Overexpression of HES-1 is not sufficient to impose T-cell differentiation on human hematopoietic stem cells

The NOTCH-HES-1 axis is involved in promoting Th22 cell differentiation

BACKGROUND

NOTCH signaling has been shown to play a role in the production of interleukin-22 (IL-22) by CD4+ T cells. Multiple T-helper (Th) cell populations secrete IL-22. Th22 (CD4+IL22+IFNγ-IL17A-) cells are a subgroup of CD4+ effector T cells that primarily generate IL-22. The regulatory mechanisms of the NOTCH signaling pathway involved in differentiation of the Th22 cell subset have not been completely elucidated. This study aimed to further explore the involvement of NOTCH signaling in Th22 differentiation.

METHODS

In vitro combination of IL-6, IL-23, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) treatment with naïve CD4+ T cells established the Th22 cell induced model. NOTCH signaling was activated by jagged-1 and inhibited by (2S)-N-[(3,5-difluorophenyl) acetyl]-L-alanyl-2-phenyl]glycine 1,1-dimethylethyl ester (DAPT). HES-1 siRNA and HES-1 vector were employed to knock down and induce overexpression of HES-1 to investigate the effect of NOTCH signaling on the differentiation of CD4+T cells into Th22 cells.

RESULTS

We observed that the proportion of Th22 cells, along with Hes-1, Ahr, and Il-22 mRNA and protein expression, was increased by both jagged-1 and overexpression of HES-1. On the other hand, after the combined cytokine treatment of cells, and exposure to jagged-1 and DAPT or HES-1 siRNA, there was a decrease in the Th22 cell proportion, mRNA and protein expression of HES-1, AHR, and IL-22.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study demonstrates that HES-1 enhancement in AHR and IL-22 up-regulation of NOTCH signaling can promote the skewing of naïve CD4+T cells toward Th22 cells. Also, the results of our study show that HES-1 is a crucial factor in Th22 cell differentiation.

HES1 and HES4 have non-redundant roles downstream of Notch during early human T-cell development

In both mouse and human, Notch1 activation is the main initial driver to induce T-cell development in hematopoietic progenitor cells. The initiation of this developmental process coincides with Notch1-dependent repression of differentiation towards other hematopoietic lineages. Although well described in mice, the role of the individual Notch1 target genes during these hematopoietic developmental choices is still unclear in human, particularly for HES4 since no orthologous gene is present in the mouse. Here, we investigated the functional capacity of the Notch1 target genes HES1 and HES4 to modulate human Notch1-dependent hematopoietic lineage decisions and their requirement during early T-cell development. We show that both genes are upregulated in a Notch-dependent manner during early T-cell development and that HES1 acts as a repressor of differentiation by maintaining a quiescent stem cell signature in CD34+ hematopoietic progenitor cells. While HES4 can also inhibit natural killer and myeloid cell development like HES1, it acts differently on the T- versus B-cell lineage choice. Surprisingly, HES4 is not capable of repressing B-cell development, the most sensitive hematopoietic lineage with respect to Notch-mediated repression. In contrast to HES1, HES4 promotes initiation of early T-cell development, but ectopic expression of HES4, or HES1 and HES4 combined, is not sufficient to induce T-lineage differentiation. Importantly, knockdown of HES1 or HES4 significantly reduces human T-cell development. Overall, we show that the Notch1 target genes HES1 and HES4 have non-redundant roles during early human T-cell development which may relate to differences in mediating Notch-dependent human hematopoietic lineage decisions.

