1
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Rojas M, Acosta-Ampudia Y, Heuer LS, Zang W, M Monsalve D, Ramírez-Santana C, Anaya JM, M Ridgway W, A Ansari A, Gershwin ME. Antigen-specific T cells and autoimmunity. J Autoimmun 2024; 148:103303. [PMID: 39141985 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaut.2024.103303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2024] [Revised: 07/31/2024] [Accepted: 08/05/2024] [Indexed: 08/16/2024]
Abstract
Autoimmune diseases (ADs) showcase the intricate balance between the immune system's protective functions and its potential for self-inflicted damage. These disorders arise from the immune system's erroneous targeting of the body's tissues, resulting in damage and disease. The ability of T cells to distinguish between self and non-self-antigens is pivotal to averting autoimmune reactions. Perturbations in this process contribute to AD development. Autoreactive T cells that elude thymic elimination are activated by mimics of self-antigens or are erroneously activated by self-antigens can trigger autoimmune responses. Various mechanisms, including molecular mimicry and bystander activation, contribute to AD initiation, with specific triggers and processes varying across the different ADs. In addition, the formation of neo-epitopes could also be implicated in the emergence of autoreactivity. The specificity of T cell responses centers on the antigen recognition sequences expressed by T cell receptors (TCRs), which recognize peptide fragments displayed by major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules. The assortment of TCR gene combinations yields a diverse array of T cell populations, each with distinct affinities for self and non-self antigens. However, new evidence challenges the traditional notion that clonal expansion solely steers the selection of higher-affinity T cells. Lower-affinity T cells also play a substantial role, prompting the "two-hit" hypothesis. High-affinity T cells incite initial responses, while their lower-affinity counterparts perpetuate autoimmunity. Precision treatments that target antigen-specific T cells hold promise for avoiding widespread immunosuppression. Nevertheless, detection of such antigen-specific T cells remains a challenge, and multiple technologies have been developed with different sensitivities while still harboring several drawbacks. In addition, elements such as human leukocyte antigen (HLA) haplotypes and validation through animal models are pivotal for advancing these strategies. In brief, this review delves into the intricate mechanisms contributing to ADs, accentuating the pivotal role(s) of antigen-specific T cells in steering immune responses and disease progression, as well as the novel strategies for the identification of antigen-specific cells and their possible future use in humans. Grasping the mechanisms behind ADs paves the way for targeted therapeutic interventions, potentially enhancing treatment choices while minimizing the risk of systemic immunosuppression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuel Rojas
- Division of Rheumatology, Allergy and Clinical Immunology, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA; Center for Autoimmune Diseases Research (CREA), School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universidad del Rosario, Bogota, Colombia.
| | - Yeny Acosta-Ampudia
- Center for Autoimmune Diseases Research (CREA), School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universidad del Rosario, Bogota, Colombia
| | - Luke S Heuer
- Division of Rheumatology, Allergy and Clinical Immunology, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Weici Zang
- Division of Rheumatology, Allergy and Clinical Immunology, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Diana M Monsalve
- Center for Autoimmune Diseases Research (CREA), School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universidad del Rosario, Bogota, Colombia
| | - Carolina Ramírez-Santana
- Center for Autoimmune Diseases Research (CREA), School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universidad del Rosario, Bogota, Colombia
| | | | - William M Ridgway
- Division of Rheumatology, Allergy and Clinical Immunology, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Aftab A Ansari
- Division of Rheumatology, Allergy and Clinical Immunology, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - M Eric Gershwin
- Division of Rheumatology, Allergy and Clinical Immunology, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA.
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2
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Ushio A, Matsuda-Lennikov M, Kalle-Youngoue F, Shimizu A, Abdelmaksoud A, Kelly MC, Ishimaru N, Takahama Y. Functionally diverse thymic medullary epithelial cells interplay to direct central tolerance. Cell Rep 2024; 43:114072. [PMID: 38581680 PMCID: PMC11079940 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.114072] [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: 10/13/2023] [Revised: 02/24/2024] [Accepted: 03/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs) are essential for the establishment of self-tolerance in T cells. Promiscuous gene expression by a subpopulation of mTECs regulated by the nuclear protein Aire contributes to the display of self-genomic products to newly generated T cells. Recent reports have highlighted additional self-antigen-displaying mTEC subpopulations, namely Fezf2-expressing mTECs and a mosaic of self-mimetic mTECs including thymic tuft cells. In addition, a functionally different subset of mTECs produces chemokine CCL21, which attracts developing thymocytes to the medullary region. Here, we report that CCL21+ mTECs and Aire+ mTECs non-redundantly cooperate to direct self-tolerance to prevent autoimmune pathology by optimizing the deletion of self-reactive T cells and the generation of regulatory T cells. We also detect cooperation for self-tolerance between Aire and Fezf2, the latter of which unexpectedly regulates thymic tuft cells. Our results indicate an indispensable interplay among functionally diverse mTECs for the establishment of central self-tolerance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aya Ushio
- Thymus Biology Section, Experimental Immunology Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA; Department of Oral Molecular Pathology, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University, Kuramoto, Tokushima 770-8504, Japan
| | - Mami Matsuda-Lennikov
- Thymus Biology Section, Experimental Immunology Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Felix Kalle-Youngoue
- Thymus Biology Section, Experimental Immunology Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA; Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Frederick, MD 21701, USA
| | - Akihide Shimizu
- Thymus Biology Section, Experimental Immunology Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Abdalla Abdelmaksoud
- Center for Cancer Research Collaborative Bioinformatics Resource, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Michael C Kelly
- Single Cell Analysis Facility, Cancer Research Technology Program, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Naozumi Ishimaru
- Department of Oral Molecular Pathology, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University, Kuramoto, Tokushima 770-8504, Japan
| | - Yousuke Takahama
- Thymus Biology Section, Experimental Immunology Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
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3
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Wang C, Daley SR. How Thymocyte Deletion in the Cortex May Curtail Antigen-Specific T-Regulatory Cell Development in the Medulla. Front Immunol 2022; 13:892498. [PMID: 35693793 PMCID: PMC9176388 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.892498] [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: 03/09/2022] [Accepted: 04/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
CD4+ T cell responses to self-antigens are pivotal for immunological self-tolerance. Activation of Foxp3– T-conventional (T-conv) cells can precipitate autoimmune disease, whereas activation of Foxp3+ T-regulatory (T-reg) cells is essential to prevent autoimmune disease. This distinction indicates the importance of the thymus in controlling the differentiation of self-reactive CD4+ T cells. Thymocytes and thymic antigen-presenting cells (APC) depend on each other for normal maturation and differentiation. In this Hypothesis and Theory article, we propose this mutual dependence dictates which self-antigens induce T-reg cell development in the thymic medulla. We postulate self-reactive CD4+ CD8– thymocytes deliver signals that stabilize and amplify the presentation of their cognate self-antigen by APC in the thymic medulla, thereby seeding a niche for the development of T-reg cells specific for the same self-antigen. By limiting the number of antigen-specific CD4+ thymocytes in the medulla, thymocyte deletion in the cortex may impede the formation of medullary T-reg niches containing certain self-antigens. Susceptibility to autoimmune disease may arise from cortical deletion creating a “hole” in the self-antigen repertoire recognized by T-reg cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenglong Wang
- Centre for Immunology and Infection Control, School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Stephen R Daley
- Centre for Immunology and Infection Control, School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
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4
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Vita R, Mody A, Overton JA, Buus S, Haley ST, Sette A, Mallajosyula V, Davis MM, Long DL, Willis RA, Peters B, Altman JD. Minimal Information about MHC Multimers (MIAMM). JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY (BALTIMORE, MD. : 1950) 2022; 208:531-537. [PMID: 35042788 PMCID: PMC8830768 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.2100961] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2021] [Accepted: 11/09/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
With the goal of improving the reproducibility and annotatability of MHC multimer reagent data, we present the establishment of a new data standard: Minimal Information about MHC Multimers (https://miamm.lji.org/). Multimers are engineered reagents composed of a ligand and a MHC, which can be represented in a standardized format using ontology terminology. We provide an online Web site to host the details of the standard, as well as a validation tool to assist with the adoption of the standard. We hope that this publication will bring increased awareness of Minimal Information about MHC Multimers and drive acceptance, ultimately improving the quality and documentation of multimer data in the scientific literature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Randi Vita
- Center for Infectious Disease and Vaccine Research, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA;
| | - Apurva Mody
- Center for Infectious Disease and Vaccine Research, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA
| | | | - Soren Buus
- Laboratory of Experimental Immunology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - Alessandro Sette
- Center for Infectious Disease and Vaccine Research, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA
| | - Vamsee Mallajosyula
- Institute for Immunity, Transplantation, and Infection, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA
| | - Mark M Davis
- Institute for Immunity, Transplantation, and Infection, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA
| | - Dale L Long
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA; and
| | - Richard A Willis
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA; and
| | - Bjoern Peters
- Center for Infectious Disease and Vaccine Research, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA
| | - John D Altman
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA; and
- Emory Vaccine Center and Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA
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5
