401
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Eberhard JM, Hartjen P, Kummer S, Schmidt RE, Bockhorn M, Lehmann C, Balagopal A, Hauber J, van Lunzen J, zur Wiesch JS. CD161+ MAIT cells are severely reduced in peripheral blood and lymph nodes of HIV-infected individuals independently of disease progression. PLoS One 2014; 9:e111323. [PMID: 25369333 PMCID: PMC4219715 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0111323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2014] [Accepted: 09/21/2014] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells are characterized by the combined expression of the semi-invariant T cell receptor (TCR) Vα7.2, the lectin receptor CD161, as well as IL-18R, and play an important role in antibacterial host defense of the gut. The current study characterized CD161+ MAIT and CD161–TCRVα7.2+ T cell subsets within a large cohort of HIV patients with emphasis on patients with slow disease progression and elite controllers. Mononuclear cells from blood and lymph node samples as well as plasma from 63 patients and 26 healthy donors were analyzed by multicolor flow cytometry and ELISA for IL-18, sCD14 and sCD163. Additionally, MAIT cells were analyzed after in vitro stimulation with different cytokines and/or fixed E.coli. Reduced numbers of CD161+ MAIT cells during HIV infection were detectable in the blood and lymph nodes of all patient groups, including elite controllers. CD161+ MAIT cell numbers did not recover even after successful antiretroviral treatment. The loss of CD161+ MAIT cells was correlated with higher levels of MAIT cell activation; an increased frequency of the CD161–TCRVα7.2+T cell subset in HIV infection was observed. In vitro stimulation of MAIT cells with IL-18 and IL-12, IL-7 and fixed E.coli also resulted in a rapid and additive reduction of the MAIT cell frequency defined by CD161, IL-18R and CCR6. In summary, the irreversible reduction of the CD161+ MAIT cell subset seems to be an early event in HIV infection that is independent of later stages of the disease. This loss appears to be at least partially due to the distinctive vulnerability of MAIT cells to the pronounced stimulation by microbial products and cytokines during HIV-infection.
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MESH Headings
- Adult
- Aged
- Anti-HIV Agents/therapeutic use
- Antigens, CD/blood
- Antigens, Differentiation, Myelomonocytic/blood
- Disease Progression
- Escherichia coli/physiology
- Female
- HIV Infections/drug therapy
- HIV Infections/pathology
- Humans
- Immunity, Mucosal/immunology
- Interleukin-12/metabolism
- Interleukin-12/pharmacology
- Interleukin-18/blood
- Interleukin-18/metabolism
- Interleukin-18/pharmacology
- Interleukin-7/metabolism
- Interleukin-7/pharmacology
- Leukocytes, Mononuclear/drug effects
- Leukocytes, Mononuclear/immunology
- Leukocytes, Mononuclear/metabolism
- Lipopolysaccharide Receptors/blood
- Lymph Nodes/cytology
- Lymph Nodes/metabolism
- Male
- Middle Aged
- NK Cell Lectin-Like Receptor Subfamily B/metabolism
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta/immunology
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta/metabolism
- Receptors, Cell Surface/blood
- Receptors, Interleukin-18/metabolism
- T-Lymphocyte Subsets/drug effects
- T-Lymphocyte Subsets/immunology
- T-Lymphocyte Subsets/metabolism
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Affiliation(s)
- Johanna Maria Eberhard
- Infectious Diseases Unit, Department of Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
- Heinrich Pette Institute - Leibniz Institute for Experimental Virology, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Philip Hartjen
- Infectious Diseases Unit, Department of Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
- Heinrich Pette Institute - Leibniz Institute for Experimental Virology, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Silke Kummer
- Infectious Diseases Unit, Department of Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
- Heinrich Pette Institute - Leibniz Institute for Experimental Virology, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Reinhold E. Schmidt
- Department of Immunology and Rheumatology, Hannover Medical School, Hanover, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Hamburg and Hannover, Hamburg and Hannover, Germany
| | - Maximilian Bockhorn
- Department of General Surgery, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Clara Lehmann
- Department of Internal Medicine I, University Hospital of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Ashwin Balagopal
- School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Joachim Hauber
- Heinrich Pette Institute - Leibniz Institute for Experimental Virology, Hamburg, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Hamburg and Hannover, Hamburg and Hannover, Germany
| | - Jan van Lunzen
- Infectious Diseases Unit, Department of Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
- Heinrich Pette Institute - Leibniz Institute for Experimental Virology, Hamburg, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Hamburg and Hannover, Hamburg and Hannover, Germany
- * E-mail:
| | - Julian Schulze zur Wiesch
- Infectious Diseases Unit, Department of Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
