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Grebinoski S, Pieklo G, Zhang Q, Visperas A, Cui J, Goulet J, Xiao H, Brunazzi EA, Cardello C, Herrada AA, Das J, Workman CJ, Vignali DAA. Regulatory T Cell Insufficiency in Autoimmune Diabetes Is Driven by Selective Loss of Neuropilin-1 on Intraislet Regulatory T Cells. JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY (BALTIMORE, MD. : 1950) 2024; 213:779-794. [PMID: 39109924 PMCID: PMC11371503 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.2300216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2023] [Accepted: 07/08/2024] [Indexed: 09/05/2024]
Abstract
Approaches to reverse or limit regulatory T cell (Treg) insufficiency are of great interest for development of immunotherapeutic treatments for autoimmune patients, including type 1 diabetes. Treg insufficiency is heavily implicated in the progression of autoimmune diabetes in the NOD mouse model and is characterized by defects in Treg numbers, development, and/or function. Utilizing a Treg-centric screen, we show that intraislet Tregs have a uniquely dysfunctional phenotype, hallmarked by an almost complete lack of neuropilin-1 (Nrp1), a cell surface receptor required to maintain Treg stability. Intraislet Nrp1- Tregs exhibit hallmark features of fragility, including reduced suppressive capacity, decreased CD73 and Helios, and increased Rorγt and Tbet. Intraislet Nrp1- Tregs also exhibit decreased Foxp3 expression on a per cell basis, suggesting that Nrp1 may also be required for long-term Treg stability. Mechanistically, Treg-restricted augmentation of Nrp1 expression limited the onset of autoimmune diabetes in NOD mice suggesting that Nrp1 critically impacts intraislet Treg function. Transcriptional analysis showed that Nrp1 restoration led to an increase in markers and pathways of TCR signaling, survival, and suppression, and when Nrp1 protein expression is examined by cellular indexing of transcriptomes and epitopes by sequencing, significant differences were observed between Nrp1+ and Nrp1- Tregs in all tissues, particularly in markers of Treg fragility. This translated into substantive differences between Nrp1+ and Nrp1- Tregs that afforded the former with a competitive advantage in the islets. Taken together, these data suggest that maintenance of Nrp1 expression and signaling on Tregs limits diabetes onset and may serve as a strategy to combat Treg insufficiency in autoimmune disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Grebinoski
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA
- Graduate Program of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA
- Tumor Microenvironment Center, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Gwenyth Pieklo
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA
- Tumor Microenvironment Center, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Qianxia Zhang
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA
- Graduate Program of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA
- Tumor Microenvironment Center, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, Pittsburgh, PA
- Department of Immunology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN
| | - Anabelle Visperas
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA
- Tumor Microenvironment Center, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Jian Cui
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA
- Tumor Microenvironment Center, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Jordana Goulet
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Hanxi Xiao
- Center for Systems Immunology, Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA
- Department of Computational & Systems Biology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA
- CMU-Pitt Joint Computational Biology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Erin A Brunazzi
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA
- Tumor Microenvironment Center, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Carly Cardello
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA
- Tumor Microenvironment Center, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Andrés A Herrada
- Department of Immunology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN
| | - Jishnu Das
- CMU-Pitt Joint Computational Biology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Creg J Workman
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA
- Tumor Microenvironment Center, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, Pittsburgh, PA
- Department of Immunology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN
| | - Dario A A Vignali
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA
- Tumor Microenvironment Center, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, Pittsburgh, PA
- Department of Immunology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN
- Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Program, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, Pittsburgh PA
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Contreras-Castillo E, García-Rasilla VY, García-Patiño MG, Licona-Limón P. Stability and plasticity of regulatory T cells in health and disease. J Leukoc Biol 2024; 116:33-53. [PMID: 38428948 DOI: 10.1093/jleuko/qiae049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2023] [Revised: 02/09/2024] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/03/2024] Open
Abstract
The mechanisms that negatively regulate inflammation upon a pathogenic stimulus are crucial for the maintenance of tissue integrity and organ function. T regulatory cells are one of the main drivers in controlling inflammation. The ability of T regulatory cells to adapt to different inflammatory cues and suppress inflammation is one of the relevant features of T regulatory cells. During this process, T regulatory cells express different transcription factors associated with their counterparts, Th helper cells, including Tbx21, GATA-3, Bcl6, and Rorc. The acquisition of this transcription factor helps the T regulatory cells to suppress and migrate to the different inflamed tissues. Additionally, the T regulatory cells have different mechanisms that preserve stability while acquiring a particular T regulatory cell subtype. This review focuses on describing T regulatory cell subtypes and the mechanisms that maintain their identity in health and diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eugenio Contreras-Castillo
- Departamento de Biología Celular y del Desarrollo, Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Circuito exterior s/n, CU Coyoacán, México City 04510, Mexico
| | - Verónica Yutsil García-Rasilla
- Departamento de Biología Celular y del Desarrollo, Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Circuito exterior s/n, CU Coyoacán, México City 04510, Mexico
| | - María Guadalupe García-Patiño
- Departamento de Biología Celular y del Desarrollo, Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Circuito exterior s/n, CU Coyoacán, México City 04510, Mexico
| | - Paula Licona-Limón
- Departamento de Biología Celular y del Desarrollo, Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Circuito exterior s/n, CU Coyoacán, México City 04510, Mexico
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3
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Carbone F, Russo C, Colamatteo A, La Rocca C, Fusco C, Matarese A, Procaccini C, Matarese G. Cellular and molecular signaling towards T cell immunological self-tolerance. J Biol Chem 2024; 300:107134. [PMID: 38432631 PMCID: PMC10981134 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2024.107134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2023] [Revised: 02/21/2024] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024] Open
Abstract
The binding of a cognate antigen to T cell receptor (TCR) complex triggers a series of intracellular events controlling T cell activation, proliferation, and differentiation. Upon TCR engagement, different negative regulatory feedback mechanisms are rapidly activated to counterbalance T cell activation, thus preventing excessive signal propagation and promoting the induction of immunological self-tolerance. Both positive and negative regulatory processes are tightly controlled to ensure the effective elimination of foreign antigens while limiting surrounding tissue damage and autoimmunity. In this context, signals deriving from co-stimulatory molecules (i.e., CD80, CD86), co-inhibitory receptors (PD-1, CTLA-4), the tyrosine phosphatase CD45 and cytokines such as IL-2 synergize with TCR-derived signals to guide T cell fate and differentiation. The balance of these mechanisms is also crucial for the generation of CD4+ Foxp3+ regulatory T cells, a cellular subset involved in the control of immunological self-tolerance. This review provides an overview of the most relevant pathways induced by TCR activation combined with those derived from co-stimulatory and co-inhibitory molecules implicated in the cell-intrinsic modulation of T cell activation. In addition to the latter, we dissected mechanisms responsible for T cell-mediated suppression of immune cell activation through regulatory T cell generation, homeostasis, and effector functions. We also discuss how imbalanced signaling derived from TCR and accessory molecules can contribute to autoimmune disease pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fortunata Carbone
- Laboratorio di Immunologia, Istituto per l'Endocrinologia e l'Oncologia Sperimentale "G. Salvatore", Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (IEOS-CNR), Napoli, Italy; Unità di Neuroimmunologia, IRCCS-Fondazione Santa Lucia, Roma, Italy
| | - Claudia Russo
- D.A.I. Medicina di Laboratorio e Trasfusionale, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria "Federico II", Napoli, Italy
| | - Alessandra Colamatteo
- Treg Cell Lab, Dipartimento di Medicina Molecolare e Biotecnologie Mediche, Università degli Studi di Napoli "Federico II", Napoli, Italy
| | - Claudia La Rocca
- Laboratorio di Immunologia, Istituto per l'Endocrinologia e l'Oncologia Sperimentale "G. Salvatore", Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (IEOS-CNR), Napoli, Italy
| | - Clorinda Fusco
- Treg Cell Lab, Dipartimento di Medicina Molecolare e Biotecnologie Mediche, Università degli Studi di Napoli "Federico II", Napoli, Italy
| | - Alessandro Matarese
- Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Chirurgia, Università degli Studi di Napoli "Federico II", Naples, Italy
| | - Claudio Procaccini
- Laboratorio di Immunologia, Istituto per l'Endocrinologia e l'Oncologia Sperimentale "G. Salvatore", Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (IEOS-CNR), Napoli, Italy; Unità di Neuroimmunologia, IRCCS-Fondazione Santa Lucia, Roma, Italy.
| | - Giuseppe Matarese
- Laboratorio di Immunologia, Istituto per l'Endocrinologia e l'Oncologia Sperimentale "G. Salvatore", Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (IEOS-CNR), Napoli, Italy; Treg Cell Lab, Dipartimento di Medicina Molecolare e Biotecnologie Mediche, Università degli Studi di Napoli "Federico II", Napoli, Italy.
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James EA, Joglekar AV, Linnemann AK, Russ HA, Kent SC. The beta cell-immune cell interface in type 1 diabetes (T1D). Mol Metab 2023; 78:101809. [PMID: 37734713 PMCID: PMC10622886 DOI: 10.1016/j.molmet.2023.101809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2023] [Revised: 09/01/2023] [Accepted: 09/15/2023] [Indexed: 09/23/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND T1D is an autoimmune disease in which pancreatic islets of Langerhans are infiltrated by immune cells resulting in the specific destruction of insulin-producing islet beta cells. Our understanding of the factors leading to islet infiltration and the interplay of the immune cells with target beta cells is incomplete, especially in human disease. While murine models of T1D have provided crucial information for both beta cell and autoimmune cell function, the translation of successful therapies in the murine model to human disease has been a challenge. SCOPE OF REVIEW Here, we discuss current state of the art and consider knowledge gaps concerning the interface of the islet beta cell with immune infiltrates, with a focus on T cells. We discuss pancreatic and immune cell phenotypes and their impact on cell function in health and disease, which we deem important to investigate further to attain a more comprehensive understanding of human T1D disease etiology. MAJOR CONCLUSIONS The last years have seen accelerated development of approaches that allow comprehensive study of human T1D. Critically, recent studies have contributed to our revised understanding that the pancreatic beta cell assumes an active role, rather than a passive position, during autoimmune disease progression. The T cell-beta cell interface is a critical axis that dictates beta cell fate and shapes autoimmune responses. This includes the state of the beta cell after processing internal and external cues (e.g., stress, inflammation, genetic risk) that that contributes to the breaking of tolerance by hyperexpression of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I with presentation of native and neoepitopes and secretion of chemotactic factors to attract immune cells. We anticipate that emerging insights about the molecular and cellular aspects of disease initiation and progression processes will catalyze the development of novel and innovative intervention points to provide additional therapies to individuals affected by T1D.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eddie A James
- Center for Translational Immunology, Benaroya Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Alok V Joglekar
- Center for Systems Immunology and Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Amelia K Linnemann
- Center for Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases, and Herman B Wells Center for Pediatric Research, Department of Pediatrics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Holger A Russ
- Diabetes Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA; Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Sally C Kent
- Diabetes Center of Excellence, Department of Medicine, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA.
