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Zhou Z, Xu J, Liu S, Lv Y, Zhang R, Zhou X, Zhang Y, Weng S, Xu H, Ba Y, Zuo A, Han X, Liu Z. Infiltrating treg reprogramming in the tumor immune microenvironment and its optimization for immunotherapy. Biomark Res 2024; 12:97. [PMID: 39227959 PMCID: PMC11373505 DOI: 10.1186/s40364-024-00630-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2024] [Accepted: 07/31/2024] [Indexed: 09/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapy has shown promising anti-tumor effects across various tumors, yet it encounters challenges from the inhibitory tumor immune microenvironment (TIME). Infiltrating regulatory T cells (Tregs) are important contributors to immunosuppressive TIME, limiting tumor immunosurveillance and blocking effective anti-tumor immune responses. Although depletion or inhibition of systemic Tregs enhances the anti-tumor immunity, autoimmune sequelae have diminished expectations for the approach. Herein, we summarize emerging strategies, specifically targeting tumor-infiltrating (TI)-Tregs, that elevate the capacity of organisms to resist tumors by reprogramming their phenotype. The regulatory mechanisms of Treg reprogramming are also discussed as well as how this knowledge could be utilized to develop novel and effective cancer immunotherapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhaokai Zhou
- Department of Interventional Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450052, China
- Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Henan, 450052, China
| | - Jiaxin Xu
- Department of Interventional Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450052, China
- Department of Human Anatomy, School of Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450001, China
| | - Shutong Liu
- Department of Interventional Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450052, China
| | - Yingying Lv
- Department of Pediatrics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450052, China
| | - Ruiqi Zhang
- Department of Interventional Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450052, China
| | - Xing Zhou
- Department of Pediatric Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450052, China
| | - Yuyuan Zhang
- Department of Interventional Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450052, China
| | - Siyuan Weng
- Department of Interventional Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450052, China
| | - Hui Xu
- Department of Interventional Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450052, China
| | - Yuhao Ba
- Department of Interventional Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450052, China
| | - Anning Zuo
- Department of Interventional Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450052, China
| | - Xinwei Han
- Department of Interventional Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450052, China.
- Interventional Institute of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450052, China.
- Interventional Treatment and Clinical Research Center of Henan Province, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450052, China.
| | - Zaoqu Liu
- Department of Interventional Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450052, China.
- Interventional Institute of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450052, China.
- Interventional Treatment and Clinical Research Center of Henan Province, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450052, China.
- Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, China.
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Li M. IKZF2 Degradation: It's Time to Take into Account it When Designing Cereblon-Based PROTACs. Chembiochem 2024; 25:e202400365. [PMID: 38802326 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202400365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2024] [Revised: 05/27/2024] [Accepted: 05/27/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
Proteolysis-targeting chimera (PROTAC) has become a very important means of protein degradation and a new way of disease treatment. In particular, PROTACs constructed with ligands for E3 ligase cereblon account for more than 90 % of the PROTACs currently in clinical research. Notably, CRBN ligands themselves are a class of molecular glue compounds capable of degrading neo-substrate proteins. Compared to the target proteins degradation, the degradation of neo-substrates, especially IKZF2, has not received enough attention. Therefore, this review summarizes the currently published IKZF2 degraders derived from articles and patents, which are conducive to the design of PROTACs with desired IKZF2 degradation from the perspective of medicinal chemistry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minglei Li
- Chemical Biology Center, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences & Institute of Materia Medical, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, 250117, Shandong, China
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences & Institute of Materia Medical, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, National Key Laboratory of Advanced Drug Delivery System, Key Laboratory for Biotechnology Drugs of National Health Commission (Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences), Key Lab for Rare & Uncommon Diseases of Shandong Province, Jinan, 250117, Shandong, China
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3
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Zhong H, Zhou S, Yin S, Qiu Y, Liu B, Yu H. Tumor microenvironment as niche constructed by cancer stem cells: Breaking the ecosystem to combat cancer. J Adv Res 2024:S2090-1232(24)00251-0. [PMID: 38866179 DOI: 10.1016/j.jare.2024.06.014] [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: 04/08/2024] [Revised: 05/27/2024] [Accepted: 06/09/2024] [Indexed: 06/14/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a distinct subpopulation of cancer cells with the capacity to constantly self-renew and differentiate, and they are the main driver in the progression of cancer resistance and relapse. The tumor microenvironment (TME) constructed by CSCs is the "soil" adapted to tumor growth, helping CSCs evade immune killing, enhance their chemical resistance, and promote cancer progression. AIM OF REVIEW We aim to elaborate the tight connection between CSCs and immunosuppressive components of the TME. We attempt to summarize and provide a therapeutic strategy to eradicate CSCs based on the destruction of the tumor ecological niche. KEY SCIENTIFIC CONCEPTS OF REVIEW This review is focused on three main key concepts. First, we highlight that CSCs recruit and transform normal cells to construct the TME, which further provides ecological niche support for CSCs. Second, we describe the main characteristics of the immunosuppressive components of the TME, targeting strategies and summarize the progress of corresponding drugs in clinical trials. Third, we explore the multilevel insights of the TME to serve as an ecological niche for CSCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Zhong
- State Key Laboratory of Component-Based Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China; Key Laboratory of Pharmacology of Traditional Chinese Medical Formulae, Ministry of Education, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China; Haihe Laboratory of Modern Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
| | - Shiyue Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Component-Based Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China; Key Laboratory of Pharmacology of Traditional Chinese Medical Formulae, Ministry of Education, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China; Haihe Laboratory of Modern Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
| | - Shuangshuang Yin
- State Key Laboratory of Component-Based Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China; Key Laboratory of Pharmacology of Traditional Chinese Medical Formulae, Ministry of Education, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China; Haihe Laboratory of Modern Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
| | - Yuling Qiu
- School of Pharmacy, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China.
| | - Bo Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, and Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Chengdu, China.
| | - Haiyang Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Component-Based Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China; Key Laboratory of Pharmacology of Traditional Chinese Medical Formulae, Ministry of Education, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China; Haihe Laboratory of Modern Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China.
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4
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Alvarez F, Liu Z, Bay A, Piccirillo CA. Deciphering the developmental trajectory of tissue-resident Foxp3 + regulatory T cells. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1331846. [PMID: 38605970 PMCID: PMC11007185 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1331846] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Foxp3+ TREG cells have been at the focus of intense investigation for their recognized roles in preventing autoimmunity, facilitating tissue recuperation following injury, and orchestrating a tolerance to innocuous non-self-antigens. To perform these critical tasks, TREG cells undergo deep epigenetic, transcriptional, and post-transcriptional changes that allow them to adapt to conditions found in tissues both at steady-state and during inflammation. The path leading TREG cells to express these tissue-specialized phenotypes begins during thymic development, and is further driven by epigenetic and transcriptional modifications following TCR engagement and polarizing signals in the periphery. However, this process is highly regulated and requires TREG cells to adopt strategies to avoid losing their regulatory program altogether. Here, we review the origins of tissue-resident TREG cells, from their thymic and peripheral development to the transcriptional regulators involved in their tissue residency program. In addition, we discuss the distinct signalling pathways that engage the inflammatory adaptation of tissue-resident TREG cells, and how they relate to their ability to recognize tissue and pathogen-derived danger signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernando Alvarez
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada
- Infectious Diseases and Immunology in Global Health Program, The Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC), Montréal, QC, Canada
- Centre of Excellence in Translational Immunology (CETI), Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Zhiyang Liu
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada
- Infectious Diseases and Immunology in Global Health Program, The Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC), Montréal, QC, Canada
- Centre of Excellence in Translational Immunology (CETI), Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Alexandre Bay
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada
- Infectious Diseases and Immunology in Global Health Program, The Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC), Montréal, QC, Canada
- Centre of Excellence in Translational Immunology (CETI), Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Ciriaco A. Piccirillo
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada
- Infectious Diseases and Immunology in Global Health Program, The Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC), Montréal, QC, Canada
- Centre of Excellence in Translational Immunology (CETI), Montréal, QC, Canada
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5
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Rodolfi S, Davidson C, Vecellio M. Regulatory T cells in spondyloarthropathies: genetic evidence, functional role, and therapeutic possibilities. Front Immunol 2024; 14:1303640. [PMID: 38288110 PMCID: PMC10822883 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1303640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 12/28/2023] [Indexed: 01/31/2024] Open
Abstract
Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are a very specialized subset of T lymphocytes: their main function is controlling immune responses during inflammation. T-regs involvement in autoimmune and immune-mediated rheumatic diseases is well-described. Here, we critically review the up-to-date literature findings on the role of Tregs in spondyloarthropathies, particularly in ankylosing spondylitis (AS), a polygenic inflammatory rheumatic disease that preferentially affects the spine and the sacroiliac joints. Genetics discoveries helped in elucidating pathogenic T-regs gene modules and functional involvement. We highlight T-regs tissue specificity as crucial point, as T-regs might have a distinct epigenomic and molecular profiling depending on the different site of tissue inflammation. Furthermore, we speculate about possible therapeutic interventions targeting, or enhancing, Treg cells in spondyloarthropathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Rodolfi
- Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Milan, Italy
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Milan, Italy
| | - Connor Davidson
- Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Matteo Vecellio
- Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Centro Ricerche Fondazione Italiana Ricerca Sull’Artrite (FIRA), Fondazione Pisana per la Scienza ONLUS, San Giuliano Terme, Italy
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Neyens D, Hirsch T, Abdel Aziz Issa Abdel Hadi A, Dauguet N, Vanhaver C, Bayard A, Wildmann C, Luyckx M, Squifflet JL, D’Hondt Q, Duhamel C, Huaux A, Montiel V, Dechamps M, van der Bruggen P. HELIOS-expressing human CD8 T cells exhibit limited effector functions. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1308539. [PMID: 38187391 PMCID: PMC10770868 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1308539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction The transcription factor HELIOS is primarily known for its expression in CD4 regulatory T cells, both in humans and mice. In mice, HELIOS is found in exhausted CD8 T cells. However, information on human HELIOS+ CD8 T cells is limited and conflicting. Methods In this study, we characterized by flow cytometry and transcriptomic analyses human HELIOS+ CD8 T cells. Results These T cells primarily consist of memory cells and constitute approximately 21% of blood CD8 T cells. In comparison with memory HELIOS- T-BEThigh CD8 T cells that displayed robust effector functions, the memory HELIOS+ T-BEThigh CD8 T cells produce lower amounts of IFN-γ and TNF-α and have a lower cytotoxic potential. We wondered if these cells participate in the immune response against viral antigens, but did not find HELIOS+ cells among CD8 T cells recognizing CMV peptides presented by HLA-A2 and HLA-B7. However, we found HELIOS+ CD8 T cells that recognize a CMV peptide presented by MHC class Ib molecule HLA-E. Additionally, a portion of HELIOS+ CD8 T cells is characterized by the expression of CD161, often used as a surface marker for identifying TC17 cells. These CD8 T cells express TH17/TC17-related genes encoding RORgt, RORa, PLZF, and CCL20. Discussion Our findings emphasize that HELIOS is expressed across various CD8 T cell populations, highlighting its significance beyond its role as a transcription factor for Treg or exhausted murine CD8 T cells. The significance of the connection between HELIOS and HLA-E restriction is yet to be understood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Damien Neyens
- De Duve Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Thibault Hirsch
- De Duve Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | | | - Nicolas Dauguet
- De Duve Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | | | - Alexandre Bayard
- De Duve Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Claude Wildmann
- De Duve Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Mathieu Luyckx
- De Duve Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
- Département de gynécologie, Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Jean-Luc Squifflet
- De Duve Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
- Département de gynécologie, Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Quentin D’Hondt
- De Duve Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Céline Duhamel
- De Duve Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Antoine Huaux
- De Duve Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Virginie Montiel
- Unité de soins intensifs, Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Mélanie Dechamps
- Unité de soins intensifs, Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Pierre van der Bruggen
- De Duve Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
- Walloon Excellence in Life Sciences and Biotechnology (WELBIO), Wavre, Belgium
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7
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Zhang Z, Guo J, Jia R. Treg plasticity and human diseases. Inflamm Res 2023; 72:2181-2197. [PMID: 37878023 DOI: 10.1007/s00011-023-01808-x] [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: 08/07/2023] [Revised: 10/08/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/26/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION As a subset of CD4+ T cells, regulatory T cells (Tregs) with the characteristic expression of transcription factor FOXP3 play a key role in maintaining self-tolerance and regulating immune responses. However, in some inflammatory circumstances, Tregs can express cytokines of other T help (Th) cells by internal reprogramming, which is called Treg plasticity. These reprogrammed Tregs with impaired suppressive ability contribute to the progression of diseases by secreting pro-inflammatory cytokines. However, in the tumor microenvironment (TME), such changes in phenotype rarely occur in Tregs, on the contrary, Tregs usually display a stronger suppressive function and inhibit anti-tumor immunity. It is important to understand the mechanisms of Treg plasticity in inflammatory diseases and cancers. OBJECTIVES In this review, we summarize the characteristics of different Th-like Tregs and discuss the potential mechanisms of these changes in phenotype. Furthermore, we summarize the Treg plasticity in human diseases and discuss the effects of these changes in phenotype on disease progression, as well as the potential application of drugs or reagents that regulate Treg plasticity in human diseases. CONCLUSIONS Treg plasticity is associated with inflammatory diseases and cancers. Regulating Treg plasticity is a promising direction for the treatment of inflammatory diseases and cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zheng Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Oral & Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Regeneration, Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedicine Ministry of Education, Hubei Key Laboratory of Stomatology, School & Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Jihua Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Oral & Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Regeneration, Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedicine Ministry of Education, Hubei Key Laboratory of Stomatology, School & Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China
- Department of Endodontics, School & Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Rong Jia
- State Key Laboratory of Oral & Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Regeneration, Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedicine Ministry of Education, Hubei Key Laboratory of Stomatology, School & Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China.
