The Development of Functional CD8 T Cell Memory afterListeria monocytogenesInfection Is Not Dependent on CD40

Lessons from transmissible cancers for immunotherapy and transplant

The emergence of horizontal transmission of cancer between vertebrates is an issue that interests scientists and medical society. Transmission requires: (i) a mechanism by which cancer cells can transfer to another organism and (ii) a repressed immune response on the part of the recipient. Transmissible tumors are unique models to comprehend the responses and mechanisms mediated by the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), which can be transposed for transplant biology. Here, we discuss the mechanisms involved in immune-mediated tissue rejection, making a parallel with transmissible cancers. We also discuss cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in cancer immunotherapy and anti-rejection therapies.

Conventional CD4+ T cells present bacterial antigens to induce cytotoxic and memory CD8+ T cell responses

Bacterial phagocytosis and antigen cross-presentation to activate CD8⁺ T cells are principal functions of professional antigen presenting cells. However, conventional CD4⁺ T cells also capture and kill bacteria from infected dendritic cells in a process termed transphagocytosis (also known as transinfection). Here, we show that transphagocytic T cells present bacterial antigens to naive CD8⁺ T cells, which proliferate and become cytotoxic in response. CD4⁺ T-cell-mediated antigen presentation also occurs in vivo in the course of infection, and induces the generation of central memory CD8⁺ T cells with low PD-1 expression. Moreover, transphagocytic CD4⁺ T cells induce protective anti-tumour immune responses by priming CD8⁺ T cells, highlighting the potential of CD4⁺ T cells as a tool for cancer immunotherapy.

Antigen presentation is generally considered the domain of innate immune cells, but CD4⁺ T cells can transphagocytose bacteria from infected dendritic cells. Here the authors show CD4⁺ T cells can transphagocytose bacterial and tumour antigens and present them to CD8⁺ T cells to activate memory and cytotoxic functions.

CD40L expression by CD4+ but not CD8+ T cells regulates antiviral immune responses in acute LCMV infection in mice

CD40-CD40 ligand (CD40L) signaling plays multiple indispensable roles in cellular and humoral immunity. Impaired memory T-cell responses in the absence of CD40L have been well documented, but the requirement of this interaction for efficient priming of CD8⁺ T cells especially under inflammatory conditions has been under debate. In contrast to previous publications, we report here that virus-specific CD8⁺ T-cell responses as well as viral clearance are affected not only in the memory but also in the effector phase in CD40L^-/- mice infected with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) Armstrong strain. Interestingly, a considerable part of the LCMV-specific effector and memory T cells consists of CD40L⁺ CD8⁺ T cells. However, deficiency of CD40L in CD8⁺ T cells did influence neither the quantity nor the quality of primary T-cell responses in LCMV infection. Virus-specific CD8⁺ T cells in conditional knockout mice, with a selective deletion of the CD40L in CD8⁺ T cells, were fully functional regarding cytokine production and efficient pathogen clearance. Thus, our results unambiguously demonstrate that while CD40L is critical to generate effective primary CD8⁺ T-cell responses also under inflammatory conditions, CD40L expression by CD8⁺ T cells themselves is dispensable in acute LCMV infection.

Durable adoptive immunotherapy for leukemia produced by manipulation of multiple regulatory pathways of CD8+ T-cell tolerance

Tolerizing mechanisms within the host and tumor microenvironment inhibit T-cell effector functions that can control cancer. These mechanisms blunt adoptive immunotherapy with infused T-cells due to a complex array of signals that determine T-cell tolerance, survival, or deletion. Ligation of the negative regulatory receptors CTLA4, PD-1(PDCD1), or LAG3 on T-cells normally hinders their response to antigen through nonredundant biochemical processes that interfere with stimulatory pathways. In this study, we used an established mouse model of T-cell tolerance to define the roles of these inhibitory receptors in regulating CD8(+) T-cell tolerance during adoptive immunotherapy to treat leukemia. Blocking CTLA4 and PD-1 in vivo combined to promote survival of transferred T-cells despite powerful deletional signals that mediate Bim (BCL2L11)-dependent apoptosis. However, this dual blockade was not optimal for stimulating effector function by responding T-cells, which required the additional blockade of LAG3 to induce full expansion and allow the acquisition of robust cytolytic activity. Thus, the cooperation of multiple distinct regulatory pathways was needed for the survival and effector differentiation of adoptively transferred tumor-reactive CD8(+) T-cells. Our work defines the immune escape pathways in which simultaneous blockade could yield durable immunotherapeutic responses that can eradicate disseminated leukemia.

