Cis-trans complementation of DQA1-DQB1 genes are modulated by DQ alleles: an immunogenetics analysis of DQ association with the down-regulatory function of CD8 cells in trichosanthin-induced immunosuppression

Trichosanthin-derived peptide Tk-PQ attenuates immune rejection in mouse tracheal allotransplant model by suppressing PI3K-Akt and inducing type II immune polarization

Obliterative bronchiolitis (OB) is one of the main complications affecting long-term survival of post-lung transplantation patients. In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of Tk-PQ (a peptide derived from trichosanthin) in alleviating OB in a mouse ectopic tracheal transplant model. We found that post-transplantation treatment of Tk-PQ significant ameliorated OB symptoms including luminal occlusion, epithelial cells loss and fibrosis in the allograft. In addition, Tk-PQ promoted immune suppressive environment by inducing Th2 polarization and increasing Treg population which in turn led to elevated levels of anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-4, IL-10, IL-33 and decreased levels of pro-inflammatory IL-1β. Mechanistically, we used transcriptome analysis of splenic T cells from allografted mice to show that Tk-PQ treatment down-regulated the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway. Indeed, the immune suppression phenotypes of Tk-PQ was recapitulated by a PI3K inhibitor LY294002. Taken together, Tk-PQ regulates post-transplantation immuno-rejection by modulating the balance of T cell response via the PI3K-Akt pathway, making it a promising peptide based immune rejection suppressant for patients receiving allotransplant.

A Trichosanthin-derived peptide suppresses type 1 immune responses by TLR2-dependent activation of CD8(+)CD28(-) Tregs

A group of 15-aa-long Trichosanthin-derived peptides was synthesized and screened based on their differential abilities to induce low-responsiveness in mouse strains with high and low susceptibility. One of them was conjugated to form a homo-tetramer Tk-tPN. At concentrations of 0.1-50 μg/ml, Tk-tPN activated CD8(+)CD28(-) Tregs in vitro to induce immune suppression as effectively as the native Trichosanthin but did not exhibit cytotoxicity. In EAE mice which were pre-treated with Tk-tPN or Tk-tPN-activated CD8(+) T cells, a marked attenuation of clinical scores was recorded together with an expansion of the CD8(+)CD28(-) Treg from 2.2% to 36.1% in vivo. A pull-down assay and signal transduction analyses indicated that the ability of Tk-tPN to convert the CD8(+)CD28(-) Treg-related cytokine secretion pattern from type 1 to type 2 depends on the TLR2-initiated signaling in macrophages. The high production of IL-4/IL-10 by the Tk-tPN-activated CD8(+)CD28(-) Treg suggests the value of using Tk-tPN as a therapeutic reagent for Th1-dominant immunological diseases.

Up-regulation of IL-10 expression in dendritic cells is involved in Trichosanthin-induced immunosuppression

We report here that Trichosanthin (Tk), a primary active component isolated from a Chinese traditional medicinal herb, Trichosanthes kirilowii, potently inhibits lymphocyte proliferative response in vitro. We found that Tk treatment increased production of the interleukins IL-4 and IL-10, while production of IL-2 and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) decreased in the allogeneic antigen-induced immune response. Moreover, up-regulation of IL-10 and IL-4 contributed to the inhibitory activities of Tk. Tk induced immunosuppression through an antigen presenting cell dependent way. Dendritic cells (DCs) are the most potent of the antigen presenting cells, which play a critical role in initiation and regulation of immune responses. We found that Tk could stimulate bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (BMDC) to express IL-10. In addition, pre-exposure of BMDC to Tk produced increased levels of IL-10, but decreased levels of IL-12, following subsequent lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation. Using BMDC obtained from IL-10 deficient mice, we provided evidence that it was IL-10 derived from DCs that initiated the Tk-induced immunosuppression. Furthermore, we found that Tk activated c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) of BMDC and that JNK and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activations were associated with Tk-induced IL-10 up-regulation. These data suggest that Tk acts on the function of DCs to change the ratio of IL-10 to IL-12 production and, thus, predominantly inhibits Th1 responses.

Immune suppression via IL-4/IL-10-secreting T cells: A nontoxic property of anti-HIV agent Trichosanthin

The activity of Trichosanthin (Tk) has been attributed to its toxicity since this plant protein was used as an anti-HIV agent. However, in this study strong inhibition of human lymphoproliferation to soluble and allogeneic antigens was induced by Tk at 0.005-0.5 microg/ml without causing cell damages including apoptosis. The suppression was dependent on the presence of monocytes that are able to internalize and process Tk molecules as exogenous antigens. Among 39 Tk-primed T cell lines established, those with strong suppressive activity were CD8(+) TCRalphabeta(+) with type 2 cytokine secretion profile. Depletion of CD8 cells from total T cells or blocking expression of HLA-DQ molecules diminished Tk's inhibitory activity. In addition, healthy subjects with HLA haplotype DRB1*0301-DQA1*0501-DQB1*0201 were susceptible to the hyporeaction induced by Tk or a Tk-derived peptide. This indicates that Tk could induce an HLA-associated immune suppression via activating IL-4/IL-10-secreting T cells, which might belong to CD8 Tc2 subset.