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5
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Sathe A, Ayala C, Bai X, Grimes SM, Lee B, Kin C, Shelton A, Poultsides G, Ji HP. GITR and TIGIT immunotherapy provokes divergent multicellular responses in the tumor microenvironment of gastrointestinal cancers. Genome Med 2023; 15:100. [PMID: 38008725 PMCID: PMC10680277 DOI: 10.1186/s13073-023-01259-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 11/28/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Understanding the mechanistic effects of novel immunotherapy agents is critical to improving their successful clinical translation. These effects need to be studied in preclinical models that maintain the heterogenous tumor microenvironment (TME) and dysfunctional cell states found in a patient's tumor. We investigated immunotherapy perturbations targeting co-stimulatory molecule GITR and co-inhibitory immune checkpoint TIGIT in a patient-derived ex vivo system that maintains the TME in its near-native state. Leveraging single-cell genomics, we identified cell type-specific transcriptional reprogramming in response to immunotherapy perturbations. METHODS We generated ex vivo tumor slice cultures from fresh surgical resections of gastric and colon cancer and treated them with GITR agonist or TIGIT antagonist antibodies. We applied paired single-cell RNA and TCR sequencing to the original surgical resections, control, and treated ex vivo tumor slice cultures. We additionally confirmed target expression using multiplex immunofluorescence and validated our findings with RNA in situ hybridization. RESULTS We confirmed that tumor slice cultures maintained the cell types, transcriptional cell states and proportions of the original surgical resection. The GITR agonist was limited to increasing effector gene expression only in cytotoxic CD8 T cells. Dysfunctional exhausted CD8 T cells did not respond to GITR agonist. In contrast, the TIGIT antagonist increased TCR signaling and activated both cytotoxic and dysfunctional CD8 T cells. This included cells corresponding to TCR clonotypes with features indicative of potential tumor antigen reactivity. The TIGIT antagonist also activated T follicular helper-like cells and dendritic cells, and reduced markers of immunosuppression in regulatory T cells. CONCLUSIONS We identified novel cellular mechanisms of action of GITR and TIGIT immunotherapy in the patients' TME. Unlike the GITR agonist that generated a limited transcriptional response, TIGIT antagonist orchestrated a multicellular response involving CD8 T cells, T follicular helper-like cells, dendritic cells, and regulatory T cells. Our experimental strategy combining single-cell genomics with preclinical models can successfully identify mechanisms of action of novel immunotherapy agents. Understanding the cellular and transcriptional mechanisms of response or resistance will aid in prioritization of targets and their clinical translation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anuja Sathe
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, CCSR 2245, 269 Campus Drive, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Carlos Ayala
- Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Xiangqi Bai
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, CCSR 2245, 269 Campus Drive, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Susan M Grimes
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, CCSR 2245, 269 Campus Drive, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Byrne Lee
- Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Cindy Kin
- Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Andrew Shelton
- Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - George Poultsides
- Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Hanlee P Ji
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, CCSR 2245, 269 Campus Drive, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.
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6
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Kaminski A, Hager FT, Kopplin L, Ticconi F, Leufgen A, Vendelova E, Rüttger L, Gasteiger G, Cerovic V, Kastenmüller W, Pabst O, Ugur M. Resident regulatory T cells reflect the immune history of individual lymph nodes. Sci Immunol 2023; 8:eadj5789. [PMID: 37874251 DOI: 10.1126/sciimmunol.adj5789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 10/25/2023]
Abstract
Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are present in lymphoid and nonlymphoid tissues where they restrict immune activation, prevent autoimmunity, and regulate inflammation. Tregs in nonlymphoid tissues are typically resident, whereas those in lymph nodes (LNs) are considered to recirculate. However, Tregs in LNs are not a homogenous population, and circulation kinetics of different Treg subsets are poorly characterized. Furthermore, whether Tregs can acquire memory T cell properties and persist for extended periods after their activation in LNs is unclear. Here, we used in situ labeling with a stabilized photoconvertible protein to uncover turnover rates of Tregs in LNs in vivo. We found that, whereas most Tregs in LNs recirculate, 10 to 20% are memory-like resident cells that remain in their respective LNs for weeks to months. Single-cell RNA sequencing revealed that LN-resident cells are a functionally and ontogenetically heterogeneous population and share the same core residency gene signature with conventional CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. Resident cells in LNs did not actively proliferate and did not require continuous T cell receptor (TCR) signaling for their residency. However, resident and circulating Tregs had distinct TCR repertoires, and each LN contained exclusive clonal subpopulations of resident Tregs. Our results demonstrate that, similar to conventional T cells, Tregs can form resident memory-like populations in LNs after adaptive immune responses. Specific and local suppression of immune responses by resident Tregs in draining LNs might provide previously unidentified therapeutic opportunities for the treatment of local chronic inflammatory conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne Kaminski
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen 52074, Germany
| | - Fabian Tobias Hager
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen 52074, Germany
| | - Lydia Kopplin
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen 52074, Germany
| | - Fabio Ticconi
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen 52074, Germany
- Institute for Computational Genomics, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen 52074, Germany
| | - Andrea Leufgen
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen 52074, Germany
| | - Emilia Vendelova
- Würzburg Institute of Systems Immunology, Max Planck Research Group at the Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Würzburg 97078, Germany
| | - Lennart Rüttger
- Würzburg Institute of Systems Immunology, Max Planck Research Group at the Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Würzburg 97078, Germany
| | - Georg Gasteiger
- Würzburg Institute of Systems Immunology, Max Planck Research Group at the Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Würzburg 97078, Germany
| | - Vuk Cerovic
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen 52074, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Kastenmüller
- Würzburg Institute of Systems Immunology, Max Planck Research Group at the Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Würzburg 97078, Germany
| | - Oliver Pabst
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen 52074, Germany
| | - Milas Ugur
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen 52074, Germany
- Würzburg Institute of Systems Immunology, Max Planck Research Group at the Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Würzburg 97078, Germany
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Raugh A, Jing Y, Bettini ML, Bettini M. The amphiregulin/EGFR axis has limited contribution in controlling autoimmune diabetes. Sci Rep 2023; 13:18653. [PMID: 37903947 PMCID: PMC10616065 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-45738-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Conventional immunosuppressive functions of CD4+Foxp3+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) in type 1 diabetes (T1D) pathogenesis have been well described, but whether Tregs have additional non-immunological functions supporting tissue homeostasis in pancreatic islets is unknown. Within the last decade novel tissue repair functions have been ascribed to Tregs. One function is production of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) ligand, amphiregulin, which promotes tissue repair in response to inflammatory or mechanical tissue injury. However, whether such pathways are engaged during autoimmune diabetes and promote tissue repair is undetermined. Previously, we observed that upregulation of amphiregulin at the transcriptional level was associated with functional Treg populations in the non-obese diabetic (NOD) mouse model of T1D. From this we postulated that amphiregulin promoted islet tissue repair and slowed the progression of diabetes in NOD mice. Here, we report that islet-infiltrating Tregs have increased capacity to produce amphiregulin, and that both Tregs and beta cells express EGFR. Moreover, we show that amphiregulin can directly modulate mediators of endoplasmic reticulum stress in beta cells. Despite this, NOD amphiregulin deficient mice showed no acceleration of spontaneous autoimmune diabetes. Taken together, the data suggest that the ability for amphiregulin to affect the progression of autoimmune diabetes is limited.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arielle Raugh
- Translational Biology and Molecular Medicine Graduate Program, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Department of Pathology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA
| | - Yi Jing
- Microbiology and Immunology Graduate Program, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
- Department of Pathology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA
| | - Matthew L Bettini
- Department of Pathology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA
| | - Maria Bettini
- Department of Pathology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA.
