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Updated: May 30, 2025
Author Spotlight: Creating a Versatile Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis Model Relevant for Both Male and Female Mice
Published on: October 13, 2023
Sp3 ameliorated experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis by triggering Socs3 in Th17 cells
Yan Li1, Mengyi Zhu2, Penghui Yang2
1Department of Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences and Biopharmaceutics, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510006, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Advanced Drug Delivery, Guangdong Provincial Engineering Center of Topical Precise Drug Delivery System, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510006, China.
Introduction:
Although it is believed that chronic inflammatory and degenerative diseases of the central nervous system are mediated by autoimmune Th17 cells, the underlying mechanisms remain largely unexplored. Recent studies and our research have revealed that Sp3 was blocked in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). However, it remained unclear why it is silent and how it regulates Th17 cell differentiation in MS.
Objectives:
This study aimed to explore the impact of Sp3 on Th17 cell-mediated EAE and the underlying mechanism.
Methods:
The effect of Sp3 on the clinical symptoms of EAE was evaluated by scoring, histochemistry, and fast blue (FB) techniques, scRNA-seq data analysis, flow cytometry, ELISA, PCR, WB, immunofluorescence and reporter gene techniques were used to explore the molecular mechanism of Sp3 regulating Th17 cell differentiation.
Results:
Injection of overexpression Sp3 lentivirus could significantly ameliorate the EAE progress and clinical symptoms and prevent the polarization of Th1 and Th17 cells both in vivo and in vitro. We confirmed the occurrence of EAE in Sp3+/+CD4Cre mice and Sp3+/- knockout mice. Furthermore, we identified Sp3 as a target of miR-223, which is found to be upregulated in the blood of MS patients, as well as in EAE and Th17 cells. Moreover, knockdown of miR-223 led to a marked improvement in EAE symptoms and a suppression of Th1 and Th17 cell polarization in vivo and in vitro. Mechanistically, Sp3 significantly suppressed RORγt expression and the phosphorylation of Stat3 and Smad2/3 by directly upregulating Socs3. Interestingly, Socs3 was found to regulate Sp3 expression in response to TGF-β1 via a feedback loop. Moreover, Socs3 modulated phospho-Smad2/3 by binding to and degrading the transforming growth factor-β receptor II (TβRII).
Conclusion:
Thus, our study suggests a novel mechanism involving miR-223/Sp3/Socs3/TGF-β signaling as a potential therapeutic strategy for targeting Th17 cells in immunotherapy.
