Soluble CD27 induces IgG production through activation of antigen-primed B cells

CSF Concentrations of CXCL13 and sCD27 Before and After Autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation for Multiple Sclerosis

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

In the past decade, autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT) has emerged as a treatment for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). How this procedure affects biomarkers of B- and T-cell activation is currently unknown. The objective of this study was to investigate CXCL13 and sCD27 concentrations in CSF before and after AHSCT.

METHODS

This prospective cohort study was conducted at a specialized MS clinic in a university hospital. Patients with a diagnosis of RRMS, treated with AHSCT between January 1, 2011, and December 31, 2018, were evaluated for participation. Patients were included if CSF samples from baseline plus at least 1 follow-up were available on June 30, 2020. A control group of volunteers without neurologic disease was included as a reference. CSF concentrations of CXCL13 and sCD27 were measured with ELISA.

RESULTS

The study comprised 29 women and 16 men with RRMS, aged 19-46 years at baseline, and 15 women and 17 men, aged 18-48 years, in the control group. At baseline, patients had higher CXCL13 and sCD27 concentrations than controls, with a median (IQR) of 4 (4-19) vs 4 (4-4) pg/mL (p < 0.0001) for CXCL13 and 352 (118-530) vs 63 (63-63) pg/mL (p < 0.0001) for sCD27. After AHSCT, the CSF concentrations of CXCL13 were considerably lower at the first follow-up at 1 year than at baseline, with a median (IQR) of 4 (4-4) vs 4 (4-19) pg/mL (p < 0.0001), and then stable throughout follow-up. The CSF concentrations of sCD27 were also lower at 1 year than at baseline, with a median (IQR) of 143 (63-269) vs 354 (114-536) pg/mL (p < 0.0001). Thereafter, sCD27 concentrations continued to decrease and were lower at 2 years than at 1 year, with a median (IQR) of 120 (63-231) vs 183 (63-290) pg/mL (p = 0.017).

DISCUSSION

After AHSCT for RRMS, CSF concentrations of CXCL13 were rapidly normalized, whereas sCD27 decreased gradually over the course of 2 years. Thereafter, the concentrations remained stable throughout follow-up, indicating that AHSCT induced long-lasting biological changes.

CD70 is a therapeutic target upregulated in EMT-associated EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor resistance

Effective therapeutic strategies are needed for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations that acquire resistance to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) mediated by epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). We investigate cell surface proteins that could be targeted by antibody-based or adoptive cell therapy approaches and identify CD70 as being highly upregulated in EMT-associated resistance. Moreover, CD70 upregulation is an early event in the evolution of resistance and occurs in drug-tolerant persister cells (DTPCs). CD70 promotes cell survival and invasiveness, and stimulation of CD70 triggers signal transduction pathways known to be re-activated with acquired TKI resistance. Anti-CD70 antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) and CD70-targeting chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell and CAR NK cells show potent activity against EGFR TKI-resistant cells and DTPCs. These results identify CD70 as a therapeutic target for EGFR mutant tumors with acquired EGFR TKI resistance that merits clinical investigation.

Association of baseline soluble immune checkpoints with the risk of relapse in PR3-ANCA vasculitis following induction of remission

OBJECTIVES

We investigated whether soluble immune checkpoints (sICPs) predict treatment resistance, relapse and infections in patients with antineutrophil cytoplasm antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV).

METHODS

Plasma sICP concentrations from available samples obtained during conduct of the RAVE trial were measured by immunoabsorbent assays from patients with either proteinase 3 (PR3) or myeloperoxidase (MPO)-ANCA vasculitis and were correlated with clinical outcomes, a set of biomarkers and available flow cytometry analyses focusing on T cell subsets. Log-rank test was used to evaluate survival benefits, and optimal cut-off values of the marker molecules were calculated using Yeldons J.

RESULTS

Analysis of 189 plasma samples at baseline revealed higher concentrations of sTim-3, sCD27, sLag-3, sPD-1 and sPD-L2 in patients with MPO-ANCA vasculitis (n=62) as compared with PR3-ANCA vasculitis (n=127). Among patients receiving rituximab induction therapy (n=95), the combination of lower soluble (s)Lag-3 (<90 pg/mL) and higher sCD27 (>3000 pg/mL) predicted therapy failure. Twenty-four out of 73 patients (32.9%) in the rituximab arm reaching remission at 6 months relapsed during follow-up. In this subgroup, high baseline values of sTim-3 (>1200 pg/mL), sCD27 (>1250 pg/mL) and sBTLA (>1000 pg/mL) were associated with both sustained remission and infectious complications. These findings could not be replicated in 94 patients randomised to receive cyclophosphamide/azathioprine.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with AAV treated with rituximab achieved remission less frequently when concentrations of sLag-3 were low and concentrations of sCD27 were high. Higher concentrations of sTim-3, sCD27 and sBTLA at baseline predicted relapse in patients treated with rituximab. These results require confirmation but may contribute to a personalised treatment approach of AAV.

