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Khorki ME, Shi T, Cianciolo EE, Burg AR, Chukwuma PC, Picarsic JL, Morrice MK, Woodle ES, Maltzman JS, Ferguson A, Katz JD, Baker BM, Hildeman DA. Prior viral infection primes cross-reactive CD8+ T cells that respond to mouse heart allografts. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1287546. [PMID: 38143762 PMCID: PMC10748599 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1287546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Significant evidence suggests a connection between transplant rejection and the presence of high levels of pre-existing memory T cells. Viral infection can elicit viral-specific memory T cells that cross-react with allo-MHC capable of driving allograft rejection in mice. Despite these advances, and despite their critical role in transplant rejection, a systematic study of allo-reactive memory T cells, their specificities, and the role of cross-reactivity with viral antigens has not been performed. Methods Here, we established a model to identify, isolate, and characterize cross-reactive T cells using Nur77 reporter mice (C57BL/6 background), which transiently express GFP exclusively upon TCR engagement. We infected Nur77 mice with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV-Armstrong) to generate a robust memory compartment, where quiescent LCMV-specific memory CD8+ T cells could be readily tracked with MHC tetramer staining. Then, we transplanted LCMV immune mice with allogeneic hearts and monitored expression of GFP within MHC-tetramer defined viral-specific T cells as an indicator of their ability to cross-react with alloantigens. Results Strikingly, prior LCMV infection significantly increased the kinetics and magnitude of rejection as well as CD8+ T cell recruitment into allogeneic, but not syngeneic, transplanted hearts, relative to non-infected controls. Interestingly, as early as day 1 after allogeneic heart transplant an average of ~8% of MHC-tetramer+ CD8+ T cells expressed GFP, in contrast to syngeneic heart transplants, where the frequency of viral-specific CD8+ T cells that were GFP+ was <1%. These data show that a significant percentage of viral-specific memory CD8+ T cells expressed T cell receptors that also recognized alloantigens in vivo. Notably, the frequency of cross-reactive CD8+ T cells differed depending upon the viral epitope. Further, TCR sequences derived from cross-reactive T cells harbored distinctive motifs that may provide insight into cross-reactivity and allo-specificity. Discussion In sum, we have established a mouse model to track viral-specific, allo-specific, and cross-reactive T cells; revealing that prior infection elicits substantial numbers of viral-specific T cells that cross-react to alloantigen, respond very early after transplant, and may promote rapid rejection.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. Eyad Khorki
- Division of Nephrology & Hypertension, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States
- Division of Immunobiology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Tiffany Shi
- Division of Immunobiology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States
- Immunology Graduate Program, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, United States
- Medical Scientist Training Program, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Eileen E. Cianciolo
- Division of Immunobiology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Ashley R. Burg
- Division of Immunobiology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - P. Chukwunalu Chukwuma
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry and the Harper Cancer Research Institute, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, United States
| | - Jennifer L. Picarsic
- Division of Pathology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States
- Department of Pathology, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Mary K. Morrice
- Division of Immunobiology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States
- Immunology Graduate Program, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - E. Steve Woodle
- Division of Transplantation, Department of Surgery, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Jonathan S. Maltzman
- Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, United States
- Geriatric Research and Education Clinical Center, Veterans Affairs (VA) Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA, United States
| | - Autumn Ferguson
- Division of Immunobiology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Jonathan D. Katz
- Division of Immunobiology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States
- Immunology Graduate Program, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Brian M. Baker
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry and the Harper Cancer Research Institute, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, United States
| | - David A. Hildeman
- Division of Immunobiology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States
- Immunology Graduate Program, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, United States
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Abstract
Solid organ transplantation is a life-saving treatment for people with end-stage organ disease. Immune-mediated transplant rejection is a common complication that decreases allograft survival. Although immunosuppression is required to prevent rejection, it also increases the risk of infection. Some infections, such as cytomegalovirus and BK virus, can promote inflammatory gene expression that can further tip the balance toward rejection. BK virus and other infections can induce damage that resembles the clinical pathology of rejection, and this complicates accurate diagnosis. Moreover, T cells specific for viral infection can lead to rejection through heterologous immunity to donor antigen directly mediated by antiviral cells. Thus, viral infections and allograft rejection interact in multiple ways that are important to maintain immunologic homeostasis in solid organ transplant recipients. Better insight into this dynamic interplay will help promote long-term transplant survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren E Higdon
- Department of Medicine/Nephrology, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA
| | - Jane C Tan
- Department of Medicine/Nephrology, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA
| | - Jonathan S Maltzman
- Department of Medicine/Nephrology, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA
- Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA
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Shi T, Burg AR, Caldwell JT, Roskin K, Castro-Rojas CM, Chukwuma PC, Gray GI, Foote SG, Alonso J, Cuda CM, Allman DA, Rush JS, Regnier CH, Wieczorek G, Alloway RR, Shields AR, Baker BM, Woodle ES, Hildeman DA. Single cell transcriptomic analysis of renal allograft rejection reveals novel insights into intragraft TCR clonality. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.02.08.524808. [PMID: 36798151 PMCID: PMC9934650 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.08.524808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/11/2023]
Abstract
Bulk analysis of renal allograft biopsies (rBx) identified RNA transcripts associated with acute cellular rejection (ACR); however, these lacked cellular context critical to mechanistic understanding. We performed combined single cell RNA transcriptomic and TCRα/β sequencing on rBx from patients with ACR under differing immunosuppression (IS): tacrolimus, iscalimab, and belatacept. TCR analysis revealed a highly restricted CD8 + T cell clonal expansion (CD8 EXP ), independent of HLA mismatch or IS type. Subcloning of TCRα/β cDNAs from CD8 EXP into Jurkat76 cells (TCR -/- ) conferred alloreactivity by mixed lymphocyte reaction. scRNAseq analysis of CD8 EXP revealed effector, memory, and exhausted phenotypes that were influenced by IS type. Successful anti-rejection treatment decreased, but did not eliminate, CD8 EXP , while CD8 EXP were maintained during treatment-refractory rejection. Finally, most rBx-derived CD8 EXP were also observed in matching urine samples. Overall, our data define the clonal CD8 + T cell response to ACR, providing novel insights to improve detection, assessment, and treatment of rejection.