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Mohajeri A, Vaseghi-Shanjani M, Rosenfeld JA, Yang GX, Lu H, Sharma M, Lin S, Salman A, Waqas M, Sababi Azamian M, Worley KC, Del Bel KL, Kozak FK, Rahmanian R, Biggs CM, Hildebrand KJ, Lalani SR, Nicholas SK, Scott DA, Mostafavi S, van Karnebeek C, Henkelman E, Halparin J, Yang CL, Armstrong L, Turvey SE, Lehman A. Dominant negative variants in IKZF2 cause ICHAD syndrome, a new disorder characterised by immunodysregulation, craniofacial anomalies, hearing impairment, athelia and developmental delay. J Med Genet 2023; 60:1092-1104. [PMID: 37316189 PMCID: PMC11206234 DOI: 10.1136/jmg-2022-109127] [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: 12/27/2022] [Accepted: 05/29/2023] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Helios (encoded by IKZF2), a member of the Ikaros family of transcription factors, is a zinc finger protein involved in embryogenesis and immune function. Although predominantly recognised for its role in the development and function of T lymphocytes, particularly the CD4+ regulatory T cells (Tregs), the expression and function of Helios extends beyond the immune system. During embryogenesis, Helios is expressed in a wide range of tissues, making genetic variants that disrupt the function of Helios strong candidates for causing widespread immune-related and developmental abnormalities in humans. METHODS We performed detailed phenotypic, genomic and functional investigations on two unrelated individuals with a phenotype of immune dysregulation combined with syndromic features including craniofacial differences, sensorineural hearing loss and congenital abnormalities. RESULTS Genome sequencing revealed de novo heterozygous variants that alter the critical DNA-binding zinc fingers (ZFs) of Helios. Proband 1 had a tandem duplication of ZFs 2 and 3 in the DNA-binding domain of Helios (p.Gly136_Ser191dup) and Proband 2 had a missense variant impacting one of the key residues for specific base recognition and DNA interaction in ZF2 of Helios (p.Gly153Arg). Functional studies confirmed that both these variant proteins are expressed and that they interfere with the ability of the wild-type Helios protein to perform its canonical function-repressing IL2 transcription activity-in a dominant negative manner. CONCLUSION This study is the first to describe dominant negative IKZF2 variants. These variants cause a novel genetic syndrome characterised by immunodysregulation, craniofacial anomalies, hearing impairment, athelia and developmental delay.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arezoo Mohajeri
- Department of Medical Genetics, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Maryam Vaseghi-Shanjani
- Department of Pediatrics, The University of British Columbia and BC Children's Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Jill A Rosenfeld
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Gui Xiang Yang
- Department of Medical Genetics, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Henry Lu
- Department of Pediatrics, The University of British Columbia and BC Children's Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Mehul Sharma
- Department of Pediatrics, The University of British Columbia and BC Children's Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Susan Lin
- Department of Pediatrics, The University of British Columbia and BC Children's Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Areesha Salman
- Department of Medical Genetics, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Meriam Waqas
- Department of Pediatrics, The University of British Columbia and BC Children's Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Mahshid Sababi Azamian
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Kim C Worley
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Kate L Del Bel
- Department of Pediatrics, The University of British Columbia and BC Children's Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Frederick K Kozak
- Department of Surgery, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Ronak Rahmanian
- Department of Surgery, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Catherine M Biggs
- Department of Pediatrics, The University of British Columbia and BC Children's Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Kyla J Hildebrand
- Department of Pediatrics, The University of British Columbia and BC Children's Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Seema R Lalani
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Sarah K Nicholas
- Department of Pediatrics, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Daryl A Scott
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Sara Mostafavi
- Department of Medical Genetics, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Clara van Karnebeek
- Department of Pediatrics, The University of British Columbia and BC Children's Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Erika Henkelman
- Department of Surgery, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Jessica Halparin
- Department of Pediatrics, The University of British Columbia and BC Children's Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Connie L Yang
- Department of Pediatrics, The University of British Columbia and BC Children's Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Linlea Armstrong
- Department of Medical Genetics, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Provincial Medical Genetics Program, BC Children's & Women's Hosp, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Stuart E Turvey
- Department of Pediatrics, The University of British Columbia and BC Children's Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Anna Lehman
- Department of Medical Genetics, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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9
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Bonazzi S, d'Hennezel E, Beckwith REJ, Xu L, Fazal A, Magracheva A, Ramesh R, Cernijenko A, Antonakos B, Bhang HEC, Caro RG, Cobb JS, Ornelas E, Ma X, Wartchow CA, Clifton MC, Forseth RR, Fortnam BH, Lu H, Csibi A, Tullai J, Carbonneau S, Thomsen NM, Larrow J, Chie-Leon B, Hainzl D, Gu Y, Lu D, Meyer MJ, Alexander D, Kinyamu-Akunda J, Sabatos-Peyton CA, Dales NA, Zécri FJ, Jain RK, Shulok J, Wang YK, Briner K, Porter JA, Tallarico JA, Engelman JA, Dranoff G, Bradner JE, Visser M, Solomon JM. Discovery and characterization of a selective IKZF2 glue degrader for cancer immunotherapy. Cell Chem Biol 2023; 30:235-247.e12. [PMID: 36863346 DOI: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2023.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 30.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2022] [Revised: 12/15/2022] [Accepted: 02/09/2023] [Indexed: 03/04/2023]
Abstract
Malignant tumors can evade destruction by the immune system by attracting immune-suppressive regulatory T cells (Treg) cells. The IKZF2 (Helios) transcription factor plays a crucial role in maintaining function and stability of Treg cells, and IKZF2 deficiency reduces tumor growth in mice. Here we report the discovery of NVP-DKY709, a selective molecular glue degrader of IKZF2 that spares IKZF1/3. We describe the recruitment-guided medicinal chemistry campaign leading to NVP-DKY709 that redirected the degradation selectivity of cereblon (CRBN) binders from IKZF1 toward IKZF2. Selectivity of NVP-DKY709 for IKZF2 was rationalized by analyzing the DDB1:CRBN:NVP-DKY709:IKZF2(ZF2 or ZF2-3) ternary complex X-ray structures. Exposure to NVP-DKY709 reduced the suppressive activity of human Treg cells and rescued cytokine production in exhausted T-effector cells. In vivo, treatment with NVP-DKY709 delayed tumor growth in mice with a humanized immune system and enhanced immunization responses in cynomolgus monkeys. NVP-DKY709 is being investigated in the clinic as an immune-enhancing agent for cancer immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone Bonazzi
- Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA, USA.
| | - Eva d'Hennezel
- Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA, USA.
| | | | - Lei Xu
- Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Aleem Fazal
- Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Anna Magracheva
- Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Radha Ramesh
- Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | | | - Hyo-Eun C Bhang
- Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | - Jennifer S Cobb
- Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | - Xiaolei Ma
- Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, Emeryville, CA, USA
| | | | | | - Ry R Forseth
- Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, East Hanover, NJ, USA
| | | | - Hongbo Lu
- Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Alfredo Csibi
- Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Jennifer Tullai
- Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Seth Carbonneau
- Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Noel M Thomsen
- Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Jay Larrow
- Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | - Dominik Hainzl
- Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Yi Gu
- Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Darlene Lu
- Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Matthew J Meyer
- Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Dylan Alexander
- Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | | | - Natalie A Dales
- Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | - Rishi K Jain
- Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Janine Shulok
- Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Y Karen Wang
- Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Karin Briner
- Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | | | | | - Glenn Dranoff
- Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - James E Bradner
- Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Michael Visser
- Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA, USA
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10
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Tarighi M, Shahbazi M, Saadat P, Daraei A, Alizadeh Khatir A, Rahimifard K, Mohammadnia-Afrouzi M. Decreased frequency of regulatory T cells and level of helios gene expression in secondary progressive multiple sclerosis patients: Evidence about the development of multiple sclerosis. Int Immunopharmacol 2023; 116:109797. [PMID: 36738680 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2023.109797] [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: 11/12/2022] [Revised: 01/24/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an aggressive disease characterized by central nervous system (CNS) inflammatory and demyelinating lesions. Tolerance failure is implicated in the development of several autoimmune disorders, including MS. Due to their involvement in maintaining environmental tolerance, regulatory T cells (Tregs) are regarded as efficient immune cells. We examined the frequency of Tregs in this study using CD4/CD25/forkhead box protein P3 (FOXP3)/Helios markers. METHODS Fifty participants, including 25 patients with secondary progressive MS (SPMS) and 25 healthy controls (HCs), were enrolled in this study, and their demographic characteristics were recorded. Peripheral blood samples ranging from 5 to 6 mL were obtained, and the Ficoll technique was used to extract peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Then, the percentage of CD4+CD25+FOXP3+Helios+ regulatory T lymphocytes was examined by flow cytometry in the study groups. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was also used to assess the Helios gene expression level. RESULTS This study showed that the percentage of Tregs with CD4 and CD25 markers did not reveal a significant difference compared with HCs despite the decrease in SPMS patients (P = 0.6). However, lymphocytes with CD4/CD25/FOXP3/Helios markers were significantly reduced in the patients (P = 0.01). Additionally, SPMS patients had statistically significantly lower Helios gene expression levels (P = 0.002). CONCLUSION In SPMS patients, a decrease in the frequency of the CD4+CD25+FOXP3+Helios+ Treg population can result in an imbalanced immune system. In other words, one of the immunological mechanisms involved in this disease may be a deficiency in Tregs. Helios gene expression was also decreased in these patients, which may exacerbate functional defects in Tregs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mona Tarighi
- Student Research Committee, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran; Immunoregulation Research Center, Health Research Institute, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran; Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran
| | - Mehdi Shahbazi
- Immunoregulation Research Center, Health Research Institute, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran; Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran
| | - Payam Saadat
- Mobility Impairment Research Center, Health Research Institute, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran
| | - Abdolreza Daraei
- Immunoregulation Research Center, Health Research Institute, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran; Department of Medical Genetics, School of Medicine, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran
| | - Ali Alizadeh Khatir
- Mobility Impairment Research Center, Health Research Institute, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran
| | - Kimiya Rahimifard
- Student Research Committee, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran; Immunoregulation Research Center, Health Research Institute, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran; Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran
| | - Mousa Mohammadnia-Afrouzi
- Immunoregulation Research Center, Health Research Institute, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran; Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran.
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11
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Immunoepigenetic Regulation of Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Current Insights into Novel Epigenetic Modulations of the Systemic Immune Response. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:genes14030554. [PMID: 36980826 PMCID: PMC10047925 DOI: 10.3390/genes14030554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2023] [Revised: 02/18/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 02/25/2023] Open
Abstract
The immune system and environmental factors are involved in various diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), through their effect on genetics, which modulates immune cells. IBD encompasses two main phenotypes, Crohn’s disease, and ulcerative colitis, which are manifested as chronic and systemic relapse-remitting gastrointestinal tract disorders with rising global incidence and prevalence. The pathophysiology of IBD is complex and not fully understood. Epigenetic research has resulted in valuable information for unraveling the etiology of this immune-mediated disease. Thus, the main objective of the present review is to summarize the current findings on the role of epigenetic mechanisms in IBD to shed light on their potential clinical relevance. This review focuses on the latest evidence regarding peripheral blood mononuclear cells and epigenetic changes in histone modification, DNA methylation, and telomere shortening in IBD. The various identified epigenetic DNA profiles with clinical value in IBD could be used as biomarkers for more accurately predicting disease development, treatment response, and therapy-related adverse events. Ultimately, the information presented here could be of potential relevance for future clinical practice in developing more efficient and precise medicine to improve the quality of life for patients with IBD.
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12
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Zhang H, Jadhav RR, Cao W, Goronzy IN, Zhao TV, Jin J, Ohtsuki S, Hu Z, Morales J, Greenleaf WJ, Weyand CM, Goronzy JJ. Aging-associated HELIOS deficiency in naive CD4 + T cells alters chromatin remodeling and promotes effector cell responses. Nat Immunol 2023; 24:96-109. [PMID: 36510022 PMCID: PMC10118794 DOI: 10.1038/s41590-022-01369-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2022] [Accepted: 10/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Immune aging combines cellular defects in adaptive immunity with the activation of pathways causing a low-inflammatory state. Here we examined the influence of age on the kinetic changes in the epigenomic and transcriptional landscape induced by T cell receptor (TCR) stimulation in naive CD4+ T cells. Despite attenuated TCR signaling in older adults, TCR activation accelerated remodeling of the epigenome and induced transcription factor networks favoring effector cell differentiation. We identified increased phosphorylation of STAT5, at least in part due to aberrant IL-2 receptor and lower HELIOS expression, as upstream regulators. Human HELIOS-deficient, naive CD4+ T cells, when transferred into human-synovium-mouse chimeras, infiltrated tissues more efficiently. Inhibition of IL-2 or STAT5 activity in T cell responses of older adults restored the epigenetic response pattern to the one seen in young adults. In summary, reduced HELIOS expression in non-regulatory naive CD4+ T cells in older adults directs T cell fate decisions toward inflammatory effector cells that infiltrate tissue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huimin Zhang
- Department of Immunology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
- Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Rohit R Jadhav
- Department of Immunology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
- Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Wenqiang Cao
- Department of Immunology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
- Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Health Sciences Institute, China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Isabel N Goronzy
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Tuantuan V Zhao
- Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Jun Jin
- Department of Immunology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
- Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Shozo Ohtsuki
- Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Zhaolan Hu
- Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Jose Morales
- Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | | | - Cornelia M Weyand
- Department of Immunology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
- Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Jörg J Goronzy
- Department of Immunology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
- Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
- Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
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13
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Sjøgren T, Bratland E, Røyrvik EC, Grytaas MA, Benneche A, Knappskog PM, Kämpe O, Oftedal BE, Husebye ES, Wolff ASB. Screening patients with autoimmune endocrine disorders for cytokine autoantibodies reveals monogenic immune deficiencies. J Autoimmun 2022; 133:102917. [PMID: 36191466 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaut.2022.102917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2022] [Revised: 09/09/2022] [Accepted: 09/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Autoantibodies against type I interferons (IFN) alpha (α) and omega (ω), and interleukins (IL) 17 and 22 are a hallmark of autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type 1 (APS-1), caused by mutations in the autoimmune regulator (AIRE) gene. Such antibodies are also seen in a number of monogenic immunodeficiencies. OBJECTIVES To determine whether screening for cytokine autoantibodies (anti-IFN-ω and anti-IL22) can be used to identify patients with monogenic immune disorders. METHODS A novel ELISA assay was employed to measure IL22 autoantibodies in 675 patients with autoimmune primary adrenal insufficiency (PAI) and a radio immune assay (RIA) was used to measure autoantibodies against IFN-ω in 1778 patients with a variety of endocrine diseases, mostly of autoimmune aetiology. Positive cases were sequenced for all coding exons of the AIRE gene. If no AIRE mutations were found, we applied next generation sequencing (NGS) to search for mutations in immune related genes. RESULTS We identified 29 patients with autoantibodies against IFN-ω and/or IL22. Of these, four new APS-1 cases with disease-causing variants in AIRE were found. In addition, we identified two patients with pathogenic heterozygous variants in CTLA4 and NFKB2, respectively. Nine rare variants in other immune genes were identified in six patients, although further studies are needed to determine their disease-causing potential. CONCLUSION Screening of cytokine autoantibodies can efficiently identify patients with previously unknown monogenic and possible oligogenic causes of autoimmune and immune deficiency diseases. This information is crucial for providing personalised treatment and follow-up of patients and their relatives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thea Sjøgren
- Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Norway; Department of Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway; KG Jebsen Center for Autoimmune Diseases, University of Bergen, Norway
| | - Eirik Bratland
- Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Norway; KG Jebsen Center for Autoimmune Diseases, University of Bergen, Norway; Department of Medical Genetics, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Ellen C Røyrvik
- Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Norway; KG Jebsen Center for Autoimmune Diseases, University of Bergen, Norway
| | - Marianne Aa Grytaas
- Department of Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway; KG Jebsen Center for Autoimmune Diseases, University of Bergen, Norway
| | - Andreas Benneche
- Department of Medical Genetics, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Per M Knappskog
- Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Norway; Department of Medical Genetics, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Olle Kämpe
- KG Jebsen Center for Autoimmune Diseases, University of Bergen, Norway; Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Bergithe E Oftedal
- Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Norway; Department of Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway; KG Jebsen Center for Autoimmune Diseases, University of Bergen, Norway
| | - Eystein S Husebye
- Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Norway; Department of Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway; KG Jebsen Center for Autoimmune Diseases, University of Bergen, Norway.
| | - Anette S B Wolff
- Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Norway; Department of Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway; KG Jebsen Center for Autoimmune Diseases, University of Bergen, Norway.
