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Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) comprise mainly ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn´s disease (CD). Both forms present with a chronic inflammation of the (gastro) intestinal tract, which induces excessive changes in the composition of the associated extracellular matrix (ECM). In UC, the inflammation is limited to the colon, whereas it can occur throughout the entire gastrointestinal tract in CD. Tools for early diagnosis of IBD are still very limited and highly invasive and measures for standardized evaluation of structural changes are scarce. To investigate an efficient non-invasive way of diagnosing intestinal inflammation and early changes of the ECM, very small superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (VSOPs) in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were applied in two mouse models of experimental colitis: the dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis and the transfer model of colitis. For further validation of ECM changes and inflammation, tissue sections were analyzed by immunohistochemistry. For in depth ex-vivo investigation of VSOPs localization within the tissue, Europium-doped VSOPs served to visualize the contrast agent by imaging mass cytometry (IMC). VSOPs accumulation in the inflamed colon wall of DSS-induced colitis mice was visualized in T2* weighted MRI scans. Components of the ECM, especially the hyaluronic acid content, were found to influence VSOPs binding. Using IMC, colocalization of VSOPs with macrophages and endothelial cells in colon tissue was shown. In contrast to the DSS model, colonic inflammation could not be visualized with VSOP-enhanced MRI in transfer colitis. VSOPs present a potential contrast agent for contrast-enhanced MRI to detect intestinal inflammation in mice at an early stage and in a less invasive manner depending on hyaluronic acid content.
T cells need to adapt their cellular metabolism for effector cell differentiation. This relies on alterations in mitochondrial physiology. Which signals and molecules regulate those alterations remains unclear. We recently reported, that the mitochondrial protein TCAIM inhibits activation-induced changes in mitochondrial morphology and function and thus, CD effector T cell formation. Using conditional TCAIM knock-in (KI) and knockout (KO) mice, w now show that it also applies to CD8+ T cells and more importantly, delineate the molecular processes in mitochondria by which TCAIM controls effector cell differentiation. TCAIM KI resulted in reduced activation-induced HIF1α protein expression. Metabolomics and transcriptional data in combination with mathematical flux modeling revealed an impaired induction of anabolic pathways, especially of the mevalonate pathway and cholesterol biosynthesis in TCAIM KI CD8+ T cells. Addition of cholesterol completely rescued HIF1α protein expression, activation and proliferation of TCAIM KI CD8+ T cells. At the molecular level, TCAIM delayed activation-induced mitochondria-ER contact (MERC) formation by binding to MERC promoting proteins such as RMD3 and VDAC2. In summary, we demonstrate that TCAIM suppresses effector cell differentiation by inhibiting MERC formation, which induce HIF1α-mediated increase in cellular metabolism and cholesterol biosynthesis.