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Girnita AL, Wang L, Colovai AI, Ahearn P, Azzi Y, Menon MC, Fernandez-Vina M, Gebel HM, Steve Woodle E, Cravedi P, Maltzman JS, Akalin E. Analysis of Cross-sectional and Longitudinal HLA and Anti-viral Responses After COVID Infection in Renal Allograft Recipients: Differences and Correlates. Transplantation 2022; 106:2085-2091. [PMID: 36070571 PMCID: PMC9521392 DOI: 10.1097/tp.0000000000004277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Characterization of anti-HLA versus anti-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (anti-SARS-CoV-2) immune globulin isotypes in organ transplant recipients after coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection has not been reported. We aimed to determine changes in anti-HLA antibodies in renal transplant patients with COVID-19 and compare the immunoglobulin and epitope-binding pattern versus anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. METHODS This is a cross-sectional study of 46 kidney transplant recipients including 21 with longitudinal sampling. Using a semi-quantitative multiplex assay, we determined immunoglobulin (Ig) M, IgA, IgG, and IgG1-2-3-4 antibodies against Class I and Class II HLA, and 5 SARS-CoV-2 epitopes including the nucleocapsid protein and multiple regions of the spike protein. RESULTS Fourteen of 46 (30%) patients had donor-specific anti-HLA antibodies (donor-specific antibody [DSA]), 12 (26%) had non-DSA anti-HLA antibodies and 45 (98%) had anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. Most DSAs targeted HLA-DQ (71%), with a dominant IgG isotype and IgG1 subtype prevalence (93%), and/or IgG3 (64%), followed by IgG2 (36%). Comparatively, there was a higher prevalence of IgA (85% versus 14%, P = 0.0001) and IgM (87%, versus 36%, P = 0.001) in the anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody profile, when compared to DSAs, respectively. Anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody profile was characterized by increased prevalence of IgM and IgA, when compared to DSAs. The median calculated panel reactive antibody before COVID-19 diagnosis (24%) tended to decrease after COVID-19 diagnosis (10%) but it was not statistically significant ( P = 0.1). CONCLUSIONS Anti-HLA antibody strength and calculated panel reactive antibody in kidney transplant recipients after COVID-19 do not significantly increase after infection. Although the IgG isotype was the dominant form in both HLA and SARS-CoV-2 antigens, the alloimmune response had a low IgA pattern, whereas anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies were high IgA/IgM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alin L. Girnita
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA
| | - Lin Wang
- Department of Pathology, Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics Laboratory, Stanford Blood Center, Palo Alto, CA
| | - Adriana I. Colovai
- Department of Transplantation, Kidney Transplant Program, Montefiore Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY
| | - Patrick Ahearn
- Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA
| | - Yorg Azzi
- Department of Transplantation, Kidney Transplant Program, Montefiore Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY
| | - Madhav C. Menon
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA
- Department of Medicine, Division of Nephrology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
| | | | | | - E. Steve Woodle
- Department of Surgery, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH
| | - Paolo Cravedi
- Department of Medicine, Translational Transplant Research Center, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY
| | - Jonathan S. Maltzman
- Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA
- Department of Internal Medicine, Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA
| | - Enver Akalin
- Department of Transplantation, Kidney Transplant Program, Montefiore Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY
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Heterologous Immunity of Virus-Specific T Cells Leading to Alloreactivity: Possible Implications for Solid Organ Transplantation. Viruses 2021; 13:v13122359. [PMID: 34960628 PMCID: PMC8706157 DOI: 10.3390/v13122359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2021] [Revised: 11/19/2021] [Accepted: 11/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Exposure of the adaptive immune system to a pathogen can result in the activation and expansion of T cells capable of recognizing not only the specific antigen but also different unrelated antigens, a process which is commonly referred to as heterologous immunity. While such cross-reactivity is favourable in amplifying protective immune responses to pathogens, induction of T cell-mediated heterologous immune responses to allo-antigens in the setting of solid organ transplantation can potentially lead to allograft rejection. In this review, we provide an overview of murine and human studies investigating the incidence and functional properties of virus-specific memory T cells cross-reacting with allo-antigens and discuss their potential relevance in the context of solid organ transplantation.
