A humanized monoclonal antibody targeting the β7 integrin selectively blocks intestinal homing of T lymphocytes

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

rhuMAb Beta7 is a humanized anti-human β7 monoclonal antibody currently in phase I in inflammatory bowel disease. rhuMAb Beta7 binds the β7 subunit of the integrins α4β7 and αEβ7, blocking interaction with their ligands. These integrins play key roles in immune cell homing to and retention in mucosal sites, and are associated with chronic inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. The goal of this study was to evaluate the mucosal specificity of rhuMAb Beta7.

EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH

We assessed the effect of murine anti-Beta7 on lymphocyte homing in mouse models of autoimmune disease. We also compared the effect of rhuMAb Beta7 on circulating mucosal-homing versus peripheral-homing T cells in naïve non-human primates.

KEY RESULTS

In cynomolgus monkeys, occupancy of β7 integrin receptors by rhuMAb Beta7 correlated with an increase in circulating β7(+) mucosal-homing lymphocytes, with no apparent effect on levels of circulating β7(-) peripheral-homing lymphocytes. rhuMAb Beta7 also inhibited lymphocyte homing to the inflamed colons of severe combined immunodeficient mice in CD45RB(high) CD4(+) T-cell transfer models. Consistent with a lack of effect on peripheral homing, in a mouse model of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, anti-β7 treatment resulted in no amelioration of CNS inflammation.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

The results presented here suggest that rhuMAb Beta7 selectively blocks lymphocyte homing to the gastrointestinal tract without affecting lymphocyte trafficking to non-mucosal tissues. rhuMAb Beta7 provides a targeted therapeutic approach with the potential for a more attractive benefit:risk ratio than currently available inflammatory bowel disease therapies.

Alpha beta T cell response to Toxoplasma gondii in previously unexposed individuals

The mechanisms by which T cells from previously unexposed hosts respond in vitro to certain intracellular pathogens remain to be fully understood. We report and characterize the in vitro reactivity to Toxoplasma gondii of human alpha beta T cells from T. gondii-seronegative individuals. Resting alpha beta T cells from these individuals proliferated in response to PBMC infected with T. gondii or pulsed with T. gondii lysate Ags. This was accompanied by an increase in the percentage of CD4+ alpha beta T cells. Purified CD4+ alpha beta T cells but not CD8+ alpha beta T cells proliferated in response to these T. gondii preparations. Both CD4+ alpha beta T cells with naive (CD45RA+) and memory (CD45RO+) phenotypes from adults as well as alpha beta T cells from T. gondii-seronegative newborns proliferated after incubation with T. gondii. This alpha beta T cell response to the parasite was inhibited by anti-HLA-DR mAb and to a lesser degree by anti-HLA-DQ mAb. Use of paraformaldehyde-fixed PBMC completely abrogated the proliferation of alpha beta T cells, indicating the need for processing of T. gondii Ags. Analysis of the TCR V beta expression did not show evidence for restriction in TCR V beta usage during T. gondii stimulation of alpha beta T cells. Alpha beta T cells secreted significant amounts of IFN-gamma after incubation with T. gondii-infected monocytes. This rapid and remarkable alpha beta T cell response may play an important role in the early events of the immune response to T. gondii.

Role of CD80 (B7.1) and CD86 (B7.2) in the immune response to an intracellular pathogen

The costimulatory ligands CD80 and CD86 play a crucial role in the initiation and maintenance of an immune response. We demonstrate that whereas infection of human monocytes with viable tachyzoites of Toxoplasma gondii resulted in rapid induction of expression of CD80 and up-regulation of expression of CD86, incubation with killed organisms failed to alter the levels of expression of these costimulatory ligands. The T. gondii-mediated changes in levels of expression of these molecules are critical to the T cell response to the parasite. Proliferation of resting T cells in response to parasite-infected cells was dependent on both CD80 and CD86. More importantly, early production of IFN-gamma in response to T. gondii by T cells from T. gondii-seronegative individuals occurred only after stimulation with monocytes that exhibited increased expression of CD80 and CD86 (monocytes infected with viable parasites) and was almost completely ablated by the combination of anti-CD80 plus anti-CD86 mAb. Moreover, proliferation and IFN-gamma production by CD4+ CD45RA+ T cells from unexposed individuals were dependent on both CD80 and CD86. These data indicate that pathogen-monocyte interaction influences the ensuing T cell response.