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Kimura T, Kobiyama K, Winkels H, Tse K, Miller J, Vassallo M, Wolf D, Ryden C, Orecchioni M, Dileepan T, Jenkins MK, James EA, Kwok WW, Hanna DB, Kaplan RC, Strickler HD, Durkin HG, Kassaye SG, Karim R, Tien PC, Landay AL, Gange SJ, Sidney J, Sette A, Biol.Sci., Ley K. Regulatory CD4 + T Cells Recognize Major Histocompatibility Complex Class II Molecule-Restricted Peptide Epitopes of Apolipoprotein B. Circulation 2018; 138:1130-1143. [PMID: 29588316 PMCID: PMC6160361 DOI: 10.1161/circulationaha.117.031420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 114] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2017] [Accepted: 03/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND CD4+ T cells play an important role in atherosclerosis, but their antigen specificity is poorly understood. Immunization with apolipoprotein B (ApoB, core protein of low density lipoprotein) is known to be atheroprotective in animal models. Here, we report on a human APOB peptide, p18, that is sequence-identical in mouse ApoB and binds to both mouse and human major histocompatibility complex class II molecules. METHODS We constructed p18 tetramers to detect human and mouse APOB-specific T cells and assayed their phenotype by flow cytometry including CD4 lineage transcription factors, intracellular cytokines, and T cell receptor activation. Apolipoprotein E-deficient ( Apoe-/-) mice were vaccinated with p18 peptide or adjuvants alone, and atherosclerotic burden in the aorta was determined. RESULTS In human peripheral blood mononuclear cells from donors without cardiovascular disease, p18 specific CD4+ T cells detected by a new human leukocyte antigen-antigen D related-p18 tetramers were mostly Foxp3+ regulatory T cells (Tregs). Donors with subclinical cardiovascular disease as detected by carotid artery ultrasound had Tregs coexpressing retinoic acid-related orphan receptor gamma t or T-bet, which were both almost absent in donors without cardiovascular disease. In Apoe-/- mice, immunization with p18 induced Tregs and reduced atherosclerotic lesions. After peptide restimulation, responding CD4+ T cells identified by Nur77-GFP (green fluorescent protein) were highly enriched in Tregs. A new mouse I-Ab-p18 tetramer identified the expansion of p18-specific CD4+ T cells on vaccination, which were enriched for interleukin-10-producing Tregs. CONCLUSIONS These findings show that APOB p18-specific CD4+ T cells are mainly Tregs in healthy donors, but coexpress other CD4 lineage transcription factors in donors with subclinical cardiovascular disease. This study identifies ApoB peptide 18 as the first Treg epitope in human and mouse atherosclerosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takayuki Kimura
- Division of Inflammation Biology, La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Kouji Kobiyama
- Division of Inflammation Biology, La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Holger Winkels
- Division of Inflammation Biology, La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Kevin Tse
- Division of Inflammation Biology, La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Jacqueline Miller
- Division of Inflammation Biology, La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Melanie Vassallo
- Division of Inflammation Biology, La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Dennis Wolf
- Division of Inflammation Biology, La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Christian Ryden
- Division of Inflammation Biology, La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Marco Orecchioni
- Division of Inflammation Biology, La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, La Jolla, California, USA
| | | | - Marc K. Jenkins
- Department of Microbiology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Eddie A. James
- Tetramer Core Laboratory, Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - William W. Kwok
- Tetramer Core Laboratory, Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - David B. Hanna
- Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, USA
| | - Robert C. Kaplan
- Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, USA
| | - Howard D. Strickler
- Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, USA
| | - Helen G. Durkin
- Department of Pathology, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York, USA
| | - Seble G. Kassaye
- Department of Medicine, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Roksana Karim
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Phyllis C. Tien
- Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Alan L. Landay
- Department of Microbial Pathogens and Immunity, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Stephen J. Gange
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - John Sidney
- Division of Vaccine Discovery, La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, La Jolla, California, USA
| | | | - Biol.Sci.
- Division of Vaccine Discovery, La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Klaus Ley
- Division of Inflammation Biology, La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, La Jolla, California, USA
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
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Nus M, Mallat Z. Immune-mediated mechanisms of atherosclerosis and implications for the clinic. Expert Rev Clin Immunol 2016; 12:1217-1237. [PMID: 27253721 DOI: 10.1080/1744666x.2016.1195686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION A large body of evidence supports the inflammatory hypothesis of atherosclerosis, and both innate and adaptive immune responses play important roles in all disease stages. Areas covered: Here, we review our understanding of the role of the immune response in atherosclerosis, focusing on the pathways currently amenable to therapeutic modulation. We also discuss the advantages or undesirable effects that may be foreseen from targeting the immune response in patients at high cardiovascular risk, suggesting new avenues for research. Expert commentary: There is an extraordinary opportunity to directly test the inflammatory hypothesis of atherosclerosis in the clinic using currently available therapeutics. However, a more balanced interpretation of the experimental and translational data is needed, which may help address and identify in more detail the appropriate settings where an immune pathway can be targeted with minimal risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meritxell Nus
- a Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine , University of Cambridge , Cambridge , UK
| | - Ziad Mallat
- a Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine , University of Cambridge , Cambridge , UK
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