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Shapiro MR, Peters LD, Brown ME, Cabello-Kindelan C, Posgai AL, Bayer AL, Brusko TM. Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 Synergizes with IL-2 to Induce Homeostatic Proliferation of Regulatory T Cells. JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY (BALTIMORE, MD. : 1950) 2023; 211:1108-1122. [PMID: 37594278 PMCID: PMC10511790 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.2200651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2022] [Accepted: 08/01/2023] [Indexed: 08/19/2023]
Abstract
IL-2 has been proposed to restore tolerance via regulatory T cell (Treg) expansion in autoimmunity, yet off-target effects necessitate identification of a combinatorial approach allowing for lower IL-2 dosing. We recently reported reduced levels of immunoregulatory insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF1) during type 1 diabetes progression. Thus, we hypothesized that IGF1 would synergize with IL-2 to expand Tregs. We observed IGF1 receptor was elevated on murine memory and human naive Treg subsets. IL-2 and IGF1 promoted PI3K/Akt signaling in Tregs, inducing thymically-derived Treg expansion beyond either agent alone in NOD mice. Increased populations of murine Tregs of naive or memory, as well as CD5lo polyclonal or CD5hi likely self-reactive, status were also observed. Expansion was attributed to increased IL-2Rγ subunit expression on murine Tregs exposed to IL-2 and IGF1 as compared with IL-2 or IGF1 alone. Assessing translational capacity, incubation of naive human CD4+ T cells with IL-2 and IGF1 enhanced thymically-derived Treg proliferation in vitro, without the need for TCR ligation. We then demonstrated that IGF1 and IL-2 or IL-7, which is also IL-2Rγ-chain dependent, can be used to induce proliferation of genetically engineered naive human Tregs or T conventional cells, respectively. These data support the potential use of IGF1 in combination with common γ-chain cytokines to drive homeostatic T cell expansion, both in vitro and in vivo, for cellular therapeutics and ex vivo gene editing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melanie R. Shapiro
- Department of Pathology, Immunology and Laboratory Medicine, College of Medicine, Diabetes Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
| | - Leeana D. Peters
- Department of Pathology, Immunology and Laboratory Medicine, College of Medicine, Diabetes Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
| | - Matthew E. Brown
- Department of Pathology, Immunology and Laboratory Medicine, College of Medicine, Diabetes Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
| | | | - Amanda L. Posgai
- Department of Pathology, Immunology and Laboratory Medicine, College of Medicine, Diabetes Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
| | - Allison L. Bayer
- Diabetes Research Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL
| | - Todd M. Brusko
- Department of Pathology, Immunology and Laboratory Medicine, College of Medicine, Diabetes Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
- Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, Diabetes Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
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9
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Raugh A, Jing Y, Bettini ML, Bettini M. The Amphiregulin/EGFR axis has limited contribution in controlling autoimmune diabetes. RESEARCH SQUARE 2023:rs.3.rs-3204139. [PMID: 37577652 PMCID: PMC10418547 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3204139/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/15/2023]
Abstract
Conventional immunosuppressive functions of CD4+Foxp3+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) in type 1 diabetes (T1D) pathogenesis have been well described, but whether Tregs have additional non-immunological functions supporting tissue homeostasis in pancreatic islets is unknown. Within the last decade novel tissue repair functions have been ascribed to Tregs. One function is production of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) ligand, amphiregulin, which promotes tissue repair in response to inflammatory or mechanical tissue injury. Whether such pathways are engaged during autoimmune diabetes and promote tissue repair is undetermined. Previously, we observed upregulation of amphiregulin at the transcriptional level was associated with functional Treg populations in the non-obese diabetic (NOD) mouse model of T1D. We postulated that amphiregulin promoted islet tissue repair and slowed the progression of diabetes in NOD mice. Here, we report that islet-infiltrating Tregs have increased capacity to produce amphiregulin and both Tregs and beta cells express EGFR. Moreover, we show that amphiregulin can directly modulate mediators of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in beta cells. Despite this, NOD amphiregulin deficient mice showed no acceleration of spontaneous autoimmune diabetes. Taken together, the data suggest that the ability for amphiregulin to affect the progression of autoimmune diabetes is limited.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arielle Raugh
- Translational Biology and Molecular Medicine Program, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, 77030, USA
- Department of Pathology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84112, USA
| | - Yi Jing
- Department of Pediatric Endocrinology, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, Texas, 77030, USA
- Department of Pathology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84112, USA
| | - Matthew L. Bettini
- Department of Pathology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84112, USA
| | - Maria Bettini
- Department of Pathology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84112, USA
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10
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Sathe A, Ayala C, Bai X, Grimes SM, Lee B, Kin C, Shelton A, Poultsides G, Ji HP. GITR and TIGIT immunotherapy provokes divergent multi-cellular responses in the tumor microenvironment of gastrointestinal cancers. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.03.13.532299. [PMID: 36993756 PMCID: PMC10054933 DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.13.532299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the cellular mechanisms of novel immunotherapy agents in the human tumor microenvironment (TME) is critical to their clinical success. We examined GITR and TIGIT immunotherapy in gastric and colon cancer patients using ex vivo slice tumor slice cultures derived from cancer surgical resections. This primary culture system maintains the original TME in a near-native state. We applied paired single-cell RNA and TCR sequencing to identify cell type specific transcriptional reprogramming. The GITR agonist was limited to increasing effector gene expression only in cytotoxic CD8 T cells. The TIGIT antagonist increased TCR signaling and activated both cytotoxic and dysfunctional CD8 T cells, including clonotypes indicative of potential tumor antigen reactivity. The TIGIT antagonist also activated T follicular helper-like cells and dendritic cells, and reduced markers of immunosuppression in regulatory T cells. Overall, we identified cellular mechanisms of action of these two immunotherapy targets in the patients' TME.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anuja Sathe
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Carlos Ayala
- Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Xiangqi Bai
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Susan M. Grimes
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Byrne Lee
- Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Cindy Kin
- Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Andrew Shelton
- Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - George Poultsides
- Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Hanlee P. Ji
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States
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11
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Jing Y, Kong Y, Allard D, Liu B, Kolawole E, Sprouse M, Evavold B, Bettini M, Bettini M. Increased TCR signaling in regulatory T cells is disengaged from TCR affinity. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.01.17.523999. [PMID: 36711832 PMCID: PMC9882247 DOI: 10.1101/2023.01.17.523999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Foxp3+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) are capable suppressors of aberrant self-reactivity. However, TCR affinity and specificities that support Treg function, and how these compare to autoimmune T cells remain unresolved. In this study, we used antigen agnostic and epitope-focused analyses to compare TCR repertoires of regulatory and effector T cells that spontaneously infiltrate pancreatic islets of non-obese diabetic mice. We show that effector and regulatory T cell-derived TCRs possess similar wide-ranging reactivity for self-antigen. Treg-derived TCRs varied in their capacity to confer optimal protective function, and Treg suppressive capacity was in part determined by effector TCR affinity. Interestingly, when expressing the same TCR, Tregs showed higher Nur77-GFP expression than Teffs, suggesting Treg-intrinsic ability to compete for antigen. Our findings provide a new insight into TCR-dependent and independent mechanisms that regulate Treg function and indicate a TCR-intrinsic insufficiency in tissue-specific Tregs that may contribute to the pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes.
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12
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Mijnheer G, Servaas NH, Leong JY, Boltjes A, Spierings E, Chen P, Lai L, Petrelli A, Vastert S, de Boer RJ, Albani S, Pandit A, van Wijk F. Compartmentalization and persistence of dominant (regulatory) T cell clones indicates antigen skewing in juvenile idiopathic arthritis. eLife 2023; 12:79016. [PMID: 36688525 PMCID: PMC9995115 DOI: 10.7554/elife.79016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2022] [Accepted: 01/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Autoimmune inflammation is characterized by tissue infiltration and expansion of antigen-specific T cells. Although this inflammation is often limited to specific target tissues, it remains yet to be explored whether distinct affected sites are infiltrated with the same, persistent T cell clones. Here, we performed CyTOF analysis and T cell receptor (TCR) sequencing to study immune cell composition and (hyper-)expansion of circulating and joint-derived Tregs and non-Tregs in juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). We studied different joints affected at the same time, as well as over the course of relapsing-remitting disease. We found that the composition and functional characteristics of immune infiltrates are strikingly similar between joints within one patient, and observed a strong overlap between dominant T cell clones, especially Treg, of which some could also be detected in circulation and persisted over the course of relapsing-remitting disease. Moreover, these T cell clones were characterized by a high degree of sequence similarity, indicating the presence of TCR clusters responding to the same antigens. These data suggest that in localized autoimmune disease, there is autoantigen-driven expansion of both Teffector and Treg clones that are highly persistent and are (re)circulating. These dominant clones might represent interesting therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerdien Mijnheer
- Center for Translational Immunology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht UniversityUtrechtNetherlands
| | - Nila Hendrika Servaas
- Center for Translational Immunology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht UniversityUtrechtNetherlands
| | - Jing Yao Leong
- Translational Immunology Institute, Singhealth/Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre, the AcademiaSingaporeSingapore
| | - Arjan Boltjes
- Center for Translational Immunology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht UniversityUtrechtNetherlands
| | - Eric Spierings
- Center for Translational Immunology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht UniversityUtrechtNetherlands
| | - Phyllis Chen
- Translational Immunology Institute, Singhealth/Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre, the AcademiaSingaporeSingapore
| | - Liyun Lai
- Translational Immunology Institute, Singhealth/Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre, the AcademiaSingaporeSingapore
| | - Alessandra Petrelli
- Center for Translational Immunology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht UniversityUtrechtNetherlands
| | - Sebastiaan Vastert
- Center for Translational Immunology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht UniversityUtrechtNetherlands
- Pediatric Immunology & Rheumatology, Wilhelmina Children’s Hospital, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht UniversityUtrechtNetherlands
| | - Rob J de Boer
- Theoretical Biology, Utrecht UniversityUtrechtNetherlands
| | - Salvatore Albani
- Translational Immunology Institute, Singhealth/Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre, the AcademiaSingaporeSingapore
| | - Aridaman Pandit
- Center for Translational Immunology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht UniversityUtrechtNetherlands
| | - Femke van Wijk
- Center for Translational Immunology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht UniversityUtrechtNetherlands
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13
