June 2021
Volume 62, Issue 8
Open Access
ARVO Annual Meeting Abstract  |   June 2021
Gut microbiota from Sjögren Syndrome patients causes decreased T regulatory cells in the lymphoid organs and ocular barrier disruption in mice.
Author Affiliations & Notes
  • Laura Schaefer
    Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States
  • Claudia Trujillo-Vargas
    Ophthalmology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States
  • Stephen C Pflugfelder
    Ophthalmology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States
  • Robert Britton
    Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States
  • Cintia S De Paiva
    Ophthalmology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States
  • Footnotes
    Commercial Relationships   Laura Schaefer, None; Claudia Trujillo-Vargas, None; Stephen Pflugfelder, None; Robert Britton, None; Cintia De Paiva, None
  • Footnotes
    Support  This work was supported by the NIH/NEI EY026893 (CSDP), NIH EY-002520 (Core Grant for Vision Research Department of Ophthalmology), Research to Prevent Blindness Stein Innovation Award (RAB), Research to Prevent Blindness (Dept. of Ophthalmology), The Hamill Foundation, The Sid Richardson Foundation, and by Baylor Cytometry and Cell Sorting Core (CPRIT Core Facility Support Award (CPRIT-RP180672), the NIH (CA125123 and RR024574) .
Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science June 2021, Vol.62, 1329. doi:
  • Views
  • Share
  • Tools
    • Alerts
      ×
      This feature is available to authenticated users only.
      Sign In or Create an Account ×
    • Get Citation

      Laura Schaefer, Claudia Trujillo-Vargas, Stephen C Pflugfelder, Robert Britton, Cintia S De Paiva; Gut microbiota from Sjögren Syndrome patients causes decreased T regulatory cells in the lymphoid organs and ocular barrier disruption in mice.. Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 2021;62(8):1329.

      Download citation file:


      © ARVO (1962-2015); The Authors (2016-present)

      ×
  • Supplements
Abstract

Purpose : We are investigating the effects of the gut microbiota on immune homeostasis at the ocular surface and on ocular pathophysiology in Sjogren Syndrome.

Methods : 4-week-old female germ-free C57BL/6 mice were individually humanized with stools from either healthy donors or SS patients (n = 5 donors per group). Flow cytometry analysis investigated the frequency of CD4+FoxP3+ cells in ocular draining nodes, spleens, intestinal lamina propria and mesenteric lymph nodes 4 weeks post-humanization. A separate group of germ-free mice after humanization with SS and healthy donors were mated to established humanized colonies. Humanized mice (n = 3 different donors per group) were subjected to the standard desiccating stress for 5 days. Uptake of Oregon-Green-Dextran (OGD) dye was used to evaluate corneal barrier function after desiccating stress. Data analysis was performed after combining the results from individual subjects.

Results : We observed a consistent decrease in the percentages of CD4+FoxP3+ lymphocytes in the eye draining lymph nodes in the SS humanized mice compared to healthy donors (11.6±5 vs 15.8±4.6% of the total leukocytes, n=19 mice/group, p=0.01 unpaired t test). This finding was recapitulated in the offspring of the humanized colonies, in which we also observed the same phenomenon in the spleen and mediastinal lymph nodes, indicating that this effect has vertical transmission. Following exposure to desiccating stress for 5 days, we observed significant disruption of corneal barrier function in SS-humanized mice compared to healthy donors.

Conclusions : These findings suggest that the gut microbiota influences the proper development of T regulatory cells in draining lymph nodes of mucosal surfaces, such as the eye. They also suggest that the bacterial communities from Sjogren Syndrome patients are less protective of the ocular surface against desiccating environmental stress, as SS-humanized mice had worse corneal barrier function.

This is a 2021 ARVO Annual Meeting abstract.

×
×

This PDF is available to Subscribers Only

Sign in or purchase a subscription to access this content. ×

You must be signed into an individual account to use this feature.

×