- Heinrich Pette Institute - Leibniz Institute for Experimental Virology, Hamburg, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Hamburg and Hannover, Hamburg and Hannover, Germany
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402
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Fergusson JR, Smith KE, Fleming VM, Rajoriya N, Newell EW, Simmons R, Marchi E, Björkander S, Kang YH, Swadling L, Kurioka A, Sahgal N, Lockstone H, Baban D, Freeman GJ, Sverremark-Ekström E, Davis MM, Davenport MP, Venturi V, Ussher JE, Willberg CB, Klenerman P. CD161 defines a transcriptional and functional phenotype across distinct human T cell lineages. Cell Rep 2014; 9:1075-88. [PMID: 25437561 PMCID: PMC4250839 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2014.09.045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 216] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2014] [Revised: 08/28/2014] [Accepted: 09/24/2014] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The C-type lectin CD161 is expressed by a large proportion of human T lymphocytes of all lineages, including a population known as mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells. To understand whether different T cell subsets expressing CD161 have similar properties, we examined these populations in parallel using mass cytometry and mRNA microarray approaches. The analysis identified a conserved CD161++/MAIT cell transcriptional signature enriched in CD161+CD8+ T cells, which can be extended to CD161+ CD4+ and CD161+TCRγδ+ T cells. Furthermore, this led to the identification of a shared innate-like, TCR-independent response to interleukin (IL)-12 plus IL-18 by different CD161-expressing T cell populations. This response was independent of regulation by CD161, which acted as a costimulatory molecule in the context of T cell receptor stimulation. Expression of CD161 hence identifies a transcriptional and functional phenotype, shared across human T lymphocytes and independent of both T cell receptor (TCR) expression and cell lineage. CD161 expression defines specific T cell subsets, including CD8+, CD4+, and TCRγδ+ CD161-expressing lymphocytes possess a conserved transcriptional signature CD161-expressing lymphocytes display a shared innate response to IL-12+18 CD161 can act as a costimulatory receptor
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Affiliation(s)
- Joannah R Fergusson
- Peter Medawar Building for Pathogen Research, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SY, UK
| | - Kira E Smith
- Peter Medawar Building for Pathogen Research, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SY, UK
| | - Vicki M Fleming
- Peter Medawar Building for Pathogen Research, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SY, UK; Department of Microbiology and Infectious Disease, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK
| | - Neil Rajoriya
- Peter Medawar Building for Pathogen Research, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SY, UK
| | - Evan W Newell
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A(∗)STAR), Singapore Immunology Network (SIgN), Singapore 138632, Singapore
| | - Ruth Simmons
- Peter Medawar Building for Pathogen Research, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SY, UK
| | - Emanuele Marchi
- Peter Medawar Building for Pathogen Research, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SY, UK
| | - Sophia Björkander
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The Wenner-Gren Institute, Stockholm University, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Yu-Hoi Kang
- Peter Medawar Building for Pathogen Research, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SY, UK
| | - Leo Swadling
- Peter Medawar Building for Pathogen Research, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SY, UK
| | - Ayako Kurioka
- Peter Medawar Building for Pathogen Research, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SY, UK
| | - Natasha Sahgal
- Bioinformatics and Statistical Genetics Core, Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7BN, UK
| | - Helen Lockstone
- Bioinformatics and Statistical Genetics Core, Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7BN, UK
| | - Dilair Baban
- Bioinformatics and Statistical Genetics Core, Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7BN, UK
| | - Gordon J Freeman
- Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Eva Sverremark-Ekström
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The Wenner-Gren Institute, Stockholm University, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Mark M Davis
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Miles P Davenport
- Department of Haematology, Prince of Wales Hospital, Kensington, NSW NS2 2052, Australia
| | - Vanessa Venturi
- Department of Haematology, Prince of Wales Hospital, Kensington, NSW NS2 2052, Australia
| | - James E Ussher
- Peter Medawar Building for Pathogen Research, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SY, UK; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Otago, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand
| | - Christian B Willberg
- Peter Medawar Building for Pathogen Research, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SY, UK
| | - Paul Klenerman
- Peter Medawar Building for Pathogen Research, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3SY, UK; NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford OX3 9TU, UK.