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Xu Q, Zhang X, Li T, Shao S. Exenatide regulates Th17/Treg balance via PI3K/Akt/FoxO1 pathway in db/db mice. Mol Med 2022; 28:144. [PMID: 36463128 PMCID: PMC9719171 DOI: 10.1186/s10020-022-00574-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2022] [Accepted: 11/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The T helper 17 (Th17)/T regulatory (Treg) cell imbalance is involved in the course of obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). In the current study, the exact role of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA) exenatide on regulating the Th17/Treg balance and the underlying molecular mechanisms are investigated in obese diabetic mice model. METHODS Metabolic parameters were monitored in db/db mice treated with/without exenatide during 8-week study period. The frequencies of Th17 and Treg cells from peripheral blood and pancreas in db/db mice were assessed. The phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt)/Forkhead box O1 (FoxO1) pathway in Th17 and Treg cells from the spleens of male C57BL/6J mice was detected by western blotting. In addition, the expression of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of male C57BL/6J mice was analyzed. RESULTS Exenatide treatment improved β-cell function and insulitis in addition to glucose, insulin sensitivity and weight. Increased Th17 and decreased Treg cells in peripheral blood were present as diabetes progressed while exenatide corrected this imbalance. Progressive IL-17 + T cell infiltration of pancreatic islets was alleviated by exenatide intervention. In vitro study showed no significant difference in the level of GLP-1R expression in PBMCs between control and palmitate (PA) groups. In addition, PA could promote Th17 but suppress Treg differentiation along with down-regulating the phosphorylation of PI3K/Akt/FoxO1, which was reversed by exenatide intervention. FoxO1 inhibitor AS1842856 could abrogate all these effects of exenatide against lipid stress. CONCLUSIONS Exenatide could restore systemic Th17/Treg balance via regulating FoxO1 pathway with the progression of diabetes in db/db mice. The protection of pancreatic β-cell function may be partially mediated by inhibiting Th17 cell infiltration into pancreatic islets, and the resultant alleviation of islet inflammation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qinqin Xu
- grid.33199.310000 0004 0368 7223Division of Endocrinology, Tongji Hospital, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Jiefang Road 1095, Wuhan, 430030 Hubei Province People’s Republic of China ,Branch of National Clinical Research Center for Metabolic Diseases, Hubei, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xiaoling Zhang
- grid.33199.310000 0004 0368 7223Division of Endocrinology, Tongji Hospital, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Jiefang Road 1095, Wuhan, 430030 Hubei Province People’s Republic of China ,Branch of National Clinical Research Center for Metabolic Diseases, Hubei, People’s Republic of China
| | - Tao Li
- grid.33199.310000 0004 0368 7223Division of Ophthalmology, Tongji Hospital, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Jiefang Road 1095, Wuhan, 430030 Hubei Province People’s Republic of China
| | - Shiying Shao
- grid.33199.310000 0004 0368 7223Division of Endocrinology, Tongji Hospital, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Jiefang Road 1095, Wuhan, 430030 Hubei Province People’s Republic of China ,Branch of National Clinical Research Center for Metabolic Diseases, Hubei, People’s Republic of China
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14
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Kong Y, Jing Y, Allard D, Scavuzzo MA, Sprouse ML, Borowiak M, Bettini ML, Bettini M. A dormant T cell population with autoimmune potential exhibits low self-reactivity and infiltrates islets in type 1 diabetes. Eur J Immunol 2022; 52:1158-1170. [PMID: 35389516 DOI: 10.1002/eji.202149690] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2021] [Revised: 03/24/2022] [Accepted: 03/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The contribution of low affinity T cells to autoimmunity in the context of polyclonal T cell responses is understudied due to the limitations in their capture by tetrameric reagents and low level of activation in response to antigenic stimulation. As a result, low affinity T cells are often disregarded as non-antigen specific cells irrelevant to the immune response. Our study aimed to assess how the level of self-antigen reactivity shapes T cell lineage and effector responses in the context of spontaneous tissue specific autoimmunity observed in NOD mice. Using multi-color flow cytometry in combination with Nur77GFP reporter of TCR signaling we identified a dormant population of T cells that infiltrated the pancreatic islets of pre-diabetic NOD mice, which exhibited reduced level of self-tissue reactivity based on expression of CD5 and Nur77GFP . We showed that these CD5low T cells had a unique TCR repertoire, exhibited low activation and minimal effector function; however, induced rapid diabetes upon transfer. The CD4+ CD5low T cell population displayed transcriptional signature of central memory T cells, consistent with the ability to acquire effector function post-transfer. Transcriptional profile of CD5low T cells was similar to T cells expressing a low affinity TCR, indicating TCR affinity to be the important factor in shaping CD5low T cell phenotype and function at the tissue site. Overall, our study suggests that autoimmune tissue can maintain a reservoir of undifferentiated central memory-like autoreactive T cells with pathogenic effector potential that might be an important source for effector T cells during long-term chronic autoimmunity. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuelin Kong
- Section of Diabetes and Endocrinology, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, 77030
| | - Yi Jing
- Section of Diabetes and Endocrinology, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, 77030.,Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112
| | - Denise Allard
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112
| | - Marissa A Scavuzzo
- Program in Developmental Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030
| | - Maran L Sprouse
- Section of Diabetes and Endocrinology, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, 77030
| | - Malgorzata Borowiak
- Program in Developmental Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030.,Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 77030.,Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, 77030.,McNair Medical Institute, Houston, TX, 77030
| | - Matthew L Bettini
- Section of Diabetes and Endocrinology, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, 77030.,Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112.,McNair Medical Institute, Houston, TX, 77030
| | - Maria Bettini
- Section of Diabetes and Endocrinology, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, 77030.,Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112.,McNair Medical Institute, Houston, TX, 77030
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15
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Ou K, Hamo D, Schulze A, Roemhild A, Kaiser D, Gasparoni G, Salhab A, Zarrinrad G, Amini L, Schlickeiser S, Streitz M, Walter J, Volk HD, Schmueck-Henneresse M, Reinke P, Polansky JK. Strong Expansion of Human Regulatory T Cells for Adoptive Cell Therapy Results in Epigenetic Changes Which May Impact Their Survival and Function. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:751590. [PMID: 34869339 PMCID: PMC8639223 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.751590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2021] [Accepted: 10/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Adoptive transfer of regulatory T cells (Treg) is a promising new therapeutic option to treat detrimental inflammatory conditions after transplantation and during autoimmune disease. To reach sufficient cell yield for treatment, ex vivo isolated autologous or allogenic Tregs need to be expanded extensively in vitro during manufacturing of the Treg product. However, repetitive cycles of restimulation and prolonged culture have been shown to impact T cell phenotypes, functionality and fitness. It is therefore critical to scrutinize the molecular changes which occur during T cell product generation, and reexamine current manufacturing practices. We performed genome-wide DNA methylation profiling of cells throughout the manufacturing process of a polyclonal Treg product that has proven safety and hints of therapeutic efficacy in kidney transplant patients. We found progressive DNA methylation changes over the duration of culture, which were donor-independent and reproducible between manufacturing runs. Differentially methylated regions (DMRs) in the final products were significantly enriched at promoters and enhancers of genes implicated in T cell activation. Additionally, significant hypomethylation did also occur in promoters of genes implicated in functional exhaustion in conventional T cells, some of which, however, have been reported to strengthen immunosuppressive effector function in Tregs. At the same time, a set of reported Treg-specific demethylated regions increased methylation levels with culture, indicating a possible destabilization of Treg identity during manufacturing, which was independent of the purity of the starting material. Together, our results indicate that the repetitive TCR-mediated stimulation lead to epigenetic changes that might impact functionality of Treg products in multiple ways, by possibly shifting to an effector Treg phenotype with enhanced functional activity or by risking destabilization of Treg identity and impaired TCR activation. Our analyses also illustrate the value of epigenetic profiling for the evaluation of T cell product manufacturing pipelines, which might open new avenues for the improvement of current adoptive Treg therapies with relevance for conventional effector T cell products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristy Ou
- BIH Center for Regenerative Therapies (BCRT), Berlin Institute of Health at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Dania Hamo
- BIH Center for Regenerative Therapies (BCRT), Berlin Institute of Health at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Anne Schulze
- BIH Center for Regenerative Therapies (BCRT), Berlin Institute of Health at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Andy Roemhild
- Berlin Center for Advanced Therapies (BeCAT), Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Daniel Kaiser
- Berlin Center for Advanced Therapies (BeCAT), Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Gilles Gasparoni
- Department of Genetics and Epigenetics, Saarland University, Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Abdulrahman Salhab
- Department of Genetics and Epigenetics, Saarland University, Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Ghazaleh Zarrinrad
- BIH Center for Regenerative Therapies (BCRT), Berlin Institute of Health at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Leila Amini
- BIH Center for Regenerative Therapies (BCRT), Berlin Institute of Health at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Berlin Center for Advanced Therapies (BeCAT), Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Stephan Schlickeiser
- BIH Center for Regenerative Therapies (BCRT), Berlin Institute of Health at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Mathias Streitz
- BIH Center for Regenerative Therapies (BCRT), Berlin Institute of Health at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Jörn Walter
- Department of Genetics and Epigenetics, Saarland University, Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Hans-Dieter Volk
- BIH Center for Regenerative Therapies (BCRT), Berlin Institute of Health at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Institute of Medical Immunology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Michael Schmueck-Henneresse
- BIH Center for Regenerative Therapies (BCRT), Berlin Institute of Health at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Petra Reinke
- Berlin Center for Advanced Therapies (BeCAT), Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Julia K Polansky
- BIH Center for Regenerative Therapies (BCRT), Berlin Institute of Health at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,German Rheumatism Research Centre (DRFZ) Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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16
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Elfaki Y, Yang J, Boehme J, Schultz K, Bruder D, Falk CS, Huehn J, Floess S. Tbx21 and Foxp3 Are Epigenetically Stabilized in T-Bet + Tregs That Transiently Accumulate in Influenza A Virus-Infected Lungs. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22147522. [PMID: 34299148 PMCID: PMC8307036 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22147522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2021] [Revised: 07/02/2021] [Accepted: 07/06/2021] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
During influenza A virus (IAV) infections, CD4+ T cell responses within infected lungs mainly involve T helper 1 (Th1) and regulatory T cells (Tregs). Th1-mediated responses favor the co-expression of T-box transcription factor 21 (T-bet) in Foxp3+ Tregs, enabling the efficient Treg control of Th1 responses in infected tissues. So far, the exact accumulation kinetics of T cell subsets in the lungs and lung-draining lymph nodes (dLN) of IAV-infected mice is incompletely understood, and the epigenetic signature of Tregs accumulating in infected lungs has not been investigated. Here, we report that the total T cell and the two-step Treg accumulation in IAV-infected lungs is transient, whereas the change in the ratio of CD4+ to CD8+ T cells is more durable. Within lungs, the frequency of Tregs co-expressing T-bet is steadily, yet transiently, increasing with a peak at Day 7 post-infection. Interestingly, T-bet+ Tregs accumulating in IAV-infected lungs displayed a strongly demethylated Tbx21 locus, similarly as in T-bet+ conventional T cells, and a fully demethylated Treg-specific demethylated region (TSDR) within the Foxp3 locus. In summary, our data suggest that T-bet+ but not T-bet- Tregs are epigenetically stabilized during IAV-induced infection in the lung.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yassin Elfaki
- Department of Experimental Immunology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, 38124 Braunschweig, Germany; (Y.E.); (J.Y.)
| | - Juhao Yang
- Department of Experimental Immunology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, 38124 Braunschweig, Germany; (Y.E.); (J.Y.)
| | - Julia Boehme
- Immune Regulation Group, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, 38124 Braunschweig, Germany; (J.B.); (K.S.); (D.B.)
| | - Kristin Schultz
- Immune Regulation Group, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, 38124 Braunschweig, Germany; (J.B.); (K.S.); (D.B.)
| | - Dunja Bruder
- Immune Regulation Group, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, 38124 Braunschweig, Germany; (J.B.); (K.S.); (D.B.)
