1
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Groegler J, Callebaut A, James EA, Delong T. The insulin secretory granule is a hotspot for autoantigen formation in type 1 diabetes. Diabetologia 2024:10.1007/s00125-024-06164-x. [PMID: 38811417 DOI: 10.1007/s00125-024-06164-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 05/31/2024]
Abstract
In type 1 diabetes, the insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas are destroyed through the activity of autoreactive T cells. In addition to strong and well-documented HLA class II risk haplotypes, type 1 diabetes is associated with noncoding polymorphisms within the insulin gene locus. Furthermore, autoantibody prevalence data and murine studies implicate insulin as a crucial autoantigen for the disease. Studies identify secretory granules, where proinsulin is processed into mature insulin, stored and released in response to glucose stimulation, as a source of antigenic epitopes and neoepitopes. In this review, we integrate established concepts, including the role that susceptible HLA and thymic selection of the T cell repertoire play in setting the stage for autoimmunity, with emerging insights about beta cell and insulin secretory granule biology. In particular, the acidic, peptide-rich environment of secretory granules combined with its array of enzymes generates a distinct proteome that is unique to functional beta cells. These factors converge to generate non-templated peptide sequences that are recognised by autoreactive T cells. Although unanswered questions remain, formation and presentation of these epitopes and the resulting immune responses appear to be key aspects of disease initiation. In addition, these pathways may represent important opportunities for therapeutic intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason Groegler
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Aïsha Callebaut
- Center for Translational Immunology, Benaroya Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Eddie A James
- Center for Translational Immunology, Benaroya Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Thomas Delong
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA.
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2
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Smith JA, Yuen BTK, Purtha W, Balolong JM, Phipps JD, Crawford F, Bluestone JA, Kappler JW, Anderson MS. Aire mediates tolerance to insulin through thymic trimming of high-affinity T cell clones. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2320268121. [PMID: 38709934 PMCID: PMC11098115 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2320268121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/16/2024] [Indexed: 05/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Insulin is a central autoantigen in the pathogenesis of T1D, and thymic epithelial cell expression of insulin under the control of the Autoimmune Regulator (Aire) is thought to be a key component of maintaining tolerance to insulin. In spite of this general working model, direct detection of this thymic selection on insulin-specific T cells has been somewhat elusive. Here, we used a combination of highly sensitive T cell receptor transgenic models for detecting thymic selection and sorting and sequencing of Insulin-specific CD4+ T cells from Aire-deficient mice as a strategy to further define their selection. This analysis revealed a number of unique t cell receptor (TCR) clones in Aire-deficient hosts with high affinity for insulin/major histocompatibility complex (MHC) ligands. We then modeled the thymic selection of one of these clones in Aire-deficient versus wild-type hosts and found that this model clone could escape thymic negative selection in the absence of thymic Aire. Together, these results suggest that thymic expression of insulin plays a key role in trimming and removing high-affinity insulin-specific T cells from the repertoire to help promote tolerance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer A. Smith
- Diabetes Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA94143
| | - Benjamin T. K. Yuen
- Diabetes Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA94143
| | - Whitney Purtha
- Diabetes Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA94143
| | - Jared M. Balolong
- Diabetes Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA94143
| | - Jonah D. Phipps
- Diabetes Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA94143
| | - Frances Crawford
- Department of Immunology and Genomic Medicine, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO80206
| | - Jeffrey A. Bluestone
- Sean N. Parker Autoimmune Research Laboratory, Diabetes Center, University of California, San Francisco, CA94143
| | - John W. Kappler
- Department of Immunology and Genomic Medicine, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO80206
- Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO80045
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO80045
| | - Mark S. Anderson
- Diabetes Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA94143
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3
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Firdessa Fite R, Bechi Genzano C, Mallone R, Creusot RJ. Epitope-based precision immunotherapy of Type 1 diabetes. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2023; 19:2154098. [PMID: 36656048 PMCID: PMC9980607 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2022.2154098] [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] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Antigen-specific immunotherapies (ASITs) address important clinical needs in treating autoimmune diseases. However, Type 1 diabetes is a heterogeneous disease wherein patient characteristics influence responsiveness to ASITs. Targeting not only disease-relevant T cell populations, but also specific groups of patients using precision medicine is a new goal toward achieving effective treatment. HLA-restricted peptides provide advantages over protein as antigens, however, methods for profiling antigen-specific T cells need to improve in sensitivity, depth, and throughput to facilitate epitope selection. Delivery approaches are highly diverse, illustrating the many ways relevant antigen-presenting cell populations and anatomical locations can be targeted for tolerance induction. The role of persistence of antigen presentation in promoting durable antigen-specific tolerance requires further investigation. Based on the outcome of ASIT trials, the field is moving toward using patient-specific variations to improve efficacy, but challenges still lie on the path to delivering more effective and safer treatment to the T1D patient population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebuma Firdessa Fite
- Columbia Center for Translational Immunology, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Camillo Bechi Genzano
- Columbia Center for Translational Immunology, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Roberto Mallone
- Université Paris Cité, Institut Cochin, CNRS, INSERM, Paris, France.,Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Paris, Service de Diabétologie et Immunologie Clinique, Cochin Hospital, Hôpitaux Universitaires de Paris Centre-Université de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Remi J Creusot
- Columbia Center for Translational Immunology, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
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4
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El Nahas R, Al-Aghbar MA, Herrero L, van Panhuys N, Espino-Guarch M. Applications of Genome-Editing Technologies for Type 1 Diabetes. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 25:344. [PMID: 38203514 PMCID: PMC10778854 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25010344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2023] [Revised: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 12/24/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by the destruction of insulin-producing pancreatic β-cells by the immune system. Although conventional therapeutic modalities, such as insulin injection, remain a mainstay, recent years have witnessed the emergence of novel treatment approaches encompassing immunomodulatory therapies, such as stem cell and β-cell transplantation, along with revolutionary gene-editing techniques. Notably, recent research endeavors have enabled the reshaping of the T-cell repertoire, leading to the prevention of T1D development. Furthermore, CRISPR-Cas9 technology has demonstrated remarkable potential in targeting endogenous gene activation, ushering in a promising avenue for the precise guidance of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) toward differentiation into insulin-producing cells. This innovative approach holds substantial promise for the treatment of T1D. In this review, we focus on studies that have developed T1D models and treatments using gene-editing systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rana El Nahas
- Laboratory of Immunoregulation, Translational Medicine, Sidra Medicine, Doha P.O. Box 26999, Qatar; (R.E.N.); (M.A.A.-A.)
- Department of Biochemistry and Physiology, School of Pharmacy and Food Sciences, Institute of Biomedicine of the University of Barcelona (IBUB), 08028 Barcelona, Spain;
| | - Mohammad Ameen Al-Aghbar
- Laboratory of Immunoregulation, Translational Medicine, Sidra Medicine, Doha P.O. Box 26999, Qatar; (R.E.N.); (M.A.A.-A.)
| | - Laura Herrero
- Department of Biochemistry and Physiology, School of Pharmacy and Food Sciences, Institute of Biomedicine of the University of Barcelona (IBUB), 08028 Barcelona, Spain;
| | - Nicholas van Panhuys
- Laboratory of Immunoregulation, Translational Medicine, Sidra Medicine, Doha P.O. Box 26999, Qatar; (R.E.N.); (M.A.A.-A.)
| | - Meritxell Espino-Guarch
- Laboratory of Immunoregulation, Translational Medicine, Sidra Medicine, Doha P.O. Box 26999, Qatar; (R.E.N.); (M.A.A.-A.)
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5
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Spanier JA, Fung V, Wardell CM, Alkhatib MH, Chen Y, Swanson LA, Dwyer AJ, Weno ME, Silva N, Mitchell JS, Orban PC, Mojibian M, Verchere CB, Fife BT, Levings MK. Tregs with an MHC class II peptide-specific chimeric antigen receptor prevent autoimmune diabetes in mice. J Clin Invest 2023; 133:e168601. [PMID: 37561596 PMCID: PMC10503798 DOI: 10.1172/jci168601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2023] [Accepted: 07/27/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Adoptive immunotherapy with Tregs is a promising approach for preventing or treating type 1 diabetes. Islet antigen-specific Tregs have more potent therapeutic effects than polyclonal cells, but their low frequency is a barrier for clinical application. To generate Tregs that recognize islet antigens, we engineered a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) derived from a monoclonal antibody with specificity for the insulin B chain 10-23 peptide presented in the context of the IAg7 MHC class II allele present in NOD mice. Peptide specificity of the resulting InsB-g7 CAR was confirmed by tetramer staining and T cell proliferation in response to recombinant or islet-derived peptide. The InsB-g7 CAR redirected NOD Treg specificity such that insulin B 10-23-peptide stimulation enhanced suppressive function, measured via reduction of proliferation and IL-2 production by BDC2.5 T cells and CD80 and CD86 expression on dendritic cells. Cotransfer of InsB-g7 CAR Tregs prevented adoptive transfer diabetes by BDC2.5 T cells in immunodeficient NOD mice. In WT NOD mice, InsB-g7 CAR Tregs prevented spontaneous diabetes. These results show that engineering Treg specificity for islet antigens using a T cell receptor-like CAR is a promising therapeutic approach for the prevention of autoimmune diabetes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin A. Spanier
- Center for Immunology
- Center for Autoimmune Disease Research, and
- Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatic and Autoimmune Diseases, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Vivian Fung
- Department of Surgery and
- BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Christine M. Wardell
- Department of Surgery and
- BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Mohannad H. Alkhatib
- Center for Immunology
- Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatic and Autoimmune Diseases, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Yixin Chen
- Center for Immunology
- Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatic and Autoimmune Diseases, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Linnea A. Swanson
- Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatic and Autoimmune Diseases, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Alexander J. Dwyer
- Center for Immunology
- Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatic and Autoimmune Diseases, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Matthew E. Weno
- Center for Immunology
- Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatic and Autoimmune Diseases, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Nubia Silva
- Center for Immunology
- Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatic and Autoimmune Diseases, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Jason S. Mitchell
- Center for Immunology
- Center for Autoimmune Disease Research, and
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Paul C. Orban
- Department of Surgery and
- BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Majid Mojibian
- Department of Surgery and
- BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - C. Bruce Verchere
- Department of Surgery and
- BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Brian T. Fife
- Center for Immunology
- Center for Autoimmune Disease Research, and
- Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatic and Autoimmune Diseases, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Megan K. Levings
- Department of Surgery and
- BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- School of Biomedical Engineering, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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6
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Obarorakpor N, Patel D, Boyarov R, Amarsaikhan N, Cepeda JR, Eastes D, Robertson S, Johnson T, Yang K, Tang Q, Zhang L. Regulatory T cells targeting a pathogenic MHC class II: Insulin peptide epitope postpone spontaneous autoimmune diabetes. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1207108. [PMID: 37593744 PMCID: PMC10428008 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1207108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/13/2023] [Indexed: 08/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction In spontaneous type 1 diabetes (T1D) non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice, the insulin B chain peptide 9-23 (B:9-23) can bind to the MHC class II molecule (IAg7) in register 3 (R3), creating a bimolecular IAg7/InsulinB:9-23 register 3 conformational epitope (InsB:R3). Previously, we showed that the InsB:R3-specific chimeric antigen receptor (CAR), constructed using an InsB:R3-monoclonal antibody, could guide CAR-expressing CD8 T cells to migrate to the islets and pancreatic lymph nodes. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) specific for an islet antigen can broadly suppress various pathogenic immune cells in the islets and effectively halt the progression of islet destruction. Therefore, we hypothesized that InsB:R3 specific Tregs would suppress autoimmune reactivity in islets and efficiently protect against T1D. Methods To test our hypothesis, we produced InsB:R3-Tregs and tested their disease-protective effects in spontaneous T1D NOD.CD28-/- mice. Results InsB:R3-CAR expressing Tregs secrete IL-10 dominated cytokines upon engagement with InsB:R3 antigens. A single infusion of InsB:R3 Tregs delayed the onset of T1D in 95% of treated mice, with 35% maintaining euglycemia for two healthy lifespans, readily home to the relevant target whereas control Tregs did not. Our data demonstrate that Tregs specific for MHC class II: Insulin peptide epitope (MHCII/Insulin) protect mice against T1D more efficiently than polyclonal Tregs lacking islet antigen specificity, suggesting that the MHC II/insulin-specific Treg approach is a promising immune therapy for safely preventing T1D.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nyerhovwo Obarorakpor
- Diabetes Center, Indiana Biosciences Research Institute, Indianapolis, IN, United States
| | - Deep Patel
- Diabetes Center, Indiana Biosciences Research Institute, Indianapolis, IN, United States
| | - Reni Boyarov
- Diabetes Center, Indiana Biosciences Research Institute, Indianapolis, IN, United States
| | - Nansalmaa Amarsaikhan
- Diabetes Center, Indiana Biosciences Research Institute, Indianapolis, IN, United States
| | - Joseph Ray Cepeda
- Department of Medicine, Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Doreen Eastes
- Diabetes Center, Indiana Biosciences Research Institute, Indianapolis, IN, United States
| | - Sylvia Robertson
- Diabetes Center, Indiana Biosciences Research Institute, Indianapolis, IN, United States
| | - Travis Johnson
- Diabetes Center, Indiana Biosciences Research Institute, Indianapolis, IN, United States
- Department of Biostatistics and Health Data Science, School of Medicine, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN, United States
- Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center, Experimental and Developmental Therapeutics, School of Medicine, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN, United States
- Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, School of Medicine, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN, United States
| | - Kai Yang
- Herman B Wells Center for Pediatric Research and Department of Pediatrics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States
- School of Medicine, Indiana University Bloomington, Bloomington, IN, United States
| | - Qizhi Tang
- Diabetes Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
- Department of Surgery, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
- Gladstone Institute of Genomic Immunology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Li Zhang
- Diabetes Center, Indiana Biosciences Research Institute, Indianapolis, IN, United States