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403
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Ussher JE, Klenerman P, Willberg CB. Mucosal-associated invariant T-cells: new players in anti-bacterial immunity. Front Immunol 2014; 5:450. [PMID: 25339949 PMCID: PMC4189401 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2014.00450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 111] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2014] [Accepted: 09/05/2014] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells are an innate-like T-cell population involved in anti-bacterial immunity. In human beings, MAIT cells are abundant, comprising ~10% of the CD8+ T-cell compartment in blood. They are enriched at mucosal sites and are particularly prevalent within the liver. MAIT cells are defined by the expression of a semi-invariant T-cell receptor (Vα7.2-Jα33/12/20) and are restricted by the non-polymorphic, highly evolutionarily conserved MHC class Ib molecule, MHC-related protein (MR)1. MR1 has recently been shown to present an unstable pyrimidine intermediate derived from a biosynthetic precursor of riboflavin; riboflavin biosynthesis occurs in many bacteria but not in human beings. Consistent with this, MAIT cells are responsive to riboflavin-metabolizing bacteria, including Salmonella. In mouse models, MAIT cells have been shown to play a non-redundant role in anti-bacterial immunity, including against Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Mycobacterium bovis BCG. In human beings, MAIT cells are decreased in frequency in the blood of patients with tuberculosis or pneumonia, and their frequency has been inversely correlated with the risk of subsequent systemic bacterial infection in patients in intensive care. Intriguingly, MAIT cells are also depleted from the blood early in HIV infection and fail to recover with anti-retroviral therapy, which may contribute to the susceptibility of patients infected with HIV to certain bacterial infections, including non-typhoidal Salmonella. In this review, we will discuss what is currently known about MAIT cells, the role that Salmonella has played in elucidating MAIT cell restriction and function, and the role MAIT cells might play in the control of Salmonella infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- James E Ussher
- Peter Medawar Building for Pathogen Research, University of Oxford , Oxford , UK ; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Otago , Dunedin , New Zealand
| | - Paul Klenerman
- Peter Medawar Building for Pathogen Research, University of Oxford , Oxford , UK ; Oxford NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, John Radcliffe Hospital , Oxford , UK
| | - Chris B Willberg
- Peter Medawar Building for Pathogen Research, University of Oxford , Oxford , UK ; Oxford NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, John Radcliffe Hospital , Oxford , UK
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404
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Rajoriya N, Fergusson JR, Leithead JA, Klenerman P. Gamma Delta T-lymphocytes in Hepatitis C and Chronic Liver Disease. Front Immunol 2014; 5:400. [PMID: 25206355 PMCID: PMC4143964 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2014.00400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2014] [Accepted: 08/05/2014] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Discovered 30 years ago, gamma delta (γδ) T-lymphocytes remain an intriguing and enigmatic T-cell subset. Although in humans they comprise a small fraction of the total circulating T-lymphocyte pool, they represent an important T-cell subset in tissues such as the liver, with roles bridging the innate and adaptive immune systems. The associations of γδ T-lymphocytes with chronic liver disease have been explored – however, there remain conflicting data as to whether these T-cells are pathogenic or protective. In patients with some forms of liver disease, their expansion in the periphery and especially in the liver may indeed help pathogen clearance, while in other conditions their presence may, in contrast, contribute to disease progression. γδ T-cells can also express CD161, a C-type lectin, and such cells have been found to be involved in the pathogenesis of inflammatory disease. CD161+ T-cells of diverse subsets are known to be enriched in the livers of patients with chronic hepatitis C. This article serves to provide a review of the γδ T-cell population and its role in hepatitis C and other chronic liver diseases, and also explores a potential role of the CD161+ γδ T-cells in liver diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neil Rajoriya
- Peter Medawar Building for Pathogen Research , Oxford , UK
| | | | - Joanna A Leithead
- Liver Unit, Queen Elizabeth Hospital , Birmingham , UK ; NIHR Biomedical Research Unit and Centre for Liver Research, University of Birmingham , Birmingham , UK
| | - Paul Klenerman
- Peter Medawar Building for Pathogen Research , Oxford , UK ; NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, Oxford Radcliffe Hospital , Oxford , UK
