1
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Brown AJ, White J, Shaw L, Gross J, Slabodkin A, Kushner E, Greiff V, Matsuda J, Gapin L, Scott-Browne J, Kappler J, Marrack P. MHC heterozygosity limits T cell receptor variability in CD4 T cells. Sci Immunol 2024; 9:eado5295. [PMID: 38996008 DOI: 10.1126/sciimmunol.ado5295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2024] [Accepted: 06/20/2024] [Indexed: 07/14/2024]
Abstract
αβ T cell receptor (TCR) V(D)J genes code for billions of TCR combinations. However, only some appear on peripheral T cells in any individual because, to mature, thymocytes must react with low affinity but not high affinity with thymus expressed major histocompatibility (MHC)/peptides. MHC proteins are very polymorphic. Different alleles bind different peptides. Therefore, any individual might express many different MHC alleles to ensure that some peptides from an invader are bound to MHC and activate T cells. However, most individuals express limited numbers of MHC alleles. To explore this, we compared the TCR repertoires of naïve CD4 T cells in mice expressing one or two MHC alleles. Unexpectedly, the TCRs in heterozygotes were less diverse that those in the sum of their MHC homozygous relatives. Our results suggest that thymus negative selection cancels out the advantages of increased thymic positive selection in the MHC heterozygotes.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Mice
- CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes/immunology
- Heterozygote
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/immunology
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/genetics
- Major Histocompatibility Complex/immunology
- Major Histocompatibility Complex/genetics
- Mice, Inbred C57BL
- Thymus Gland/immunology
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta/genetics
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta/immunology
- Mice, Transgenic
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander J Brown
- Department of Immunology and Genomic Medicine, National Jewish Health, 1400 Jackson St, Denver, CO 80206, USA
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, 12800 East 19th Avenue, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Janice White
- Department of Immunology and Genomic Medicine, National Jewish Health, 1400 Jackson St, Denver, CO 80206, USA
| | - Laura Shaw
- Department of Immunology and Genomic Medicine, National Jewish Health, 1400 Jackson St, Denver, CO 80206, USA
| | - Jimmy Gross
- Department of Immunology and Genomic Medicine, National Jewish Health, 1400 Jackson St, Denver, CO 80206, USA
| | - Andrei Slabodkin
- Department of Immunology, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital, Postboks 4950 Nydalen OUS HF Rikshospitalet, 0424 Oslo, Norway
| | - Ella Kushner
- Department of Immunology and Genomic Medicine, National Jewish Health, 1400 Jackson St, Denver, CO 80206, USA
| | - Victor Greiff
- Department of Immunology, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital, Postboks 4950 Nydalen OUS HF Rikshospitalet, 0424 Oslo, Norway
| | - Jennifer Matsuda
- Department of Immunology and Genomic Medicine, National Jewish Health, 1400 Jackson St, Denver, CO 80206, USA
| | - Laurent Gapin
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, 12800 East 19th Avenue, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - James Scott-Browne
- Department of Immunology and Genomic Medicine, National Jewish Health, 1400 Jackson St, Denver, CO 80206, USA
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, 12800 East 19th Avenue, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - John Kappler
- Department of Immunology and Genomic Medicine, National Jewish Health, 1400 Jackson St, Denver, CO 80206, USA
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, 12800 East 19th Avenue, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
- Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, 1775 Aurora Ct, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Philippa Marrack
- Department of Immunology and Genomic Medicine, National Jewish Health, 1400 Jackson St, Denver, CO 80206, USA
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, 12800 East 19th Avenue, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
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2
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Zdinak PM, Trivedi N, Grebinoski S, Torrey J, Martinez EZ, Martinez S, Hicks L, Ranjan R, Makani VKK, Roland MM, Kublo L, Arshad S, Anderson MS, Vignali DAA, Joglekar AV. De novo identification of CD4 + T cell epitopes. Nat Methods 2024; 21:846-856. [PMID: 38658646 PMCID: PMC11093748 DOI: 10.1038/s41592-024-02255-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2022] [Accepted: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
CD4+ T cells recognize peptide antigens presented on class II major histocompatibility complex (MHC-II) molecules to carry out their function. The remarkable diversity of T cell receptor sequences and lack of antigen discovery approaches for MHC-II make profiling the specificities of CD4+ T cells challenging. We have expanded our platform of signaling and antigen-presenting bifunctional receptors to encode MHC-II molecules presenting covalently linked peptides (SABR-IIs) for CD4+ T cell antigen discovery. SABR-IIs can present epitopes to CD4+ T cells and induce signaling upon their recognition, allowing a readable output. Furthermore, the SABR-II design is modular in signaling and deployment to T cells and B cells. Here, we demonstrate that SABR-IIs libraries presenting endogenous and non-contiguous epitopes can be used for antigen discovery in the context of type 1 diabetes. SABR-II libraries provide a rapid, flexible, scalable and versatile approach for de novo identification of CD4+ T cell ligands from single-cell RNA sequencing data using experimental and computational approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul M Zdinak
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Center for Systems Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Program in Microbiology and Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Nishtha Trivedi
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Center for Systems Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Stephanie Grebinoski
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Program in Microbiology and Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Jessica Torrey
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Center for Systems Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Eduardo Zarate Martinez
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Center for Systems Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Microbiology and Immunology Diversity Scholars Program, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Salome Martinez
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Center for Systems Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Louise Hicks
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Center for Systems Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Rashi Ranjan
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Center for Systems Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Venkata Krishna Kanth Makani
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Center for Systems Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Mary Melissa Roland
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Center for Systems Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Lyubov Kublo
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Center for Systems Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Sanya Arshad
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Center for Systems Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Mark S Anderson
- Diabetes Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Dario A A Vignali
