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Krause N, Mengwasser J, Phithak E, Beato F, Appis M, Milford EL, Pratschke J, Sauer I, Kuehl A, Vogel A, Goodyear M, Hammerich L, Tacke F, Haas JF, Müller T, Utku N. Immune Regulatory 1 Cells: A Novel and Potent Subset of Human T Regulatory Cells. Front Immunol 2022; 12:790775. [PMID: 35222353 PMCID: PMC8867398 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.790775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2021] [Accepted: 12/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
A subset of T regulatory cells (Tregs), identified by TIRC7 (T cell immune response cDNA 7) expression is designated as Immune Regulatory 1 Cells (IR1 cells). TIRC7 is an immune checkpoint inhibitor, co-localized with the T- cell receptor, HLA-DR and CTLA-4 during T-cell activation, which delivers regulatory signals via binding to its ligand, HLA-DR α2 domain. IR1 cells express FOXP3, and multiple other markers associated with immune suppression. They constitute as much as 10% of Tregs. IR1 cells strongly inhibit proliferation in mixed lymphocyte reactions, where they express high levels of IL-10. Ex vivo expansion of Tregs over 2 weeks in the presence of an agonist TIRC7 antibody disproportionately expands the IR1 Treg subset, while maintaining high expression of suppressive markers including CD39, IL-10, LAP and GARP. Ex vivo expanded IR1 cells are a potent, homogeneous, stable set of suppressor Tregs with the potential to modulate immune dysregulation. The characteristics of IR1 cells suggest a therapeutic advantage over polyclonal Tregs for therapeutic interventions. Early restoration of immune homeostasis using IR1 cells has the potential to fundamentally alter the natural history of conditions characterized by abnormalities in the T regulatory cell compartment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Krause
- Institute for Medical Immunology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Department of Hepatology and Gastroenterology, Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Jörg Mengwasser
- Department of Surgery, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Elpida Phithak
- Institute for Medical Immunology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Department of Hepatology and Gastroenterology, Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Francisca Beato
- Department of Gastroenterology, Moffit Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, United States
| | - Marc Appis
- Department of Biochemistry, Freie Universität, Berlin, Germany
| | - Edgar Louis Milford
- Department of Medicine, Renal Division, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Johan Pratschke
- Department of Surgery, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Igor Sauer
- Department of Surgery, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Anja Kuehl
- Department of Hepatology and Gastroenterology, Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Arndt Vogel
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Michael Goodyear
- Department of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Linda Hammerich
- Department of Hepatology and Gastroenterology, Charite, Berlin, Germany
| | - Frank Tacke
- Department of Hepatology and Gastroenterology, Charite, Berlin, Germany
| | - Johanna Faith Haas
- Institute for Medical Immunology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Tobias Müller
- Department of Hepatology and Gastroenterology, Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Nalan Utku
- Institute for Medical Immunology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Sachs Incubator for Translational Medicine, Sächsische Inkubator für Klinische Translation (SIKT), University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
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Albrecht T, Goeppert B, Brinkmann F, Charbel A, Zhang Q, Schreck J, Wilhelm N, Singer S, Köhler BC, Springfeld C, Mehrabi A, Schirmacher P, Kühl AA, Vogel MN, Jansen H, Utku N, Roessler S. The Transmembrane Receptor TIRC7 Identifies a Distinct Subset of Immune Cells with Prognostic Implications in Cholangiocarcinoma. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13246272. [PMID: 34944891 PMCID: PMC8699724 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13246272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2021] [Accepted: 12/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a heterogeneous malignancy with a dismal prognosis. Therapeutic options are largely limited to surgery and conventional chemotherapy offers limited benefit. As immunotherapy has proven highly effective in various cancer types, we have undertaken a quantitative immunohistopathological assessment of immune cells expressing the immunoinhibitory T cell immune response cDNA 7 receptor (TIRC7), an emerging immunoinhibitory receptor, in a cohort of 135 CCA patients. TIRC7+ immune cells were present in both the tumor epithelia and stroma in the majority of CCA cases with the highest levels found in intrahepatic CCA. While intraepithelial density of TIRC7+ immune cells was decreased compared to matched non-neoplastic bile ducts, stromal quantity was higher in the tumor samples. Tumors exhibiting signet ring cell or adenosquamous morphology were exclusively associated with an intraepithelial TIRC7+ phenotype. Survival analysis showed intraepithelial TIRC7+ immune cell density to be a highly significant favorable prognosticator in intrahepatic but not proximal or distal CCA. Furthermore, intraepithelial TIRC7+ immune cell density correlated with the number of intraepithelial CD8+ immune cells and with the total number of CD4+ immune cells. Our results suggest the presence and prognostic relevance of TIRC7+ immune cells in CCA and warrant further functional studies on its pharmacological modulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Albrecht
- Institute of Pathology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Im Neuenheimer Feld 224, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany; (T.A.); (B.G.); (F.B.); (A.C.); (Q.Z.); (J.S.); (P.S.)