- Center for Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States
- Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States
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7
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Gouttefangeas C, Klein R, Maia A. The good and the bad of T cell cross-reactivity: challenges and opportunities for novel therapeutics in autoimmunity and cancer. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1212546. [PMID: 37409132 PMCID: PMC10319254 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1212546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2023] [Accepted: 05/24/2023] [Indexed: 07/07/2023] Open
Abstract
T cells are main actors of the immune system with an essential role in protection against pathogens and cancer. The molecular key event involved in this absolutely central task is the interaction of membrane-bound specific T cell receptors with peptide-MHC complexes which initiates T cell priming, activation and recall, and thus controls a range of downstream functions. While textbooks teach us that the repertoire of mature T cells is highly diverse, it is clear that this diversity cannot possibly cover all potential foreign peptides that might be encountered during life. TCR cross-reactivity, i.e. the ability of a single TCR to recognise different peptides, offers the best solution to this biological challenge. Reports have shown that indeed, TCR cross-reactivity is surprisingly high. Hence, the T cell dilemma is the following: be as specific as possible to target foreign danger and spare self, while being able to react to a large spectrum of body-threatening situations. This has major consequences for both autoimmune diseases and cancer, and significant implications for the development of T cell-based therapies. In this review, we will present essential experimental evidence of T cell cross-reactivity, implications for two opposite immune conditions, i.e. autoimmunity vs cancer, and how this can be differently exploited for immunotherapy approaches. Finally, we will discuss the tools available for predicting cross-reactivity and how improvements in this field might boost translational approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cécile Gouttefangeas
- Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
- Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC2180) “Image-Guided and Functionally Instructed Tumor Therapies”, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) and German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) partner site Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Reinhild Klein
- Department of Hematology, Oncology, Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Ana Maia
- Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
- Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC2180) “Image-Guided and Functionally Instructed Tumor Therapies”, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
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8
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Peters LD, Yeh WI, Arnoletti JM, Brown ME, Posgai AL, Mathews CE, Brusko TM. Modeling cell-mediated immunity in human type 1 diabetes by engineering autoreactive CD8 + T cells. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1142648. [PMID: 37325626 PMCID: PMC10262917 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1142648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2023] [Accepted: 04/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023] Open
Abstract
The autoimmune pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes (T1D) involves cellular infiltration from innate and adaptive immune subsets into the islets of Langerhans within the pancreas; however, the direct cytotoxic killing of insulin-producing β-cells is thought to be mediated primarily by antigen-specific CD8+ T cells. Despite this direct pathogenic role, key aspects of their receptor specificity and function remain uncharacterized, in part, due to their low precursor frequency in peripheral blood. The concept of engineering human T cell specificity, using T cell receptor (TCR) and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-based approaches, has been demonstrated to improve adoptive cell therapies for cancer, but has yet to be extensively employed for modeling and treating autoimmunity. To address this limitation, we sought to combine targeted genome editing of the endogenous TCRα chain gene (TRAC) via CRISPR/Cas9 in combination with lentiviral vector (LV)-mediated TCR gene transfer into primary human CD8+ T cells. We observed that knockout (KO) of endogenous TRAC enhanced de novo TCR pairing, which permitted increased peptide:MHC-dextramer staining. Moreover, TRAC KO and TCR gene transfer increased markers of activation and effector function following activation, including granzyme B and interferon-γ production. Importantly, we observed increased cytotoxicity toward an HLA-A*0201+ human β-cell line by HLA-A*02:01 restricted CD8+ T cells engineered to recognize islet-specific glucose-6-phosphatase catalytic subunit (IGRP). These data support the notion of altering the specificity of primary human T cells for mechanistic analyses of autoreactive antigen-specific CD8+ T cells and are expected to facilitate downstream cellular therapeutics to achieve tolerance induction through the generation of antigen-specific regulatory T cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leeana D. Peters
- Department of Pathology, Immunology and Laboratory Medicine, College of Medicine, Diabetes Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Wen-I Yeh
- Department of Pathology, Immunology and Laboratory Medicine, College of Medicine, Diabetes Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Juan M. Arnoletti
- Department of Pathology, Immunology and Laboratory Medicine, College of Medicine, Diabetes Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Matthew E. Brown
- Department of Pathology, Immunology and Laboratory Medicine, College of Medicine, Diabetes Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Amanda L. Posgai
- Department of Pathology, Immunology and Laboratory Medicine, College of Medicine, Diabetes Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Clayton E. Mathews
- Department of Pathology, Immunology and Laboratory Medicine, College of Medicine, Diabetes Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Todd M. Brusko
- Department of Pathology, Immunology and Laboratory Medicine, College of Medicine, Diabetes Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
- Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, Diabetes Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
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9
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Firdessa-Fite R, Johnson SN, Leon MA, Sestak JO, Berkland C, Creusot RJ. Soluble antigen arrays improve the efficacy and safety of peptide-based tolerogenic immunotherapy. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.05.05.539161. [PMID: 37205572 PMCID: PMC10187310 DOI: 10.1101/2023.05.05.539161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Autoantigen-specific immunotherapy using peptides offers a more targeted approach to treat autoimmune diseases, but the limited in vivo stability and uptake of peptides impedes clinical implementation. We previously showed that multivalent delivery of peptides as soluble antigen arrays (SAgAs) efficiently protects against spontaneous autoimmune diabetes in the non-obese diabetic (NOD) mouse model. Here, we compared the efficacy, safety, and mechanisms of action of SAgAs versus free peptides. SAgAs, but not their corresponding free peptides at equivalent doses, efficiently prevented the development of diabetes. SAgAs increased the frequency of regulatory T cells among peptide-specific T cells or induce their anergy/exhaustion or deletion, depending on the type of SAgA (hydrolysable (hSAgA) and non-hydrolysable 'click' SAgA (cSAgA)) and duration of treatment, whereas their corresponding free peptides induced a more effector phenotype following delayed clonal expansion. Moreover, the N-terminal modification of peptides with aminooxy or alkyne linkers, which was needed for grafting onto hyaluronic acid to make hSAgA or cSAgA variants, respectively, influenced their stimulatory potency and safety, with alkyne-functionalized peptides being more potent and less anaphylactogenic than aminooxy-functionalized peptides. Both SAgA variants significantly delayed anaphylaxis compared to their respective free peptides. The anaphylaxis, which occurred in NOD mice but not in C57BL/6 mice, was dose-dependent but did not correlate with the production of IgG1 or IgE against the peptides. We provide evidence that SAgAs significantly improve the efficacy and safety of peptide-based immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebuma Firdessa-Fite
- Columbia Center for Translational Immunology, Department of Medicine and Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center, Columbia University Medical Center, 650 West 168 St, New York, NY 10032
| | - Stephanie N. Johnson
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Kansas, 2095 Constant Avenue, Lawrence, KS 66047
| | - Martin A. Leon
- Department of Chemistry, University of Kansas, 1251 Wescoe Hall Drive, Lawrence, KS 66045
| | - Joshua O. Sestak
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Kansas, 2095 Constant Avenue, Lawrence, KS 66047
| | - Cory Berkland
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Kansas, 2095 Constant Avenue, Lawrence, KS 66047
- Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, University of Kansas,1530 West 15 Street, Lawrence, KS 66045
| | - Remi J. Creusot
- Columbia Center for Translational Immunology, Department of Medicine and Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center, Columbia University Medical Center, 650 West 168 St, New York, NY 10032
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10
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Spanier JA, Fung V, Wardell CM, Alkhatib MH, Chen Y, Swanson LA, Dwyer AJ, Weno ME, Silva N, Mitchell JS, Orban PC, Mojibian M, Verchere CB, Fife BT, Levings MK. Insulin B peptide-MHC class II-specific chimeric antigen receptor-Tregs prevent autoimmune diabetes. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.02.23.529737. [PMID: 36865264 PMCID: PMC9980092 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.23.529737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/26/2023]
Abstract
Adoptive immunotherapy with Tregs is a promising approach for prevention or treatment of type 1 diabetes. Islet antigen-specific Tregs have more potent therapeutic effects than polyclonal cells, but their low frequency is a barrier for clinical application. To generate Tregs that recognize islet antigens, we engineered a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) derived from a monoclonal antibody with specificity for the insulin B-chain 10-23 peptide presented in the context of the IA g7 MHC class II allele present in NOD mice. Peptide specificity of the resulting InsB-g7 CAR was confirmed by tetramer staining and T cell proliferation in response to recombinant or islet-derived peptide. The InsB-g7 CAR re-directed NOD Treg specificity such that insulin B 10-23-peptide stimulation enhanced suppressive function, measured via reduction of proliferation and IL-2 production by BDC2.5 T cells and CD80 and CD86 expression on dendritic cells. Co-transfer of InsB-g7 CAR Tregs prevented adoptive transfer diabetes by BDC2.5 T cells in immunodeficient NOD mice. In wild type NOD mice, InsB-g7 CAR Tregs stably expressed Foxp3 and prevented spontaneous diabetes. These results show that engineering Treg specificity for islet antigens using a T cell receptor-like CAR is a promising new therapeutic approach for the prevention of autoimmune diabetes. Brief Summary Chimeric antigen receptor Tregs specific for an insulin B-chain peptide presented by MHC class II prevent autoimmune diabetes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin A. Spanier
- Center for Immunology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Center for Autoimmune Disease Research, Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatic and Autoimmune Diseases, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Vivian Fung
- Dept of Surgery, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Christine M. Wardell
- Dept of Surgery, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Mohannad H. Alkhatib
- Center for Immunology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatic and Autoimmune Diseases, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Yixin Chen
- Center for Immunology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatic and Autoimmune Diseases, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Linnea A. Swanson
- Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatic and Autoimmune Diseases, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Alexander J. Dwyer
- Center for Immunology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatic and Autoimmune Diseases, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Matthew E. Weno
- Center for Immunology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatic and Autoimmune Diseases, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Nubia Silva
- Center for Immunology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatic and Autoimmune Diseases, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Jason S. Mitchell
- Center for Immunology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Center for Autoimmune Disease Research, Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Paul C. Orban
- Dept of Surgery, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Majid Mojibian
- Dept of Surgery, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - C. Bruce Verchere
- Dept of Surgery, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Brian T. Fife
- Center for Immunology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Center for Autoimmune Disease Research, Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatic and Autoimmune Diseases, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Megan K. Levings
- Dept of Surgery, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- School of Biomedical Engineering, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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11
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Ishina IA, Zakharova MY, Kurbatskaia IN, Mamedov AE, Belogurov AA, Gabibov AG. MHC Class II Presentation in Autoimmunity. Cells 2023; 12:314. [PMID: 36672249 PMCID: PMC9856717 DOI: 10.3390/cells12020314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2022] [Revised: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 01/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Antigen presentation by major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC-II) molecules is crucial for eliciting an efficient immune response by CD4+ T cells and maintaining self-antigen tolerance. Some MHC-II alleles are known to be positively or negatively associated with the risk of the development of different autoimmune diseases (ADs), including those characterized by the emergence of autoreactive T cells. Apparently, the MHC-II presentation of self-antigens contributes to the autoimmune T cell response, initiated through a breakdown of central tolerance to self-antigens in the thymus. The appearance of autoreactive T cell might be the result of (i) the unusual interaction between T cell receptors (TCRs) and self-antigens presented on MHC-II; (ii) the posttranslational modifications (PTMs) of self-antigens; (iii) direct loading of the self-antigen to classical MHC-II without additional nonclassical MHC assistance; (iv) the proinflammatory environment effect on MHC-II expression and antigen presentation; and (v) molecular mimicry between foreign and self-antigens. The peculiarities of the processes involved in the MHC-II-mediated presentation may have crucial importance in the elucidation of the mechanisms of triggering and developing ADs as well as for clarification on the protective effect of MHC-II alleles that are negatively associated with ADs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irina A. Ishina
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry RAS, 117997 Moscow, Russia
| | - Maria Y. Zakharova
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry RAS, 117997 Moscow, Russia
| | - Inna N. Kurbatskaia
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry RAS, 117997 Moscow, Russia
| | - Azad E. Mamedov
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry RAS, 117997 Moscow, Russia
| | - Alexey A. Belogurov
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry RAS, 117997 Moscow, Russia
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Evdokimov Moscow State University of Medicine and Dentistry, 127473 Moscow, Russia
| | - Alexander G. Gabibov
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry RAS, 117997 Moscow, Russia
- Department of Life Sciences, Higher School of Economics, 101000 Moscow, Russia
- Department of Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119991 Moscow, Russia
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12
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Li W, Li R, Wang Y, Zhang Y, Tomar MS, Dai S. Calcitonin gene-related peptide is a potential autoantigen for CD4 T cells in type 1 diabetes. Front Immunol 2022; 13:951281. [PMID: 36189304 PMCID: PMC9523785 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.951281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2022] [Accepted: 08/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
The calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) is a 37-amino acid neuropeptide with critical roles in the development of peripheral sensitization and pain. One of the CGRP family peptides, islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP), is an important autoantigen in type 1 diabetes. Due to the high structural and chemical similarity between CGRP and IAPP, we expected that the CGRP peptide could be recognized by IAPP-specific CD4 T cells. However, there was no cross-reactivity between the CGRP peptide and the diabetogenic IAPP-reactive T cells. A set of CGRP-specific CD4 T cells was isolated from non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice. The T-cell receptor (TCR) variable regions of both α and β chains were highly skewed towards TRAV13 and TRBV13, respectively. The clonal expansion of T cells suggested that the presence of activated T cells responded to CGRP stimulation. None of the CGRP-specific CD4 T cells were able to be activated by the IAPP peptide. This established that CGRP-reactive CD4 T cells are a unique type of autoantigen-specific T cells in NOD mice. Using IAg7-CGRP tetramers, we found that CGRP-specific T cells were present in the pancreas of both prediabetic and diabetic NOD mice. The percentages of CGRP-reactive T cells in the pancreas of NOD mice were correlated to the diabetic progression. We showed that the human CGRP peptide presented by IAg7 elicited strong CGRP-specific T-cell responses. These findings suggested that CGRP is a potential autoantigen for CD4 T cells in NOD mice and probably in humans. The CGRP-specific CD4 T cells could be a unique marker for type 1 diabetes. Given the ubiquity of CGRP in nervous systems, it could potentially play an important role in diabetic neuropathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Li
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, United States
- National Health Commission (NHC) Key Laboratory of Pulmonary Immune-related Diseases, Guizhou Provincial People’s Hospital, Guiyang, China
| | - Ronghui Li
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, United States
- National Health Commission (NHC) Key Laboratory of Pulmonary Immune-related Diseases, Guizhou Provincial People’s Hospital, Guiyang, China
| | - Yang Wang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, United States
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, United States
| | - Yan Zhang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, United States
| | - Munendra S. Tomar
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, United States
| | - Shaodong Dai
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, United States
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, United States
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13
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Wenzlau JM, DiLisio JE, Barbour G, Dang M, Hohenstein AC, Nakayama M, Delong T, Baker RL, Haskins K. Insulin B-chain hybrid peptides are agonists for T cells reactive to insulin B:9-23 in autoimmune diabetes. Front Immunol 2022; 13:926650. [PMID: 36032090 PMCID: PMC9399855 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.926650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2022] [Accepted: 07/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Insulin is considered to be a key antigenic target of T cells in Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) and autoimmune diabetes in the NOD mouse with particular focus on the B-chain amino acid sequence B:9-23 as the primary epitope. Our lab previously discovered that hybrid insulin peptides (HIPs), comprised of insulin C-peptide fragments fused to other β-cell granule peptides, are ligands for several pathogenic CD4 T cell clones derived from NOD mice and for autoreactive CD4 T cells from T1D patients. A subset of CD4 T cell clones from our panel react to insulin and B:9-23 but only at high concentrations of antigen. We hypothesized that HIPs might also be formed from insulin B-chain sequences covalently bound to other endogenously cleaved ß-cell proteins. We report here on the identification of a B-chain HIP, termed the 6.3HIP, containing a fragment of B:9-23 joined to an endogenously processed peptide of ProSAAS, as a strong neo-epitope for the insulin-reactive CD4 T cell clone BDC-6.3. Using an I-Ag7 tetramer loaded with the 6.3HIP, we demonstrate that T cells reactive to this B-chain HIP can be readily detected in NOD mouse islet infiltrates. This work suggests that some portion of autoreactive T cells stimulated by insulin B:9-23 may be responding to B-chain HIPs as peptide ligands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janet M Wenzlau
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, School of Medicine, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO, United States
| | - James E DiLisio
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, School of Medicine, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO, United States
| | - Gene Barbour
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, School of Medicine, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO, United States
| | - Mylinh Dang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Skaggs School of Pharmacy, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO, United States
| | - Anita C Hohenstein
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, School of Medicine, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO, United States
| | - Maki Nakayama
- Department of Pediatrics-Barbara Davis Center, School of Medicine, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO, United States
| | - Thomas Delong
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Skaggs School of Pharmacy, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO, United States
| | - Rocky L Baker
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, School of Medicine, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO, United States
| | - Kathryn Haskins
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, School of Medicine, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO, United States
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14
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Scherm MG, Wyatt RC, Serr I, Anz D, Richardson SJ, Daniel C. Beta cell and immune cell interactions in autoimmune type 1 diabetes: How they meet and talk to each other. Mol Metab 2022; 64:101565. [PMID: 35944899 PMCID: PMC9418549 DOI: 10.1016/j.molmet.2022.101565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2022] [Revised: 07/08/2022] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 10/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Scope of review Major conclusions
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15
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Russo F, Ruggiero E, Curto R, Passeri L, Sanvito F, Bortolomai I, Villa A, Gregori S, Annoni A. Editing T cell repertoire by thymic epithelial cell-directed gene transfer abrogates risk of type 1 diabetes development. Mol Ther Methods Clin Dev 2022; 25:508-519. [PMID: 35615710 PMCID: PMC9121074 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtm.2022.04.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 04/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Insulin is the primary autoantigen (Ag) targeted by T cells in type 1 diabetes (T1D). Although biomarkers precisely identifying subjects at high risk of T1D are available, successful prophylaxis is still an unmet need. Leaky central tolerance to insulin may be partially ascribed to the instability of the MHC-InsB9-23 complex, which lowers TCR avidity, thus resulting in defective negative selection of autoreactive clones and inadequate insulin-specific T regulatory cell (Treg) induction. We developed a lentiviral vector (LV)-based strategy to engineer thymic epithelial cells (TECs) to correct diabetogenic T cell repertoire. Intrathymic (it) LV injection established stable transgene expression in EpCAM+ TECs, by virtue of transduction of TEC precursors. it-LV-driven presentation of the immunodominant portion of ovalbumin allowed persistent and complete negative selection of responsive T cells in OT-II chimeric mice. We successfully applied this strategy to correct the diabetogenic repertoire of young non-obese diabetic mice, imposing the presentation by TECs of the stronger agonist InsulinB9-23R22E and partially depleting the existing T cell compartment. We further circumscribed LV-driven presentation of InsulinB9-23R22E by micro-RNA regulation to CD45− TECs without loss of efficacy in protection from diabetes, associated with expanded insulin-specific Tregs. Overall, our gene transfer-based prophylaxis fine-tuned the central tolerance processes of negative selection and Treg induction, correcting an autoimmune prone T cell repertoire.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabio Russo
- San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Via Olgettina 58, 20132 Milan, Italy
| | - Eliana Ruggiero
- Experimental Hematology Unit, Division of Immunology, Transplantation and Infectious Diseases, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, 20132 Milan, Italy
| | - Rosalia Curto
- San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Via Olgettina 58, 20132 Milan, Italy
| | - Laura Passeri
- San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Via Olgettina 58, 20132 Milan, Italy
| | - Francesca Sanvito
- Pathology Unit, Division of Experimental Oncology, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, 20132 Milan, Italy
| | - Ileana Bortolomai
- San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Via Olgettina 58, 20132 Milan, Italy
| | - Anna Villa
- San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Via Olgettina 58, 20132 Milan, Italy.,Milan Unit, Istituto di Ricerca Genetica e Biomedica (IRGB), Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), 20090 Milan, Italy
| | - Silvia Gregori
- San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Via Olgettina 58, 20132 Milan, Italy
| | - Andrea Annoni
- San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Via Olgettina 58, 20132 Milan, Italy
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16
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Krovi SH, Kuchroo VK. Activation pathways that drive CD4 + T cells to break tolerance in autoimmune diseases . Immunol Rev 2022; 307:161-190. [PMID: 35142369 PMCID: PMC9255211 DOI: 10.1111/imr.13071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2022] [Accepted: 01/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Autoimmune diseases are characterized by dysfunctional immune systems that misrecognize self as non-self and cause tissue destruction. Several cell types have been implicated in triggering and sustaining disease. Due to a strong association of major histocompatibility complex II (MHC-II) proteins with various autoimmune diseases, CD4+ T lymphocytes have been thoroughly investigated for their roles in dictating disease course. CD4+ T cell activation is a coordinated process that requires three distinct signals: Signal 1, which is mediated by antigen recognition on MHC-II molecules; Signal 2, which boosts signal 1 in a costimulatory manner; and Signal 3, which helps to differentiate the activated cells into functionally relevant subsets. These signals are disrupted during autoimmunity and prompt CD4+ T cells to break tolerance. Herein, we review our current understanding of how each of the three signals plays a role in three different autoimmune diseases and highlight the genetic polymorphisms that predispose individuals to autoimmunity. We also discuss the drawbacks of existing therapies and how they can be addressed to achieve lasting tolerance in patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sai Harsha Krovi
- Evergrande Center for Immunologic Diseases, Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Klarman Cell Observatory, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Vijay K Kuchroo
- Evergrande Center for Immunologic Diseases, Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Klarman Cell Observatory, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
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17
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Postigo-Fernandez J, Firdessa-Fite R, Creusot RJ. Preclinical evaluation of a precision medicine approach to DNA vaccination in type 1 diabetes. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2110987119. [PMID: 35385352 PMCID: PMC9169641 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2110987119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2021] [Accepted: 02/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Antigen-specific immunotherapy involves the delivery of self-antigens as proteins or peptides (or using nucleic acids encoding them) to reestablish tolerance. The Endotope platform supports the optimal presentation of endogenously expressed epitopes on appropriate major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I and II molecules. Using specific epitopes that are disease-relevant (including neoepitopes and mimotopes) and restricted to the subject’s MHC haplotypes provides a more focused and tailored way of targeting autoreactive T cells. We evaluated the efficacy of an Endotope DNA vaccine tailored to the nonobese diabetic (NOD) mouse in parallel to one expressing the Proinsulin protein, a central autoantigen in NOD mice, and assessed the influence of several parameters (e.g., route, dosing frequency, disease stage) on diabetes prevention. Secretion of encoded peptides and intradermal delivery of DNA offered more effective disease prevention. Long-term weekly treatments were needed to achieve protection that can persist after discontinuation, likely mediated by regulatory T cells induced by at least one epitope. Although epitopes were presented for at least 2 wk, weekly treatments were needed, at least initially, to achieve significant protection. While Endotope and Proinsulin DNA vaccines were effective at both the prediabetic normoglycemic and dysglycemic stages of disease, Proinsulin provided better protection in the latter stage, particularly in animals with slower progression of disease, and Endotope limited insulitis the most in the earlier stage. Thus, our data support the possibility of applying a precision medicine approach based on tailored epitopes for the treatment of tissue-specific autoimmune diseases with DNA vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorge Postigo-Fernandez
- Columbia Center for Translational Immunology, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032
- Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032
| | - Rebuma Firdessa-Fite
- Columbia Center for Translational Immunology, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032
- Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032
| | - Rémi J. Creusot
- Columbia Center for Translational Immunology, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032
- Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032
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18
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Designing Personalized Antigen-Specific Immunotherapies for Autoimmune Diseases-The Case for Using Ignored Target Cell Antigen Determinants. Cells 2022; 11:cells11071081. [PMID: 35406645 PMCID: PMC8997884 DOI: 10.3390/cells11071081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2022] [Revised: 03/17/2022] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
We have proposed that antigen-specific immunotherapies (ASIs) for autoimmune diseases could be enhanced by administering target cell antigen epitopes (determinants) that are immunogenic but ignored by autoreactive T cells because these determinants may have large pools of naïve cognate T cells available for priming towards regulatory responses. Here, we identified an immunogenic preproinsulin determinant (PPIL4-20) that was ignored by autoimmune responses in type 1 diabetes (T1D)-prone NOD mice. The size of the PPIL4-20-specific splenic naive T cell pool gradually increased from 2–12 weeks in age and remained stable thereafter, while that of the major target determinant insulin B-chain9-23 decreased greatly after 12 weeks in age, presumably due to recruitment into the autoimmune response. In 15–16 week old mice, insulin B-chain9-23/alum immunization induced modest-low level of splenic T cell IL-10 and IL-4 responses, little or no spreading of these responses, and boosted IFNγ responses to itself and other autoantigens. In contrast, PPIL4-20/alum treatment induced robust IL-10 and IL-4 responses, which spread to other autoantigens and increased the frequency of splenic IL-10-secreting Treg and Tr-1-like cells, without boosting IFNγ responses to ß-cell autoantigens. In newly diabetic NOD mice, PPIL4-20, but not insulin B-chain9-23 administered intraperitoneally (with alum) or intradermally (as soluble antigen) supplemented with oral GABA induced long-term disease remission. We discuss the potential of personalized ASIs that are based on an individual’s naïve autoantigen-reactive T cell pools and the use of HLA-appropriate ignored autoantigen determinants to safely enhance the efficacy of ASIs.
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19
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Jamison BL, DiLisio JE, Beard KS, Neef T, Bradley B, Goodman J, Gill RG, Miller SD, Baker RL, Haskins K. Tolerogenic Delivery of a Hybrid Insulin Peptide Markedly Prolongs Islet Graft Survival in the NOD Mouse. Diabetes 2022; 71:483-496. [PMID: 35007324 PMCID: PMC8893950 DOI: 10.2337/db20-1170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2020] [Accepted: 12/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
The induction of antigen (Ag)-specific tolerance and replacement of islet β-cells are major ongoing goals for the treatment of type 1 diabetes (T1D). Our group previously showed that a hybrid insulin peptide (2.5HIP) is a critical autoantigen for diabetogenic CD4+ T cells in the NOD mouse model. In this study, we investigated whether induction of Ag-specific tolerance using 2.5HIP-coupled tolerogenic nanoparticles (NPs) could protect diabetic NOD mice from disease recurrence upon syngeneic islet transplantation. Islet graft survival was significantly prolonged in mice treated with 2.5HIP NPs, but not NPs containing the insulin B chain peptide 9-23. Protection in 2.5HIP NP-treated mice was attributed both to the simultaneous induction of anergy in 2.5HIP-specific effector T cells and the expansion of Foxp3+ regulatory T cells specific for the same Ag. Notably, our results indicate that effector function of graft-infiltrating CD4+ and CD8+ T cells specific for other β-cell epitopes was significantly impaired, suggesting a novel mechanism of therapeutically induced linked suppression. This work establishes that tolerance induction with an HIP can delay recurrent autoimmunity in NOD mice, which could inform the development of an Ag-specific therapy for T1D.