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Zhang W, Morris AB, Peek EV, Karadkhele G, Robertson JM, Kissick HT, Larsen CP. CMV Status Drives Distinct Trajectories of CD4+ T Cell Differentiation. Front Immunol 2021; 12:620386. [PMID: 33936035 PMCID: PMC8081907 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.620386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2020] [Accepted: 03/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is one of the most commonly recognized opportunistic pathogens and remains the most influential known parameter in shaping an individual's immune system. As such, T cells induced by CMV infection could have a long-term impact on subsequent immune responses. Accumulating evidence indicates that memory T cells developed during past bacterial and viral infection can cross-react with unrelated pathogens, including transplant antigens, and can alter responses to de novo infections, vaccines, cancers, or rejection. Therefore, careful examination of T cell responses elicited by CMV is warranted to understand their potentially beneficial or harmful roles in future major immune events. Our detailed exploration of the distribution, phenotype, TCR repertoire and transcriptome of CD4+ T cells within CMV seropositive healthy individuals using high-dimensional flow cytometry and single cell multi-omics sequencing reveals that CMV seropositivity has highly significant age-independent effects, leading to a reduction in CD4+ naïve T cells and an expansion of CD4+ effector memory T cells and CD45RA+ effector memory T cells. These induced CD4+ effector memory T cells undergo a specific differentiation trajectory resulting in a subpopulation of CD57+CD27-CD28-CD244+ CD4+ T cells with cytotoxic function and TCR oligoclonality for optimal controlled coexistence with cytomegalovirus. Through gene set enrichment analysis, we found that this subpopulation is similar to virus-specific CD8+ T cells and T cells that mediate acute rejection in patients using tacrolimus and belatacept, a selective costimulation blocker. Together, these data suggest that memory CD4+ T cells induced by cytomegalovirus are formed via a distinct differentiation program to acquire cytotoxic function and can be potentially detrimental to transplant patients adopting costimulation blockade immunosuppressive regimen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weiwen Zhang
- Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, China.,Emory Transplant Center, Department of Surgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Anna B Morris
- Emory Transplant Center, Department of Surgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Erica V Peek
- Emory Transplant Center, Department of Surgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Geeta Karadkhele
- Emory Transplant Center, Department of Surgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Jennifer M Robertson
- Emory Transplant Center, Department of Surgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Haydn T Kissick
- Department of Urology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Christian P Larsen
- Emory Transplant Center, Department of Surgery, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
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7
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Yu S, Su C, Luo X. Impact of infection on transplantation tolerance. Immunol Rev 2019; 292:243-263. [PMID: 31538351 PMCID: PMC6961566 DOI: 10.1111/imr.12803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2019] [Revised: 08/29/2019] [Accepted: 09/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Allograft tolerance is the ultimate goal of organ transplantation. Current strategies for tolerance induction mainly focus on inhibiting alloreactive T cells while promoting regulatory immune cells. Pathogenic infections may have direct impact on both effector and regulatory cell populations, therefore can alter host susceptibility to transplantation tolerance induction as well as impair the quality and stability of tolerance once induced. In this review, we will discuss existing data demonstrating the effect of infections on transplantation tolerance, with particular emphasis on the role of the stage of infection (acute, chronic, or latent) and the stage of tolerance (induction or maintenance) in this infection-tolerance interaction. While the deleterious effect of acute infection on tolerance is mainly driven by proinflammatory cytokines induced shortly after the infection, chronic infection may generate exhausted T cells that could in fact facilitate transplantation tolerance. In addition to pathogenic infections, commensal intestinal microbiota also has numerous significant immunomodulatory effects that can shape the host alloimmunity following transplantation. A comprehensive understanding of these mechanisms is crucial for the development of therapeutic strategies for robustly inducing and stably maintaining transplantation tolerance while preserving host anti-pathogen immunity in clinically relevant scenarios.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuangjin Yu
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, United States
- Division of Organ transplantation, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510080, China
| | - Chang Su
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, United States
| | - Xunrong Luo
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, United States
- Duke Transplant Center, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27710, United States
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8
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Calabrese DR, Lanier LL, Greenland JR. Natural killer cells in lung transplantation. Thorax 2018; 74:397-404. [PMID: 30381399 DOI: 10.1136/thoraxjnl-2018-212345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2018] [Revised: 09/06/2018] [Accepted: 10/01/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells are innate lymphoid cells that have been increasingly recognised as important in lung allograft tolerance and immune defence. These cells evolved to recognise alterations in self through a diverse set of germline-encoded activating and inhibitory receptors and display a broad range of effector functions that play important roles in responding to infections, malignancies and allogeneic tissue. Here, we review NK cells, their diverse receptors and the mechanisms through which NK cells are postulated to mediate important lung transplant clinical outcomes. NK cells can promote tolerance, such as through the depletion of donor antigen-presenting cells. Alternatively, these cells can drive rejection through cytotoxic effects on allograft tissue recognised as 'non-self' or 'stressed', via killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR) or NKG2D receptor ligation, respectively. NK cells likely mediate complement-independent antibody-mediated rejection of allografts though CD16A Fc receptor-dependent activation induced by graft-specific antibodies. Finally, NK cells play an important role in response to infections, particularly by mediating cytomegalovirus infection through the CD94/NKG2C receptor. Despite these sometimes-conflicting effects on allograft function, enumeration of NK cells may have an important role in diagnosing allograft dysfunction. While the effects of immunosuppression agents on NK cells may currently be largely unintentional, further understanding of NK cell biology in lung allograft recipients may allow these cells to serve as biomarkers of graft injury and as therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel R Calabrese
- Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Lewis L Lanier
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.,The Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - John R Greenland
- Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA.,Medical Service, Veterans Affairs Health Care System, San Francisco, California, USA
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9
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Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Although elusive for many decades, transplantation tolerance can now be achieved in the clinic. This has prompted follow-up investigations into its stability and longevity, as well as into barriers to its induction, which include memory T and B cells. RECENT FINDINGS Clinical observations reveal that transplantation tolerance can be induced in adult recipients and that even episodes of acute rejection do not preclude successful weaning from immunosuppression to reveal tolerance. These observations appear to conflict with the currently accepted notion that adult transplant recipients harbor high frequencies of memory human leukocyte antigen-specific T cells that are a barrier to transplantation tolerance. We discuss how these observations may be rationalized, by proposing the generation of helpless effector CD8 T cells that cannot develop into memory, and by highlighting recent findings on the ability of transplantation tolerance to be spontaneously restored after rejection. We speculate that in individuals who develop tolerance while on immunosuppression and then experience rejection, it is this restored tolerance that is revealed upon successful weaning of immunosuppression. SUMMARY We have reviewed clinical and experimental data to explain how transplantation tolerance may be achieved in individuals who have experienced allograft rejection.
