Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a multisystem autoimmune disorder characterized by a loss of immunological tolerance and the expansion of autoreactive T and B lymphocytes, leading to the production of autoantibodies. The immune system dysfunction in SLE leads to downstream chronic inflammation and high rates of hypertension, renal injury, and cardiovascular disease. Patients with SLE also have alterations in circulating cytokines, including elevated plasma levels of the adipokine leptin. Leptin is produced by white adipose tissue and has a prominent role in regulating appetite and energy expenditure via its actions in the hypothalamus. However, it also plays a key role in the maintenance and development of inflammation, in part through its direct effects on cells of both the innate and adaptive immune systems. The central goal of this project is to examine the contribution of leptin mediated immune system activation on the pathogenesis of hypertension in SLE. To accomplish this goal, a clinically relevant model of SLE, the female NZBWF1 mouse, will be utilized. Similar to patients with SLE, the NZBWF1 mouse exhibits hypertension, renal injury, and elevated circulating leptin levels, in addition to prominent immune system dysfunction. Work in animal models of autoimmunity strongly implicate leptin in the pathogenesis of autoimmune disease, but the contribution of leptin to the prevalent hypertension during SLE, and the mechanism by which this occurs is unknown. Thus, specific aim 1 will test the hypothesis that elevated leptin during SLE promotes hypertension by stimulating the expansion of proinflammatory TH1 and TH17 cells and decreasing TREG cells.
Specific aim 2 will test the hypothesis that elevated leptin during SLE leads to the development of hypertension by promoting B cell survival and the production of autoantibodies. To accomplish these aims, we will administer leptin or block leptin signaling, and test the impact on the development of B and T lymphocyte dysfunction and autoimmune-associated hypertension. Because leptin acts both centrally (central nervous system) and peripherally, we will also examine relative contribution of central and peripheral leptin on immune system function.
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