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405
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Leung DT, Bhuiyan TR, Nishat NS, Hoq MR, Aktar A, Rahman MA, Uddin T, Khan AI, Chowdhury F, Charles RC, Harris JB, Calderwood SB, Qadri F, Ryan ET. Circulating mucosal associated invariant T cells are activated in Vibrio cholerae O1 infection and associated with lipopolysaccharide antibody responses. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2014; 8:e3076. [PMID: 25144724 PMCID: PMC4140671 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0003076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2014] [Accepted: 06/26/2014] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Mucosal Associated Invariant T (MAIT) cells are innate-like T cells found in abundance in the intestinal mucosa, and are thought to play a role in bridging the innate-adaptive interface. Methods We measured MAIT cell frequencies and antibody responses in blood from patients presenting with culture-confirmed severe cholera to a hospital in Dhaka, Bangladesh at days 2, 7, 30, and 90 of illness. Results We found that MAIT (CD3+CD4−CD161hiVα7.2+) cells were maximally activated at day 7 after onset of cholera. In adult patients, MAIT frequencies did not change over time, whereas in child patients, MAITs were significantly decreased at day 7, and this decrease persisted to day 90. Fold changes in MAIT frequency correlated with increases in LPS IgA and IgG, but not LPS IgM nor antibody responses to cholera toxin B subunit. Conclusions In the acute phase of cholera, MAIT cells are activated, depleted from the periphery, and as part of the innate response against V. cholerae infection, are possibly involved in mechanisms underlying class switching of antibody responses to T cell-independent antigens. Vibrio cholerae is the bacterium that causes cholera, which can be a potentially fatal diarrheal disease that affects millions of people worldwide each year. How our immune system provides protection against cholera is poorly understood. Mucosal Associated Invariant T (MAIT) cells are recently discovered immune cells found in the blood and intestinal tract of humans. In this study of cholera patients in Dhaka, Bangladesh, we found that blood MAIT cells are activated during cholera, and that in children, blood MAIT cells are decreased in number during the course of disease. We also found that the MAIT cell response correlates with the antibody response to V. cholerae O1 lipopolysaccharide, which in the past has been shown to be an important determinant of protection. These findings suggest that MAIT cells may play an important role in the body's defense against cholera.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel T. Leung
- Centre for Vaccine Sciences, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh
- Division of Infectious Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Taufiqur R. Bhuiyan
- Centre for Vaccine Sciences, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Naoshin S. Nishat
- Centre for Vaccine Sciences, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Mohammad Rubel Hoq
- Centre for Vaccine Sciences, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Amena Aktar
- Centre for Vaccine Sciences, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - M. Arifur Rahman
- Centre for Vaccine Sciences, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Taher Uddin
- Centre for Vaccine Sciences, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Ashraful I. Khan
- Centre for Vaccine Sciences, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Fahima Chowdhury
- Centre for Vaccine Sciences, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Richelle C. Charles
- Division of Infectious Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Jason B. Harris
- Division of Infectious Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Stephen B. Calderwood
- Division of Infectious Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Microbiology and Immunobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Firdausi Qadri
- Centre for Vaccine Sciences, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Edward T. Ryan
- Division of Infectious Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
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406