- Infection Immunology Group, Institute of Medical Microbiology, Infection Control and Prevention, Health Campus Immunology, Infectiology and Inflammation, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Christine S. Falk
- Institute of Transplant Immunology, Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany;
- German Center for Infection Research DZIF, Thematical Translation Unit-Immunocompromized Host (TTU-IICH), Hannover-Braunschweig Site, 30625 Hannover, Germany
| | - Jochen Huehn
- Department of Experimental Immunology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, 38124 Braunschweig, Germany; (Y.E.); (J.Y.)
- Cluster of Excellence RESIST (EXC 2155), Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany
- Correspondence: (J.H.); (S.F.)
| | - Stefan Floess
- Department of Experimental Immunology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, 38124 Braunschweig, Germany; (Y.E.); (J.Y.)
- Correspondence: (J.H.); (S.F.)
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17
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This S, Valbon SF, Lebel MÈ, Melichar HJ. Strength and Numbers: The Role of Affinity and Avidity in the 'Quality' of T Cell Tolerance. Cells 2021; 10:1530. [PMID: 34204485 PMCID: PMC8234061 DOI: 10.3390/cells10061530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2021] [Revised: 06/13/2021] [Accepted: 06/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability of T cells to identify foreign antigens and mount an efficient immune response while limiting activation upon recognition of self and self-associated peptides is critical. Multiple tolerance mechanisms work in concert to prevent the generation and activation of self-reactive T cells. T cell tolerance is tightly regulated, as defects in these processes can lead to devastating disease; a wide variety of autoimmune diseases and, more recently, adverse immune-related events associated with checkpoint blockade immunotherapy have been linked to a breakdown in T cell tolerance. The quantity and quality of antigen receptor signaling depend on a variety of parameters that include T cell receptor affinity and avidity for peptide. Autoreactive T cell fate choices (e.g., deletion, anergy, regulatory T cell development) are highly dependent on the strength of T cell receptor interactions with self-peptide. However, less is known about how differences in the strength of T cell receptor signaling during differentiation influences the 'function' and persistence of anergic and regulatory T cell populations. Here, we review the literature on this subject and discuss the clinical implications of how T cell receptor signal strength influences the 'quality' of anergic and regulatory T cell populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sébastien This
- Centre de Recherche de l’Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont, Montréal, QC H1T 2M4, Canada; (S.T.); (S.F.V.); (M.-È.L.)
- Département de Microbiologie, Immunologie et Infectiologie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC H3C 3J7, Canada
| | - Stefanie F. Valbon
- Centre de Recherche de l’Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont, Montréal, QC H1T 2M4, Canada; (S.T.); (S.F.V.); (M.-È.L.)
- Département de Microbiologie, Immunologie et Infectiologie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC H3C 3J7, Canada
| | - Marie-Ève Lebel
- Centre de Recherche de l’Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont, Montréal, QC H1T 2M4, Canada; (S.T.); (S.F.V.); (M.-È.L.)
| | - Heather J. Melichar
- Centre de Recherche de l’Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont, Montréal, QC H1T 2M4, Canada; (S.T.); (S.F.V.); (M.-È.L.)
- Département de Médecine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC H3T 1J4, Canada
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18
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Slepicka PF, Yazdanifar M, Bertaina A. Harnessing Mechanisms of Immune Tolerance to Improve Outcomes in Solid Organ Transplantation: A Review. Front Immunol 2021; 12:688460. [PMID: 34177941 PMCID: PMC8222735 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.688460] [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: 03/30/2021] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Survival after solid organ transplantation (SOT) is limited by chronic rejection as well as the need for lifelong immunosuppression and its associated toxicities. Several preclinical and clinical studies have tested methods designed to induce transplantation tolerance without lifelong immune suppression. The limited success of these strategies has led to the development of clinical protocols that combine SOT with other approaches, such as allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). HSCT prior to SOT facilitates engraftment of donor cells that can drive immune tolerance. Recent innovations in graft manipulation strategies and post-HSCT immune therapy provide further advances in promoting tolerance and improving clinical outcomes. In this review, we discuss conventional and unconventional immunological mechanisms underlying the development of immune tolerance in SOT recipients and how they can inform clinical advances. Specifically, we review the most recent mechanistic studies elucidating which immune regulatory cells dampen cytotoxic immune reactivity while fostering a tolerogenic environment. We further discuss how this understanding of regulatory cells can shape graft engineering and other therapeutic strategies to improve long-term outcomes for patients receiving HSCT and SOT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priscila Ferreira Slepicka
- Division of Hematology, Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Mahboubeh Yazdanifar
- Division of Hematology, Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Alice Bertaina
- Division of Hematology, Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States
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19
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Bettini M, Bettini ML. Function, Failure, and the Future Potential of Tregs in Type 1 Diabetes. Diabetes 2021; 70:1211-1219. [PMID: 34016597 PMCID: PMC8275894 DOI: 10.2337/dbi18-0058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2020] [Accepted: 03/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Critical insights into the etiology of type 1 diabetes (T1D) came from genome-wide association studies that unequivocally connected genetic susceptibility to immune cell function. At the top of the susceptibility are genes involved in regulatory T-cell (Treg) function and development. The advances in epigenetic and transcriptional analyses have provided increasing evidence for Treg dysfunction in T1D. These are well supported by functional studies in mouse models and analysis of peripheral blood during T1D. For these reasons, Treg-based therapies are at the forefront of research and development and have a tangible probability to deliver a long-sought-after successful immune-targeted treatment for T1D. The current challenge in the field is whether we can directly assess Treg function at the tissue site or make informative interpretations based on peripheral data. Future studies focused on Treg function in pancreatic lymph nodes and pancreas could provide key insight into the ultimate mechanisms underlying Treg failure in T1D. In this Perspective we will provide an overview of current literature regarding Treg development and function in T1D and how this knowledge has been applied to Treg therapies.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Autoimmunity/physiology
- Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1/genetics
- Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1/immunology
- Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1/pathology
- Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1/therapy
- Endocrinology/methods
- Endocrinology/trends
- Humans
- Immune Tolerance/physiology
- Immunotherapy, Adoptive/methods
- Immunotherapy, Adoptive/trends
- Mice
- Molecular Targeted Therapy/methods
- Molecular Targeted Therapy/trends
- Pancreas/immunology
- Pancreas/metabolism
- Pancreas/pathology
- T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory/immunology
- T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory/metabolism
- T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory/physiology
- T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory/transplantation
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Bettini
- Division of Microbiology and Immunology, Department of Pathology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
| | - Matthew L Bettini
- Division of Microbiology and Immunology, Department of Pathology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
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20
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Sood A, Lebel MÈ, Dong M, Fournier M, Vobecky SJ, Haddad É, Delisle JS, Mandl JN, Vrisekoop N, Melichar HJ. CD5 levels define functionally heterogeneous populations of naïve human CD4 + T cells. Eur J Immunol 2021; 51:1365-1376. [PMID: 33682083 PMCID: PMC8251777 DOI: 10.1002/eji.202048788] [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: 06/02/2020] [Revised: 12/27/2020] [Accepted: 03/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Studies in murine models show that subthreshold TCR interactions with self‐peptide are required for thymic development and peripheral survival of naïve T cells. Recently, differences in the strength of tonic TCR interactions with self‐peptide, as read‐out by cell surface levels of CD5, were associated with distinct effector potentials among sorted populations of T cells in mice. However, whether CD5 can also be used to parse functional heterogeneity among human T cells is less clear. Our study demonstrates that CD5 levels correlate with TCR signal strength in human naïve CD4+ T cells. Further, we describe a relationship between CD5 levels on naïve human CD4+ T cells and binding affinity to foreign peptide, in addition to a predominance of CD5hi T cells in the memory compartment. Differences in gene expression and biases in cytokine production potential between CD5lo and CD5hi naïve human CD4+ T cells are consistent with observations in mice. Together, these data validate the use of CD5 surface levels as a marker of heterogeneity among human naïve CD4+ T cells with important implications for the identification of functionally biased T‐ cell populations that can be exploited to improve the efficacy of adoptive cell therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aditi Sood
- Immunology-Oncology Unit, Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital Research Center, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,Département de Microbiologie, Infectiologie et Immunologie, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Marie-Ève Lebel
- Immunology-Oncology Unit, Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital Research Center, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,Département de Microbiologie, Infectiologie et Immunologie, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Mengqi Dong
- Immunology-Oncology Unit, Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital Research Center, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,Département de Microbiologie, Infectiologie et Immunologie, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Marilaine Fournier
- Immunology-Oncology Unit, Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital Research Center, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Suzanne J Vobecky
- Service de Chirurgie Cardiaque, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sainte-Justine, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Élie Haddad
- Département de Pédiatrie, Université de Montréal, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sainte-Justine, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Jean-Sébastien Delisle
- Immunology-Oncology Unit, Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital Research Center, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,Département de Médecine, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Judith N Mandl
- Department of Physiology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Nienke Vrisekoop
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Center for Translational Immunology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Heather J Melichar
- Immunology-Oncology Unit, Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital Research Center, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,Département de Médecine, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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21
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Gayoso A, Steier Z, Lopez R, Regier J, Nazor KL, Streets A, Yosef N. Joint probabilistic modeling of single-cell multi-omic data with totalVI. Nat Methods 2021; 18:272-282. [PMID: 33589839 PMCID: PMC7954949 DOI: 10.1038/s41592-020-01050-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 195] [Impact Index Per Article: 65.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2020] [Revised: 12/07/2020] [Accepted: 12/18/2020] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
The paired measurement of RNA and surface proteins in single cells with cellular indexing of transcriptomes and epitopes by sequencing (CITE-seq) is a promising approach to connect transcriptional variation with cell phenotypes and functions. However, combining these paired views into a unified representation of cell state is made challenging by the unique technical characteristics of each measurement. Here we present Total Variational Inference (totalVI; https://scvi-tools.org ), a framework for end-to-end joint analysis of CITE-seq data that probabilistically represents the data as a composite of biological and technical factors, including protein background and batch effects. To evaluate totalVI's performance, we profiled immune cells from murine spleen and lymph nodes with CITE-seq, measuring over 100 surface proteins. We demonstrate that totalVI provides a cohesive solution for common analysis tasks such as dimensionality reduction, the integration of datasets with different measured proteins, estimation of correlations between molecules and differential expression testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam Gayoso
- Center for Computational Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Zoë Steier
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Romain Lopez
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Jeffrey Regier
- Department of Statistics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | | | - Aaron Streets
- Center for Computational Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
- Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, CA, USA.
| | - Nir Yosef
- Center for Computational Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
- Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, CA, USA.