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Zegarra-Ruiz DF, Kim DV, Norwood K, Kim M, Wu WJH, Saldana-Morales FB, Hill AA, Majumdar S, Orozco S, Bell R, Round JL, Longman RS, Egawa T, Bettini ML, Diehl GE. Thymic development of gut-microbiota-specific T cells. Nature 2021; 594:413-417. [PMID: 33981034 PMCID: PMC8323488 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-03531-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 30.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2020] [Accepted: 04/12/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Humans and their microbiota have coevolved a mutually beneficial relationship in which the human host provides a hospitable environment for the microorganisms and the microbiota provides many advantages for the host, including nutritional benefits and protection from pathogen infection1. Maintaining this relationship requires a careful immune balance to contain commensal microorganisms within the lumen while limiting inflammatory anti-commensal responses1,2. Antigen-specific recognition of intestinal microorganisms by T cells has previously been described3,4. Although the local environment shapes the differentiation of effector cells3-5 it is unclear how microbiota-specific T cells are educated in the thymus. Here we show that intestinal colonization in early life leads to the trafficking of microbial antigens from the intestine to the thymus by intestinal dendritic cells, which then induce the expansion of microbiota-specific T cells. Once in the periphery, microbiota-specific T cells have pathogenic potential or can protect against related pathogens. In this way, the developing microbiota shapes and expands the thymic and peripheral T cell repertoire, allowing for enhanced recognition of intestinal microorganisms and pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Dasom V Kim
- Immunology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
- Immunology and Microbial Pathogenesis Program, Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, New York, NY, USA
| | - Kendra Norwood
- Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Myunghoo Kim
- Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Animal Science, Pusan National University, Pusan, South Korea
| | - Wan-Jung H Wu
- Immunology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
- Immunology Program, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Fatima B Saldana-Morales
- Immunology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
- Neuroscience Program, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Andrea A Hill
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Shubhabrata Majumdar
- Immunology Program, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Pathology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Stephanie Orozco
- Department of Pathology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Rickesha Bell
- Department of Pathology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - June L Round
- Department of Pathology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Randy S Longman
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Jill Roberts Institute for Research in Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Jill Roberts Center for Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Takeshi Egawa
- Department of Pathology, Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Matthew L Bettini
- Department of Pathology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
| | - Gretchen E Diehl
- Immunology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA.
- Immunology and Microbial Pathogenesis Program, Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, New York, NY, USA.
- Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
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6
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Willis RA, Ramachandiran V, Shires JC, Bai G, Jeter K, Bell DL, Han L, Kazarian T, Ugwu KC, Laur O, Contreras-Alcantara S, Long DL, Altman JD. Production of Class II MHC Proteins in Lentiviral Vector-Transduced HEK-293T Cells for Tetramer Staining Reagents. Curr Protoc 2021; 1:e36. [PMID: 33539685 PMCID: PMC7880703 DOI: 10.1002/cpz1.36] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Class II major histocompatibility complex peptide (MHC-IIp) multimers are precisely engineered reagents used to detect T cells specific for antigens from pathogens, tumors, and self-proteins. While the related Class I MHC/peptide (MHC-Ip) multimers are usually produced from subunits expressed in E. coli, most Class II MHC alleles cannot be produced in bacteria, and this has contributed to the perception that MHC-IIp reagents are harder to produce. Herein, we present a robust constitutive expression system for soluble biotinylated MHC-IIp proteins that uses stable lentiviral vector-transduced derivatives of HEK-293T cells. The expression design includes allele-specific peptide ligands tethered to the amino-terminus of the MHC-II β chain via a protease-cleavable linker. Following cleavage of the linker, HLA-DM is used to catalyze efficient peptide exchange, enabling high-throughput production of many distinct MHC-IIp complexes from a single production cell line. Peptide exchange is monitored using either of two label-free methods, native isoelectric focusing gel electrophoresis or matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry of eluted peptides. Together, these methods produce MHC-IIp complexes that are highly homogeneous and that form the basis for excellent MHC-IIp multimer reagents. © 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC. Basic Protocol 1: Lentivirus production and expression line creation Support Protocol 1: Six-well assay for estimation of production cell line yield Support Protocol 2: Universal ELISA for quantifying proteins with fused leucine zippers and His-tags Basic Protocol 2: Cultures for production of Class II MHC proteins Basic Protocol 3: Purification of Class II MHC proteins by anti-leucine zipper affinity chromatography Alternate Protocol 1: IMAC purification of His-tagged Class II MHC Support Protocol 3: Protein concentration measurements and adjustments Support Protocol 4: Polishing purification by anion-exchange chromatography Support Protocol 5: Estimating biotinylation percentage by streptavidin precipitation Basic Protocol 4: Peptide exchange Basic Protocol 5: Analysis of peptide exchange by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry Alternate Protocol 2: Native isoelectric focusing to validate MHC-II peptide loading Basic Protocol 6: Multimerization Basic Protocol 7: Staining cells with Class II MHC tetramers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard A Willis
- Emory Vaccine Center, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Vasanthi Ramachandiran
- Emory Vaccine Center, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - John C Shires
- Emory Vaccine Center, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Ge Bai
- Emory Vaccine Center, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Kelly Jeter
- Emory Vaccine Center, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Donielle L Bell
- Emory Vaccine Center, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Lixia Han
- Emory Vaccine Center, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Tamara Kazarian
- Emory Vaccine Center, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Kyla C Ugwu
- Emory Vaccine Center, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Oskar Laur
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
- Emory Custom Cloning Core Facility, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Susana Contreras-Alcantara
- Emory Vaccine Center, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Dale L Long
- Emory Vaccine Center, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - John D Altman
- Emory Vaccine Center, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, Georgia
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
- Center for AIDS Research, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
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7
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Watanabe M, Lu Y, Breen M, Hodes RJ. B7-CD28 co-stimulation modulates central tolerance via thymic clonal deletion and Treg generation through distinct mechanisms. Nat Commun 2020; 11:6264. [PMID: 33293517 PMCID: PMC7722925 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-20070-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2020] [Accepted: 11/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The molecular and cellular mechanisms mediating thymic central tolerance and prevention of autoimmunity are not fully understood. Here we show that B7-CD28 co-stimulation and B7 expression by specific antigen-presenting cell (APC) types are required for clonal deletion and for regulatory T (Treg) cell generation from endogenous tissue-restricted antigen (TRA)-specific thymocytes. While B7-CD28 interaction is required for both clonal deletion and Treg induction, these two processes differ in their CD28 signaling requirements and in their dependence on B7-expressing dendritic cells, B cells, and thymic epithelial cells. Meanwhile, defective thymic clonal deletion due to altered B7-CD28 signaling results in the accumulation of mature, peripheral TRA-specific T cells capable of mediating destructive autoimmunity. Our findings thus reveal a function of B7-CD28 co-stimulation in shaping the T cell repertoire and limiting autoimmunity through both thymic clonal deletion and Treg cell generation.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Antigen-Presenting Cells/metabolism
- Autoimmunity/physiology
- B7-1 Antigen/metabolism
- CD28 Antigens/genetics
- CD28 Antigens/metabolism
- Cell Differentiation/immunology
- Central Tolerance
- Clonal Deletion
- Encephalomyelitis, Autoimmune, Experimental/immunology
- Flow Cytometry
- Gene Knock-In Techniques
- Mice
- Mice, Knockout
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta/genetics
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta/metabolism
- Signal Transduction/immunology
- T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory/immunology
- T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory/metabolism
- Thymocytes/physiology
- Thymus Gland/cytology
- Thymus Gland/immunology
- Thymus Gland/metabolism
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Affiliation(s)
- Masashi Watanabe
- Experimental Immunology Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Ying Lu
- Experimental Immunology Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Michael Breen
- Experimental Immunology Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Richard J Hodes
- Experimental Immunology Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
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8
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Inventories of naive and tolerant mouse CD4 T cell repertoires reveal a hierarchy of deleted and diverted T cell receptors. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:18537-18543. [PMID: 31451631 PMCID: PMC6744931 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1907615116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Deletion or Treg cell differentiation are alternative fates of autoreactive MHCII-restricted thymocytes. How these different modes of tolerance determine the size and composition of polyclonal cohorts of autoreactive T cells with shared specificity is poorly understood. We addressed how tolerance to a naturally expressed autoantigen of the central nervous system shapes the CD4 T cell repertoire. Specific cells in the tolerant peripheral repertoire either were Foxp3+ or displayed anergy hallmarks and, surprisingly, were at least as frequent as in the nontolerant repertoire. Despite this apparent lack of deletional tolerance, repertoire inventories uncovered that some T cell receptors (TCRs) were lost from the CD4 T cell pool, whereas others mediated Treg cell differentiation. The antigen responsiveness of these TCRs supported an affinity model of central tolerance. Importantly, the contribution of different diverter TCRs to the nascent thymic Treg cell population reflected their antigen reactivity rather than their frequency among precursors. This reveals a multilayered TCR hierarchy in CD4 T cell tolerance that separates deleted and diverted TCRs and assures that the Treg cell compartment is filled with cells of maximal permissive antigen reactivity.