HES1 opposes a PTEN-dependent check on survival, differentiation, and proliferation of TCRβ-selected mouse thymocytes

The developmental progression of immature thymocytes requires cooperative input from several pathways, with Notch signals playing an indispensable role at the T-cell receptor (TCR)-β selection checkpoint. Notch signals affect the activation of the PI3K/Akt pathway, which is required for pTα/TCRβ (pre-TCR)-induced survival, differentiation, and proliferation of developing αβ-lineage thymocytes. However, the molecular players responsible for the interaction between the Notch and PI3K pathways at this critical developmental stage are unknown. Here, we show that Notch induction of Hes1 is necessary to repress the PI3K/Akt pathway inhibitor, PTEN (phosphatase and tensin homolog), which in turn facilitates pre-TCR-induced differentiation. In support of this mechanism, deletion or down-regulation of Pten overcomes the Notch signaling requirement for survival and differentiation during β-selection. In addition, c-Myc is a critical target of Notch at this stage, as c-Myc expression overcomes the Notch signaling requirement for proliferation during β-selection. Collectively, our results point to HES1, via repression of PTEN, and c-Myc as critical mediators of Notch function at the β-selection checkpoint.

Mechanisms of T cell development and transformation

T cells are the key mediators in cell-mediated immunity. Their development and maturation involve a complex variety of interactions with nonlymphoid cell products and receptors. Highly specialized to defend against bacterial and viral infections, T cells also mediate immune surveillance against tumor cells and react to foreign tissues. T cell progenitors originate in the bone marrow and, through a series of defined and coordinated developmental stages, enter the thymus, differentiate, undergo selection, and eventually mature into functional T cells. The steps in this process are regulated through a complex transcriptional network, specific receptor-ligand pair interactions, and sensitization to trophic factors, which mediate the homing, proliferation, survival, and differentiation of developing T cells. This review examines the processes and pathways involved in the highly orchestrated development of T cell fate specification under physiological as well as pathological conditions.

MT1-MMP cleaves Dll1 to negatively regulate Notch signalling to maintain normal B-cell development

Notch signalling controls the differentiation of haematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs). Here, we show that loss of membrane-type 1 matrix metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP, MMP14), a cell surface protease expressed in bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs), increases Notch signalling in HPCs and specifically impairs B-lymphocyte development. When co-cultured with BMSCs in vitro, HPCs differentiation towards B lymphocytes is significantly compromised on MT1-MMP-deficient BMSCs and this defect could be completely rescued by DAPT, a specific Notch signalling inhibitor. The defective B-lymphocyte development could also be largely rescued by DAPT in vivo. MT1-MMP interacts with Notch ligand Delta-like 1 (Dll1) and promotes its cleavage on cell surface in BMSCs. Ectopic MT1-MMP cleaves Dll1 and results in diminished Notch signalling in co-cultured cells. In addition, recombinant MT1-MMP cleaves a synthetic Dll1 peptide at the same site where MT1-MMP cleaves Dll1 on the cell surface. Our data suggest that MT1-MMP directly cleaves Dll1 on BMSCs to negatively regulate Notch signalling to specifically maintain normal B-cell development in bone marrow.

T-cell lineage determination

T cells originate from hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) in the bone marrow but complete their development in the thymus. HSCs give rise to a variety of non-renewing hematopoietic progenitors, among which a rare subset migrates to the thymus via the bloodstream. The earliest T-cell progenitors identified in the thymus are not T-lineage restricted but possess the ability to give rise to cells of many different lineages. Alternative lineage potentials are gradually lost as progenitors progress toward later developmental stages. Here, we review the early developmental events that might be involved in T-cell lineage fate determination, including the properties of possible thymus-settling progenitors, their homing into the thymus, and their T-cell lineage specification and commitment.

T-lymphoid differentiation potential measured in vitro is higher in CD34+CD38-/lo hematopoietic stem cells from umbilical cord blood than from bone marrow and is an intrinsic property of the cells

BACKGROUND

Human bone marrow and umbilical cord blood are sources of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cells for transplantation, which is a life-saving treatment in a variety of diseases but is burdened by delayed T-cell reconstitution. Observational studies evaluating T-cell reconstitution in post-transplant recipients suggest that cord blood hematopoietic stem cells have a more effective capacity for T-cell reconstitution. This study focuses on the comparison of the capacity of cord blood and bone marrow hematopoietic stem cells to generate T cells in vitro.

