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Wißfeld J, Hering M, Ten Bosch N, Cui G. The immunosuppressive drug cyclosporin A has an immunostimulatory function in CD8 + T cells. Eur J Immunol 2024; 54:e2350825. [PMID: 38650034 DOI: 10.1002/eji.202350825] [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: 10/11/2023] [Revised: 04/03/2024] [Accepted: 04/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
Cyclosporin A is a well-established immunosuppressive drug used to treat or prevent graft-versus-host disease, the rejection of organ transplants, autoimmune disorders, and leukemia. It exerts its immunosuppressive effects by inhibiting calcineurin-mediated dephosphorylation of the nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT), thus preventing its nuclear entry and suppressing T cell activation. Here we report an unexpected immunostimulatory effect of cyclosporin A in activating the mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1), a crucial metabolic hub required for T cell activation. Through screening a panel of tool compounds known to regulate mTORC1 activation, we found that cyclosporin A activated mTORC1 in CD8+ T cells in a 3-phosphoinositide-dependent protein kinase 1 (PDK1) and protein kinase B (PKB/AKT)-dependent manner. Mechanistically, cyclosporin A inhibited the calcineurin-mediated AKT dephosphorylation, thereby stabilizing mTORC1 signaling. Cyclosporin A synergized with mTORC1 pathway inhibitors, leading to potent suppression of proliferation and cytokine production in CD8+ T cells and an increase in the killing of acute T cell leukemia cells. Consequently, relying solely on CsA is insufficient to achieve optimal therapeutic outcomes. It is necessary to simultaneously target both the calcineurin-NFAT pathway and the mTORC1 pathway to maximize therapeutic efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jannis Wißfeld
- Helmholtz Institute for Translational Oncology (HI-TRON) Mainz, Mainz, Germany
- T Cell Metabolism Group (D192), German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Marvin Hering
- Helmholtz Institute for Translational Oncology (HI-TRON) Mainz, Mainz, Germany
- T Cell Metabolism Group (D192), German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Faculty of Biosciences, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
- Skin Cancer Unit, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergology, University Medical Center Mannheim (UMM), Mannheim, Germany
| | - Nora Ten Bosch
- Helmholtz Institute for Translational Oncology (HI-TRON) Mainz, Mainz, Germany
- T Cell Metabolism Group (D192), German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Guoliang Cui
- Helmholtz Institute for Translational Oncology (HI-TRON) Mainz, Mainz, Germany
- T Cell Metabolism Group (D192), German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Faculty of Biosciences, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
- Key Laboratory of Immune Response and Immunotherapy, Center for Advanced Interdisciplinary Science and Biomedicine of IHM, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
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Juchem KW, Gounder AP, Gao JP, Seccareccia E, Yeddula N, Huffmaster NJ, Côté-Martin A, Fogal SE, Souza D, Wang SS, Glynn ERA, Yung I, Ritchie J, Li L, Zheng J, Mbow ML, Li J, Chanda SK. NFAM1 Promotes Pro-Inflammatory Cytokine Production in Mouse and Human Monocytes. Front Immunol 2022; 12:773445. [PMID: 35095847 PMCID: PMC8793151 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.773445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2021] [Accepted: 12/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
NFAT activating protein with ITAM motif 1 (NFAM1) is an ITAM bearing-transmembrane receptor that has been reported to play a role in B cell signaling and development. We performed expression analysis of NFAM1 using publicly available gene expression data sets and found that NFAM1 expression is significantly induced in intestinal biopsies from Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) patients. At the cellular level, we further observed high expression of NFAM1 in monocytes and neutrophils, and low expression in B and T cells. To explore the role of NFAM1 in multiple immune cells and its potential role in IBD, we generated NFAM1-/- mice. In contrast with previous reports using NFAM1-transgenic mice, NFAM1-/- mice have no obvious defects in immune cell development, or B cell responses. Interestingly, NFAM1-/- monocytes produce reduced levels of TNF-α in response to activation by multiple IBD-relevant stimuli, including CD40L, TLR ligands and MDP. Additional cytokines and chemokines such as IL-6, IL-12, CCL3 and CCL4 are also reduced in CD40L stimulated NFAM1-/- monocytes. Collectively, these findings indicate that NFAM1 promotes monocyte activation, thereby amplifying the response to diverse stimuli. Similarly, we observed that deletion of NFAM1 in human monocytes reduces expression of CD40L-induced CCL4. Lastly, to assess the role of NFAM1 in IBD, we compared development of anti-CD40 induced colitis in NFAM1+/+ and NFAM1-/- mice. We found that although NFAM1 deletion had no impact on development of gut pathology, we did observe a decrease in serum TNF-α, confirming that NFAM1 promotes pro-inflammatory cytokine production in vivo. Taken together, we conclude that NFAM1 functions to amplify cytokine production and should be further evaluated as a therapeutic target for treatment of autoimmune disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn W Juchem
- Department of Immunology and Respiratory Disease Research, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Ridgefield, CT, United States
| | - Anshu P Gounder
- Immunity and Pathogenesis Program, Infectious and Inflammatory Disease Center, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Jian Ping Gao
- Department of Immunology and Respiratory Disease Research, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Ridgefield, CT, United States
| | - Elise Seccareccia
- Department of Immunology and Respiratory Disease Research, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Ridgefield, CT, United States
| | - Narayana Yeddula
- Immunity and Pathogenesis Program, Infectious and Inflammatory Disease Center, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Nicholas J Huffmaster
- Immunity and Pathogenesis Program, Infectious and Inflammatory Disease Center, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Alexandra Côté-Martin
- Department of Immunology and Respiratory Disease Research, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Ridgefield, CT, United States
| | - Steven E Fogal
- Department of Immunology and Respiratory Disease Research, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Ridgefield, CT, United States
| | - Donald Souza
- Department of Immunology and Respiratory Disease Research, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Ridgefield, CT, United States
| | - Sarah Sirui Wang
- Department of Immunology and Respiratory Disease Research, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Ridgefield, CT, United States
| | - Elizabeth R A Glynn
- Department of Immunology and Respiratory Disease Research, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Ridgefield, CT, United States
| | - Ivy Yung
- Department of Immunology and Respiratory Disease Research, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Ridgefield, CT, United States
| | - Julie Ritchie
- Department of Biotherapeutics Discovery, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Ridgefield, CT, United States
| | - Li Li
- Department of Global Computational Biology and Digital Sciences, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Ridgefield, CT, United States
| | - Jie Zheng
- Department of Immunology and Respiratory Disease Research, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Ridgefield, CT, United States
| | - M Lamine Mbow
- Department of Immunology and Respiratory Disease Research, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Ridgefield, CT, United States
| | - Jun Li
- Department of Immunology and Respiratory Disease Research, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Ridgefield, CT, United States
| | - Sumit K Chanda
- Immunity and Pathogenesis Program, Infectious and Inflammatory Disease Center, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, La Jolla, CA, United States
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