TF-Marker: a comprehensive manually curated database for transcription factors and related markers in specific cell and tissue types in human

Transcription factors (TFs) play key roles in biological processes and are usually used as cell markers. The emerging importance of TFs and related markers in identifying specific cell types in human diseases increases the need for a comprehensive collection of human TFs and related markers sets. Here, we developed the TF-Marker database (TF-Marker, http://bio.liclab.net/TF-Marker/), aiming to provide cell/tissue-specific TFs and related markers for human. By manually curating thousands of published literature, 5905 entries including information about TFs and related markers were classified into five types according to their functions: (i) TF: TFs which regulate expression of the markers; (ii) T Marker: markers which are regulated by the TF; (iii) I Marker: markers which influence the activity of TFs; (iv) TFMarker: TFs which play roles as markers and (v) TF Pmarker: TFs which play roles as potential markers. The 5905 entries of TF-Marker include 1316 TFs, 1092 T Markers, 473 I Markers, 1600 TFMarkers and 1424 TF Pmarkers, involving 383 cell types and 95 tissue types in human. TF-Marker further provides a user-friendly interface to browse, query and visualize the detailed information about TFs and related markers. We believe TF-Marker will become a valuable resource to understand the regulation patterns of different tissues and cells.

Immune-Omics Networks of CD27, PD1, and PDL1 in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

To date, there are no prognostic/predictive biomarkers to select chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and radiotherapy in individual non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. Major immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have more DNA copy number variations (CNV) than mutations in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) NSCLC tumors. Nevertheless, CNV-mediated dysregulated gene expression in NSCLC is not well understood. Integrated CNV and transcriptional profiles in NSCLC tumors (n = 371) were analyzed using Boolean implication networks for the identification of a multi-omics CD27, PD1, and PDL1 network, containing novel prognostic genes and proliferation genes. A 5-gene (EIF2AK3, F2RL3, FOSL1, SLC25A26, and SPP1) prognostic model was developed and validated for patient stratification (p < 0.02, Kaplan-Meier analyses) in NSCLC tumors (n = 1163). A total of 13 genes (COPA, CSE1L, EIF2B3, LSM3, MCM5, PMPCB, POLR1B, POLR2F, PSMC3, PSMD11, RPL32, RPS18, and SNRPE) had a significant impact on proliferation in 100% of the NSCLC cell lines in both CRISPR-Cas9 (n = 78) and RNA interference (RNAi) assays (n = 92). Multiple identified genes were associated with chemoresponse and radiotherapy response in NSCLC cell lines (n = 117) and patient tumors (n = 966). Repurposing drugs were discovered based on this immune-omics network to improve NSCLC treatment.

Clinical significance of circulating soluble immune checkpoint proteins in sorafenib-treated patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma

In hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the clinical significance of soluble immune checkpoint protein levels as predictors of patient outcomes or therapeutic responses has yet to be defined. This study profiled the baseline levels of sixteen soluble checkpoint proteins and their changes following sorafenib treatment for HCC. Plasma samples were obtained from 53 patients with advanced HCC at baseline, week 1, 2 and 4 of sorafenib treatment and tested the concentrations of 16 soluble checkpoint proteins using multiplexed fluorescent bead-based immunoassays. Multivariate analysis showed high sBTLA levels at baseline were an independent predictor of poor overall survival (p = 0.038). BTLA was highly expressed in T cells and macrophages in peritumoral areas. At week 2, sCD27 levels were decreased compared to baseline. By contrast, the concentrations of most inhibitory proteins, including sBTLA, sLAG-3, sCTLA-4, sPD-1, sCD80, sCD86 and sPD-L1, had significantly increased. The fold-changes of soluble checkpoint receptors and their ligands, including sCTLA-4 with sCD80/sCD86, sPD-1 with sPD-L1; and the fold-changes of sCTLA-4 with sBTLA or sPD-1 were positively correlated. sBTLA may be a good biomarker for predicting overall survival in HCC patients. Sorafenib treatment in patients with advanced HCC revealed dynamic changes of soluble checkpoint protein levels.