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10
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Riella LV, Bagley J, Iacomini J, Alegre ML. Impact of environmental factors on alloimmunity and transplant fate. J Clin Invest 2017; 127:2482-2491. [PMID: 28481225 DOI: 10.1172/jci90596] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Although gene-environment interactions have been investigated for many years to understand people's susceptibility to autoimmune diseases or cancer, a role for environmental factors in modulating alloimmune responses and transplant outcomes is only now beginning to emerge. New data suggest that diet, hyperlipidemia, pollutants, commensal microbes, and pathogenic infections can all affect T cell activation, differentiation, and the kinetics of graft rejection. These observations reveal opportunities for novel therapeutic interventions to improve graft outcomes as well as for noninvasive biomarker discovery to predict or diagnose graft deterioration before it becomes irreversible. In this Review, we will focus on the impact of these environmental factors on immune function and, when known, on alloimmune function, as well as on transplant fate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonardo V Riella
- Schuster Family Transplantation Research Center, Renal Division, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Jessamyn Bagley
- Department of Developmental, Molecular and Chemical Biology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Sackler School of Biomedical Sciences Programs in Immunology and Genetics, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - John Iacomini
- Department of Developmental, Molecular and Chemical Biology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Sackler School of Biomedical Sciences Programs in Immunology and Genetics, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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11
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Degauque N, Brouard S, Soulillou JP. Cross-Reactivity of TCR Repertoire: Current Concepts, Challenges, and Implication for Allotransplantation. Front Immunol 2016; 7:89. [PMID: 27047489 PMCID: PMC4805583 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2016.00089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2015] [Accepted: 02/22/2016] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Being able to track donor reactive T cells during the course of organ transplantation is a key to improve the graft survival, to prevent graft dysfunction, and to adapt the immunosuppressive regimen. The attempts of transplant immunologists have been for long hampered by the large size of the alloreactive T cell repertoire. Understanding how self-TCR can interact with allogeneic MHC is a key to critically appraise the different assays available to analyze the TCR Vβ repertoire usage. In this report, we will review conceptually and experimentally the process of cross-reactivity. We will then highlight what can be learned from allotransplantation, a situation of artificial cross-reactivity. Finally, the low- and high-resolution techniques to characterize the TCR Vβ repertoire usage in transplantation will be critically discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Degauque
- UMR 1064, INSERM, Nantes, France; ITUN, CHU de Nantes, Nantes, France; Faculté de Médecine, Université de Nantes, Nantes, France; LabEx IGO "Immunotherapy Graft Oncology", Nantes, France
| | - Sophie Brouard
- UMR 1064, INSERM, Nantes, France; ITUN, CHU de Nantes, Nantes, France; Faculté de Médecine, Université de Nantes, Nantes, France; LabEx IGO "Immunotherapy Graft Oncology", Nantes, France; CIC Biothérapie, Nantes, France; CRB, CHU Nantes, Nantes, France; LabEx Transplantex, Nantes, France
| | - Jean-Paul Soulillou
- UMR 1064, INSERM, Nantes, France; Faculté de Médecine, Université de Nantes, Nantes, France; LabEx Transplantex, Nantes, France
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12
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Krummey SM, Martinez RJ, Andargachew R, Liu D, Wagener M, Kohlmeier JE, Evavold BD, Larsen CP, Ford ML. Low-Affinity Memory CD8+ T Cells Mediate Robust Heterologous Immunity. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2016; 196:2838-46. [PMID: 26864034 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1500639] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2015] [Accepted: 01/12/2016] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Heterologous immunity is recognized as a significant barrier to transplant tolerance. Whereas it has been established that pathogen-elicited memory T cells can have high or low affinity for cross-reactive allogeneic peptide-MHC, the role of TCR affinity during heterologous immunity has not been explored. We established a model with which to investigate the impact of TCR-priming affinity on memory T cell populations following a graft rechallenge. In contrast to high-affinity priming, low-affinity priming elicited fully differentiated memory T cells with a CD45RB(hi) status. High CD45RB status enabled robust secondary responses in vivo, as demonstrated by faster graft rejection kinetics and greater proliferative responses. CD45RB blockade prolonged graft survival in low affinity-primed mice, but not in high affinity-primed mice. Mechanistically, low affinity-primed memory CD8(+) T cells produced more IL-2 and significantly upregulated IL-2Rα expression during rechallenge. We found that CD45RB(hi) status was also a stable marker of priming affinity within polyclonal CD8(+) T cell populations. Following high-affinity rechallenge, low affinity-primed CD45RB(hi) cells became CD45RB(lo), demonstrating that CD45RB status acts as an affinity-based differentiation switch on CD8(+) T cells. Thus, these data establish a novel mechanism by which CD45 isoforms tune low affinity-primed memory CD8(+) T cells to become potent secondary effectors following heterologous rechallenge. These findings have direct implications for allogeneic heterologous immunity by demonstrating that despite a lower precursor frequency, low-affinity priming is sufficient to generate memory cells that mediate potent secondary responses against a cross-reactive graft challenge.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ryan J Martinez
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322
| | - Rakieb Andargachew
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322
| | - Danya Liu
- Emory Transplant Center, Atlanta, GA 30322; and
| | | | - Jacob E Kohlmeier
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322
| | - Brian D Evavold
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322
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13
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T-cell alloreactivity and transplantation outcome: a budding role for heterologous immunity? Curr Opin Organ Transplant 2015; 20:454-60. [PMID: 26126194 DOI: 10.1097/mot.0000000000000218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Despite the association between alloreactive T cells and poor graft survival, the mechanisms behind T-cell-mediated rejection are still under investigation. In this review, we will discuss the latest insights into the impact of T-cell alloreactivity on solid organ transplantation and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), with special emphasis on the potential impact of heterologous immunity. RECENT FINDINGS A large part of the memory T-cell repertoire is induced upon virus infections, and evidence for a role of T-cell receptor cross-reactivity of virus-induced memory T cells against allogeneic human leukocyte antigen (HLA) is accumulating in experimental and clinical solid organ transplantation studies. In HSCT, strong alloreactive potential of naïve T cells causes concerns for graft-versus-host disease while additional HLA-DP matching is suggested to prevent CD4 alloreactivity. Furthermore, virus-induced memory T cells hamper mixed chimerism induction, pointing once more towards a role for heterologous immunity. SUMMARY Both memory and naïve T cells contribute to the alloimmune response after transplantation. Monitoring for T-cell phenotypes could help predict rejection episodes and/or graft-versus-host disease, allowing timely intervention. Tailoring donor lymphocyte infusions and additional HLA matching could prevent strong alloreactivity in HSCT. Furthermore, the potential role of heterologous immunity in T-cell alloreactivity and transplantation is gaining interest.