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14
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Abstract
Inflammation is a biological process that dynamically alters the surrounding microenvironment, including participating immune cells. As a well-protected organ surrounded by specialized barriers and with immune privilege properties, the central nervous system (CNS) tightly regulates immune responses. Yet in neuroinflammatory conditions, pathogenic immunity can disrupt CNS structure and function. T cells in particular play a key role in promoting and restricting neuroinflammatory responses, while the inflamed CNS microenvironment can influence and reshape T cell function and identity. Still, the contraction of aberrant T cell responses within the CNS is not well understood. Using autoimmunity as a model, here we address the contribution of CD4 T helper (Th) cell subsets in promoting neuropathology and disease. To address the mechanisms antagonizing neuroinflammation, we focus on the control of the immune response by regulatory T cells (Tregs) and describe the counteracting processes that preserve their identity under inflammatory challenges. Finally, given the influence of the local microenvironment on immune regulation, we address how CNS-intrinsic signals reshape T cell function to mitigate abnormal immune T cell responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nail Benallegue
- Department of Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104
- Nantes Université, CHU Nantes, INSERM, Center for Research in Transplantation and Translational Immunology, UMR 1064, F-44000, Nantes, France
| | - Hania Kebir
- Department of Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104
| | - Jorge I. Alvarez
- Department of Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104
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15
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Verano AL, You I, Donovan KA, Mageed N, Yue H, Nowak RP, Fischer ES, Wang ES, Gray NS. Redirecting the Neo-Substrate Specificity of Cereblon-Targeting PROTACs to Helios. ACS Chem Biol 2022; 17:2404-2410. [PMID: 36007246 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.2c00439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Immunomodulatory imide drugs (IMiDs), such as thalidomide and its analogues, are some of the most commonly utilized E3 ligase ligands for the development of proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs). While the canonical neo-substrates of IMiDs (i.e., Ikaros and Aiolos) are often considered to be unwanted targets of PROTACs, maintaining the degradation of these neo-substrates also provides the opportunity to synergistically degrade multiple proteins with a single compound. Here, we report the development of ALV-07-082-03, a CDK4/CDK6/Helios triple degrader that consists of palbociclib, an FDA-approved CDK4/6 inhibitor, conjugated to DKY709, a novel IMiD-based Helios degrader. Pharmacological codegradation of CDK4/6 and Helios resulted in potent suppression of downstream signaling and proliferation in cancer cells, as well as enhanced derepression of IL-2 secretion. Thus, not only do we demonstrate the possibility of rationally redirecting the neo-substrate specificity of PROTACs by incorporating alternative molecular glue molecules as E3 ligase ligands but our findings also suggest that cotargeting CDK4/6 and Helios may have synergistic effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alyssa L Verano
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States.,Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Inchul You
- Department of Chemical and Systems Biology, CHEM-H and SCI, Stanford Medical School, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Katherine A Donovan
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States.,Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Nada Mageed
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Hong Yue
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States.,Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Radosław P Nowak
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States.,Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Eric S Fischer
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States.,Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Eric S Wang
- Tumor Initiation and Maintenance Program, NCI-Designated Cancer Center, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - Nathanael S Gray
- Department of Chemical and Systems Biology, CHEM-H and SCI, Stanford Medical School, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
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16
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El-Helbawy NF, El Zowalaty AE. Identification of Age-Associated Transcriptomic Changes Linked to Immunotherapy Response in Primary Melanoma. Curr Issues Mol Biol 2022; 44:4118-4131. [PMID: 36135194 PMCID: PMC9497511 DOI: 10.3390/cimb44090282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2022] [Revised: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Melanoma is a lethal form of skin cancer. Immunotherapeutic agents such as anti-PD-1 (pembrolizumab and nivolumab) and anti-CTLA-4 (ipilimumab) have revolutionized melanoma treatment; however, drug resistance is rapidly acquired. Several studies have reported an increase in melanoma rates in older patients. Thus, the impact of ageing on transcriptional profiles of melanoma and response to immunotherapy is essential to understand. In this study, the bioinformatic analysis of RNA seq data of old and young melanoma patients receiving immunotherapy identifies the significant upregulation of extra-cellular matrix and cellular adhesion genes in young cohorts, while genes involved in cell proliferation, inflammation, non-canonical Wnt signaling and tyrosine kinase receptor ROR2 are significantly upregulated in the old cohort. Several Treg signature genes as well as transcription factors that are associated with dysfunctional T cell tumor infiltration are differentially expressed. The differential expression of several genes involved in oxidative phosphorylation, glycolysis and glutamine metabolism is also observed. Taken together, this study provides novel findings on the impact of ageing on transcriptional changes in melanoma, and novel therapeutic targets for future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nehal Farid El-Helbawy
- Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta 31111, Egypt
| | - Ahmed Ezat El Zowalaty
- Sahlgrenska Center for Cancer Research, Department of Surgery, Institute of Clinical Sciences, University of Gothenburg, 40530 Gothenburg, Sweden
- Wallenberg Centre for Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Gothenburg, 40530 Gothenburg, Sweden
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Zagazig University, Zagazig 44519, Egypt
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17
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Hippen KL, Hefazi M, Larson JH, Blazar BR. Emerging translational strategies and challenges for enhancing regulatory T cell therapy for graft-versus-host disease. Front Immunol 2022; 13:926550. [PMID: 35967386 PMCID: PMC9366169 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.926550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2022] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) is a curative therapy for many types of cancer. Genetic disparities between donor and host can result in immune-mediated attack of host tissues, known as graft versus host disease (GVHD), a major cause of morbidity and mortality following HSCT. Regulatory CD4+ T cells (Tregs) are a rare cell type crucial for immune system homeostasis, limiting the activation and differentiation of effector T cells (Teff) that are self-reactive or stimulated by foreign antigen exposure. Adoptive cell therapy (ACT) with Treg has demonstrated, first in murine models and now in patients, that prophylactic Treg infusion can also suppress GVHD. While clinical trials have demonstrated Treg reduce severe GVHD occurrence, several impediments remain, including Treg variability and practical need for individualized Treg production for each patient. Additionally, there are challenges in the use of in vitro expansion techniques and in achieving in vivo Treg persistence in context of both immune suppressive drugs and in lymphoreplete patients being treated for GVHD. This review will focus on 3 main translational approaches taken to improve the efficacy of tTreg ACT in GVHD prophylaxis and development of treatment options, following HSCT: genetic modification, manipulating TCR and cytokine signaling, and Treg production protocols. In vitro expansion for Treg ACT presents a multitude of approaches for gene modification to improve efficacy, including: antigen specificity, tissue targeting, deletion of negative regulators/exhaustion markers, resistance to immunosuppressive drugs common in GVHD treatment. Such expansion is particularly important in patients without significant lymphopenia that can drive Treg expansion, enabling a favorable Treg:Teff ratio in vivo. Several potential therapeutics have also been identified that enhance tTreg stability or persistence/expansion following ACT that target specific pathways, including: DNA/histone methylation status, TCR/co-stimulation signaling, and IL-2/STAT5 signaling. Finally, this review will discuss improvements in Treg production related to tissue source, Treg subsets, therapeutic approaches to increase Treg suppression and stability during tTreg expansion, and potential for storing large numbers of Treg from a single production run to be used as an off-the-shelf infusion product capable of treating multiple recipients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keli L. Hippen
- University of Minnesota Cancer Center and the Department of Pediatrics, Division of Blood & Marrow Transplant & Cellular Therapy, Minneapolis, MN, United States
| | - Mehrdad Hefazi
- Division of Hematology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States
| | - Jemma H. Larson
- University of Minnesota Cancer Center and the Department of Pediatrics, Division of Blood & Marrow Transplant & Cellular Therapy, Minneapolis, MN, United States
| | - Bruce R. Blazar
- University of Minnesota Cancer Center and the Department of Pediatrics, Division of Blood & Marrow Transplant & Cellular Therapy, Minneapolis, MN, United States
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18
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Dittrich-Salamon M, Meyer A, Yan S, Steinbach-Knödgen E, Kotschenreuther K, Stahl D, tho Pesch C, Schiller J, Byrtus F, Jochimsen D, Golumba-Nagy V, Kofler DM. Regulatory T Cells from Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis Are Characterized by Reduced Expression of Ikaros Zinc Finger Transcription Factors. Cells 2022; 11:cells11142171. [PMID: 35883614 PMCID: PMC9316388 DOI: 10.3390/cells11142171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2022] [Revised: 07/06/2022] [Accepted: 07/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Regulatory T (Treg) cells play an important role in immune tolerance and contribute to the prevention of autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The differentiation, function and stability of Treg cells is controlled by members of the Ikaros zinc finger transcription factor family. In this study, we aimed to reveal how the expression of Ikaros transcription factors is affected by disease activity in RA. Therefore, we analyzed the ex vivo expression of Ikaros, Helios, Aiolos and Eos in Treg cells, Th17 cells and Th1 cells from RA patients by flow cytometry. We found significantly reduced expression of Helios, Aiolos and Eos in Treg cells from RA patients as compared to healthy controls. Moreover, Helios and Aiolos levels correlated with disease activity, as assessed by DAS28-CRP. In addition, Ikaros, Helios and Aiolos were significantly downregulated in Th1 cells from RA patients, while no difference between healthy individuals and RA was observed in Th17 cells. In summary, Helios and Aiolos expression in Treg cells correlates with disease activity and the expression levels of Ikaros transcription factors are diminished in Treg cells from RA patients. This observation could explain the reduced stability of Treg cells in RA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mara Dittrich-Salamon
- Laboratory of Molecular Immunology, Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Department I of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Kerpenerstr. 62, 50937 Cologne, Germany; (M.D.-S.); (A.M.); (S.Y.); (E.S.-K.); (K.K.); (V.G.-N.)
| | - Anja Meyer
- Laboratory of Molecular Immunology, Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Department I of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Kerpenerstr. 62, 50937 Cologne, Germany; (M.D.-S.); (A.M.); (S.Y.); (E.S.-K.); (K.K.); (V.G.-N.)
| | - Shuaifeng Yan
- Laboratory of Molecular Immunology, Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Department I of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Kerpenerstr. 62, 50937 Cologne, Germany; (M.D.-S.); (A.M.); (S.Y.); (E.S.-K.); (K.K.); (V.G.-N.)
| | - Eva Steinbach-Knödgen
- Laboratory of Molecular Immunology, Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Department I of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Kerpenerstr. 62, 50937 Cologne, Germany; (M.D.-S.); (A.M.); (S.Y.); (E.S.-K.); (K.K.); (V.G.-N.)
| | - Konstantin Kotschenreuther
- Laboratory of Molecular Immunology, Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Department I of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Kerpenerstr. 62, 50937 Cologne, Germany; (M.D.-S.); (A.M.); (S.Y.); (E.S.-K.); (K.K.); (V.G.-N.)
| | - David Stahl
- Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Department I of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Kerpenerstr. 62, 50937 Cologne, Germany; (D.S.); (C.t.P.); (J.S.); (F.B.); (D.J.)
- Center for Integrated Oncology Aachen Bonn Cologne Duesseldorf, Kerpenerstr. 62, 50937 Cologne, Germany
| | - Carola tho Pesch
- Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Department I of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Kerpenerstr. 62, 50937 Cologne, Germany; (D.S.); (C.t.P.); (J.S.); (F.B.); (D.J.)
- Center for Integrated Oncology Aachen Bonn Cologne Duesseldorf, Kerpenerstr. 62, 50937 Cologne, Germany
| | - Joanna Schiller
- Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Department I of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Kerpenerstr. 62, 50937 Cologne, Germany; (D.S.); (C.t.P.); (J.S.); (F.B.); (D.J.)
- Center for Integrated Oncology Aachen Bonn Cologne Duesseldorf, Kerpenerstr. 62, 50937 Cologne, Germany
| | - Franziska Byrtus
- Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Department I of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Kerpenerstr. 62, 50937 Cologne, Germany; (D.S.); (C.t.P.); (J.S.); (F.B.); (D.J.)
- Center for Integrated Oncology Aachen Bonn Cologne Duesseldorf, Kerpenerstr. 62, 50937 Cologne, Germany
| | - Dorothee Jochimsen
- Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Department I of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Kerpenerstr. 62, 50937 Cologne, Germany; (D.S.); (C.t.P.); (J.S.); (F.B.); (D.J.)
- Center for Integrated Oncology Aachen Bonn Cologne Duesseldorf, Kerpenerstr. 62, 50937 Cologne, Germany
| | - Viktoria Golumba-Nagy
- Laboratory of Molecular Immunology, Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Department I of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Kerpenerstr. 62, 50937 Cologne, Germany; (M.D.-S.); (A.M.); (S.Y.); (E.S.-K.); (K.K.); (V.G.-N.)
| | - David M. Kofler
- Laboratory of Molecular Immunology, Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Department I of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Kerpenerstr. 62, 50937 Cologne, Germany; (M.D.-S.); (A.M.); (S.Y.); (E.S.-K.); (K.K.); (V.G.-N.)
- Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Department I of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Kerpenerstr. 62, 50937 Cologne, Germany; (D.S.); (C.t.P.); (J.S.); (F.B.); (D.J.)
- Center for Integrated Oncology Aachen Bonn Cologne Duesseldorf, Kerpenerstr. 62, 50937 Cologne, Germany
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +49-221-47842882; Fax: +49-221-4781422322
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19
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Hetemäki I, Kaustio M, Kinnunen M, Heikkilä N, Keskitalo S, Nowlan K, Miettinen S, Sarkkinen J, Glumoff V, Andersson N, Kettunen K, Vanhanen R, Nurmi K, Eklund KK, Dunkel J, Mäyränpää MI, Schlums H, Arstila TP, Kisand K, Bryceson YT, Peterson P, Otava U, Syrjänen J, Saarela J, Varjosalo M, Kekäläinen E. Loss-of-function mutation in IKZF2 leads to immunodeficiency with dysregulated germinal center reactions and reduction of MAIT cells. Sci Immunol 2021; 6:eabe3454. [PMID: 34826260 DOI: 10.1126/sciimmunol.abe3454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
[Figure: see text].
