A role for the granzyme B inhibitor serine protease inhibitor 6 in CD8+ memory cell homeostasis

A role for STAT5A/B in protection of peripheral T-lymphocytes from postactivation apoptosis: Insights from gene expression profiling

Activation of the transcription factors STAT5A and STAT5B by JAK1 and JAK3 tyrosine kinases is a key event in downstream signaling of gammac (common gamma chain)-family cytokine receptors in lymphoid cells. STAT5A/B-deficiency in mice causes, among other consequences, a reduced size and altered composition of the peripheral T-cell pool with predominance of an activated or memory-like population (CD4(+)/CD44(high)/CD62L(low)) and a proliferative deficiency following antigenic stimulation and subsequent IL-2 treatment. To further elucidate the critical function of STAT5A/B in homeostasis and activation of murine naïve peripheral T-lymphocytes, we have analyzed global gene expression of STAT5A/B-deficient versus wild-type splenic T-cells by profiling with high-density oligonucleotide arrays (Affymetrix). Comparison of (1) basal gene expression of untreated peripheral STAT5A/B-deficient and control T-cells and (2) immediate early gene induction upon in vitro stimulation of either population with IL-2 has revealed differential expression of a broad range of genes potentially contributing to the defects of STAT5A/B deficient T-cells. In the context of enhanced apoptotic rates of STAT5A/B(-/-)-T-cells in vivo and upon TCR-stimulation in culture our data suggest a role for STAT5 in post-activation survival beyond regulation of antiapoptotic Bcl-2 proteins and hence provide new insights into the nature of the late proliferative block in the T-cell compartment caused by STAT5-deficiency.

Modulation of the granzyme B inhibitor proteinase inhibitor 9 (PI-9) by activation of lymphocytes and monocytes in vitro and by Epstein-Barr virus and bacterial infection

Proteinase inhibitor 9 (PI-9) is an intracellular serpin expressed in lymphocytes and monocyte-derived cells. It is the only known endogenous natural antagonist of granzyme B (GrB), and its proposed function is protection of cells from misdirected GrB. We have studied the regulation of PI-9 in primary peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) following ex-vivo stimulation, and in PBMCs from patients suffering from viral or bacterial infections. By intracellular flow cytometry, we found identical PI-9 expression in all lymphocyte subsets, lower levels in monocytes and none in granulocytes. PI-9 was stable for 48 h in the presence of cycloheximide, indicating slow protein turnover. Incubation of PBMCs with several stimuli including lipopolysaccharide (LPS) led to up-regulation in the monocyte, but not the lymphocyte fraction, within 48 h, inhibitable by the NF-kappaB inhibitor pyrrolidin dithiocarbamate (PTDC). Up-regulation of PI-9 was observed in lymphocytes and monocytes of patients with acute Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), but not bacterial infection. Preterm infants had similar PI-9 expression as adults in monocytes, but lower in lymphocytes, decreasing during bacterial infection. Taken together, our data indicate that PI-9 is rapidly up-regulated upon stimulation of monocytes, but not lymphocytes. By protecting monocytes and macrophages from misdirected GrB in the inflammatory process, PI-9 might be involved in the regulation of antigen presentation.

Estrogen induction of the granzyme B inhibitor, proteinase inhibitor 9, protects cells against apoptosis mediated by cytotoxic T lymphocytes and natural killer cells

Exposure to estrogens is associated with an increased risk of developing breast, cervical, and liver cancer. Estrogens strongly induce the human granzyme B inhibitor, proteinase inhibitor 9 (PI-9). Because cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) and natural killer (NK) cells use the granzyme pathway to induce apoptosis of target cells, we tested the ability of activated CTLs and the human NK cell line, YT cells, to lyse human liver cells. Estrogen induction of PI-9 protected the liver cells against CTL and NK cell-mediated, granzyme-dependent, apoptosis. Knockdown of PI-9 by RNA interference blocked the protective effect of estrogen. This work demonstrates that estrogens can act on target cells to control their destruction by immune system cells and shows that induction of PI-9 expression can inhibit both CTL and NK cell-mediated apoptosis. Estrogen induction of PI-9 may reduce the ability of cytolytic lymphocytes-mediated immune surveillance to destroy newly transformed cells, possibly providing a novel mechanism for an estrogen-mediated increase in tumor incidence.

Homeostasis of the memory T cell pool

Memory T cells are critical for the establishment of long-term immunity. The number of memory T cells formed at the conclusion of the primary response is strongly influenced by the number of effector T cells generated in the response, but some factors can additionally enhance the efficiency and quality of memory cell recruitment. Homeostasis of the memory T cell pool depends on cytokine-mediated regulation of cell survival and proliferation. This review discusses factors that influence both the development and the maintenance of the memory T cell pool.

Identification of Hepatocyte Growth Factor Activator Inhibitor-1B as a Potential Physiological Inhibitor of Prostasin

Prostasin is a trypsin-like serine protease that is glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored to the epithelial cell surface, from where it can be released in a soluble form. We undertook a co-expression search using the Genesis Enterprise System Database from Gene Logic to identify prostasin inhibitors, on the assumption that prostasin and its natural inhibitors may have a similar gene expression pattern. We found the expression profile of prostasin in normal human tissues to correlate highly with hepatocyte growth factor activator inhibitor-1B (HAI-1B) and its splice variant HAI-1. Soluble HAI-1B (sHAI-1B), comprising the entire extracellular domain, formed a 1:1 complex with purified prostasin in protein binding assays and inhibited prostasin enzymatic activity with an IC(50) of 66 +/- 15 nM. Two sHAI-1B mutants with inactivated N- and C-terminal Kunitz domains (KD1 and KD2) were used to show that the interaction of sHAI-1B with prostasin is mediated by KD1. In agreement, KD1 (Thr(246)-Val(303)) alone potently inhibited prostasin activity (IC(50) = 4.7 +/- 0.5 nM). Furthermore, prostasin was isolated with two major HAI-1/1B fragments (40 and 58 kDa) from OVCAR3 cell medium, demonstrating that prostasin.HAI-1/1B complexes are formed naturally. Moreover, when prostasin and HAI-1B were co-expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells, complexes of prostasin with HAI-1B were detected on the cell membrane as well as in the culture medium, suggesting that preformed complexes were shed from the cell surface. The identification of HAI-1B as a potential physiological regulator of prostasin function, as described herein, may further the investigation of the role of prostasin in normal physiology and cancer.