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Strong BSI, Ryken KO, Lee AE, Turner LE, Wadhwani RK, Newkold TJ, Alhajjat AM, Heusel JW, Shaaban AF. Prenatal Allogeneic Tolerance in Mice Remains Stable Despite Potent Viral Immune Activation. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2015; 195:4001-9. [PMID: 26363051 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1500844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2015] [Accepted: 08/11/2015] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Transplanting stem cells before birth offers an unparalleled opportunity to initiate corrective treatment for numerous childhood diseases with minimal or no host conditioning. Although long-term engraftment has been demonstrated following in utero hematopoietic cellular transplantation during immune quiescence, it is unclear if prenatal tolerance becomes unstable with immune activation such as during a viral syndrome. Using a murine model of in utero hematopoietic cellular transplantation, the impact of an infection with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus on prenatal allospecific tolerance was examined. The findings in this report illustrate that established mechanisms of donor-specific tolerance are strained during potent immune activation. Specifically, a transient reversal in the anergy of alloreactive lymphocytes is seen in parallel with the global immune response toward the virus. However, these changes return to baseline following resolution of the infection. Importantly, prenatal engraftment remains stable during and after immune activation. Collectively, these findings illustrate the robust nature of allospecific tolerance in prenatal mixed chimerism compared with models of postnatal chimerism and provides additional support for the prenatal approach to the treatment of congenital benign cellular disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beverly S I Strong
- Department of Surgery, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229; University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45229
| | - Katherine O Ryken
- Department of Surgery, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA 52242
| | - Amanda E Lee
- Department of Surgery, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229; University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45229
| | - Lucas E Turner
- Department of Surgery, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229; University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45229
| | - Ram K Wadhwani
- Department of Surgery, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229; University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45229
| | - Tess J Newkold
- Department of Surgery, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229; University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45229
| | - Amir M Alhajjat
- Department of Surgery, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA 52242
| | - Jonathan W Heusel
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110; and Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110
| | - Aimen F Shaaban
- Department of Surgery, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229; University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45229;
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15
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Crespo E, Bestard O. Biomarkers to assess donor-reactive T-cell responses in kidney transplant patients. Clin Biochem 2015; 49:329-37. [PMID: 26279496 DOI: 10.1016/j.clinbiochem.2015.08.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2015] [Revised: 07/23/2015] [Accepted: 08/09/2015] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Different to antibody-mediated rejection (ABMR), T-cell mediated rejection (TCMR) still unpredictably occurs after kidney transplantation in a great part because of a poor immunologic evaluation of the cellular allogeneic immune response. However, in the last years, important efforts have focused on the development of novel and more sensitive assays to monitor T-cell alloimmune responses at different biological levels that may improve the understanding of the functional status of the cellular immune compartment in patients undergoing organ transplantation. In this direction, immune assays evaluating T-cell proliferation, intracellular ATP release, multiparameter flow cytometry, profiling T-cell receptor repertoires and measurements of frequencies of cytokine-producing T-cells using an IFN-γ enzyme-linked immunospot assay (IFN-γ ELISPOT) have been reported showing interesting associations between the cellular alloimmune response and kidney transplant outcomes. In summary, an important progress has been made in the assessment of alloreactive T-cell responses in the context of organ transplantation using novel immune assays at different biological levels. However, there is an urgent need for prospective, randomized clinical studies to validate these encouraging preliminary data to ultimately introduce them in current clinical practice for refining current immune-risk stratification in kidney transplantation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Crespo
- Laboratory of Experimental Nephrology, IDIBELL, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Oriol Bestard
- Laboratory of Experimental Nephrology, IDIBELL, Barcelona, Spain; Kidney Transplant Unit, Nephrology Department, Bellvitge University Hospital, Barcelona University, Barcelona, Spain.
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Abstract
Each individual harbours a unique set of commensal microorganisms, collectively referred to as the microbiota. Notably, these microorganisms exceed the number of cells in the human body by 10-fold. This finding has accelerated a shift in our understanding of human physiology, with the realization that traits necessary for health are both encoded and influenced by the human genome and the microbiota. Our understanding of the aetiology of complex diseases has, therefore, evolved with increasing awareness that the human microbiota has an active and critical role in maintaining health and inducing disease. Indeed, findings from bioinformatic studies indicate that the microbiota and microbiome have multiple effects on the innate and adaptive immune systems, with effects on infection, autoimmune disease and cancer. In this Review, we first address the important statistical and informatics aspects that should be considered when characterizing the composition of microbiota. We next highlight the effects of the microbiota on the immune system and the implications of these effects on organ failure and transplantation. Finally, we reflect on the future perspectives for studies of the microbiota, including novel diagnostic tests and therapeutics.
