Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is an autoimmune disease of the liver, characterized by lymphocytic infiltrates in portal tracts, selective destruction of biliary epithelial cells, and anti-mitochondrial Abs (AMAs). The elucidation of early events in the induction of tissue inflammation and autoimmunity in PBC has been hampered by the cryptic onset of the disease, the practical limitations in accessing the target tissue, and the lack of a suitable animal model. We demonstrate in this study that a mouse transgenic for directed expression of a dominant-negative form of TGF-β receptor type II (dnTGFβRII), under the direction of the CD4 promoter, mimics several key phenotypic features of human PBC, including spontaneous production of AMAs directed to the same mitochondrial autoantigens, namely PDC-E2, BCOADC-E2, and OGDC-E2. The murine AMAs also inhibit PDC-E2 activity. Moreover, there is lymphocytic liver infiltration with periportal inflammation analogous to the histological profile in human PBC. Additionally, the serum cytokine profile of affected mice mimics data in human PBC. The concomitant presence of these immunopathological features in the transgenic mice suggests that the TGF-βRII pathway is implicated in the pathogenesis of PBC. Finally, these data point away from initiation of autoimmunity by mechanisms such as molecular mimicry and more toward activation of an intrinsically self-reactive T cell repertoire in which necessary regulatory T cell influences are lacking.

The presence of AMAs and autoreactive T and B cells, in conjunction with the co-occurrence of other autoimmune diseases, characterizes PBC as a typical autoimmune disease. 3 Although the etiology of PBC remains obscure,

Liver fibrosis is a common scarring response to all forms of chronic liver injury and is always associated with inflammation that contributes to fibrogenesis. Although a variety of cell populations infiltrate the liver during inflammation, it is generically clear that CD8 T lymphocytes promote while natural killer (

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The emergence of new regulatory and pro-inflammatory immune cell subsets and cytokines dictates the need to re-examine the role of these subsets in various diseases involving the immune system. IL-17 has been recently identified as a key cytokine involved in numerous autoimmune processes. However, its role in liver autoimmune diseases remains unclear. Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is characterized histologically by autoreactive CD4 and CD8 T cells surrounding damaged bile ducts. CD4+ T cells are a major source of IL-17, which compose a distinct T helper subset (Th17). Thus we set out determine the role of IL-17 in both human and a murine model of PBC in a liver-targeted manner. Our data demonstrate an increase in the frequency of IL-17+ lymphocytic infiltration in liver tissues from PBC patients and those with other liver dysfunctions as compared to healthy livers. IL-2 receptor α knockout mice, a recently identified murine model of human PBC, also demonstrate marked aggregations of IL-17 positive cells within portal tracts and increased frequencies of Th17 cells in the liver compared to the periphery. Interestingly, CD4+ T cells from livers of normal C57BL/6J mice also secreted higher levels of IL-17 relative to those from spleens, indicating a preferential induction of Th17 cells in liver tissues. Importantly, C57BL/6J cocultures of splenic CD4+ T cells and liver non-parenchymal cells increased IL-17 production approximately 10 fold compared to T cells alone, suggesting a role of the liver microenvironment in Th17 induction in cases of liver autoimmunity and other liver inflammatory diseases.