DESIGN AND METHODS

Hematopoietic stem cells were cultured in OP9-delta-like-1 and OP9-green fluorescent protein co-cultures to estimate T and myeloid generation capacity, respectively. Phenotypic markers of T-lineage or myeloid differentiation were measured by flow cytometry and used to analyze their kinetics as a function of culture time. Hematopoietic stem cells were labeled with carboxyfluorescein diacetate succinamidyl ester and analyzed after culture to track their phenotypic progression in consecutive generations. Mixed OP9-delta-like-1 co-cultures were done with either carboxyfluorescein diacetate succinamidyl ester-labeled bone marrow and unlabeled cord blood hematopoietic stem cells, or vice versa, to evaluate their mutual influence on T-lineage differentiation. The T-cell potential of hematopoietic stem cells was addressed quantitatively by limiting dilution analysis.

RESULTS

Bulk cultures showed faster and more extensive T-cell differentiation by cord blood hematopoietic stem cells. Furthermore, the T-lymphoid differentiation capacity of cord blood and bone marrow hematopoietic stem cells can be discriminated very early based on the coordinated expression of CD34 and CD7. Mixing experiments with cord blood hematopoietic stem cells and bone marrow hematopoietic stem cells showed that these differences are cell intrinsic. Quantitative clonal analyses demonstrated that CD34(+)CD38(-/lo) hematopoietic stem cells from cord blood contained a two-fold higher T-lineage generation capacity than CD34(+)CD38(-/lo) bone marrow hematopoietic stem cells, whereas the myeloid differentiation was similar.

CONCLUSIONS

Our data shows that cord blood hematopoietic stem cells have higher T-lymphoid differentiation potential than bone marrow hematopoietic stem cells and that this property is cell autonomous.

Two opposing roles of RBP-J in Notch signaling

RBP-J/Su(H)/Lag1, the main transcriptional mediator of Notch signaling, binds DNA with the consensus sequence YRTGDGAD. Notch target genes can be controlled by two opposing activities of RBP-J. The interaction of the Notch intracellular domain with RBP-J induces a weak transcriptional activation and requires an additional tissue-specific transcriptional activator such as bHLH proteins or GATA to mediate strong target gene expression. For example, during Drosophila sensory organ precursor (SOP) cell development, proneural bHLH interacts with Da, a Drosophila orthologue of E2A, to form a tissue-specific activator of Su(H), the Drosophila orthologue of RBP-J. This complex and Su(H) act synergistically to promote the epidermal cell fate. In contrast, a complex of Su(H) with Hairless, a Drosophila functional homologue of MINT, has transcriptional repression activity that promotes SOP differentiation to neurons. Recent conditional loss-of-function studies demonstrated that transcriptional networks involving RBP-J, MINT, and E2A are conserved in mammalian cell differentiation, including multiple steps of lymphocyte development, and probably also in neuronal maturation in adult neurogenesis. During neurogenesis, Notch-RBP-J signaling was thought historically to be involved mainly in the maintenance of undifferentiated neural progenitors. However, the identification of a tissue-specific transcriptional activator of RBP-J-Notch has revealed new roles of RBP-J in the promotion of neuronal maturation. Finally, the Notch-independent function of RBP-J was recently discovered and will be reviewed here.

Ikaros represses the transcriptional response to Notch signaling in T-cell development

