# Peripheral T-cell responses of EphB2- and EphB3-deficient mice in a model of collagen-induced arthritis

## TL;DR

This study investigates how the absence of EphB2 and EphB3 proteins affects T-cell function and arthritis development in mice.

## Contribution

The study reveals distinct immune deficiencies in EphB2- and EphB3-deficient mice that impact arthritis development and T-cell activation.

## Key findings

- EphB2-deficient mice fail to develop collagen-induced arthritis, while EphB3-deficient mice show partial susceptibility.
- EphB2−/− T cells have reduced proliferation and anti-type II collagen antibody production.
- EphB3−/− T cells show impaired migration, limiting joint infiltration and reducing arthritis severity.

## Abstract

Both EphB2- and EphB3-deficient mice exhibit profound histological alterations in the thymic epithelial network but few changes in T-cell differentiation, suggesting that this organization would be sufficient to produce functional T lymphocytes. Also, other antigen-presenting cells involved in immunological education could substitute the thymic epithelium. Accordingly, we found an increased frequency of plasmacytoid dendritic cells but not of conventional dendritic cells, medullary fibroblasts or intrathymic B lymphocytes. In addition, there are no lymphoid infiltrates in the organs of mutant mice nor do they contain circulating autoantibodies. Furthermore, attempts to induce arthritic lesions after chicken type II collagen administration fail totally in EphB2-deficient mice whereas all WT and half of the immunized EphB3−/− mice develop a typical collagen-induced arthritis. Our results point out that Th17 cells, IL4-producing Th2 cells and regulatory T cells are key for the induction of disease, but mutant mice appear to have deficits in T cell activation or cell migration properties. EphB2−/− T cells show reduced in vitro proliferative responses to anti-CD3/anti-CD28 antibodies, produce low levels of anti-type II collagen antibodies, and exhibit low proportions of T follicular helper cells. On the contrary, EphB3−/− lymph node cells respond accurately to the different immune stimuli although in lower levels than WT cells but show a significantly reduced migration in in vitro transwell assays, suggesting that no sufficient type II collagen-dependent activated lymphoid cells reached the joints, resulting in reduced arthritic lesions.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00018-024-05197-0.