1
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Baldwin I, Robey EA. Adjusting to self in the thymus: CD4 versus CD8 lineage commitment and regulatory T cell development. J Exp Med 2024; 221:e20230896. [PMID: 38980291 PMCID: PMC11232887 DOI: 10.1084/jem.20230896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2024] [Revised: 05/22/2024] [Accepted: 06/27/2024] [Indexed: 07/10/2024] Open
Abstract
During thymic development, thymocytes adjust their TCR response based on the strength of their reactivity to self-peptide MHC complexes. This tuning process allows thymocytes with a range of self-reactivities to survive positive selection and contribute to a diverse T cell pool. In this review, we will discuss recent advances in our understanding of how thymocytes tune their responsiveness during positive selection, and we present a "sequential selection" model to explain how MHC specificity influences lineage choice. We also discuss recent evidence for cell type diversity in the medulla and discuss how this heterogeneity may contribute to medullary niches for negative selection and regulatory T cell development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabel Baldwin
- Division of Immunology and Molecular Medicine, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Ellen A. Robey
- Division of Immunology and Molecular Medicine, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
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2
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Borelli A, Zamit C, Irla M. Medullary Thymic Epithelial Cell Antigen-presentation Assays. Bio Protoc 2023; 13:e4865. [PMID: 37969750 PMCID: PMC10632154 DOI: 10.21769/bioprotoc.4865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2023] [Revised: 08/31/2023] [Accepted: 09/01/2023] [Indexed: 11/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTEC) are bona fide antigen-presenting cells that play a crucial role in the induction of T-cell tolerance. By their unique ability to express a broad range of tissue-restricted self-antigens, mTEC control the clonal deletion (also known as negative selection) of potentially hazardous autoreactive T cells and the generation of Foxp3+ regulatory T cells. Here, we describe a protocol to assess major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II antigen-presentation capacity of mTEC to CD4+ T cells. We detail the different steps of thymus enzymatic digestion, immunostaining, cell sorting of mTEC and CD4+ T cells, peptide-loading of mTEC, and the co-culture between these two cell types. Finally, we describe the flow cytometry protocol and the subsequent analysis to assess the activation of CD4+ T cells. This rapid co-culture assay enables the evaluation of the ability of mTEC to present antigens to CD4+ T cells in an antigen-specific context. Key features • This protocol builds upon the method used by Lopes et al. (2018 and 2022) and Charaix et al. (2022). • This protocol requires transgenic mice, such as OTIIxRag2-/- mice and the cognate peptide OVA323-339, to assess mTEC antigen presentation to CD4+ T cells. • This requires specific equipment such as a Miltenyi Biotec AutoMACS® Pro Separator, a BD FACSAriaTM III cell sorter, and a BD® LSR II flow cytometer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexia Borelli
- Aix-Marseille University, CNRS, INSERM, CIML, Centre d’Immunologie de Marseille-Luminy, Marseille, France
| | - Cloé Zamit
- Aix-Marseille University, CNRS, INSERM, CIML, Centre d’Immunologie de Marseille-Luminy, Marseille, France
| | - Magali Irla
- Aix-Marseille University, CNRS, INSERM, CIML, Centre d’Immunologie de Marseille-Luminy, Marseille, France
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3
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Oftedal BE, Berger AH, Bruserud Ø, Goldfarb Y, Sulen A, Breivik L, Hellesen A, Ben-Dor S, Haffner-Krausz R, Knappskog PM, Johansson S, Wolff AS, Bratland E, Abramson J, Husebye ES. A partial form of AIRE deficiency underlies a mild form of autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type 1. J Clin Invest 2023; 133:e169704. [PMID: 37909333 PMCID: PMC10617782 DOI: 10.1172/jci169704] [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: 02/13/2023] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type 1 (APS-1) is caused by mutations in the autoimmune regulator (AIRE) gene. Most patients present with severe chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis and organ-specific autoimmunity from early childhood, but the clinical picture is highly variable. AIRE is crucial for negative selection of T cells, and scrutiny of different patient mutations has previously highlighted many of its molecular mechanisms. In patients with a milder adult-onset phenotype sharing a mutation in the canonical donor splice site of intron 7 (c.879+1G>A), both the predicted altered splicing pattern with loss of exon 7 (AireEx7-/-) and normal full-length AIRE mRNA were found, indicating leaky rather than abolished mRNA splicing. Analysis of a corresponding mouse model demonstrated that the AireEx7-/- mutant had dramatically impaired transcriptional capacity of tissue-specific antigens in medullary thymic epithelial cells but still retained some ability to induce gene expression compared with the complete loss-of-function AireC313X-/- mutant. Our data illustrate an association between AIRE activity and the severity of autoimmune disease, with implications for more common autoimmune diseases associated with AIRE variants, such as primary adrenal insufficiency, pernicious anemia, type 1 diabetes, and rheumatoid arthritis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bergithe Eikeland Oftedal
- Department of Clinical Science and KG Jebsen Center for Autoimmune Diseases, University of Bergen, Norway
- Department of Medicine and
| | - Amund Holte Berger
- Department of Clinical Science and KG Jebsen Center for Autoimmune Diseases, University of Bergen, Norway
- Department of Medical Genetics, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Øyvind Bruserud
- Department of Clinical Science and KG Jebsen Center for Autoimmune Diseases, University of Bergen, Norway
- Department of Medicine and
| | - Yael Goldfarb
- Department of Immunology and Regenerative Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Andre Sulen
- Department of Clinical Science and KG Jebsen Center for Autoimmune Diseases, University of Bergen, Norway
| | - Lars Breivik
- Department of Clinical Science and KG Jebsen Center for Autoimmune Diseases, University of Bergen, Norway
- Department of Medicine and
| | - Alexander Hellesen
- Department of Clinical Science and KG Jebsen Center for Autoimmune Diseases, University of Bergen, Norway
| | - Shifra Ben-Dor
- Bioinformatics Unit, Department of Life Sciences Core Facilities and
| | | | - Per M. Knappskog
- Department of Clinical Science and KG Jebsen Center for Autoimmune Diseases, University of Bergen, Norway
- Department of Medical Genetics, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Stefan Johansson
- Department of Clinical Science and KG Jebsen Center for Autoimmune Diseases, University of Bergen, Norway
- Department of Medical Genetics, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Anette S.B. Wolff
- Department of Clinical Science and KG Jebsen Center for Autoimmune Diseases, University of Bergen, Norway
- Department of Medicine and
| | - Eirik Bratland
- Department of Clinical Science and KG Jebsen Center for Autoimmune Diseases, University of Bergen, Norway
- Department of Medical Genetics, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Jakub Abramson
- Department of Immunology and Regenerative Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Eystein Sverre Husebye
- Department of Clinical Science and KG Jebsen Center for Autoimmune Diseases, University of Bergen, Norway
- Department of Medicine and
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4
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Research advances on targeted-Treg therapies on immune-mediated kidney diseases. Autoimmun Rev 2023; 22:103257. [PMID: 36563769 DOI: 10.1016/j.autrev.2022.103257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2022] [Revised: 11/23/2022] [Accepted: 12/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The primary function of regulatory T cells (Tregs) is blocking the pathogenic immunological response mediated by autoreactive cells, establishing and maintaining immune homeostasis in tissues. Kidney diseases are often caused by Immune imbalance, including alloimmune graft damage after renal transplantation, direct immune-mediated kidney diseases like membranous nephropathy (MN) and anti-glomerular basement membrane (anti-GBM) glomerulonephritis, as well as indirect immune-mediated ones like Anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis (AAVs), IgA nephropathy (IgAN) and lupus nephritis (LN). Treg cells are deficient numerically and/or functionally in those kidney diseases. Targeted-Treg therapies, including adoptive Tregs transfer therapy and low-dose IL-2 therapy, have begun to thrive in treating autoimmune diseases in recent years. However, the clinical use of targeted Treg-therapies is rarely mentioned in those kidney diseases above except for kidney transplantation. This article mainly discusses the newest progressions of targeted-Treg therapies in those specific examples of immune-mediated kidney diseases. Meanwhile, we also reviewed the main factors that affect Treg development and differentiation, hoping to inspire new strategies to develop target Tregs-therapies. Lastly, we emphasize the significant impediments and prospects to the clinical translation of target-Treg therapy. We advocate for more preclinical and clinical studies on target Tregs-therapies to decipher Tregs in those diseases.