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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22
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Regulatory T Cell Stability and Plasticity in Atherosclerosis. Cells 2020; 9:cells9122665. [PMID: 33322482 PMCID: PMC7764358 DOI: 10.3390/cells9122665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2020] [Revised: 12/08/2020] [Accepted: 12/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Regulatory T cells (Tregs) express the lineage-defining transcription factor FoxP3 and play crucial roles in self-tolerance and immune homeostasis. Thymic tTregs are selected based on affinity for self-antigens and are stable under most conditions. Peripheral pTregs differentiate from conventional CD4 T cells under the influence of TGF-β and other cytokines and are less stable. Treg plasticity refers to their ability to inducibly express molecules characteristic of helper CD4 T cell lineages like T-helper (Th)1, Th2, Th17 or follicular helper T cells. Plastic Tregs retain FoxP3 and are thought to be specialized regulators for “their” lineage. Unstable Tregs lose FoxP3 and switch to become exTregs, which acquire pro-inflammatory T-helper cell programs. Atherosclerosis with systemic hyperlipidemia, hypercholesterolemia, inflammatory cytokines, and local hypoxia provides an environment that is likely conducive to Tregs switching to exTregs.
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23
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Kolawole EM, Lamb TJ, Evavold BD. Relationship of 2D Affinity to T Cell Functional Outcomes. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:E7969. [PMID: 33120989 PMCID: PMC7662510 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21217969] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2020] [Revised: 10/14/2020] [Accepted: 10/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
T cells are critical for a functioning adaptive immune response and a strong correlation exists between T cell responses and T cell receptor (TCR): peptide-loaded MHC (pMHC) binding. Studies that utilize pMHC tetramer, multimers, and assays of three-dimensional (3D) affinity have provided advancements in our understanding of T cell responses across different diseases. However, these technologies focus on higher affinity and avidity T cells while missing the lower affinity responders. Lower affinity TCRs in expanded polyclonal populations almost always constitute a significant proportion of the response with cells mediating different effector functions associated with variation in the proportion of high and low affinity T cells. Since lower affinity T cells expand and are functional, a fully inclusive view of T cell responses is required to accurately interpret the role of affinity for adaptive T cell immunity. For example, low affinity T cells are capable of inducing autoimmune disease and T cells with an intermediate affinity have been shown to exhibit an optimal anti-tumor response. Here, we focus on how affinity of the TCR may relate to T cell phenotype and provide examples where 2D affinity influences functional outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Brian D. Evavold
- Department of Pathology, University of Utah, 15 N Medical Drive, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA; (E.M.K.); (T.J.L.)
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24
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Li DY, Xiong XZ. ICOS + Tregs: A Functional Subset of Tregs in Immune Diseases. Front Immunol 2020; 11:2104. [PMID: 32983168 PMCID: PMC7485335 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.02104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2020] [Accepted: 08/04/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent studies have reported the pathological effect of ICOS+ T cells, but ICOS signals also widely participate in anti-inflammatory responses, particularly ICOS+ regulatory T (Treg) cells. The ICOS signaling pathway endows Tregs with increased generation, proliferation, and survival abilities. Furthermore, there is enough evidence to suggest a superior capacity of ICOS+ Tregs, which is partly attributable to IL-10 induced by ICOS, yet the associated mechanism needs further investigation. In this review, we discuss the complicated role of ICOS+ Tregs in several classical autoimmune diseases, allergic diseases, and cancers and investigate the related therapeutic applications in these diseases. Moreover, we identify ICOS as a potential biomarker for disease treatment and prognostic prediction. In addition, we believe that anti-ICOS/ICOSL monoclonal antibodies exhibit excellent clinical application potential. A thorough understanding of the effect of ICOS+ Tregs and the holistic role of ICOS toward the immune system will help to improve the therapeutic schedule of diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan-Yang Li
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, NHC Key Laboratory of Pulmonary Diseases, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Xian-Zhi Xiong
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, NHC Key Laboratory of Pulmonary Diseases, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
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25
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CD5 dynamically calibrates basal NF-κB signaling in T cells during thymic development and peripheral activation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:14342-14353. [PMID: 32513716 PMCID: PMC7322041 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1922525117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Immature T cells undergo a process of positive selection in the thymus when their new T cell receptor (TCR) engages and signals in response to self-peptides. As the T cell matures, a slew of negative regulatory molecules, including the inhibitory surface glycoprotein CD5, are up-regulated in proportion to the strength of the self-peptide signal. Together these regulators dampen TCR-proximal signaling and help avoid any subsequent peripheral activation of T cells by self-peptides. Paradoxically, antigen-specific T cells initially expressing more CD5 (CD5hi) have been found to better persist as effector/memory cells after a peripheral challenge. The molecular mechanisms underlying such a duality in CD5 function is not clear. We found that CD5 alters the basal activity of the NF-κB signaling in resting peripheral T cells. When CD5 was conditionally ablated, T cells were unable to maintain higher expression of the cytoplasmic NF-κB inhibitor IκBα. Consistent with this, resting CD5hi T cells expressed more of the NF-κB p65 protein than CD5lo cells, without significant increases in transcript levels, in the absence of TCR signals. This posttranslationally stabilized cellular NF-κB depot potentially confers a survival advantage to CD5hi T cells over CD5lo ones. Taken together, these data suggest a two-step model whereby the strength of self-peptide-induced TCR signal lead to the up-regulation of CD5, which subsequently maintains a proportional reserve of NF-κB in peripheral T cells poised for responding to agonistic antigen-driven T cell activation.
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26
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Foda BM, Ciecko AE, Serreze DV, Ridgway WM, Geurts AM, Chen YG. The CD137 Ligand Is Important for Type 1 Diabetes Development but Dispensable for the Homeostasis of Disease-Suppressive CD137 + FOXP3 + Regulatory CD4 T Cells. JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY (BALTIMORE, MD. : 1950) 2020; 204:2887-2899. [PMID: 32295876 PMCID: PMC7296588 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1900485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2019] [Accepted: 03/31/2020] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
CD137 modulates type 1 diabetes (T1D) progression in NOD mice. We previously showed that CD137 expression in CD4 T cells inhibits T1D, but its expression in CD8 T cells promotes disease development by intrinsically enhancing the accumulation of β-cell-autoreactive CD8 T cells. CD137 is expressed on a subset of FOXP3+ regulatory CD4 T cells (Tregs), and CD137+ Tregs are the main source of soluble CD137. Soluble CD137 suppresses T cells in vitro by binding to the CD137 ligand (CD137L) upregulated on activated T cells. To further study how the opposing functions of CD137 are regulated, we successfully targeted Tnfsf9 (encoding CD137L) in NOD mice using the CRISPR/Cas9 system (designated NOD.Tnfsf9 -/-). Relative to wild-type NOD mice, T1D development in the NOD.Tnfsf9 -/- strain was significantly delayed, and mice developed less insulitis and had reduced frequencies of β-cell-autoreactive CD8 T cells. Bone marrow chimera experiments showed that CD137L-deficient hematopoietic cells were able to confer T1D resistance. Adoptive T cell transfer experiments showed that CD137L deficiency on myeloid APCs was associated with T1D suppression. Conversely, lack of CD137L on T cells enhanced their diabetogenic activity. Furthermore, neither CD137 nor CD137L was required for the development and homeostasis of FOXP3+ Tregs. However, CD137 was critical for the in vivo T1D-suppressive activity of FOXP3+ Tregs, suggesting that the interaction between CD137 and CD137L regulates their function. Collectively, our results provide new insights into the complex roles of CD137-CD137L interaction in T1D.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bardees M Foda
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Enzymology, National Research Centre, Dokki, 12622, Egypt
- Department of Pediatrics, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226
- Max McGee National Research Center for Juvenile Diabetes, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226
| | - Ashley E Ciecko
- Max McGee National Research Center for Juvenile Diabetes, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226
| | | | - William M Ridgway
- Division of Rheumatology, Allergy, and Clinical Immunology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616
| | - Aron M Geurts
- Cardiovascular Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226; and
- Department of Physiology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226
| | - Yi-Guang Chen
- Department of Pediatrics, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226;
- Max McGee National Research Center for Juvenile Diabetes, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226
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27
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Bettini M, Scavuzzo MA, Liu B, Kolawole E, Guo L, Evavold BD, Borowiak M, Bettini ML. A Critical Insulin TCR Contact Residue Selects High-Affinity and Pathogenic Insulin-Specific T Cells. Diabetes 2020; 69:392-400. [PMID: 31836691 PMCID: PMC7034183 DOI: 10.2337/db19-0821] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2019] [Accepted: 12/08/2019] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune-mediated disease that culminates in the targeted destruction of insulin-producing β-cells. CD4 responses in NOD mice are dominated by insulin epitope B:9-23 (InsB9-23) specificity, and mutation of the key T-cell receptor (TCR) contact residue within the epitope prevents diabetes development. However, it is not clear how insulin self-antigen controls the selection of autoimmune and regulatory T cells (Tregs). Here we demonstrate that mutation of insulin epitope results in escape of highly pathogenic T cells. We observe an increase in antigen reactivity, clonality, and pathogenicity of insulin-specific T cells that develop in the absence of cognate antigen. Using a single TCR system, we demonstrate that Treg development is greatly diminished in mice with the Y16A mutant epitope. Collectively, these results suggest that the tyrosine residue at position 16 is necessary to constrain TCR reactivity for InsB9-23 by both limiting the development of pathogenic T cells and supporting the selection of Tregs.