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Tumor Microenvironment Center, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Program, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Alok V Joglekar
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
- Center for Systems Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
- Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Program, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
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3
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Lin Y, Wan Z, Liu B, Yao J, Li T, Yang F, Sui J, Zhao Y, Liu W, Zhou X, Wang J, Qi H. B cell-reactive triad of B cells, follicular helper and regulatory T cells at homeostasis. Cell Res 2024; 34:295-308. [PMID: 38326478 PMCID: PMC10978943 DOI: 10.1038/s41422-024-00929-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2023] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Autoreactive B cells are silenced through receptor editing, clonal deletion and anergy induction. Additional autoreactive B cells are ignorant because of physical segregation from their cognate autoantigen. Unexpectedly, we find that follicular B cell-derived autoantigen, including cell surface molecules such as FcγRIIB, is a class of homeostatic autoantigen that can induce spontaneous germinal centers (GCs) and B cell-reactive autoantibodies in non-autoimmune animals with intact T and B cell repertoires. These B cell-reactive B cells form GCs in a manner dependent on spontaneous follicular helper T (TFH) cells, which preferentially recognize B cell-derived autoantigen, and in a manner constrained by spontaneous follicular regulatory T (TFR) cells, which also carry specificities for B cell-derived autoantigen. B cell-reactive GC cells are continuously generated and, following immunization or infection, become intermixed with foreign antigen-induced GCs. Production of plasma cells and antibodies derived from B cell-reactive GC cells are markedly enhanced by viral infection, potentially increasing the chance for autoimmunity. Consequently, immune homeostasis in healthy animals not only involves classical tolerance of silencing and ignoring autoreactive B cells but also entails a reactive equilibrium attained by a spontaneous B cell-reactive triad of B cells, TFH cells and TFR cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yihan Lin
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Beijing, China
- Laboratory of Dynamic Immunobiology, Institute for Immunology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Zurong Wan
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Beijing, China
- Laboratory of Dynamic Immunobiology, Institute for Immunology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
- Weill Cornell Medical College, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Bo Liu
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Beijing, China
- Laboratory of Dynamic Immunobiology, Institute for Immunology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
- Changping Laboratory, Beijing, China
| | - Jiacheng Yao
- Changping Laboratory, Beijing, China
- School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Tianqi Li
- School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Fang Yang
- National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jianhua Sui
- National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yongshan Zhao
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Beijing, China
- Laboratory of Dynamic Immunobiology, Institute for Immunology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Wanli Liu
- School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Xuyu Zhou
- Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jianbin Wang
- Changping Laboratory, Beijing, China.
- School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
| | - Hai Qi
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Beijing, China.
- Laboratory of Dynamic Immunobiology, Institute for Immunology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
- Changping Laboratory, Beijing, China.
- New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
- Beijing Key Laboratory for Immunological Research on Chronic Diseases, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
- Beijing Frontier Research Center for Biological Structure, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
- SXMU-Tsinghua Collaborative Innovation Center for Frontier Medicine, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China.
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4
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Mitchell AM, Baschal EE, McDaniel KA, Fleury T, Choi H, Pyle L, Yu L, Rewers MJ, Nakayama M, Michels AW. Tracking DNA-based antigen-specific T cell receptors during progression to type 1 diabetes. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadj6975. [PMID: 38064552 PMCID: PMC10708189 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adj6975] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2023] [Accepted: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023]
Abstract
T cells targeting self-proteins are important mediators in autoimmune diseases. T cells express unique cell-surface receptors (TCRs) that recognize peptides presented by major histocompatibility molecules. TCRs have been identified from blood and pancreatic islets of individuals with type 1 diabetes (T1D). Here, we tracked ~1700 known antigen-specific TCR sequences, islet antigen or viral reactive, in bulk TCRβ sequencing from longitudinal blood DNA samples in at-risk cases who progressed to T1D, age/sex/human leukocyte antigen-matched controls, and a new-onset T1D cohort. Shared and frequent antigen-specific TCRβ sequences were identified in all three cohorts, and viral sequences were present across all ages. Islet sequences had different patterns of accumulation based upon antigen specificity in the at-risk cases. Furthermore, 73 islet-antigen TCRβ sequences were present in higher frequencies and numbers in T1D samples relative to controls. The total number of these disease-associated TCRβ sequences inversely correlated with age at clinical diagnosis, indicating the potential to use disease-relevant TCR sequences as biomarkers in autoimmune disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela M. Mitchell
- Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Erin E. Baschal
- Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Kristen A. McDaniel
- Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Theodore Fleury
- Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Hyelin Choi
- Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Laura Pyle
- Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA
- Department of Biostatistics and Informatics, University of Colorado School of Public Health, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Liping Yu
- Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Marian J. Rewers
- Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA
- Department of Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Maki Nakayama
- Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA
- Department of Immunology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Aaron W. Michels
- Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA
- Department of Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA
- Department of Immunology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA
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5
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Sharma S, Tan X, Boyer J, Clarke D, Costanzo A, Abe B, Kain L, Holt M, Armstrong A, Rihanek M, Su A, Speake C, Gottlieb P, Gottschalk M, Pettus J, Teyton L. Measuring anti-islet autoimmunity in mouse and human by profiling peripheral blood antigen-specific CD4 T cells. Sci Transl Med 2023; 15:eade3614. [PMID: 37406136 PMCID: PMC10495123 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.ade3614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Accepted: 06/16/2023] [Indexed: 07/07/2023]
Abstract
The endocrine pancreas is one of the most inaccessible organs of the human body. Its autoimmune attack leads to type 1 diabetes (T1D) in a genetically susceptible population and a lifelong need for exogenous insulin replacement. Monitoring disease progression by sampling peripheral blood would provide key insights into T1D immune-mediated mechanisms and potentially change preclinical diagnosis and the evaluation of therapeutic interventions. This effort has been limited to the measurement of circulating anti-islet antibodies, which despite a recognized diagnostic value, remain poorly predictive at the individual level for a fundamentally CD4 T cell-dependent disease. Here, peptide-major histocompatibility complex tetramers were used to profile blood anti-insulin CD4 T cells in mice and humans. While percentages of these were not directly informative, the state of activation of anti-insulin T cells measured by RNA and protein profiling was able to distinguish the absence of autoimmunity versus disease progression. Activated anti-insulin CD4 T cell were detected not only at time of diagnosis but also in patients with established disease and in some at-risk individuals. These results support the concept that antigen-specific CD4 T cells might be used to monitor autoimmunity in real time. This advance can inform our approach to T1D diagnosis and therapeutic interventions in the preclinical phase of anti-islet autoimmunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siddhartha Sharma
- Department of Immunology and Microbial Science, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Xuqian Tan
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
- School of Biological Science, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Josh Boyer
- Department of Immunology and Microbial Science, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Don Clarke
- Department of Immunology and Microbial Science, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Anne Costanzo
- Department of Immunology and Microbial Science, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Brian Abe
- Department of Immunology and Microbial Science, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Lisa Kain
- Department of Immunology and Microbial Science, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Marie Holt
- Department of Immunology and Microbial Science, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Adrienne Armstrong
- Division of Endocrinology, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA 92123, USA
| | - Marynette Rihanek
- Barbara Davis Center, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80045, USA
| | - Andrew Su
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Cate Speake
- Diabetes Clinical Research Program, Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason, Seattle, WA,98101, USA
- Center for Interventional Immunology, Diabetes Clinical Research Program, Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason, Seattle, WA 98101, USA
| | - Peter Gottlieb
- Barbara Davis Center, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80045, USA
| | - Michael Gottschalk
- Division of Pediatric Endocrinology, University of California San Diego, School of Medicine, Rady Children's Hospital, San Diego, CA 92123, USA
| | - Jeremy Pettus
- Division of Endocrinology, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA 92123, USA
| | - Luc Teyton
- Department of Immunology and Microbial Science, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
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6
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Becerra-Artiles A, Nanaware PP, Muneeruddin K, Weaver GC, Shaffer SA, Calvo-Calle JM, Stern LJ. Immunopeptidome profiling of human coronavirus OC43-infected cells identifies CD4 T-cell epitopes specific to seasonal coronaviruses or cross-reactive with SARS-CoV-2. PLoS Pathog 2023; 19:e1011032. [PMID: 37498934 PMCID: PMC10409285 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1011032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2022] [Revised: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Seasonal "common-cold" human coronaviruses are widely spread throughout the world and are mainly associated with mild upper respiratory tract infections. The emergence of highly pathogenic coronaviruses MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV, and most recently SARS-CoV-2 has prompted increased attention to coronavirus biology and immunopathology, but the T-cell response to seasonal coronaviruses remains largely uncharacterized. Here we report the repertoire of viral peptides that are naturally processed and presented upon infection of a model cell line with seasonal coronavirus OC43. We identified MHC-bound peptides derived from each of the viral structural proteins (spike, nucleoprotein, hemagglutinin-esterase, membrane, and envelope) as well as non-structural proteins nsp3, nsp5, nsp6, and nsp12. Eighty MHC-II bound peptides corresponding to 14 distinct OC43-derived epitopes were identified, including many at very high abundance within the overall MHC-II peptidome. Fewer and less abundant MHC-I bound OC43-derived peptides were observed, possibly due to MHC-I downregulation induced by OC43 infection. The MHC-II peptides elicited low-abundance recall T-cell responses in most donors tested. In vitro assays confirmed that the peptides were recognized by CD4+ T cells and identified the presenting HLA alleles. T-cell responses cross-reactive between OC43, SARS-CoV-2, and the other seasonal coronaviruses were confirmed in samples of peripheral blood and peptide-expanded T-cell lines. Among the validated epitopes, spike protein S903-917 presented by DPA1*01:03/DPB1*04:01 and S1085-1099 presented by DRB1*15:01 shared substantial homology to other human coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2, and were targeted by cross-reactive CD4 T cells. Nucleoprotein N54-68 and hemagglutinin-esterase HE128-142 presented by DRB1*15:01 and HE259-273 presented by DPA1*01:03/DPB1*04:01 are immunodominant epitopes with low coronavirus homology that are not cross-reactive with SARS-CoV-2. Overall, the set of naturally processed and presented OC43 epitopes comprise both OC43-specific and human coronavirus cross-reactive epitopes, which can be used to follow CD4 T-cell cross-reactivity after infection or vaccination, and to guide selection of epitopes for inclusion in pan-coronavirus vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aniuska Becerra-Artiles
- Department of Pathology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biotechnology, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Padma P. Nanaware
- Department of Pathology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biotechnology, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Khaja Muneeruddin
- Mass Spectrometry Facility, UMass Chan Medical School, Shrewsbury Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Grant C. Weaver
- Department of Pathology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biotechnology, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Scott A. Shaffer
- Mass Spectrometry Facility, UMass Chan Medical School, Shrewsbury Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biotechnology, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - J. Mauricio Calvo-Calle
- Department of Pathology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biotechnology, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Lawrence J. Stern
- Department of Pathology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biotechnology, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biotechnology, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States of America
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7
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Becerra-Artiles A, Calvo-Calle JM, Co MD, Nanaware PP, Cruz J, Weaver GC, Lu L, Forconi C, Finberg RW, Moormann AM, Stern LJ. Broadly recognized, cross-reactive SARS-CoV-2 CD4 T cell epitopes are highly conserved across human coronaviruses and presented by common HLA alleles. Cell Rep 2022; 39:110952. [PMID: 35675811 PMCID: PMC9135679 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2021] [Revised: 04/03/2022] [Accepted: 05/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Sequence homology between SARS-CoV-2 and common-cold human coronaviruses (HCoVs) raises the possibility that memory responses to prior HCoV infection can affect T cell response in COVID-19. We studied T cell responses to SARS-CoV-2 and HCoVs in convalescent COVID-19 donors and identified a highly conserved SARS-CoV-2 sequence, S811-831, with overlapping epitopes presented by common MHC class II proteins HLA-DQ5 and HLA-DP4. These epitopes are recognized by low-abundance CD4 T cells from convalescent COVID-19 donors, mRNA vaccine recipients, and uninfected donors. TCR sequencing revealed a diverse repertoire with public TCRs. T cell cross-reactivity is driven by the high conservation across human and animal coronaviruses of T cell contact residues in both HLA-DQ5 and HLA-DP4 binding frames, with distinct patterns of HCoV cross-reactivity explained by MHC class II binding preferences and substitutions at secondary TCR contact sites. These data highlight S811-831 as a highly conserved CD4 T cell epitope broadly recognized across human populations.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Mary Dawn Co
- Department of Medicine, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01655, USA
| | - Padma P Nanaware
- Department of Pathology, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01655, USA
| | - John Cruz
- Department of Pathology, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01655, USA
| | - Grant C Weaver
- Department of Pathology, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01655, USA
| | - Liying Lu
- Department of Pathology, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01655, USA
| | - Catherine Forconi
- Department of Medicine, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01655, USA
| | - Robert W Finberg
- Department of Medicine, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01655, USA
| | - Ann M Moormann
- Department of Medicine, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01655, USA
| | - Lawrence J Stern
- Department of Pathology, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01655, USA; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biotechnology, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01655, USA.
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8
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Halliez C, Ibrahim H, Otonkoski T, Mallone R. In vitro beta-cell killing models using immune cells and human pluripotent stem cell-derived islets: Challenges and opportunities. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2022; 13:1076683. [PMID: 36726462 PMCID: PMC9885197 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2022.1076683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2022] [Accepted: 12/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a disease of both autoimmunity and β-cells. The β-cells play an active role in their own demise by mounting defense mechanisms that are insufficient at best, and that can become even deleterious in the long term. This complex crosstalk is important to understanding the physiological defense mechanisms at play in healthy conditions, their alterations in the T1D setting, and therapeutic agents that may boost such mechanisms. Robust protocols to develop stem-cell-derived islets (SC-islets) from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs), and islet-reactive cytotoxic CD8+ T-cells from peripheral blood mononuclear cells offer unprecedented opportunities to study this crosstalk. Challenges to develop in vitro β-cell killing models include the cluster morphology of SC-islets, the relatively weak cytotoxicity of most autoimmune T-cells and the variable behavior of in vitro expanded CD8+ T-cells. These challenges may however be highly rewarding in light of the opportunities offered by such models. Herein, we discuss these opportunities including: the β-cell/immune crosstalk in an islet microenvironment; the features that make β-cells more sensitive to autoimmunity; therapeutic agents that may modulate β-cell vulnerability; and the possibility to perform analyses in an autologous setting, i.e., by generating T-cell effectors and SC-islets from the same donor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clémentine Halliez
- Université Paris Cité, Institut Cochin, CNRS, INSERM, Paris, France
- Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Paris, Service de Diabétologie et Immunologie Clinique, Cochin Hospital, Paris, France
| | - Hazem Ibrahim
- Stem Cells and Metabolism Research Program, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Timo Otonkoski
- Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Paris, Service de Diabétologie et Immunologie Clinique, Cochin Hospital, Paris, France
- Department of Pediatrics, Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
- *Correspondence: Roberto Mallone, ; Timo Otonkoski,
| | - Roberto Mallone
- Université Paris Cité, Institut Cochin, CNRS, INSERM, Paris, France
- Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Paris, Service de Diabétologie et Immunologie Clinique, Cochin Hospital, Paris, France
- *Correspondence: Roberto Mallone, ; Timo Otonkoski,
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9
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Nakayama M, Michels AW. Using the T Cell Receptor as a Biomarker in Type 1 Diabetes. Front Immunol 2021; 12:777788. [PMID: 34868047 PMCID: PMC8635517 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.777788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2021] [Accepted: 10/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
T cell receptors (TCRs) are unique markers that define antigen specificity for a given T cell. With the evolution of sequencing and computational analysis technologies, TCRs are now prime candidates for the development of next-generation non-cell based T cell biomarkers, which provide a surrogate measure to assess the presence of antigen-specific T cells. Type 1 diabetes (T1D), the immune-mediated form of diabetes, is a prototypical organ specific autoimmune disease in which T cells play a pivotal role in targeting pancreatic insulin-producing beta cells. While the disease is now predictable by measuring autoantibodies in the peripheral blood directed to beta cell proteins, there is an urgent need to develop T cell markers that recapitulate T cell activity in the pancreas and can be a measure of disease activity. This review focuses on the potential and challenges of developing TCR biomarkers for T1D. We summarize current knowledge about TCR repertoires and clonotypes specific for T1D and discuss challenges that are unique for autoimmune diabetes. Ultimately, the integration of large TCR datasets produced from individuals with and without T1D along with computational 'big data' analysis will facilitate the development of TCRs as potentially powerful biomarkers in the development of T1D.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maki Nakayama
- Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, United States.,Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, United States.,Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, United States
| | - Aaron W Michels
- Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, United States.,Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, United States.,Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, United States.,Department of Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, United States
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10
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Dileepan T, Malhotra D, Kotov DI, Kolawole EM, Krueger PD, Evavold BD, Jenkins MK. MHC class II tetramers engineered for enhanced binding to CD4 improve detection of antigen-specific T cells. Nat Biotechnol 2021; 39:943-948. [PMID: 33941928 PMCID: PMC10666075 DOI: 10.1038/s41587-021-00893-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2019] [Accepted: 03/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The ability to identify T cells that recognize specific peptide antigens bound to major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules has enabled enumeration and molecular characterization of the lymphocytes responsible for cell-mediated immunity. Fluorophore-labeled peptide:MHC class I (p:MHCI) tetramers are well-established reagents for identifying antigen-specific CD8+ T cells by flow cytometry, but efforts to extend the approach to CD4+ T cells have been less successful, perhaps owing to lower binding strength between CD4 and MHC class II (MHCII) molecules. Here we show that p:MHCII tetramers engineered by directed evolution for enhanced CD4 binding outperform conventional tetramers for the detection of cognate T cells. Using the engineered tetramers, we identified about twice as many antigen-specific CD4+ T cells in mice immunized against multiple peptides than when using traditional tetramers. CD4 affinity-enhanced p:MHCII tetramers, therefore, allow direct sampling of antigen-specific CD4+ T cells that cannot be accessed with conventional p:MHCII tetramer technology. These new reagents could provide a deeper understanding of the T cell repertoire.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thamotharampillai Dileepan
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Center for Immunology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Deepali Malhotra
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Center for Immunology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, MD, USA
| | - Dmitri I Kotov
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Center for Immunology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Elizabeth M Kolawole
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Peter D Krueger
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Center for Immunology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Brian D Evavold
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Marc K Jenkins
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Center for Immunology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
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11
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Reed BK, Kappler JW. Hidden in Plain View: Discovery of Chimeric Diabetogenic CD4 T Cell Neo-Epitopes. Front Immunol 2021; 12:669986. [PMID: 33986758 PMCID: PMC8111216 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.669986] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2021] [Accepted: 04/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The T cell antigens driving autoimmune Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) have been pursued for more than three decades. When diabetogenic CD4 T cell clones and their relevant MHCII antigen presenting alleles were first identified in rodents and humans, the path to discovering the peptide epitopes within pancreatic beta cell proteins seemed straightforward. However, as experimental results accumulated, definitive data were often absent or controversial. Work within the last decade has helped to clear up some of the controversy by demonstrating that a number of the important MHCII presented epitopes are not encoded in the natural beta cell proteins, but in fact are fusions between peptide fragments derived from the same or different proteins. Recently, the mechanism for generating these MHCII diabetogenic chimeric epitopes has been attributed to a form of reverse proteolysis, called transpeptidation, a process that has been well-documented in the production of MHCI presented epitopes. In this mini-review we summarize these data and their implications for T1D and other autoimmune responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brendan K Reed
- Research Division, Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO, United States.,Department of Immunology and Genomic Medicine, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO, United States.,Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO, United States
| | - John W Kappler
- Research Division, Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO, United States.,Department of Immunology and Genomic Medicine, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO, United States.,Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO, United States.,Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO, United States
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12
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Landry LG, Mann SE, Anderson AM, Nakayama M. Multiplex T-cell Stimulation Assay Utilizing a T-cell Activation Reporter-based Detection System. Bio Protoc 2021; 11:e3883. [PMID: 33732772 DOI: 10.21769/bioprotoc.3883] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2020] [Revised: 11/15/2020] [Accepted: 11/18/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Immune tolerance and response are both largely driven by the interactions between the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) expressed by antigen presenting cells (APCs), T-cell receptors (TCRs) on T-cells, and their cognate antigens. Disordered interactions cause the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes. Therefore, the identification of antigenic epitopes of autoreactive T-cells leads to important advances in therapeutics and biomarkers. Next-generation sequencing methods allow for the rapid identification of thousands of TCR clonotypes from single T-cells, and thus there is a need to determine cognate antigens for identified TCRs. This protocol describes a reporter system of T-cell activation where the fluorescent reporter protein ZsGreen-1 is driven by nuclear factor of activated T-cells (NFAT) signaling and read by flow cytometry. Reporter T-cells also constitutively express additional pairs of fluorescent proteins as identifiers, allowing for multiplexing of up to eight different reporter T-cell lines simultaneously, each expressing a different TCR of interest and distinguishable by flow cytometry. Once TCR expression cell lines are made they can be used indefinitely for making new T-cell lines with just one transduction step. This multiplexing system permits screening numbers of TCR-antigen interactions that would otherwise be impractical, can be used in a variety of contexts (i.e., screening individual antigens or antigen pools), and can be applied to study any T-cell-MHC-antigen trimolecular interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurie G Landry
- Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, United States
| | - Sarah E Mann
- Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, United States
| | - Amanda M Anderson
- Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, United States
| | - Maki Nakayama
- Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, United States.,Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, United States.,Department of Immunology & Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, United States
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13
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Castro-Gutierrez R, Alkanani A, Mathews CE, Michels A, Russ HA. Protecting Stem Cell Derived Pancreatic Beta-Like Cells From Diabetogenic T Cell Recognition. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2021; 12:707881. [PMID: 34305820 PMCID: PMC8299417 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2021.707881] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2021] [Accepted: 06/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Type 1 diabetes results from an autoimmune attack directed at pancreatic beta cells predominantly mediated by T cells. Transplantation of stem cell derived beta-like cells (sBC) have been shown to rescue diabetes in preclinical animal models. However, how sBC will respond to an inflammatory environment with diabetogenic T cells in a strict human setting has not been determined. This is due to the lack of model systems that closely recapitulates human T1D. Here, we present a reliable in vitro assay to measure autologous CD8 T cell stimulation against sBC in a human setting. Our data shows that upon pro-inflammatory cytokine exposure, sBC upregulate Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) class I molecules which allows for their recognition by diabetogenic CD8 T cells. To protect sBC from this immune recognition, we utilized genome engineering to delete surface expression of HLA class I molecules and to integrate an inducible overexpression system for the immune checkpoint inhibitor Programmed Death Ligand 1 (PD-L1). Genetically engineered sBC that lack HLA surface expression or overexpress PD-L1 showed reduced stimulation of diabetogenic CD8 T cells when compared to unmodified cells. Here, we present evidence that manipulation of HLA class I and PD-L1 receptors on sBC can provide protection from diabetes-specific immune recognition in a human setting.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Aimon Alkanani
- Barbara-Davis Center for Diabetes, University of Colorado Anschutz, Aurora, CO, United States
| | - Clayton E. Mathews
- Department of Pathology, Immunology, and Laboratory Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Aaron Michels
- Barbara-Davis Center for Diabetes, University of Colorado Anschutz, Aurora, CO, United States
| | - Holger A. Russ
- Barbara-Davis Center for Diabetes, University of Colorado Anschutz, Aurora, CO, United States
- *Correspondence: Holger A. Russ,
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14
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Landry LG, Anderson AM, Russ HA, Yu L, Kent SC, Atkinson MA, Mathews CE, Michels AW, Nakayama M. Proinsulin-Reactive CD4 T Cells in the Islets of Type 1 Diabetes Organ Donors. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2021; 12:622647. [PMID: 33841327 PMCID: PMC8027116 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2021.622647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2020] [Accepted: 02/17/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Proinsulin is an abundant protein that is selectively expressed by pancreatic beta cells and has been a focus for development of antigen-specific immunotherapies for type 1 diabetes (T1D). In this study, we sought to comprehensively evaluate reactivity to preproinsulin by CD4 T cells originally isolated from pancreatic islets of organ donors having T1D. We analyzed 187 T cell receptor (TCR) clonotypes expressed by CD4 T cells obtained from six T1D donors and determined their response to 99 truncated preproinsulin peptide pools, in the presence of autologous B cells. We identified 14 TCR clonotypes from four out of the six donors that responded to preproinsulin peptides. Epitopes were found across all of proinsulin (insulin B-chain, C-peptide, and A-chain) including four hot spot regions containing peptides commonly targeted by TCR clonotypes derived from multiple T1D donors. Of importance, these hot spots overlap with peptide regions to which CD4 T cell responses have previously been detected in the peripheral blood of T1D patients. The 14 TCR clonotypes recognized proinsulin peptides presented by various HLA class II molecules, but there was a trend for dominant restriction with HLA-DQ, especially T1D risk alleles DQ8, DQ2, and DQ8-trans. The characteristics of the tri-molecular complex including proinsulin peptide, HLA-DQ molecule, and TCR derived from CD4 T cells in islets, provides an essential basis for developing antigen-specific biomarkers as well as immunotherapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurie G. Landry
- Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, United States
| | - Amanda M. Anderson
- Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, United States
| | - Holger A. Russ
- Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, United States
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, United States
| | - Liping Yu
- Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, United States
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, United States
| | - Sally C. Kent
- Diabetes Center of Excellence, Department of Medicine, Division of Diabetes, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, United States
| | - Mark A. Atkinson
- Department of Pathology, Immunology, and Laboratory Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Clayton E. Mathews
- Department of Pathology, Immunology, and Laboratory Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Aaron W. Michels
- Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, United States
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, United States
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, United States
| | - Maki Nakayama
- Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, United States
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, United States
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, United States
- *Correspondence: Maki Nakayama,
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15
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Mann SE, Zhou Z, Landry LG, Anderson AM, Alkanani AK, Fischer J, Peakman M, Mallone R, Campbell K, Michels AW, Nakayama M. Multiplex T Cell Stimulation Assay Utilizing a T Cell Activation Reporter-Based Detection System. Front Immunol 2020; 11:633. [PMID: 32328071 PMCID: PMC7160884 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.00633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2020] [Accepted: 03/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent advancements in single cell sequencing technologies allow for identification of numerous immune-receptors expressed by T cells such as tumor-specific and autoimmune T cells. Determining antigen specificity of those cells holds immense therapeutic promise. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to develop a method that can efficiently test antigen reactivity of multiple T cell receptors (TCRs) with limited cost, time, and labor. Nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) is a transcription factor involved in producing cytokines and is often utilized as a reporter system for T cell activation. Using a NFAT-based fluorescent reporter system, we generated T-hybridoma cell lines that express intensely fluorescent proteins in response to antigen stimulation and constitutively express additional fluorescent proteins, which serve as identifiers of each T-hybridoma expressing a unique TCR. This allows for the combination of multiple T-hybridoma lines within a single reaction. Sensitivity to stimulation is not decreased by adding fluorescent proteins or multiplexing T cells. In multiplexed reactions, response by one cell line does not induce response in others, thus preserving specificity. This multiplex assay system will be a useful tool for antigen discovery research in a variety of contexts, including using combinatorial peptide libraries to determine T cell epitopes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah E. Mann
- Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, United States
| | - Zhicheng Zhou
- CNRS, INSERM, Institut Cochin, Université de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Laurie G. Landry
- Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, United States
| | - Amanda M. Anderson
- Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, United States
| | - Aimon K. Alkanani
- Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, United States
| | - Jeremy Fischer
- Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, United States
| | - Mark Peakman
- Department of Immunobiology, School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Roberto Mallone
- CNRS, INSERM, Institut Cochin, Université de Paris, Paris, France
- Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris, Service de Diabétologie et Immunologie Clinique, Cochin Hospital, Paris, France
| | - Kristen Campbell
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, United States
| | - Aaron W. Michels
- Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, United States
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, United States
| | - Maki Nakayama
- Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, United States
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, United States
- Department of Immunology & Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, United States
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16
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Fuchs YF, Sharma V, Eugster A, Kraus G, Morgenstern R, Dahl A, Reinhardt S, Petzold A, Lindner A, Löbel D, Bonifacio E. Gene Expression-Based Identification of Antigen-Responsive CD8 + T Cells on a Single-Cell Level. Front Immunol 2019; 10:2568. [PMID: 31781096 PMCID: PMC6851025 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.02568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2019] [Accepted: 10/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
CD8+ T cells are important effectors of adaptive immunity against pathogens, tumors, and self antigens. Here, we asked how human cognate antigen-responsive CD8+ T cells and their receptors could be identified in unselected single-cell gene expression data. Single-cell RNA sequencing and qPCR of dye-labeled antigen-specific cells identified large gene sets that were congruently up- or downregulated in virus-responsive CD8+ T cells under different antigen presentation conditions. Combined expression of TNFRSF9, XCL1, XCL2, and CRTAM was the most distinct marker of virus-responsive cells on a single-cell level. Using transcriptomic data, we developed a machine learning-based classifier that provides sensitive and specific detection of virus-responsive CD8+ T cells from unselected populations. Gene response profiles of CD8+ T cells specific for the autoantigen islet-specific glucose-6-phosphatase catalytic subunit-related protein differed markedly from virus-specific cells. These findings provide single-cell gene expression parameters for comprehensive identification of rare antigen-responsive cells and T cell receptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yannick F Fuchs
- Faculty of Medicine, DFG Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Virag Sharma
- Faculty of Medicine, DFG Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.,German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Paul Langerhans Institute Dresden, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Anne Eugster
- Faculty of Medicine, DFG Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Gloria Kraus
- Faculty of Medicine, DFG Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Robert Morgenstern
- Faculty of Medicine, DFG Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Andreas Dahl
- DRESDEN-Concept Genome Center c/o Center for Molecular and Cellular Bioengineering, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Susanne Reinhardt
- DRESDEN-Concept Genome Center c/o Center for Molecular and Cellular Bioengineering, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Andreas Petzold
- DRESDEN-Concept Genome Center c/o Center for Molecular and Cellular Bioengineering, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Annett Lindner
- Faculty of Medicine, DFG Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Doreen Löbel
- Faculty of Medicine, DFG Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Ezio Bonifacio
- Faculty of Medicine, DFG Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.,German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Paul Langerhans Institute Dresden, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.,Institute of Diabetes and Obesity, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany
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17
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Abstract
The repertoire of αβ T cell antigen receptors (TCRs) on mature T cells is selected in the thymus where it is rendered both self-tolerant and restricted to the recognition of major histocompatibility complex molecules presenting peptide antigens (pMHC). It remains unclear whether germline TCR sequences exhibit an inherent bias to interact with pMHC prior to selection. Here, we isolated TCR libraries from unselected thymocytes and upon reexpression of these random TCR repertoires in recipient T cell hybridomas, interrogated their reactivities to antigen-presenting cell lines. While these random TCR combinations could potentially have reacted with any surface molecule on the cell lines, the hybridomas were stimulated most frequently by pMHC ligands. The nature and CDR3 loop composition of the TCRβ chain played a dominant role in determining pMHC-reactivity. Replacing the germline regions of mouse TCRβ chains with those of other jawed vertebrates preserved reactivity to mouse pMHC. Finally, introducing the CD4 coreceptor into the hybridomas increased the proportion of cells that could respond to pMHC ligands. Thus, αβ TCRs display an intrinsic and evolutionary conserved bias for pMHC molecules in the absence of any selective pressure, which is further strengthened in the presence of coreceptors.
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18
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Wang Y, Sosinowski T, Novikov A, Crawford F, White J, Jin N, Liu Z, Zou J, Neau D, Davidson HW, Nakayama M, Kwok WW, Gapin L, Marrack P, Kappler JW, Dai S. How C-terminal additions to insulin B-chain fragments create superagonists for T cells in mouse and human type 1 diabetes. Sci Immunol 2019; 4:eaav7517. [PMID: 30952805 PMCID: PMC6929690 DOI: 10.1126/sciimmunol.aav7517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2018] [Revised: 01/04/2019] [Accepted: 02/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
In type 1 diabetes (T1D), proinsulin is a major autoantigen and the insulin B:9-23 peptide contains epitopes for CD4+ T cells in both mice and humans. This peptide requires carboxyl-terminal mutations for uniform binding in the proper position within the mouse IAg7 or human DQ8 major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II (MHCII) peptide grooves and for strong CD4+ T cell stimulation. Here, we present crystal structures showing how these mutations control CD4+ T cell receptor (TCR) binding to these MHCII-peptide complexes. Our data reveal stricking similarities between mouse and human CD4+ TCRs in their interactions with these ligands. We also show how fusions between fragments of B:9-23 and of proinsulin C-peptide create chimeric peptides with activities as strong or stronger than the mutated insulin peptides. We propose transpeptidation in the lysosome as a mechanism that could accomplish these fusions in vivo, similar to the creation of fused peptide epitopes for MHCI presentation shown to occur by transpeptidation in the proteasome. Were this mechanism limited to the pancreas and absent in the thymus, it could provide an explanation for how diabetogenic T cells escape negative selection during development but find their modified target antigens in the pancreas to cause T1D.
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MESH Headings
- Amino Acid Sequence/genetics
- Animals
- Autoantigens/genetics
- Autoantigens/immunology
- Autoantigens/metabolism
- CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes/immunology
- CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes/metabolism
- Cell Line, Tumor
- Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1/blood
- Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1/genetics
- Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1/immunology
- Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte/genetics
- Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte/immunology
- Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte/metabolism
- HLA-DQ Antigens/immunology
- HLA-DQ Antigens/metabolism
- Humans
- Hybridomas
- Immune Tolerance
- Insulin/genetics
- Insulin/immunology
- Insulin/metabolism
- Lysosomes/immunology
- Lysosomes/metabolism
- Mice
- Mice, Inbred NOD
- Molecular Docking Simulation
- Mutation
- Pancreas/cytology
- Pancreas/immunology
- Pancreas/metabolism
- Peptide Fragments/genetics
- Peptide Fragments/immunology
- Peptide Fragments/metabolism
- Protein Domains/immunology
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/immunology
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/metabolism
- Thymus Gland/cytology
- Thymus Gland/immunology
- Thymus Gland/metabolism
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Wang
- Department of Biomedical Research, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO 80206, USA
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Tomasz Sosinowski
- Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Andrey Novikov
- Department of Biomedical Research, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO 80206, USA
| | - Frances Crawford
- Department of Biomedical Research, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO 80206, USA
| | - Janice White
- Department of Biomedical Research, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO 80206, USA
| | - Niyun Jin
- Department of Biomedical Research, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO 80206, USA
- Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Zikou Liu
- Department of Biomedical Research, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO 80206, USA
| | - Jinhao Zou
- Department of Biomedical Research, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO 80206, USA
| | - David Neau
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, NE-CAT, Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL 60439, USA
| | - Howard W Davidson
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
- Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Maki Nakayama
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
- Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | | | - Laurent Gapin
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Philippa Marrack
- Department of Biomedical Research, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO 80206, USA
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - John W Kappler
- Department of Biomedical Research, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO 80206, USA.
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
- Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
- Structural Biology and Biochemistry program, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Shaodong Dai
- Department of Biomedical Research, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO 80206, USA.
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
- Structural Biology and Biochemistry program, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
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Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW To review the recent findings that small 'drug-like' compounds block disease-specific human leukocyte antigen (HLA) molecules in type 1 diabetes (T1D). RECENT FINDINGS The predominant genetic risk for developing T1D, the immune-mediated form of diabetes, is conferred through HLA genes. One such gene, termed HLA-DQ8, is present in 50-60% of patients with T1D and those at-risk. DQ8 presents disease-relevant peptides to T cells, which mediate tissue-specific destruction of pancreatic islets. Using a structure-based approach to evaluate the 'druggability' of the DQ8 molecule, methyldopa, a clinically well-established oral antihypertensive agent, was discovered to bind DQ8. Methyldopa blocked the activation of DQ8-specific T cells responding to self-antigens such as insulin but not influenza. In a proof-of-concept clinical trial (NCT01883804), methyldopa was administered to recent-onset T1D patients with the DQ8 gene that confirmed the mechanism of action and diminished inflammatory T cell responses toward insulin. SUMMARY Methyldopa blocks the diabetes-specific function of HLA-DQ8, which represents a personalized medicine approach to treat the underlying autoimmunity in T1D. Clinical trials are warranted and underway to evaluate methyldopa in potentially preserving residual β-cell function in those with new onset and at risk for T1D.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A. Ostrov
- Department of Pathology, Immunology, and Laboratory Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
| | - Peter A. Gottlieb
- Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO 80045
| | - Aaron W. Michels
- Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO 80045
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Nakayama M, Michels AW. Determining Antigen Specificity of Human Islet Infiltrating T Cells in Type 1 Diabetes. Front Immunol 2019; 10:365. [PMID: 30906293 PMCID: PMC6418007 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.00365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2018] [Accepted: 02/13/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Type 1 diabetes, the immune mediated form of diabetes, represents a prototypical organ specific autoimmune disease in that insulin producing pancreatic islets are specifically targeted by T cells. The disease is now predictable in humans with the measurement of type 1 diabetes associated autoantibodies (islet autoantibodies) in the peripheral blood which are directed against insulin and beta cell proteins. With an increasing incidence of disease, especially in young children, large well-controlled clinical prevention trials using antigen specific immunotherapy have been completed but with limited clinical benefit. To improve outcomes, it is critical to understand the antigen and T cell receptor repertoires of those cells that infiltrate the target organ, pancreatic islets, in human type 1 diabetes. With international networks to identify organ donors with type 1 diabetes, improved immunosequencing platforms, and the ability to reconstitute T cell receptors of interest into immortalized cell lines allows antigen discovery efforts for rare tissue specific T cells. Here we review the disease pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes with a focus on human islet infiltrating T cell antigen discovery efforts, which provides necessary knowledge to define biomarkers of disease activity and improve antigen specific immunotherapy approaches for disease prevention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maki Nakayama
- Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, United States
| | - Aaron W Michels
- Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, United States
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