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5
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Benlaribi R, Gou Q, Takaba H. Thymic self-antigen expression for immune tolerance and surveillance. Inflamm Regen 2022; 42:28. [PMID: 36056452 PMCID: PMC9440513 DOI: 10.1186/s41232-022-00211-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2022] [Accepted: 04/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
T cells are a group of lymphocytes that play a central role in the immune system, notably, eliminating pathogens and attacking cancer while being tolerant of the self. Elucidating how immune tolerance is ensured has become a significant research issue for understanding the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases as well as cancer immunity. T cell immune tolerance is established mainly in the thymic medulla by the removal of self-responsive T cells and the generation of regulatory T cells, this process depends mainly on the expression of a variety of tissue restricted antigens (TRAs) by medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs). The expression of TRAs is known to be regulated by at least two independent factors, Fezf2 and Aire, which play non-redundant and complementary roles by different mechanisms. In this review, we introduce the molecular logic of thymic self-antigen expression that underlies T cell selection for the prevention of autoimmunity and the establishment of immune surveillance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rayene Benlaribi
- Department of Immunology, Graduate School of Medicine and Faculty of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Qiao Gou
- Department of Immunology, Graduate School of Medicine and Faculty of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Takaba
- Department of Immunology, Graduate School of Medicine and Faculty of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
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6
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Hall BM, Verma ND, Tran GT, Hodgkinson SJ. Transplant Tolerance, Not Only Clonal Deletion. Front Immunol 2022; 13:810798. [PMID: 35529847 PMCID: PMC9069565 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.810798] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2021] [Accepted: 02/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The quest to understand how allogeneic transplanted tissue is not rejected and how tolerance is induced led to fundamental concepts in immunology. First, we review the research that led to the Clonal Deletion theory in the late 1950s that has since dominated the field of immunology and transplantation. At that time many basic mechanisms of immune response were unknown, including the role of lymphocytes and T cells in rejection. These original observations are reassessed by considering T regulatory cells that are produced by thymus of neonates to prevent autoimmunity. Second, we review "operational tolerance" induced in adult rodents and larger animals such as pigs. This can occur spontaneously especially with liver allografts, but also can develop after short courses of a variety of rejection inhibiting therapies. Over time these animals develop alloantigen specific tolerance to the graft but retain the capacity to reject third-party grafts. These animals have a "split tolerance" as peripheral lymphocytes from these animals respond to donor alloantigen in graft versus host assays and in mixed lymphocyte cultures, indicating there is no clonal deletion. Investigation of this phenomenon excludes many mechanisms, including anti-donor antibody blocking rejection as well as anti-idiotypic responses mediated by antibody or T cells. This split tolerance is transferred to a second immune-depleted host by T cells that retain the capacity to effect rejection of third-party grafts by the same host. Third, we review research on alloantigen specific inhibitory T cells that led to the first identification of the CD4+CD25+T regulatory cell. The key role of T cell derived cytokines, other than IL-2, in promoting survival and expansion of antigen specific T regulatory cells that mediate transplant tolerance is reviewed. The precise methods for inducing and diagnosing operational tolerance remain to be defined, but antigen specific T regulatory cells are key mediators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruce M. Hall
- Immune Tolerance Laboratory, School of Medicine, University of New South Wales (UNSW) Sydney, Ingham Institute, and Renal Service and Multiple Sclerosis Clinic, Liverpool Hospital, Liverpool, NSW, Australia
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7
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Moreau JM, Velegraki M, Bolyard C, Rosenblum MD, Li Z. Transforming growth factor-β1 in regulatory T cell biology. Sci Immunol 2022; 7:eabi4613. [PMID: 35302863 PMCID: PMC10552796 DOI: 10.1126/sciimmunol.abi4613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 36.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) is inextricably linked to regulatory T cell (Treg) biology. However, precisely untangling the role for TGF-β1 in Treg differentiation and function is complicated by the pleiotropic and context-dependent activity of this cytokine and the multifaceted biology of Tregs. Among CD4+ T cells, Tregs are the major producers of latent TGF-β1 and are uniquely able to activate this cytokine via expression of cell surface docking receptor glycoprotein A repetitions predominant (GARP) and αv integrins. Although a preponderance of evidence indicates no essential roles for Treg-derived TGF-β1 in Treg immunosuppression, TGF-β1 signaling is crucial for Treg development in the thymus and periphery. Furthermore, active TGF-β1 instructs the differentiation of other T cell subsets, including TH17 cells. Here, we will review TGF-β1 signaling in Treg development and function and discuss knowledge gaps, future research, and the TGF-β1/Treg axis in the context of cancer immunotherapy and fibrosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua M. Moreau
- Department of Dermatology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Maria Velegraki
- Pelotonia Institute for Immuno-Oncology, the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center—James Cancer Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Chelsea Bolyard
- Pelotonia Institute for Immuno-Oncology, the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center—James Cancer Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Michael D. Rosenblum
- Department of Dermatology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Zihai Li
- Pelotonia Institute for Immuno-Oncology, the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center—James Cancer Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA
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8
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Haftmann C, Zwicky P, Ingelfinger F, Mair F, Floess S, Riedel R, Durek P, Spalinger MR, Friebel E, Leung BP, Lutz M, Puertas N, Amorim A, Schärli S, Becher B, Kisielow J, Waisman A, Mashreghi MF, Huehn J, Becher B. Protection against autoimmunity is driven by thymic epithelial cell-mediated regulation of T reg development. Sci Immunol 2021; 6:eabf3111. [PMID: 34797691 DOI: 10.1126/sciimmunol.abf3111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs) are key antigen-presenting cells mediating T cell tolerance to prevent harmful autoimmunity. mTECs both negatively select self-reactive T cells and promote the development of thymic regulatory T cells (tTregs) that mediate peripheral tolerance. The relative importance of these two mechanisms of thymic education to prevent autoimmunity is unclear. We generated a mouse model to specifically target the development and function of mTECs by conditional ablation of the NF-κB–inducing kinase (NIK) in the TEC compartment. In contrast to germline-deficient NIK−/− mice, Foxn1CreNIKfl/fl mice rapidly developed fatal T cell–dependent multiorgan autoimmunity shortly after birth. Thymic transplantation and adoptive transfer experiments demonstrated that autoimmunity arises specifically from the emergence of dysfunctional tTregs. Thus, Treg function, rather than negative selection, enforces the protection of peripheral tissues from autoimmune attack.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Haftmann
- Institute of Experimental Immunology, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Pascale Zwicky
- Institute of Experimental Immunology, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Florian Ingelfinger
- Institute of Experimental Immunology, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Florian Mair
- Institute of Experimental Immunology, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
- Division of Vaccine and Infectious Disease, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Stefan Floess
- Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Experimental Immunology, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - René Riedel
- Therapeutic Gene Regulation, Deutsches Rheuma-Forschungszentrum, Berlin, Germany
| | - Pawel Durek
- Therapeutic Gene Regulation, Deutsches Rheuma-Forschungszentrum, Berlin, Germany
| | - Marianne R Spalinger
- Universitätsspital, Klinik für Gastroenterologie und Hepatologie, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Ekaterina Friebel
- Institute of Experimental Immunology, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Brian P Leung
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Mirjam Lutz
- Institute of Experimental Immunology, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Nicole Puertas
- Institute of Experimental Immunology, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Ana Amorim
- Institute of Experimental Immunology, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Stefanie Schärli
- Institute of Experimental Immunology, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Benedict Becher
- Institute of Experimental Immunology, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Jan Kisielow
- Department of Biology, Institute of Molecular Health Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Ari Waisman
- Institute for Molecular Medicine, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Mir-Farzin Mashreghi
- Therapeutic Gene Regulation, Deutsches Rheuma-Forschungszentrum, Berlin, Germany
- Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Jochen Huehn
- Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Experimental Immunology, Braunschweig, Germany
- Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Burkhard Becher
- Institute of Experimental Immunology, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
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9
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Fulford TS, Grumont R, Wirasinha RC, Ellis D, Barugahare A, Turner SJ, Naeem H, Powell D, Lyons PA, Smith KGC, Scheer S, Zaph C, Klein U, Daley SR, Gerondakis S. c-Rel employs multiple mechanisms to promote the thymic development and peripheral function of regulatory T cells in mice. Eur J Immunol 2021; 51:2006-2026. [PMID: 33960413 DOI: 10.1002/eji.202048900] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2020] [Revised: 03/12/2021] [Accepted: 05/05/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
The NF-κB transcription factor c-Rel is a critical regulator of Treg ontogeny, controlling multiple points of the stepwise developmental pathway. Here, we found that the thymic Treg defect in c-Rel-deficient (cRel-/- ) mice is quantitative, not qualitative, based on analyses of TCR repertoire and TCR signaling strength. However, these parameters are altered in the thymic Treg-precursor population, which is also markedly diminished in cRel-/- mice. Moreover, c-Rel governs the transcriptional programme of both thymic and peripheral Tregs, controlling a core of genes involved with immune signaling, and separately in the periphery, cell cycle progression. Last, the immune suppressive function of peripheral cRel-/- tTregs is diminished in a lymphopenic model of T cell proliferation and is associated with decreased stability of Foxp3 expression. Collectively, we show that c-Rel is a transcriptional regulator that controls multiple aspects of Treg development, differentiation, and function via distinct mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas S Fulford
- Infection and Immunity Program, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Raelene Grumont
- Infection and Immunity Program, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Rushika C Wirasinha
- Infection and Immunity Program, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Darcy Ellis
- Infection and Immunity Program, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Adele Barugahare
- Infection and Immunity Program, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.,Monash Bioinformatics Platform, School of Biomedical Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Stephen J Turner
- Infection and Immunity Program, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.,Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Haroon Naeem
- Monash Bioinformatics Platform, School of Biomedical Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - David Powell
- Monash Bioinformatics Platform, School of Biomedical Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Paul A Lyons