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MESH Headings
- Adoptive Transfer
- Animals
- Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental/genetics
- Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental/immunology
- Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1/genetics
- Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1/immunology
- Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte/genetics
- Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte/immunology
- Forkhead Transcription Factors/metabolism
- Insulin/genetics
- Insulin/immunology
- Mice
- Mice, Inbred NOD
- Mutation
- Peptide Fragments/genetics
- Peptide Fragments/immunology
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/genetics
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/immunology
- T-Lymphocytes/immunology
- T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory/immunology
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Bettini
- Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
- McNair Medical Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
| | - Marissa A Scavuzzo
- Program in Developmental Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
| | - Baoyu Liu
- Division of Microbiology and Immunology, Department of Pathology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
| | - Elizabeth Kolawole
- Division of Microbiology and Immunology, Department of Pathology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
| | - Lin Guo
- Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
| | - Brian D Evavold
- Division of Microbiology and Immunology, Department of Pathology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
| | - Malgorzata Borowiak
- McNair Medical Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
- Program in Developmental Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
| | - Matthew L Bettini
- Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
- McNair Medical Institute, Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
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28
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Martin K, Touil R, Kolb Y, Cvijetic G, Murakami K, Israel L, Duraes F, Buffet D, Glück A, Niwa S, Bigaud M, Junt T, Zamurovic N, Smith P, McCoy KD, Ohashi PS, Bornancin F, Calzascia T. Malt1 Protease Deficiency in Mice Disrupts Immune Homeostasis at Environmental Barriers and Drives Systemic T Cell-Mediated Autoimmunity. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2019; 203:2791-2806. [PMID: 31659015 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1900327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2019] [Accepted: 09/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The paracaspase Malt1 is a key regulator of canonical NF-κB activation downstream of multiple receptors in both immune and nonimmune cells. Genetic disruption of Malt1 protease function in mice and MALT1 mutations in humans results in reduced regulatory T cells and a progressive multiorgan inflammatory pathology. In this study, we evaluated the altered immune homeostasis and autoimmune disease in Malt1 protease-deficient (Malt1PD) mice and the Ags driving disease manifestations. Our data indicate that B cell activation and IgG1/IgE production is triggered by microbial and dietary Ags preferentially in lymphoid organs draining mucosal barriers, likely as a result of dysregulated mucosal immune homeostasis. Conversely, the disease was driven by a polyclonal T cell population directed against self-antigens. Characterization of the Malt1PD T cell compartment revealed expansion of T effector memory cells and concomitant loss of a CD4+ T cell population that phenotypically resembles anergic T cells. Therefore, we propose that the compromised regulatory T cell compartment in Malt1PD animals prevents the efficient maintenance of anergy and supports the progressive expansion of pathogenic, IFN-γ-producing T cells. Overall, our data revealed a crucial role of the Malt1 protease for the maintenance of intestinal and systemic immune homeostasis, which might provide insights into the mechanisms underlying IPEX-related diseases associated with mutations in MALT1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kea Martin
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Novartis Pharma AG, 4002 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Ratiba Touil
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Novartis Pharma AG, 4002 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Yeter Kolb
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Novartis Pharma AG, 4002 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Grozdan Cvijetic
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Novartis Pharma AG, 4002 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Kiichi Murakami
- The Campbell Family Cancer Research Institute, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario M5G 2M9, Canada
| | - Laura Israel
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Novartis Pharma AG, 4002 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Fernanda Duraes
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Novartis Pharma AG, 4002 Basel, Switzerland
| | - David Buffet
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Novartis Pharma AG, 4002 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Anton Glück
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Novartis Pharma AG, 4002 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Satoru Niwa
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Novartis Pharma AG, 4002 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Marc Bigaud
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Novartis Pharma AG, 4002 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Tobias Junt
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Novartis Pharma AG, 4002 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Natasa Zamurovic
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Novartis Pharma AG, 4002 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Philip Smith
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Novartis Pharma AG, 4002 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Kathy D McCoy
- Department of Clinical Research, University Clinic for Visceral Surgery and Medicine, University Hospital, 3010 Bern, Switzerland; and
| | - Pamela S Ohashi
- The Campbell Family Cancer Research Institute, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario M5G 2M9, Canada.,Department of Immunology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5G 2C1, Canada
| | - Frédéric Bornancin
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Novartis Pharma AG, 4002 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Thomas Calzascia
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Novartis Pharma AG, 4002 Basel, Switzerland;
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29
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Lai NL, Zhang SX, Wang J, Zhang JQ, Wang CH, Gao C, Li XF. The Proportion of Regulatory T Cells in Patients with Ankylosing Spondylitis: A Meta-Analysis. J Immunol Res 2019; 2019:1058738. [PMID: 31772947 PMCID: PMC6854227 DOI: 10.1155/2019/1058738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2019] [Revised: 07/19/2019] [Accepted: 08/30/2019] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Accumulating evidence indicates that regulatory T cells (Tregs) may be involved in the pathogenesis of ankylosing spondylitis (AS). As different markers have been used to identify Tregs, some studies on the proportions of Tregs in AS patients have generated considerable controversy. To clarify the status of Tregs in such patients, we determine the proportion changes of peripheral Tregs during development of the disease, with different cellular markers. METHODS We systematically searched Embase, PubMed, Cochrane, Web of Knowledge, FDA.gov, and Clinical Trials.gov for the studies reporting the proportion of Tregs in AS patients. Using the PRISMA guidelines, we performed a random-effects meta-analysis of the frequencies of peripheral Tregs defined in different ways. Inconsistency was evaluated using the I-squared index (I 2), and publication bias was assessed by examining funnel plot asymmetry using the Begger and Egger tests. RESULTS A total 29 studies involving 1732 participants were included in the meta-analysis. Their conclusions of using the diversity of Tregs surface markers were inconsistent with each other. No significant difference in the proportions of Tregs was evident regardless of the definitions used [-0.709, (-1.455, 0.037, p = 0.063), I 2 = 97.3%]. Six studies used "single CD25-positive" cells as Tregs, which revealed a significant increase in AS patients compared with healthy blood donors [0.736, (0.138, 1.334), p = 0.016, I 2 = 80.7%]. Notably, the proportions of "CD4+CD25+FOXP3+," "CD4+CD25highCD127low/-," or "CD4+CD25+CD127low" T cells were lower in AS patients [-2.856, (-4.645, -1.066), p = 0.002; -1.812, (-2.648, -0.977), p < 0.001; -1.12, (-1.605, -0.635), p < 0.001]. Tregs defined as "CD25high," "CD25bright," "CD25bright/highCD127low/-," "CD4+FOXP3+," "CD4+CD25highFOXP3+," and "CD4+CD25+CD127-" did not differ in proportion between AS patients and healthy blood donors. CONCLUSIONS The levels of Tregs varied based on the cellular identification markers used. The proportions of CD4+CD25+FOXP3+Tregs, CD4+CD25highCD127low/-, or CD4+CD25+CD127low in blood of AS patients were significantly decreased as compared with those in healthy blood donors, and our findings lend support to the idea that the Treg status of AS patients is important. And we recommend the above as the best definition of Tregs when evaluating the status of such patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Na-Lin Lai
- Department of Rheumatology, The Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, 382 Wuyi Road, Taiyuan, Shanxi 030001, China
| | - Sheng-Xiao Zhang
- Department of Rheumatology, The Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, 382 Wuyi Road, Taiyuan, Shanxi 030001, China
| | - Jia Wang
- Department of Rheumatology, The Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, 382 Wuyi Road, Taiyuan, Shanxi 030001, China
| | - Jia-Qian Zhang
- Department of Rheumatology, The Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, 382 Wuyi Road, Taiyuan, Shanxi 030001, China
| | - Cai-Hong Wang
- Department of Rheumatology, The Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, 382 Wuyi Road, Taiyuan, Shanxi 030001, China
| | - Chong Gao
- Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Xiao-Feng Li
- Department of Rheumatology, The Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, 382 Wuyi Road, Taiyuan, Shanxi 030001, China
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Gioia L, Holt M, Costanzo A, Sharma S, Abe B, Kain L, Nakayama M, Wan X, Su A, Mathews C, Chen YG, Unanue E, Teyton L. Position β57 of I-A g7 controls early anti-insulin responses in NOD mice, linking an MHC susceptibility allele to type 1 diabetes onset. Sci Immunol 2019; 4:eaaw6329. [PMID: 31471352 PMCID: PMC6816460 DOI: 10.1126/sciimmunol.aaw6329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2019] [Accepted: 08/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The class II region of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) locus is the main contributor to the genetic susceptibility to type 1 diabetes (T1D). The loss of an aspartic acid at position 57 of diabetogenic HLA-DQβ chains supports this association; this single amino acid change influences how TCRs recognize peptides in the context of HLA-DQ8 and I-Ag7 using a mechanism termed the P9 switch. Here, we built register-specific insulin peptide MHC tetramers to examine CD4+ T cell responses to Ins12-20 and Ins13-21 peptides during the early prediabetic phase of disease in nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice. A single-cell analysis of anti-insulin CD4+ T cells performed in 6- and 12-week-old NOD mice revealed tissue-specific gene expression signatures. TCR signaling and clonal expansion were found only in the islets of Langerhans and produced either classical TH1 differentiation or an unusual Treg phenotype, independent of TCR usage. The early phase of the anti-insulin response was dominated by T cells specific for Ins12-20, the register that supports a P9 switch mode of recognition. The presence of the P9 switch was demonstrated by TCR sequencing, reexpression, mutagenesis, and functional testing of TCRαβ pairs in vitro. Genetic correction of the I-Aβ57 mutation in NOD mice resulted in the disappearance of D/E residues in the CDR3β of anti-Ins12-20 T cells. These results provide a mechanistic molecular explanation that links the characteristic MHC class II polymorphism of T1D with the recognition of islet autoantigens and disease onset.
