Università della Svizzera italiana

TRPM7 kinase activity is essential for T cell colonization and alloreactivity in the gut

Romagnani, Andrea ; Vettore, Valentina ; Rezzonico-Jost, Tanja ; Hampe, Sarah ; Rottoli, Elsa ; Nadolni, Wiebke ; Perotti, Michela ; Meier, Melanie A. ; Hermanns, Constanze ; Geiger, Sheila ; Wennemuth, Gunther ; Recordati, Camilla ; Matsushita, Masayuki ; Muehlich, Susanne ; Proietti, Michele ; Chubanov, Vladimir ; Gudermann, Thomas ; Grassi, Fabio ; Zierler, Susanna

In: Nature communications, 2017, vol. 8, p. 1917

The melastatin-like transient-receptor-potential-7 protein (TRPM7), harbouring a cation channel and a serine/threonine kinase, has been implicated in thymopoiesis and cytokine expression. Here we show, by analysing TRPM7 kinase-dead mutant (Trpm7 R/R) mice, that the enzymatic activity of the receptor is not essential for thymopoiesis, but is required for CD103 transcription and gut-homing of ...

Università della Svizzera italiana

Ectonucleotidase activity and immunosuppression in astrocyte-CD4 T cell bidirectional signaling

Filipello, Fabia ; Pozzi, Davide ; Proietti, Michele ; Romagnani, Andrea ; Mazzitelli, Sonia ; Matteoli, Michela ; Verderio, Claudia ; Grassi, Fabio

In: Oncotarget, 2016, vol. 7, no. 5, p. 5143-5156

Astrocytes play a crucial role in neuroinflammation as part of the glia limitans, which regulates infiltration of the brain parenchyma by leukocytes. The signaling pathways and molecular events, which result from the interaction of activated T cells with astrocytes are poorly defined. Here we show that astrocytes promote the expression and enzymatic activity of CD39 and CD73 ectonucleotidases in...

Università della Svizzera italiana

P2X7 receptor restrains pathogenic Tfh cell generation in systemic lupus erythematosus

Faliti, Caterina E. ; Gualtierotti, Roberta ; Rottoli, Elsa ; Gerosa, Maria ; Perruzza, Lisa ; Romagnani, Andrea ; Pellegrini, Giovanni ; De Ponte Conti, Benedetta ; Rossi, Riccardo L. ; Idzko, Marco ; Mazza, Emilia M.C. ; Bicciato, Silvio ; Traggiai, Elisabetta ; Meroni, Pier Luigi ; Grassi, Fabio

In: Journal of Experimental Medicine, 2019, vol. 216, no. 2, p. 317-336

Altered control of T follicular helper (Tfh) cells can lead to generation of autoantibodies and autoimmune manifestations. Signaling pathways that selectively limit pathogenic responses without affecting the protective function of Tfh cells are unknown. Here we show that the ATP-gated ionotropic P2X7 receptor restricts the expansion of aberrant Tfh cells and the generation of self-reactive...