- Cambridge Institute of Therapeutic Immunology and Infectious Disease, Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, England, UK.,Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Cambridge, England, UK
| | - Kenneth G C Smith
- Cambridge Institute of Therapeutic Immunology and Infectious Disease, Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, England, UK.,Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Cambridge, England, UK
| | - Sebastian Scheer
- Infection and Immunity Program, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Colby Zaph
- Infection and Immunity Program, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Ulf Klein
- Division of Haematology & Immunology, Leeds Institute of Medical Research at St. James's, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 7TF
| | - Stephen R Daley
- Infection and Immunity Program, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Steve Gerondakis
- Infection and Immunity Program, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
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10
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Opstelten R, Amsen D. Separating the wheat from the chaff: Making sense of Treg heterogeneity for better adoptive cellular therapy. Immunol Lett 2021; 239:96-112. [PMID: 33676975 DOI: 10.1016/j.imlet.2021.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2021] [Revised: 02/27/2021] [Accepted: 03/02/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Regulatory T (Treg) cells are essential for immunological tolerance and can be used to suppress unwanted or excessive immune responses through adoptive cellular therapy. It is increasingly clear that many subsets of Treg cells exist, which have different functions and reside in different locations. Treg cell therapies may benefit from tailoring the selected subset to the tissue that must be protected as well as to characteristics of the immune response that must be suppressed, but little attention is given to this topic in current therapies. Here, we will discuss how three major axes of heterogeneity can be discerned among the Treg cell population, which determine function and lineage fidelity. A first axis relates to the developmental route, as Treg cells can be generated from immature T cells in the thymus or from already mature Tconv cells in the immunological periphery. Heterogeneity furthermore stems from activation history (naïve or effector) and location (lymphoid or peripheral tissues). Each of these axes bestows specific properties on Treg cells, which are further refined by additional processes leading to yet further variation. A critical aspect impacting on Treg cell heterogeneity is TCR specificity, which determines when and where Treg cells are generated as well as where they exhibit their effector functions. We will discuss the implications of this heterogeneity and the role of the TCR for the design of next generation adoptive cellular therapy with Treg cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rianne Opstelten
- Department of Hematopoiesis, Sanquin Research and Landsteiner Laboratory, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Derk Amsen
- Department of Hematopoiesis, Sanquin Research and Landsteiner Laboratory, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
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11
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Perniola R, Fierabracci A, Falorni A. Autoimmune Addison's Disease as Part of the Autoimmune Polyglandular Syndrome Type 1: Historical Overview and Current Evidence. Front Immunol 2021; 12:606860. [PMID: 33717087 PMCID: PMC7953157 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.606860] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2020] [Accepted: 01/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The autoimmune polyglandular syndrome type 1 (APS1) is caused by pathogenic variants of the autoimmune regulator (AIRE) gene, located in the chromosomal region 21q22.3. The related protein, AIRE, enhances thymic self-representation and immune self-tolerance by localization to chromatin and anchorage to multimolecular complexes involved in the initiation and post-initiation events of tissue-specific antigen-encoding gene transcription. Once synthesized, the self-antigens are presented to, and cause deletion of, the self-reactive thymocyte clones. The clinical diagnosis of APS1 is based on the classic triad idiopathic hypoparathyroidism (HPT)—chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis—autoimmune Addison's disease (AAD), though new criteria based on early non-endocrine manifestations have been proposed. HPT is in most cases the first endocrine component of the syndrome; however, APS1-associated AAD has received the most accurate biochemical, clinical, and immunological characterization. Here is a comprehensive review of the studies on APS1-associated AAD from initial case reports to the most recent scientific findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberto Perniola
- Department of Pediatrics-Neonatal Intensive Care, V. Fazzi Hospital, ASL LE, Lecce, Italy
| | - Alessandra Fierabracci
- Infectivology and Clinical Trials Research Department, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Alberto Falorni
- Section of Internal Medicine and Endocrinological and Metabolic Sciences, Department of Medicine, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
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12
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Kunze-Schumacher H, Krueger A. The Role of MicroRNAs in Development and Function of Regulatory T Cells - Lessons for a Better Understanding of MicroRNA Biology. Front Immunol 2020; 11:2185. [PMID: 33013919 PMCID: PMC7509487 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.02185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2020] [Accepted: 08/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as critical posttranscriptional regulators of the immune system, including function and development of regulatory T (Treg) cells. Although this critical role has been firmly demonstrated through genetic models, key mechanisms of miRNA function in vivo remain elusive. Here, we review the role of miRNAs in Treg cell development and function. In particular, we focus on the question what the study of miRNAs in this context reveals about miRNA biology in general, including context-dependent function and the role of individual targets vs. complex co-targeting networks. In addition, we highlight potential technical pitfalls and state-of-the-art approaches to improve the mechanistic understanding of miRNA biology in a physiological context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heike Kunze-Schumacher
- Institute for Molecular Medicine, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Andreas Krueger
- Institute for Molecular Medicine, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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13
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Owen DL, Sjaastad LE, Farrar MA. Regulatory T Cell Development in the Thymus. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2020; 203:2031-2041. [PMID: 31591259 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1900662] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2019] [Accepted: 08/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Development of a comprehensive regulatory T (Treg) cell compartment in the thymus is required to maintain immune homeostasis and prevent autoimmunity. In this study, we review cellular and molecular determinants of Treg cell development in the thymus. We focus on the evidence for a self-antigen-focused Treg cell repertoire as well as the APCs responsible for presenting self-antigens to developing thymocytes. We also cover the contribution of different cytokines to thymic Treg development and the cellular populations that produce these cytokines. Finally, we update the originally proposed "two-step" model of thymic Treg differentiation by incorporating new evidence demonstrating that Treg cells develop from two Treg progenitor populations and discuss the functional importance of Treg cells generated via either progenitor pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- David L Owen
- Center for Immunology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455; Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455; and Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455
| | - Louisa E Sjaastad
- Center for Immunology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455; Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455; and Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455
| | - Michael A Farrar
- Center for Immunology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455; Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455; and Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455
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14
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Hou J, Sun Y. Role of Regulatory T Cells in Disturbed Immune Homeostasis in Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. Front Immunol 2020; 11:723. [PMID: 32411140 PMCID: PMC7198877 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.00723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2020] [Accepted: 03/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a complex chronic disease in which T cell-mediated pulmonary inflammation has been shown to play a key role. Accumulating evidence shows that COPD has many of the characteristics of an autoimmune response. An adaptive immune response directed against lung self-antigens, which are released during the initial innate inflammatory response and are triggered by constant exposure to cigarette smoke and epithelial injury, drives the persistent inflammatory response found in smokers. The development and severity of adaptive inflammation depend on the level of tolerance to self-antigens. For these reasons, the effect of regulatory T (Treg) cells on adaptive immunity in COPD patients is of particular interest and could be targeted therapeutically. The disturbance in immune homeostasis caused by changes in the number or function of Treg cells, which is related to cigarette smoke exposure, may be of importance in understanding the development and progression of COPD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia Hou
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University, Ningxia, China
| | - Yongchang Sun
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China
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15
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Abstract
Foxp3-expressing CD4+ regulatory T (Treg) cells play key roles in the prevention of autoimmunity and the maintenance of immune homeostasis and represent a major barrier to the induction of robust antitumor immune responses. Thus, a clear understanding of the mechanisms coordinating Treg cell differentiation is crucial for understanding numerous facets of health and disease and for developing approaches to modulate Treg cells for clinical benefit. Here, we discuss current knowledge of the signals that coordinate Treg cell development, the antigen-presenting cell types that direct Treg cell selection, and the nature of endogenous Treg cell ligands, focusing on evidence from studies in mice. We also highlight recent advances in this area and identify key unanswered questions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter A Savage
- Department of Pathology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA; , ,
| | - David E J Klawon
- Department of Pathology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA; , ,
| | - Christine H Miller
- Department of Pathology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA; , ,
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16
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Rodriguez M, Porada CD, Almeida-Porada G. Mechanistic Insights into Factor VIII Immune Tolerance Induction via Prenatal Cell Therapy in Hemophilia A. CURRENT STEM CELL REPORTS 2019; 5:145-161. [PMID: 32351874 DOI: 10.1007/s40778-019-00165-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Purpose of Review Prenatal stem cell and gene therapy approaches are amongst the few therapies that can promise the birth of a healthy infant with specific known genetic diseases. This review describes fetal immune cell signaling and its potential influence on donor cell engraftment, and summarizes mechanisms of central T cell tolerance to peripherally-acquired antigen in the context of prenatal therapies for Hemophilia A. Recent Findings During early gestation, different subsets of antigen presenting cells take up peripherally-acquired, non-inherited antigens and induce the deletion of antigen-reactive T-cell precursors in the thymus, demonstrating the potential for using prenatal cell and gene therapies to induce central tolerance to FVIII in the context of prenatal diagnosis/therapy of Hemophilia A. Summary Prenatal cell and gene therapies are promising approaches to treat several genetic disorders including Hemophilia A and B. Understanding the mechanisms of how FVIII-specific tolerance is achieved during ontogeny could help develop novel therapies for HA and better approaches to overcome FVIII inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Rodriguez
- Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Christopher D Porada
- Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Graҫa Almeida-Porada
- Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
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17
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Breed ER, Watanabe M, Hogquist KA. Measuring Thymic Clonal Deletion at the Population Level. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2019; 202:3226-3233. [PMID: 31010850 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1900191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2019] [Accepted: 03/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Clonal deletion of T cells specific for self-antigens in the thymus has been widely studied, primarily by approaches that focus on a single receptor (using TCR transgenes) or a single specificity (using peptide-MHC tetramers). However, less is known about clonal deletion at the population level. In this article, we report an assay that measures cleaved caspase 3 to define clonal deletion at the population level. This assay distinguishes clonal deletion from apoptotic events caused by neglect and approximates the anatomic site of deletion using CCR7. This approach showed that 78% of clonal deletion events occur in the cortex in mice. Medullary deletion events were detected at both the semimature and mature stages, although mature events were associated with failed regulatory T cell induction. Using this assay, we showed that bone marrow-derived APC drive approximately half of deletion events at both stages. We also found that both cortical and medullary deletion rely heavily on CD28 costimulation. These findings demonstrate a useful strategy for studying clonal deletion within the polyclonal repertoire.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elise R Breed
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Center for Immunology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN 55455; and
| | - Masashi Watanabe
- Experimental Immunology Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892
| | - Kristin A Hogquist
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Center for Immunology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN 55455; and
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18
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Łyszkiewicz M, Winter SJ, Witzlau K, Föhse L, Brownlie R, Puchałka J, Verheyden NA, Kunze-Schumacher H, Imelmann E, Blume J, Raha S, Sekiya T, Yoshimura A, Frueh JT, Ullrich E, Huehn J, Weiss S, Gutierrez MG, Prinz I, Zamoyska R, Ziętara N, Krueger A. miR-181a/b-1 controls thymic selection of Treg cells and tunes their suppressive capacity. PLoS Biol 2019; 17:e2006716. [PMID: 30856173 PMCID: PMC6428341 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.2006716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2018] [Revised: 03/21/2019] [Accepted: 02/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The interdependence of selective cues during development of regulatory T cells (Treg cells) in the thymus and their suppressive function remains incompletely understood. Here, we analyzed this interdependence by taking advantage of highly dynamic changes in expression of microRNA 181 family members miR-181a-1 and miR-181b-1 (miR-181a/b-1) during late T-cell development with very high levels of expression during thymocyte selection, followed by massive down-regulation in the periphery. Loss of miR-181a/b-1 resulted in inefficient de novo generation of Treg cells in the thymus but simultaneously permitted homeostatic expansion in the periphery in the absence of competition. Modulation of T-cell receptor (TCR) signal strength in vivo indicated that miR-181a/b-1 controlled Treg-cell formation via establishing adequate signaling thresholds. Unexpectedly, miR-181a/b-1-deficient Treg cells displayed elevated suppressive capacity in vivo, in line with elevated levels of cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated 4 (CTLA-4) protein, but not mRNA, in thymic and peripheral Treg cells. Therefore, we propose that intrathymic miR-181a/b-1 controls development of Treg cells and imposes a developmental legacy on their peripheral function.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Flow Cytometry
- Mice
- Mice, Knockout
- MicroRNAs/genetics
- MicroRNAs/metabolism
- Microscopy, Confocal
- Nuclear Receptor Subfamily 4, Group A, Member 1/genetics
- Nuclear Receptor Subfamily 4, Group A, Member 1/metabolism
- Nuclear Receptor Subfamily 4, Group A, Member 2/genetics
- Nuclear Receptor Subfamily 4, Group A, Member 2/metabolism
- T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory/metabolism
- Thymocytes/metabolism
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcin Łyszkiewicz
- Institute of Immunology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
- Institute for Immunology, Ludwig-Maximilians University, Planegg-Martiensried, Germany
| | - Samantha J. Winter
- Institute for Molecular Medicine, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Katrin Witzlau
- Institute of Immunology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Lisa Föhse
- Institute of Immunology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Rebecca Brownlie
- Institute for Immunology and Infection Research, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Jacek Puchałka
- Department of Pediatrics, Dr. von Hauner Kinderspital, Ludwig-Maximilians University, Munich, Germany
| | - Nikita A. Verheyden
- Institute for Molecular Medicine, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Heike Kunze-Schumacher
- Institute for Molecular Medicine, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Esther Imelmann
- Institute for Molecular Medicine, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Jonas Blume
- Institute of Immunology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Solaiman Raha
- Institute of Immunology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Takashi Sekiya
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Akihiko Yoshimura
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Jochen T. Frueh
- Experimental Immunology, Department for Children and Adolescents Medicine, Hospital of the Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
- LOEWE Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Evelyn Ullrich
- Experimental Immunology, Department for Children and Adolescents Medicine, Hospital of the Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
- LOEWE Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Jochen Huehn
- Department of Experimental Immunology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Siegfried Weiss
- Institute of Immunology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | | | - Immo Prinz
- Institute of Immunology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Rose Zamoyska
- Institute for Immunology and Infection Research, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Natalia Ziętara
- Institute of Immunology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
- Institute for Immunology, Ludwig-Maximilians University, Planegg-Martiensried, Germany
| | - Andreas Krueger
- Institute of Immunology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
- Institute for Molecular Medicine, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt, Germany
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19
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Santamaria J, Darrigues J, van Meerwijk JP, Romagnoli P. Antigen-presenting cells and T-lymphocytes homing to the thymus shape T cell development. Immunol Lett 2018; 204:9-15. [DOI: 10.1016/j.imlet.2018.10.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2018] [Revised: 10/01/2018] [Accepted: 10/07/2018] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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20
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21
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Pohar J, Simon Q, Fillatreau S. Antigen-Specificity in the Thymic Development and Peripheral Activity of CD4 +FOXP3 + T Regulatory Cells. Front Immunol 2018; 9:1701. [PMID: 30083162 PMCID: PMC6064734 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.01701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2018] [Accepted: 07/10/2018] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
CD4+Foxp3+ T regulatory cells (Treg) are essential for the life of the organism, in particular because they protect the host against its own autoaggressive CD4+Foxp3- T lymphocytes (Tconv). Treg distinctively suppress autoaggressive immunity while permitting efficient defense against infectious diseases. This split effect indicates that Treg activity is controlled in an antigen-specific manner. This specificity is achieved first by the formation of the Treg repertoire during their development, and second by their activation in the periphery. This review presents novel information on the antigen-specificity of Treg development in the thymus, and Treg function in the periphery. These aspects have so far remained imprecisely understood due to the lack of knowledge of the actual antigens recognized by Treg during the different steps of their life, so that most previous studies have been performed using artificial antigens. However, recent studies identified some antigens mediating the positive selection of autoreactive Treg in the thymus, and the function of Treg in the periphery in autoimmune and allergic disorders. These investigations emphasized the remarkable specificity of Treg development and function. Indeed, the development of autoreactive Treg in the thymus was found to be mediated by single autoantigens, so that the absence of one antigen led to a dramatic loss of Treg reacting toward that antigen. The specificity of Treg development is important because the constitution of the Treg repertoire, and especially the presence of holes in this repertoire, was found to crucially influence human immunopathology. Indeed, it was found that the development of human immunopathology was permitted by the lack of Treg against the antigens driving the autoimmune or allergic T cell responses rather than by the impairment of Treg activation or function. The specificity of Treg suppression in the periphery is therefore intimately associated with the mechanisms shaping the formation of the Treg repertoire during their development. This novel information refines significantly our understanding of the antigen-specificity of Treg protective function, which is required to envision how these cells distinctively regulate unwanted immune responses as well as for the development of appropriate approaches to optimally harness them therapeutically in autoimmune, malignant, and infectious diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jelka Pohar
- Institut Necker-Enfants Malades, INSERM U1151-CNRS UMR 8253, Paris, France
| | - Quentin Simon
- Institut Necker-Enfants Malades, INSERM U1151-CNRS UMR 8253, Paris, France
| | - Simon Fillatreau
- Institut Necker-Enfants Malades, INSERM U1151-CNRS UMR 8253, Paris, France.,Faculté de Médecine, Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France.,AP-HP, Hôpital Necker Enfants Malades, Paris, France
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22
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Garg G, Nikolouli E, Hardtke-Wolenski M, Toker A, Ohkura N, Beckstette M, Miyao T, Geffers R, Floess S, Gerdes N, Lutgens E, Osterloh A, Hori S, Sakaguchi S, Jaeckel E, Huehn J. Unique properties of thymic antigen-presenting cells promote epigenetic imprinting of alloantigen-specific regulatory T cells. Oncotarget 2018; 8:35542-35557. [PMID: 28415767 PMCID: PMC5482597 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.16221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2016] [Accepted: 03/03/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are potential immunotherapeutic candidates to induce transplantation tolerance. However, stability of Tregs still remains contentious and may potentially restrict their clinical use. Recent work suggested that epigenetic imprinting of Foxp3 and other Treg-specific signature genes is crucial for stabilization of immunosuppressive properties of Foxp3+ Tregs, and that these events are initiated already during early stages of thymic Treg development. However, the mechanisms governing this process remain largely unknown. Here we demonstrate that thymic antigen-presenting cells (APCs), including thymic dendritic cells (t-DCs) and medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs), can induce a more pronounced demethylation of Foxp3 and other Treg-specific epigenetic signature genes in developing Tregs when compared to splenic DCs (sp-DCs). Transcriptomic profiling of APCs revealed differential expression of secreted factors and costimulatory molecules, however neither addition of conditioned media nor interference with costimulatory signals affected Foxp3 induction by thymic APCs in vitro. Importantly, when tested in vivo both mTEC- and t-DC-generated alloantigen-specific Tregs displayed significantly higher efficacy in prolonging skin allograft acceptance when compared to Tregs generated by sp-DCs. Our results draw attention to unique properties of thymic APCs in initiating commitment towards stable and functional Tregs, a finding that could be highly beneficial in clinical immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Garima Garg