Neonatal Antibiotic Treatment Is Associated With an Altered Circulating Immune Marker Profile at 1 Year of Age

Background: Neonatal antibiotics disturb the developing gut microbiome and are therefore thought to influence the developing immune system, but exact mechanisms and health consequences in later life still need to be elucidated. Therefore, we investigated whether neonatal antibiotics influence inflammatory markers at 1 year of age. In addition, we determined whether health problems during the first year of life, e.g., allergic disorders (eczema and wheezing) or infantile colics, were associated with changes in the circulating immune marker profile at 1 year of age. Methods: In a subgroup (N = 149) of the INCA-study, a prospective birth-cohort study, a blood sample was drawn from term born infants at 1 year of age and analyzed for 84 immune related markers using Luminex. Associations of antibiotic treatment, eczema, wheezing, and infantile colics with immune marker concentrations were investigated using a linear regression model. The trial is registered as NCT02536560. Results: The use of broad-spectrum antibiotics in the first week of life, was significantly associated with different levels of inflammatory markers including sVCAM-1, sCD14, sCD19, sCD27, IL-1RII, sVEGF-R1, and HSP70 at 1 year of age. Eczema was associated with decreased concentrations of IFNα, IFNγ, TSLP, CXCL9, and CXCL13, but increased concentrations of CCL18 and Galectin-3. Wheezing, independent of antibiotic treatment, was positively associated to TNF-R2 and resistin. Infantile colics were positively associated to IL-31, LIGHT, YKL-40, CXCL13, sPD1, IL1RI, sIL-7Ra, Gal-1, Gal-9, and S100A8 at 1 year of age, independent of early life antibiotic treatment. Conclusion: In this explorative study, we identified that neonatal antibiotics are associated with immunological alterations at 1 year of age and that, independent of the antibiotic treatment, infantile colics were associated with alterations within gut associated markers. These findings support the importance of the first host microbe interaction in early life immune development.

Elevation of immunoglobulin levels is associated with treatment failure in HIV-infected children in Vietnam

Background

HIV-infected children suffer from higher levels of treatment failure compared to adults. Immunoactivation, including humoral immunoactivation reflected by increased immunoglobulin levels, is believed to occur early during HIV infection. Therefore, we wanted investigate alteration in immunoglobulin levels in association with treatment response in HIV-infected children.

Methods

A nested case–control study was conducted using clinical data collected from 68 HIV-infected children enrolled at the National Hospital of Pediatrics, Vietnam.

Results

The results showed that immunoglobulin levels, CD4 T-cell counts, CD4 T-cell percentage, and HIV load were significantly higher in the treatment-failure group than the treatment-success group at treatment initiation. IgG and IgA levels were negatively correlated with CD4 T-cell counts (P=0.049 and P<0.01, respectively) and positively correlated with HIV load (P=0.04 and P=0.02, respectively). In addition, IgG and IgA levels were independently associated with treatment response, analyzed by Cox regression analysis (HR 1.19 [P=0.049] and HR 1.69 [P<0.01], respectively).

Conclusion

Elevation of IgA levels occurred early during HIV infection, and might have a prognostic role in treatment response.

T-cell activation marker sCD27 is associated with clinically definite multiple sclerosis in childhood-acquired demyelinating syndromes

Background:

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of T-cell activation marker soluble CD27 (sCD27) are associated with subsequent disease activity after a first attack of suspected MS in adults. The predictive value for disease course in children with acquired demyelinating syndromes (ADS) is unknown.

Objectives:

To assess the predictive value of sCD27 levels for clinically definite multiple sclerosis (CDMS) diagnosis in childhood ADS.

Methods:

Children <18 years with a first demyelinating event were prospectively included and followed. Soluble CD27 was determined in CSF using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Cox regression analyses were used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) for CDMS.

Results:

A total of 94 ADS children were included (ADS with encephalopathy (ADS+) n = 33 and ADS without encephalopathy (ADS–) n = 61). Of the 61 ADS– children, 21 (48%) were diagnosed with CDMS during follow-up. At baseline, sCD27 levels were higher in patients with a future CDMS diagnosis (n = 29) than in monophasic ADS+ (n = 30), monophasic ADS– (n = 28) and relapsing non-MS patients (n = 7; p < 0.001). In ADS– patients, sCD27 was associated with CDMS (HR = 1.8 per 100 U/mL increase in sCD27 levels, p = 0.031), after adjustments for age, oligoclonal bands and the presence of dissemination in space on baseline magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Conclusion:

CSF sCD27 levels at first attack of demyelination were associated with CDMS diagnosis in children. This makes sCD27 a potential clinically relevant quantitative marker when performing routine CSF diagnostics.