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17
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Chong AS, Alegre ML. Transplantation tolerance and its outcome during infections and inflammation. Immunol Rev 2015; 258:80-101. [PMID: 24517427 DOI: 10.1111/imr.12147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Much progress has been made toward understanding the mechanistic basis of transplantation tolerance in experimental models, which implicates clonal deletion of alloreactive T and B cells, induction of cell-intrinsic hyporesponsiveness, and dominant regulatory cells mediating infectious tolerance and linked suppression. Despite encouraging success in the laboratory, achieving tolerance in the clinic remains challenging, although the basis for these challenges is beginning to be understood. Heterologous memory alloreactive T cells generated by infections prior to transplantation have been shown to be a critical barrier to tolerance induction. Furthermore, infections at the time of transplantation and tolerance induction provide a pro-inflammatory milieu that alters the stability and function of regulatory T cells as well as the activation requirements and differentiation of effector T cells. Thus, infections can result in enhanced alloreactivity, resistance to tolerance induction, and destabilization of the established tolerance state. We speculate that these experimental findings have relevance to the clinic, where infections have been associated with allograft rejection and may be a causal event precipitating the loss of grafts after long periods of stable operational tolerance. Understanding the mechanisms by which infections prevent and destabilize tolerance can lead to therapies that promote stable life-long tolerance in transplant recipients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anita S Chong
- Section of Transplantation, Department of Surgery, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
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18
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Khalifian S, Raimondi G, Lee WA, Brandacher G. Taming inflammation by targeting cytokine signaling: new perspectives in the induction of transplantation tolerance. Immunotherapy 2015; 6:637-53. [PMID: 24896631 DOI: 10.2217/imt.14.25] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Transplantation tolerance remains an elusive goal, partly due to limitations in our understanding of the interplay between inflammatory mediators and their role in the activation and regulation of T lymphocytes. Although multiple mechanisms acting both centrally and peripherally are responsible for tolerance induction, the signaling pathways leading to activation or regulation of adaptive immunity are often complex, branched, redundant and modulated by the microenvironment's inflammatory milieu. Accumulating evidence clearly indicates that inflammatory cytokines limit the tolerogenic potential of immunomodulatory protocols by supporting priming of the immune system and counteracting regulatory mechanisms, ultimately promoting rejection. In this review, we summarize recent progress in the development of novel therapeutics to manipulate this inflammatory environment and achievements in targeted inhibition of inflammatory cytokine signaling. Ultimately, robust transplant tolerance induction will probably require a multifaceted, holistic approach that integrates the various mechanisms of tolerance induction, incorporates the dynamic alterations in costimulatory requirements of alloreactive T cells, while maintaining endogenous mechanisms of immune regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saami Khalifian
- Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
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19
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Westerhuis G, de Witte M, Schumacher TN, Toes RE, Fibbe WE. Barriers to chimerism after major histocompatibility complex-mismatched stem cell transplantation: A potential role for heterologous immunity. Exp Hematol 2014; 42:753-60. [DOI: 10.1016/j.exphem.2014.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2013] [Revised: 03/30/2014] [Accepted: 04/04/2014] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
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Abstract
Microbial products can be recognized by pattern recognition receptors expressed by immune and parenchymal cells and drive innate immunity that can in turn shape adaptive immune responses to microbial and transplant antigens. In transplanted patients, the signals and their downstream inflammatory cytokines elicited in response to infections can modulate ongoing alloimmune responses and modify the fate of transplanted organs. In recent years, it has become apparent that microbial signals can be generated not only by active pathogenic infections but also by commensal microbiota, thus opening a new field of research into the interplay between the microbiota and the immune system in homeostasis and disease. The wide use of antibiotics and immunosuppressive drugs in transplanted patients can have dramatic consequences on the microbiota that can in turn shape immune responses and perhaps alloresponses, whereas the ongoing immune responses can in turn affect the commensal or pathogenic microorganisms in a feed-forward circle. Here, we discuss known and hypothesized mechanisms for how infections or microbiota-derived signals may affect local or systemic alloimmunity and briefly review data on downstream effects of antibiotics and vaccinations.
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Krummey SM, Floyd TL, Liu D, Wagener ME, Song M, Ford ML. Candida-elicited murine Th17 cells express high Ctla-4 compared with Th1 cells and are resistant to costimulation blockade. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2014; 192:2495-504. [PMID: 24493820 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1301332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Effector and memory T cells may cross-react with allogeneic Ags to mediate graft rejection. Whereas the costimulation properties of Th1 cells are well studied, relatively little is known about the costimulation requirements of microbe-elicited Th17 cells. The costimulation blocker CTLA-4 Ig has been ineffective in the treatment of several Th17-driven autoimmune diseases and is associated with severe acute rejection following renal transplantation, leading us to investigate whether Th17 cells play a role in CD28/CTLA-4 blockade-resistant alloreactivity. We established an Ag-specific model in which Th1 and Th17 cells were elicited via Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Candida albicans immunization, respectively. C. albicans immunization elicited a higher frequency of Th17 cells and conferred resistance to costimulation blockade following transplantation. Compared with the M. tuberculosis group, C. albicans-elicited Th17 cells contained a higher frequency of IL-17(+)IFN-γ(+) producers and a lower frequency of IL-10(+) and IL-10(+)IL-17(+) cells. Importantly, Th17 cells differentially regulated the CD28/CTLA-4 pathway, expressing similarly high CD28 but significantly greater amounts of CTLA-4 compared with Th1 cells. Ex vivo blockade experiments demonstrated that Th17 cells are more sensitive to CTLA-4 coinhibition and therefore less susceptible to CTLA-4 Ig. These novel insights into the differential regulation of CTLA-4 coinhibition on CD4(+) T cells have implications for the immunomodulation of pathologic T cell responses during transplantation and autoimmunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott M Krummey
- Department of Surgery, Emory Transplant Center, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322
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22
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Cellular Immunotherapy: Using Alloreactivity to Induce Anti-Leukemic Responses without Prolonged Persistence of Donor Cells. Med Sci (Basel) 2013. [DOI: 10.3390/medsci1010037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
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23
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Elevation of CD4+ differentiated memory T cells is associated with acute cellular and antibody-mediated rejection after liver transplantation. Transplantation 2013; 95:1512-20. [PMID: 23619734 DOI: 10.1097/tp.0b013e318290de18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND It is now well known that the outcome after allogeneic transplantation, such as incidence of acute rejections, very much depends on the individual's immune reactivity status. There is also increasing evidence that the presence of preexisting memory T cells can affect antigraft immune responses. METHODS In a prospective study, we monitored peripheral CD4 and CD8 central memory, effector memory, and terminal differentiated effector memory (TEMRA) T cells in 55 patients who underwent deceased liver transplantation and received conventional immunosuppressive treatment with or without basiliximab induction. The primary endpoint of the study was acute allograft rejection during a 1-year follow-up period. RESULTS We observed significantly increased proportions of CD4 and CD8 TEMRA cells in patients before transplantation compared with healthy controls (P=0.006 and 0.009, respectively). This characteristic was independent of the underlying disease. In patients with no signs of acute rejection, we observed an immediate reduction of CD4 TEMRA cells. In contrast, patients who experienced acute cellular rejection, and especially antibody-mediated rejection, displayed persistent elevated TEMRA cells (P=0.017 and 0.027, respectively). Basiliximab induction therapy did not influence CD4 and CD8 TEMRA numbers. CONCLUSIONS Conventional immunosuppressive or basiliximab treatment cannot control the persistence of TEMRA T cells, which may contribute to acute cellular rejection and antibody-mediated rejection after liver transplantation. In the future, specific targeting of TEMRA cells in selected patients may prevent the occurrence of difficult to treat steroid-resistant rejections, thereby leading to improved patient outcome.
