Regulation of class II expression in monocytic cells after HIV-1 infection

Invariant chain processing is independent of cathepsin variation between primary human B cells/dendritic cells and B-lymphoblastoid cells

As part of the endocytic antigen processing pathway, proteolytic cleavage of the invariant chain (Ii) is important for the generation of class II-associated invariant chain peptide (CLIP). CLIP remains associated with the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II molecule to prevent premature loading of antigenic peptides. Cysteine proteases, such as Cathepsin S (CatS), CatL, or CatV, play a pivotal role in the final stage of Ii degradation depending on the cell type studied. Less is known regarding the early stages of Ii processing. We therefore explored whether the serine protease CatG is involved in the initial step of Ii degradation in primary antigen presenting cells (APC), since the cathepsin distribution differs between primary APC and cell lines. While primary human B cells and dendritic cells (DC) do harbor CatG, this protease is absent in B-lymphoblastoid cells (BLC) or monocyte-derived DC generated in vitro. In addition, other proteases, such as CatC, CatL, and the asparagine endoprotease (AEP), are active in BLC and monocyte-derived DC. Here we demonstrate that CatG progressively degraded Ii in vitro resulting in several intermediates. However, pharmacological inhibition of CatG in primary B cells and DC did not alter Ii processing, indicating that CatG is dispensable in Ii degradation. Interestingly, stalling of cysteine proteases by inhibition in BLC vs. primary B cells and DC did not result in any differences in the generation of distinct Ii intermediates between the cells tested, suggesting that Ii processing is independent of the cathepsin variation within professional human APC.

Immune privilege and HIV-1 persistence in the CNS

Human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) neuroinvasion occurs early (during period of initial viremia), leading to infection of a limited amount of susceptible cells with low CD4 expression. Protective cellular and humoral immunity eliminate and suppress viral replication relatively quickly due to peripheral immune responses and the low level of initial central nervous system (CNS) infection. Upregulation of the brain protective mechanisms against lymphocyte entry and survival (related to immune privilege) helps reduce viral load in the brain. The local immune compartment dictates local viral evolution as well as selection of cytotoxic lymphocytes and immunoglobulin G specificity. Such status can be sustained until peripheral immune anti-viral responses fail. Activation of microglia and astrocytes, due to local or peripheral triggers, increases chemokine production, enhances traffic of infected cells into the CNS, upregulates viral replication in resident brain macrophages, and significantly augments the spread of viral species. The combination of these factors leads to the development of HIV-1 encephalitis-associated neurocognitive decline and patient death. Understanding the immune-privileged state created by virus, the brain microenvironment, and the ability to enhance anti-viral immunity offer new therapeutic strategies for treatment of HIV-1 CNS infection.

Therapeutic vaccination against HIV: current progress and future possibilities

Although effective in reducing mortality, current antiretroviral therapy for HIV infection involves complex and expensive drug regimens that are toxic and difficult to take. Eradication of HIV reservoirs is not possible with existing therapies. The concept of therapeutic vaccination has been investigated to increase the potency and breadth of anti-HIV immune responses in order to delay or reduce antiretroviral therapy use. A variety of approaches targeted to both cell- and antibody-mediated immunity have been developed, including whole inactivated HIV-1, protein subunits and synthetic peptides, DNA vaccines and a number of viral vectors expressing HIV-1. These investigations have occurred in the absence of a clear understanding of disease pathogenesis or the correlates of protective immunity. At this time, there is no licensed therapeutic vaccine for any viral disease, including HIV; however, this review will consider recent progress in the field and summarize the challenges faced in the development of a therapeutic HIV vaccine.