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9
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Schober K, Buchholz VR, Busch DH. TCR repertoire evolution during maintenance of CMV-specific T-cell populations. Immunol Rev 2019; 283:113-128. [PMID: 29664573 DOI: 10.1111/imr.12654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
During infections and cancer, the composition of the T-cell receptor (TCR) repertoire of antigen-specific CD8+ T cells changes over time. TCR avidity is thought to be a major driver of this process, thereby interacting with several additional regulators of T-cell responses to form a composite immune response architecture. Infections with latent viruses, such as cytomegalovirus (CMV), can lead to large T-cell responses characterized by an oligoclonal TCR repertoire. Here, we review the current status of experimental studies and theoretical models of TCR repertoire evolution during CMV infection. We will particularly discuss the degree to which this process may be determined through structural TCR avidity. As engineered TCR-redirected T cells have moved into the spotlight for providing more effective immunotherapies, it is essential to understand how the key features of a given TCR influence T-cell expansion and maintenance in settings of infection or malignancy. Deeper insights into these mechanisms will improve our basic understanding of T-cell immunology and help to identify optimal TCRs for immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kilian Schober
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Hygiene, Technische Universität München (TUM), Munich, Germany
| | - Veit R Buchholz
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Hygiene, Technische Universität München (TUM), Munich, Germany
| | - Dirk H Busch
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Hygiene, Technische Universität München (TUM), Munich, Germany.,Focus Group 'Clinical Cell Processing and Purification', Institute for Advanced Study, TUM, Munich, Germany.,National Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), Munich, Germany
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10
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11
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Daley SR, Teh C, Hu DY, Strasser A, Gray DH. Cell death and thymic tolerance. Immunol Rev 2017; 277:9-20. [DOI: 10.1111/imr.12532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Stephen R. Daley
- Infection and Immunity Program; Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; Monash University; Melbourne VIC Australia
| | - Charis Teh
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research; Melbourne VIC Australia
- Department of Medical Biology; The University of Melbourne; Parkville VIC Australia
| | | | - Andreas Strasser
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research; Melbourne VIC Australia
- Department of Medical Biology; The University of Melbourne; Parkville VIC Australia
| | - Daniel H.D. Gray
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research; Melbourne VIC Australia
- Department of Medical Biology; The University of Melbourne; Parkville VIC Australia
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12
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Burlingham WJ. Clinical Implications of Basic Science Discoveries: Microchimerism Finds a Major Role in Reproductive Success; but Does It Also Contribute to Transplant Success? Am J Transplant 2016; 16:2795-2799. [PMID: 26988284 DOI: 10.1111/ajt.13785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2016] [Revised: 02/16/2016] [Accepted: 03/04/2016] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Conventional wisdom argues against inbreeding, to maintain hybrid vigor and increase MHC diversity in response to pathogens. A recent report from the laboratory of Sing-Sing Way uses a mouse model to test a hypothesis put forward by Ray D. Owen more than 60 years ago: that a certain amount of inbreeding is a good thing. Owen proposed that antigens not inherited from the mother (noninherited maternal antigens), when replicated on the mate of the daughter, could protect the latter's developing child from fetal wastage due to immune attack during her pregnancy. Kinder et al use elegant mouse breeding models and MHC class II peptide tetramers to show that Owen's hypothesis, based only on humoral (anti-Rh IgG) data and a small sample size, was indeed correct. The mediators of this cross-generational protection turn out to be a special kind of Foxp3+ T regulatory cell, the development of which requires the persistence of maternal microchimerism into adulthood. The implications of this discovery for the role of microchimerism in tolerance to transplants are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- W J Burlingham
- Department of Surgery, University of Wisconsin Medical School, Madison, WI
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13
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Pravetoni M. Biologics to treat substance use disorders: Current status and new directions. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2016; 12:3005-3019. [PMID: 27441896 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2016.1212785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Biologics (vaccines, monoclonal antibodies (mAb), and genetically modified enzymes) offer a promising class of therapeutics to treat substance use disorders (SUD) involving abuse of opioids and stimulants such as nicotine, cocaine, and methamphetamine. In contrast to small molecule medications targeting brain receptors, biologics for SUD are larger molecules that do not cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB), but target the drug itself, preventing its distribution to the brain and blunting its effects on the central nervous system (CNS). Active and passive immunization approaches rely on antibodies (Ab) that bind drugs of abuse in serum and block their distribution to the brain, preventing the rewarding effects of drugs and addiction-related behaviors. Alternatives to vaccines and anti-drug mAb are genetically engineered human or bacterial enzymes that metabolize drugs of abuse, lowering the concentration of free active drug. Pre-clinical and clinical data support development of effective biologics for SUD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Pravetoni
- a Minneapolis Medical Research Foundation, and University of Minnesota Medical School, Departments of Medicine and Pharmacology , Center for Immunology , Minneapolis , MN , USA
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14
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CD4 T cell epitope specificity determines follicular versus non-follicular helper differentiation in the polyclonal response to influenza infection or vaccination. Sci Rep 2016; 6:28287. [PMID: 27329272 PMCID: PMC4916409 DOI: 10.1038/srep28287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2016] [Accepted: 06/01/2016] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Follicular helper T cells (Tfh) are essential for B cell production of high-affinity, class-switched antibodies. Much interest in Tfh development focuses on the priming environment of CD4 T cells. Here we explored the role that peptide specificity plays in the partitioning of the polyclonal CD4 T cell repertoire between Tfh and NonTfh lineages during the response to influenza. Surprisingly, we found that CD4 T cells specific for different epitopes exhibited distinct tendencies to segregate into Tfh or NonTfh. To alter the microenvironment and abundance, viral antigens were introduced as purified recombinant proteins in adjuvant as native proteins. Also, the most prototypical epitopes were expressed in a completely foreign protein. In many cases, the epitope-specific response patterns of Tfh vs. NonTfh persisted. The functional TcR avidity of only a subset of epitope-specific cells correlated with the tendency to drive a Tfh response. Thus, we conclude that in a polyclonal CD4 T cell repertoire, features of TcR-peptide:MHC class II complex have a strong deterministic influence on the ability of CD4 T cells to become a Tfh or a NonTfh. Our data is most consistent with at least 2 checkpoints of Tfh selection that include both TcR affinity and B cell presentation.
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15
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Abstract
How T cells become restricted to binding antigenic peptides within class I or class II major histocompatibility complex molecules (pMHCI or pMHCII, respectively) via clonotypic T-cell receptors (TCRs) remains debated. During development, if TCR-pMHC interactions exceed an affinity threshold, a signal is generated that positively selects the thymocyte to become a mature CD4(+) or CD8(+) T cell that can recognize foreign peptides within MHCII or MHCI, respectively. But whether TCRs possess an intrinsic, subthreshold specificity for MHC that facilitates sampling of the peptides within MHC during positive selection or T-cell activation is undefined. Here we asked if increasing the frequency of lymphocyte-specific protein tyrosine kinase (Lck)-associated CD4 molecules in T-cell hybridomas would allow for the detection of subthreshold TCR-MHC interactions. The reactivity of 10 distinct TCRs was assessed in response to selecting and nonselecting MHCII bearing cognate, null, or "shaved" peptides with alanine substitutions at known TCR contact residues: Three of the TCRs were selected on MHCII and have defined peptide specificity, two were selected on MHCI and have a known pMHC specificity, and five were generated in vitro without defined selecting or cognate pMHC. Our central finding is that IL-2 was made when each TCR interacted with selecting or nonselecting MHCII presenting shaved peptides. These responses were abrogated by anti-CD4 antibodies and mutagenesis of CD4. They were also inhibited by anti-MHC antibodies that block TCR-MHCII interactions. We interpret these data as functional evidence for TCR-intrinsic specificity for MHCII.