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Affiliation(s)
- Braxton L. Jamison
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO
| | - James E. DiLisio
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO
| | | | - Tobias Neef
- Department of Microbiology-Immunology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL
| | - Brenda Bradley
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO
| | - Jessica Goodman
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO
| | - Ronald G. Gill
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO
- Department of Surgery, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO
| | - Stephen D. Miller
- Department of Microbiology-Immunology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL
| | - Rocky L. Baker
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO
| | - Kathryn Haskins
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO
- Corresponding author: Kathryn Haskins,
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20
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Reed B, Crawford F, Hill RC, Jin N, White J, Krovi SH, Marrack P, Hansen K, Kappler JW. Lysosomal cathepsin creates chimeric epitopes for diabetogenic CD4 T cells via transpeptidation. J Exp Med 2021; 218:211485. [PMID: 33095259 PMCID: PMC7590512 DOI: 10.1084/jem.20192135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2019] [Revised: 08/06/2020] [Accepted: 09/10/2020] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The identification of the peptide epitopes presented by major histocompatibility complex class II (MHCII) molecules that drive the CD4 T cell component of autoimmune diseases has presented a formidable challenge over several decades. In type 1 diabetes (T1D), recent insight into this problem has come from the realization that several of the important epitopes are not directly processed from a protein source, but rather pieced together by fusion of different peptide fragments of secretory granule proteins to create new chimeric epitopes. We have proposed that this fusion is performed by a reverse proteolysis reaction called transpeptidation, occurring during the catabolic turnover of pancreatic proteins when secretory granules fuse with lysosomes (crinophagy). Here, we demonstrate several highly antigenic chimeric epitopes for diabetogenic CD4 T cells that are produced by digestion of the appropriate inactive fragments of the granule proteins with the lysosomal protease cathepsin L (Cat-L). This pathway has implications for how self-tolerance can be broken peripherally in T1D and other autoimmune diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brendan Reed
- Department of Biomedical Research, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO.,Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Anschutz Medical Campus, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO.,Research Division, Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes, Anschutz Medical Campus, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO
| | - Frances Crawford
- Department of Biomedical Research, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO
| | - Ryan C Hill
- Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Anschutz Medical Campus, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO
| | - Niyun Jin
- Department of Biomedical Research, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO.,Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Anschutz Medical Campus, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO.,Research Division, Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes, Anschutz Medical Campus, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO
| | - Janice White
- Department of Biomedical Research, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO
| | - S Harsha Krovi
- Department of Biomedical Research, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO.,Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Anschutz Medical Campus, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO
| | - Philippa Marrack
- Department of Biomedical Research, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO.,Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Anschutz Medical Campus, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO.,Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Anschutz Medical Campus, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO
| | - Kirk Hansen
- Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Anschutz Medical Campus, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO
| | - John W Kappler
- Department of Biomedical Research, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO.,Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Anschutz Medical Campus, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO.,Research Division, Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes, Anschutz Medical Campus, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO.,Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Anschutz Medical Campus, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO
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21
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Reed BK, Kappler JW. Hidden in Plain View: Discovery of Chimeric Diabetogenic CD4 T Cell Neo-Epitopes. Front Immunol 2021; 12:669986. [PMID: 33986758 PMCID: PMC8111216 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.669986] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2021] [Accepted: 04/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The T cell antigens driving autoimmune Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) have been pursued for more than three decades. When diabetogenic CD4 T cell clones and their relevant MHCII antigen presenting alleles were first identified in rodents and humans, the path to discovering the peptide epitopes within pancreatic beta cell proteins seemed straightforward. However, as experimental results accumulated, definitive data were often absent or controversial. Work within the last decade has helped to clear up some of the controversy by demonstrating that a number of the important MHCII presented epitopes are not encoded in the natural beta cell proteins, but in fact are fusions between peptide fragments derived from the same or different proteins. Recently, the mechanism for generating these MHCII diabetogenic chimeric epitopes has been attributed to a form of reverse proteolysis, called transpeptidation, a process that has been well-documented in the production of MHCI presented epitopes. In this mini-review we summarize these data and their implications for T1D and other autoimmune responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brendan K Reed
- Research Division, Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO, United States.,Department of Immunology and Genomic Medicine, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO, United States.,Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO, United States
| | - John W Kappler
- Research Division, Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO, United States.,Department of Immunology and Genomic Medicine, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO, United States.,Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO, United States.,Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO, United States
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22
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Jhala G, Selck C, Chee J, Kwong CTJ, Pappas EG, Thomas HE, Kay TWH, Krishnamurthy B. Tolerance to Proinsulin-1 Reduces Autoimmune Diabetes in NOD Mice. Front Immunol 2021; 12:645817. [PMID: 33841427 PMCID: PMC8027244 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.645817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2020] [Accepted: 03/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
T-cell responses to insulin and its precursor proinsulin are central to islet autoimmunity in humans and non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice that spontaneously develop autoimmune diabetes. Mice have two proinsulin genes proinsulin -1 and 2 that are differentially expressed, with predominant proinsulin-2 expression in the thymus and proinsulin-1 in islet beta-cells. In contrast to proinsulin-2, proinsulin-1 knockout NOD mice are protected from autoimmune diabetes. This indicates that proinsulin-1 epitopes in beta-cells maybe preferentially targeted by autoreactive T cells. To study the contribution of proinsulin-1 reactive T cells in autoimmune diabetes, we generated transgenic NOD mice with tetracycline-regulated expression of proinsulin-1 in antigen presenting cells (TIP-1 mice) with an aim to induce immune tolerance. TIP-1 mice displayed a significantly reduced incidence of spontaneous diabetes, which was associated with reduced severity of insulitis and insulin autoantibody development. Antigen experienced proinsulin specific T cells were significantly reduced in in TIP-1 mice indicating immune tolerance. Moreover, T cells from TIP-1 mice expressing proinsulin-1 transferred diabetes at a significantly reduced frequency. However, proinsulin-1 expression in APCs had minimal impact on the immune responses to the downstream antigen islet-specific glucose-6-phosphatase catalytic subunit-related protein (IGRP) and did not prevent diabetes in NOD 8.3 mice with a pre-existing repertoire of IGRP reactive T cells. Thus, boosting immune tolerance to proinsulin-1 partially prevents islet-autoimmunity. This study further extends the previously established role of proinsulin-1 epitopes in autoimmune diabetes in NOD mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaurang Jhala
- St. Vincent's Institute, Fitzroy, VIC, Australia.,Department of Medicine, The University of Melbourne, St Vincent's Hospital, Fitzroy, VIC, Australia
| | | | - Jonathan Chee
- National Centre for Asbestos Related Diseases, Institute of Respiratory Health, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia.,School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
| | | | | | - Helen E Thomas
- St. Vincent's Institute, Fitzroy, VIC, Australia.,Department of Medicine, The University of Melbourne, St Vincent's Hospital, Fitzroy, VIC, Australia
| | - Thomas W H Kay
- St. Vincent's Institute, Fitzroy, VIC, Australia.,Department of Medicine, The University of Melbourne, St Vincent's Hospital, Fitzroy, VIC, Australia
| | - Balasubramanian Krishnamurthy
- St. Vincent's Institute, Fitzroy, VIC, Australia.,Department of Medicine, The University of Melbourne, St Vincent's Hospital, Fitzroy, VIC, Australia
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23
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Cepeda JR, Sekhar NS, Han J, Xiong W, Zhang N, Yu L, Dai S, Davidson HW, Kappler JW, An Z, Zhang L. A monoclonal antibody with broad specificity for the ligands of insulin B:9-23 reactive T cells prevents spontaneous type 1 diabetes in mice. MAbs 2020; 12:1836714. [PMID: 33151102 PMCID: PMC7668530 DOI: 10.1080/19420862.2020.1836714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Activation of T cells specific for insulin B chain amino acids 9 to 23 (B:9–23) is essential for the initiation of type 1 diabetes (T1D) in non-obese diabetic mice. We previously reported that peptide/MHC complexes containing optimized B:9–23 mimotopes can activate most insulin-reactive pathogenic T cells. A monoclonal antibody (mAb287) targeting these complexes prevented disease in 30–50% of treated animals (compared to 10% of animals given an isotype control). The incomplete protection is likely due to the relatively low affinity of the antibody for its ligand and limited specificity. Here, we report an enhanced reagent, mAb757, with improved specificity, affinity, and efficacy in modulating T1D. Importantly, mAb757 bound with nanomolar affinity to agonists of both “type A” and “type B” cells and suppressed “type B” cells more efficiently than mAb287. When given weekly starting at 4 weeks of age, mAb757 protected ~70% of treated mice from developing T1D for at least 35 weeks, while mAb287 only delayed disease in 25% of animals under the same conditions. Consistent with its higher affinity, mAb757 was also able to stain antigen-presenting cells loaded with B:9–23 mimotopes in vivo. We conclude that monoclonal antibodies that can block the presentation of pathogenic T cell receptor epitopes are viable candidates for antigen-specific immunotherapy for T1D.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph Ray Cepeda
- Department of Medicine, Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism, Baylor College of Medicine , Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Nitin S Sekhar
- Department of Medicine, Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism, Baylor College of Medicine , Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Junying Han
- Department of Medicine, Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism, Baylor College of Medicine , Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Wei Xiong
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center , Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Ningyan Zhang
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center , Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Liping Yu
- Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, University of Colorado Denver , Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Shaodong Dai
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Denver , Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Howard W Davidson
- Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, University of Colorado Denver , Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - John W Kappler
- Department of Biomedical Research, National Jewish Health , Denver, Colorado, USA
| | - Zhiqiang An
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center , Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Li Zhang
- Department of Medicine, Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism, Baylor College of Medicine , Houston, Texas, USA
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24
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Ahmed R, Omidian Z, Giwa A, Cornwell B, Majety N, Bell DR, Lee S, Zhang H, Michels A, Desiderio S, Sadegh-Nasseri S, Rabb H, Gritsch S, Suva ML, Cahan P, Zhou R, Jie C, Donner T, Hamad ARA. A Public BCR Present in a Unique Dual-Receptor-Expressing Lymphocyte from Type 1 Diabetes Patients Encodes a Potent T Cell Autoantigen. Cell 2020; 177:1583-1599.e16. [PMID: 31150624 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2019.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2018] [Revised: 12/10/2018] [Accepted: 05/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
T and B cells are the two known lineages of adaptive immune cells. Here, we describe a previously unknown lymphocyte that is a dual expresser (DE) of TCR and BCR and key lineage markers of both B and T cells. In type 1 diabetes (T1D), DEs are predominated by one clonotype that encodes a potent CD4 T cell autoantigen in its antigen binding site. Molecular dynamics simulations revealed that this peptide has an optimal binding register for diabetogenic HLA-DQ8. In concordance, a synthetic version of the peptide forms stable DQ8 complexes and potently stimulates autoreactive CD4 T cells from T1D patients, but not healthy controls. Moreover, mAbs bearing this clonotype are autoreactive against CD4 T cells and inhibit insulin tetramer binding to CD4 T cells. Thus, compartmentalization of adaptive immune cells into T and B cells is not absolute, and violators of this paradigm are likely key drivers of autoimmune diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rizwan Ahmed
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Zahra Omidian
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Adebola Giwa
- Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Benjamin Cornwell
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Neha Majety
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - David R Bell
- Computational Biology Center, IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights, NY 10598, USA
| | - Sangyun Lee
- Computational Biology Center, IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights, NY 10598, USA
| | - Hao Zhang
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Aaron Michels
- Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Stephen Desiderio
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics and Institute for Cell Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | | | - Hamid Rabb
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Simon Gritsch
- Department of Pathology and Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | - Mario L Suva
- Department of Pathology and Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02114, USA; Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Patrick Cahan
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics and Institute for Cell Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Ruhong Zhou
- Computational Biology Center, IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights, NY 10598, USA; Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA.
| | - Chunfa Jie
- Department of Biochemistry and Nutrition, Des Moines University, Des Moines, IA 50312, USA
| | - Thomas Donner
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Abdel Rahim A Hamad
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
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25
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Bettini M, Scavuzzo MA, Liu B, Kolawole E, Guo L, Evavold BD, Borowiak M, Bettini ML. A Critical Insulin TCR Contact Residue Selects High-Affinity and Pathogenic Insulin-Specific T Cells. Diabetes 2020; 69:392-400. [PMID: 31836691 PMCID: PMC7034183 DOI: 10.2337/db19-0821] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2019] [Accepted: 12/08/2019] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune-mediated disease that culminates in the targeted destruction of insulin-producing β-cells. CD4 responses in NOD mice are dominated by insulin epitope B:9-23 (InsB9-23) specificity, and mutation of the key T-cell receptor (TCR) contact residue within the epitope prevents diabetes development. However, it is not clear how insulin self-antigen controls the selection of autoimmune and regulatory T cells (Tregs). Here we demonstrate that mutation of insulin epitope results in escape of highly pathogenic T cells. We observe an increase in antigen reactivity, clonality, and pathogenicity of insulin-specific T cells that develop in the absence of cognate antigen. Using a single TCR system, we demonstrate that Treg development is greatly diminished in mice with the Y16A mutant epitope. Collectively, these results suggest that the tyrosine residue at position 16 is necessary to constrain TCR reactivity for InsB9-23 by both limiting the development of pathogenic T cells and supporting the selection of Tregs.