- Department of Experimental Immunology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Eirini Nikolouli
- Department of Experimental Immunology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Matthias Hardtke-Wolenski
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Aras Toker
- Department of Experimental Immunology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Naganari Ohkura
- Department of Experimental Immunology, World Premier International Immunology Frontier Research Center, Osaka University, Suita, Japan.,Department of Experimental Pathology, Institute for Frontier Medical Sciences, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Michael Beckstette
- Department of Experimental Immunology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Takahisa Miyao
- Laboratory for Immune Homeostasis, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Yokohama City, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Robert Geffers
- Genome Analytics, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Stefan Floess
- Department of Experimental Immunology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Norbert Gerdes
- Institute for Cardiovascular Prevention, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany.,Division of Cardiology, Pulmonology, and Vascular Medicine Medical Faculty, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Esther Lutgens
- Institute for Cardiovascular Prevention, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany.,Department of Medical Biochemistry, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, AZ, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Anke Osterloh
- Department of Immunology, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Shohei Hori
- Laboratory for Immune Homeostasis, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Yokohama City, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Shimon Sakaguchi
- Department of Experimental Immunology, World Premier International Immunology Frontier Research Center, Osaka University, Suita, Japan.,Department of Experimental Pathology, Institute for Frontier Medical Sciences, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Elmar Jaeckel
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Jochen Huehn
- Department of Experimental Immunology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
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23
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Abstract
About two decades ago, cloning of the autoimmune regulator (AIRE) gene materialized one of the most important actors on the scene of self-tolerance. Thymic transcription of genes encoding tissue-specific antigens (ts-ags) is activated by AIRE protein and embodies the essence of thymic self-representation. Pathogenic AIRE variants cause the autoimmune polyglandular syndrome type 1, which is a rare and complex disease that is gaining attention in research on autoimmunity. The animal models of disease, although not identically reproducing the human picture, supply fundamental information on mechanisms and extent of AIRE action: thanks to its multidomain structure, AIRE localizes to chromatin enclosing the target genes, binds to histones, and offers an anchorage to multimolecular complexes involved in initiation and post-initiation events of gene transcription. In addition, AIRE enhances mRNA diversity by favoring alternative mRNA splicing. Once synthesized, ts-ags are presented to, and cause deletion of the self-reactive thymocyte clones. However, AIRE function is not restricted to the activation of gene transcription. AIRE would control presentation and transfer of self-antigens for thymic cellular interplay: such mechanism is aimed at increasing the likelihood of engagement of the thymocytes that carry the corresponding T-cell receptors. Another fundamental role of AIRE in promoting self-tolerance is related to the development of thymocyte anergy, as thymic self-representation shapes at the same time the repertoire of regulatory T cells. Finally, AIRE seems to replicate its action in the secondary lymphoid organs, albeit the cell lineage detaining such property has not been fully characterized. Delineation of AIRE functions adds interesting data to the knowledge of the mechanisms of self-tolerance and introduces exciting perspectives of therapeutic interventions against the related diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberto Perniola
- Department of Pediatrics, Neonatal Intensive Care, Vito Fazzi Regional Hospital, Lecce, Italy
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24
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Abdel-Gadir A, Massoud AH, Chatila TA. Antigen-specific Treg cells in immunological tolerance: implications for allergic diseases. F1000Res 2018; 7:38. [PMID: 29375821 PMCID: PMC5765398 DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.12650.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/08/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Allergic diseases are chronic inflammatory disorders in which there is failure to mount effective tolerogenic immune responses to inciting allergens. The alarming rise in the prevalence of allergic diseases in recent decades has spurred investigations to elucidate the mechanisms of breakdown in tolerance in these disorders and means of restoring it. Tolerance to allergens is critically dependent on the generation of allergen-specific regulatory T (Treg) cells, which mediate a state of sustained non-responsiveness to the offending allergen. In this review, we summarize recent advances in our understanding of mechanisms governing the generation and function of allergen-specific Treg cells and their subversion in allergic diseases. We will also outline approaches to harness allergen-specific Treg cell responses to restore tolerance in these disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Azza Abdel-Gadir
- Division of Immunology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA
| | - Amir H Massoud
- Division of Immunology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA
| | - Talal A Chatila
- Division of Immunology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA
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25
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Breed ER, Lee ST, Hogquist KA. Directing T cell fate: How thymic antigen presenting cells coordinate thymocyte selection. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2017; 84:2-10. [PMID: 28800929 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2017.07.045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2017] [Revised: 06/30/2017] [Accepted: 07/30/2017] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
The development of a self-tolerant and effective T cell receptor repertoire is dependent on interactions coordinated by various antigen presenting cells (APC) within the thymus. T cell receptor-self-peptide-MHC interactions are essential for determining T cell fate, however different cytokine and co-stimulatory signals provided by the diverse APCs within the thymus are also critical. Here, we outline the different localization and functional capabilities of thymic APCs. We also discuss how these distinct APCs work collectively to facilitate the establishment of a diverse T cell receptor repertoire that is tolerant to an array of different self-antigens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elise R Breed
- The Center for Immunology, Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - S Thera Lee
- The Center for Immunology, Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Kristin A Hogquist
- The Center for Immunology, Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
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26
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Apert C, Romagnoli P, van Meerwijk JPM. IL-2 and IL-15 dependent thymic development of Foxp3-expressing regulatory T lymphocytes. Protein Cell 2017; 9:322-332. [PMID: 28540653 PMCID: PMC5876181 DOI: 10.1007/s13238-017-0425-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2017] [Accepted: 05/04/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Immunosuppressive regulatory T lymphocytes (Treg) expressing the transcription factor Foxp3 play a vital role in the maintenance of tolerance of the immune-system to self and innocuous non-self. Most Treg that are critical for the maintenance of tolerance to self, develop as an independent T-cell lineage from common T cell precursors in the thymus. In this organ, their differentiation requires signals from the T cell receptor for antigen, from co-stimulatory molecules, as well as from cytokine-receptors. Here we focus on the cytokines implicated in thymic development of Treg, with a particular emphasis on the roles of interleukin-2 (IL-2) and IL-15. The more recently appreciated involvement of TGF-β in thymic Treg development is also briefly discussed. Finally, we discuss how cytokine-dependence of Treg development allows for temporal, quantitative, and potentially qualitative modulation of this process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cécile Apert
- CPTP, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Inserm, UPS, Toulouse, France
| | - Paola Romagnoli
- CPTP, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Inserm, UPS, Toulouse, France.
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27
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Hu DY, Wirasinha RC, Goodnow CC, Daley SR. IL-2 prevents deletion of developing T-regulatory cells in the thymus. Cell Death Differ 2017; 24:1007-1016. [PMID: 28362433 DOI: 10.1038/cdd.2017.38] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2017] [Revised: 02/21/2017] [Accepted: 02/27/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
In the thymus, strongly self-reactive T cells may undergo apoptotic deletion or differentiate into Foxp3+ T-regulatory (T-reg) cells. Mechanisms that partition T cells into these two fates are unclear. Here, we show that IL-2 signalling is required to prevent deletion of CD4+ CD8- CCR7+ Helios+ thymocytes poised to upregulate Foxp3. The deletion prevented by IL-2 signalling is Foxp3 independent and occurs later in thymocyte development than the deletion that is prevented by Card11 signalling. Our results distinguish two bottlenecks at which strongly self-reactive thymocytes undergo deletion or progress to the next stage of T-reg differentiation; Card11 regulates the first bottleneck and IL-2 regulates the second.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Y Hu
- Immunology Department, The John Curtin School of Medical Research, The Australian National University, Canberra 0200, Australia
| | - Rushika C Wirasinha
- Infection and Immunity Program, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3800, Australia
| | - Christopher C Goodnow
- Immunology Department, The John Curtin School of Medical Research, The Australian National University, Canberra 0200, Australia.,Immunology Division, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Sydney, NSW 2010, Australia
| | - Stephen R Daley
- Immunology Department, The John Curtin School of Medical Research, The Australian National University, Canberra 0200, Australia.,Infection and Immunity Program, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3800, Australia
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28
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Thymus-Derived Regulatory T Cell Development Is Regulated by C-Type Lectin-Mediated BIC/MicroRNA 155 Expression. Mol Cell Biol 2017; 37:MCB.00341-16. [PMID: 28167605 DOI: 10.1128/mcb.00341-16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2016] [Accepted: 01/27/2017] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Thymus-derived regulatory T (tTreg) cells are key to preventing autoimmune diseases, but the mechanisms involved in their development remain unsolved. Here, we show that the C-type lectin receptor CD69 controls tTreg cell development and peripheral Treg cell homeostasis through the regulation of BIC/microRNA 155 (miR-155) and its target, suppressor of cytokine signaling 1 (SOCS-1). Using Foxp3-mRFP/cd69+/- or Foxp3-mRFP/cd69-/- reporter mice and short hairpin RNA (shRNA)-mediated silencing and miR-155 transfection approaches, we found that CD69 deficiency impaired the signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 (STAT5) pathway in Foxp3+ cells. This results in BIC/miR-155 inhibition, increased SOCS-1 expression, and severely impaired tTreg cell development in embryos, adults, and Rag2-/- γc-/- hematopoietic chimeras reconstituted with cd69-/- stem cells. Accordingly, mirn155-/- mice have an impaired development of CD69+ tTreg cells and overexpression of the miR-155-induced CD69 pathway, suggesting that both molecules might be concomitantly activated in a positive-feedback loop. Moreover, in vitro-inducible CD25+ Treg (iTreg) cell development is inhibited in Il2rγ-/-/cd69-/- mice. Our data highlight the contribution of CD69 as a nonredundant key regulator of BIC/miR-155-dependent Treg cell development and homeostasis.
