Università della Svizzera italiana

Epigenetics of T lymphocytes in health and disease

Leoni, Cristina ; Vincenzetti, Lucia ; Emming, Stefan ; Monticelli, Silvia

In: Swiss Medical weekly, 2015, vol. 145, p. w14191

The risk of developing autoimmune diseases depends on both genetic and environmental factors, with epigenetic mechanisms of regulation potentially translating environmental cues into stable modifications in gene expression. Such stable memory of a functional state has been deciphered into a number of molecular mechanisms that collectively define the epigenetic status of a cell. In recent years,...

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...