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Cross-reactive anti-viral T cells increase prior to an episode of viral reactivation post human lung transplantation. PLoS One 2013; 8:e56042. [PMID: 23405250 PMCID: PMC3566045 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0056042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2012] [Accepted: 01/09/2013] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Human Cytomegalovirus (CMV) reactivation continues to influence lung transplant outcomes. Cross-reactivity of anti-viral memory T cells against donor human leukocyte antigens (HLA) may be a contributing factor. We identified cross-reactive HLA-A*02:01-restricted CMV-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) co-recognizing the NLVPMVATV (NLV) epitope and HLA-B27. NLV-specific CD8+ T cells were expanded for 13 days from 14 HLA-A*02:01/CMV seropositive healthy donors and 11 lung transplant recipients (LTR) then assessed for the production of IFN-γ and CD107a expression in response to 19 cell lines expressing either single HLA-A or -B class I molecules. In one healthy individual, we observed functional and proliferative cross-reactivity in response to B*27:05 alloantigen, representing approximately 5% of the NLV-specific CTL population. Similar patterns were also observed in one LTR receiving a B27 allograft, revealing that the cross-reactive NLV-specific CTL gradually increased (days 13-193 post-transplant) before a CMV reactivation event (day 270) and reduced to basal levels following viral clearance (day 909). Lung function remained stable with no acute rejection episodes being reported up to 3 years post-transplant. Individualized immunological monitoring of cross-reactive anti-viral T cells will provide further insights into their effects on the allograft and an opportunity to predict sub-clinical CMV reactivation events and immunopathological complications.
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25
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Priyadharshini B, Greiner DL, Brehm MA. T-cell activation and transplantation tolerance. Transplant Rev (Orlando) 2012; 26:212-22. [PMID: 22074786 PMCID: PMC3294261 DOI: 10.1016/j.trre.2011.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2011] [Revised: 08/16/2011] [Accepted: 09/02/2011] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Transplantation of allogeneic or "nonself" tissues stimulates a robust immune response leading to graft rejection, and therefore, most recipients of allogeneic organ transplants require the lifelong use of immune suppressive agents. Excellent outcomes notwithstanding, contemporary immunosuppressive medications are toxic, are often not taken by patients, and pose long-term risks of infection and malignancy. The ultimate goal in transplantation is to develop new treatments that will supplant the need for general immunosuppression. Here, we will describe the development and application of costimulation blockade to induce transplantation tolerance and discuss how the diverse array of signals that act on T cells will determine the balance between graft survival and rejection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bhavana Priyadharshini
- Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 373 Plantation Street, Biotech 2, Worcester, MA 01605
| | - Dale L. Greiner
- Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 373 Plantation Street, Biotech 2, Worcester, MA 01605
| | - Michael A. Brehm
- Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 373 Plantation Street, Biotech 2, Worcester, MA 01605
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26
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Abstract
Investigations over the past two decades are revealing complexities in the regulation of the innate immune response, and how this response, in turn, controls adaptive immunity. Microbial exposure, infections and tissue damage that accompany solid-organ transplantation result in the release of pathogen- and damage-associated molecular patterns, as well as pathogen- or allograft-derived antigens. Here, we review these triggers of innate and adaptive immunity, and discuss emerging paradigms of the many ways in which infections and tissue damage might directly or indirectly affect alloreactivity and the outcome of transplanted allografts.
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27
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Ganciclovir transiently attenuates murine cytomegalovirus-associated renal allograft inflammation. Transplantation 2011; 92:759-66. [PMID: 21878840 DOI: 10.1097/tp.0b013e31822c6e89] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Prophylactic ganciclovir (GCV) is used in high-risk renal transplant patients to prevent acute cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease, but its impact on inflammation within the allograft itself remains undefined. METHODS To study the effect of GCV prophylaxis on allograft inflammation, murine CMV (MCMV)-infected allografts were analyzed in a murine donor positive/recipient negative allogeneic renal transplantation model by flow cytometry and immunofluorescent staining. RESULTS By flow cytometry, CD45+ leukocyte infiltrates were more abundant in MCMV-infected allografts at 14 days posttransplant compared with uninfected grafts (P<0.01) and decreased in the presence of GCV (P<0.05). CD11c+ dendritic cells, Gr-1+ myeloid cells, CD204+ macrophages, and CD49b+ natural killer cells were reduced in GCV-treated allografts compared with MCMV-infected grafts without GCV treatment (P<0.05). However, GCV failed to reduce these cell types to levels found in MCMV-uninfected allografts. By day 7 after cessation of GCV prophylaxis, dendritic cells, macrophages, and natural killer cells increased in number and became statistically indistinguishable from numbers of cells found in MCMV-infected allografts without GCV. GCV treatment did not affect the numbers of CD4+, CD8+, or CD19+/B220+ lymphocytes infiltrating the allografts. Infiltrates were confirmed histologically by immunofluorescent staining for CD3+ and CD11b+ cells. CONCLUSIONS In this model, MCMV-infected allografts developed significantly greater innate and adaptive leukocytic infiltrates compared with uninfected grafts. GCV attenuated the MCMV-associated innate leukocyte infiltrates in infected allografts but not the lymphocytic infiltrates. The attenuated innate response was limited to the period of GCV prophylaxis.