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29
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Abstract
The ability of T cells to respond to a wide array of foreign antigens while avoiding reactivity to self is largely determined by cellular selection of developing T cells in the thymus. While a great deal is known about the cell types and molecules involved in T-cell selection in the thymus, our understanding of the spatial and temporal aspects of this process remain relatively poorly understood. Thymocytes are highly motile within the thymus and travel between specialized microenvironments at different phases of their development while interacting with distinct sets of self-peptides and peptide presenting cells. A knowledge of when, where, and how thymocytes encounter self-peptide MHC ligands at different stages of thymic development is key to understanding T-cell selection. In the past several years, our laboratory has investigated this topic using two-photon time-lapse microscopy to directly visualize thymocyte migration and signaling events, together with a living thymic slice preparation to provide a synchronized experimental model of T-cell selection in situ. Here, we discuss recent advances in our understanding of the temporal and spatial aspects of T-cell selection, highlighting our own work, and placing them in the context of work from other groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadia Kurd
- Division of Immunology and Pathogenesis, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Ellen A Robey
- Division of Immunology and Pathogenesis, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
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30
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Perry JSA, Hsieh CS. Development of T-cell tolerance utilizes both cell-autonomous and cooperative presentation of self-antigen. Immunol Rev 2016; 271:141-55. [PMID: 27088912 PMCID: PMC4837647 DOI: 10.1111/imr.12403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
The development of T-cell self-tolerance in the thymus is important for establishing immune homeostasis and preventing autoimmunity. Here, we review the components of T-cell tolerance, which includes T-cell receptor (TCR) self-reactivity, costimulation, cytokines, and antigen presentation by a variety of antigen-presenting cells (APCs) subsets. We discuss the current evidence on the process of regulatory T (Treg) cell and negative selection and the importance of TCR signaling. We then examine recent evidence showing unique roles for bone marrow (BM)-derived APCs and medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs) on the conventional and Treg TCR repertoire, as well as emerging data on the role of B cells in tolerance. Finally, we review the accumulating data that suggest that cooperative antigen presentation is a prominent component of T -ell tolerance. With the development of tools to interrogate the function of individual APC subsets in the medulla, we have gained greater understanding of the complex cellular and molecular events that determine T-cell tolerance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin S A Perry
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Chyi-Song Hsieh
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
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31
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Leventhal DS, Gilmore DC, Berger JM, Nishi S, Lee V, Malchow S, Kline DE, Kline J, Vander Griend DJ, Huang H, Socci ND, Savage PA. Dendritic Cells Coordinate the Development and Homeostasis of Organ-Specific Regulatory T Cells. Immunity 2016; 44:847-59. [PMID: 27037189 PMCID: PMC4842258 DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2016.01.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2015] [Revised: 11/27/2015] [Accepted: 01/29/2016] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Although antigen recognition mediated by the T cell receptor (TCR) influences many facets of Foxp3(+) regulatory T (Treg) cell biology, including development and function, the cell types that present antigen to Treg cells in vivo remain largely undefined. By tracking a clonal population of Aire-dependent, prostate-specific Treg cells in mice, we demonstrated an essential role for dendritic cells (DCs) in regulating organ-specific Treg cell biology. We have shown that the thymic development of prostate-specific Treg cells required antigen presentation by DCs. Moreover, Batf3-dependent CD8α(+) DCs were dispensable for the development of this clonotype and had negligible impact on the polyclonal Treg cell repertoire. In the periphery, CCR7-dependent migratory DCs coordinated the activation of organ-specific Treg cells in the prostate-draining lymph nodes. Our results demonstrate that the development and peripheral regulation of organ-specific Treg cells are dependent on antigen presentation by DCs, implicating DCs as key mediators of organ-specific immune tolerance.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Dana C Gilmore
- Department of Pathology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Julian M Berger
- Department of Pathology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Saki Nishi
- Department of Pathology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Victoria Lee
- Department of Pathology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Sven Malchow
- Department of Pathology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Douglas E Kline
- Department of Medicine, Section of Hematology-Oncology, University of Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Justin Kline
- Department of Medicine, Section of Hematology-Oncology, University of Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | | | - Haochu Huang
- Department of Medicine, Section of Rheumatology, University of Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Nicholas D Socci
- Bioinformatics Core, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - Peter A Savage
- Department of Pathology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
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32
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Vuddamalay Y, Attia M, Vicente R, Pomié C, Enault G, Leobon B, Joffre O, Romagnoli P, van Meerwijk JPM. Mouse and human CD8(+) CD28(low) regulatory T lymphocytes differentiate in the thymus. Immunology 2016; 148:187-96. [PMID: 26924728 DOI: 10.1111/imm.12600] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2015] [Revised: 02/20/2016] [Accepted: 02/22/2016] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Regulatory T (Treg) lymphocytes play a central role in the control of immune responses and so maintain immune tolerance and homeostasis. In mice, expression of the CD8 co-receptor and low levels of the co-stimulatory molecule CD28 characterizes a Treg cell population that exerts potent suppressive function in vitro and efficiently controls experimental immunopathology in vivo. It has remained unclear if CD8(+) CD28(low) Treg cells develop in the thymus or represent a population of chronically activated conventional T cells differentiating into Treg cells in the periphery, as suggested by their CD28(low) phenotype. We demonstrate that functional CD8(+) CD28(low) Treg cells are present in the thymus and that these cells develop locally and are not recirculating from the periphery. Differentiation of CD8(+) CD28(low) Treg cells requires MHC class I expression on radioresistant but not on haematopoietic thymic stromal cells. In contrast to other Treg cells, CD8(+) CD28(low) Treg cells develop simultaneously with CD8(+) CD28(high) conventional T cells. We also identified a novel homologous naive CD8(+) CD28(low) T-cell population with immunosuppressive properties in human blood and thymus. Combined, our data demonstrate that CD8(+) CD28(low) cells can develop in the thymus of mice and suggest that the same is true in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yirajen Vuddamalay
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (Inserm) U1043, Toulouse, France.,Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) U5282, Toulouse, France.,Centre de Physiopathologie de Toulouse Purpan (CPTP), Université de Toulouse, Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
| | - Mehdi Attia
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (Inserm) U1043, Toulouse, France.,Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) U5282, Toulouse, France.,Centre de Physiopathologie de Toulouse Purpan (CPTP), Université de Toulouse, Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
| | - Rita Vicente
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (Inserm) U1043, Toulouse, France.,Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) U5282, Toulouse, France.,Centre de Physiopathologie de Toulouse Purpan (CPTP), Université de Toulouse, Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
| | - Céline Pomié
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (Inserm) U1043, Toulouse, France.,Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) U5282, Toulouse, France.,Centre de Physiopathologie de Toulouse Purpan (CPTP), Université de Toulouse, Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
| | - Geneviève Enault
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (Inserm) U1043, Toulouse, France.,Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) U5282, Toulouse, France.,Centre de Physiopathologie de Toulouse Purpan (CPTP), Université de Toulouse, Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
| | - Bertrand Leobon
- Department of Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiovascular surgery, Children Hospital, University Hospital of Toulouse, Toulouse, France
| | - Olivier Joffre
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (Inserm) U1043, Toulouse, France.,Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) U5282, Toulouse, France.,Centre de Physiopathologie de Toulouse Purpan (CPTP), Université de Toulouse, Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
| | - Paola Romagnoli
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (Inserm) U1043, Toulouse, France.,Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) U5282, Toulouse, France.,Centre de Physiopathologie de Toulouse Purpan (CPTP), Université de Toulouse, Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
| | - Joost P M van Meerwijk
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (Inserm) U1043, Toulouse, France.,Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) U5282, Toulouse, France.,Centre de Physiopathologie de Toulouse Purpan (CPTP), Université de Toulouse, Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
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33
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A timeline demarcating two waves of clonal deletion and Foxp3 upregulation during thymocyte development. Immunol Cell Biol 2015; 94:357-66. [DOI: 10.1038/icb.2015.95] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2015] [Revised: 10/06/2015] [Accepted: 10/11/2015] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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34
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Hogquist KA, Xing Y, Hsu FC, Shapiro VS. T Cell Adolescence: Maturation Events Beyond Positive Selection. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2015; 195:1351-7. [PMID: 26254267 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1501050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Single-positive thymocytes that successfully complete positive and negative selection must still undergo one final step, generally termed T cell maturation, before they gain functional competency and enter the long-lived T cell pool. Maturation initiates after positive selection in single-positive thymocytes and continues in the periphery in recent thymic emigrants, before these newly produced T cells gain functional competency and are ready to participate in the immune response as peripheral naive T cells. Recent work using genetically altered mice demonstrates that T cell maturation is not a single process, but a series of steps that occur independently and sequentially after positive selection. This review focuses on the changes that occur during T cell maturation, as well as the molecules and pathways that are critical at each step.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristin A Hogquist
- Center for Immunology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455; and
| | - Yan Xing
- Center for Immunology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455; and
| | - Fan-Chi Hsu
- Department of Immunology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905
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35
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Barra MM, Richards DM, Hansson J, Hofer AC, Delacher M, Hettinger J, Krijgsveld J, Feuerer M. Transcription Factor 7 Limits Regulatory T Cell Generation in the Thymus. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2015; 195:3058-70. [DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1500821] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2015] [Accepted: 07/23/2015] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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36
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Chen W, Konkel JE. Development of thymic Foxp3(+) regulatory T cells: TGF-β matters. Eur J Immunol 2015; 45:958-65. [PMID: 25684698 DOI: 10.1002/eji.201444999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2014] [Revised: 02/07/2015] [Accepted: 02/09/2015] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
CD4(+) regulatory T cells expressing the transcription factor Foxp3 can be generated in the thymus (tTreg cells), but the cellular and molecular pathways driving their development remain incompletely understood. TGF-β is essential for the generation of Foxp3(+) Treg cells converted from peripheral naïve CD4(+) T cells (pTreg cells), yet a role for TGF-β in tTreg-cell development was initially refuted. Nevertheless, recent studies have unmasked a requirement for TGF-β in the generation of tTreg cells. Experimental evidence reveals that TGF-β in the context of TCR stimulation induces Foxp3 gene transcription in thymic Treg precursors, CD4(+) CD8(-) CD25(-) semimature and mature single-positive thymocytes. Intriguingly, thymic apoptosis was found to be intrinsically linked to the generation of tTreg cells, as apoptosis induced expression of TGF-β intrathymically. In this short review, we will highlight key data, discuss the experimental evidence and propose a modified model of tTreg-cell development involving TGF-β. We will also outline the remaining unresolved questions concerning generation of thymic Foxp3(+) Treg cells and provide our personal perspectives on the mechanisms controlling tTreg-cell development.