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MESH Headings
- Adoptive Transfer
- Animals
- Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental/genetics
- Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental/immunology
- Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1/genetics
- Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1/immunology
- Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte/genetics
- Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte/immunology
- Forkhead Transcription Factors/metabolism
- Insulin/genetics
- Insulin/immunology
- Mice
- Mice, Inbred NOD
- Mutation
- Peptide Fragments/genetics
- Peptide Fragments/immunology
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/genetics
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/immunology
- T-Lymphocytes/immunology
- T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory/immunology
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Bettini
- Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
- McNair Medical Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
| | - Marissa A Scavuzzo
- Program in Developmental Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
| | - Baoyu Liu
- Division of Microbiology and Immunology, Department of Pathology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
| | - Elizabeth Kolawole
- Division of Microbiology and Immunology, Department of Pathology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
| | - Lin Guo
- Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
| | - Brian D Evavold
- Division of Microbiology and Immunology, Department of Pathology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
| | - Malgorzata Borowiak
- McNair Medical Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
- Program in Developmental Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
| | - Matthew L Bettini
- Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
- McNair Medical Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
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26
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Liu B, Hood JD, Kolawole EM, Woodruff DM, Vignali DA, Bettini M, Evavold BD. A Hybrid Insulin Epitope Maintains High 2D Affinity for Diabetogenic T Cells in the Periphery. Diabetes 2020; 69:381-391. [PMID: 31806623 PMCID: PMC7034185 DOI: 10.2337/db19-0399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2019] [Accepted: 11/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
β-Cell antigen recognition by autoreactive T cells is essential in type 1 diabetes (T1D) pathogenesis. Recently, insulin hybrid peptides (HIPs) were identified as strong agonists for CD4 diabetogenic T cells. Here, using BDC2.5 transgenic and NOD mice, we investigated T-cell recognition of the HIP2.5 epitope, which is a fusion of insulin C-peptide and chromogranin A (ChgA) fragments, and compared it with the WE14 and ChgA29 -42 epitopes. We measured in situ two-dimensional affinity on individual live T cells from thymus, spleen, pancreatic lymph nodes, and islets before and after diabetes. Although preselection BDC2.5 thymocytes possess higher affinity than splenic BDC2.5 T cells for all three epitopes, peripheral splenic T cells maintained high affinity only to the HIP2.5 epitope. In polyclonal NOD mice, a high frequency (∼40%) of HIP2.5-specific islet T cells were identified at both prediabetic and diabetic stages comprising two distinct high- and low-affinity populations that differed in affinity by 100-fold. This high frequency of high- and low-affinity HIP2.5 T cells in the islets potentially represents a major risk factor in diabetes pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baoyu Liu
- Division of Microbiology and Immunology, Department of Pathology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
| | - Jennifer D Hood
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA
| | - Elizabeth M Kolawole
- Division of Microbiology and Immunology, Department of Pathology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
| | | | - Dario A Vignali
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Maria Bettini
- Department of Pediatric Diabetes and Endocrinology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
| | - Brian D Evavold
- Division of Microbiology and Immunology, Department of Pathology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
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27
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Manoylov IK, Boneva GV, Doytchinova IA, Mihaylova NM, Tchorbanov AI. Suppression of Disease-Associated B Lymphocytes by GAD65 Epitope-Carrying Protein-Engineered Molecules in a Streptozotocin-Induced Mouse Model of Diabetes. Monoclon Antib Immunodiagn Immunother 2020; 38:201-208. [PMID: 31603741 DOI: 10.1089/mab.2019.0030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Type 1 diabetes mellitus is an autoimmune syndrome defined by the presence of autoreactive T and B cells, which results in destruction of insulin-producing beta cells. Autoantibodies against GAD65 (glutamic acid decarboxylase 65)-a membrane-bound enzyme on pancreatic beta cells, contribute to beta cells' destruction and the loss of pancreatic functions. Mouse FcγRIIb on B lymphocytes possesses an inhibitory effect on the activity of these cells. We hypothesized that it may be possible to suppress GAD65-specific B cells in mice with diabetes using chimeric molecules, containing an anti-FcγRIIb antibody, coupled to peptide B/T epitopes derived from the GAD65 protein. With these engineered chimeras, we expect to selectively co-cross-link the anti-GAD65-specific B cell receptor (BCR) and FcγRIIb, thus delivering a suppressive signal to the targeted B cells. An anti-FcγRIIb monoclonal antibody and two synthetic peptide epitopes derived from the GAD65 molecule were used for chimeras' construction. The suppressive activity of the engineered molecules was tested in vivo in mice with streptozotocin (STZ)-induced type 1 diabetes. These chimeric molecules exclusively bind disease-associated B cells by recognizing their GAD65-specific BCR and selectively deliver a strong inhibitory signal through their surface FcγRIIb receptors. A reduction in the number of anti-GAD65 IgG antibody-secreting plasmocytes and an increased percentage of apoptotic B lymphocytes were observed after treatment with protein-engineered antibodies of mice with STZ-induced type 1 diabetes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iliyan Konstantinov Manoylov
- Laboratory of Experimental Immunology, Stefan Angelov Institute of Microbiology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Gabriela Valentinova Boneva
- Laboratory of Experimental Immunology, Stefan Angelov Institute of Microbiology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | | | - Nikolina Mihaylova Mihaylova
- Laboratory of Experimental Immunology, Stefan Angelov Institute of Microbiology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Andrey Ivanov Tchorbanov
- Laboratory of Experimental Immunology, Stefan Angelov Institute of Microbiology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria.,National Institute of Immunology, Sofia, Bulgaria
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28
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Abstract
T cells recognize and respond to self antigens in both cancer and autoimmunity. One strategy to influence this response is to incorporate amino acid substitutions into these T cell-specific epitopes. This strategy is being reconsidered now with the goal of increasing time to regression with checkpoint blockade therapies in cancer and antigen-specific immunotherapies in autoimmunity. We discuss how these amino acid substitutions change the interactions with the MHC class I or II molecule and the responding T cell repertoire. Amino acid substitutions in epitopes that are the most effective in therapies bind more strongly to T cell receptor and/or MHC molecules and cross-react with the same repertoire of T cells as the natural antigen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jill E Slansky
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, 12800 E. 19thAvenue, Aurora, CO 80045, USA.
| | - Maki Nakayama
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, 12800 E. 19thAvenue, Aurora, CO 80045, USA; Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, University of Colorado School of Medicine, 1775 Aurora Court, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
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29
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Holohan DR, Van Gool F, Bluestone JA. Thymically-derived Foxp3+ regulatory T cells are the primary regulators of type 1 diabetes in the non-obese diabetic mouse model. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0217728. [PMID: 31647813 PMCID: PMC6812862 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0217728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2019] [Accepted: 10/03/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are an immunosuppressive population that are identified based on the stable expression of the fate-determining transcription factor forkhead box P3 (Foxp3). Tregs can be divided into distinct subsets based on whether they developed in the thymus (tTregs) or in the periphery (pTregs). Whether there are unique functional roles that distinguish pTregs and tTregs remains largely unclear. To elucidate these functions, efforts have been made to specifically identify and modify individual Treg subsets. Deletion of the conserved non-coding sequence (CNS)1 in the Foxp3 locus leads to selective impairment of pTreg generation without disrupting tTreg generation in the C57BL/6J background. Using CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing technology, we removed the Foxp3 CNS1 region in the non-obese diabetic (NOD) mouse model of spontaneous type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D) to determine if pTregs contribute to autoimmune regulation. Deletion of CNS1 impaired in vitro induction of Foxp3 in naïve NOD CD4+ T cells, but it did not alter Tregs in most lymphoid and non-lymphoid tissues analyzed except for the large intestine lamina propria, where a small but significant decrease in RORγt+ Tregs and corresponding increase in Helios+ Tregs was observed in NOD CNS1-/- mice. CNS1 deletion also did not alter the development of T1D or glucose tolerance despite increased pancreatic insulitis in pre-diabetic female NOD CNS1-/- mice. Furthermore, the proportions of autoreactive Tregs and conventional T cells (Tconvs) within pancreatic islets were unchanged. These results suggest that pTregs dependent on the Foxp3 CNS1 region are not the dominant regulatory population controlling T1D in the NOD mouse model.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes/immunology
- CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes/metabolism
- DNA-Binding Proteins/genetics
- DNA-Binding Proteins/immunology
- DNA-Binding Proteins/metabolism
- Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1/genetics
- Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1/immunology
- Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1/metabolism
- Disease Models, Animal
- Female
- Forkhead Transcription Factors/genetics
- Forkhead Transcription Factors/immunology
- Forkhead Transcription Factors/metabolism
- Male
- Mice
- Mice, Inbred C57BL
- Mice, Inbred NOD
- Mice, Knockout
- Nuclear Receptor Subfamily 1, Group F, Member 3/genetics
- Nuclear Receptor Subfamily 1, Group F, Member 3/immunology
- Nuclear Receptor Subfamily 1, Group F, Member 3/metabolism
- T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory/immunology
- T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory/metabolism
- Thymus Gland/cytology
- Thymus Gland/immunology
- Thymus Gland/metabolism
- Transcription Factors/genetics
- Transcription Factors/immunology
- Transcription Factors/metabolism
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel R. Holohan
- Diabetes Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States of America
- Sean N. Parker Autoimmune Research Laboratory, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States of America
| | - Frédéric Van Gool
- Diabetes Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States of America
- Sean N. Parker Autoimmune Research Laboratory, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States of America
| | - Jeffrey A. Bluestone
- Diabetes Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States of America
- Sean N. Parker Autoimmune Research Laboratory, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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30
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Gioia L, Holt M, Costanzo A, Sharma S, Abe B, Kain L, Nakayama M, Wan X, Su A, Mathews C, Chen YG, Unanue E, Teyton L. Position β57 of I-A g7 controls early anti-insulin responses in NOD mice, linking an MHC susceptibility allele to type 1 diabetes onset. Sci Immunol 2019; 4:eaaw6329. [PMID: 31471352 PMCID: PMC6816460 DOI: 10.1126/sciimmunol.aaw6329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2019] [Accepted: 08/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The class II region of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) locus is the main contributor to the genetic susceptibility to type 1 diabetes (T1D). The loss of an aspartic acid at position 57 of diabetogenic HLA-DQβ chains supports this association; this single amino acid change influences how TCRs recognize peptides in the context of HLA-DQ8 and I-Ag7 using a mechanism termed the P9 switch. Here, we built register-specific insulin peptide MHC tetramers to examine CD4+ T cell responses to Ins12-20 and Ins13-21 peptides during the early prediabetic phase of disease in nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice. A single-cell analysis of anti-insulin CD4+ T cells performed in 6- and 12-week-old NOD mice revealed tissue-specific gene expression signatures. TCR signaling and clonal expansion were found only in the islets of Langerhans and produced either classical TH1 differentiation or an unusual Treg phenotype, independent of TCR usage. The early phase of the anti-insulin response was dominated by T cells specific for Ins12-20, the register that supports a P9 switch mode of recognition. The presence of the P9 switch was demonstrated by TCR sequencing, reexpression, mutagenesis, and functional testing of TCRαβ pairs in vitro. Genetic correction of the I-Aβ57 mutation in NOD mice resulted in the disappearance of D/E residues in the CDR3β of anti-Ins12-20 T cells. These results provide a mechanistic molecular explanation that links the characteristic MHC class II polymorphism of T1D with the recognition of islet autoantigens and disease onset.
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Affiliation(s)
- Louis Gioia
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Marie Holt
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Anne Costanzo
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Siddhartha Sharma
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Brian Abe
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Lisa Kain
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Maki Nakayama
- Department of Pediatrics and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Denver, CO 80045, USA
| | - Xiaoxiao Wan
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Andrew Su
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Clayton Mathews
- Department of Pediatrics, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA
| | - Yi-Guang Chen
- University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Emil Unanue
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Luc Teyton
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
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Peters L, Posgai A, Brusko TM. Islet-immune interactions in type 1 diabetes: the nexus of beta cell destruction. Clin Exp Immunol 2019; 198:326-340. [PMID: 31309537 DOI: 10.1111/cei.13349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent studies in Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) support an emerging model of disease pathogenesis that involves intrinsic β-cell fragility combined with defects in both innate and adaptive immune cell regulation. This combination of defects induces systematic changes leading to organ-level atrophy and dysfunction of both the endocrine and exocrine portions of the pancreas, ultimately culminating in insulin deficiency and β-cell destruction. In this review, we discuss the animal model data and human tissue studies that have informed our current understanding of the cross-talk that occurs between β-cells, the resident stroma, and immune cells that potentiate T1D. Specifically, we will review the cellular and molecular signatures emerging from studies on tissues derived from organ procurement programs, focusing on in situ defects occurring within the T1D islet microenvironment, many of which are not yet detectable by standard peripheral blood biomarkers. In addition to improved access to organ donor tissues, various methodological advances, including immune receptor repertoire sequencing and single-cell molecular profiling, are poised to improve our understanding of antigen-specific autoimmunity during disease development. Collectively, the knowledge gains from these studies at the islet-immune interface are enhancing our understanding of T1D heterogeneity, likely to be an essential component for instructing future efforts to develop targeted interventions to restore immune tolerance and preserve β-cell mass and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Peters
- Department of Pathology, Immunology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Florida Diabetes Institute, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - A Posgai
- Department of Pathology, Immunology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Florida Diabetes Institute, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - T M Brusko
- Department of Pathology, Immunology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Florida Diabetes Institute, Gainesville, FL, USA
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Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Theories about the pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes (T1D) refer to the potential of primary islet inflammatory signaling as a trigger for the loss of self-tolerance leading to disease onset. Emerging evidence suggests that extracellular vesicles (EV) may represent the missing link between inflammation and autoimmunity. Here, we review the evidence for a role of EV in the pathogenesis of T1D, as well as discuss their potential value in the clinical sphere, as biomarkers and therapeutic agents. RECENT FINDINGS EV derived from β cells are enriched in diabetogenic autoantigens and miRNAs that are selectively sorted and packaged. These EV play a pivotal role in antigen presentation and cell to cell communication leading to activation of autoimmune responses. Furthermore, recent evidence suggests the potential of EV as novel tools in clinical diagnostics and therapeutic interventions. In-depth analysis of EV cargo using modern multi-parametric technologies may be useful in enhancing our understanding of EV-mediated immune mechanisms and in identifying robust biomarkers and therapeutic strategies for T1D.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarita Negi
- Human Islet Transplant Laboratory, Department of Surgery, D5.5736, Royal Victoria Hospital, McGill University Health Centre, 1001 Boulevard Décarie, Montréal, QC, H4A 3J1, Canada
- Canadian Donation and Transplantation Research Program, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2E1, Canada
| | - Alissa K Rutman
- Human Islet Transplant Laboratory, Department of Surgery, D5.5736, Royal Victoria Hospital, McGill University Health Centre, 1001 Boulevard Décarie, Montréal, QC, H4A 3J1, Canada
- Canadian Donation and Transplantation Research Program, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2E1, Canada
| | - Steven Paraskevas
- Human Islet Transplant Laboratory, Department of Surgery, D5.5736, Royal Victoria Hospital, McGill University Health Centre, 1001 Boulevard Décarie, Montréal, QC, H4A 3J1, Canada.