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Affiliation(s)
- Iivo Hetemäki
- Translational Immunology Research Program, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Meri Kaustio
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), HiLIFE, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Matias Kinnunen
- Institute of Biotechnology, HiLIFE Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Nelli Heikkilä
- Translational Immunology Research Program, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Salla Keskitalo
- Institute of Biotechnology, HiLIFE Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Kirsten Nowlan
- Translational Immunology Research Program, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Simo Miettinen
- Translational Immunology Research Program, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Joona Sarkkinen
- Translational Immunology Research Program, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Virpi Glumoff
- Research Unit of Biomedicine, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Noora Andersson
- Department of Pathology, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Kaisa Kettunen
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), HiLIFE, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Department of Clinical Genetics and HUSLAB Laboratory of Genetics, Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Reetta Vanhanen
- Translational Immunology Research Program, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Katariina Nurmi
- Translational Immunology Research Program, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Kari K Eklund
- Translational Immunology Research Program, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.,Department of Rheumatology, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.,Orton Orthopaedic Hospital of the Orton Foundation, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Johannes Dunkel
- Department of Pathology, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Mikko I Mäyränpää
- Department of Pathology, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Heinrich Schlums
- Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - T Petteri Arstila
- Translational Immunology Research Program, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Kai Kisand
- Institute of Biomedicine and Translational Medicine, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Yenan T Bryceson
- Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.,Broegelmann Research Laboratory, Department of Clinical Sciences, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Pärt Peterson
- Institute of Biomedicine and Translational Medicine, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Ulla Otava
- Infectious Disease Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland
| | - Jaana Syrjänen
- Infectious Disease Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland
| | - Janna Saarela
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), HiLIFE, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Department of Clinical Genetics and HUSLAB Laboratory of Genetics, Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.,Centre for Molecular Medicine Norway (NCMM), University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.,Department of Medical Genetics, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Markku Varjosalo
- Institute of Biotechnology, HiLIFE Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Eliisa Kekäläinen
- Translational Immunology Research Program, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
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20
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Shahin T, Kuehn HS, Shoeb MR, Gawriyski L, Giuliani S, Repiscak P, Hoeger B, Yüce Petronczki Ö, Bal SK, Zoghi S, Dmytrus J, Seruggia D, Castanon I, Rezaei N, Varjosalo M, Halbritter F, Rosenzweig SD, Boztug K. Germline biallelic mutation affecting the transcription factor Helios causes pleiotropic defects of immunity. Sci Immunol 2021; 6:eabe3981. [PMID: 34826259 DOI: 10.1126/sciimmunol.abe3981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
[Figure: see text].
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Affiliation(s)
- Tala Shahin
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), Vienna, Austria.,Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Rare and Undiagnosed Diseases, Vienna, Austria.,CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria.,Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Hye Sun Kuehn
- Immunology Service, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
| | - Mohamed R Shoeb
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), Vienna, Austria
| | - Lisa Gawriyski
- Institute of Biotechnology, Helsinki Institute of Life Science, Proteomics Unit, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Sarah Giuliani
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), Vienna, Austria.,Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Rare and Undiagnosed Diseases, Vienna, Austria
| | - Peter Repiscak
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), Vienna, Austria
| | - Birgit Hoeger
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), Vienna, Austria.,Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Rare and Undiagnosed Diseases, Vienna, Austria
| | - Özlem Yüce Petronczki
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), Vienna, Austria.,Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Rare and Undiagnosed Diseases, Vienna, Austria
| | - Sevgi Köstel Bal
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), Vienna, Austria.,Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Rare and Undiagnosed Diseases, Vienna, Austria
| | - Samaneh Zoghi
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), Vienna, Austria.,Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Rare and Undiagnosed Diseases, Vienna, Austria
| | - Jasmin Dmytrus
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), Vienna, Austria.,Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Rare and Undiagnosed Diseases, Vienna, Austria
| | - Davide Seruggia
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), Vienna, Austria
| | - Irinka Castanon
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), Vienna, Austria
| | - Nima Rezaei
- Research Center for Immunodeficiencies, Children's Medical Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.,Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.,Network of Immunity in Infection, Malignancy and Autoimmunity (NIIMA), Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN), Tehran, Iran
| | - Markku Varjosalo
- Institute of Biotechnology, Helsinki Institute of Life Science, Proteomics Unit, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | | | - Sergio D Rosenzweig
- Immunology Service, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
| | - Kaan Boztug
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), Vienna, Austria.,Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Rare and Undiagnosed Diseases, Vienna, Austria.,CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria.,Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.,St. Anna Children's Hospital, Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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21
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Hogendorf A, Zieliński M, Constantinou M, Śmigiel R, Wierzba J, Wyka K, Wędrychowicz A, Jakubiuk-Tomaszuk A, Budzynska E, Piotrowicz M, Lipska-Ziętkiewicz BS, Kaczorowska E, Cieślikowska A, Kutkowska-Kaźmierczak A, Fijak-Moskal J, Kugaudo M, Kosińska-Urbańska M, Szadkowska A, Borowiec M, Niedźwiecki M, Trzonkowski P, Młynarski W. Immune Dysregulation in Patients With Chromosome 18q Deletions-Searching for Putative Loci for Autoimmunity and Immunodeficiency. Front Immunol 2021; 12:742834. [PMID: 34867966 PMCID: PMC8637865 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.742834] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2021] [Accepted: 10/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Autoimmune disorders, IgA deficiency, and allergies seem to be common among individuals with 18q deletion syndrome [OMIM 601808]. We aimed to determine the prevalence, mechanism, and genetic background of autoimmunity, immune deficiency, and allergy in a cohort of patients with 18q deletions. Material and Methods Medical registries and social media were used to recruit the patients. Microarray oligonucleotide comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) (Agilent, Santa Clara, CA, USA) was performed in all patients to identify size and location of chromosome 18 deletion. Clinical evaluation and medical record collection were performed in each of the study participants. The history of autoimmune disorders, severe and/or recurrent infections, and symptoms of allergy were noted. Total immunoglobulin IgG, IgA, IgM, IgE, and IgG1-4 serum levels were measured using nephelometry and ELISA methods. Lymphocyte T subset phenotyping was performed in 24 subjects from 18q del cohort. To predict the most promising candidate genes, we used the ENDEAVOUR-a free web resource for gene prioritization. Results 18q deletion was confirmed by means of array CGH analysis in 27 individuals, 15 (55.6%) females and 12 males, referred to the project by specialists in medical genetics, diabetology, or pediatric endocrinology between May 2015 and December 2019. The mean age at examination was 11.8 years (min-max: 4.0-33.5). Autoimmune disorders were present in 14/27 (51.8%) of the cohort. In eight of patients, symptoms of immune deficiency coexisted with autoimmunity. Allergy was reported in nine of 27 (33.4%) patients. Over 89% of patients presented with at list one type of immunoglobulin (IgA, IgM, IgG, IgE, and IgG1-4) deficiency and eight of 25 (32%) had abnormalities in at least two major immunoglobulin (IgG, IgA, IgM) measurements (CVID-like phenotype). Patients with 18q del exhibited a significantly decreased CD4, Treg FOXP3+, TregFOXP3+Helios+, and TemCD4 cell numbers in comparison with the control groups of 24 T1DM patients and 28 healthy controls. Conclusions Patients with 18q deletions frequently suffer from autoimmune disorders, recurrent infections, and allergy due to immune dysregulation presenting with variable antibody deficiencies and T-regulatory cell deficiency (CD4+CD25+CD127lowFOXP3+). The spectrum of speculations regarding which gene might be responsible for such phenotype ranges from single gene haploinsufficiency to deletion of a cluster of immunogenes located distally to 18q21.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Hogendorf
- Department of Pediatrics, Diabetology, Endocrinology and Nephrology, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland
| | - Maciej Zieliński
- Department of Medical Immunology, Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland
| | - Maria Constantinou
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland
| | - Robert Śmigiel
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatrics and Rare Disorders, Wroclaw Medical University, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Jolanta Wierzba
- Department of Internal and Pediatric Nursing, Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland
| | - Krystyna Wyka
- Department of Pediatrics, Oncology and Hematology, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland
| | - Anna Wędrychowicz
- Polish-American Pediatric Institute, Jagiellonian University Collegium Medicum, Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Endocrinology, Cracow, Poland
| | - Anna Jakubiuk-Tomaszuk
- Department of Pediatric Neurology and Rehabilitation, Medical University of Bialystok, Białystok, Poland
| | - Edyta Budzynska
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland
| | - Malgorzata Piotrowicz
- Department of Genetics, Polish Mother’s Memorial Hospital—Research Institute, Lodz, Poland
| | - Beata S. Lipska-Ziętkiewicz
- Clinical Genetics Unit, Department of Biology and Medical Genetics, Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland
| | - Ewa Kaczorowska
- Department of Biology and Medical Genetics, Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland
| | - Agata Cieślikowska
- Department of Medical Genetics, Children’s Memorial Health Institute, Warsaw, Poland
| | | | - Jolanta Fijak-Moskal
- Outpatient Genetic Clinic, University Children’s Hospital of Cracow, Cracow, Poland
| | - Monika Kugaudo
- Department of Children and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Clinical Center, Pediatric Teaching Clinical Hospital Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | | | - Agnieszka Szadkowska
- Department of Pediatrics, Diabetology, Endocrinology and Nephrology, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland
| | - Maciej Borowiec
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland
| | - Maciej Niedźwiecki
- Department of Pediatrics, Hematology and Oncology, Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland
| | - Piotr Trzonkowski
- Department of Medical Immunology, Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland
| | - Wojciech Młynarski
- Department of Pediatrics, Oncology and Hematology, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland
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22
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Lam AJ, Uday P, Gillies JK, Levings MK. Helios is a marker, not a driver, of human Treg stability. Eur J Immunol 2021; 52:75-84. [PMID: 34561855 DOI: 10.1002/eji.202149318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2021] [Revised: 08/24/2021] [Accepted: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Treg therapy holds promise as a potentially curative approach to establish immune tolerance in transplantation and autoimmune disease. An outstanding question is whether therapeutic Tregs have the potential to transdifferentiate into effector T-cells and, thus, exacerbate rather than suppress immune responses. In mice, the transcription factor Helios is thought to promote Treg lineage stability in a range of inflammatory contexts. In humans, the role of Helios in Tregs is less clear, in part, due to the inability to enrich and study subsets of Helios-positive versus Helios-negative Tregs. Using an in vitro expansion system, we found that loss of high Helios expression and emergence of an intermediate Helios (Heliosmid )-expressing population correlated with Treg destabilization. We used CRISPR/Cas9 to genetically ablate Helios expression in human naive or memory Tregs and found that Helios-KO and unedited Tregs were equivalent in their suppressive function and stability in inflammation. Thus, high Helios expression is a marker, but not a driver, of human Treg stability in vitro. These data highlight the importance of monitoring Helios expression in therapeutic Treg manufacturing and provide new insight into the biological function of this transcription factor in human T-cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Avery J Lam
- Department of Surgery, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.,BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Prakruti Uday
- Department of Surgery, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.,BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Jana K Gillies
- Department of Surgery, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.,BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Megan K Levings
- Department of Surgery, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.,BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, Canada.,School of Biomedical Engineering, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
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23
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Baeten P, Van Zeebroeck L, Kleinewietfeld M, Hellings N, Broux B. Improving the Efficacy of Regulatory T Cell Therapy. Clin Rev Allergy Immunol 2021; 62:363-381. [PMID: 34224053 PMCID: PMC8256646 DOI: 10.1007/s12016-021-08866-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/31/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Autoimmunity is caused by an unbalanced immune system, giving rise to a variety of organ-specific to system disorders. Patients with autoimmune diseases are commonly treated with broad-acting immunomodulatory drugs, with the risk of severe side effects. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) have the inherent capacity to induce peripheral tolerance as well as tissue regeneration and are therefore a prime candidate to use as cell therapy in patients with autoimmune disorders. (Pre)clinical studies using Treg therapy have already established safety and feasibility, and some show clinical benefits. However, Tregs are known to be functionally impaired in autoimmune diseases. Therefore, ex vivo manipulation to boost and stably maintain their suppressive function is necessary when considering autologous transplantation. Similar to autoimmunity, severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is characterized by an exaggerated immune reaction and altered Treg responses. In light of this, Treg-based therapies are currently under investigation to treat severe COVID-19. This review provides a detailed overview of the current progress and clinical challenges of Treg therapy for autoimmune and hyperinflammatory diseases, with a focus on recent successes of ex vivo Treg manipulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paulien Baeten
- Neuro-Immune Connections and Repair Lab, Department of Immunology and Infection, Biomedical Research Institute, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium.,University MS Center, Campus Diepenbeek, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Lauren Van Zeebroeck
- University MS Center, Campus Diepenbeek, Diepenbeek, Belgium.,VIB Laboratory of Translational Immunomodulation, Center for Inflammation Research (IRC), Department of Immunology and Infection, Biomedical Research Institute, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Markus Kleinewietfeld
- University MS Center, Campus Diepenbeek, Diepenbeek, Belgium.,VIB Laboratory of Translational Immunomodulation, Center for Inflammation Research (IRC), Department of Immunology and Infection, Biomedical Research Institute, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Niels Hellings
- Neuro-Immune Connections and Repair Lab, Department of Immunology and Infection, Biomedical Research Institute, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium.,University MS Center, Campus Diepenbeek, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Bieke Broux
- Neuro-Immune Connections and Repair Lab, Department of Immunology and Infection, Biomedical Research Institute, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium. .,University MS Center, Campus Diepenbeek, Diepenbeek, Belgium. .,Department of Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
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24
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Coexpression of Helios in Foxp3 + Regulatory T Cells and Its Role in Human Disease. DISEASE MARKERS 2021; 2021:5574472. [PMID: 34257746 PMCID: PMC8245237 DOI: 10.1155/2021/5574472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2021] [Accepted: 06/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Regulatory T cells (Tregs) expressing the Foxp3 transcription factor are indispensable for the maintenance of immune system homeostasis. Tregs may lose Foxp3 expression or be reprogrammed into cells that produce proinflammatory cytokines, for example, Th1-like Tregs, Th2-like Tregs, Th17-like Tregs, and Tfh-like Tregs. Accordingly, selective therapeutic molecules that manipulate Treg lineage stability and/or functional activity might have the potential to improve aberrant immune responses in human disorders. In particular, the transcription factor Helios has emerged as an important marker and modulator of Tregs. Therefore, the current review focuses on recent findings on the expression, function, and mechanisms of Helios, as well as the patterns of Foxp3+ Tregs coexpressing Helios in various human disorders, in order to explore the potential of Helios for the improvement of many immune-related diseases. The studies were selected from PubMed using the library of the Nanjing Medical University in this review. The findings of the included studies indicate that Helios expression stabilizes the phenotype and function of Foxp3+ Tregs in certain inflammatory environments. Further, Tregs coexpressing Helios and Foxp3 were identified as a specific phenotype of stronger suppressor immune cells in both humans and animal models. Importantly, there is ample evidence that Helios-expressing Foxp3+ Tregs are relevant to various human disorders, including connective tissue diseases, infectious diseases, solid organ transplantation-related immunity, and cancer. Thus, Helios+Foxp3+CD4+ Tregs could be a valuable target in human diseases, and their potential should be explored further in the clinical setting.