Direct in vivo evidence of CD4+ T cell requirement for CTL response and memory via pMHC-I targeting and CD40L signaling

CD4(+) T cell help contributes critically to DC-induced CD8(+) CTL immunity. However, precisely how these three cell populations interact and how CD4(+) T cell signals are delivered to CD8(+) T cells in vivo have been unclear. In this study, we developed a novel, two-step approach, wherein CD4(+) T cells and antigen-presenting DCs productively engaged one another in vivo in the absence of cognate CD8(+) T cells, after which, we selectively depleted the previously engaged CD4(+) T cells or DCs before allowing interactions of either population alone with naïve CD8(+) T cells. This protocol thus allows us to clearly document the importance of CD4(+) T-licensed DCs and DC-primed CD4(+) T cells in CTL immunity. Here, we provide direct in vivo evidence that primed CD4(+) T cells or licensed DCs can stimulate CTL response and memory, independent of DC-CD4(+) T cell clusters. Our results suggest that primed CD4(+) T cells with acquired pMHC-I from DCs represent crucial "immune intermediates" for rapid induction of CTL responses and for functional memory via CD40L signaling. Importantly, intravital, two-photon microscopy elegantly provide unequivocal in vivo evidence for direct CD4-CD8(+) T cell interactions via pMHC-I engagement. This study corroborates the coexistence of direct and indirect mechanisms of T cell help for a CTL response in noninflammatory situations. These data suggest a new "dynamic model of three-cell interactions" for CTL immunity derived from stimulation by dissociated, licensed DCs, primed CD4(+) T cells, and DC-CD4(+) T cell clusters and may have significant implications for autoimmunity and vaccine design.

Synergistic CD40 signaling on APCs and CD8 T cells drives efficient CD8 response and memory differentiation

The role of CD4 help during CD8 response and memory differentiation has been clearly demonstrated in different experimental models. However, the exact mechanisms of CD4 help remain largely unknown and preclude replacement therapy to develop. Interestingly, studies have shown that administration of an agonist aCD40ab can substitute CD4 help in vitro and in vivo, whereas the targets of this antibody remain elusive. In this study, we address the exact role of CD40 expression on APCs and CD8 T cells using aCD40ab treatment in mice. We demonstrate that aCD40 antibodies have synergetic effects on APCs and CD8 T cells. Full efficiency of aCD40 treatment requires CD40 expression on both populations: if one of these cell populations is CD40-deficient, the CD8 T cell response is impaired. Most importantly, direct CD40 signaling on APCs and CD8 T cells affects CD8 T cell differentiation differently. In our model, CD40 expression on APCs plays an important but dispensable role on CD8 T cell expansion and effector functions during the early phase of the immune response. Conversely, CD40 on CD8 T cells is crucial and nonredundant for their progressive differentiation into memory cells. Altogether, these results highlight that CD40-CD40L-dependent and independent effects of CD4 help to drive a complete CD8 T cell differentiation.

CD4+ T cell regulation of CD25 expression controls development of short-lived effector CD8+ T cells in primary and secondary responses

Both CD4(+) T cell help and IL-2 have been postulated to "program" activated CD8(+) T cells for memory cell development. However, the linkage between these two signals has not been well elucidated. Here we have studied effector and memory CD8(+) T cell differentiation following infection with three pathogens (Listeria monocytogenes, vesicular stomatitis virus, and vaccinia virus) in the absence of both CD4(+) T cells and IL-2 signaling. We found that expression of CD25 on antigen-specific CD8(+) T cells peaked 3-4 days after initial priming and was dependent on CD4(+) T cell help, likely through a CD28:CD80/86 mediated pathway. CD4(+) T cell or CD25-deficiency led to normal early effector CD8(+) T cell differentiation, but a subsequent lack of accumulation of CD8(+) T cells resulting in overall decreased memory cell generation. Interestingly, in both primary and recall responses KLRG1(high) CD127(low) short-lived effector cells were drastically diminished in the absence of IL-2 signaling, although memory precursors remained intact. In contrast to previous reports, upon secondary antigen encounter CD25-deficient CD8(+) T cells were capable of undergoing robust expansion, but short-lived effector development was again impaired. Thus, these results demonstrated that CD4(+) T cell help and IL-2 signaling were linked via CD25 up-regulation, which controls the expansion and differentiation of antigen-specific effector CD8(+) T cells, rather than "programming" memory cell traits.

Recall responses by helpless memory CD8+ T cells are restricted by the up-regulation of PD-1

CD4 help is crucial for memory CD8(+) T cell development, yet the mechanisms of CD4 help and why (CD4) helpless memory CD8(+) T cells elicit poor recall responses are currently not well understood. In this study we investigated these questions using an in vivo acute virus infection model. We show herein that CD4 help during priming is required for memory CD8(+) T cell differentiation, and that stimulation of CD40 during priming rescues the helpless defects in the absence of CD4(+) T cells. The defective recall response by helpless memory cells did not correlate with the amount of cell death and was independent of TRAIL. However, helpless memory cells excessively up-regulated the inhibitory receptor PD-1 (programmed cell death-1), and PD-1 blockade enhanced the recall response of helpless memory cells. Furthermore, providing IL-2 signaling in vivo during the recall response reduced PD-1 expression and rescued the recall response of helpless memory cells. Our study identifies molecular pathways involved in CD4 help for memory CD8(+) T cell generation that are independent of TRAIL, and it provides therapeutic implications that helpless memory cell function can be restored at multiple stages through various immunological interventions.