- Canadian Donation and Transplantation Research Program, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2E1, Canada.
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Martinov T, Swanson LA, Breed ER, Tucker CG, Dwyer AJ, Johnson JK, Mitchell JS, Sahli NL, Wilson JC, Singh LM, Hogquist KA, Spanier JA, Fife BT. Programmed Death-1 Restrains the Germinal Center in Type 1 Diabetes. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2019; 203:844-852. [PMID: 31324724 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1801535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2018] [Accepted: 06/18/2019] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Programmed death-1 (PD-1) inhibits T and B cell function upon ligand binding. PD-1 blockade revolutionized cancer treatment, and although numerous patients respond, some develop autoimmune-like symptoms or overt autoimmunity characterized by autoantibody production. PD-1 inhibition accelerates autoimmunity in mice, but its role in regulating germinal centers (GC) is controversial. To address the role of PD-1 in the GC reaction in type 1 diabetes, we used tetramers to phenotype insulin-specific CD4+ T and B cells in NOD mice. PD-1 or PD-L1 deficiency, and PD-1 but not PD-L2 blockade, unleashed insulin-specific T follicular helper CD4+ T cells and enhanced their survival. This was concomitant with an increase in GC B cells and augmented insulin autoantibody production. The effect of PD-1 blockade on the GC was reduced when mice were treated with a mAb targeting the insulin peptide:MHC class II complex. This work provides an explanation for autoimmune side effects following PD-1 pathway inhibition and suggests that targeting the self-peptide:MHC class II complex might limit autoimmunity arising from checkpoint blockade.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tijana Martinov
- Department of Medicine, Center for Immunology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN 55455; and
| | - Linnea A Swanson
- Department of Medicine, Center for Immunology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN 55455; and
| | - Elise R Breed
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Center for Immunology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN 55455
| | - Christopher G Tucker
- Department of Medicine, Center for Immunology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN 55455; and
| | - Alexander J Dwyer
- Department of Medicine, Center for Immunology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN 55455; and
| | - Jenna K Johnson
- Department of Medicine, Center for Immunology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN 55455; and
| | - Jason S Mitchell
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Center for Immunology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN 55455
| | - Nathanael L Sahli
- Department of Medicine, Center for Immunology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN 55455; and
| | - Joseph C Wilson
- Department of Medicine, Center for Immunology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN 55455; and
| | - Lovejot M Singh
- Department of Medicine, Center for Immunology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN 55455; and
| | - Kristin A Hogquist
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Center for Immunology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN 55455
| | - Justin A Spanier
- Department of Medicine, Center for Immunology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN 55455; and
| | - Brian T Fife
- Department of Medicine, Center for Immunology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN 55455; and
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Schloss J, Ali R, Babad J, Guerrero-Ros I, Pongsachai J, He LZ, Keler T, DiLorenzo TP. Development and Characterization of a Preclinical Model for the Evaluation of CD205-Mediated Antigen Delivery Therapeutics in Type 1 Diabetes. Immunohorizons 2019; 3:236-253. [PMID: 31356169 DOI: 10.4049/immunohorizons.1900014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2019] [Accepted: 06/07/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Dendritic cells (DCs) are crucial for the production of adaptive immune responses to disease-causing microbes. However, in the steady state (i.e., in the absence of an infection or when Ags are experimentally delivered without a DC-activating adjuvant), DCs present Ags to T cells in a tolerogenic manner and are important for the establishment of peripheral tolerance. Delivery of islet Ags to DCs using Ag-linked Abs to the DC endocytic receptor CD205 has shown promise in the NOD mouse model of type 1 diabetes (T1D). It is important to note, however, that all myeloid DCs express CD205 in humans, whereas in mice, only one of the classical DC subsets does (classical DC1; CD8α+ in spleen). Thus, the evaluation of CD205-targeted treatments in mice will likely not accurately predict the results observed in humans. To overcome this challenge, we have developed and characterized a novel NOD mouse model in which all myeloid DCs transgenically express human CD205 (hCD205). This NOD.hCD205 strain displays a similar T1D incidence profile to standard NOD mice. The presence of the transgene does not alter DC development, phenotype, or function. Importantly, the DCs are able to process and present Ags delivered via hCD205. Because Ags taken up via hCD205 can be presented on both class I and class II MHC, both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells can be modulated. As both T cell subsets are important for T1D pathogenesis, NOD.hCD205 mice represent a unique, patient-relevant tool for the development and optimization of DC-directed T1D therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Schloss
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461
| | - Riyasat Ali
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461
| | - Jeffrey Babad
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461
| | | | - Jillamika Pongsachai
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461
| | - Li-Zhen He
- Celldex Therapeutics Inc., Hampton, NJ 08827
| | - Tibor Keler
- Celldex Therapeutics Inc., Hampton, NJ 08827
| | - Teresa P DiLorenzo
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461; .,Division of Endocrinology, Department of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461.,Einstein-Mount Sinai Diabetes Research Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461; and.,The Fleischer Institute for Diabetes and Metabolism, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461
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35
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Purcell AW, Ramarathinam SH, Ternette N. Mass spectrometry-based identification of MHC-bound peptides for immunopeptidomics. Nat Protoc 2019; 14:1687-1707. [PMID: 31092913 DOI: 10.1038/s41596-019-0133-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 180] [Impact Index Per Article: 36.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2016] [Accepted: 01/08/2019] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Peptide antigens bound to molecules encoded by the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) and presented on the cell surface form the targets of T lymphocytes. This critical arm of the adaptive immune system facilitates the eradication of pathogen-infected and cancerous cells, as well as the production of antibodies. Methods to identify these peptide antigens are critical to the development of new vaccines, for which the goal is the generation of effective adaptive immune responses and long-lasting immune memory. Here, we describe a robust protocol for the identification of MHC-bound peptides from cell lines and tissues, using nano-ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry (nUPLC-MS/MS) and recent improvements in methods for isolation and characterization of these peptides. The protocol starts with the immunoaffinity capture of naturally processed MHC-peptide complexes. The peptides dissociate from the class I human leukocyte antigens (HLAs) upon acid denaturation. This peptide cargo is then extracted and separated into fractions by HPLC, and the peptides in these fractions are identified using nUPLC-MS/MS. With this protocol, several thousand peptides can be identified from a wide variety of cell types, including cancerous and infected cells and those from tissues, with a turnaround time of 2-3 d.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony W Purcell
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Infection and Immunity Program, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia.
| | - Sri H Ramarathinam
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Infection and Immunity Program, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Nicola Ternette
- The Jenner Institute, Mass Spectrometry Laboratory, Target Discovery Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
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36
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Manoylov IK, Boneva GV, Doytchinova IA, Mihaylova NM, Tchorbanov AI. Protein-engineered molecules carrying GAD65 epitopes and targeting CD35 selectively down-modulate disease-associated human B lymphocytes. Clin Exp Immunol 2019; 197:329-340. [PMID: 31009057 DOI: 10.1111/cei.13305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Type 1 diabetes mellitus is an autoimmune metabolic disorder characterized by chronic hyperglycemia, the presence of autoreactive T and B cells and autoantibodies against self-antigens. A membrane-bound enzyme on the pancreatic beta-cells, glutamic acid decarboxylase 65 (GAD65), is one of the main autoantigens in type 1 diabetes. Autoantibodies against GAD65 are potentially involved in beta-cell destruction and decline of pancreatic functions. The human complement receptor type 1 (CD35) on B and T lymphocytes has a suppressive activity on these cells. We hypothesized that it may be possible to eliminate GAD65-specific B cells from type 1 diabetes patients by using chimeric molecules, containing an anti-CD35 antibody, coupled to peptides resembling GAD65 B/T epitopes. These molecules are expected to selectively bind the anti-GAD65 specific B cells by the co-cross-linking of the immunoglobulin receptor and CD35 and to deliver a suppressive signal. Two synthetic peptides derived from GAD65 protein (GAD65 epitopes) and anti-CD35 monoclonal antibody were used for the construction of two chimeras. The immunomodulatory activity of the engineered antibodies was tested in vitro using peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from type 1 diabetes patients. A reduction in the number of anti-GAD65 IgG antibody-secreting plasma cells and increased percentage of apoptotic B lymphocytes was observed after treatment of these PBMCs with the engineered antibodies. The constructed chimeric molecules are able to selectively modulate the activity of GAD65-specific B lymphocytes and the production of anti-GAD65 IgG autoantibodies by co-cross-linking of the inhibitory CD35 and the B cell antigen receptor (BCR). This treatment presents a possible way to alter the autoimmune nature of these cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- I K Manoylov
- Laboratory of Experimental Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - G V Boneva
- Laboratory of Experimental Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - I A Doytchinova
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Sofia, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - N M Mihaylova
- Laboratory of Experimental Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - A I Tchorbanov
- Laboratory of Experimental Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria.,National Institute of Immunology, Sofia, Bulgaria
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37
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Wang Y, Sosinowski T, Novikov A, Crawford F, White J, Jin N, Liu Z, Zou J, Neau D, Davidson HW, Nakayama M, Kwok WW, Gapin L, Marrack P, Kappler JW, Dai S. How C-terminal additions to insulin B-chain fragments create superagonists for T cells in mouse and human type 1 diabetes. Sci Immunol 2019; 4:4/34/eaav7517. [PMID: 30952805 PMCID: PMC6929690 DOI: 10.1126/sciimmunol.aav7517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2018] [Revised: 01/04/2019] [Accepted: 02/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
In type 1 diabetes (T1D), proinsulin is a major autoantigen and the insulin B:9-23 peptide contains epitopes for CD4+ T cells in both mice and humans. This peptide requires carboxyl-terminal mutations for uniform binding in the proper position within the mouse IAg7 or human DQ8 major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II (MHCII) peptide grooves and for strong CD4+ T cell stimulation. Here, we present crystal structures showing how these mutations control CD4+ T cell receptor (TCR) binding to these MHCII-peptide complexes. Our data reveal stricking similarities between mouse and human CD4+ TCRs in their interactions with these ligands. We also show how fusions between fragments of B:9-23 and of proinsulin C-peptide create chimeric peptides with activities as strong or stronger than the mutated insulin peptides. We propose transpeptidation in the lysosome as a mechanism that could accomplish these fusions in vivo, similar to the creation of fused peptide epitopes for MHCI presentation shown to occur by transpeptidation in the proteasome. Were this mechanism limited to the pancreas and absent in the thymus, it could provide an explanation for how diabetogenic T cells escape negative selection during development but find their modified target antigens in the pancreas to cause T1D.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Wang
- Department of Biomedical Research, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO 80206, USA,Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045 USA
| | - Tomasz Sosinowski
- Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045 USA
| | - Andrey Novikov
- Department of Biomedical Research, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO 80206, USA
| | - Frances Crawford
- Department of Biomedical Research, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO 80206, USA
| | - Janice White
- Department of Biomedical Research, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO 80206, USA
| | - Niyun Jin
- Department of Biomedical Research, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO 80206, USA,Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045 USA
| | - Zikou Liu
- Department of Biomedical Research, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO 80206, USA
| | - Jinhao Zou
- Department of Biomedical Research, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO 80206, USA
| | - David Neau
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, NE-CAT, Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439, USA
| | - Howard W. Davidson
- Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045 USA,Department of Immunology and Microbiology, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045 USA
| | - Maki Nakayama
- Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045 USA,Department of Immunology and Microbiology, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045 USA
| | | | - Laurent Gapin
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045 USA
| | - Philippa Marrack
- Department of Biomedical Research, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO 80206, USA,Department of Immunology and Microbiology, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045 USA,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - John W. Kappler
- Department of Biomedical Research, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO 80206, USA,Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045 USA,Department of Immunology and Microbiology, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045 USA,Structural Biology and Biochemistry program, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA,* Corresponding authors
| | - Shaodong Dai
- Department of Biomedical Research, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO 80206, USA. .,Department of Immunology and Microbiology, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA.,Structural Biology and Biochemistry program, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
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38
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Transgenic substitution with Greater Amberjack Seriola dumerili fish insulin 2 in NOD mice reduces beta cell immunogenicity. Sci Rep 2019; 9:4965. [PMID: 30899071 PMCID: PMC6428854 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-40768-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2018] [Accepted: 02/14/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Type I diabetes (T1D) is caused by immune-mediated destruction of pancreatic beta cells. This process is triggered, in part, by specific (aa 9–23) epitopes of the insulin Β chain. Previously, fish insulins were used clinically in patients allergic to bovine or porcine insulin. Fish and human insulin differ by two amino acids in the critical immunogenic region (aa 9–23) of the B chain. We hypothesized that β cells synthesizing fish insulin would be less immunogenic in a mouse model of T1D. Transgenic NOD mice in which Greater Amberjack fish (Seriola dumerili) insulin was substituted for the insulin 2 gene were generated (mouse Ins1−/− mouse Ins2−/− fish Ins2+/+). In these mice, pancreatic islets remained free of autoimmune attack. To determine whether such reduction in immunogenicity is sufficient to protect β cells from autoimmunity upon transplantation, we transplanted fish Ins2 transgenic (expressing solely Seriola dumerili Ins2), NOD, or B16:A-dKO islets under the kidney capsules of 5 weeks old female NOD wildtype mice. The B:Y16A Β chain substitution has been previously shown to be protective of T1D in NOD mice. NOD mice receiving Seriola dumerili transgenic islet transplants showed a significant (p = 0.004) prolongation of their euglycemic period (by 6 weeks; up to 18 weeks of age) compared to un-manipulated female NOD (diabetes onset at 12 weeks of age) and those receiving B16:A-dKO islet transplants (diabetes onset at 12 weeks of age). These data support the concept that specific amino acid sequence modifications can reduce insulin immunogenicity. Additionally, our study shows that alteration of a single epitope is not sufficient to halt an ongoing autoimmune response. Which, and how many, T cell epitopes are required and suffice to perpetuate autoimmunity is currently unknown. Such studies may be useful to achieve host tolerance to β cells by inactivating key immunogenic epitopes of stem cell-derived β cells intended for transplantation.