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25
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Wang ES, Verano AL, Nowak RP, Yuan JC, Donovan KA, Eleuteri NA, Yue H, Ngo KH, Lizotte PH, Gokhale PC, Gray NS, Fischer ES. Acute pharmacological degradation of Helios destabilizes regulatory T cells. Nat Chem Biol 2021; 17:711-717. [PMID: 34035522 PMCID: PMC8162940 DOI: 10.1038/s41589-021-00802-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2020] [Accepted: 04/19/2021] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
The zinc-finger transcription factor Helios is critical for maintaining the identity, anergic phenotype and suppressive activity of regulatory T (Treg) cells. While it is an attractive target to enhance the efficacy of currently approved immunotherapies, no existing approaches can directly modulate Helios activity or abundance. Here, we report the structure-guided development of small molecules that recruit the E3 ubiquitin ligase substrate receptor cereblon to Helios, thereby promoting its degradation. Pharmacological Helios degradation destabilized the anergic phenotype and reduced the suppressive activity of Treg cells, establishing a route towards Helios-targeting therapeutics. More generally, this study provides a framework for the development of small-molecule degraders for previously unligandable targets by reprogramming E3 ligase substrate specificity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric S. Wang
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston MA.,Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Alyssa L. Verano
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston MA.,Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Radosław P. Nowak
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston MA.,Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - J. Christine Yuan
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston MA.,Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Katherine A. Donovan
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston MA.,Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | | | - Hong Yue
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston MA.,Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Kenneth H. Ngo
- Belfer Center for Applied Cancer Science, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
| | - Patrick H. Lizotte
- Belfer Center for Applied Cancer Science, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
| | - Prafulla C. Gokhale
- Belfer Center for Applied Cancer Science, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
| | - Nathanael S. Gray
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston MA.,Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.,Correspondence to: Nathanael S. Gray (); Eric S. Fischer ()
| | - Eric S. Fischer
- Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston MA.,Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.,Correspondence to: Nathanael S. Gray (); Eric S. Fischer ()
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26
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Zhang Y, Zhang J, Shi Y, Shen M, Lv H, Chen S, Feng Y, Chen H, Xu X, Yang T, Xu K. Differences in Maturation Status and Immune Phenotypes of Circulating Helios + and Helios - Tregs and Their Disrupted Correlations With Monocyte Subsets in Autoantibody-Positive T1D Individuals. Front Immunol 2021; 12:628504. [PMID: 34054801 PMCID: PMC8149963 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.628504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2020] [Accepted: 04/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
CD4 Tregs are involved in the regulation of various autoimmune diseases but believed to be highly heterogeneous. Studies have indicated that Helios controls a distinct subset of functional Tregs. However, the immunological changes in circulating Helios+ and Helios− Tregs are not fully explored in type 1 diabetes (T1D). Here, we elucidated the differences in maturation status and immune regulatory phenotypes of Helios+ and Helios− Tregs and their correlations with monocyte subsets in T1D individuals. As CD25−/low FOXP3+ Tregs also represent a subset of functional Tregs, we defined Tregs as FOXP3+CD127−/low and examined circulating Helios+ and Helios− Treg subpopulations in 68 autoantibody-positive T1D individuals and 68 age-matched healthy controls. We found that expression of both FOXP3 and CTLA4 diminished in Helios− Tregs, while the proportion of CD25−/low Tregs increased in Helios+ Tregs of T1D individuals. Although the frequencies of neither Helios+ nor Helios− Tregs were affected by investigated T1D genetic risk loci, Helios+ Tregs correlated with age at T1D diagnosis negatively and disease duration positively. Moreover, the negative correlation between central and effector memory proportions of Helios+ Tregs in healthy controls was disrupted in T1D individuals. Finally, regulatory non-classical and intermediate monocytes also decreased in T1D individuals, and positive correlations between these regulatory monocytes and Helios+/Helios− Treg subsets in healthy controls disappeared in T1D individuals. In conclusion, we demonstrated the alternations in maturation status and immune phenotypes in Helios+ and Helios− Treg subsets and revealed the missing association between these Treg subsets and monocyte subsets in T1D individuals, which might point out another option for elucidating T1D mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuyue Zhang
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Jie Zhang
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yun Shi
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Min Shen
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Hui Lv
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Shu Chen
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yingjie Feng
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Heng Chen
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Xinyu Xu
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Tao Yang
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Kuanfeng Xu
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
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27
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Džafo E, Bianchi N, Monticelli S. Cell-intrinsic mechanisms to restrain inflammatory responses in T lymphocytes. Immunol Rev 2021; 300:181-193. [PMID: 33507562 DOI: 10.1111/imr.12932] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2020] [Revised: 10/29/2020] [Accepted: 11/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
A mechanistic understanding of the regulatory circuits that control the effector responses of memory T helper lymphocytes, and in particular their ability to produce pro-inflammatory cytokines, may lead to effective therapeutic interventions in all immune-related diseases. Activation of T lymphocytes induces robust immune responses that in most cases lead to the complete eradication of invading pathogens or tumor cells. At the same time, however, such responses must be both highly controlled in magnitude and limited in time to avoid unnecessary damage. To achieve such sophisticated level of control, T lymphocytes have at their disposal an array of transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulatory mechanisms that ensure the acquisition of a phenotype that is tailored to the incoming stimulus while restraining unwarranted activation, eventually leading to the resolution of the inflammatory response. Here, we will discuss some of these cell-intrinsic mechanisms that control T cell responses and involve transcription factors, microRNAs, and RNA-binding proteins. We will also explore how the same mechanisms can be involved both in anti-tumor responses and in autoimmunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emina Džafo
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB), Università della Svizzera italiana (USI), Bellinzona, Switzerland
| | - Niccolò Bianchi
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB), Università della Svizzera italiana (USI), Bellinzona, Switzerland
| | - Silvia Monticelli
- Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB), Università della Svizzera italiana (USI), Bellinzona, Switzerland
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28
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Read KA, Jones DM, Freud AG, Oestreich KJ. Established and emergent roles for Ikaros transcription factors in lymphoid cell development and function. Immunol Rev 2020; 300:82-99. [PMID: 33331000 DOI: 10.1111/imr.12936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2020] [Revised: 11/12/2020] [Accepted: 11/20/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Ikaros zinc finger transcription factors are important regulators of the gene programs underlying the development of hematopoietic cell lineages. The family consists of five members: Ikaros, Helios, Aiolos, Eos, and Pegasus, which engage in both homo- and heterotypic intrafamilial interactions to exert diverse functional effects. Pioneering studies focused on the role of these factors in early lymphoid development, as their absence resulted in severe defects in lymphocyte populations. More recent work has now begun to define nuanced, stage-specific roles for Ikaros family members in the differentiation and function of mature T, B, and innate lymphoid cell populations including natural killer (NK) cells. The precise transcriptional mechanisms by which these factors function, both independently and collaboratively, is an area of active investigation. However, several key themes appear to be emerging regarding the pathways influenced by Ikaros family members, including the end-to-end regulation of cytokine signaling. Here, we review roles for Ikaros factors in lymphoid cell development, differentiation, and function, including a discussion of the current understanding of the transcriptional mechanisms they employ and considerations for the future study of this important transcription factor family.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaitlin A Read
- Department of Microbial Infection and Immunity, The Ohio State University College of Medicine and Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA.,Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Devin M Jones
- Department of Microbial Infection and Immunity, The Ohio State University College of Medicine and Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA.,Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Aharon G Freud
- Department of Microbial Infection and Immunity, The Ohio State University College of Medicine and Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA.,Department of Pathology, The Ohio State University College of Medicine and Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Kenneth J Oestreich
- Department of Microbial Infection and Immunity, The Ohio State University College of Medicine and Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA
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29
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Chen WM, Liu JL, Chuang HC, Chang YL, Yeh CM, Wu CS, Wu SF. Helios Expression in Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes Correlates with Overall Survival of Advanced Gastric Cancer Patients. Life (Basel) 2020; 10:E189. [PMID: 32927747 PMCID: PMC7555661 DOI: 10.3390/life10090189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2020] [Revised: 09/06/2020] [Accepted: 09/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapy is a highly promising approach for the treatment of gastric cancer, the third-leading cause of overall cancer death worldwide. In particular, tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes and peripheral blood mononuclear cells are believed to mediate host immune responses, although this activity may vary depending on the activation status and/ or their microenvironments. Here, we examined the expression of a specific zinc finger transcription factor, Helios (IKZF2), in gastric tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes by immunohistochemistry and the correlation with survival. Segregation of gastric cancer patients into high- vs. low-Helios-expressing tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes showed those with high expression to exhibit longer survival in gastric cancer patients, Helicobacter pylori-infected gastric cancer patients and advanced stage (III-IV) gastric cancer patients. In particular, Helios expression was an independent factor for survival in advanced gastric cancer patients. We performed immunofluorescence staining to detect Helios expression in tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes and peripheral blood mononuclear cells. We found that Helios is expressed more in CD4+ T cells and little in CD8+ T cells in infiltrated lymphocytes in gastric cancer. In summary, we believe that the study of specific characteristics of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes can delineate the interactions of immune and tumor cells to improve upon immunotherapy strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei-Ming Chen
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chiayi 613016, Taiwan;
- College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 333323, Taiwan
- Graduate Institute of Clinical Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 333323, Taiwan
| | - Jing-Lan Liu
- Department of Pathology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chiayi 613016, Taiwan; (J.-L.L.); (H.-C.C.)
| | - Huei-Chieh Chuang
- Department of Pathology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chiayi 613016, Taiwan; (J.-L.L.); (H.-C.C.)
| | - Yong-Lin Chang
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, and Institute of Molecular Biology, National Chung-Cheng University, Min-Hsiung, Chiayi 621301, Taiwan; (Y.-L.C.); (C.-M.Y.)
| | - Chia-Ming Yeh
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, and Institute of Molecular Biology, National Chung-Cheng University, Min-Hsiung, Chiayi 621301, Taiwan; (Y.-L.C.); (C.-M.Y.)
| | - Cheng-Shyong Wu
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chiayi 613016, Taiwan;
- College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 333323, Taiwan
| | - Shu-Fen Wu
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, and Institute of Molecular Biology, National Chung-Cheng University, Min-Hsiung, Chiayi 621301, Taiwan; (Y.-L.C.); (C.-M.Y.)