ATVB Distinguished Scientist Award: How Costimulatory and Coinhibitory Pathways Shape Atherosclerosis

OBJECTIVE

Immune cells play a critical role in atherosclerosis. Costimulatory and coinhibitory molecules of the tumor necrosis factor receptor and CD28 immunoglobulin superfamilies not only shape T-cell and B-cell responses but also have a major effect on antigen-presenting cells and nonimmune cells.

APPROACH AND RESULTS

Pharmacological inhibition or activation of costimulatory and coinhibitory molecules and genetic deletion demonstrated their involvement in atherosclerosis. This review highlights recent advances in understanding how costimulatory and coinhibitory pathways shape the immune response in atherosclerosis.

CONCLUSIONS

Insights gained from costimulatory and coinhibitory molecule function in atherosclerosis may inform future therapeutic approaches.

Regulatory and effector B cell cytokine production in patients with relapsing granulomatosis with polyangiitis

Background

B cells are capable of producing regulatory and effector cytokines. In patients with granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), skewing of the pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine balance may affect the risk of relapse. This study aimed to investigate differences in B cell cytokine production in patients with relapsing GPA and in controls, and determine whether this can aid in relapse prediction.

Methods

Thirteen GPA patients with an upcoming relapse were matched with non-relapsing patients and healthy controls in a retrospective design. The B cell subset distribution was determined from peripheral blood. Cryopreserved peripheral blood mononuclear cells were cultured and intracellular B cell production of regulatory (IL10) and effector (TNFα, IFNγ, IL2, IL6) cytokines was assessed. Finally, serum markers associated with B cell activation (sCD27) and migration (CCL19) were determined.

Results

GPA patient samples exhibited significantly lower percentages of TNFα+ B cells than controls, an effect that was most pronounced in patients about to relapse. B cell capacity for IL10 production was similar in patients and controls. No significant differences were observed for cytokine production in relapsing and non-relapsing GPA patients. TNFα production correlated strongly with IL2, IFNγ and the percentage of memory B cells. No change in effector cytokines occurred before relapse, while the percentage of IL10+ B cells significantly decreased. GPA patients in remission had increased serum levels of CCL19 and sCD27, and sCD27 levels increased upon active disease.

Conclusions

While differences in effector B cell cytokine production were observed between patients and controls, monitoring this in GPA did not clearly distinguish patients about to relapse. Prospective measurements of the regulatory cytokine IL10 may have potential for relapse prediction. Memory B cells appear mainly responsible for effector cytokine production. Increased migration of these cells could explain the decreased presence of TNFα+ B cells in the circulation.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13075-016-0978-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Soluble levels of CD27 and CD30 are associated with risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in three Chinese prospective cohorts

Prospective studies conducted in Western populations have suggested that alterations in soluble CD27 (sCD27) and soluble CD30 (sCD30), two markers indicative of B-cell activation, are associated with risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Given that the characteristics of NHL in East Asia differ from the West and mechanistic commonalities between these populations with respect to the role of intermediate endpoint biomarkers in lymphomagenesis have not been explored, we conducted a pooled nested case-control study from three prospective studies of Chinese men and women including 218 NHL cases and 218 individually matched controls. Compared with the lowest quartile, ORs (95% CIs) for the second, third and fourth quartiles of sCD27 were 1.60 (0.83-3.09), 1.94 (0.98-3.83) and 4.45 (2.25-8.81), respectively (p(trend) = 0.000005). The corresponding ORs for sCD30 were 1.74 (0.85-3.58), 1.86 (0.94-3.67) and 5.15 (2.62-10.12; p(trend) = 0.0000002). These associations remained statistically significant in individuals diagnosed with NHL 10 or more years after blood draw. Notably, the magnitude of the associations with NHL risk was very similar to those in Western populations in previous studies. These findings of the similar association between sCD27 or sCD30 and NHL risk across different populations support an important underlying mechanism of B-cell activation in lymphomagenesis.

HIV-associated memory B cell perturbations

Memory B-cell depletion, hyperimmunoglobulinemia, and impaired vaccine responses are the hallmark of B cell perturbations inhuman immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease. Although B cells are not the targets for HIV infection, there is evidence for B cell, especially memory B cell dysfunction in HIV disease mediated by other cells or HIV itself. This review will focus on HIV-associated phenotypic and functional alterations in memory B cells. Additionally, we will discuss the mechanism underlying these perturbations and the effect of anti-retroviral therapy (ART) on these perturbations.