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16
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Malhotra D, Linehan JL, Dileepan T, Lee YJ, Purtha WE, Lu JV, Nelson RW, Fife BT, Orr HT, Anderson MS, Hogquist KA, Jenkins MK. Tolerance is established in polyclonal CD4(+) T cells by distinct mechanisms, according to self-peptide expression patterns. Nat Immunol 2016; 17:187-95. [PMID: 26726812 PMCID: PMC4718891 DOI: 10.1038/ni.3327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 133] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2015] [Accepted: 10/21/2015] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Studies of repertoires of mouse monoclonal CD4(+) T cells have revealed several mechanisms of self-tolerance; however, which mechanisms operate in normal repertoires is unclear. Here we studied polyclonal CD4(+) T cells specific for green fluorescent protein expressed in various organs, which allowed us to determine the effects of specific expression patterns on the same epitope-specific T cells. Peptides presented uniformly by thymic antigen-presenting cells were tolerated by clonal deletion, whereas peptides excluded from the thymus were ignored. Peptides with limited thymic expression induced partial clonal deletion and impaired effector T cell potential but enhanced regulatory T cell potential. These mechanisms were also active for T cell populations specific for endogenously expressed self antigens. Thus, the immunotolerance of polyclonal CD4(+) T cells was maintained by distinct mechanisms, according to self-peptide expression patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deepali Malhotra
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Center for Immunology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, USA, 55455
| | - Jonathan L. Linehan
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Center for Immunology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, USA, 55455
| | - Thamotharampillai Dileepan
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Center for Immunology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, USA, 55455
| | - You Jeong Lee
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Center for Immunology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, USA, 55455
| | - Whitney E. Purtha
- Diabetes Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA, 94143
| | - Jennifer V. Lu
- Diabetes Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA, 94143
| | - Ryan W. Nelson
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Center for Immunology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, USA, 55455
| | - Brian T. Fife
- Department of Medicine, Center for Immunology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN 55455
| | - Harry T. Orr
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, USA, 55455
| | - Mark S. Anderson
- Diabetes Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA, 94143
| | - Kristin A. Hogquist
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Center for Immunology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, USA, 55455
| | - Marc K. Jenkins
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Center for Immunology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, USA, 55455
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17
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Heightened self-reactivity associated with selective survival, but not expansion, of naïve virus-specific CD8+ T cells in aged mice. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2016; 113:1333-8. [PMID: 26787864 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1525167113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
In advanced age, decreased CD8(+) cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) responses to novel pathogens and cancer is paralleled by a decline in the number and function of naïve CTL precursors (CTLp). Although the age-related fall in CD8(+) T-cell numbers is well established, neither the underlying mechanisms nor the extent of variation for different epitope specificities have been defined. Furthermore, naïve CD8(+) T cells expressing high levels of CD44 accumulate with age, but it is unknown whether this accumulation reflects their preferential survival or an age-dependent driver of CD8(+) T-cell proliferation. Here, we track the number and phenotype of four influenza A virus (IAV)-specific CTLp populations in naïve C57BL/6 (B6) mice during aging, and compare T-cell receptor (TCR) clonal diversity for the CD44hi and CD44lo subsets of one such population. We show differential onset of decline for several IAV-specific CD8(+) T-cell populations with advanced age that parallel age-associated changes in the B6 immunodominance hierarchy, suggestive of distinct impacts of aging on different epitope-specific populations. Despite finding no evidence of clonal expansions in an aged, epitope-specific TCR repertoire, nonrandom alterations in TCR usage were observed, along with elevated CD5 and CD8 coreceptor expression. Collectively, these data demonstrate that naïve CD8(+) T cells expressing markers of heightened self-recognition are selectively retained, but not clonally expanded, during aging.
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18
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Tscharke DC, Croft NP, Doherty PC, La Gruta NL. Sizing up the key determinants of the CD8+ T cell response. Nat Rev Immunol 2015; 15:705-16. [DOI: 10.1038/nri3905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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19
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Laudenbach M, Tucker AM, Runyon SP, Carroll FI, Pravetoni M. The frequency of early-activated hapten-specific B cell subsets predicts the efficacy of vaccines for nicotine dependence. Vaccine 2015; 33:6332-9. [PMID: 26409811 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2015.09.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2015] [Revised: 09/01/2015] [Accepted: 09/08/2015] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Therapeutic vaccines for nicotine addiction show pre-clinical efficacy. Yet, clinical evaluation of the first-generation nicotine vaccines did not meet expectations because only a subset of immunized subjects achieved effective serum antibody levels. Recent studies suggest that vaccine design affects B cell activation, and that the frequency of the hapten-specific B cell subsets contributes to vaccine efficacy against drugs of abuse. To extend this hypothesis to nicotine immunogens, we synthesized a novel hapten containing a carboxymethylureido group at the 2-position of the nicotine structure (2CMUNic) and compared its efficacy to the previously characterized 6CMUNic hapten. Haptens were conjugated to the keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) carrier protein, and evaluated for efficacy against nicotine in mice using the clinically approved alum adjuvant. Using a novel fluorescent antigen-based magnetic enrichment strategy paired with multicolor flow cytometry analysis, polyclonal hapten-specific B cell subsets were measured in mice immunized with either 6CMUNic-KLH or 2CMUNic-KLH. The 6CMUNic-KLH showed significantly greater efficacy than 2CMUNic-KLH on nicotine distribution to serum and to the brain. The 6CMUNic-KLH elicited higher anti-nicotine serum antibody titers, and greater expansion of hapten-specific B cells than 2CMUNic-KLH. Within the splenic polyclonal B cell population, a higher number of hapten-specific IgM(high) and germinal centre B cells predicted greater vaccine efficacy against nicotine distribution. These early pre-clinical findings suggest that hapten structure affects activation of B cells, and that variations in the frequency of early-activated hapten-specific B cell subsets underlie individual differences in vaccine efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Laudenbach
- Minneapolis Medical Research Foundation, Minneapolis, MN 55415, USA
| | - A M Tucker
- Minneapolis Medical Research Foundation, Minneapolis, MN 55415, USA
| | - S P Runyon
- Research Triangle Institute, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA
| | - F I Carroll
- Research Triangle Institute, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA
| | - M Pravetoni
- Minneapolis Medical Research Foundation, Minneapolis, MN 55415, USA; University of Minnesota Medical School, Departments of Medicine and Pharmacology, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA.