- Center for Innovative Research on Aging Society (CIRAS), National Chung Cheng University, Chiayi 621301, Taiwan
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30
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Ng MSF, Roth TL, Mendoza VF, Marson A, Burt TD. Helios enhances the preferential differentiation of human fetal CD4 + naïve T cells into regulatory T cells. Sci Immunol 2020; 4:4/41/eaav5947. [PMID: 31757834 DOI: 10.1126/sciimmunol.aav5947] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2018] [Accepted: 10/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
T cell receptor (TCR) stimulation and cytokine cues drive the differentiation of CD4+ naïve T cells into effector T cell populations with distinct proinflammatory or regulatory functions. Unlike adult naïve T cells, human fetal naïve CD4+ T cells preferentially differentiate into FOXP3+ regulatory T (Treg) cells upon TCR activation independent of exogenous cytokine signaling. This cell-intrinsic predisposition for Treg differentiation is implicated in the generation of tolerance in utero; however, the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. Here, we identify epigenetic and transcriptional programs shared between fetal naïve T and committed Treg cells that are inactive in adult naïve T cells and show that fetal-derived induced Treg (iTreg) cells retain this transcriptional program. We show that a subset of Treg-specific enhancers is accessible in fetal naïve T cells, including two active superenhancers at Helios Helios is expressed in fetal naïve T cells but not in adult naïve T cells, and fetal iTreg cells maintain Helios expression. CRISPR-Cas9 ablation of Helios in fetal naïve T cells impaired their differentiation into iTreg cells upon TCR stimulation, reduced expression of immunosuppressive genes in fetal iTreg cells such as IL10, and increased expression of proinflammatory genes including IFNG Consequently, Helios knockout fetal iTreg cells had reduced IL-10 and increased IFN-γ cytokine production. Together, our results reveal important roles for Helios in enhancing preferential fetal Treg differentiation and fine-tuning eventual Treg function. The Treg-biased programs identified within fetal naïve T cells could potentially be used to engineer enhanced iTreg populations for adoptive cellular therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa S F Ng
- Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), San Francisco, CA 94143, USA.,Singapore Immunology Network, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Biopolis, Singapore 138648, Singapore
| | - Theodore L Roth
- Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), San Francisco, CA 94143, USA.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, UCSF, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA.,Diabetes Center, UCSF, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Ventura F Mendoza
- Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research, UCSF, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Alexander Marson
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, UCSF, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA.,Diabetes Center, UCSF, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA.,Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.,Department of Medicine, UCSF, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA.,Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA.,UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, UCSF, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA.,Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, San Francisco, CA 94129, USA
| | - Trevor D Burt
- Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research, UCSF, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA. .,Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, UCSF, San Francisco, CA 94110, USA
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31
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Honaker Y, Hubbard N, Xiang Y, Fisher L, Hagin D, Sommer K, Song Y, Yang SJ, Lopez C, Tappen T, Dam EM, Khan I, Hale M, Buckner JH, Scharenberg AM, Torgerson TR, Rawlings DJ. Gene editing to induce FOXP3 expression in human CD4+ T cells leads to a stable regulatory phenotype and function. Sci Transl Med 2020; 12:12/546/eaay6422. [DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aay6422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2019] [Revised: 12/09/2019] [Accepted: 04/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Thymic regulatory T cells (tTregs) are potent inhibitors of autoreactive immune responses, and loss of tTreg function results in fatal autoimmune disease. Defects in tTreg number or function are also implicated in multiple autoimmune diseases, leading to growing interest in use of Treg as cell therapies to establish immune tolerance. Because tTregs are present at low numbers in circulating blood and may be challenging to purify and expand and also inherently defective in some subjects, we designed an alternative strategy to create autologous Treg-like cells from bulk CD4+ T cells. We used homology-directed repair (HDR)–based gene editing to enforce expression of FOXP3, the master transcription factor for tTreg. Targeted insertion of a robust enhancer/promoter proximal to the first coding exon bypassed epigenetic silencing, permitting stable and robust expression of endogenous FOXP3. HDR-edited T cells, edTregs, manifested a transcriptional program leading to sustained expression of canonical markers and suppressive activity of tTreg. Both human and murine edTregs mediated immunosuppression in vivo in models of inflammatory disease. Further, this engineering strategy permitted generation of antigen-specific edTreg with robust in vitro and in vivo functional activity. Last, edTreg could be enriched and expanded at scale using clinically relevant methods. Together, these findings suggest that edTreg production may permit broad future clinical application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuchi Honaker
- Center for Immunity and Immunotherapies and the Program for Cell and Gene Therapy, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, WA 98101, USA
| | - Nicholas Hubbard
- Center for Immunity and Immunotherapies and the Program for Cell and Gene Therapy, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, WA 98101, USA
| | - Yufei Xiang
- Center for Immunity and Immunotherapies and the Program for Cell and Gene Therapy, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, WA 98101, USA
| | - Logan Fisher
- Center for Immunity and Immunotherapies and the Program for Cell and Gene Therapy, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, WA 98101, USA
| | - David Hagin
- Center for Immunity and Immunotherapies and the Program for Cell and Gene Therapy, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, WA 98101, USA
| | - Karen Sommer
- Center for Immunity and Immunotherapies and the Program for Cell and Gene Therapy, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, WA 98101, USA
| | - Yumei Song
- Center for Immunity and Immunotherapies and the Program for Cell and Gene Therapy, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, WA 98101, USA
| | | | - Christina Lopez
- Center for Immunity and Immunotherapies and the Program for Cell and Gene Therapy, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, WA 98101, USA
| | - Tori Tappen
- Benaroya Research Institute, Seattle, WA 98101, USA
| | | | - Iram Khan
- Center for Immunity and Immunotherapies and the Program for Cell and Gene Therapy, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, WA 98101, USA
| | - Malika Hale
- Center for Immunity and Immunotherapies and the Program for Cell and Gene Therapy, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, WA 98101, USA
| | - Jane H. Buckner
- Benaroya Research Institute, Seattle, WA 98101, USA
- Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98101, USA
- Department of Immunology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98101, USA
| | - Andrew M. Scharenberg
- Center for Immunity and Immunotherapies and the Program for Cell and Gene Therapy, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, WA 98101, USA
- Department of Immunology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98101, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98101, USA
| | - Troy R. Torgerson
- Center for Immunity and Immunotherapies and the Program for Cell and Gene Therapy, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, WA 98101, USA
- Department of Immunology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98101, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98101, USA
| | - David J. Rawlings
- Center for Immunity and Immunotherapies and the Program for Cell and Gene Therapy, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, WA 98101, USA
- Department of Immunology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98101, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98101, USA
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32
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Ohkura N, Sakaguchi S. Transcriptional and epigenetic basis of Treg cell development and function: its genetic anomalies or variations in autoimmune diseases. Cell Res 2020; 30:465-474. [PMID: 32367041 PMCID: PMC7264322 DOI: 10.1038/s41422-020-0324-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 157] [Impact Index Per Article: 39.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2020] [Accepted: 04/08/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Naturally arising regulatory CD4+ T (Treg) cells, which specifically express the transcription factor FoxP3 in the nucleus and CD25 and CTLA-4 on the cell surface, are a T-cell subpopulation specialized for immune suppression, playing a key role in maintaining immunological self-tolerance and homeostasis. FoxP3 is required for Treg function, especially for its suppressive activity. However, FoxP3 expression per se is not necessary for Treg cell lineage commitment in the thymus and insufficient for full Treg-type gene expression in mature Treg cells. It is Treg-specific epigenetic changes such as CpG demethylation and histone modification that can confer a stable and heritable pattern of Treg type gene expression on developing Treg cells in a FoxP3-independent manner. Anomalies in the formation of Treg-specific epigenome, in particular, Treg-specific super-enhancers, which largely include Treg-specific DNA demethylated regions, are indeed able to cause autoimmune diseases in rodents. Furthermore, in humans, single nucleotide polymorphisms in Treg-specific DNA demethylated regions associated with Treg signature genes, such as IL2RA (CD25) and CTLA4, can affect the development and function of naïve Treg cells rather than effector T cells. Such genetic variations are therefore causative of polygenic common autoimmune diseases including type 1 diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis via affecting endogenous natural Treg cells. These findings on the transcription factor network with FoxP3 at a key position as well as Treg-specific epigenetic landscape facilitate our understanding of Treg cell development and function, and can be exploited to prepare functionally stable FoxP3-expressing Treg cells from antigen-specific conventional T cells to treat autoimmune diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naganari Ohkura
- Experimental immunology, Immunology Frontier Research Center, Osaka University, 3-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan
| | - Shimon Sakaguchi
- Experimental immunology, Immunology Frontier Research Center, Osaka University, 3-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan.
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33
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Opstelten R, de Kivit S, Slot MC, van den Biggelaar M, Iwaszkiewicz-Grześ D, Gliwiński M, Scott AM, Blom B, Trzonkowski P, Borst J, Cuadrado E, Amsen D. GPA33: A Marker to Identify Stable Human Regulatory T Cells. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2020; 204:3139-3148. [DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1901250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2019] [Accepted: 04/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
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34
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Ross JA, Malyshkina A, Otto L, Liu J, Dittmer U. Inhibition of IL-2 or NF- κB Subunit c-Rel-Dependent Signaling Inhibits Expansion of Regulatory T Cells During Acute Friend Retrovirus Infection. Viral Immunol 2020; 33:353-360. [PMID: 32315584 DOI: 10.1089/vim.2019.0192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In retroviral infections, different immunological mechanisms are involved in the development of a chronic infection. In the Friend virus (FV) model, regulatory T cells (Tregs) were found to induce CD8+ T cell dysfunction before viral clearance is achieved and thus contribute to viral chronicity. Although studied for decades, the exact suppressive mechanisms of Tregs in the FV model remain elusive and an unavailable therapeutic target. However, extracellular IL-2 and intracellular NF-κB signaling were shown to be important pathways for Treg expansion and activation. Therefore, we decided to focus on these two pathways to test therapeutic approaches inhibiting Treg activation during FV infection. In this study, we show that the inhibition of either IL-2 or the NF-κB subunit c-Rel, impaired Treg expansion and activation at 2 weeks post-FV infection. Total numbers of Tregs as well as activated Tregs were reduced in FV-infected mice after treatment with anti-IL-2 antibodies or the c-Rel blocking reagent pentoxifylline. Surprisingly, this did not affect the expansion or function of virus-specific CD8+ T cells nor viral loads in the spleen. However, our data suggest that neutralization of IL-2 as well as blocking c-Rel efficiently inhibits virus-induced Treg expansion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean Alexander Ross
- Institute for Virology, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Anna Malyshkina
- Institute for Virology, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Lucas Otto
- Institute for Virology, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.,Institute for Experimental Immunology and Imaging, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Jia Liu
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Union Hospital of Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, P.R. China
| | - Ulf Dittmer
- Institute for Virology, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
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35
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Henderson LA, Hoyt KJ, Lee PY, Rao DA, Jonsson AH, Nguyen JP, Rutherford K, Julé AM, Charbonnier LM, Case S, Chang MH, Cohen EM, Dedeoglu F, Fuhlbrigge RC, Halyabar O, Hazen MM, Janssen E, Kim S, Lo J, Lo MS, Meidan E, Son MBF, Sundel RP, Stoll ML, Nusbaum C, Lederer JA, Chatila TA, Nigrovic PA. Th17 reprogramming of T cells in systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis. JCI Insight 2020; 5:132508. [PMID: 32213704 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.132508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2019] [Accepted: 02/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (sJIA) begins with fever, rash, and high-grade systemic inflammation but commonly progresses to a persistent afebrile arthritis. The basis for this transition is unknown. To evaluate a role for lymphocyte polarization, we characterized T cells from patients with acute and chronic sJIA using flow cytometry, mass cytometry, and RNA sequencing. Acute and chronic sJIA each featured an expanded population of activated Tregs uncommon in healthy controls or in children with nonsystemic JIA. In acute sJIA, Tregs expressed IL-17A and a gene expression signature reflecting Th17 polarization. In chronic sJIA, the Th17 transcriptional signature was identified in T effector cells (Teffs), although expression of IL-17A at the protein level remained rare. Th17 polarization was abrogated in patients responding to IL-1 blockade. These findings identify evolving Th17 polarization in sJIA that begins in Tregs and progresses to Teffs, likely reflecting the impact of the cytokine milieu and consistent with a biphasic model of disease pathogenesis. The results support T cells as a potential treatment target in sJIA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren A Henderson
- Division of Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Kacie J Hoyt
- Division of Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Pui Y Lee
- Division of Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Division of Rheumatology, Inflammation, and Immunity, Department of Medicine, and
| | - Deepak A Rao
- Division of Rheumatology, Inflammation, and Immunity, Department of Medicine, and
| | - A Helena Jonsson
- Division of Rheumatology, Inflammation, and Immunity, Department of Medicine, and
| | - Jennifer P Nguyen
- Department of Surgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Kayleigh Rutherford
- Harvard Bioinformatics Core, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Amélie M Julé
- Division of Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Louis-Marie Charbonnier
- Division of Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Siobhan Case
- Division of Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Margaret H Chang
- Division of Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Division of Rheumatology, Inflammation, and Immunity, Department of Medicine, and
| | - Ezra M Cohen
- Division of Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Fatma Dedeoglu
- Division of Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Robert C Fuhlbrigge
- Division of Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Rheumatology, Children's Hospital Colorado, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Olha Halyabar
- Division of Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Melissa M Hazen
- Division of Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Erin Janssen
- Division of Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Susan Kim
- Division of Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Jeffrey Lo
- Division of Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Mindy S Lo
- Division of Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Esra Meidan
- Division of Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Mary Beth F Son
- Division of Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Robert P Sundel
- Division of Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Matthew L Stoll
- Division of Pediatric Rheumatology, Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | - Chad Nusbaum
- Broad Technology Labs, Broad Institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - James A Lederer
- Department of Surgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Talal A Chatila
- Division of Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Peter A Nigrovic
- Division of Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Division of Rheumatology, Inflammation, and Immunity, Department of Medicine, and
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36
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Zhang L, Song P, Zhang X, Metea C, Schleisman M, Karstens L, Leung E, Zhang J, Xu Q, Liu Y, Asquith M, Chu CQ. Alpha-Glucosidase Inhibitors Alter Gut Microbiota and Ameliorate Collagen-Induced Arthritis. Front Pharmacol 2020; 10:1684. [PMID: 32116681 PMCID: PMC7010955 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2019.01684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2019] [Accepted: 12/24/2019] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Acarose is an anti-diabetic drug and exhibits anti-arthritic effects. We hypothesized that acarbose influences the gut microbiota to affect the course of arthritis and tested this hypothesis in a collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) murine model. Acarbose in drinking water was administered via gastric gavage started prior to or at the time of CIA induction. Gut microbiota were evaluated with 16S rRNA gene sequencing from fecal pellets collected prior to arthritis induction, during onset of arthritis, and after treatment. Immune response was evaluated by measuring changes in T helper-17 (Th17) and T regulatory (Treg) cells in the spleen and intestine, as well as serum cytokine levels. Before induction of CIA, acarbose significantly reduced the incidence of arthritis and attenuated clinical severity of arthritis. The frequency of Th17 cells was significantly decreased in the intestinal lamina propria in acarbose treated mice. Mice that were treated with acarbose showed significantly increased CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ Treg cells with elevation of Helios and CCR6. A remarkable alteration in microbial community was observed in acarbose treated mice. Bacterial diversity and richness in mice with arthritis were significantly lower than those in acarbose treated groups. The frequency of Firmicutes was significantly reduced after arthritis onset but was restored after treatment with acarbose. The frequency of Lactobacillus, Anaeroplasma, Adlercreutzia, RF39 and Corynebacterium was significantly higher in control groups than in acarbose treated, while Oscillospira, Desulfovibrio and Ruminococcus enriched in acarbose treated group. Miglitol, another α-glucosidase inhibitor showed a similar but less potent anti-arthritic effect to that of acarbose. These data demonstrate that acarbose alleviated CIA through regulation of Th17/Treg cells in the intestinal mucosal immunity, which may have resulted from the impact of acarbose on gut microbial community. Inexpensive antidiabetic drugs with an excellent safety profile are potentially useful for managing rheumatoid arthritis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lingshu Zhang