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Affiliation(s)
- WanJun Chen
- Mucosal Immunology Section, OPCB, NIDCR, 30 Convent Dr., Bethesda, MD, USA
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37
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Petzold C, Steinbronn N, Gereke M, Strasser RH, Sparwasser T, Bruder D, Geffers R, Schallenberg S, Kretschmer K. Fluorochrome-based definition of naturally occurring Foxp3(+) regulatory T cells of intra- and extrathymic origin. Eur J Immunol 2014; 44:3632-45. [PMID: 25159127 DOI: 10.1002/eji.201444750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2014] [Revised: 07/23/2014] [Accepted: 08/20/2014] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Under physiological conditions, studies on the biology of naturally induced Foxp3(+) Treg cells of intra- and extrathymic origin have been hampered by the lack of unambiguous markers to discriminate the mature progeny of such developmental Treg-cell sublineages. Here, we report on experiments in double-transgenic mice, in which red fluorescent protein (RFP) is expressed in all Foxp3(+) Treg cells, whereas Foxp3-dependent GFP expression is exclusively confined to intrathymically induced Foxp3(+) Treg cells. This novel molecular genetic tool enabled us to faithfully track and characterize naturally induced Treg cells of intrathymic (RFP(+) GFP(+) ) and extrathymic (RFP(+) GFP(-) ) origin in otherwise unmanipulated mice. These experiments directly demonstrate that extrathymically induced Treg cells substantially contribute to the overall pool of mature Foxp3(+) Treg cells residing in peripheral lymphoid tissues of steady-state mice. Furthermore, we provide evidence that intra- and extrathymically induced Foxp3(+) Treg cells represent distinct phenotypic and functional sublineages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cathleen Petzold
- Molecular and Cellular Immunology/Immune Regulation, DFG-Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden (CRTD), Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
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38
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Human thymus medullary epithelial cells promote regulatory T-cell generation by stimulating interleukin-2 production via ICOS ligand. Cell Death Dis 2014; 5:e1420. [PMID: 25210803 PMCID: PMC4540205 DOI: 10.1038/cddis.2014.377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2014] [Revised: 07/13/2014] [Accepted: 07/14/2014] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Natural thymic T regulatory (tTreg) cells maintain tolerance to self-antigen. These cells are generated in the thymus, but how this generation occurs is still controversial. Furthermore, the contribution of thymus epithelial cells to this process is still unclear, especially in humans. Using an exceptional panel of human thymic samples, we demonstrated that medullary thymus epithelial cells (mTECs) promote the generation of tTreg cells and favor their function. These effects were mediated through soluble factors and were mTEC specific since other cell types had no such effect. By evaluating the effects of mTECs on the absolute number of Treg cells and their state of proliferation or cell death, we conclude that mTECs promote the proliferation of newly generated CD25+ cells from CD4+CD25- cells and protect Treg cells from cell death. This observation implicates Bcl-2 and mitochondrial membrane potential changes, indicating that the intrinsic cell death pathway is involved in Treg protection by mTECs. Interestingly, when the mTECs were cultured directly with purified Treg cells, they were able to promote their phenotype but not their expansion, suggesting that CD4+CD25- cells have a role in the expansion process. To explore the mechanisms involved, several neutralizing antibodies were tested. The effects of mTECs on Treg cells were essentially due to interleukin (IL)-2 overproduction by thymus CD4+ T cells. We then searched for a soluble factor produced by mTECs able to increase IL-2 production by CD4+ cells and could identify the inducible T-cell costimulator ligand (ICOSL). Our data strongly suggest a « ménage à trois »: mTEC cells (via ICOSL) induce overproduction of IL-2 by CD25- T cells leading to the expansion of tTreg cells. Altogether, these results demonstrate for the first time a role of mTECs in promoting Treg cell expansion in the human thymus and implicate IL-2 and ICOSL in this process.
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39
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Hogquist KA, Jameson SC. The self-obsession of T cells: how TCR signaling thresholds affect fate 'decisions' and effector function. Nat Immunol 2014; 15:815-23. [PMID: 25137456 PMCID: PMC4348363 DOI: 10.1038/ni.2938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 196] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2014] [Accepted: 06/02/2014] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Self-reactivity was once seen as a potential characteristic of T cells that was eliminated by clonal selection to protect the host from autoimmune pathology. It is now understood that the T cell repertoire is in fact broadly self-reactive, even self-centered. The strength with which a T cell reacts to self ligands and the environmental context in which this reaction occurs influence almost every aspect of T cell biology, from development to differentiation to effector function. Here we highlight recent advances and discoveries that relate to T cell self-reactivity, with a particular emphasis on T cell antigen receptor (TCR) signaling thresholds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristin A Hogquist
- Center for Immunology and Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Stephen C Jameson
- Center for Immunology and Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
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40
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Klein L, Kyewski B, Allen PM, Hogquist KA. Positive and negative selection of the T cell repertoire: what thymocytes see (and don't see). Nat Rev Immunol 2014; 14:377-91. [PMID: 24830344 PMCID: PMC4757912 DOI: 10.1038/nri3667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 875] [Impact Index Per Article: 87.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The fate of developing T cells is specified by the interaction of their antigen receptors with self-peptide-MHC complexes that are displayed by thymic antigen-presenting cells (APCs). Various subsets of thymic APCs are strategically positioned in particular thymic microenvironments and they coordinate the selection of a functional and self-tolerant T cell repertoire. In this Review, we discuss the different strategies that these APCs use to sample and process self antigens and to thereby generate partly unique, 'idiosyncratic' peptide-MHC ligandomes. We discuss how the particular composition of the peptide-MHC ligandomes that are presented by specific APC subsets not only shapes the T cell repertoire in the thymus but may also indelibly imprint the behaviour of mature T cells in the periphery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ludger Klein
- Institute for Immunology, Ludwig Maximilians University, 80336 Munich, Germany
| | - Bruno Kyewski
- Division of Developmental Immunology, German Cancer Research Center, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Paul M Allen
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA
| | - Kristin A Hogquist
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55414, USA
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41
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Hori S. Lineage stability and phenotypic plasticity of Foxp3+regulatory T cells. Immunol Rev 2014; 259:159-72. [DOI: 10.1111/imr.12175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 118] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Shohei Hori
- Laboratory for Immune Homeostasis; RCAI; RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences; Kanagawa Japan
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42
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Thymocyte apoptosis drives the intrathymic generation of regulatory T cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2014; 111:E465-73. [PMID: 24474796 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1320319111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Maintenance of immune tolerance critically depends upon regulatory T cells that express the transcription factor forkhead box P3 (Foxp3). These CD4(+) T cells can be generated in the thymus, termed thymus-derived regulatory T cells (tTregs), but their developmental pathway remains incompletely understood. tTreg development has been shown to be delayed compared with that of CD4(+) single positive (SP) thymocytes, with tTregs being detected only in neonatal thymi by day 3 after birth. Here, we outline the reasons for this delayed emergence of Foxp3(+) tTregs and demonstrate that thymocyte apoptosis is intrinsically tied to tTreg development. We show that thymic apoptosis leads to the production of TGFβ intrathymically from thymic macrophages, dendritic cells, and epithelial cells. This TGFβ then induces foxp3 expression and drives tTreg generation. Thymocyte apoptosis has previously been shown to accelerate after birth, which drives increases in TGFβ in the neonatal thymus. We highlight a paucity of TGFβ in the neonatal thymus, accounting for the delayed development of tTregs compared with CD4(+) SP thymocytes. Importantly, we show that enhanced levels of apoptosis in the thymus result in an augmented tTreg population and, moreover, that decreasing thymic apoptosis results in reduced tTregs. In addition to this, we also show that T-cell receptor (TCR) signals of different affinity were all capable of driving tTreg development; however, to achieve this TGFβ signals must also be received concomitant with the TCR signal. Collectively, our results indicate that thymic apoptosis is a key event in tTreg generation and reveal a previously unrecognized apoptosis-TGFβ-Foxp3 axis that mediates the development of tTregs.
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43
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Lopes-Carvalho T, Coutinho A. Old dogs and new tricks: defective peripheral regulatory T cell generation in aged mice. Eur J Immunol 2013; 43:2534-7. [PMID: 24122754 DOI: 10.1002/eji.201344029] [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: 08/26/2013] [Revised: 08/26/2013] [Accepted: 09/12/2013] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Tolerance is a developmentally acquired property of the vertebrate immune system, in part ensured by regulatory CD4⁺ lymphocytes (Treg cells) expressing the Foxp3 transcription factor. Recent work has shown that thymic emigrants are the preferential source of peripherally generated Treg cells. A new report in this issue of the European Journal of Immunology [Eur. J. Immunol. 2013. 43: 2598-2604] describes a cell autonomous defect in Foxp3 induction in aged CD4⁺ cells in mice. Immune homeostasis becomes progressively less robust as ontogeny gives way to aging, and a key feature of senescence is thymic involution and the impaired T-cell turnover that follows. In this Commentary, we discuss the implications of these recent findings for our understanding of the induction of tolerance to peripheral antigens in aging.