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Willing A, Leach OA, Ufer F, Attfield KE, Steinbach K, Kursawe N, Piedavent M, Friese MA. CD8⁺ MAIT cells infiltrate into the CNS and alterations in their blood frequencies correlate with IL-18 serum levels in multiple sclerosis. Eur J Immunol 2014; 44:3119-28. [PMID: 25043505 DOI: 10.1002/eji.201344160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 116] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2013] [Revised: 06/14/2014] [Accepted: 07/04/2014] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Recent findings indicate a pathogenic involvement of IL-17-producing CD8(+) T cells in multiple sclerosis (MS). IL-17 production has been attributed to a subset of CD8(+) T cells that belong to the mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cell population. Here, we report a reduction of CD8(+) MAIT cells in the blood of MS patients compared with healthy individuals, which significantly correlated with IL-18 serum levels in MS patients. In vitro stimulation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from healthy individuals and MS patients with IL-18 specifically activated CD8(+) MAIT cells. Moreover, IL-18 together with T-cell receptor stimulation induced, specifically on CD8(+) MAIT cells, an upregulation of the integrin very late antigen-4 that is essential for the infiltration of CD8(+) T cells into the CNS. Notably, we were able to identify CD8(+) MAIT cells in MS brain lesions by immunohistochemistry while they were almost absent in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). In summary, our findings indicate that an IL-18-driven activation of CD8(+) MAIT cells contributes to their CNS infiltration in MS, in turn leading to reduced CD8(+) MAIT-cell frequencies in the blood. Therefore, CD8(+) MAIT cells seem to play a role in the innate arm of immunopathology in MS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne Willing
- Institut für Neuroimmunologie und Multiple Sklerose, Zentrum für Molekulare Neurobiologie, Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
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407
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Jo J, Tan AT, Ussher JE, Sandalova E, Tang XZ, Tan-Garcia A, To N, Hong M, Chia A, Gill US, Kennedy PT, Tan KC, Lee KH, De Libero G, Gehring AJ, Willberg CB, Klenerman P, Bertoletti A. Toll-like receptor 8 agonist and bacteria trigger potent activation of innate immune cells in human liver. PLoS Pathog 2014; 10:e1004210. [PMID: 24967632 PMCID: PMC4072808 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1004210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 182] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2014] [Accepted: 05/09/2014] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability of innate immune cells to sense and respond to impending danger varies by anatomical location. The liver is considered tolerogenic but is still capable of mounting a successful immune response to clear various infections. To understand whether hepatic immune cells tune their response to different infectious challenges, we probed mononuclear cells purified from human healthy and diseased livers with distinct pathogen-associated molecules. We discovered that only the TLR8 agonist ssRNA40 selectively activated liver-resident innate immune cells to produce substantial quantities of IFN-γ. We identified CD161Bright mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) and CD56Bright NK cells as the responding liver-resident innate immune cells. Their activation was not directly induced by the TLR8 agonist but was dependent on IL-12 and IL-18 production by ssRNA40-activated intrahepatic monocytes. Importantly, the ssRNA40-induced cytokine-dependent activation of MAIT cells mirrored responses induced by bacteria, i.e., generating a selective production of high levels of IFN-γ, without the concomitant production of TNF-α or IL-17A. The intrahepatic IFN-γ production could be detected not only in healthy livers, but also in HBV- or HCV-infected livers. In conclusion, the human liver harbors a network of immune cells able to modulate their immunological responses to different pathogen-associated molecules. Their ability to generate a strong production of IFN-γ upon stimulation with TLR8 agonist opens new therapeutic opportunities for the treatment of diverse liver pathologies. The ability of human pathogens, like HBV, HCV or Plasmodium spp. to infect the liver might be influenced by its tolerogenic features. However, hepatic tolerance is not absolute since protective immunity can be triggered. Our goal was to define how to deliberately elicit an intrahepatic protective immune response. To achieve this, we purified immune cells residing in the vascular bed of human livers and we probed their reactivity against different pathogen-associated molecules, mimicking signature components of viruses or bacteria. We found that robust production of anti-viral cytokine IFN-γ was induced only by the TLR8 agonist ssRNA40. Mechanistically, ssRNA40 triggered hepatic monocytes to produce IL-12 and IL-18 cytokines, which stimulated IFN-γ production by liver-resident CD161Bright MAIT and CD56Bright NK cells. We also demonstrated that ssRNA40-mediated activation could occur in pathologic (HBV- or HCV-chronically infected) livers and that a similar cytokine-mediated activation of intrahepatic cells could also be triggered upon bacterial infection. Thus, we showed that the liver immune cells can respond vigorously to specific pathogen-associated molecules. The selective production of IFN-γ by liver-resident cells could have therapeutic implications for the treatment of chronic liver infections.
