapeutics.