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Li L, Xu F, Han Y, Zeng J, Du S, Wang C. Thymic microenvironment's impact on immunosenescence. Immunol Res 2024:10.1007/s12026-024-09519-z. [PMID: 39042204 DOI: 10.1007/s12026-024-09519-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2024] [Accepted: 07/15/2024] [Indexed: 07/24/2024]
Abstract
Age-related thymic involution is characterized by the loss of T cell development and the supporting epithelial network, which are replaced by adipose tissue. We previously showed that aging functionally impairs lymphohematopoietic progenitor cells, including thymic early T cell progenitors (ETPs), contributing to thymic involution. Considering that the thymic microenvironment is essential for thymocyte incubation, we aimed to investigate its role in age-related thymic involution and the mechanisms underlying these changes. The challenge in studying these processes led us to transplant T cell-depleted fetal thymus tissue into the kidney capsule of aged mice. This model allowed us to identify the mechanisms driving age-related changes in the thymic microenvironment and to assess whether these changes could be reversed. Flow cytometry was used to detect naïve T cells (CD62L+CD44-), including CD4 CD8 double-negative, double-positive, and single-positive T cells. Real-time PCR was used to detect and quantify signal-joint T cell receptor excision circles. We rearranged δRec-ΨJα in murine peripheral blood leukocytes to evaluate the thymic output of newly developed naïve T cells in the mice and gene expression in the thymus. Age-related thymic involution decreased naïve T cells and increased memory T cells, while fetal thymus transplantation improved thymic output and T cell production and reversed the impairment of thymopoiesis due to thymic involution in aged mice. Furthermore, the expression of key cytokines was restored and ETPs in the aged mice showed normal thymic T cell development. Our study suggests that degenerative changes in the thymic microenvironment are the primary cause of thymic dysfunction, leading to immunosenescence associated with age-related thymic involution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Li
- Shenzhen Guangming District People's Hospital, 4253 Songbai Road, Matian Street, Guangming District, Shenzhen, 518106, Guangdong, China
| | - Feng Xu
- Shenzhen Guangming District People's Hospital, 4253 Songbai Road, Matian Street, Guangming District, Shenzhen, 518106, Guangdong, China
| | - Yi Han
- Shenzhen Guangming District People's Hospital, 4253 Songbai Road, Matian Street, Guangming District, Shenzhen, 518106, Guangdong, China
| | - Jun Zeng
- Shenzhen Guangming District People's Hospital, 4253 Songbai Road, Matian Street, Guangming District, Shenzhen, 518106, Guangdong, China
| | - Shan Du
- Shenzhen Guangming District People's Hospital, 4253 Songbai Road, Matian Street, Guangming District, Shenzhen, 518106, Guangdong, China
| | - Changshan Wang
- Shenzhen Guangming District People's Hospital, 4253 Songbai Road, Matian Street, Guangming District, Shenzhen, 518106, Guangdong, China.
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2
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Potter SJ, Zhang L, Kotliar M, Wu Y, Schafer C, Stefan K, Boukas L, Qu’d D, Bodamer O, Simpson BN, Barski A, Lindsley AW, Bjornsson HT. KMT2D regulates activation, localization, and integrin expression by T-cells. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1341745. [PMID: 38765012 PMCID: PMC11099208 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1341745] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 05/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Individuals with Kabuki syndrome present with immunodeficiency; however, how pathogenic variants in the gene encoding the histone-modifying enzyme lysine methyltransferase 2D (KMT2D) lead to immune alterations remain poorly understood. Following up on our prior report of KMT2D-altered integrin expression in B-cells, we performed targeted analyses of KMT2D's influence on integrin expression in T-cells throughout development (thymocytes through peripheral T-cells) in murine cells with constitutive- and conditional-targeted Kmt2d deletion. Using high-throughput RNA-sequencing and flow cytometry, we reveal decreased expression (both at the transcriptional and translational levels) of a cluster of leukocyte-specific integrins, which perturb aspects of T-cell activation, maturation, adhesion/localization, and effector function. H3K4me3 ChIP-PCR suggests that these evolutionary similar integrins are under direct control of KMT2D. KMT2D loss also alters multiple downstream programming/signaling pathways, including integrin-based localization, which can influence T-cell populations. We further demonstrated that KMT2D deficiency is associated with the accumulation of murine CD8+ single-positive (SP) thymocytes and shifts in both human and murine peripheral T-cell populations, including the reduction of the CD4+ recent thymic emigrant (RTE) population. Together, these data show that the targeted loss of Kmt2d in the T-cell lineage recapitulates several distinct features of Kabuki syndrome-associated immune deficiency and implicates epigenetic mechanisms in the regulation of integrin signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah J. Potter
- Division of Allergy & Immunology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Li Zhang
- McKusick-Nathans Department of Genetics, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Michael Kotliar
- Division of Allergy & Immunology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Yuehong Wu
- Division of Allergy & Immunology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Caitlin Schafer
- Division of Allergy & Immunology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Kurtis Stefan
- Division of Allergy & Immunology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Leandros Boukas
- McKusick-Nathans Department of Genetics, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
- Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Dima Qu’d
- Division of Human Genetics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Olaf Bodamer
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
- The Roya Kabuki Program, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
- Division of Genetics and Genomics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Brittany N. Simpson
- Division of Human Genetics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Artem Barski
- Division of Allergy & Immunology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States
- Division of Human Genetics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Andrew W. Lindsley
- Division of Allergy & Immunology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Hans T. Bjornsson
- McKusick-Nathans Department of Genetics, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
- Faculty of Medicine, The University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland
- Department of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, Landspitali University Hospital, Reykjavik, Iceland
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McCullough KM, Katrinli S, Hartmann J, Lori A, Klengel C, Missig G, Klengel T, Langford NA, Newman EL, Anderson KJ, Smith AK, Carroll FI, Ressler KJ, Carlezon WA. Blood levels of T-Cell Receptor Excision Circles (TRECs) provide an index of exposure to traumatic stress in mice and humans. Transl Psychiatry 2022; 12:423. [PMID: 36192377 PMCID: PMC9530209 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-022-02159-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 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: 08/15/2022] [Revised: 09/05/2022] [Accepted: 09/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Exposure to stress triggers biological changes throughout the body. Accumulating evidence indicates that alterations in immune system function are associated with the development of stress-associated illnesses such as major depressive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder, increasing interest in identifying immune markers that provide insight into mental health. Recombination events during T-cell receptor rearrangement and T-cell maturation in the thymus produce circular DNA fragments called T-cell receptor excision circles (TRECs) that can be utilized as indicators of thymic function and numbers of newly emigrating T-cells. Given data suggesting that stress affects thymus function, we examined whether blood levels of TRECs might serve as a quantitative peripheral index of cumulative stress exposure and its physiological correlates. We hypothesized that chronic stress exposure would compromise thymus function and produce corresponding decreases in levels of TRECs. In male mice, exposure to chronic social defeat stress (CSDS) produced thymic involution, adrenal hypertrophy, and decreased levels of TRECs in blood. Extending these studies to humans revealed robust inverse correlations between levels of circulating TRECs and childhood emotional and physical abuse. Cell-type specific analyses also revealed associations between TREC levels and blood cell composition, as well as cell-type specific methylation changes in CD4T + and CD8T + cells. Additionally, TREC levels correlated with epigenetic age acceleration, a common biomarker of stress exposure. Our findings demonstrate alignment between findings in mice and humans and suggest that blood-borne TRECs are a translationally-relevant biomarker that correlates with, and provides insight into, the cumulative physiological and immune-related impacts of stress exposure in mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth M McCullough
- Basic Neuroscience Division, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Seyma Katrinli
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Jakob Hartmann
- Basic Neuroscience Division, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Adriana Lori
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Claudia Klengel
- Basic Neuroscience Division, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Galen Missig
- Basic Neuroscience Division, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Torsten Klengel
- Basic Neuroscience Division, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Nicole A Langford
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Emily L Newman
- Basic Neuroscience Division, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Kasey J Anderson
- Basic Neuroscience Division, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Alicia K Smith
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - F Ivy Carroll
- Center for Organic and Medicinal Chemistry, Research Triangle Institute, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Kerry J Ressler
- Basic Neuroscience Division, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - William A Carlezon
- Basic Neuroscience Division, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA.
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Bernstock JD, Totten AH, Elkahloun AG, Johnson KR, Hurst AC, Goldman F, Groves AK, Mikhail FM, Atkinson TP. Recurrent microdeletions at chromosome 2p11.2 are associated with thymic hypoplasia and features resembling DiGeorge syndrome. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2019; 145:358-367.e2. [PMID: 31600545 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaci.2019.09.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2019] [Revised: 09/20/2019] [Accepted: 09/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Thymic hypoplasia/aplasia occurs as a part of DiGeorge syndrome, which has several known genetic causes, and with loss-of-function mutations in forkhead box N1 (FOXN1). OBJECTIVE We sought to determine the cause of selective T-cell lymphopenia with inverted kappa/lambda ratio in several kindreds. METHODS Patients were identified through newborn screening for severe combined immunodeficiency using the T-cell receptor excision circle assay. Those found to have selective T-cell lymphopenia underwent testing with chromosomal microarray analysis. Three-week-old mice heterozygous for a loss-of-function mutation in forkhead box I3 (FOXI3), a candidate gene within the common deleted region found in patients, were compared with wild-type littermates. Assessments included body and organ weights, flow cytometric analysis of thymocytes and splenocytes, and histologic/transcriptomic analyses of thymic tissue. RESULTS Five kindreds with similar immunophenotypes that included selective T-cell lymphopenia had overlapping microdeletions at chromosome 2p11.2 that spanned FOXI3 and, in most cases, the immunoglobulin kappa light chain locus. Studies in a mouse knockout strain for FOXI3 revealed smaller body weights and relatively lower thymus weights in heterozygous compared with wild-type animals. Histology and flow cytometry on spleens and thymi from 3-week-old pups for T- and B-cell subsets and epithelial cells did not show any significant qualitative or quantitative differences. Transcriptomic analysis of thymic RNA revealed divergence in global transcriptomic signatures, and Ingenuity Pathway Analysis revealed predicted dysfunction in epithelial adherens junctions. CONCLUSIONS Microdeletions at chromosome 2p11.2 are associated with T-cell lymphopenia and probable thymic hypoplasia in human subjects, and haploinsufficiency for FOXI3, a candidate gene within the deleted region, is the likely underlying cause.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua D Bernstock
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Ala
| | - Arthur H Totten
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Ala
| | - Abdel G Elkahloun
- National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md
| | - Kory R Johnson
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md
| | - Anna C Hurst
- Department of Genetics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Ala
| | - Frederick Goldman
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Ala
| | - Andrew K Groves
- Department of Neuroscience and Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Tex
| | - Fady M Mikhail
- Department of Genetics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Ala
| | - T Prescott Atkinson
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Ala.
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5
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Lee LN, Bolinger B, Banki Z, de Lara C, Highton AJ, Colston JM, Hutchings C, Klenerman P. Adenoviral vaccine induction of CD8+ T cell memory inflation: Impact of co-infection and infection order. PLoS Pathog 2017; 13:e1006782. [PMID: 29281733 PMCID: PMC5760110 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1006782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2017] [Revised: 01/09/2018] [Accepted: 11/29/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The efficacies of many new T cell vaccines rely on generating large populations of long-lived pathogen-specific effector memory CD8 T cells. However, it is now increasingly recognized that prior infection history impacts on the host immune response. Additionally, the order in which these infections are acquired could have a major effect. Exploiting the ability to generate large sustained effector memory (i.e. inflationary) T cell populations from murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) and human Adenovirus-subtype (AdHu5) 5-beta-galactosidase (Ad-lacZ) vector, the impact of new infections on pre-existing memory and the capacity of the host's memory compartment to accommodate multiple inflationary populations from unrelated pathogens was investigated in a murine model. Simultaneous and sequential infections, first with MCMV followed by Ad-lacZ, generated inflationary populations towards both viruses with similar kinetics and magnitude to mono-infected groups. However, in Ad-lacZ immune mice, subsequent acute MCMV infection led to a rapid decline of the pre-existing Ad-LacZ-specific inflating population, associated with bystander activation of Fas-dependent apoptotic pathways. However, responses were maintained long-term and boosting with Ad-lacZ led to rapid re-expansion of the inflating population. These data indicate firstly that multiple specificities of inflating memory cells can be acquired at different times and stably co-exist. Some acute infections may also deplete pre-existing memory populations, thus revealing the importance of the order of infection acquisition. Importantly, immunization with an AdHu5 vector did not alter the size of the pre-existing memory. These phenomena are relevant to the development of adenoviral vectors as novel vaccination strategies for diverse infections and cancers. (241 words).
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MESH Headings
- Adenovirus Infections, Human/immunology
- Adenovirus Infections, Human/prevention & control
- Adenoviruses, Human/genetics
- Adenoviruses, Human/immunology
- Adenoviruses, Human/pathogenicity
- Animals
- CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes/immunology
- Coinfection/immunology
- Coinfection/prevention & control
- Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte/genetics
- Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte/immunology
- Herpesviridae Infections/immunology
- Herpesviridae Infections/prevention & control
- Host-Pathogen Interactions/immunology
- Humans
- Immunologic Memory
- Lac Operon
- Mice
- Mice, Inbred BALB C
- Mice, Inbred C57BL
- Mice, Knockout
- Models, Immunological
- Muromegalovirus/genetics
- Muromegalovirus/immunology
- Muromegalovirus/pathogenicity
- Receptors, Interleukin-18/deficiency
- Receptors, Interleukin-18/genetics
- Receptors, Interleukin-18/immunology
- Viral Vaccines/genetics
- Viral Vaccines/immunology
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Affiliation(s)
- Lian N. Lee
- Peter Medawar Building and Translational Gastroenterology Unit, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Beatrice Bolinger
- Peter Medawar Building and Translational Gastroenterology Unit, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Schweizerischer Apothekerverband, pharmaSuisse, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Zoltan Banki
- Peter Medawar Building and Translational Gastroenterology Unit, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Division of Virology, Innsbruck Medical University, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Catherine de Lara
- Peter Medawar Building and Translational Gastroenterology Unit, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew J. Highton
- Peter Medawar Building and Translational Gastroenterology Unit, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Julia M. Colston
- Peter Medawar Building and Translational Gastroenterology Unit, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Claire Hutchings
- Peter Medawar Building and Translational Gastroenterology Unit, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Paul Klenerman
- Peter Medawar Building and Translational Gastroenterology Unit, Oxford, United Kingdom
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Defective thymic output in WAS patients is associated with abnormal actin organization. Sci Rep 2017; 7:11978. [PMID: 28931895 PMCID: PMC5607224 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-12345-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2017] [Accepted: 09/07/2017] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein (WASp) is a key regulator of the actin cytoskeleton. Defective T - cell function is a major cause for immune deficiency in Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome (WAS) patients. T cells originate in the bone marrow and develop in the thymus, and then migrate to peripheral tissues. TCR excision circles (TRECs) present in thymic output cells stably, which is used as a molecular marker for thymic output. We found that CD8+ T naïve cells of classic WAS patients were significantly reduced, and TRECs in patients with classic WAS and X-linked thrombocytopenia (XLT) dramatically decreased compared with that of HCs. TRECs were also reduced in WAS (KO) mice. These suggest that defective thymic output partially accounts for T cell lymphopenia in WAS patients. However, the correlation between the defect of thymic output and actin organization still remains elusive. We found that the subcellular location and the levels of of F-actin were altered in T cells from both WAS and XLT patients compared to that of HCs with or without stimulation. Our study shows that WASp plays a critical role in thymic output, which highly correlates with the subcellular location and level of F-actin in T cells.
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7
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Lang MJ, Mori M, Ruer-Laventie J, Pieters J. A Coronin 1–Dependent Decision Switch in Juvenile Mice Determines the Population of the Peripheral Naive T Cell Compartment. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2017; 199:2421-2431. [DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1700438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2017] [Accepted: 07/31/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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8
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Ginn SL, Hallwirth CV, Liao SHY, Teber ET, Arthur JW, Wu J, Lee HC, Tay SS, Hu M, Reddel RR, McCormack MP, Thrasher AJ, Cavazzana M, Alexander SI, Alexander IE. Limiting Thymic Precursor Supply Increases the Risk of Lymphoid Malignancy in Murine X-Linked Severe Combined Immunodeficiency. MOLECULAR THERAPY. NUCLEIC ACIDS 2016; 6:1-14. [PMID: 28325276 PMCID: PMC5363493 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtn.2016.11.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2016] [Revised: 11/20/2016] [Accepted: 11/21/2016] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
In early gene therapy trials for SCID-X1, using γ-retroviral vectors, T cell leukemias developed in a subset of patients secondary to insertional proto-oncogene activation. In contrast, we have reported development of T cell leukemias in SCID-X1 mice following lentivirus-mediated gene therapy independent of insertional mutagenesis. A distinguishing feature in our study was that only a proportion of transplanted γc-deficient progenitors were transduced and therefore competent for reconstitution. We hypothesized that reconstitution of SCID-X1 mice with limiting numbers of hematopoietic progenitors might be a risk factor for lymphoid malignancy. To test this hypothesis, in the absence of transduction, SCID-X1 mice were reconstituted with serially fewer wild-type hematopoietic progenitors. A robust inverse correlation between hematopoietic progenitor cell dose and T-lymphoid malignancy was observed, with earlier disease onset at lower cell doses. Malignancies were of donor origin and carried activating Notch1 mutations. These findings align with emerging evidence that thymocyte self-renewal induced by progenitor deprivation carries an oncogenic risk that is modulated by intra-thymic competition from differentiation-committed cells. Although insertional proto-oncogene activation is required for the development of malignancy in humans, failure of γc-deficient thymocytes to effectively compete with this at-risk cell population may have also contributed to oncogenesis observed in early SCID-X1 trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha L Ginn
- Gene Therapy Research Unit, Children's Medical Research Institute, The University of Sydney and The Sydney Children's Hospitals Network, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia
| | - Claus V Hallwirth
- Gene Therapy Research Unit, Children's Medical Research Institute, The University of Sydney and The Sydney Children's Hospitals Network, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia
| | - Sophia H Y Liao
- Gene Therapy Research Unit, Children's Medical Research Institute, The University of Sydney and The Sydney Children's Hospitals Network, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia
| | - Erdahl T Teber
- Bioinformatics Unit, Children's Medical Research Institute, The University of Sydney, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia
| | - Jonathan W Arthur
- Bioinformatics Unit, Children's Medical Research Institute, The University of Sydney, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia
| | - Jianmin Wu
- Kinghorn Cancer Centre & Cancer Division, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Darlinghurst, NSW 2010, Australia; St Vincent's Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Darlinghurst, NSW 2010, Australia
| | - Hong Ching Lee
- Kinghorn Cancer Centre & Cancer Division, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Darlinghurst, NSW 2010, Australia; St Vincent's Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Darlinghurst, NSW 2010, Australia
| | - Szun S Tay
- Gene Therapy Research Unit, Children's Medical Research Institute, The University of Sydney and The Sydney Children's Hospitals Network, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia
| | - Min Hu
- Centre for Kidney Research of The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia
| | - Roger R Reddel
- Cancer Research Unit, Children's Medical Research Institute, The University of Sydney, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia
| | - Matthew P McCormack
- Australian Centre for Blood Diseases, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3800, Australia
| | - Adrian J Thrasher
- Infection, Immunity, Inflammation, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London WC1N 1EH, UK
| | - Marina Cavazzana
- Department of Biotherapy, Hôpital Necker-Enfants Malades, Paris 75015, France
| | - Stephen I Alexander
- Centre for Kidney Research of The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia; Discipline of Child and Adolescent Health, The University of Sydney, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia
| | - Ian E Alexander
- Gene Therapy Research Unit, Children's Medical Research Institute, The University of Sydney and The Sydney Children's Hospitals Network, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia; Discipline of Child and Adolescent Health, The University of Sydney, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia.
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9
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Érsek B, Lupsa N, Pócza P, Tóth A, Horváth A, Molnár V, Bagita B, Bencsik A, Hegyesi H, Matolcsy A, Buzás EI, Pós Z. Unique patterns of CD8+ T-cell-mediated organ damage in the Act-mOVA/OT-I model of acute graft-versus-host disease. Cell Mol Life Sci 2016; 73:3935-47. [PMID: 27137185 PMCID: PMC11108436 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-016-2237-7] [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: 03/13/2016] [Revised: 04/15/2016] [Accepted: 04/21/2016] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
T-cell receptor (TCR)-transgenic models of acute graft-versus-host disease (aGvHD) offer a straightforward and highly controlled approach to study the mechanisms and consequences of T-cell activation following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (aHSCT). Here, we report that aHSCT involving OT-I mice as donors, carrying an ovalbumin-specific CD8+ TCR, and Act-mOVA mice as recipients, expressing membrane-bound ovalbumin driven by the β-actin promoter, induces lethal aGvHD in a CD8+ T-cell-dependent, highly reproducible manner, within 4-7 days. Tracking of UBC-GFP/OT-I graft CD8+ T cells disclosed heavy infiltration of the gastrointestinal tract, liver, and lungs at the onset of the disease, and histology confirmed hallmark features of gastrointestinal aGVHD, hepatic aGvHD, and aGvHD-associated lymphocytic bronchitis in infiltrated organs. However, T-cell infiltration was virtually absent in the skin, a key target organ of human aGvHD, and histology confirmed the absence of cutaneous aGVHD, as well. We show that the model allows studying CD8+ T-cell responses in situ, as selective recovery of graft CD45.1/OT-I CD8+ T cells from target organs is simple and feasible by automated tissue dissociation and subsequent cell sorting. Assessment of interferon-gamma production by flow cytometry, granzyme-B release by ELISA, TREC assay, and whole-genome gene expression profiling confirmed that isolated graft CD8+ T cells remained intact, underwent clonal expansion, and exerted effector functions in all affected tissues. Taken together, these data demonstrate that the OT-I/Act-mOVA model is suitable to study the CD8+ T-cell-mediated effector mechanisms in a disease closely resembling fatal human gastrointestinal and hepatic aGVHD that may develop after aHSCT using HLA-matched unrelated donors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Érsek
- Hungarian Academy of Sciences-Semmelweis University, "Lendület" Experimental and Translational Immunomics Research Group, 1089, Budapest, Hungary
- Department of Genetics, Cell and Immunobiology, Semmelweis University, 1089, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Nikolett Lupsa
- Hungarian Academy of Sciences-Semmelweis University, "Lendület" Experimental and Translational Immunomics Research Group, 1089, Budapest, Hungary
- Department of Genetics, Cell and Immunobiology, Semmelweis University, 1089, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Péter Pócza
- 1st Department of Pathology and Experimental Cancer Research, Semmelweis University, 1085, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Anett Tóth
- Hungarian Academy of Sciences-Semmelweis University, "Lendület" Experimental and Translational Immunomics Research Group, 1089, Budapest, Hungary
- Department of Genetics, Cell and Immunobiology, Semmelweis University, 1089, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Andor Horváth
- Hungarian Academy of Sciences-Semmelweis University, "Lendület" Experimental and Translational Immunomics Research Group, 1089, Budapest, Hungary
- Department of Genetics, Cell and Immunobiology, Semmelweis University, 1089, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Viktor Molnár
- Department of Genetics, Cell and Immunobiology, Semmelweis University, 1089, Budapest, Hungary
- Csertex Research Laboratory, 1037, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Bence Bagita
- Hungarian Academy of Sciences-Semmelweis University, "Lendület" Experimental and Translational Immunomics Research Group, 1089, Budapest, Hungary
- Department of Genetics, Cell and Immunobiology, Semmelweis University, 1089, Budapest, Hungary
| | - András Bencsik
- Hungarian Academy of Sciences-Semmelweis University, "Lendület" Experimental and Translational Immunomics Research Group, 1089, Budapest, Hungary
- Department of Genetics, Cell and Immunobiology, Semmelweis University, 1089, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Hargita Hegyesi
- "Frédéric Joliot-Curie" Institute for Radiobiology and Radiohygiene, 1221, Budapest, Hungary
| | - András Matolcsy
- 1st Department of Pathology and Experimental Cancer Research, Semmelweis University, 1085, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Edit I Buzás
- Department of Genetics, Cell and Immunobiology, Semmelweis University, 1089, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Zoltán Pós
- Hungarian Academy of Sciences-Semmelweis University, "Lendület" Experimental and Translational Immunomics Research Group, 1089, Budapest, Hungary.
- Department of Genetics, Cell and Immunobiology, Semmelweis University, 1089, Budapest, Hungary.
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10
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Hisazumi R, Kayumi M, Zhang W, Kikukawa R, Nasu T, Yasuda M. Evaluation of bovine thymic function by measurement of signal joint T-cell receptor excision circles. Vet Immunol Immunopathol 2016; 169:74-8. [PMID: 26827842 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetimm.2015.12.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2015] [Revised: 12/18/2015] [Accepted: 12/25/2015] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
A signal joint T-cell receptor excision circle (sjTREC) is a circular DNA produced by T-cell receptor α gene rearrangement in the thymus. Measurements of sjTREC values have been used to evaluate thymic function. We recently established a quantitative PCR (QPCR) assay of bovine sjTREC. In the present study, we used this QPCR assay to measure the sjTREC value in bovine peripheral blood mononuclear cells and we then evaluated the relationships between sjTREC values and peripheral blood T-cell number, growth stage, gender, and meteorological season. The sjTREC value was highest at the neonatal stage, and its value subsequently decreased with age. On the other hand, the peripheral T-cell number increased with age. The sjTREC value in calves up to 50-days old was significantly higher for males than for females, suggesting that thymic function might differ by gender. In addition, the sjTREC value and the peripheral T-cell number were significantly higher in calves in the summer season than in calves in the winter season. These data suggest that bovine thymic function is highly variable and varies according to the growth stage, gender, and environmental factors such as air temperature or the UV index.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rinnosuke Hisazumi
- Graduate School of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki 889-2192, Japan; Forensic Science Laboratory, Miyazaki Prefecture Police H.Q., Miyazaki 880-8509, Japan
| | - Miya Kayumi
- Department of Veterinary Anatomy, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki 889-2192, Japan
| | - Weidong Zhang
- Department of Veterinary Anatomy, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki 889-2192, Japan
| | | | - Tetuo Nasu
- Graduate School of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki 889-2192, Japan; Department of Veterinary Anatomy, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki 889-2192, Japan
| | - Masahiro Yasuda
- Graduate School of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki 889-2192, Japan; Department of Veterinary Anatomy, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki 889-2192, Japan.
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11
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Hisazumi R, Kayumi M, Kikukawa R, Nasu T, Yasuda M. Detection and quantification of bovine signal joint T-cell receptor excision circles. Vet Immunol Immunopathol 2015; 167:86-90. [PMID: 26143006 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetimm.2015.06.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2015] [Revised: 06/13/2015] [Accepted: 06/17/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
A signal joint (sj) T-cell receptor excision circle (TREC) is produced by T-cell receptor (TCR) gene rearrangements during αβ T-cell maturation in the thymus. sjTREC have been studied as a marker of thymic function in several spices. We designed specific primers for δrec-ψJα sj region to identify the location of the bovine sjTREC region and determined the nucleotide sequence of the PCR product. The obtained sequences were subjected to a BLAST search, which identified a matching region. This matching region contained TCR δ genes and was identified on bovine chromosome 10. We also confirmed the polymorphism of the sj region by sequencing of 10 PCR products, and observed irregular insertion of bases in the δrec-ψJα recombination signal sequence. We then developed a quantitative PCR (QPCR) assay for evaluation of sjTRECs level in order to evaluate bovine thymic function for application in the veterinary clinic. This QPCR assay specifically amplified the sj region of bovine sjTREC and could detected 10(1)-10(7) copy numbers of sjTRECs. Using this assay we found that the number of sjTRECs in peripheral blood mononuclear cells was less than 10% that of the thymus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rinnosuke Hisazumi
- Graduate School of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki 889-2192 Japan; Forensic Science Laboratory, Miyazaki Prefectural Police H.Q., Miyazaki 880-8509, Japan
| | - Miya Kayumi
- Department of Veterinary Anatomy, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki 889-2192, Japan
| | | | - Tetsuo Nasu
- Graduate School of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki 889-2192 Japan; Department of Veterinary Anatomy, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki 889-2192, Japan
| | - Masahiro Yasuda
- Graduate School of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki 889-2192 Japan; Department of Veterinary Anatomy, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki 889-2192, Japan.
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12
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Ito G, Yoshimura K, Momoi Y. Gene analysis of signal-joint T cell receptor excision circles and their relationship to age in dogs. Vet Immunol Immunopathol 2015; 166:1-7. [PMID: 26004946 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetimm.2015.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2015] [Revised: 04/18/2015] [Accepted: 05/04/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The quantification of DNA excision circles produced during T cell receptor (TCR) rearrangement, termed signal joint TCR rearrangement excision circles (sjTRECs), has been employed as a measure of age and thymic function in humans and animals. δRec-ψJα sjTRECs are ring-shaped DNAs that are generated during TCRδ locus deletion that occurs at a late stage of T cell development. In this study, the nucleotide sequences of δRec-ψJα signal joints of canine δRec-ψJα sjTRECs were analyzed. The gene structure of canine δRec-ψJα signal joints was found to be similar to that of humans and mice. However, diversity of signal joints was detected and found to derive from N nucleotide insertions, recombination signal sequence combinational diversity and single-base substitutions at the recombination signal sequence. In addition, an adenine insertion or deletion was found approximately 280 bases from the ψJα signal end. Blood samples were collected from 46 dogs, ranging in age from 3 to 192 months, with a mean age of 96.4 and a SD of 51.5 months. Although δRec-ψJα sjTRECs were detectable in most of the dogs evaluated, the level did not significantly correlate with age. These results indicated that δRec-ψJα sjTREC levels were ineffective as a measure of age in dogs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Genta Ito
- Laboratory of Veterinary Diagnostic Imaging, Joint Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kagoshima University, 1-21-24 Korimoto, Kagoshima 890-0065, Japan
| | - Kuniko Yoshimura
- Laboratory of Veterinary Diagnostic Imaging, Joint Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kagoshima University, 1-21-24 Korimoto, Kagoshima 890-0065, Japan
| | - Yasuyuki Momoi
- Laboratory of Veterinary Diagnostic Imaging, Joint Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kagoshima University, 1-21-24 Korimoto, Kagoshima 890-0065, Japan.
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13
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McCarron MJ, Marie JC. TGF-β prevents T follicular helper cell accumulation and B cell autoreactivity. J Clin Invest 2014; 124:4375-86. [PMID: 25157822 DOI: 10.1172/jci76179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2014] [Accepted: 07/11/2014] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
T follicular helper (Tfh) cells contribute to the establishment of humoral immunity by controlling the delivery of helper signals to activated B cells; however, Tfh development must be restrained, as aberrant accumulation of these cells is associated with positive selection of self-reactive germinal center B cells and autoimmunity in both humans and mice. Here, we show that TGF-β signaling in T cells prevented Tfh cell accumulation, self-reactive B cell activation, and autoantibody production. Using mice with either T cell-specific loss or constitutive activation of TGF-β signaling, we demonstrated that TGF-β signaling is required for the thymic maturation of CD44⁺CD122⁺Ly49⁺CD8⁺ regulatory T cells (Tregs), which induce Tfh apoptosis and thus regulate this cell population. Moreover, peripheral Tfh cells escaping TGF-β control were resistant to apoptosis, exhibited high levels of the antiapoptotic protein BCL2, and remained refractory to regulation by CD8+ Tregs. The unrestrained accumulation of Tfh cells in the absence of TGF-β was dependent on T cell receptor engagement and required B cells. Together, these data indicate that TGF-β signaling restrains Tfh cell accumulation and B cell-associated autoimmunity and thereby controls self-tolerance.
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14
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Ardiani A, Farsaci B, Rogers CJ, Protter A, Guo Z, King TH, Apelian D, Hodge JW. Combination therapy with a second-generation androgen receptor antagonist and a metastasis vaccine improves survival in a spontaneous prostate cancer model. Clin Cancer Res 2013; 19:6205-18. [PMID: 24048332 PMCID: PMC3833876 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-13-1026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Enzalutamide, a second-generation androgen antagonist, was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) treatment. Immunotherapy has been shown to be a promising strategy for prostate cancer. This study was performed to provide data to support the combination of enzalutamide and immunotherapy for CRPC treatment. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN Male C57BL/6 or TRAMP (transgenic adenocarcinoma of the mouse prostate) prostate cancer model mice were exposed to enzalutamide and/or a therapeutic vaccine targeting Twist, an antigen involved in epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and metastasis. The physiologic and immunologic effects of enzalutamide were characterized. The generation of Twist-specific immunity by Twist-vaccine was assessed. Finally, the combination of enzalutamide and Twist-vaccine to improve TRAMP mice overall survival was evaluated. RESULTS Enzalutamide mediated immunogenic modulation in TRAMP-C2 cells. In vivo, enzalutamide mediated reduced genitourinary tissue weight, enlargement of the thymus, and increased levels of T-cell excision circles. Because no changes were seen in T-cell function, as determined by CD4(+) T-cell proliferation and regulatory T cell (Treg) functional assays, enzalutamide was determined to be immune inert. Enzalutamide did not diminish the ability of Twist-vaccine to generate Twist-specific immunity. Twist was confirmed as a valid tumor antigen in TRAMP mice by immunohistochemistry. The combination of enzalutamide and Twist-vaccine resulted in significantly increased overall survival of TRAMP mice compared with other treatment groups (27.5 vs. 10.3 weeks). Notably, the effectiveness of the combination therapy increased with disease stage, i.e., the greatest survival benefit was seen in mice with advanced-stage prostate tumors. CONCLUSIONS These data support the combination of enzalutamide and immunotherapy as a promising treatment strategy for CRPC. Clin Cancer Res; 19(22); 6205-18. ©2013 AACR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andressa Ardiani
- Laboratory of Tumor Immunology and Biology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Benedetto Farsaci
- Laboratory of Tumor Immunology and Biology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Connie J. Rogers
- Laboratory of Tumor Immunology and Biology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | | | | | | | | | - James W. Hodge
- Laboratory of Tumor Immunology and Biology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
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Zhao H, Guo M, Sun X, Sun W, Hu H, Wei L, Ai H. Effects of recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor on central and peripheral T lymphocyte reconstitution after sublethal irradiation in mice. JOURNAL OF RADIATION RESEARCH 2013; 54:83-91. [PMID: 23001765 PMCID: PMC3534283 DOI: 10.1093/jrr/rrs082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2012] [Revised: 08/16/2012] [Accepted: 08/16/2012] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) is one of the most critical cytokines used for the treatment of acute radiation syndrome (ARS). In addition to the hematopoietic effects of G-CSF on the differentiation and proliferation of myeloid progenitor cells, G-CSF is also known to have immunomodulatory effects. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether G-CSF could accelerate central and peripheral T lymphocyte recovery after a sublethal dose of irradiation. Female BALB/c mice were subjected to 6 Gy of total body irradiation and then were treated with either 100 μg/kg G-CSF or an equal volume of PBS once daily for 14 days. Percentages of thymocyte subpopulations including CD4 - CD8 - , CD4 + CD8 + , CD4 + CD8- and CD4 - CD8+ T cells, peripheral CD3 + , CD4+ and CD8+ cells were analyzed by flow cytometry. Recent thymic emigrants (RTEs) were assessed by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using primers specific to the 257-bp T cell receptor rearrangement excision circles (sjTRECs). The proliferative capacity of splenic mononuclear cells upon exposure to ConA was measured by using the Cell Count Kit-8 (CCK-8). G-CSF treatment promoted thymocyte regeneration, accelerated the recovery of CD4 + CD8+ cells and increased the frequency of thymocyte sjTRECs. These effects were more prominent at early time points (Day 28) after irradiation. G-CSF also increased the rate of recovery of peripheral CD3 + , CD4+ and CD8+ cells and shortened the period of severe lymphopenia following irradiation. G-CSF also increased the splenic mononuclear cell mitotic responsiveness to ConA more than control-treated cells. Our results show that G-CSF accelerates T cell recovery through both thymic-dependent and thymic-independent pathways, which could be used to increase the rate of immune reconstitution after sublethal irradiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongxia Zhao
- Department of Hematology, Affiliated Hospital to the Academy of Military Medicine Science, 8th, East Street, FengTai District, Beijing, China
| | - Mei Guo
- Department of Hematology, Affiliated Hospital to the Academy of Military Medicine Science, 8th, East Street, FengTai District, Beijing, China
| | - Xuedong Sun
- Department of Hematology, Affiliated Hospital to the Academy of Military Medicine Science, 8th, East Street, FengTai District, Beijing, China
| | - Wanjun Sun
- Department of Hematology, the Second Artillery General Hospital, 16th, Xinjiekouwaidajie Road, XiCheng District, Beijing, China
| | - Hailan Hu
- Department of Hematology, the Second Artillery General Hospital, 16th, Xinjiekouwaidajie Road, XiCheng District, Beijing, China
| | - Li Wei
- Third Department of Internal Medicine, General Hospital of Tibet Military Region, Lhasa, China
| | - Huisheng Ai
- Department of Hematology, Affiliated Hospital to the Academy of Military Medicine Science, 8th, East Street, FengTai District, Beijing, China
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16
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Ross EA, Coughlan RE, Flores-Langarica A, Lax S, Nicholson J, Desanti GE, Marshall JL, Bobat S, Hitchcock J, White A, Jenkinson WE, Khan M, Henderson IR, Lavery GG, Buckley CD, Anderson G, Cunningham AF. Thymic function is maintained during Salmonella-induced atrophy and recovery. JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY (BALTIMORE, MD. : 1950) 2012; 189:4266-74. [PMID: 22993205 PMCID: PMC3912538 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1200070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Thymic atrophy is a frequent consequence of infection with bacteria, viruses, and parasites and is considered a common virulence trait between pathogens. Multiple reasons have been proposed to explain this atrophy, including premature egress of immature thymocytes, increased apoptosis, or thymic shutdown to prevent tolerance to the pathogen from developing. The severe loss in thymic cell number can reflect an equally dramatic reduction in thymic output, potentially reducing peripheral T cell numbers. In this study, we examine the relationship between systemic Salmonella infection and thymic function. During infection, naive T cell numbers in peripheral lymphoid organs increase. Nevertheless, this occurs despite a pronounced thymic atrophy caused by viable bacteria, with a peak 50-fold reduction in thymocyte numbers. Thymic atrophy is not dependent upon homeostatic feedback from peripheral T cells or on regulation of endogenous glucocorticoids, as demonstrated by infection of genetically altered mice. Once bacterial numbers fall, thymocyte numbers recover, and this is associated with increases in the proportion and proliferation of early thymic progenitors. During atrophy, thymic T cell maturation is maintained, and single-joint TCR rearrangement excision circle analysis reveals there is only a modest fall in recent CD4(+) thymic emigrants in secondary lymphoid tissues. Thus, thymic atrophy does not necessarily result in a matching dysfunctional T cell output, and thymic homeostasis can constantly adjust to systemic infection to ensure that naive T cell output is maintained.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ewan A. Ross
- MRC centre for Immune Regulation, School of Immunity and Infection, Medical School, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
| | - Ruth E. Coughlan
- MRC centre for Immune Regulation, School of Immunity and Infection, Medical School, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
| | - Adriana Flores-Langarica
- MRC centre for Immune Regulation, School of Immunity and Infection, Medical School, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
| | - Sian Lax
- MRC centre for Immune Regulation, School of Immunity and Infection, Medical School, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
| | - Julia Nicholson
- MRC centre for Immune Regulation, School of Immunity and Infection, Medical School, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
| | - Guillaume E. Desanti
- MRC centre for Immune Regulation, School of Immunity and Infection, Medical School, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
| | - Jennifer L. Marshall
- MRC centre for Immune Regulation, School of Immunity and Infection, Medical School, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
| | - Saeeda Bobat
- MRC centre for Immune Regulation, School of Immunity and Infection, Medical School, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
| | - Jessica Hitchcock
- MRC centre for Immune Regulation, School of Immunity and Infection, Medical School, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
| | - Andrea White
- MRC centre for Immune Regulation, School of Immunity and Infection, Medical School, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
| | - William E. Jenkinson
- MRC centre for Immune Regulation, School of Immunity and Infection, Medical School, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
| | - Mahmood Khan
- MRC centre for Immune Regulation, School of Immunity and Infection, Medical School, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
| | - Ian R. Henderson
- MRC centre for Immune Regulation, School of Immunity and Infection, Medical School, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
| | - Gareth G. Lavery
- Centre for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, School of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Institute for Biomedical Research, Medical School, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
| | - Christopher D. Buckley
- MRC centre for Immune Regulation, School of Immunity and Infection, Medical School, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
| | - Graham Anderson
- MRC centre for Immune Regulation, School of Immunity and Infection, Medical School, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
| | - Adam F. Cunningham
- MRC centre for Immune Regulation, School of Immunity and Infection, Medical School, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
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17
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den Braber I, Mugwagwa T, Vrisekoop N, Westera L, Mögling R, Bregje de Boer A, Willems N, Schrijver E, Spierenburg G, Gaiser K, Mul E, Otto S, Ruiter A, Ackermans M, Miedema F, Borghans J, de Boer R, Tesselaar K. Maintenance of Peripheral Naive T Cells Is Sustained by Thymus Output in Mice but Not Humans. Immunity 2012; 36:288-97. [DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2012.02.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 388] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2010] [Revised: 05/02/2011] [Accepted: 12/06/2011] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
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18
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Keratinocyte Growth Factor and Stem Cell Factor to Improve Thymopoiesis after Autologous CD34+ Cell Transplantation in Rhesus Macaques. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant 2012; 18:55-65. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbmt.2011.09.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2011] [Accepted: 09/23/2011] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
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Arismendi MI, Kallás EG, Santos BAND, Carneiro-Sampaio MMS, Kayser C. Thymopoiesis and regulatory T cells in healthy children and adolescents. Clinics (Sao Paulo) 2012; 67:425-9. [PMID: 22666784 PMCID: PMC3351266 DOI: 10.6061/clinics/2012(05)04] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2011] [Accepted: 01/11/2012] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between T cell receptor excision circle levels in peripheral blood mononuclear cells and regulatory T cells that co-express CD25 and Foxp3 in healthy children and adolescents of different ages. MATERIALS AND METHODS The quantification of signal-joint T-cell receptor excision circle levels in the genomic DNA of peripheral blood mononuclear cells was performed using real-time quantitative PCR. The analysis of CD4, CD8, CD25, and Foxp3 expression was performed using flow cytometry. RESULTS Ninety-five healthy controls (46 females and 49 males) ranging in age from 1 to 18 years were analyzed. The mean T-cell receptor excision circle count in all individuals was 89.095 ± 36.790 T-cell receptor excision circles per microgram of DNA. There was an inverse correlation between T-cell receptor excision circles counts and age (r = -0.846; p<0.001) as well as between the proportion of CD4(+)CD25(+)Foxp3(+) T cells and age (r = -0.467; p = 0.04). In addition, we observed a positive correlation between the amount of CD4(+)CD25(+)Foxp3(+) T cells and the amount of T-cell receptor excision circles per microgram of DNA in individuals of all ages (r = -0.529; p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS In this study, we observed a decrease in the thymic function with age based on the fact that the level of T-cell receptor excision circles in the peripheral blood positively correlated with the proportion of regulatory T cells in healthy children and adolescents. These findings indicate that although T-cell receptor excision circles and regulatory T cells levels decrease with age, homeostasis of the immune system and relative regulatory T cells population levels are maintained in the peripheral blood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Izabel Arismendi
- Hospital das Clinicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, Departamento de Pediatria, Instituto da Criança, Brasil
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20
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Wils EJ, van der Holt B, Broers AEC, Posthumus-van Sluijs SJ, Gratama JW, Braakman E, Cornelissen JJ. Insufficient recovery of thymopoiesis predicts for opportunistic infections in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients. Haematologica 2011; 96:1846-54. [PMID: 21859737 DOI: 10.3324/haematol.2011.047696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Recovery of thymopoiesis after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is considered pivotal for full immune competence. However, it is still unclear to what extent insufficient recovery of thymopoiesis predicts for subsequent opportunistic infections and non-relapse mortality. DESIGN AND METHODS A detailed survey of all post-engraftment infectious complications, non-relapse mortality and overall survival during long-term follow-up was performed in 83 recipients of allogeneic stem cell grafts after myeloablative conditioning. Recovery of thymopoiesis was assessed using analysis of signal joint T-cell receptor rearrangement excision circles. The impact of recovery of thymopoiesis at 2, 6, 9 and 12 months post-transplantation on clinical outcome beyond those time points was evaluated by univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses. RESULTS The cumulative incidence of severe infections at 12 months after transplantation was 66% with a median number of 1.64 severe infectious episodes per patient. Patients in whom thymopoiesis did not recover were at significantly higher risk of severe infections according to multivariable analysis. Hazard ratios indicated 3- and 9-fold increases in severe infections at 6 and 12 months, respectively. Impaired recovery of thymopoiesis also translated into a higher risk of non-relapse mortality and outweighed pre-transplant risk factors including age, donor type, and disease risk-status. CONCLUSIONS These results indicate that patients who fail to recover thymopoiesis after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation are at very high risk of severe infections and adverse clinical outcome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evert-Jan Wils
- Erasmus MC/Daniel den Hoed Cancer Center, Department of Hematology, EA Rotterdam, The Netherlands
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21
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Bertho JM, Faure MC, Louiba S, Tourlonias E, Stefani J, Siffert B, Paquet F, Dublineau I. Influence on the mouse immune system of chronic ingestion of 137Cs. JOURNAL OF RADIOLOGICAL PROTECTION : OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR RADIOLOGICAL PROTECTION 2011; 31:25-39. [PMID: 21346294 DOI: 10.1088/0952-4746/31/1/001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
The aim of this work was to determine the possible occurrence of damage to the immune system during the course of chronic ingestion of (137)Cs. BALB/C mice were used, with (137)Cs intake via drinking water at a concentration of 20 kBq l(-1). Adults received (137)Cs before mating and offspring were sacrificed at various ages between birth and 20 weeks. Phenotypic analysis of circulating blood cells and thymocytes did not show any significant modification of immune cell populations in animals ingesting (137)Cs as compared with control animals, with the exception of a slight increase in Treg percentage at the age of 12 weeks. Functional tests, including proliferative response to mitogens such as phytohaemagglutinin, response to alloantigens in mixed lymphocyte reaction and immunoglobulin response to vaccine antigens such as tetanus toxin and keyhole limpet haemocyanin did not show any significant functional modification of the immune system in (137)Cs-ingesting animals as compared with control animals. Overall, our results suggest that chronic ingestion of a low concentration of (137)Cs in drinking water in the long term does not have any biologically relevant effect on the immune system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Marc Bertho
- IRSN, Laboratoire de Radiotoxicologie Expérimentale, Fontenay aux Roses, France.
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Treatment with polyclonal immunoglobulin during T-cell reconstitution promotes naive T-cell proliferation. J Immunother 2010; 33:618-25. [PMID: 20551835 DOI: 10.1097/cji.0b013e3181d3cb19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Natural antibodies are unique self molecules endowed with both suppressive and activating functions on various cells of the immune system and are recognized as a fundamental link between the adaptive and innate immune system. Here, we examine the role of natural antibodies, using polyclonal immunoglobulins (Ig), as a promoter of T-cell reconstitution in a context of lymphopenia. We have established a mouse model to mimic immunologic recovery in adult patients with severe hypothymic function subjected to autologous hematopoietic precursor cell transplantation. Thymectomized mice were transplanted and treated with low doses of Ig or its Fab or Fc fragments. The animals displayed, during early phases of Ig treatment, a significant increase of T-cell reconstitution displaying a naive CD4(+) phenotype. In addition, the Ig-treated animals exhibited an increase dilution of single-joint T-cell receptor excision circles (sjTRECs) in peripheral blood, suggesting an early increase in proliferation of T cells stimulated by the natural antibodies. These results unveil a novel and considerable effect of intravenous Ig treatment in situations of severe lymphopenia as a stimulator of proliferation of peripheral naive T cells, possibly protecting diverse immune repertoires.
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23
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Bruinsma M, Wils EJ, Löwenberg B, Cornelissen JJ, Braakman E. The impact of CD4+Foxp3+ Treg on immunity to murine cytomegalovirus after bone marrow transplantation depends on the peripheral or thymic source of T cell regeneration. Transpl Immunol 2010; 24:9-16. [PMID: 20801217 DOI: 10.1016/j.trim.2010.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2010] [Revised: 08/19/2010] [Accepted: 08/23/2010] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The adoptive transfer of regulatory T cells (Treg) in murine models has been shown to ameliorate graft-versus-host disease while it may preserve the graft-versus-leukemia effect. However, the impact of Treg on infectious immunity after bone marrow transplantation (BMT) is still unclear. Immunocompetence against opportunistic viral infections depends on the kinetics of T cell recovery after BMT through two distinctive processes, i.e. lymphopenia-induced proliferation (LIP) of mature T cells and generation of T cells through thymopoiesis. METHODS In this study, we set out to assess the effects of adoptively transferred Treg on T cell regeneration in a homeostatic peripheral T cell expansion model and a thymopoiesis-dependent BMT model, and on murine cytomegalovirus (mCMV) clearance and mortality following mCMV challenge. RESULTS Using lymphopenic Rag-2(-/-)γc(-/-) mice that received a limited number of congenic T cells, we demonstrate that adoptively transferred Treg abrogate LIP of T cells. mCMV challenge resulted in a rapid increase of viral load and death in mice that received Treg, but not in controls. In contrast, following syngeneic T cell-depleted BMT in Rag-2(-/-)γc(-/-) mice, adoptively transferred Treg did not delay T cell reconstitution nor suppressed thymic output and had no effect on viral clearance and survival following mCMV-challenge. CONCLUSION The effect of Treg on T cell-mediated immunocompetence against mCMV early after BMT depends on the relative contribution of peripheral expansion and thymopoiesis to T cell regeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marieke Bruinsma
- Department of Haematology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
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24
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Nobrega C, Roque S, Nunes-Alves C, Coelho A, Medeiros I, Castro AG, Appelberg R, Correia-Neves M. Dissemination of mycobacteria to the thymus renders newly generated T cells tolerant to the invading pathogen. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2009; 184:351-8. [PMID: 19949112 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.0902152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The ability of the thymus to generate a population of T cells that is, for the most part, self-restricted and self-tolerant depends to a great extent on the Ags encountered during differentiation. We recently showed that mycobacteria disseminate to the thymus, which raised the questions of how mycobacteria within the thymus influence T cell differentiation and whether such an effect impacts host-pathogen interactions. Athymic nude mice were reconstituted with thymic grafts from Mycobacterium avium-infected or control noninfected donors. T cells generated from thymi of infected donors seemed generally normal, because they retained the ability to reconstitute the periphery and to respond to unspecific stimuli in vitro as well as to antigenic stimulation with third-party Ags, such as OVA, upon in vivo immunization. However, these cells were unable to mount a protective immune response against a challenge with M. avium. The observation that thymic infection interferes with T cell differentiation, generating T cells that are tolerant to pathogen-specific Ags, is of relevance to understand the immune response during chronic persistent infections. In addition, it has potential implications for the repertoire of T cells generated in patients with a mycobacterial infection recovering from severe lymphopenia, such as patients coinfected with HIV and receiving antiretroviral therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Nobrega
- Life and Health Sciences Research Institute, School of Health Sciences, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
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25
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Dulude G, Cheynier R, Gauchat D, Abdallah A, Kettaf N, Sékaly RP, Gratton S. The magnitude of thymic output is genetically determined through controlled intrathymic precursor T cell proliferation. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2008; 181:7818-24. [PMID: 19017971 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.181.11.7818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
The thymus plays a crucial role in providing the immune system with naive T cells showing a diverse TCR repertoire. Whereas the diversity of thymic production is mainly ensured by TCR rearrangement at both the TRA and TRB loci, the number of cells reaching the double-positive differentiation stage defines the extent of thymic output. A quantitative analysis of TCR excision circles (TREC; signal-joint TRECs and DJbetaTRECs) produced at different stages of thymopoiesis was performed in nine laboratory mouse strains. The results clearly demonstrate that the magnitude of thymic output is directly proportional to the extent of proliferation in the double-negative 4 thymocyte subset. Strikingly, intrathymic precursor T cell proliferation was found to be strain dependent, thus suggesting a genetic regulation of thymic output. The inherited character of thymic output was further confirmed by the transmission of the phenotype in a recessive fashion in F(1) progeny of the different parental strains. Our results provide the first demonstration of the genetic regulation of thymic output.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaël Dulude
- Laboratoire d'Immunologie, Centre de Recherches du Centre Hospitalier de l'Université Montréal, Saint-Luc, Montréal, Québec, Canada
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26
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Bruinsma M, van Soest PL, Leenen PJM, Lambrecht BN, Cupedo T, Löwenberg B, Cornelissen JJ, Braakman E. Keratinocyte growth factor induces expansion of murine peripheral CD4+Foxp3+ regulatory T cells and increases their thymic output. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2008; 179:7424-30. [PMID: 18025186 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.179.11.7424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Keratinocyte growth factor (KGF) has been shown to reduce the incidence and severity of graft-versus-host disease by prevention of epithelial damage and by modulating alloreactivity. Since regulatory T cells (Treg) play a crucial role in immune modulation, we evaluated the effects of exogenous KGF on peripheral CD4(+)Foxp3(+) Treg and the generation of Treg in the thymus of normal mice. A 3-day course of KGF induced a rapid selective increase in the number of highly suppressive CD4(+)Foxp3(+) Treg. Blood Treg numbers remained elevated for >2 mo, but the frequency normalized after 2 wk due to a concomitant increase in CD4(+)Foxp3(-) T cells. Analysis of single joint TCR excision circles frequency and Ki-67 expression in peripheral blood Treg showed that the early selective increase of Treg was predominantly accounted for by peripheral expansion. Thymectomy before KGF administration did not affect the early selective increase of Treg but abrogated the late increase in CD4(+) T cell numbers, thereby showing its dependence on thymic output. Collectively, these results show that KGF induces an increase in blood CD4(+)Foxp3(+) Treg numbers via two independent mechanisms. First by selective peripheral expansion of Treg and thereafter by enhanced thymic output of newly developed Treg.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marieke Bruinsma
- Department of Hematology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
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27
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Wils EJ, Braakman E, Verjans GMGM, Rombouts EJC, Broers AEC, Niesters HGM, Wagemaker G, Staal FJT, Löwenberg B, Spits H, Cornelissen JJ. Flt3 ligand expands lymphoid progenitors prior to recovery of thymopoiesis and accelerates T cell reconstitution after bone marrow transplantation. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2007; 178:3551-7. [PMID: 17339451 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.178.6.3551] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Deficient thymopoiesis and retarded recovery of newly developed CD4(+) T cells is one of the most important determinants of impaired immunocompetence after hemopoietic stem cell transplantation. Here we evaluated whether Fms-like tyrosine kinase 3 (Flt3) ligand (FL) alone or combined with IL-7 affects T cell recovery, thymopoiesis, and lymphoid progenitor expansion following bone marrow transplantation in immunodeficient mice. FL strongly accelerated and enhanced the recovery of peripheral T cells after transplantation of a low number of bone marrow cells. An additive effect on T cell recovery was not observed after coadministration of IL-7. Lineage(-)sca-1(+)c-kit(+)flt3(+) lymphoid progenitor cell numbers were significantly increased in bone marrow of FL-treated mice before recovery of thymopoiesis. Thymocyte differentiation was advanced to more mature stages after FL treatment. Improved T cell recovery resulted in better immunocompetence against a post-bone marrow transplantation murine CMV infection. Collectively, our data suggest that FL promotes T cell recovery by enhanced thymopoiesis and by expansion of lymphoid progenitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evert-Jan Wils
- Department of Hematology, Erasmus Medical Center/Daniel den Hoed Cancer Center, Groene Hilledijk 301, 3071 EA Amsterdam, the Netherlands
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28
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Wang X, Hsu HC, Wang Y, Edwards CK, Yang P, Wu Q, Mountz JD. Phenotype of genetically regulated thymic involution in young BXD RI strains of mice. Scand J Immunol 2006; 64:287-94. [PMID: 16918698 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-3083.2006.01813.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Age-related thymic involution is a multifactorial process related to age-related changes in intrathymic T-cell development and cytokines. In contrast, early thymic involution, because of genetic differences that cause rapid or slow thymic involution at younger age, is less well characterized. Here, we analysed three representative rapid-involuting strains of mice, BXD 8, 18 and 32, compared with three representative slow-involuting strains, BXD 9, 19 and 29, all at 2 months of age. In rapid-involuting strains compared with slow involution strains, thymocyte production, as indicated by CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell receptor recombination excision circle (TREC), were decreased. Rapid-involution strains of mice exhibited a developmental block at the DN1 to DN2 and CD4-CD8- (DN) to CD4+CD8+ (double positive, DP) transition stages. There was also increased susceptibility to H2O2-induced apoptosis, decreased thymic expression of IL-7, decreased expression of an IL-7 downstream anti-apoptosis gene, Bcl-2, and increased expression of a pro-apoptotic gene, Bad. In contrast, IL-7R expression was higher on DN thymocytes of rapid-involution strains. The increased expression of IL-7R was associated with an increased thymocyte proliferation in response to anti-CD3 + IL-7 or anti-CD3 + IL-12 + IL-7. These findings indicate that, even at young age, genetic differences of IL-7/IL-7R regulation pathway in BXD strains of mice can lead to characteristic phenotypic changes that have been previously associated with age-related thymic involution.