Anti-CD40 conditioning enhances the T(CD8) response to a highly tolerogenic epitope and subsequent immunotherapy of simian virus 40 T antigen-induced pancreatic tumors

Rapid loss of adoptively transferred tumor-specific CD8(+) T cells (T(CD8)) following Ag recognition in the periphery and their limited accumulation within the tumor stroma reduces the effectiveness of T cell-based immunotherapy. To better understand the role of T(CD8) in the control of autochthonous tumors, we have used mice of the RIP1-Tag4 lineage that develop pancreatic beta cell tumors due to expression of the SV40 large T Ag from the rat insulin promoter. We previously showed that the kinetics of functional T(CD8) tolerance varies toward two distinct epitopes derived from T Ag. Epitope I ((206)SAINNYAQKL(215))-specific T(CD8) are rapidly deleted whereas T(CD8) targeting epitope IV ((404)VVYDFLKC(411)) persist over the lifetime of tumor-bearing animals. In this report, we show that the conditioning of tumor-bearing RIP1-Tag4 mice with agonistic anti-CD40 Ab induces extensive expansion of naive epitope I-specific TCR transgenic (TCR-I) T cells in this tolerogenic environment and delays their loss from the host. In addition, functional TCR-I T cells intensively infiltrate pancreatic tumors, resulting in increased survival of RIP1-Tag4 mice. These results suggest that a similar approach could effectively enhance T cell-based immunotherapies to cancer when targeting other highly tolerogenic epitopes.

The Tower of Babel of CD8+ T-cell memory: known facts, deserted roads, muddy waters, and possible dead ends

Adequate antigen stimulation can lead to permanent modifications of primed cells and to the generation of memory T cells that have astonishingly improved capacities to deal with antigen. The overall properties of memory T cells (increased survival, precocious and increased division capacities, and improved effector functions) can be used to identify this unique cell type. However, each immune response may lead to the generation of multiple primed types that do not necessarily possess all these characteristics. It is not known whether these different cell types are just side products of the immune reaction or whether they are involved in disease control. Control of different infections may involve different challenges and lead to the generation of different types of immune reactions. Our major challenge is to unravel this complexity, but we must overcome our handicapped experimental tests and our imperfect a priori definitions.

CD4(+) T cells stimulate memory CD8(+) T cell expansion via acquired pMHC I complexes and costimulatory molecules, and IL-2 secretion

The rapid and efficient expansion of CD8(+) memory T cells after the second encounter with a pathogen constitutes a hallmark trait of adaptive immunity. Yet, the contribution of CD4(+) T cells to the expansion of memory CD8(+) T cells remains the subject of controversy. Here, we show that, antigen-specific CD4(+) T cells, once activated by dendritic cells (DC) in vitro, have the capacity to stimulate expansion of memory CD8(+) T cells in vivo. The memory CD8(+) T cell expansion triggered by active CD4(+) T cells are mediated through DC-derived MHC I/peptide complexes and CD80 molecules displayed on the active CD4(+) T cells, with the involvement of IL-2 secreted by the active CD4(+) T cells. These results highlight a previously undescribed role of active CD4(+) T cells in triggering expansion of memory CD8(+) T cells.

Developing and maintaining protective CD8 + memory T cells

A critical aim of vaccine-related research is to identify the mechanisms by which memory T cells are formed and maintained over long periods of time. In recent years, we have designed experiments aimed at addressing two key questions: (i) what are the factors that maintain functionally responsive CD8+ memory cells over long periods of time, and (ii) what are the signals during the early stages of infection that drive the differentiation of long-lived CD8+ memory T cells? We have identified a role for CD4+ T cells in the generation of CD8+ T-cell-mediated protection from secondary challenge. While CD4+ T cells appear to play a role in the programme of CD8 memory, we find that they are also required for the long-term maintenance of CD8+ memory T-cell numbers and function. This property is independent of CD40-CD40L interactions, and we propose a role for CD4+ T cells in maintaining the ability of CD8+ memory T cells to respond to interleukin-7 (IL-7) and IL-15. By manipulating both the time course of infection and the timing of antigen presentation to newly recruited CD8+ T cells, we also demonstrate that the programming of effector and memory potential are at least partially distinct processes.