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20
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New technologies for monitoring human antigen-specific T cells and regulatory T cells by flow-cytometry. Curr Opin Pharmacol 2015; 23:17-24. [DOI: 10.1016/j.coph.2015.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2015] [Accepted: 04/24/2015] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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21
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Deshpande NR, Parrish HL, Kuhns MS. Self-recognition drives the preferential accumulation of promiscuous CD4(+) T-cells in aged mice. eLife 2015; 4:e05949. [PMID: 26173205 PMCID: PMC4501121 DOI: 10.7554/elife.05949] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2014] [Accepted: 06/24/2015] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
T-cell recognition of self and foreign peptide antigens presented in major histocompatibility complex molecules (pMHC) is essential for life-long immunity. How the ability of the CD4+ T-cell compartment to bind self- and foreign-pMHC changes over the lifespan remains a fundamental aspect of T-cell biology that is largely unexplored. We report that, while old mice (18–22 months) contain fewer CD4+ T-cells compared with adults (8–12 weeks), those that remain have a higher intrinsic affinity for self-pMHC, as measured by CD5 expression. Old mice also have more cells that bind individual or multiple distinct foreign-pMHCs, and the fold increase in pMHC-binding populations is directly related to their CD5 levels. These data demonstrate that the CD4+ T-cell compartment preferentially accumulates promiscuous constituents with age as a consequence of higher affinity T-cell receptor interactions with self-pMHC. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.05949.001 The immune system's T cells help the body to recognize and destroy harmful pathogens, such as viruses and bacteria. T cells ‘remember’ immunity-inducing fragments, called antigens, from the pathogens they have encountered. This memory then allows the immune system to quickly fend off infections if those pathogens, or even related pathogens, invade again. Vaccines exploit the ability to form immunological memory by exposing the body to harmless forms of the pathogen, or even just particular antigens from it. This allows the T cells to learn how to identify the pathogen without any risk of illness. Vaccines have been extremely successful and have helped to virtually eliminate some diseases. However, for reasons that are unclear, the immune systems of older adults become less functional, so vaccines often lose their effectiveness. Paradoxically, as people age T cells become more likely to attack the body's cells, causing autoimmune diseases like arthritis. Understanding what happens to aging T cells to cause these immune changes may help scientists design vaccines that remain effective as people age. Little is known about what happens to a particular type of T cell—the CD4+ T cells—as people age, even though this population plays a critical role in providing other immune cells with detailed instructions on when and how to fight a pathogen. Now, Deshpande et al. show that CD4+ T cells undergo a remarkable set of changes in aging mice. Mice that are nearing the end of their natural lifespan have fewer CD4+ T cells than younger mice. However, those CD4+ T cells that remain are more likely than CD4+ T cells from younger mice to be able to recognize multiple antigens. This increase in the proportion of multitasking CD4+ T cells corresponds with an increased tendency of these cells to bind to the body's own cells. If similar changes occur in older people, this may help explain some age-related autoimmune diseases. Yet, the relationship between the increase in multitasking CD4+ T cells and the decrease in immune function with aging remains to be fully explored. The challenge for scientists now is to determine how these age-related changes in CD4+ T cells affect immune responses to vaccines or pathogens in older individuals. One implication of this work is that CD4+ T cell responses may be too robust and out of balance with other arms of the immune system. This could even lead to conditions such as autoimmunity. Alternatively, while there may be more CD4+ T cells that can multitask by recognizing multiple antigens, their ability to respond appropriately to infections or vaccinations may be diminished. What is clear from the work of Deshpande et al. is that the rules that have been defined for immunity in adults change with aging. The rules that govern immunity in the elderly must be more clearly defined to realize the goal of designing immunotherapies, such as vaccines, that provide protection throughout the lifespan. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.05949.002
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Affiliation(s)
- Neha R Deshpande
- Department of Immunobiology, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson, United States
| | - Heather L Parrish
- Department of Immunobiology, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson, United States
| | - Michael S Kuhns
- Department of Immunobiology, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson, United States
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22
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Nelson RW, Beisang D, Tubo NJ, Dileepan T, Wiesner DL, Nielsen K, Wüthrich M, Klein BS, Kotov DI, Spanier JA, Fife BT, Moon JJ, Jenkins MK. T cell receptor cross-reactivity between similar foreign and self peptides influences naive cell population size and autoimmunity. Immunity 2015; 42:95-107. [PMID: 25601203 DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2014.12.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 122] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2014] [Revised: 10/25/2014] [Accepted: 12/22/2014] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
T cell receptor (TCR) cross-reactivity between major histocompatibility complex II (MHCII)-binding self and foreign peptides could influence the naive CD4(+) T cell repertoire and autoimmunity. We found that nonamer peptides that bind to the same MHCII molecule only need to share five amino acids to cross-react on the same TCR. This property was biologically relevant because systemic expression of a self peptide reduced the size of a naive cell population specific for a related foreign peptide by deletion of cells with cross-reactive TCRs. Reciprocally, an incompletely deleted naive T cell population specific for a tissue-restricted self peptide could be triggered by related microbial peptides to cause autoimmunity. Thus, TCR cross-reactivity between similar self and foreign peptides can reduce the size of certain foreign peptide-specific T cell populations and might allow T cell populations specific for tissue-restricted self peptides to cause autoimmunity after infection.
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23
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Abstract
Immunologic memory is the adaptive immune system's powerful ability to remember a previous antigen encounter and react with accelerated vigor upon antigen re-exposure. It provides durable protection against reinfection with pathogens and is the foundation for vaccine-induced immunity. Unlike the relatively restricted immunologic purview of memory B cells and CD8 T cells, the field of CD4 T-cell memory must account for multiple distinct lineages with diverse effector functions, the issue of lineage commitment and plasticity, and the variable distribution of memory cells within each lineage. Here, we discuss the evidence for lineage-specific CD4 T-cell memory and summarize the known factors contributing to memory-cell generation, plasticity, and long-term maintenance.
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Affiliation(s)
- David J Gasper
- Department of Pathobiological Sciences; Comparative Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Melba Marie Tejera
- Department of Pathobiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - M Suresh
- Department of Pathobiological Sciences; Comparative Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
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24
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Abstract
Salmonella are a common source of food- or water-borne infection and cause a wide range of clinical disease in human and animal hosts. Salmonella are relatively easy to culture and manipulate in a laboratory setting, and the infection of laboratory animals induces robust innate and adaptive immune responses. Thus, immunologists have frequently turned to Salmonella infection models to expand understanding of host immunity to intestinal pathogens. In this review, I summarize current knowledge of innate and adaptive immunity to Salmonella and highlight features of this response that have emerged from recent studies. These include the heterogeneity of the antigen-specific T-cell response to intestinal infection, the prominence of microbial mechanisms to impede T- and B-cell responses, and the contribution of non-cognate pathways for elicitation of T-cell effector functions. Together, these different issues challenge an overly simplistic view of host-pathogen interaction during mucosal infection, but also allow deeper insight into the real-world dynamic of protective immunity to intestinal pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen J McSorley
- Center for Comparative Medicine, Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Cell Biology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA
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25