Impaired accessory cell function in a human dendritic cell line after human immunodeficiency virus infection

We generated human dendritic cell (DC) hybridoma cell lines by fusing HGPRT-deficient promonocytic U937 cells with immature DCs obtained by culturing peripheral blood monocytes with interleukin-4 (IL-4; 1,000 U/ml) and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (100 U/ml) for 7 days and mature DCs by treatment with tumor necrosis factor alpha (12.5 microg/ml) for 3 days. Only one fusion with immature DCs was successful and yielded four cell lines--HB-1, HB-2, HB-3, and HB-9--with an overall fusion efficiency of 0.0015%. The cell lines were stable in long-term culture, displayed morphological features typical of DCs, and expressed distinct class I and class II molecules not present on U937 (A*031012, B*51011, Cw*0701, DRB3*01011 52, and DR5*01011). A representative cell line, HB-2, that expressed DC markers including CD83, CD80 and CD86 could be induced to produce IL-12 through CD40 stimulation. After human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, there was impairment of antigen-presenting cell (APC) function, which was manifested by an inability to stimulate allogeneic T-cell responses. There was no change in expression of major histocompatibility complex class I and class II antigens, CD83, CD40, CD4, CD11c, CD80, CD86, CD54, and CD58, or IL-12 production in the HIV-infected HB-2 cells. The HIV-infected HB-2 cells induced T-cell apoptosis in the cocultures. T-cell proliferation could be partially restored by using ddI, indinivir, and blocking anti-gp120 and anti-IL-10 antibodies. Our data suggest that there are multiple mechanisms that DCs use to inhibit T-cell responses in HIV-infected patients. The HB-2 cell line could be a useful model system to study APC function in HIV-infected DCs.

Viral Subversion of the Immune System

The continuous interactions between host and viruses during their co-evolution have shaped not only the immune system but also the countermeasures used by viruses. Studies in the last decade have described the diverse arrays of pathways and molecular targets that are used by viruses to elude immune detection or destruction, or both. These include targeting of pathways for major histocompatibility complex class I and class II antigen presentation, natural killer cell recognition, apoptosis, cytokine signalling, and complement activation. This paper provides an overview of the viral immune-evasion mechanisms described to date. It highlights the contribution of this field to our understanding of the immune system, and the importance of understanding this aspect of the biology of viral infection to develop efficacious and safe vaccines.

Accessory cell function of airway epithelial cells

Oei, Erwin, Thomas Kalb, Prarthana Beuria, Matthieu Allez, Atsushi Nakazawa, Miyuki Azuma, Michael Timony, Zanetta Stuart, Houchu Chen, and Kirk Sperber. Accessory cell function of airway epithelial cells.

We previously demonstrated that airway epithelial cells (AECs) have many features of accessory cells, including expression of class II molecules CD80 and CD86 and functional Fcγ receptors. We have extended these studies to show that freshly isolated AECs have mRNA for cathepsins S, V, and H [proteases important in antigen (Ag) presentation], invariant chain, human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DM-α and HLA-DM-β, and CLIP, an invariant chain breakdown product. A physiologically relevant Ag, ragweed, was colocalized with HLA-DR in AECs, and its uptake was increased by granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor and IFN-γ treatments, which had no effect on CD80 and CD86 expression. We demonstrate the presence of other costimulatory molecules, including B7h and B7-H1, on AECs and the increased expression of B7-H1 on AECs after treatment with granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor and IFN-γ. Finally, we compared T cell proliferation after allostimulation with AECs and dendritic cells (DCs). The precursor frequency of peripheral blood T cells responding to AECs was 0.264% compared with 0.55% for DCs. DCs stimulated CD45RO+, CD45RA+, CCR7+and CCR7−CD4+, and CD8+T cells, whereas AECs stimulated only CD45RO+, CD45RA−, CCR7−, CD4+, and CD8+T cells. There was no difference in cytokine production, type of memory T cells stimulated (effector vs. long-term memory), or apoptosis by T cells cocultured with AECs and DCs. The localization of AECs exposed to the external environment may make them important in the regulation of local immune responses.

Neurologic consequences of HIV infection in the era of HAART

In this brief review, we present a summary of the clinical presentation of HIV-associated dementia (HAD), HAD in the highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) era, the immunopathogenesis of HAD, and the possible role of a recently described novel macrophage-derived protein in HAD. Different aspects of the clinical presentation of HAD will be reviewed as well as the results of recent autopsy studies demonstrating that although HAART dramatically decreased the incidence of opportunistic infections and malignancies in the central nervous system, it has reduced but not eliminated HIV encephalopathy. This suggests a direct cytopathic effect of HIV on neuronal tissue. Consequently, the immunopathogenesis of HAD and the role of neurotoxins produced by brain macrophages and microglial cells will be reviewed including the possible role of a recently cloned macrophage-derived proapoptotic factor, soluble HIV apoptotic protein (SHIVA) identified in our laboratory. HAART therapy reduces the incidence of opportunistic infections, the direct pathogenic effect of HIV, especially on neuronal tissue, may become of increasing importance.