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39
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Nakayama M, Michels AW. Determining Antigen Specificity of Human Islet Infiltrating T Cells in Type 1 Diabetes. Front Immunol 2019; 10:365. [PMID: 30906293 PMCID: PMC6418007 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.00365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2018] [Accepted: 02/13/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Type 1 diabetes, the immune mediated form of diabetes, represents a prototypical organ specific autoimmune disease in that insulin producing pancreatic islets are specifically targeted by T cells. The disease is now predictable in humans with the measurement of type 1 diabetes associated autoantibodies (islet autoantibodies) in the peripheral blood which are directed against insulin and beta cell proteins. With an increasing incidence of disease, especially in young children, large well-controlled clinical prevention trials using antigen specific immunotherapy have been completed but with limited clinical benefit. To improve outcomes, it is critical to understand the antigen and T cell receptor repertoires of those cells that infiltrate the target organ, pancreatic islets, in human type 1 diabetes. With international networks to identify organ donors with type 1 diabetes, improved immunosequencing platforms, and the ability to reconstitute T cell receptors of interest into immortalized cell lines allows antigen discovery efforts for rare tissue specific T cells. Here we review the disease pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes with a focus on human islet infiltrating T cell antigen discovery efforts, which provides necessary knowledge to define biomarkers of disease activity and improve antigen specific immunotherapy approaches for disease prevention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maki Nakayama
- Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, United States
| | - Aaron W Michels
- Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, United States
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40
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Vonberg AD, Acevedo-Calado M, Cox AR, Pietropaolo SL, Gianani R, Lundy SK, Pietropaolo M. CD19+IgM+ cells demonstrate enhanced therapeutic efficacy in type 1 diabetes mellitus. JCI Insight 2018; 3:99860. [PMID: 30518692 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.99860] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2018] [Accepted: 10/31/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
We describe a protective effect on autoimmune diabetes and reduced destructive insulitis in NOD.scid recipients following splenocyte injections from diabetic NOD donors and sorted CD19+ cells compared with NOD.scid recipients receiving splenocytes alone. This protective effect was age specific (only CD19+ cells from young NOD donors exerted this effect; P < 0.001). We found that the CD19+IgM+ cell is the primary subpopulation of B cells that delayed transfer of diabetes mediated by diabetogenic T cells from NOD mice (P = 0.002). Removal of IgM+ cells from the CD19+ pool did not result in protection. Notably, protection conferred by CD19+IgM+ cotransfers were not dependent on the presence of Tregs, as their depletion did not affect their ability to delay onset of diabetes. Blockade of IL-10 with neutralizing antibodies at the time of CD19+ cell cotransfers also abrogated the therapeutic effect, suggesting that IL-10 secretion was an important component of protection. These results were strengthened by ex vivo incubation of CD19+ cells with IL-5, resulting in enhanced proliferation and IL-10 production and equivalently delayed diabetes progression (P = 0.0005). The potential to expand CD19+IgM+ cells, especially in response to IL-5 stimulation or by pharmacologic agents, may be a new therapeutic option for type 1 diabetes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew D Vonberg
- Diabetes Research Center, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism Department of Medicine, and
| | - Maria Acevedo-Calado
- Diabetes Research Center, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism Department of Medicine, and
| | - Aaron R Cox
- Diabetes Research Center, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism Department of Medicine, and.,Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Susan L Pietropaolo
- Diabetes Research Center, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism Department of Medicine, and
| | - Roberto Gianani
- Diabetes Research Center, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism Department of Medicine, and
| | - Steven K Lundy
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Massimo Pietropaolo
- Diabetes Research Center, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism Department of Medicine, and
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41
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A multi-epitope DNA vaccine enables a broad engagement of diabetogenic T cells for tolerance in Type 1 diabetes. J Autoimmun 2018; 98:13-23. [PMID: 30454875 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaut.2018.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2018] [Revised: 11/08/2018] [Accepted: 11/12/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is caused by diabetogenic T cells that evaded tolerance mechanisms and react against multiple β-cell antigens. Antigen-specific therapy to reinstate tolerance (typically using a single β-cell antigen) has so far proved unsuccessful in T1D patients. Plasmid DNA (pDNA)-mediated expression of proinsulin has demonstrated transient protection in clinical trials, but long-lasting tolerance is yet to be achieved. We aimed to address whether pDNA delivery of multiple epitopes/mimotopes from several β-cell antigens efficiently presented to CD4+ and CD8+ T cells could also induce tolerance. This approach significantly delayed T1D development, while co-delivery of pDNA vectors expressing four full antigens protected more mice. Delivery of multiple epitopes resulted in a broad engagement of specific T cells, eliciting a response distinct from endogenous epitopes draining from islets. T-cell phenotypes also varied with antigen specificity. Unexpectedly, the repertoire of T cells reactive to the same epitope was highly polyclonal. Despite induction of some CD25+ Foxp3+ regulatory T cells, protection from disease did not persist after treatment discontinuation. These data demonstrate that epitope-based tolerogenic DNA vaccines constitute effective precision medicine tools to target a broad range of specific CD4+ and CD8+ diabetogenic T-cell populations for prevention or treatment of T1D.
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42
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Ito Y, Ashenberg O, Pyrdol J, Luoma AM, Rozenblatt-Rosen O, Hofree M, Christian E, Ferrari de Andrade L, Tay RE, Teyton L, Regev A, Dougan SK, Wucherpfennig KW. Rapid CLIP dissociation from MHC II promotes an unusual antigen presentation pathway in autoimmunity. J Exp Med 2018; 215:2617-2635. [PMID: 30185635 PMCID: PMC6170167 DOI: 10.1084/jem.20180300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2018] [Revised: 07/03/2018] [Accepted: 08/15/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Spontaneous CLIP dissociation from an autoimmunity-associated MHC II protein enhances presentation of peptides released by insulin-producing β cells. Presentation of such extracellular peptides does not require endosomal antigen processing and augments islet infiltration by CD4 T cells. A number of autoimmunity-associated MHC class II proteins interact only weakly with the invariant chain–derived class II–associated invariant chain peptide (CLIP). CLIP dissociates rapidly from I-Ag7 even in the absence of DM, and this property is related to the type 1 diabetes–associated β57 polymorphism. We generated knock-in non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice with a single amino acid change in the CLIP segment of the invariant chain in order to moderately slow CLIP dissociation from I-Ag7. These knock-in mice had a significantly reduced incidence of spontaneous type 1 diabetes and diminished islet infiltration by CD4 T cells, in particular T cells specific for fusion peptides generated by covalent linkage of proteolytic fragments within β cell secretory granules. Rapid CLIP dissociation enhanced the presentation of such extracellular peptides, thus bypassing the conventional MHC class II antigen-processing pathway. Autoimmunity-associated MHC class II polymorphisms therefore not only modify binding of self-peptides, but also alter the biochemistry of peptide acquisition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshinaga Ito
- Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA.,Department of Microbiology and Immunobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Orr Ashenberg
- Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard, Cambridge, MA
| | - Jason Pyrdol
- Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
| | - Adrienne M Luoma
- Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA.,Department of Microbiology and Immunobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | | | - Matan Hofree
- Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard, Cambridge, MA
| | - Elena Christian
- Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard, Cambridge, MA
| | - Lucas Ferrari de Andrade
- Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA.,Department of Microbiology and Immunobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Rong En Tay
- Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA.,Department of Microbiology and Immunobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Luc Teyton
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA
| | - Aviv Regev
- Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard, Cambridge, MA
| | - Stephanie K Dougan
- Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA .,Department of Microbiology and Immunobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Kai W Wucherpfennig
- Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA .,Department of Microbiology and Immunobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
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43
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Baker RL, Jamison BL, Wiles TA, Lindsay RS, Barbour G, Bradley B, Delong T, Friedman RS, Nakayama M, Haskins K. CD4 T Cells Reactive to Hybrid Insulin Peptides Are Indicators of Disease Activity in the NOD Mouse. Diabetes 2018; 67:1836-1846. [PMID: 29976617 PMCID: PMC6110316 DOI: 10.2337/db18-0200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2018] [Accepted: 06/20/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
We recently established that hybrid insulin peptides (HIPs), formed in islet β-cells by fusion of insulin C-peptide fragments to peptides of chromogranin A or islet amyloid polypeptide, are ligands for diabetogenic CD4 T-cell clones. The goal of this study was to investigate whether HIP-reactive T cells were indicative of ongoing autoimmunity. MHC class II tetramers were used to investigate the presence, phenotype, and function of HIP-reactive and insulin-reactive T cells in NOD mice. Insulin-reactive T cells encounter their antigen early in disease, but they express FoxP3 and therefore may contribute to immune regulation. In contrast, HIP-reactive T cells are proinflammatory and highly diabetogenic in an adoptive transfer model. Because the frequency of antigen-experienced HIP-reactive T cells increases over progression of disease, they may serve as biomarkers of autoimmune diabetes.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Autoantigens/chemistry
- Autoantigens/genetics
- Autoantigens/metabolism
- Autoimmune Diseases/immunology
- Autoimmune Diseases/metabolism
- Autoimmune Diseases/pathology
- Autoimmune Diseases/physiopathology
- Autoimmunity
- Biomarkers/blood
- C-Peptide/chemistry
- C-Peptide/genetics
- C-Peptide/metabolism
- CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes/immunology
- CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes/metabolism
- CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes/pathology
- Cells, Cultured
- Chromogranin A/chemistry
- Chromogranin A/genetics
- Chromogranin A/metabolism
- Clone Cells
- Crosses, Genetic
- Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1/immunology
- Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1/metabolism
- Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1/pathology
- Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1/physiopathology
- Disease Progression
- Female
- Islet Amyloid Polypeptide/chemistry
- Islet Amyloid Polypeptide/genetics
- Islet Amyloid Polypeptide/metabolism
- Lymphocyte Activation
- Mice, Inbred NOD
- Mice, Knockout
- Mice, SCID
- Peptide Fragments/chemistry
- Peptide Fragments/genetics
- Peptide Fragments/metabolism
- Recombination, Genetic
- Specific Pathogen-Free Organisms
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Affiliation(s)
- Rocky L Baker
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine at Denver, Aurora, CO
| | - Braxton L Jamison
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine at Denver, Aurora, CO
| | - Timothy A Wiles
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine at Denver, Aurora, CO
| | - Robin S Lindsay
- Department of Biomedical Research, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO
| | - Gene Barbour
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine at Denver, Aurora, CO
| | - Brenda Bradley
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine at Denver, Aurora, CO
| | - Thomas Delong
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine at Denver, Aurora, CO
| | - Rachel S Friedman
- Department of Biomedical Research, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO
| | - Maki Nakayama
- Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, University of Colorado School of Medicine at Denver, Aurora, CO
| | - Kathryn Haskins
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine at Denver, Aurora, CO
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44
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Zhang L, Sosinowski T, Cox AR, Cepeda JR, Sekhar NS, Hartig SM, Miao D, Yu L, Pietropaolo M, Davidson HW. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells targeting a pathogenic MHC class II:peptide complex modulate the progression of autoimmune diabetes. J Autoimmun 2018; 96:50-58. [PMID: 30122420 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaut.2018.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2018] [Revised: 08/09/2018] [Accepted: 08/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
A primary initiating epitope in the NOD mouse model of Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) lies between residues 9 and 23 of the insulin B chain. The B:9-23 peptide can bind to the NOD MHC class II molecule (I-Ag7) in multiple registers, but only one, (register 3, R3), creates complexes able to stimulate the majority of pathogenic B:9-23-specific CD4+ T cells. Previously we generated a monoclonal antibody (mAb287) that targets this critical I-Ag7-B:9-23(R3) complex. When given weekly to pre-diabetic mice at either early or late stages of disease, mAb287 was able to delay or prevent T1D in the treated animals. Although the precise mechanism of action of mAb287 remains unclear, we hypothesized that it may involve deletion of antigen presenting cells (APCs) bearing the pathogenic IAg7-B:9-23(R3) complexes, and that this process might be rendered more efficient by re-directing cytotoxic T cells using a mAb287 chimeric antigen receptor (287-CAR). As anticipated, 287-CAR T cells secreted IFN-γ in response to stimulation by I-Ag7-B:9-23(R3) complexes expressed on artificial APCs, but not I-Ag7 loaded with other peptides, and killed the presenting cells in vitro. A single infusion of 287-CAR CD8+ T cells to young (5 week old) NOD mice significantly delayed the onset of overt hyperglycemia compared to untreated animals (p = 0.022). None of the 287-CAR CD8+ T cell treated mice developed diabetes before 18 weeks of age, while 29% of control-CAR T cell treated mice (p = 0.044) and 52% of the un-treated mice (p = 0.0001) had developed T1D by this time. However, the protection provided by 287-CAR CD8+ T cells declined with time, and no significant difference in overall incidence by 30 weeks between the 3 groups was observed. Mechanistic studies indicated that the adoptively transferred 287-CAR T cells selectively homed to pancreatic lymph nodes, and in some animals could persist for at least 1-2 weeks post-transfer, but were essentially undetectable 10-15 weeks later. Our study demonstrates that CAR T cells specific for a pathogenic MHC class II:peptide complex can be effective in vivo, but that a single infusion of the current iteration can only delay, but not prevent, the development of T1D. Future studies should therefore be directed towards optimizing strategies designed to improve the longevity of the transferred cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Zhang
- Department of Medicine, Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States.