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Affiliation(s)
- Louis Gioia
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Marie Holt
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Anne Costanzo
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Siddhartha Sharma
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Brian Abe
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Lisa Kain
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Maki Nakayama
- Department of Pediatrics and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Denver, CO 80045, USA
| | - Xiaoxiao Wan
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Andrew Su
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Clayton Mathews
- Department of Pediatrics, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA
| | - Yi-Guang Chen
- University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Emil Unanue
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Luc Teyton
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
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31
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Essential Kinases and Transcriptional Regulators and Their Roles in Autoimmunity. Biomolecules 2019; 9:biom9040145. [PMID: 30974919 PMCID: PMC6523499 DOI: 10.3390/biom9040145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2019] [Revised: 04/04/2019] [Accepted: 04/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Kinases and transcriptional regulators are fundamental components of cell signaling that are expressed on many types of immune cells which are involved in secretion of cytokines, cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. Both play important roles in biological responses in health as well as in illnesses such as the autoimmune diseases which comprise at least 80 disorders. These diseases are caused by complex genetic and environmental interactions that lead to a breakage of immunologic tolerance and a disruption of the balance between self-reactive cells and regulatory cells. Kinases or transcriptional regulatory factors often have an abnormal expression in the autoimmune cells that participate in the pathogenesis of autoimmune disease. These abnormally expressed kinases or transcriptional regulators can over-activate the function of self-reactive cells to produce inflammatory cytokines or down-regulate the activity of regulatory cells, thus causing autoimmune diseases. In this review we introduce five kinds of kinase and transcriptional regulator related to autoimmune diseases, namely, members of the Janus kinase (JAK) family (JAK3 and/or tyrosine kinase 2 (TYK2)), fork head box protein 3 (Foxp3), the retinoic acid-related orphan receptor gamma t (RORγt), and T-box expressed in T cells (T-bet) factors. We also provide a mechanistic insight into how these kinases and transcriptional regulators affect the function of the immune cells related to autoimmune diseases, as well as a description of a current drug design targeting these kinases and transcriptional regulators. Understanding their exact role helps offer new therapies for control of the inflammatory responses that could lead to clinical improvement of the autoimmune diseases.
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Baker RL, Jamison BL, Wiles TA, Lindsay RS, Barbour G, Bradley B, Delong T, Friedman RS, Nakayama M, Haskins K. CD4 T Cells Reactive to Hybrid Insulin Peptides Are Indicators of Disease Activity in the NOD Mouse. Diabetes 2018; 67:1836-1846. [PMID: 29976617 PMCID: PMC6110316 DOI: 10.2337/db18-0200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2018] [Accepted: 06/20/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
We recently established that hybrid insulin peptides (HIPs), formed in islet β-cells by fusion of insulin C-peptide fragments to peptides of chromogranin A or islet amyloid polypeptide, are ligands for diabetogenic CD4 T-cell clones. The goal of this study was to investigate whether HIP-reactive T cells were indicative of ongoing autoimmunity. MHC class II tetramers were used to investigate the presence, phenotype, and function of HIP-reactive and insulin-reactive T cells in NOD mice. Insulin-reactive T cells encounter their antigen early in disease, but they express FoxP3 and therefore may contribute to immune regulation. In contrast, HIP-reactive T cells are proinflammatory and highly diabetogenic in an adoptive transfer model. Because the frequency of antigen-experienced HIP-reactive T cells increases over progression of disease, they may serve as biomarkers of autoimmune diabetes.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Autoantigens/chemistry
- Autoantigens/genetics
- Autoantigens/metabolism
- Autoimmune Diseases/immunology
- Autoimmune Diseases/metabolism
- Autoimmune Diseases/pathology
- Autoimmune Diseases/physiopathology
- Autoimmunity
- Biomarkers/blood
- C-Peptide/chemistry
- C-Peptide/genetics
- C-Peptide/metabolism
- CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes/immunology
- CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes/metabolism
- CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes/pathology
- Cells, Cultured
- Chromogranin A/chemistry
- Chromogranin A/genetics
- Chromogranin A/metabolism
- Clone Cells
- Crosses, Genetic
- Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1/immunology
- Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1/metabolism
- Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1/pathology
- Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1/physiopathology
- Disease Progression
- Female
- Islet Amyloid Polypeptide/chemistry
- Islet Amyloid Polypeptide/genetics
- Islet Amyloid Polypeptide/metabolism
- Lymphocyte Activation
- Mice, Inbred NOD
- Mice, Knockout
- Mice, SCID
- Peptide Fragments/chemistry
- Peptide Fragments/genetics
- Peptide Fragments/metabolism
- Recombination, Genetic
- Specific Pathogen-Free Organisms
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Affiliation(s)
- Rocky L Baker
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine at Denver, Aurora, CO
| | - Braxton L Jamison
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine at Denver, Aurora, CO
| | - Timothy A Wiles
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine at Denver, Aurora, CO
| | - Robin S Lindsay
- Department of Biomedical Research, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO
| | - Gene Barbour
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine at Denver, Aurora, CO
| | - Brenda Bradley
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine at Denver, Aurora, CO
| | - Thomas Delong
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine at Denver, Aurora, CO
| | - Rachel S Friedman
- Department of Biomedical Research, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO
| | - Maki Nakayama
- Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, University of Colorado School of Medicine at Denver, Aurora, CO
| | - Kathryn Haskins
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine at Denver, Aurora, CO
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Homan EJ, Bremel RD. A Role for Epitope Networking in Immunomodulation by Helminths. Front Immunol 2018; 9:1763. [PMID: 30108588 PMCID: PMC6079203 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.01763] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2018] [Accepted: 07/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Helminth infections, by nematodes, trematodes, or cestodes, can lead to the modulation of host immune responses. This allows long-duration parasite infections and also impacts responses to co-infections. Surface, secreted, excreted, and shed proteins are thought to play a major role in modulation. A commonly reported feature of such immune modulation is the role of T regulatory (Treg) cells and IL-10. Efforts to identify helminth proteins, which cause immunomodulation, have identified candidates but not provided clarity as to a uniform mechanism driving modulation. In this study, we applied a bioinformatics systems approach, allowing us to analyze predicted T-cell epitopes of 17 helminth species and the responses to their surface proteins. In addition to major histocompatibility complex (MHC) binding, we analyzed amino acid motifs that would be recognized by T-cell receptors [T-cell-exposed motifs (TCEMs)]. All the helminth species examined have, within their surface proteins, peptides, which combine very common TCEMs with predicted high affinity binding to many human MHC alleles. This combination of features would result in large cognate T cell and a high probability of eliciting Treg responses. The TCEMs, which determine recognition by responding T-cell clones, are shared to a high degree between helminth species and with Plasmodium falciparum and Mycobacterium tuberculosis, both common co-infecting organisms. The implication of our observations is not only that Treg cells play a significant role in helminth-induced immune modulation but also that the epitope specificities of Treg responses are shared across species and genera of helminth. Hence, the immune response to a given helminth cannot be considered in isolation but rather forms part of an epitope ecosystem, or microenvironment, in which potentially immunosuppressive peptides in the helminth network via their common T-cell receptor recognition signals with T-cell epitopes in self proteins, microbiome, other helminths, and taxonomically unrelated pathogens. Such a systems approach provides a high-level view of the antigen-immune system signaling dynamics that may bias a host's immune response to helminth infections toward immune modulation. It may indicate how helminths have evolved to select for peptides that favor long-term parasite host coexistence.
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34
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Wang W, Jing W, Liu Q. Astragalus Oral Solution Ameliorates Allergic Asthma in Children by Regulating Relative Contents of CD4 +CD25 highCD127 low Treg Cells. Front Pediatr 2018; 6:255. [PMID: 30294594 PMCID: PMC6158305 DOI: 10.3389/fped.2018.00255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2018] [Accepted: 08/28/2018] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Objective: To explore the effects of Astragalus oral solution (AOS) on allergic asthma in children by investigating relative contents of CD4+CD25highCD127low Treg cells. Methods: The contents of Astragaloside A in AOS were detected by using HPLC. Eighty children with allergic asthma were recruited from February 2016 to June 2017, and randomly assigned into the control group (received placebo, 0.1% quinine chloride in deionized water, daily) and the AOS group (received 10 mL AOS daily). After 6-month treatment, therapeutic results were compared between the two groups. Serum levels of IL-10 and TGF-beta, Th1 cytokines (IL-2 and IFN-γ), and Th2 cytokines (IL-4 and IL-6) were measured by using ELISA kits. Relative contents of CD4+CD25highCD127low Treg cells were determined by using flow cytometry. Results: Astragaloside A was the main ingredient of AOS with 0.216 ± 0.027 mg/mL from six-batch samples. After 6-month therapy, the AOS group showed improved forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) and the Pediatric Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (PAQLQ) scores compared with the control group (P < 0.05). Serum level of IL-10 was higher and the levels of TGF-beta, Th1 cytokines (IL-2 and IFN-γ), and Th2 cytokines (IL-4 and IL-6) were lower in the AOS group than in the control group (P < 0.05). AOS treatment increased the percentage of gated CD4+ T cells, CD4+CD25+ T cells, CD4+CD25high Treg cells, CD4+CD25+FoxP3+ Treg cells and CD4+CD25highCD127low Treg cells when compared with the control group (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Astragaloside A was the main component of AOS, and AOS ameliorated allergic asthma in children by regulating relative contents of CD4+CD25highCD127low Treg cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Wang
- Department of Pediatric, Affiliated Hospital of Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun, China
| | - Wei Jing
- Department of Pediatric, Affiliated Hospital of Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun, China
| | - Qingbin Liu
- Department of Pediatric, Affiliated Hospital of Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun, China
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