Rapamycin Immunomodulation Utilizes Time-Dependent Alterations of Lymph Node Architecture, Leukocyte Trafficking, and Gut Microbiome

Abstract

Transplant recipients require lifelong, multimodal immunosuppression to prevent rejection by reducing alloreactive immunity. Rapamycin, a mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitor, is known to modulate adaptive and innate immunity, while the full spectrum of its immunosuppressive mechanisms remains incompletely understood. Given the broad expression of mTOR, we investigated the understudied effects of rapamycin on lymph node (LN) architecture, leukocyte trafficking, and the gut microbiome and metabolism after 3, 7, and 30 days of rapamycin treatment, to characterize the early, intermediate, and late changes. Rapamycin significantly reduced CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, and regulatory T (Treg) cells in peripheral LNs, mesenteric LNs, and the spleen over time. Rapamycin induced early pro-inflammation transition to pro-tolerogenic status, by modulating the LN laminin α4:α5 expression ratios through LN stromal cells laminin α5 expression and by adjusting Treg numbers and distribution. Additionally, rapamycin significantly altered gut microbiota composition and metabolic functions, shifting the Bacteroides to Firmicutes ratio and increasing amino acid bioavailability in the gut lumen. These effects were evident by 7 days and became most pronounced by 30 days in naive mice, with notable changes as early as 3 days in allogeneic splenocyte-stimulated mice. These findings reveal a novel mechanism of rapamycin's action through time-dependent modulation of LN architecture and gut microbiome, which orchestrates changes in immune cell trafficking, providing a new framework for understanding and optimizing immunosuppressive therapies.