- Liver Cancer Center Heidelberg (LCCH), 69120 Heidelberg, Germany; (B.C.K.); (C.S.); (A.M.)
| | - Benjamin Goeppert
- Institute of Pathology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Im Neuenheimer Feld 224, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany; (T.A.); (B.G.); (F.B.); (A.C.); (Q.Z.); (J.S.); (P.S.)
- Liver Cancer Center Heidelberg (LCCH), 69120 Heidelberg, Germany; (B.C.K.); (C.S.); (A.M.)
| | - Fritz Brinkmann
- Institute of Pathology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Im Neuenheimer Feld 224, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany; (T.A.); (B.G.); (F.B.); (A.C.); (Q.Z.); (J.S.); (P.S.)
- Liver Cancer Center Heidelberg (LCCH), 69120 Heidelberg, Germany; (B.C.K.); (C.S.); (A.M.)
| | - Alphonse Charbel
- Institute of Pathology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Im Neuenheimer Feld 224, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany; (T.A.); (B.G.); (F.B.); (A.C.); (Q.Z.); (J.S.); (P.S.)
- Liver Cancer Center Heidelberg (LCCH), 69120 Heidelberg, Germany; (B.C.K.); (C.S.); (A.M.)
| | - Qiangnu Zhang
- Institute of Pathology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Im Neuenheimer Feld 224, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany; (T.A.); (B.G.); (F.B.); (A.C.); (Q.Z.); (J.S.); (P.S.)
- Liver Cancer Center Heidelberg (LCCH), 69120 Heidelberg, Germany; (B.C.K.); (C.S.); (A.M.)
| | - Johannes Schreck
- Institute of Pathology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Im Neuenheimer Feld 224, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany; (T.A.); (B.G.); (F.B.); (A.C.); (Q.Z.); (J.S.); (P.S.)
- Liver Cancer Center Heidelberg (LCCH), 69120 Heidelberg, Germany; (B.C.K.); (C.S.); (A.M.)
| | - Nina Wilhelm
- Tissue Bank of the National Center for Tumor Diseases, Heidelberg University Hospital, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany;
| | - Stephan Singer
- Institute of Pathology and Neuropathology, Eberhard-Karls University, 72076 Tübingen, Germany;
| | - Bruno C. Köhler
- Liver Cancer Center Heidelberg (LCCH), 69120 Heidelberg, Germany; (B.C.K.); (C.S.); (A.M.)
- Department of Medical Oncology, National Center for Tumor Diseases, Heidelberg University Hospital, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Christoph Springfeld
- Liver Cancer Center Heidelberg (LCCH), 69120 Heidelberg, Germany; (B.C.K.); (C.S.); (A.M.)
- Department of Medical Oncology, National Center for Tumor Diseases, Heidelberg University Hospital, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Arianeb Mehrabi
- Liver Cancer Center Heidelberg (LCCH), 69120 Heidelberg, Germany; (B.C.K.); (C.S.); (A.M.)
- Department of General, Visceral and Transplantation Surgery, Heidelberg University Hospital, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Peter Schirmacher
- Institute of Pathology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Im Neuenheimer Feld 224, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany; (T.A.); (B.G.); (F.B.); (A.C.); (Q.Z.); (J.S.); (P.S.)
- Liver Cancer Center Heidelberg (LCCH), 69120 Heidelberg, Germany; (B.C.K.); (C.S.); (A.M.)
| | - Anja A. Kühl
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, iPATH.Berlin, 12203 Berlin, Germany;
| | - Monika N. Vogel
- Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Thoraxklinik at Heidelberg University Hospital, 69126 Heidelberg, Germany;
| | - Holger Jansen
- Institute for Medical Immunology, Campus Virchow, Charité, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353 Berlin, Germany;
| | - Nalân Utku
- Institute for Medical Immunology, Campus Virchow, Charité, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353 Berlin, Germany;
- Correspondence: (N.U.); (S.R.); Tel.: +49-23197426350 (N.U.); +49-62215635109 (S.R.)
| | - Stephanie Roessler
- Institute of Pathology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Im Neuenheimer Feld 224, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany; (T.A.); (B.G.); (F.B.); (A.C.); (Q.Z.); (J.S.); (P.S.)
- Liver Cancer Center Heidelberg (LCCH), 69120 Heidelberg, Germany; (B.C.K.); (C.S.); (A.M.)
- Correspondence: (N.U.); (S.R.); Tel.: +49-23197426350 (N.U.); +49-62215635109 (S.R.)
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