Notch activity is essential for early T-cell differentiation, but aberrant activity induces T-cell transformation. Thus, Notch target genes must be efficiently silenced in cells where Notch activity is no longer required. How these genes are repressed remains poorly understood. We report here that the Ikaros transcription factor plays a crucial role in repressing the transcriptional response to Notch signaling in T-cell development. Using the Notch target gene Hes-1 as a model, we show that Ikaros and RBP-Jkappa, the transcriptional mediator of Notch signaling, compete for binding to two elements in the Hes-1 promoter in immature thymocytes. This antagonistic interaction likely occurs at the CD4(-) CD8(-) CD3(-) double-negative 4 (DN4) stage, where Ikaros levels and binding to the Hes-1 promoter increase sharply and wild-type thymocytes lose their capacity to transcribe Hes-1 upon Notch stimulation. Nonresponsiveness to Notch signaling requires Ikaros, as Ikaros-deficient DN4 and CD4(+) CD8(+) double-positive (DP) cells remain competent to express Hes-1 after Notch activation. Further, Hes-1 promoter sequences from Ikaros-deficient DP cells show reduced trimethylated H3K27, a modification associated with silent chromatin. These results indicate that Ikaros functions as a transcriptional checkpoint to repress Notch target gene expression in T cells.

Regulation of lymphocyte development by Notch signaling

Notch molecules are well conserved from Drosophila melanogaster to mammals and regulate a broad spectrum of various cell lineage commitment processes. Recent studies using inhibitors, transgenic mice and conditional loss-of-function approaches have demonstrated essential roles for Notch signaling in the differentiation of thymocytes and peripheral T cells, as well as B cells. Here we highlight parallels in the developmental regulation of mammalian lymphocytes and the D. melanogaster nervous system through Notch cooperation with the transcriptional regulators RBP-J (Su(H)), MINT (Hairless) and E2A (Ac-Sc-Da).

Notch signalling during peripheral T-cell activation and differentiation

For many years, researchers have focused on the contribution of Notch signalling to lymphoid development. Only recently have investigators begun to ask what role, if any, Notch has during the activation and differentiation of naive CD4(+) T cells in the periphery. As interest in this issue grows, it is becoming increasingly clear that the main role of Notch signalling, to regulate cell-fate decisions, might also be influential in peripheral T cells.

Control of thymocyte development and recombination-activating gene expression by the zinc finger protein Zfp608

The products of recombination-activating gene 1 (Rag1) and Rag2 are required for T cell receptor gene assembly and thymocyte maturation, yet their transcriptional control mechanisms remain unclear. A congenic strain (called 'ZORI' here) with defects in Rag1 and Rag2 expression, thymocyte maturation and peripheral T cell homeostasis has been developed. Here, we mapped the mutation in this strain to a chromosome 18 locus containing a single known gene encoding the zinc finger protein Zfp608. This gene (Zfp608) was highly expressed in neonatal thymus but was extinguished thereafter. In contrast to wild-type mice, ZORI mice had sustained thymocyte expression of Zfp608 throughout life. The ZORI mutation produced a thymocyte-intrinsic developmental defect. Overexpression of Zfp608 in BALB/c thymocytes substantially impaired Rag1 and Rag2 expression, indicating the underlying mechanism for the defect in ZORI thymocyte development. Thus, the normal function of Zfp608 may be to prevent Rag1 and Rag2 expression in utero.

Notch and Wnt signaling in T-lymphocyte development and acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Many acute lymphoblastic leukemias can be considered as malignant counterparts of cells in the various stages of normal lymphoid development in bone marrow and thymus. T-cell development in the thymus is an ordered and tightly controlled process. Two evolutionary conserved signaling pathways, which were first discovered in Drosophila, control the earliest steps of T-cell development. These are the Notch and Wnt-signaling routes, which both are deregulated in several types of leukemias. In this review we discuss both pathways, with respect to their signaling mechanisms, functions during T-cell development and their roles in development of leukemias, especially T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

T-sing progenitors to commit

T-cell development in the thymus is a complex and highly regulated process. During the process of differentiation from multipotent progenitor cells to mature T cells, proliferation, restriction of lineage potential, TCR gene rearrangements and selection events occur, all accompanied by changes in gene expression. A comprehensive understanding of thymocyte differentiation remains to be established. Two related, key issues have received much attention recently: the nature of the thymus seeding cell and the regulation of T-cell lineage commitment. Here we review the perspectives of different researchers working both on murine and human T-cell development and argue that a true T-cell commitment factor might not be required because of the unique properties of the thymus.