Roles of ligands from the TNF superfamily in B cell development, function, and regulation

Most ligands from the tumour necrosis factor (TNF) superfamily play very important roles in the immune system, and particularly so in B lymphocyte biology. TNF ligands are essential to many aspects of normal B cell biology from development in the bone marrow to maturation in the periphery as well as for activation and differentiation into germinal centre, memory or plasma cells. TNF ligands also influence other aspects of B cell biology such as their ability to present antigens or regulate immune responses. Importantly, inadequate regulation of many TNF ligands is associated with B cell disorders including autoimmunity and cancers. As a result, inhibitors of a number of TNF ligands have been tested in the clinic, with some becoming very successful approved treatments alleviating B cell-mediated pathologies.

Phenotypes and distribution of mucosal memory B-cell populations in the SIV/SHIV rhesus macaque model

As vaccine-elicited antibodies have now been associated with HIV protective efficacy, a thorough understanding of mucosal and systemic B-cell development and maturation is needed. We phenotyped mucosal memory B-cells, investigated isotype expression and homing patterns, and defined plasmablasts and plasma cells at three mucosal sites (duodenum, jejunum and rectum) in rhesus macaques, the commonly used animal model for pre-clinical vaccine studies. Unlike humans, macaque mucosal memory B-cells lacked CD27 expression; only two sub-populations were present: naïve (CD21(+)CD27(-)) and tissue-like (CD21(-)CD27(-)) memory. Similar to humans, IgA was the dominant isotype expressed. The homing markers CXCR4, CCR6, CCR9 and α4β7 were differentially expressed between naïve and tissue-like memory B-cells. Mucosal plasmablasts were identified as CD19(+)CD20(+/-)HLA-DR(+)Ki-67(+)IRF4(+)CD138(+/-) and mucosal plasma cells as CD19(+)CD20(-)HLA-DR(-)Ki-67(-)IRF4(+)CD138(+). Both populations were CD39(+/-)CD27(-). Plasma cell phenotype was confirmed by spontaneous IgA secretion by ELISpot of positively-selected cells and J-chain expression by real-time PCR. Duodenal, jejunal and rectal samples were similar in B-cell memory phenotype, isotype expression, homing receptors and plasmablast/plasma cell distribution among the three tissues. Thus rectal biopsies adequately monitor B-cell dynamics in the gut mucosa, and provide a critical view of mucosal B-cell events associated with development of vaccine-elicited protective immune responses and SIV/SHIV pathogenesis and disease control.

Soluble CD27-pool in humans may contribute to T cell activation and tumor immunity

The interaction between CD27 and its ligand, CD70, has been implicated in regulating cellular immune responses to cancer. In this article, we report on the role of soluble CD27 (sCD27) in T cell activation and its elevation in the serum of cancer patients after immunotherapy. In vitro, sCD27 is preferentially derived from activated CD4(+) T cells. Adding sCD27 to stimulated PBMCs increases T cell activation and proliferation, and is associated with the immunologic synapse-related proteins myosin IIA, high mobility group box 1, and the TCR Vβ-chain. The pool of serum sCD27 is shown to be greater in healthy donors than in cancer patients. However, metastatic cancer patients treated with immunotherapy showed a significant increase in the serum sCD27-pool posttherapy (p < 0.0005); there was also an increased trend toward an association between enhanced sCD27-pool posttherapy and overall survival (p = 0.022). The identification of sCD27 as an immune modulator associated with enhanced human T cell activation in vitro and in vivo provides a rationale for developing new immunotherapeutic strategies aimed at enhancing sCD27 for treating cancer and potentially other diseases.

Expression of CD70 in nasal natural killer/T cell lymphoma cell lines and patients; its role for cell proliferation through binding to soluble CD27

Nasal natural killer (NK)/T cell lymphoma (NNKTL) is associated with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). The present study analysed gene expression patterns of the NNKTL cell lines SNK6, SNK1 and SNT8, which are positive for EBV and latent membrane protein (LMP)-1, using a complementary DNA array analysis. We found that CD70 was specifically expressed in SNK6 and SNT8. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and flow cytometric analyses confirmed that CD70 was expressed in all 3 NNKTL cell lines, but not in the other EBV-positive NK-cell lines. In vitro studies showed that NNKTL cell lines proliferated, in a dose-dependent fashion, in response to exogenous soluble CD27, which is the ligand for CD70. In NNKTL patients, we confirmed that the CD70 was expressed on the lymphoma cells in NNKTL tissues and that soluble CD27 was present in sera at higher levels as compared to healthy individuals. Finally, complement-dependent cytotoxicity assay showed that anti-CD70 antibody mediated effective complement-dependent killing of NNKTL cells and the affected target CD70 expression on the cells. These results suggest that CD70 acts as a functional receptor binding to soluble CD27, resulting in lymphoma progression and that immunotherapy using anti-CD70 antibody may be a potential candidate for treatment for NNKTL.