HIV, 'an evolving species'. Roles of cellular activation and co-infections

Each small variation of the genome of a species can be preserved if it is useful for the survival of the species in a given environment. Within this framework, the finality of the biological cycle of HIV consists in a search for harmony (biological coherence) with man, which is to say a stable condition. Cellular activation appears to be the strategy developed by HIV in order to achieve this coherence. The price of this strategy is the AIDS. The first contact between HIV and immune system appears to determine the subsequent clinical outcome and the future of HIV. Lymphocytic activation varies during the course of the vital cycle of HIV. For each individual, this lymphocytic activation depends on both the HLA repertoire acquired during thymic ontogenesis and the antigenic experience before and after HIV infection. Thus intercurrent infections alter the immune condition of the organism and influence the outcome of HIV. We described a synthetic analysis of the effects of HIV on the surface protein expression and the cellular activation pathways which should provide insights in the evolutionary relationship between HIV and man and should permit to do a more physiological therapeutic approach.

Hide, shield and strike back: how HIV-infected cells avoid immune eradication

Viruses that induce chronic infections can evade immune responses. HIV is a prototype of this class of pathogen. Not only does it mutate rapidly and make its surface components difficult to access by neutralizing antibodies, but it also creates cellular hideouts, establishes proviral latency, removes cell-surface receptors and destroys immune effectors to escape eradication. A better understanding of these strategies might lead to new approaches in the fight against AIDS.

Induction of apoptosis by HIV-1-infected monocytic cells

We have previously described a soluble 6000-Da peptide produced by an HIV-1-infected human macrophage cell line, clone 43(HIV), which induces apoptosis in T and B cells. We have identified this factor as the novel cDNA clone FL14676485 that encodes for the human hypothetical protein, FLJ21908. The FL14676485 cDNA clone was isolated from a 43(HIV) lambda ZAP Escherichia coli expression library and screened with a panel of rabbit and mouse anti-apoptotic Abs. We transfected the FL14676485 clone into Bosc cells and non-HIV-1-infected 43 cells. Western blot analysis of lysates from the FL14676485-transfected 43 cells and Bosc cells using anti-proapoptotic factor Abs revealed a protein with a molecular mass of 66 kDa corresponding to the size of the full-length gene product of the FL14676485 clone, while Western blot of the supernatant demonstrated a doublet of 46-kDa and 6000-Da peptide that corresponds to our previously described proapoptotic factor. Primary HIV-1(BaL)-infected monocytes also produce the FLJ21908 protein. Supernatants from these transfected cells induced apoptosis in PBMC, CD4(+), and CD8(+) T and B cells similar to the activity of our previously described proapoptotic factor. PCR analysis of 43 cells and 43(HIV) cells revealed a base pair fragment of 420 bp corresponding to the FL14676485 gene product in 43(HIV) cells, but not in 43 cells. The FLJ21908 protein induces apoptosis through activation of caspase-9 and caspase-3. We have further demonstrated that the FLJ21908 protein has apoptotic activity in the SH-SY5Y neuronal cell line and can be detected in brain and lymph tissue from HIV-1-infected patients who have AIDS dementia. The FLJ21908 protein may contribute to the apoptosis and dementia observed in AIDS patients.

Genetic control of MHC class II expression

The presentation of peptides to T cells by MHC class II molecules is of critical importance in specific recognition by the immune system. Expression of class II molecules is exquisitely controlled at the transcriptional level. A large set of proteins interact with the promoters of class II genes. The most important of these is CIITA, a master controller that orchestrates expression but does not bind directly to the promoter. The transcriptosome complex formed at class II promoters is a model for induction of gene expression.