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44
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Schmidt AM, Zou T, Joshi RP, Leichner TM, Pimentel MA, Sommers CL, Kambayashi T. Diacylglycerol kinase ζ limits the generation of natural regulatory T cells. Sci Signal 2013; 6:ra101. [PMID: 24280042 DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.2004411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Natural regulatory T (nT(reg)) cells are important for maintaining tolerance to self- and foreign antigens, and they are thought to develop from thymocytes that receive strong T cell receptor (TCR)-mediated signals in the thymus. TCR engagement leads to the activation of phospholipase C-γ1, which generates the lipid second messenger diacylglycerol (DAG) from phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate. We used mice that lack the ζ isoform of DAG kinase (DGKζ), which metabolizes DAG to terminate its signaling, to enhance TCR-mediated signaling and identify critical signaling events in nT(reg) cell development. Loss of DGKζ resulted in increased numbers of thymic CD25(+)Foxp3(-)CD4(+) nT(reg) cell precursors and Foxp3(+)CD4(+) nT(reg) cells in a cell-autonomous manner. DGKζ-deficient T cells exhibited increased nuclear translocation of the nuclear factor κB subunit c-Rel, as well as enhanced extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) phosphorylation in response to TCR stimulation, suggesting that these downstream pathways may contribute to nT(reg) cell development. Indeed, reducing c-Rel abundance or blocking ERK phosphorylation abrogated the increased generation of nTreg cells by DGKζ-deficient thymocytes. The extent of ERK phosphorylation correlated with TCR-mediated acquisition of Foxp3 in immature thymocytes in vitro. Furthermore, the development of nT(reg) cells was augmented in mice in which ERK activation was selectively enhanced in T cells. Together, these data suggest that DGKζ regulates the development of nT(reg) cells by limiting the extent of activation of the ERK and c-Rel signaling pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda M Schmidt
- 1Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 10194, USA
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Inhibitory role of the transcription repressor Gfi1 in the generation of thymus-derived regulatory T cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2013; 110:E3198-205. [PMID: 23918371 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1300950110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Foxp3(+) regulatory T (T(reg)) cells are essential for the maintenance of self-tolerance and immune homeostasis. The majority of T(reg) cells is generated in the thymus as a specific subset of CD4(+) T cells, known as thymus-derived or natural T(reg) (nT(reg)) cells, in response to signals from T-cell receptors, costimulatory molecules, and cytokines. Recent studies have identified intracellular signaling and transcriptional pathways that link these signals to Foxp3 induction, but how the production of these extrinsic factors is controlled remains poorly understood. Here, we report that the transcription repressor growth factor independent 1 (Gfi1) has a key inhibitory role in the generation of nT(reg) cells by a noncell-autonomous mechanism. T cell-specific deletion of Gfi1 results in aberrant expansion of thymic nT(reg) cells and increased production of cytokines. In particular, IL-2 overproduction plays an important role in driving the expansion of nT(reg) cells. In contrast, although Gfi1 deficiency elevated thymocyte apoptosis, Gfi1 repressed nT(reg) generation independently of its prosurvival effect. Consistent with an inhibitory role of Gfi1 in this process, loss of Gfi1 dampens antitumor immunity. These data point to a previously unrecognized extrinsic control mechanism that negatively shapes thymic generation of nT(reg) cells.
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Hadeiba H, Butcher EC. Thymus-homing dendritic cells in central tolerance. Eur J Immunol 2013; 43:1425-9. [PMID: 23616226 PMCID: PMC3774955 DOI: 10.1002/eji.201243192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2012] [Revised: 04/18/2013] [Accepted: 04/18/2013] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Central tolerance is critical in establishing a peripheral T-cell repertoire purged of functional autoreactive T cells. One of the major requirements for effective central tolerance is the presentation of self and other innocuous antigens (Ags), including food, gut flora, or airway allergens, to developing T cells in the thymus. This seemingly challenging task can be mediated in some cases by ectopic expression of tissue-specific Ags by thymic epithelial cells or by entry of systemic blood-borne Ags into the thymus. More recently, thymic homing peripheral dendritic cells (DCs) have been proposed as cellular transporters of peripheral tissue-specific Ags or foreign innocuous Ags. The aim of this viewpoint is to discuss the three principal thymic DC populations and their trafficking properties in the context of central tolerance. We will first discuss the importance of peripheral DC trafficking to the thymus and then compare and contrast the three DC subsets. We will describe how they were characterized, describe their trafficking to and their microenvironmental positioning in the thymus, and discuss the functional consequence of thymic trafficking and localization on thymic selection events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Husein Hadeiba
- Laboratory of Immunology and Vascular Biology, Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
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Bhattacharya A, Eissa NT. Autophagy and autoimmunity crosstalks. Front Immunol 2013; 4:88. [PMID: 23596443 PMCID: PMC3625920 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2013.00088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2013] [Accepted: 04/01/2013] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Autophagy, initially viewed as a conserved bulk-degradation mechanism, has emerged as a central player in a multitude of immune functions. Autophagy is important in host defense against intracellular and extracellular pathogens, metabolic syndromes, immune cell homeostasis, antigen processing and presentation, and maintenance of tolerance. The observation that the above processes are implicated in triggering or exacerbating autoimmunity raises the possibility that autophagy is involved in mediating autoimmune processes, either directly or as a consequence of innate or adaptive functions mediated by the pathway. Genome-wide association studies have shown association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in autophagy related gene 5 (Atg5), and Atg16l1 with susceptibility to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and Crohn’s disease, respectively. Enhanced expression of Atg5 was also reported in blood of mice with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS), and in T cells isolated from blood or brain tissues from patients with active relapse of MS. This review explores the roles of autophagy pathway in the innate and adaptive immune systems on regulating or mediating the onset, progression, or exacerbation of autoimmune processes.
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Cowan JE, Parnell SM, Nakamura K, Caamano JH, Lane PJL, Jenkinson EJ, Jenkinson WE, Anderson G. The thymic medulla is required for Foxp3+ regulatory but not conventional CD4+ thymocyte development. J Exp Med 2013; 210:675-81. [PMID: 23530124 PMCID: PMC3620359 DOI: 10.1084/jem.20122070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 148] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2012] [Accepted: 02/11/2013] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
A key role of the thymic medulla is to negatively select autoreactive CD4(+) and CD8(+) thymocytes, a process important for T cell tolerance induction. However, the involvement of the thymic medulla in other aspects of αβ T cell development, including the generation of Foxp3(+) natural regulatory T cells (nTreg cells) and the continued maturation of positively selected conventional αβ T cells, is unclear. We show that newly generated conventional CD69(+)Qa2(-) CD4 single-positive thymocytes mature to the late CD69(-)Qa2(+) stage in the absence of RelB-dependent medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs). Furthermore, an increasing ability to continue maturation extrathymically is observed within the CD69(+)CCR7(-/lo)CCR9(+) subset of conventional SP4 thymocytes, providing evidence for an independence from medullary support by the earliest stages after positive selection. In contrast, Foxp3(+) nTreg cell development is medullary dependent, with mTECs fostering the generation of Foxp3(-)CD25(+) nTreg cell precursors at the CD69(+)CCR7(+)CCR9(-) stage. Our results demonstrate a differential requirement for the thymic medulla in relation to CD4 conventional and Foxp3(+) thymocyte lineages, in which an intact mTEC compartment is a prerequisite for Foxp3(+) nTreg cell development through the generation of Foxp3(-)CD25(+) nTreg cell precursors.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Antigens, CD/genetics
- Antigens, CD/immunology
- Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte/genetics
- Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte/immunology
- Cell Differentiation/physiology
- Forkhead Transcription Factors/genetics
- Forkhead Transcription Factors/immunology
- Histocompatibility Antigens Class I/genetics
- Histocompatibility Antigens Class I/immunology
- Lectins, C-Type/genetics
- Lectins, C-Type/immunology
- Mice
- Mice, Knockout
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta/genetics
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta/immunology
- Receptors, CCR/genetics
- Receptors, CCR/immunology
- Receptors, CCR7/genetics
- Receptors, CCR7/immunology
- T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory/cytology
- T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory/immunology
- Thymocytes/cytology
- Thymocytes/immunology
- Thymus Gland/cytology
- Thymus Gland/immunology
- Transcription Factor RelB/genetics
- Transcription Factor RelB/immunology
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer E Cowan
- Medical Research Council Centre for Immune Regulation, Institute for Biomedical Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, England, UK
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Recent thymic emigrants are the preferential precursors of regulatory T cells differentiated in the periphery. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2013; 110:6494-9. [PMID: 23576744 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1221955110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Most Forkhead box P3(+) (Foxp3(+)) CD4 regulatory T cell (Treg) precursors are newly formed thymocytes that acquire Foxp3 expression on antigen encounter in the thymus. Differentiation of Treg, however, can also occur in the periphery. What limits this second layer of self- and nonself-reactive Treg production in physiological conditions remains to be understood. In this work, we tested the hypothesis that, similarly to thymic Treg, the precursors of peripheral Treg are immature T cells. We show that CD4(+)CD8(-)Foxp3(-) thymocytes and recent thymic emigrants (RTEs), contrarily to peripheral naïve mature cells, efficiently differentiate into Treg on transfer into lymphopenic mice. By varying donor and recipient mice and conducting ex vivo assays, we document that the preferential conversion of newly formed T cells does not require intrathymic preactivation, is cell-intrinsic, and correlates with low and high sensitivity to natural inhibitors and inducers of Foxp3 expression, such as IL-6, T-cell receptor triggering, and TGF-β. Finally, ex vivo analysis of human thymocytes and peripheral blood T cells revealed that human RTE and newly developed T cells share an increased potential to acquire a FOXP3(bright)CD25(high) Treg phenotype. Our findings indicating that RTEs are the precursors of Tregs differentiated in the periphery should guide the design of Treg-based therapies.
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50
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Toker A, Engelbert D, Garg G, Polansky JK, Floess S, Miyao T, Baron U, Düber S, Geffers R, Giehr P, Schallenberg S, Kretschmer K, Olek S, Walter J, Weiss S, Hori S, Hamann A, Huehn J. Active demethylation of the Foxp3 locus leads to the generation of stable regulatory T cells within the thymus. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2013; 190:3180-8. [PMID: 23420886 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1203473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 198] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Stable expression of Foxp3 in regulatory T cells (Tregs) depends on DNA demethylation at the Treg-specific demethylated region (TSDR), a conserved, CpG-rich region within the Foxp3 locus. The TSDR is selectively demethylated in ex vivo Tregs purified from secondary lymphoid organs, but it is unclear at which stage of Treg development demethylation takes place. In this study, we show that commitment to a stable lineage occurred during early stages of murine thymic Treg development by engraving of lineage-specific epigenetic marks in parallel with establishment of a Treg-specific gene expression profile. TSDR demethylation was achieved through an active mechanism and involved enzymes of the ten-eleven-translocation family and hydroxylation of methylated cytosines, a modification that is implicated as an initiating step of mitosis-independent DNA demethylation pathways and has not yet been observed at specific loci during immune cell differentiation. Together, our results demonstrate that initiating TSDR demethylation during early stages of thymic Treg development commences stabilization of Foxp3 expression and guarantees full functionality and long-term lineage stability of Tregs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aras Toker
- Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig 38124, Germany
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