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28
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D'Orsogna LJ, Roelen DL, Doxiadis IIN, Claas FHJ. TCR cross-reactivity and allorecognition: new insights into the immunogenetics of allorecognition. Immunogenetics 2011; 64:77-85. [PMID: 22146829 PMCID: PMC3253994 DOI: 10.1007/s00251-011-0590-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2011] [Accepted: 11/11/2011] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Alloreactive T cells are core mediators of graft rejection and are a potent barrier to transplantation tolerance. It was previously unclear how T cells educated in the recipient thymus could recognize allogeneic HLA molecules. Recently it was shown that both naïve and memory CD4+ and CD8+ T cells are frequently cross-reactive against allogeneic HLA molecules and that this allorecognition exhibits exquisite peptide and HLA specificity and is dependent on both public and private specificities of the T cell receptor. In this review we highlight new insights gained into the immunogenetics of allorecognition, with particular emphasis on how viral infection and vaccination may specifically activate allo-HLA reactive T cells. We also briefly discuss the potential for virus-specific T cell infusions to produce GvHD. The progress made in understanding the molecular basis of allograft rejection will hopefully be translated into improved allograft function and/or survival, and eventually tolerance induction.
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Affiliation(s)
- L J D'Orsogna
- Department of Immunohematology and Blood Transfusion, Leiden University Medical Centre, PO Box 9600, 2300RC Leiden, the Netherlands.
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29
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Vaccine-induced allo-HLA-reactive memory T cells in a kidney transplantation candidate. Transplantation 2011; 91:645-51. [PMID: 21283063 DOI: 10.1097/tp.0b013e318208c071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Allo-human leukocyte antigen (HLA) reactivity by naturally acquired viral-specific memory T cells is common. However, the effect of successful vaccination on the alloreactive memory T-cell repertoire is unclear. We hypothesized that vaccination could specifically induce allo-HLA-reactive memory T cells. METHODS A varicella-zoster virus (VZV) immediate early 62 (IE62)-specific CD8 memory T-cell clone was single cell sorted from a VZV seronegative renal transplant candidate after response to live attenuated varicella vaccination. To analyze the allo-HLA reactivity, the VZV IE62-specific T-cell clone was tested against HLA-typed target cells and target cells transfected with HLA molecules, in both cytokine production and cytotoxicity assays. RESULTS The varicella vaccine-induced VZV IE62-specific T-cell clone specifically produced interferon-γ when stimulated with HLA-B*55:01-expressing Epstein-Barr virus-transformed B cells and HLA-B*55:01-transfected K562 cells (single HLA antigen expressing cell line [SALs]) only. The clone also demonstrated specific cytolytic effector function against HLA-B*55:01 SALs and phytohemagglutinin blasts. Cytotoxicity assays using proximal tubular epithelial cell and human umbilical vein endothelial cell targets confirmed the kidney tissue specificity of the allo-HLA-B*55:01 reactivity, and the relevance of the cross-reactivity to clinical kidney transplantation. The results also suggest that molecular mimicry, and not bystander proliferation, is the mechanism underlying vaccine-induced alloreactivity. CONCLUSIONS Varicella vaccination generated a de novo alloreactive kidney cell-specific cytolytic effector memory T cell in a patient awaiting renal transplantation. Vaccination-induced alloreactivity may have important clinical implications, especially for vaccine timing and recipient monitoring.
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30
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Melenhorst JJ, Scheinberg P, Williams A, Ambrozak DR, Keyvanfar K, Smith M, McCoy JP, Hensel NF, Douek DC, Barrett AJ. Alloreactivity across HLA barriers is mediated by both naïve and antigen-experienced T cells. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant 2011; 17:800-9. [PMID: 21215812 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbmt.2010.12.711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2010] [Accepted: 12/22/2010] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
T cell responses to allogeneic targets arise predominantly from the naïve pool. However, in humans, the risk of graft-versus-host disease is increased if the donor has circulating T cells recognizing multiple persistent DNA viruses, suggesting that memory T cells also contribute to the alloresponse. To examine HLA alloreactivity, we used flow cytometry-based proliferation and cytokine production assays. We identified the clonal identity of virus-specific T cells cross-reacting with HLA-disparate targets by sequencing the T cell receptor β chains in virus-specific T cell lines restimulated with cognate and HLA-disparate targets and sorting these chains according to cytokine response. We confirmed that naïve T cells from cord blood and adult individuals responded to HLA-mismatched target cells. In addition, in adults, we identified memory T cells responding by cytokine release to HLA-mismatched targets both in direct assays and after 8 days of culture with allogeneic stimulator cells. Epstein-Barr virus-specific and cytomegalovirus-specific T cells, tested against a panel of 30 T cell antigen-presenting cells with a broad coverage of the most prominent HLA types, displayed specificity for certain mismatched HLA alleles. Sequencing of the T cell receptor β chain demonstrated a clonotypic identity of cells that responded to both viral and allogeneic stimulation. These findings show conclusively that alloresponses in humans are not confined to the naïve T cell subset, and that memory viral antigen-specific T cells can cross-react with specific mismatched HLA-peptide complexes not presenting with cytomegalovirus or Epstein-Barr virus peptides.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Joseph Melenhorst
- Hematology Branch, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892-1202, USA.
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31
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Rouse BT, Lukacher AE. Some unmet challenges in the immunology of viral infections. DISCOVERY MEDICINE 2010; 10:363-370. [PMID: 21034678 PMCID: PMC3884557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Viral immunology is a rapidly evolving field. Major strides have been made in our understanding of innate and adaptive immune responses to viruses, largely based on highly reductionistic animal infection models, but more recently in humans, with validation that fundamental immunological concepts do in fact translate into clinical science well. From these studies there has emerged an appreciation of the enormous complexity of the immune response to viral infections as well as the diverse array of strategies developed by viruses to deal with immune detection. In this review, we highlight some of the major challenges we face in unraveling this complexity and summarize current efforts under way to improve the efficacy of viral vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barry T. Rouse
- Department of Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, USA.
| | - Aron E. Lukacher
- Department of Pathology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
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