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Cabrera-Perez J, Condotta SA, James BR, Kashem SW, Brincks EL, Rai D, Kucaba TA, Badovinac VP, Griffith TS. Alterations in antigen-specific naive CD4 T cell precursors after sepsis impairs their responsiveness to pathogen challenge. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2015; 194:1609-20. [PMID: 25595784 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1401711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Patients surviving the acute stages of sepsis develop compromised T cell immunity and increased susceptibility to infection. Little is known about the decreased CD4 T cell function after sepsis. We tracked the loss and recovery of endogenous Ag-specific CD4 T cell populations after cecal ligation and puncture-induced sepsis and analyzed the CD4 T cell response to heterologous infection during or after recovery. We observed that the sepsis-induced early loss of CD4 T cells was followed by thymic-independent numerical recovery in the total CD4 T cell compartment. Despite this numerical recovery, we detected alterations in the composition of naive CD4 T cell precursor pools, with sustained quantitative reductions in some populations. Mice that had experienced sepsis and were then challenged with epitope-bearing, heterologous pathogens demonstrated significantly reduced priming of recovery-impaired Ag-specific CD4 T cell responses, with regard to both magnitude of expansion and functional capacity on a per-cell basis, which also correlated with intrinsic changes in Vβ clonotype heterogeneity. Our results demonstrate that the recovery of CD4 T cells from sepsis-induced lymphopenia is accompanied by alterations to the composition and function of the Ag-specific CD4 T cell repertoire.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier Cabrera-Perez
- Microbiology, Immunology, and Cancer Biology Graduate Program, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN 55455; Medical Scientist Training Program, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN 55455
| | - Stephanie A Condotta
- Department of Pathology, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA 52242
| | - Britnie R James
- Department of Urology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN 55455
| | - Sakeen W Kashem
- Microbiology, Immunology, and Cancer Biology Graduate Program, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN 55455; Medical Scientist Training Program, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN 55455
| | - Erik L Brincks
- Department of Urology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN 55455
| | - Deepa Rai
- Department of Pathology, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA 52242
| | - Tamara A Kucaba
- Department of Urology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN 55455
| | - Vladimir P Badovinac
- Department of Pathology, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA 52242; Interdisciplinary Program in Immunology, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA 52242
| | - Thomas S Griffith
- Microbiology, Immunology, and Cancer Biology Graduate Program, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN 55455; Department of Urology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN 55455; Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN 55455; Center for Immunology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN 55455; and Minneapolis VA Health Care System, Minneapolis, MN 55417
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26
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Reiser JB, Legoux F, Gras S, Trudel E, Chouquet A, Léger A, Le Gorrec M, Machillot P, Bonneville M, Saulquin X, Housset D. Analysis of relationships between peptide/MHC structural features and naive T cell frequency in humans. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2014; 193:5816-26. [PMID: 25392532 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1303084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The structural rules governing peptide/MHC (pMHC) recognition by T cells remain unclear. To address this question, we performed a structural characterization of several HLA-A2/peptide complexes and assessed in parallel their antigenicity, by analyzing the frequency of the corresponding Ag-specific naive T cells in A2(+) and A2(-) individuals, as well as within CD4(+) and CD8(+) subsets. We were able to find a correlation between specific naive T cell frequency and peptide solvent accessibility and/or mobility for a subset of moderately prominent peptides. However, one single structural parameter of the pMHC complexes could not be identified to explain each peptide antigenicity. Enhanced pMHC antigenicity was associated with both highly biased TRAV usage, possibly reflecting favored interaction between particular pMHC complexes and germline TRAV loops, and peptide structural features allowing interactions with a broad range of permissive CDR3 loops. In this context of constrained TCR docking mode, an optimal peptide solvent exposed surface leading to an optimal complementarity with TCR interface may constitute one of the key features leading to high frequency of specific T cells. Altogether our results suggest that frequency of specific T cells depends on the fine-tuning of several parameters, the structural determinants governing TCR-pMHC interaction being just one of them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Baptiste Reiser
- Université de Grenoble Alpes, Institut de Biologie Structurale, F-38044 Grenoble, France; Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives, Direction des sciences du vivant, Institut de Biologie Structurale, F-38044 Grenoble, France; Centre national de la recherche scientifique, Institut de Biologie Structurale, F-38044 Grenoble, France
| | - François Legoux
- Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale, Unité mixte de recherche 892, Centre de Recherche en Cancérologie Nantes Angers, F-44000 Nantes, France; and
| | - Stéphanie Gras
- Université de Grenoble Alpes, Institut de Biologie Structurale, F-38044 Grenoble, France; Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives, Direction des sciences du vivant, Institut de Biologie Structurale, F-38044 Grenoble, France; Centre national de la recherche scientifique, Institut de Biologie Structurale, F-38044 Grenoble, France
| | - Eric Trudel
- Université de Grenoble Alpes, Institut de Biologie Structurale, F-38044 Grenoble, France; Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives, Direction des sciences du vivant, Institut de Biologie Structurale, F-38044 Grenoble, France; Centre national de la recherche scientifique, Institut de Biologie Structurale, F-38044 Grenoble, France
| | - Anne Chouquet
- Université de Grenoble Alpes, Institut de Biologie Structurale, F-38044 Grenoble, France; Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives, Direction des sciences du vivant, Institut de Biologie Structurale, F-38044 Grenoble, France; Centre national de la recherche scientifique, Institut de Biologie Structurale, F-38044 Grenoble, France
| | - Alexandra Léger
- Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale, Unité mixte de recherche 892, Centre de Recherche en Cancérologie Nantes Angers, F-44000 Nantes, France; and
| | - Madalen Le Gorrec
- Université de Grenoble Alpes, Institut de Biologie Structurale, F-38044 Grenoble, France; Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives, Direction des sciences du vivant, Institut de Biologie Structurale, F-38044 Grenoble, France; Centre national de la recherche scientifique, Institut de Biologie Structurale, F-38044 Grenoble, France
| | - Paul Machillot
- Université de Grenoble Alpes, Institut de Biologie Structurale, F-38044 Grenoble, France; Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives, Direction des sciences du vivant, Institut de Biologie Structurale, F-38044 Grenoble, France; Centre national de la recherche scientifique, Institut de Biologie Structurale, F-38044 Grenoble, France
| | - Marc Bonneville
- Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale, Unité mixte de recherche 892, Centre de Recherche en Cancérologie Nantes Angers, F-44000 Nantes, France; and
| | - Xavier Saulquin
- Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale, Unité mixte de recherche 892, Centre de Recherche en Cancérologie Nantes Angers, F-44000 Nantes, France; and Université de Nantes, F-44000 Nantes, France
| | - Dominique Housset
- Université de Grenoble Alpes, Institut de Biologie Structurale, F-38044 Grenoble, France; Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives, Direction des sciences du vivant, Institut de Biologie Structurale, F-38044 Grenoble, France; Centre national de la recherche scientifique, Institut de Biologie Structurale, F-38044 Grenoble, France;
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Hogquist KA, Jameson SC. The self-obsession of T cells: how TCR signaling thresholds affect fate 'decisions' and effector function. Nat Immunol 2014; 15:815-23. [PMID: 25137456 PMCID: PMC4348363 DOI: 10.1038/ni.2938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 196] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2014] [Accepted: 06/02/2014] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Self-reactivity was once seen as a potential characteristic of T cells that was eliminated by clonal selection to protect the host from autoimmune pathology. It is now understood that the T cell repertoire is in fact broadly self-reactive, even self-centered. The strength with which a T cell reacts to self ligands and the environmental context in which this reaction occurs influence almost every aspect of T cell biology, from development to differentiation to effector function. Here we highlight recent advances and discoveries that relate to T cell self-reactivity, with a particular emphasis on T cell antigen receptor (TCR) signaling thresholds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristin A Hogquist
- Center for Immunology and Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Stephen C Jameson
- Center for Immunology and Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
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28
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The promised land of human immunology. COLD SPRING HARBOR SYMPOSIA ON QUANTITATIVE BIOLOGY 2014; 78:203-13. [PMID: 24638855 DOI: 10.1101/sqb.2013.78.022905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Advances in technology and data analysis have made it possible to take a new look at human immunology. These advances run the gamut from systems biology approaches, which are likely in the vanguard of how we can start "to put the pieces together" of immune function, to a deeper understanding of specific diseases and vaccines and the immune repertoire. In our own experience, we have also found that asking simple questions about human immunity has often given us very surprising answers, causing a rethink of established dogma. Thus, we have developed a new perspective on the nature of the αβ TCR repertoire and also the likely role of T-cell repertoire (TCR) cross-reactivity in generating T memory independent of specific antigen interactions. These findings show that human immunology is not just a necessary step for "translating" basic immunology to treat diseases or develop better vaccines, but is also an important complement to the inbred mouse model.