- Division of Arthritis and Rheumatic Diseases, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, United States
- Department of Rheumatology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
- Section of Rheumatology, VA Portland Health Care System, Portland, OR, United States
| | - Pingfang Song
- Division of Arthritis and Rheumatic Diseases, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, United States
| | - Xiaowei Zhang
- Section of Rheumatology, VA Portland Health Care System, Portland, OR, United States
| | - Christina Metea
- Casey Eye Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, United States
| | - Matthew Schleisman
- Casey Eye Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, United States
| | - Lisa Karstens
- Department of Medical Informatics and Clinical Epidemiology, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, United States
| | - Eric Leung
- Department of Medical Informatics and Clinical Epidemiology, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, United States
| | - Jun Zhang
- Department of Surgical Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Qiang Xu
- Division of Arthritis and Rheumatic Diseases, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, United States
- Department of Rheumatology, The First Hospital, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yi Liu
- Department of Rheumatology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Mark Asquith
- Division of Arthritis and Rheumatic Diseases, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, United States
| | - Cong-Qiu Chu
- Division of Arthritis and Rheumatic Diseases, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, United States
- Section of Rheumatology, VA Portland Health Care System, Portland, OR, United States
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Cai B, Ma P, Ding P, Sun DW, Bu Q, Zhang J. Composition and plasticity of triple-negative breast carcinoma-infiltrating regulatory T cells. APMIS 2020; 128:260-269. [PMID: 31811667 DOI: 10.1111/apm.13022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2019] [Accepted: 12/03/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Low Foxp3+ regulatory T-cell (Treg) presence in the tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) is considered favorable in breast cancer, and numerous CD25-targeting agents have been applied in the attempt to remove Foxp3+ Treg cells, which typically present CD4+ CD25+/hi surface phenotype. However, CD25 is not Treg-exclusive and can be upregulated by effector T cells. Hence, CD25 depletion may cause the elimination of activated T cells that are responding to tumor-specific antigens. In this study, the composition and function of CD4+ CD25+ cells inside the microenvironment of triple-negative breast carcinoma (TNBC) were investigated. Directly ex vivo, the Foxp3+ Treg cells represented a minor subset in total CD4+ CD25+ TILs. Significant differences were observed in the expression of Treg-associated molecules between CD4+ CD25+ Foxp3+ TILs and CD4+ CD25+ Foxp3- TILs. While both the CD4+ CD25+ Foxp3+ and the CD4+ CD25+ Foxp3- TILs could express CTLA-4 and LAG-3, the expression levels were significantly higher in CD4+ CD25+ Foxp3+ TILs than in CD4+ CD25+ Foxp3- TILs. Upon TCR stimulation, the expression of TGF-beta was significantly higher in CD4+ CD25+ Foxp3+ TILs, while the expression of IL-10 was significantly higher in CD4+ CD25+ Foxp3- TILs. These differences were conserved in the blood counterparts of these cells. Interestingly, the level of CD25+ Foxp3+ cells in circulating CD4+ T cells was positively correlated with the level of CD25+ Foxp3+ cells in CD4+ TILs, but the level of CD25+ Foxp3- cells in circulating CD4+ T cells was not associated with the level of CD25+ Foxp3- cells in CD4+ TILs. Th17-polarizing medium could readily remodel CD4+ CD25+ Foxp3- , but not CD4+ CD25+ Foxp3+ , T cells into RORgammat and IL-17-expressing T cells, demonstrating stronger plasticity of the former subset. Together, these data demonstrated that the CD4+ CD25+ TILs were composed of distinctive Foxp3- and Foxp3+ cells, with the former representing the major subset. The antigen specificity and effector molecule expression of the CD4+ CD25+ Foxp3- thus require further analyses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo Cai
- Breast-Thyroid Surgery Department, Shengli Oilfield Central Hospital, Dongying, China
| | - Ping Ma
- Breast-Thyroid Surgery Department, Shengli Oilfield Central Hospital, Dongying, China
| | - Pengpeng Ding
- Breast-Thyroid Surgery Department, Shengli Oilfield Central Hospital, Dongying, China
| | - Di-Wen Sun
- Breast-Thyroid Surgery Department, Shengli Oilfield Central Hospital, Dongying, China
| | - Qingao Bu
- Breast-Thyroid Surgery Department, Shengli Oilfield Central Hospital, Dongying, China
| | - Jun Zhang
- Breast-Thyroid Surgery Department, Shengli Oilfield Central Hospital, Dongying, China
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38
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Yu WQ, Ji NF, Gu CJ, Sun ZX, Wang ZX, Chen ZQ, Ma Y, Wu ZZ, Wang YL, Wu CJ, Ding MD, Dai GH, Yao J, Jin RR, Huang M, Zhang MS. Downregulation of miR-4772-3p promotes enhanced regulatory T cell capacity in malignant pleural effusion by elevating Helios levels. Chin Med J (Engl) 2019; 132:2705-2715. [PMID: 31725455 PMCID: PMC6940098 DOI: 10.1097/cm9.0000000000000517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Malignant pleural effusion (MPE) is a complicated condition of patients with advanced tumors. Further dissecting the microenvironment of infiltrated immune cells and malignant cells are warranted to understand the immune-evasion mechanisms of tumor development and progression. METHODS The possible involvement of microRNAs (miRNAs) in malignant pleural fluid was investigated using small RNA sequencing. Regulatory T cell (Treg) markers (CD4, CD25, forkhead box P3), and Helios (also known as IKAROS Family Zinc Finger 2 [IKZF2]) were detected using flow cytometry. The expression levels of IKZF2 and miR-4772-3p were measured using quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. The interaction between miR-4772-3p and Helios was determined using dual-luciferase reporter assays. The effects of miR-4772-3p on Helios expression were evaluated using an in vitro system. Correlation assays between miR-4772-3p and functional molecules of Tregs were performed. RESULTS Compared with non-malignant controls, patients with non-small cell lung cancer had an increased Tregs frequency with Helios expression in the MPE and peripheral blood mononuclear cells. The verified downregulation of miR-4772-3p was inversely related to the Helios Tregs frequency and Helios expression in the MPE. Overexpression of miR-4772-3p could inhibit Helios expression in in vitro experiments. However, ectopic expression of Helios in induced Tregs reversed the effects induced by miR-4772-3p overexpression. Additionally, miR-4772-3p could regulate Helios expression by directly targeting IKZF2 mRNA. CONCLUSION Downregulation of miR-4772-3p, by targeting Helios, contributes to enhanced Tregs activities in the MPE microenvironment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen-Qing Yu
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210029, China
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Taizhou People's Hospital Affiliated to Nantong University, Taizhou, Jiangsu 225300, China
| | - Ning-Fei Ji
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210029, China
| | - Cheng-Jing Gu
- Department of Pharmacy, Taizhou People's Hospital Affiliated to Nantong University, Taizhou, Jiangsu 225300, China
| | - Zhi-Xiao Sun
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210029, China
| | - Zheng-Xia Wang
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210029, China
| | - Zhong-Qi Chen
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210029, China
| | - Yuan Ma
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210029, China
| | - Zhen-Zhen Wu
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210029, China
| | - Yan-Li Wang
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210029, China
| | - Chao-Jie Wu
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210029, China
| | - Ming-Dong Ding
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Taizhou People's Hospital Affiliated to Nantong University, Taizhou, Jiangsu 225300, China
| | - Gui-Hong Dai
- Department of Pathology, Taizhou People's Hospital Affiliated to Nantong University, Taizhou, Jiangsu 225300, China
| | - Juan Yao
- Department of Oncology, Taizhou People's Hospital Affiliated to Nantong University, Taizhou, Jiangsu 225300, China
| | - Rong-Rong Jin
- Department of Pathology, Taizhou People's Hospital Affiliated to Nantong University, Taizhou, Jiangsu 225300, China
| | - Mao Huang
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210029, China
| | - Ming-Shun Zhang
- Department of Immunology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210029, China
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Thornton AM, Shevach EM. Helios: still behind the clouds. Immunology 2019; 158:161-170. [PMID: 31517385 DOI: 10.1111/imm.13115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2019] [Revised: 08/27/2019] [Accepted: 09/04/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Regulatory T (Treg) cells are a subset of CD4+ T cells that are critical for the maintenance of self-tolerance. The forkhead box transcription factor Foxp3 is a master regulator for the Treg phenotype and function and its expression is essential in Treg cells, as the loss of Foxp3 results in lethal autoimmunity. Two major subsets of Treg cells have been described in vivo; thymus-derived Treg (tTreg) cells that develop in the thymus and peripherally induced Treg (pTreg) cells that are derived from conventional CD4+ Foxp3- T cells and are converted in peripheral tissues to cells that express Foxp3 and acquire suppressive ability. The transcription factor Helios, a member of the Ikaros transcription factor family, is expressed in 60-70% of Treg cells in both mouse and man, and is believed to be a marker of tTreg cells. In this review, we discuss the role and function of Helios in Treg cells, the controversy surrounding the use of Helios as a marker of tTreg cells, and how Helios controls specific aspects of the Treg cell program.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela M Thornton
- Laboratory of Immune System Biology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Ethan M Shevach
- Laboratory of Immune System Biology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
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40
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Mittelstadt PR, Taves MD, Ashwell JD. Glucocorticoids Oppose Thymocyte Negative Selection by Inhibiting Helios and Nur77. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2019; 203:2163-2170. [PMID: 31527196 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1900559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2019] [Accepted: 08/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Glucocorticoid (GC) signaling in thymocytes shapes the TCR repertoire by antagonizing thymocyte negative selection. The transcription factors Nur77 and Helios, which are upregulated in TCR-signaled thymocytes, have been implicated in negative selection. In this study, we found that GCs inhibited Helios and, to a lesser extent, Nur77 upregulation in TCR-stimulated mouse thymocytes. Inhibition was increased by GC preincubation, and reductions in mRNA were prevented by a protein synthesis inhibitor, suggesting that GCs suppress indirectly via an intermediary factor. Upregulation of Helios in TCR-stimulated thymocytes was unaffected by deletion of Nur77, indicating Nur77 and Helios are regulated independently. Whereas CD4+ thymocytes are positively selected in wild-type AND TCR-transgenic B6 mice, loss of GC receptor expression resulted in increased negative selection. Correspondingly, Helios and Nur77 levels were elevated in TCRhiCD4+CD8+ (TCR-signaled) thymocytes. Notably, deletion of Helios fully reversed this negative selection, whereas deletion of Nur77 had no effect on CD4+CD8+ cell numbers but reversed the loss of mature CD4+ thymocytes. Thus, Nur77 and Helios are GC targets that play nonredundant roles in setting the signaling threshold for thymocyte negative selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul R Mittelstadt
- Laboratory of Immune Cell Biology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892
| | - Matthew D Taves
- Laboratory of Immune Cell Biology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892
| | - Jonathan D Ashwell
- Laboratory of Immune Cell Biology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892
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41
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Powell MD, Read KA, Sreekumar BK, Oestreich KJ. Ikaros Zinc Finger Transcription Factors: Regulators of Cytokine Signaling Pathways and CD4 + T Helper Cell Differentiation. Front Immunol 2019; 10:1299. [PMID: 31244845 PMCID: PMC6563078 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.01299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2019] [Accepted: 05/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
CD4+ T helper cells are capable of differentiating into a number of effector subsets that perform diverse functions during adaptive immune responses. The differentiation of each of these subsets is governed, in large part, by environmental cytokine signals and the subsequent activation of downstream, cell-intrinsic transcription factor networks. Ikaros zinc finger (IkZF) transcription factors are known regulators of immune cell development, including that of CD4+ T cell subsets. Over the past decade, members of the IkZF family have also been implicated in the differentiation and function of individual T helper cell subsets, including T helper 1 (TH1), TH2, TH17, T follicular (TFH), and T regulatory (TREG) cells. Now, an increasing body of literature suggests that the distinct cell-specific cytokine environments responsible for the development of each subset result in differential expression of IkZF factors across T helper populations. Intriguingly, recent studies suggest that IkZF members influence T helper subset differentiation in a feed-forward fashion through the regulation of these same cytokine-signaling pathways. Here, we review the increasingly prominent role for IkZF transcription factors in the differentiation of effector CD4+ T helper cell subsets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael D Powell
- Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, Virginia Tech Carilion, Roanoke, VA, United States.,Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health Graduate Program, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States
| | - Kaitlin A Read
- Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, Virginia Tech Carilion, Roanoke, VA, United States.,Biomedical and Veterinary Sciences Graduate Program, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States
| | - Bharath K Sreekumar
- Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, Virginia Tech Carilion, Roanoke, VA, United States.,Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health Graduate Program, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States
| | - Kenneth J Oestreich
- Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, Virginia Tech Carilion, Roanoke, VA, United States.,Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States.,Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, Roanoke, VA, United States
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42
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Skadow M, Penna VR, Galant-Swafford J, Shevach EM, Thornton AM. Helios Deficiency Predisposes the Differentiation of CD4 +Foxp3 - T Cells into Peripherally Derived Regulatory T Cells. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2019; 203:370-378. [PMID: 31167776 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1900388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2019] [Accepted: 05/03/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The transcription factor Helios is expressed in a large percentage of Foxp3+ regulatory T (Treg) cells and is required for the maintenance of their suppressive phenotype, as mice with a selective deficiency of Helios in Treg cells spontaneously develop autoimmunity. However, mice with a deficiency of Helios in all T cells do not exhibit autoimmunity, despite the defect in the suppressor function of their Treg cell population, suggesting that Helios also functions in non-Treg cells. Although Helios is expressed in a small subset of CD4+Foxp3- and CD8+ T cells and its expression is upregulated upon T cell activation, its function in non-Treg cells remains unknown. To examine the function of Helios in CD4+Foxp3- T cells, we transferred Helios-sufficient or -deficient naive CD4+Foxp3- TCR transgenic T cells to normal recipients and examined their capacity to respond to their cognate Ag. Surprisingly, Helios-deficient CD4+ T cells expanded and differentiated into Th1 or Th2 cytokine-producing effectors in a manner similar to wild-type TCR transgenic CD4+ T cells. However, the primed Helios-deficient cells failed to expand upon secondary challenge with Ag. The tolerant state of the Helios-deficient memory T cells was not cell-intrinsic but was due to a small population of Helios-deficient naive T cells that had differentiated into Ag-specific peripheral Treg cells that suppressed the recall response in an Ag-specific manner. These findings demonstrate that Helios plays a role in the determination of CD4+ T cell fate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathias Skadow
- Laboratory of Immune System Biology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892
| | - Vinay R Penna
- Laboratory of Immune System Biology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892
| | - Jessica Galant-Swafford
- Laboratory of Immune System Biology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892
| | - Ethan M Shevach
- Laboratory of Immune System Biology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892
| | - Angela M Thornton
- Laboratory of Immune System Biology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892
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43
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Hagihara Y, Yoshimatsu Y, Mikami Y, Takada Y, Mizuno S, Kanai T. Epigenetic regulation of T helper cells and intestinal pathogenicity. Semin Immunopathol 2019; 41:379-399. [DOI: 10.1007/s00281-019-00732-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2019] [Accepted: 03/05/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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44
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Jain P, Tian X, Cordes S, Chen J, Cantilena CR, Bradley C, Panjwani R, Chinian F, Keyvanfar K, Battiwalla M, Muranski P, Barrett AJ, Ito S. Over-expression of PD-1 Does Not Predict Leukemic Relapse after Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant 2019; 25:216-222. [PMID: 30292745 PMCID: PMC10478036 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbmt.2018.09.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2018] [Accepted: 09/27/2018] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Blockade of the T-cell exhaustion marker PD-1 to re-energize the immune response is emerging as a promising cancer treatment. Relapse of hematologic malignancy after allogeneic stem cell transplantation limits the success of this approach, and PD-1 blockade may hold therapeutic promise. However, PD-1 expression and its relationship with post-transplant relapse is poorly described. Because the donor immunity is activated by alloresponses, PD-1 expression may differ from nontransplanted individuals, and PD-1 blockade could risk graft-versus-host disease. Here we analyzed T-cell exhaustion marker kinetics and their relationship with leukemia relapse in 85 patients undergoing myeloablative T-cell-depleted HLA-matched stem cell transplantation. At a median follow-up of 3.5 years, 35 (44%) patients relapsed. PD-1 expression in CD4 and CD8 T cells was comparably elevated in relapsed and nonrelapsed cohorts. Helios+ regulatory T cells and CD8 effector memory cells at day 30 emerged as independent predictors of relapse. Although leukemia antigen-specific T cells did not overexpress PD-1, single-cell analysis revealed LAG3 and TIM3 overexpression at relapse. These findings indicate that PD-1 is an unreliable marker for leukemia-specific T-cell exhaustion in relapsing patients but implies other exhaustion markers and suppressor cells as relapse biomarkers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prachi Jain
- Hematology Branch, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Xin Tian
- Office of Biostatistics Research, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Stefan Cordes
- Hematology Branch, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Jinguo Chen
- Center for Human Immunology, Autoimmunity, and Inflammation, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Caroline R Cantilena
- Hematology Branch, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Christian Bradley
- Hematology Branch, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Reema Panjwani
- Hematology Branch, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Fariba Chinian
- Hematology Branch, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Keyvan Keyvanfar
- Hematology Branch, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Minoo Battiwalla
- Hematology Branch, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Pawel Muranski
- Hematology Branch, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - A John Barrett
- Hematology Branch, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Sawa Ito
- Hematology Branch, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.