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MESH Headings
- Adjuvants, Immunologic/pharmacology
- Cells, Cultured
- Coculture Techniques
- Enterococcus faecalis/immunology
- Enterococcus faecalis/metabolism
- Enterococcus faecalis/pathogenicity
- Escherichia coli/immunology
- Escherichia coli/metabolism
- Escherichia coli/pathogenicity
- Hepacivirus/immunology
- Hepacivirus/pathogenicity
- Hepatitis B/immunology
- Hepatitis B/metabolism
- Hepatitis B/pathology
- Hepatitis B/virology
- Hepatitis B virus/immunology
- Hepatitis B virus/pathogenicity
- Hepatitis C/immunology
- Hepatitis C/metabolism
- Hepatitis C/pathology
- Hepatitis C/virology
- Humans
- Immunity, Innate/drug effects
- Interferon-gamma Release Tests
- Killer Cells, Natural/drug effects
- Killer Cells, Natural/immunology
- Killer Cells, Natural/metabolism
- Leukocytes, Mononuclear/drug effects
- Leukocytes, Mononuclear/immunology
- Leukocytes, Mononuclear/metabolism
- Leukocytes, Mononuclear/pathology
- Liver/drug effects
- Liver/immunology
- Liver/microbiology
- Liver/pathology
- Monocytes/drug effects
- Monocytes/immunology
- Monocytes/metabolism
- Oligoribonucleotides/pharmacology
- Pseudomonas aeruginosa/immunology
- Pseudomonas aeruginosa/metabolism
- Pseudomonas aeruginosa/pathogenicity
- Riboflavin/biosynthesis
- T-Lymphocyte Subsets/drug effects
- T-Lymphocyte Subsets/immunology
- T-Lymphocyte Subsets/metabolism
- Toll-Like Receptor 8/agonists
- Toll-Like Receptor 8/metabolism
- Up-Regulation/drug effects
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Affiliation(s)
- Juandy Jo
- Viral Hepatitis Laboratory, Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Agency of Science Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore
| | - Anthony T. Tan
- Program Emerging Infectious Diseases, Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, Singapore
| | - James E. Ussher
- NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, John Radcliffe Hospital & Peter Medawar Building for Pathogen Research, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Elena Sandalova
- Viral Hepatitis Laboratory, Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Agency of Science Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore
| | - Xin-Zi Tang
- Viral Hepatitis Laboratory, Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Agency of Science Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore
| | - Alfonso Tan-Garcia
- Program Emerging Infectious Diseases, Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, Singapore
| | - Natalie To
- Institute of Cell and Molecular Science, Barts and the London School of Medicine & Dentistry, London, United Kingdom
| | - Michelle Hong
- Viral Hepatitis Laboratory, Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Agency of Science Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore
| | - Adeline Chia
- Program Emerging Infectious Diseases, Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, Singapore
| | - Upkar S. Gill
- Institute of Cell and Molecular Science, Barts and the London School of Medicine & Dentistry, London, United Kingdom
| | - Patrick T. Kennedy
- Institute of Cell and Molecular Science, Barts and the London School of Medicine & Dentistry, London, United Kingdom
| | | | | | - Gennaro De Libero
- Experimental Immunology, Department of Biomedicine, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Adam J. Gehring
- Viral Hepatitis Laboratory, Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Agency of Science Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore
| | - Christian B. Willberg
- NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, John Radcliffe Hospital & Peter Medawar Building for Pathogen Research, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Paul Klenerman
- NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, John Radcliffe Hospital & Peter Medawar Building for Pathogen Research, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Antonio Bertoletti
- Viral Hepatitis Laboratory, Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Agency of Science Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore
- Program Emerging Infectious Diseases, Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, Singapore
- School of Immunity and Infection, College of Medical and Dental Science, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston Birmingham, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
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Abstract
The evolutionary conservation of T lymphocyte subsets bearing αβ TCRs using invariant α-chains is indicative of unique and important functions. Among these T lymphocytes, NKT cells that express an invariant TCRα-chain and recognize lipid Ags presented by the nonclassical MHC class I molecule CD1d are probably the most studied. However, a new population of evolutionarily conserved T cells with another invariant TCRα rearrangement was recently characterized. These cells, which are very abundant in humans, tend to reside in mucosal tissues and, therefore, were named mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells. Until recently, little was known about MAIT cells; however, several recent advances in our understanding of MAIT cell characteristics and functions secure their upcoming rise to fame in the immunology field and in clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurent Gapin
- Department of Immunology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Denver, CO 80206
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