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29
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Sant AJ, Chaves FA, Leddon SA, Tung J. The control of the specificity of CD4 T cell responses: thresholds, breakpoints, and ceilings. Front Immunol 2013; 4:340. [PMID: 24167504 PMCID: PMC3805957 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2013.00340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2013] [Accepted: 10/04/2013] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
It has been known for over 25 years that CD4 T cell responses are restricted to a finite number of peptide epitopes within pathogens or protein vaccines. These selected peptide epitopes are termed "immunodominant." Other peptides within the antigen that can bind to host MHC molecules and recruit CD4 T cells as single peptides are termed "cryptic" because they fail to induce responses when expressed in complex proteins or when in competition with other peptides during the immune response. In the last decade, our laboratory has evaluated the mechanisms that underlie the preferential specificity of CD4 T cells and have discovered that both intracellular events within antigen presenting cells, particular selective DM editing, and intercellular regulatory pathways, involving IFN-γ, indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase, and regulatory T cells, play a role in selecting the final peptide specificity of CD4 T cells. In this review, we summarize our findings, discuss the implications of this work on responses to pathogens and vaccines and speculate on the logic of these regulatory events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea J. Sant
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, David H. Smith Center for Vaccine Biology and Immunology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Francisco A. Chaves
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, David H. Smith Center for Vaccine Biology and Immunology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Scott A. Leddon
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, David H. Smith Center for Vaccine Biology and Immunology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Jacqueline Tung
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, David H. Smith Center for Vaccine Biology and Immunology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA
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30
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Bacher P, Scheffold A. Flow-cytometric analysis of rare antigen-specific T cells. Cytometry A 2013; 83:692-701. [PMID: 23788442 DOI: 10.1002/cyto.a.22317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 118] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2013] [Revised: 05/09/2013] [Accepted: 05/14/2013] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The cytometric enumeration and characterization of antigen-specific lymphocytes, as introduced about 15 years ago, has contributed significantly to our understanding of adaptive immune responses in health and disease. Despite the development of several technologies, allowing to directly or indirectly analyze many aspects of lymphocyte specificity and function, several unresolved issues remain, due to the low frequency of certain antigen-specific lymphocyte subsets and the complexity of T cell antigen recognition. This is especially true for CD4(+) conventional as well as regulatory T cells, which bring major contributions to immune protection and pathology. Here we review the current technologies for the analysis of antigen specific T cells within the physiologic T cell repertoire and with a special focus on recent technologies addressing the analysis of rare antigen-specific T cell populations including naive and regulatory T cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petra Bacher
- Miltenyi Biotec GmbH, Bergisch Gladbach, Germany
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31
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Bacher P, Schink C, Teutschbein J, Kniemeyer O, Assenmacher M, Brakhage AA, Scheffold A. Antigen-reactive T cell enrichment for direct, high-resolution analysis of the human naive and memory Th cell repertoire. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2013; 190:3967-76. [PMID: 23479226 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1202221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 131] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Ag-specific CD4(+) T cells orchestrating adaptive immune responses are crucial for the development of protective immunity, but also mediate immunopathologies. To date, technical limitations often prevented their direct analysis. In this study, we report a sensitive flow cytometric assay based on magnetic pre-enrichment of CD154(+) T cells to visualize rare Ag-reactive naive and memory Th cells directly from human peripheral blood. The detection limit of ≈ 1 cell within 10(5)-10(6) permitted the direct enumeration and characterization of auto-, tumor-, or neo-Ag-reactive T cells within the naive and even memory CD4(+) T cell repertoire of healthy donors. Furthermore, the analysis of high target cell numbers after pre-enrichment of rare Ag-specific T cells from large blood samples dramatically improved the identification of small subpopulations. As exemplified in this work, the dissection of the Ag-specific memory responses into small cytokine-producing subsets revealed great heterogeneity between pathogens, but also pathogen-related microsignatures refining Th cell subset classification. The possibility to directly analyze CD4(+) T cells reactive against basically any Ag of interest at high resolution within the naive and memory repertoire will open up new avenues to investigate CD4(+) T cell-mediated immune reactions and their use for clinical diagnostics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petra Bacher
- Miltenyi Biotec, 51429 Bergisch Gladbach, Germany
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32
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Su LF, Kidd BA, Han A, Kotzin JJ, Davis MM. Virus-specific CD4(+) memory-phenotype T cells are abundant in unexposed adults. Immunity 2013; 38:373-83. [PMID: 23395677 DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2012.10.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 347] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2012] [Accepted: 10/25/2012] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Although T cell memory is generally thought to require direct antigen exposure, we found an abundance of memory-phenotype cells (20%-90%, averaging over 50%) of CD4(+) T cells specific to viral antigens in adults who had never been infected. These cells express the appropriate memory markers and genes, rapidly produce cytokines, and have clonally expanded. In contrast, the same T cell receptor (TCR) specificities in newborns are almost entirely naïve, which might explain the vulnerability of young children to infections. One mechanism for this phenomenon is TCR cross-reactivity to environmental antigens, and in support of this, we found extensive cross-recognition by HIV-1 and influenza-reactive T lymphocytes to other microbial peptides and expansion of one of these after influenza vaccination. Thus, the presence of these memory-phenotype T cells has significant implications for immunity to novel pathogens, child and adult health, and the influence of pathogen-rich versus hygienic environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura F Su
- Division of Immunology and Rheumatology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94304, USA
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33
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Legoux FP, Moon JJ. Peptide:MHC tetramer-based enrichment of epitope-specific T cells. J Vis Exp 2012:4420. [PMID: 23117190 DOI: 10.3791/4420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/31/2022] Open
Abstract
A basic necessity for researchers studying adaptive immunity with in vivo experimental models is an ability to identify T cells based on their T cell antigen receptor (TCR) specificity. Many indirect methods are available in which a bulk population of T cells is stimulated in vitro with a specific antigen and epitope-specific T cells are identified through the measurement of a functional response such as proliferation, cytokine production, or expression of activation markers(1). However, these methods only identify epitope-specific T cells exhibiting one of many possible functions, and they are not sensitive enough to detect epitope-specific T cells at naive precursor frequencies. A popular alternative is the TCR transgenic adoptive transfer model, in which monoclonal T cells from a TCR transgenic mouse are seeded into histocompatible hosts to create a large precursor population of epitope-specific T cells that can be easily tracked with the use of a congenic marker antibody(2,3). While powerful, this method suffers from experimental artifacts associated with the unphysiological frequency of T cells with specificity for a single epitope(4,5). Moreover, this system cannot be used to investigate the functional heterogeneity of epitope-specific T cell clones within a polyclonal population. The ideal way to study adaptive immunity should involve the direct detection of epitope-specific T cells from the endogenous T cell repertoire using a method that distinguishes TCR specificity solely by its binding to cognate peptide:MHC (pMHC) complexes. The use of pMHC tetramers and flow cytometry accomplishes this(6), but is limited to the detection of high frequency populations of epitope-specific T cells only found following antigen-induced clonal expansion. In this protocol, we describe a method that coordinates the use of pMHC tetramers and magnetic cell enrichment technology to enable detection of extremely low frequency epitope-specific T cells from mouse lymphoid tissues(3,7). With this technique, one can comprehensively track entire epitope-specific populations of endogenous T cells in mice at all stages of the immune response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francois P Legoux
- Center for Immunology and Inflammatory Diseases, and Pulmonary and Critical Care Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, USA
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34
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Hudson KE, Hendrickson JE, Cadwell CM, Iwakoshi NN, Zimring JC. Partial tolerance of autoreactive B and T cells to erythrocyte-specific self-antigens in mice. Haematologica 2012; 97:1836-44. [PMID: 22733018 DOI: 10.3324/haematol.2012.065144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Breakdown of humoral tolerance to RBC antigens may lead to autoimmune hemolytic anemia, a severe and sometimes fatal disease. The underlying mechanisms behind the breakdown of humoral tolerance to RBC antigens are poorly understood. DESIGN AND METHODS In order to study the pathogenesis of autoimmune hemolytic anemia, we developed a murine model with RBC-specific expression of a model antigen carrying epitopes from hen egg lysozyme and ovalbumin. RESULTS Humoral tolerance was observed; this was not broken even by strong immunogenic stimulation (lysozyme or ovalbumin with adjuvant). Autoreactive CD4(+) T cells were detected by tetramer enrichment assays, but failed to activate or expand despite repeat stimulation, indicating a nonresponsive population rather than deletion. Adoptive transfer of autoreactive CD4(+) T cells (OT-II mice) led to autoantibody (anti-lysozyme) production by B cells in multiple anatomic compartments, including the bone marrow. CONCLUSIONS These data demonstrate that B cells autoreactive to RBC antigens survive in healthy mice with normal immune systems. Furthermore, autoreactive B cells are not centrally tolerized and are receptive to T-cell help. As the autoreactive T cells are present but non-responsive, these data indicate that factors that reverse T-cell non-responsiveness may be central to the pathogenesis of autoimmune hemolytic anemia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krystalyn E Hudson
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
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35