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Abstract
Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) are chronic inflammatory disorders affecting the gastrointestinal tract. The incidence of IBD is increasing, with more cases occurring in developed countries. Multiple factors such as genetics, environmental changes, gut microbiota, and immune abnormalities have been associated with development of IBD. In recent years, it has become increasingly apparent that epigenetic modifications of chromatin and the manner in which chromatin is organized in the nucleus are additionally important elements that can influence responses induced by the factors described above, and may therefore contribute to the onset and pathogenesis of IBD. Epigenetics and chromatin organization regulate diverse functions that include maintenance of homeostasis in the intestinal epithelium, the development and differentiation of immune cells, and modulation of responses generated by the immune system to defend against potential pathogens. Furthermore, changes in epigenetic chromatin marks and in chromatin organization have now been linked to differential gene expression in IBD patient cells. Although direct evidence for a role of histone modifications in IBD is currently very limited, in this review, we summarize the links between various epigenetic modifications, the proteins that catalyze or recognize these modifications, and the development or progression of IBD in human and experimental IBD. We also discuss how epigenetics influence the organization of DNA contacts to regulate gene expression and the implications this may have for diagnosing and treating IBD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Greeshma Ray
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Michelle S Longworth
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA,Address correspondence to: Michelle S. Longworth, 9500 Euclid Ave NC22, Cleveland, OH 44195 ()
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Zafari P, Yari K, Mostafaei S, Iranshahi N, Assar S, Fekri A, Taghadosi M. Analysis of Helios gene expression and Foxp3 TSDR methylation in the newly diagnosed Rheumatoid Arthritis patients. Immunol Invest 2018; 47:632-642. [PMID: 29851536 DOI: 10.1080/08820139.2018.1480029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The control of auto-reactive cells is defective in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Regulatory T (Treg) cells which play a key role in the modulation of immune responses have an impaired function in RA. Foxp3 is a master regulator of Treg cells which its expression is under the tight control of epigenetic mechanisms. In the current study, we analyzed the epigenetic modulation of the Foxp3 Treg-specific demethylated region (TSDR) and Helios gene expression to determine Treg cells alteration in RA patients. METHODS We have recruited 20 newly diagnosed patients with RA and 41 healthy controls in our study. The measurement of Foxp3 and Helios gene expression was performed by the real-time PCR technique and the methylation level of TSDR was analyzed by bisulfite treatment and quantitative methylation-specific PCR (Q-MSP). RESULTS We found that RA patients had significantly lower level of Foxp3 gene expression and TSDR demethylation compared to healthy subjects (P < 0.001 and P = 0.006, respectively). Inversely, the Helios gene expression was elevated significantly in RA patients group (P = 0.048). We also observed a significant correlation between Foxp3 and Helios gene expression (P = 0.016) as well as a significant correlation between FoxP3 expression and demethylation rate of TSDR (P = 0.010). CONCLUSION Our results suggested that both epigenetic modifications and Helios gene expression may have important roles in the pathogenesis of RA through their effects on Foxp3 gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Parisa Zafari
- a Student Research Committee, Medical school , Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences , Kermanshah , Iran.,b Faculty of Medicine , Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences , Kermanshah , Iran
| | - Kheirollah Yari
- c Medical Biology Research Center , Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences , Kermanshah , Iran.,d Zagros Bioidea Laboratory , Razi University Incubator , Kermanshah , Iran
| | - Shayan Mostafaei
- e Rheumatology Research Center , Tehran University of Medical Sciences , Tehran , Iran
| | - Nasrin Iranshahi
- a Student Research Committee, Medical school , Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences , Kermanshah , Iran.,b Faculty of Medicine , Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences , Kermanshah , Iran
| | - Shirin Assar
- f Clinical Research Development Center , Imam Reza Hospital, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences , Kermanshah , Iran
| | - Adel Fekri
- a Student Research Committee, Medical school , Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences , Kermanshah , Iran.,b Faculty of Medicine , Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences , Kermanshah , Iran
| | - Mahdi Taghadosi
- g Department of Immunology , Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences , Kermanshah , Iran
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47
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Mazerolles F, Stolzenberg MC, Pelle O, Picard C, Neven B, Fischer A, Magerus-Chatinet A, Rieux-Laucat F. Autoimmune Lymphoproliferative Syndrome-FAS Patients Have an Abnormal Regulatory T Cell (Treg) Phenotype but Display Normal Natural Treg-Suppressive Function on T Cell Proliferation. Front Immunol 2018; 9:718. [PMID: 29686686 PMCID: PMC5900038 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.00718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2017] [Accepted: 03/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective Autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome (ALPS) with FAS mutation (ALPS-FAS) is a nonmalignant, noninfectious, lymphoproliferative disease with autoimmunity. Given the central role of natural regulatory T cells (nTregs) in the control of lymphoproliferation and autoimmunity, we assessed nTreg-suppressive function in 16 patients with ALPS-FAS. Results The proportion of CD25highCD127low Tregs was lower in ALPS-FAS patients than in healthy controls. This subset was correlated with a reduced CD25 expression in CD3+CD4+ T cells from ALPS patients and thus an abnormally low proportion of CD25highFOXP3+ Helios+ T cells. The ALPS patients also displayed a high proportion of naïve Treg (FOXP3lowCD45RA+) and an unusual subpopulation (CD4+CD127lowCD15s+CD45RA+). Despite this abnormal phenotype, the CD25highCD127low Tregs’ suppressive function was unaffected. Furthermore, conventional T cells from FAS-mutated patients showed normal levels of sensitivity to Treg suppression. Conclusion An abnormal Treg phenotype is observed in circulating lymphocytes of ALPS patients. However, these Tregs displayed a normal suppressive function on T effector proliferation in vitro. This is suggesting that lymphoproliferation observed in ALPS patients does not result from Tregs functional defect or T effector cells insensitivity to Tregs suppression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabienne Mazerolles
- INSERM UMR1163, Laboratory of Immunogenetics of Paediatric Autoimmunity, Paris, France.,Paris Descartes-Sorbonne Paris Cité University, Imagine Institute Paris, Paris, France
| | - Marie-Claude Stolzenberg
- INSERM UMR1163, Laboratory of Immunogenetics of Paediatric Autoimmunity, Paris, France.,Paris Descartes-Sorbonne Paris Cité University, Imagine Institute Paris, Paris, France
| | - Olivier Pelle
- INSERM UMR1163, Laboratory of Immunogenetics of Paediatric Autoimmunity, Paris, France.,INSERM UMR1163, Cell Sorting Facility, Paris, France
| | - Capucine Picard
- Paris Descartes-Sorbonne Paris Cité University, Imagine Institute Paris, Paris, France.,Paediatric Haematology-Immunology and Rheumatology Unit, Necker-Enfants Malades Hospital, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (APHP), Paris, France.,Center for Primary Immunodeficiencies, Necker-Enfants Malades Hospital, APHP, Paris, France.,Laboratory of Lymphocyte Activation and Susceptibility to EBV Infection, INSERM UMR 1163, Imagine Institute, University Paris Descartes Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Benedicte Neven
- INSERM UMR1163, Laboratory of Immunogenetics of Paediatric Autoimmunity, Paris, France.,Paris Descartes-Sorbonne Paris Cité University, Imagine Institute Paris, Paris, France.,Paediatric Haematology-Immunology and Rheumatology Unit, Necker-Enfants Malades Hospital, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (APHP), Paris, France
| | - Alain Fischer
- Paris Descartes-Sorbonne Paris Cité University, Imagine Institute Paris, Paris, France.,Paediatric Haematology-Immunology and Rheumatology Unit, Necker-Enfants Malades Hospital, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (APHP), Paris, France.,Collège de France, Paris, France
| | - Aude Magerus-Chatinet
- INSERM UMR1163, Laboratory of Immunogenetics of Paediatric Autoimmunity, Paris, France.,Paris Descartes-Sorbonne Paris Cité University, Imagine Institute Paris, Paris, France
| | - Frederic Rieux-Laucat
- INSERM UMR1163, Laboratory of Immunogenetics of Paediatric Autoimmunity, Paris, France.,Paris Descartes-Sorbonne Paris Cité University, Imagine Institute Paris, Paris, France
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48
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McGary CS, Deleage C, Harper J, Micci L, Ribeiro SP, Paganini S, Kuri-Cervantes L, Benne C, Ryan ES, Balderas R, Jean S, Easley K, Marconi V, Silvestri G, Estes JD, Sekaly RP, Paiardini M. CTLA-4 +PD-1 - Memory CD4 + T Cells Critically Contribute to Viral Persistence in Antiretroviral Therapy-Suppressed, SIV-Infected Rhesus Macaques. Immunity 2017; 47:776-788.e5. [PMID: 29045906 PMCID: PMC5679306 DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2017.09.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 125] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2017] [Revised: 06/13/2017] [Accepted: 09/27/2017] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Antiretroviral therapy (ART) suppresses viral replication in HIV-infected individuals but does not eliminate the reservoir of latently infected cells. Recent work identified PD-1+ follicular helper T (Tfh) cells as an important cellular compartment for viral persistence. Here, using ART-treated, SIV-infected rhesus macaques, we show that CTLA-4+PD-1- memory CD4+ T cells, which share phenotypic markers with regulatory T cells, were enriched in SIV DNA in blood, lymph nodes (LN), spleen, and gut, and contained replication-competent and infectious virus. In contrast to PD-1+ Tfh cells, SIV-enriched CTLA-4+PD-1- CD4+ T cells were found outside the B cell follicle of the LN, predicted the size of the persistent viral reservoir during ART, and significantly increased their contribution to the SIV reservoir with prolonged ART-mediated viral suppression. We have shown that CTLA-4+PD-1- memory CD4+ T cells are a previously unrecognized component of the SIV and HIV reservoir that should be therapeutically targeted for a functional HIV-1 cure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Colleen S McGary
- Division of Microbiology and Immunology, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
| | - Claire Deleage
- AIDS and Cancer Virus Program, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc., Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Justin Harper
- Division of Microbiology and Immunology, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
| | - Luca Micci
- Division of Microbiology and Immunology, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
| | - Susan P Ribeiro
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Sara Paganini
- Division of Microbiology and Immunology, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
| | | | - Clarisse Benne
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Emily S Ryan
- Division of Microbiology and Immunology, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
| | | | - Sherrie Jean
- Division of Microbiology and Immunology, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
| | - Kirk Easley
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
| | - Vincent Marconi
- Division of Microbiology and Immunology, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA; Department of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
| | - Guido Silvestri
- Division of Microbiology and Immunology, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA; Department of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
| | - Jacob D Estes
- AIDS and Cancer Virus Program, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc., Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Rafick-Pierre Sekaly
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
| | - Mirko Paiardini
- Division of Microbiology and Immunology, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA; Department of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA.
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49
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Odhams CA, Cortini A, Chen L, Roberts AL, Viñuela A, Buil A, Small KS, Dermitzakis ET, Morris DL, Vyse TJ, Cunninghame Graham DS. Mapping eQTLs with RNA-seq reveals novel susceptibility genes, non-coding RNAs and alternative-splicing events in systemic lupus erythematosus. Hum Mol Genet 2017; 26:1003-1017. [PMID: 28062664 PMCID: PMC5409091 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddw417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2016] [Accepted: 12/05/2016] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Studies attempting to functionally interpret complex-disease susceptibility loci by GWAS and eQTL integration have predominantly employed microarrays to quantify gene-expression. RNA-Seq has the potential to discover a more comprehensive set of eQTLs and illuminate the underlying molecular consequence. We examine the functional outcome of 39 variants associated with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) through the integration of GWAS and eQTL data from the TwinsUK microarray and RNA-Seq cohort in lymphoblastoid cell lines. We use conditional analysis and a Bayesian colocalisation method to provide evidence of a shared causal-variant, then compare the ability of each quantification type to detect disease relevant eQTLs and eGenes. We discovered the greatest frequency of candidate-causal eQTLs using exon-level RNA-Seq, and identified novel SLE susceptibility genes (e.g. NADSYN1 and TCF7) that were concealed using microarrays, including four non-coding RNAs. Many of these eQTLs were found to influence the expression of several genes, supporting the notion that risk haplotypes may harbour multiple functional effects. Novel SLE associated splicing events were identified in the T-reg restricted transcription factor, IKZF2, and other candidate genes (e.g. WDFY4) through asQTL mapping using the Geuvadis cohort. We have significantly increased our understanding of the genetic control of gene-expression in SLE by maximising the leverage of RNA-Seq and performing integrative GWAS-eQTL analysis against gene, exon, and splice-junction quantifications. We conclude that to better understand the true functional consequence of regulatory variants, quantification by RNA-Seq should be performed at the exon-level as a minimum, and run in parallel with gene and splice-junction level quantification.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Andrea Cortini
- Department of Medical & Molecular Genetics, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Lingyan Chen
- Department of Medical & Molecular Genetics, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Amy L Roberts
- Department of Medical & Molecular Genetics, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Ana Viñuela
- Department of Twin Research, King's College London, London, UK
| | | | - Kerrin S Small
- Department of Twin Research, King's College London, London, UK
| | | | - David L Morris
- Department of Medical & Molecular Genetics, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Timothy J Vyse
- Department of Medical & Molecular Genetics, King's College London, London, UK.,Division of Immunology, Infection and Inflammatory Disease, King's College London, London, UK
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50
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Seng A, Yankee TM. The Role of the Ikaros Family of Transcription Factors in Regulatory T cell Development and Function. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017; 8. [PMID: 28758047 PMCID: PMC5531196 DOI: 10.4172/2155-9899.1000495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Regulatory T (Treg) cells are a subset of immune cells that maintain homeostasis by promoting immune tolerance and suppressing the immune response via a variety of mechanisms such as secreting cytokines, killing reactive immune cells, and inducing anergy. Dysfunction of Treg cells has been implicated in inflammatory diseases such as autoimmunity and transplant rejection. Conversely, too many or hyperresponsive Treg cells has been observed in cancer and chronic infections. Treg cells have proven to be difficult to study as there are no definitive Treg surface markers. Additionally, Tregs can gain pro-inflammatory phenotype depending on stimuli. In this commentary, we discuss the expression and function of members of the Ikaros family of transcription factors during Treg cell development and activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amara Seng
- Department of Microbiology, Molecular Genetics, and Immunology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA
| | - Thomas M Yankee
- Department of Microbiology, Molecular Genetics, and Immunology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA
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