| | - Tomasz Sosinowski
- Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, University of Colorado Denver, Aurora, CO, United States
| | - Aaron R Cox
- Department of Medicine, Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Joseph Ray Cepeda
- Department of Medicine, Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Nitin S Sekhar
- Department of Medicine, Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Sean M Hartig
- Department of Medicine, Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Dongmei Miao
- Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, University of Colorado Denver, Aurora, CO, United States
| | - Liping Yu
- Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, University of Colorado Denver, Aurora, CO, United States
| | - Massimo Pietropaolo
- Department of Medicine, Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Howard W Davidson
- Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, University of Colorado Denver, Aurora, CO, United States
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45
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Creusot RJ, Postigo-Fernandez J, Teteloshvili N. Altered Function of Antigen-Presenting Cells in Type 1 Diabetes: A Challenge for Antigen-Specific Immunotherapy? Diabetes 2018; 67:1481-1494. [PMID: 30030289 PMCID: PMC6054431 DOI: 10.2337/db17-1564] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2017] [Accepted: 05/03/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Type 1 diabetes (T1D) arises from a failure to maintain tolerance to specific β-cell antigens. Antigen-specific immunotherapy (ASIT) aims to reestablish immune tolerance through the supply of pertinent antigens to specific cell types or environments that are suitable for eliciting tolerogenic responses. However, antigen-presenting cells (APCs) in T1D patients and in animal models of T1D are affected by a number of alterations, some due to genetic polymorphism. Combination of these alterations, impacting the number, phenotype, and function of APC subsets, may account for both the underlying tolerance deficiency and for the limited efficacy of ASITs so far. In this comprehensive review, we examine different aspects of APC function that are pertinent to tolerance induction and summarize how they are altered in the context of T1D. We attempt to reconcile 25 years of studies on this topic, highlighting genetic, phenotypic, and functional features that are common or distinct between humans and animal models. Finally, we discuss the implications of these defects and the challenges they might pose for the use of ASITs to treat T1D. Better understanding of these APC alterations will help us design more efficient ways to induce tolerance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rémi J Creusot
- Columbia Center for Translational Immunology, Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center and Department of Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY
| | - Jorge Postigo-Fernandez
- Columbia Center for Translational Immunology, Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center and Department of Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY
| | - Nato Teteloshvili
- Columbia Center for Translational Immunology, Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center and Department of Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY
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46
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Common ground: shared risk factors for type 1 diabetes and celiac disease. Nat Immunol 2018; 19:685-695. [DOI: 10.1038/s41590-018-0130-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2017] [Accepted: 04/27/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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47
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Hotta-Iwamura C, Benck C, Coley WD, Liu Y, Zhao Y, Quiel JA, Tarbell KV. Low CD25 on autoreactive Tregs impairs tolerance via low dose IL-2 and antigen delivery. J Autoimmun 2018; 90:39-48. [PMID: 29439835 PMCID: PMC5949247 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaut.2018.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2017] [Revised: 01/17/2018] [Accepted: 01/19/2018] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Dendritic cell (DC)-mediated T cell tolerance deficiencies contribute to the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes. Delivering self-antigen to dendritic-cell inhibitory receptor-2 (DCIR2)+ DCs can delay but not completely block diabetes development in NOD mice. These DCIR2-targeting antibodies induce tolerance via deletion and anergy, but do not increase islet-specific Tregs. Because low-dose IL-2 (LD-IL-2) administration can preferentially expand Tregs, we tested whether delivering islet-antigen to tolerogenic DCIR2+ DCs along with LD-IL-2 would boost islet-specific Tregs and further block autoimmunity. But, surprisingly, adding LD-IL-2 did not increase efficacy of DC-targeted antigen to inhibit diabetes. Here we show the effects of LD-IL-2, with or without antigen delivery to DCIR2+ DCs, on both polyclonal and autoreactive Treg and conventional T cells (Tconv). As expected, LD-IL-2 increased total Tregs, but autoreactive Tregs required both antigen and IL-2 stimulation for optimal expansion. Also, islet-specific Tregs had lower CD25 expression and IL-2 sensitivity, while islet-specific Tconv had higher CD25 expression, compared to polyclonal populations. LD-IL-2 increased activation and expansion of Tconv, and was more pronounced for autoreactive cells after treatment with IL-2 + islet-antigen. Therefore, LD-IL-2 therapy, especially when combined with antigen stimulation, may not optimally activate and expand antigen-specific Tregs in chronic autoimmune settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chie Hotta-Iwamura
- Immune Tolerance Section, Diabetes, Endocrinology and Obesity Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Charles Benck
- Immune Tolerance Section, Diabetes, Endocrinology and Obesity Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - William D Coley
- Immune Tolerance Section, Diabetes, Endocrinology and Obesity Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Yi Liu
- Immune Tolerance Section, Diabetes, Endocrinology and Obesity Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Yongge Zhao
- Immune Tolerance Section, Diabetes, Endocrinology and Obesity Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Juan A Quiel
- Immune Tolerance Section, Diabetes, Endocrinology and Obesity Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Kristin V Tarbell
- Immune Tolerance Section, Diabetes, Endocrinology and Obesity Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
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48
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Revealing the specificity of regulatory T cells in murine autoimmune diabetes. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018; 115:5265-5270. [PMID: 29712852 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1715590115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Regulatory T cells (Tregs) control organ-specific autoimmunity in a tissue antigen-specific manner, yet little is known about their specificity in a natural repertoire. In this study, we used the nonobese diabetic (NOD) mouse model of autoimmune diabetes to investigate the antigen specificity of Tregs present in the inflamed tissue, the islets of Langerhans. Compared with Tregs present in spleen and lymph node, Tregs in the islets showed evidence of antigen stimulation that correlated with higher proliferation and expression of activation markers CD103, ICOS, and TIGIT. T cell receptor (TCR) repertoire profiling demonstrated that islet Treg clonotypes are expanded in the islets, suggesting localized antigen-driven expansion in inflamed islets. To determine their specificity, we captured TCRαβ pairs from islet Tregs using single-cell TCR sequencing and found direct evidence that some of these TCRs were specific for islet-derived antigens including insulin B:9-23 and proinsulin. Consistently, insulin B:9-23 tetramers readily detected insulin-specific Tregs in the islets of NOD mice. Lastly, islet Tregs from prediabetic NOD mice were effective at preventing diabetes in Treg-deficient NOD.CD28-/- recipients. These results provide a glimpse into the specificities of Tregs in a natural repertoire that are crucial for opposing the progression of autoimmune diabetes.
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49
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Serr I, Scherm MG, Zahm AM, Schug J, Flynn VK, Hippich M, Kälin S, Becker M, Achenbach P, Nikolaev A, Gerlach K, Liebsch N, Loretz B, Lehr CM, Kirchner B, Spornraft M, Haase B, Segars J, Küper C, Palmisano R, Waisman A, Willis RA, Kim WU, Weigmann B, Kaestner KH, Ziegler AG, Daniel C. A miRNA181a/NFAT5 axis links impaired T cell tolerance induction with autoimmune type 1 diabetes. Sci Transl Med 2018; 10:eaag1782. [PMID: 29298866 PMCID: PMC5828501 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aag1782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2016] [Revised: 04/07/2017] [Accepted: 10/27/2017] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Molecular checkpoints that trigger the onset of islet autoimmunity or progression to human type 1 diabetes (T1D) are incompletely understood. Using T cells from children at an early stage of islet autoimmunity without clinical T1D, we find that a microRNA181a (miRNA181a)-mediated increase in signal strength of stimulation and costimulation links nuclear factor of activated T cells 5 (NFAT5) with impaired tolerance induction and autoimmune activation. We show that enhancing miRNA181a activity increases NFAT5 expression while inhibiting FOXP3+ regulatory T cell (Treg) induction in vitro. Accordingly, Treg induction is improved using T cells from NFAT5 knockout (NFAT5ko) animals, whereas altering miRNA181a activity does not affect Treg induction in NFAT5ko T cells. Moreover, high costimulatory signals result in phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)-mediated NFAT5, which interferes with FoxP3+ Treg induction. Blocking miRNA181a or NFAT5 increases Treg induction in murine and humanized models and reduces murine islet autoimmunity in vivo. These findings suggest targeting miRNA181a and/or NFAT5 signaling for the development of innovative personalized medicines to limit islet autoimmunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabelle Serr
- Group Immune Tolerance in Type 1 Diabetes, Institute for Diabetes Research, Helmholtz Diabetes Center at Helmholtz Zentrum München, Munich, Germany
- Deutsches Zentrum für Diabetesforschung (DZD), Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Martin G Scherm
- Group Immune Tolerance in Type 1 Diabetes, Institute for Diabetes Research, Helmholtz Diabetes Center at Helmholtz Zentrum München, Munich, Germany
- Deutsches Zentrum für Diabetesforschung (DZD), Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Adam M Zahm
- Department of Genetics and Institute for Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Jonathan Schug
- Department of Genetics and Institute for Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Victoria K Flynn
- Group Immune Tolerance in Type 1 Diabetes, Institute for Diabetes Research, Helmholtz Diabetes Center at Helmholtz Zentrum München, Munich, Germany
- Deutsches Zentrum für Diabetesforschung (DZD), Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Markus Hippich
- Deutsches Zentrum für Diabetesforschung (DZD), Neuherberg, Germany
- Institute for Diabetes Research, Helmholtz Diabetes Center at Helmholtz Zentrum München, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Stefanie Kälin
- Deutsches Zentrum für Diabetesforschung (DZD), Neuherberg, Germany
- Institute for Diabetes and Obesity, Helmholtz Diabetes Center at Helmholtz Zentrum München and Division of Metabolic Diseases, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Maike Becker
- Group Immune Tolerance in Type 1 Diabetes, Institute for Diabetes Research, Helmholtz Diabetes Center at Helmholtz Zentrum München, Munich, Germany
- Deutsches Zentrum für Diabetesforschung (DZD), Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Peter Achenbach
- Deutsches Zentrum für Diabetesforschung (DZD), Neuherberg, Germany
- Institute for Diabetes Research, Helmholtz Diabetes Center at Helmholtz Zentrum München, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Alexei Nikolaev
- Institute for Molecular Medicine, Universitätsmedizin der Johannes-Gutenberg-Universität, Mainz, Germany
| | - Katharina Gerlach
- Department of Medicine 1, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Kussmaul Campus for Medical Research, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Nicole Liebsch
- Department of Drug Delivery, Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland, Hemholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Brigitta Loretz
- Department of Drug Delivery, Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland, Hemholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Claus-Michael Lehr
- Department of Drug Delivery, Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland, Hemholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Saarbrücken, Germany
- Department of Pharmacy, Saarland University, Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Benedikt Kirchner
- Physiology Weihenstephan, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Melanie Spornraft
- Physiology Weihenstephan, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Bettina Haase
- Genomics Core Facility, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - James Segars
- John Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Christoph Küper
- Department of Physiology, University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Ralf Palmisano
- Optical Imaging Centre Erlangen, University Erlangen, 91052 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Ari Waisman
- Institute for Molecular Medicine, Universitätsmedizin der Johannes-Gutenberg-Universität, Mainz, Germany
| | - Richard A Willis
- Emory Vaccine Center, NIH Tetramer Core Facility, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
| | - Wan-Uk Kim
- Postech-Catholic Biomedical Engineering Institute, Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Korea University of Science and Technology, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Benno Weigmann
- Department of Medicine 1, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Kussmaul Campus for Medical Research, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Klaus H Kaestner
- Department of Genetics and Institute for Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Anette-Gabriele Ziegler
- Deutsches Zentrum für Diabetesforschung (DZD), Neuherberg, Germany
- Institute for Diabetes Research, Helmholtz Diabetes Center at Helmholtz Zentrum München, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Carolin Daniel
- Group Immune Tolerance in Type 1 Diabetes, Institute for Diabetes Research, Helmholtz Diabetes Center at Helmholtz Zentrum München, Munich, Germany.
- Deutsches Zentrum für Diabetesforschung (DZD), Neuherberg, Germany
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50
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C-terminal modification of the insulin B:11-23 peptide creates superagonists in mouse and human type 1 diabetes. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2017; 115:162-167. [PMID: 29255035 PMCID: PMC5776820 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1716527115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Insulin is a target of CD4 T cells in type 1 diabetes in mice and humans. Why the major epitope in the insulin B chain is presented poorly to the diabetogenic CD4 T cells by the disease-associated major histocompatibility class II (MHCII) alleles has been highly debated. Here we present high-resolution mouse and human MHCII structures and T-cell functional data to show that C-terminal modifications of this epitope are required for binding and presentation in the appropriate position in the MHCII binding groove. These results suggest that pancreas-specific posttranslational modifications of this peptide may play a role in the induction of diabetes and explain how the pathogenic T cells escape deletion in the thymus. A polymorphism at β57 in some major histocompatibility complex class II (MHCII) alleles of rodents and humans is associated with a high risk for developing type 1 diabetes (T1D). However, a highly diabetogenic insulin B chain epitope within the B:9–23 peptide is presented poorly by these alleles to a variety of mouse and human CD4 T cells isolated from either nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice or humans with T1D. We have shown for both species that mutations at the C-terminal end of this epitope dramatically improve presentation to these T cells. Here we present the crystal structures of these mutated peptides bound to mouse IAg7 and human HLA-DQ8 that show how the mutations function to improve T-cell activation. In both peptide binding grooves, the mutation of B:22R to E in the peptide changes a highly unfavorable side chain for the p9 pocket to an optimal one that is dependent on the β57 polymorphism, accounting for why these peptides bind much better to these MHCIIs. Furthermore, a second mutation of the adjacent B:21 (E to G) removes a side chain from the surface of the complex that is highly unfavorable for a subset of NOD mouse CD4 cells, thereby greatly enhancing their response to the complex. These results point out the similarities between the mouse and human responses to this B chain epitope in T1D and suggest there may be common posttranslational modifications at the C terminus of the peptide in vivo to create the pathogenic epitopes in both species.
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