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Affiliation(s)
- X Wang
- Department of Medicine, Division of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 701 South 19th Street, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
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29
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Li A, Zhang Q, Jiang J, Yuan G, Feng Y, Hao J, Li C, Gao X, Wang G, Xie S. Co-transplantation of bone marrow stromal cells transduced with IL-7 gene enhances immune reconstitution after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation in mice. Gene Ther 2006; 13:1178-87. [PMID: 16598299 DOI: 10.1038/sj.gt.3302741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (allo-BMT) is followed by a period of profound immune deficiency, which results in significant susceptibility to infections and limits the extensive application of this approach in clinic. Here, we transduced human interleukin-7 (IL-7) gene into donor-derived bone marrow stromal cells (MSCs) using adenovirus vector, and transplanted this gene-engineered MSCs (MSC-IL-7) into lethally irradiated C57BL/6 mice to investigate their effects on immune reconstitution following allo-BMT. Recipient mice receiving MSC-IL-7 cells plus T-cell-depleted bone marrow cells of BALB/c mice showed a significant increase in thymopoiesis and homeostatic expansion of peripheral T lymphocytes. Furthermore, injection of MSC-IL-7 cells following allo-BMT protected the host from the lethality caused by acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and prevented the occurrence of GVHD induced by transplanted T cells. Thus, the use of MSC-IL-7 cells may be therapeutically useful for enhancing immune reconstitution without aggravating GVHD in allo-BMT mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Li
- Department of Immunology, Peking University Health Center, Beijing, People's Republic of China
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30
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Abstract
Thymic function is important for the generation of T-cell diversity in the periphery of both children and adults during both health and disease. Until recently, thymic function could not be monitored, as a consequence of the absence of adequate technology to differentiate recent thymic emigrants (RTEs) from naïve T cells. The generation of TCR diversity occurs in the thymus through recombination of gene segments encoding the variable parts of the TCR alpha and beta chains. During these processes, by-products of the rearrangements are generated in the form of signal joint T-cell receptor excision circles (sjTRECs). As sjTRECs are stable extrachromosomal DNA fragments, they are not replicated during mitosis and thus diluted with each round of cell division, and are therefore most frequent in naïve T cells that have recently left the thymus, their quantification is actually considered as a valuable tool to estimate thymic function. Therefore, quantitative sjTRECs content have been recently used to assess thymic output during both health and disease. In this review, we summarize recent data on the recent thymic output function feature in patients with hematological malignancy and the immune reconstitution after stem cell transplantation and we also characterize factors that may improve the thymic output function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yangqiu Li
- Institute of Hematology, Medical College, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China.
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31
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Chu YW, Memon SA, Sharrow SO, Hakim FT, Eckhaus M, Lucas PJ, Gress RE. Exogenous IL-7 increases recent thymic emigrants in peripheral lymphoid tissue without enhanced thymic function. Blood 2004; 104:1110-9. [PMID: 15130942 DOI: 10.1182/blood-2003-10-3635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
AbstractInterleukin 7 (IL-7) is critical in maintaining thymic-dependent and thymic-independent pathways of T-cell homeostasis. T-cell receptor (TCR) rearrangement excision circles (TRECs) have been used as markers for recent thymic emigrants (RTEs) in assessing human thymic function. To study the thymic and peripheral effects of IL-7 on RTEs, we measured TREC content and peripheral naive T-cell subsets and turnover in IL-7-treated mice. Short-term administration of IL-7 into thymus-intact mice resulted in increased total TREC numbers, consistent with RTE accumulation. Decreases in TREC frequency were attributable to dilution secondary to increased cell turnover. Significantly, IL-7 administration into thymectomized mice resulted in patterns of decreased TREC frequency and increased total TREC number similar to those in IL-7-treated thymus-intact mice. Distinct patterns of naive cell and RTE distribution among peripheral immune organs and altered expression of CD11a were observed following IL-7 treatment in thymus-intact and thymectomized mice. These results demonstrate (1) that total TREC number and not TREC frequency accurately reflects quantitative changes in RTEs; (2) that short-term IL-7 administration results in preferential accumulations of RTEs among peripheral immune organs, accounting for the increase in TRECs in the total peripheral lymphoid pool; and (3) no evidence for regulation of thymic function by short-term IL-7 administration. (Blood. 2004;104:1110-1119)
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Waye Chu
- Experimental Immunology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, NIH, Bldg 10, Rm 4B14, 10 Center Dr, Bethesda, MD 20892-1360, USA.
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32
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Broers AEC, Posthumus-van Sluijs SJ, Spits H, van der Holt B, Löwenberg B, Braakman E, Cornelissen JJ. Interleukin-7 improves T-cell recovery after experimental T-cell-depleted bone marrow transplantation in T-cell-deficient mice by strong expansion of recent thymic emigrants. Blood 2003; 102:1534-40. [PMID: 12714515 DOI: 10.1182/blood-2002-11-3349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Interleukin-7 (IL-7) has been shown to enhance thymic output of newly developed T cells following bone marrow transplantation (BMT) in mice. In addition, IL-7 may affect peripheral expansion of T cells. In order to study the relative contribution of thymopoiesis versus peripheral T-cell expansion in the setting of compromised thymopoiesis, we have applied IL-7 in an experimental stem cell transplantation model using T cell-deficient RAG-1(-/-) mice. C57BL/6 RAG-1(-/-) mice received transplants of syngeneic T-cell-depleted (TCD) bone marrow (Ly5.1) with or without supplemented T cells (Ly5.2). IL-7 was administered until day 63 after BMT. Peripheral blood T- and B-cell recovery was quantified by flow cytometry and thymopoiesis was studied by quantification of T-cell receptor rearrangement excision circles (TRECs). In mice receiving a T-cell-replete BMT, IL-7 selectively expanded mature CD45.2+ T cells without affecting the recovery of new bone marrow-derived CD45.1+ T cells. In contrast, IL-7 significantly enhanced the recovery of bone marrow-derived T cells after TCD BMT. Quantification of TRECs in mice receiving a TCD BMT revealed that enhanced T-cell recovery following IL-7 treatment resulted from a strong expansion of newly developed naive T cells. These results suggest that peripheral expansion of recent thymic emigrants or mature T cells may be a preferential mechanism by which IL-7 enhances T-cell recovery after BMT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annoek E C Broers
- Department of Hematology, Erasmus MC/Daniel den Hoed Cancer Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
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