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Kheradmand T, Wang S, Bryant J, Tasch JJ, Lerret N, Pothoven KL, Houlihan JL, Miller SD, Zhang ZJ, Luo X. Ethylenecarbodiimide-fixed donor splenocyte infusions differentially target direct and indirect pathways of allorecognition for induction of transplant tolerance. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2012; 189:804-12. [PMID: 22696445 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1103705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Strategic exposure to donor Ags prior to transplantation can be an effective way for inducting donor-specific tolerance in allogeneic recipients. We have recently shown that pretransplant infusion of donor splenocytes treated with the chemical cross-linker ethylenecarbodiimide (ECDI-SPs) induces indefinite islet allograft survival in a full MHC-mismatched model without the need for any immunosuppression. Mechanisms of allograft protection by this strategy remain elusive. In this study, we show that the infused donor ECDI-SPs differentially target T cells with indirect versus direct allospecificities. To target indirect allospecific T cells, ECDI-SPs induce upregulation of negative, but not positive, costimulatory molecules on recipient splenic CD11c(+) dendritic cells phagocytosing the injected ECDI-SPs. Indirect allospecific T cells activated by such CD11c(+) dendritic cells undergo robust initial proliferation followed by rapid clonal depletion. The remaining T cells are sequestered in the spleen without homing to the graft site or the graft draining lymph node. In contrast, direct allospecific T cells interacting with intact donor ECDI-SPs not yet phagocytosed undergo limited proliferation and are subsequently anergized. Furthermore, CD4(+)CD25(+)Foxp3(+) T cells are induced in lymphoid organs and at the graft site by ECDI-SPs. We conclude that donor ECDI-SP infusions target host allogeneic responses via a multitude of mechanisms, including clonal depletion, anergy, and immunoregulation, which act in a synergistic fashion to induce robust transplant tolerance. This simple form of negative vaccination has significant potential for clinical translation in human transplantation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taba Kheradmand
- Department of Medicine, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
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36
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Taniguchi RT, DeVoss JJ, Moon JJ, Sidney J, Sette A, Jenkins MK, Anderson MS. Detection of an autoreactive T-cell population within the polyclonal repertoire that undergoes distinct autoimmune regulator (Aire)-mediated selection. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2012; 109:7847-52. [PMID: 22552229 PMCID: PMC3356674 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1120607109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The autoimmune regulator (Aire) plays a critical role in central tolerance by promoting the display of tissue-specific antigens in the thymus. To study the influence of Aire on thymic selection in a physiological setting, we used tetramer reagents to detect autoreactive T cells specific for the Aire-dependent tissue-specific antigen interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein (IRBP), in the polyclonal repertoire. Two class II tetramer reagents were designed to identify T cells specific for two different peptide epitopes of IRBP. Analyses of the polyclonal T-cell repertoire showed a high frequency of activated T cells specific for both IRBP tetramers in Aire(-/-) mice, but not in Aire(+/+) mice. Surprisingly, although one tetramer-binding T-cell population was efficiently deleted in the thymus in an Aire-dependent manner, the second tetramer-binding population was not deleted and could be detected in both the Aire(-/-) and Aire(+/+) T-cell repertoires. We found that Aire-dependent thymic deletion of IRBP-specific T cells relies on intercellular transfer of IRBP between thymic stroma and bone marrow-derived antigen-presenting cells. Furthermore, our data suggest that Aire-mediated deletion relies not only on thymic expression of IRBP, but also on proper antigen processing and presentation of IRBP by thymic antigen-presenting cells.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jason J. DeVoss
- Diabetes Center, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143
| | - James J. Moon
- Department of Microbiology and Center for Immunology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN 55455
- Center for Immunology and Inflammatory Diseases and Pulmonary and Critical Care Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114; and
| | - John Sidney
- Center for Infectious Disease, Allergy and Asthma Research, La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, La Jolla, CA 92037
| | - Alessandro Sette
- Center for Infectious Disease, Allergy and Asthma Research, La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, La Jolla, CA 92037
| | - Marc K. Jenkins
- Department of Microbiology and Center for Immunology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN 55455
| | - Mark S. Anderson
- Diabetes Center, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143
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Jenkins MK, Moon JJ. The role of naive T cell precursor frequency and recruitment in dictating immune response magnitude. JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY (BALTIMORE, MD. : 1950) 2012; 188:4135-40. [PMID: 22517866 PMCID: PMC3334329 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1102661] [Citation(s) in RCA: 219] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Recent advances in technology have led to the realization that the populations of naive T cells specific for different foreign peptide:MHC (p:MHC) ligands vary in size. This variability is due, in part, to the fact that certain peptides contain amino acids that engage in particularly favorable interactions with TCRs. In addition, deletion of clones with cross-reactivity for self-p:MHC ligands may reduce the size of some naive populations. In many cases, the magnitude of the immune response to individual p:MHC epitopes correlates with the size of the corresponding naive populations. However, this simple relationship may be complicated by variability in the efficiency of T cell recruitment into the immune response. The knowledge that naive population size can predict immune response magnitude may create opportunities for production of more effective subunit vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc K Jenkins
- Department of Microbiology, Center for Immunology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
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Chaves FA, Lee AH, Nayak JL, Richards KA, Sant AJ. The utility and limitations of current Web-available algorithms to predict peptides recognized by CD4 T cells in response to pathogen infection. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2012; 188:4235-48. [PMID: 22467652 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1103640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
The ability to track CD4 T cells elicited in response to pathogen infection or vaccination is critical because of the role these cells play in protective immunity. Coupled with advances in genome sequencing of pathogenic organisms, there is considerable appeal for implementation of computer-based algorithms to predict peptides that bind to the class II molecules, forming the complex recognized by CD4 T cells. Despite recent progress in this area, there is a paucity of data regarding the success of these algorithms in identifying actual pathogen-derived epitopes. In this study, we sought to rigorously evaluate the performance of multiple Web-available algorithms by comparing their predictions with our results--obtained by purely empirical methods for epitope discovery in influenza that used overlapping peptides and cytokine ELISPOTs--for three independent class II molecules. We analyzed the data in different ways, trying to anticipate how an investigator might use these computational tools for epitope discovery. We come to the conclusion that currently available algorithms can indeed facilitate epitope discovery, but all shared a high degree of false-positive and false-negative predictions. Therefore, efficiencies were low. We also found dramatic disparities among algorithms and between predicted IC(50) values and true dissociation rates of peptide-MHC class II complexes. We suggest that improved success of predictive algorithms will depend less on changes in computational methods or increased data sets and more on changes in parameters used to "train" the algorithms that factor in elements of T cell repertoire and peptide acquisition by class II molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco A Chaves
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, USA
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Ramadas RA, Roche MI, Moon JJ, Ludwig T, Xavier RJ, Medoff BD. CARMA1 is necessary for optimal T cell responses in a murine model of allergic asthma. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2011; 187:6197-207. [PMID: 22075698 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1101348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
CARMA1 is a lymphocyte-specific scaffold protein necessary for T cell activation. Deletion of CARMA1 prevents the development of allergic airway inflammation in a mouse model of asthma due to a defect in naive T cell activation. However, it is unknown if CARMA1 is important for effector and memory T cell responses after the initial establishment of inflammation, findings that would be more relevant to asthma therapies targeted to CARMA1. In the current study, we sought to elucidate the role of CARMA1 in T cells that have been previously activated. Using mice in which floxed CARMA1 exons can be selectively deleted in T cells by OX40-driven Cre recombinase (OX40(+/Cre)CARMA1(F/F)), we report that CD4(+) T cells from these mice have impaired T cell reactivation responses and NF-κB signaling in vitro. Furthermore, in an in vivo recall model of allergic airway inflammation that is dependent on memory T cell function, OX40(+/Cre)CARMA1(F/F) mice have attenuated eosinophilic airway inflammation, T cell activation, and Th2 cytokine production. Using MHC class II tetramers, we demonstrate that the development and maintenance of Ag-specific memory T cells is not affected in OX40(+/Cre)CARMA1(F/F) mice. In addition, adoptive transfer of Th2-polarized OX40(+/Cre)CARMA1(F/F) Ag-specific CD4(+) T cells into wild-type mice induces markedly less airway inflammation in response to Ag challenge than transfer of wild-type Th2 cells. These data demonstrate a novel role for CARMA1 in effector and memory T cell responses and suggest that therapeutic strategies targeting CARMA1 could help treat chronic inflammatory disorders such as asthma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ravisankar A Ramadas
- Pulmonary and Critical Care Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
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40
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Moon JJ, Dash P, Oguin TH, McClaren JL, Chu HH, Thomas PG, Jenkins MK. Quantitative impact of thymic selection on Foxp3+ and Foxp3- subsets of self-peptide/MHC class II-specific CD4+ T cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2011; 108:14602-7. [PMID: 21873213 PMCID: PMC3167500 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1109806108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
It is currently thought that T cells with specificity for self-peptide/MHC (pMHC) ligands are deleted during thymic development, thereby preventing autoimmunity. In the case of CD4(+) T cells, what is unclear is the extent to which self-peptide/MHC class II (pMHCII)-specific T cells are deleted or become Foxp3(+) regulatory T cells. We addressed this issue by characterizing a natural polyclonal pMHCII-specific CD4(+) T-cell population in mice that either lacked or expressed the relevant antigen in a ubiquitous pattern. Mice expressing the antigen contained one-third the number of pMHCII-specific T cells as mice lacking the antigen, and the remaining cells exhibited low TCR avidity. In mice lacking the antigen, the pMHCII-specific T-cell population was dominated by phenotypically naive Foxp3(-) cells, but also contained a subset of Foxp3(+) regulatory cells. Both Foxp3(-) and Foxp3(+) pMHCII-specific T-cell numbers were reduced in mice expressing the antigen, but the Foxp3(+) subset was more resistant to changes in number and TCR repertoire. Therefore, thymic selection of self-pMHCII-specific CD4(+) T cells results in incomplete deletion within the normal polyclonal repertoire, especially among regulatory T cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- James J Moon
- Department of Microbiology and Center for Immunology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
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