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Hoeppli RE, MacDonald KN, Leclair P, Fung VCW, Mojibian M, Gillies J, Rahavi SMR, Campbell AIM, Gandhi SK, Pesenacker AM, Reid G, Lim CJ, Levings MK. Tailoring the homing capacity of human Tregs for directed migration to sites of Th1-inflammation or intestinal regions. Am J Transplant 2019; 19:62-76. [PMID: 29766641 DOI: 10.1111/ajt.14936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2017] [Revised: 04/17/2018] [Accepted: 05/06/2018] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Cell-based therapy with CD4+ FOXP3+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) is a promising strategy to limit organ rejection and graft-vs-host disease. Ongoing clinical applications have yet to consider how human Tregs could be modified to direct their migration to specific inflammation sites and/or tissues for more targeted immunosuppression. We show here that stable, homing-receptor-tailored human Tregs can be generated from thymic Tregs isolated from pediatric thymus or adult blood. To direct migration to Th1-inflammatory sites, addition of interferon-γ and IL-12 during Treg expansion produced suppressive, epigenetically stable CXCR3+ TBET+ FOXP3+ T helper (Th)1-Tregs. CXCR3 remained expressed after injection in vivo and Th1-Tregs migrated efficiently towards CXCL10 in vitro. To induce tissue-specific migration, addition of retinoic acid (RA) during Treg expansion induced expression of the gut-homing receptors α4β7-integrin and CCR9. FOXP3+ RA-Tregs had elevated expression of the functional markers latency-associated peptide and glycoprotein A repetitions predominant, increased suppressive capacity in vitro and migrated efficiently to healthy and inflamed intestine after injection into mice. Homing-receptor-tailored Tregs were epigenetically stable even after long-term exposure to inflammatory conditions, suppressive in vivo and characterized by Th1- or gut-homing-specific transcriptomes. Tailoring human thymic Treg homing during in vitro expansion offers a new and clinically applicable approach to improving the potency and specificity of Treg therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- R E Hoeppli
- Department of Surgery, University of British Columbia & British Columbia Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - K N MacDonald
- School of Biomedical Engineering, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.,Michael Smith Laboratories, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - P Leclair
- Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia & British Columbia Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - V C W Fung
- Department of Surgery, University of British Columbia & British Columbia Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - M Mojibian
- Department of Surgery, University of British Columbia & British Columbia Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - J Gillies
- Department of Surgery, University of British Columbia & British Columbia Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - S M R Rahavi
- Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia & British Columbia Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - A I M Campbell
- Department of Surgery, University of British Columbia & British Columbia Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - S K Gandhi
- Department of Surgery, University of British Columbia & British Columbia Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - A M Pesenacker
- Department of Surgery, University of British Columbia & British Columbia Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - G Reid
- Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia & British Columbia Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - C J Lim
- Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia & British Columbia Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - M K Levings
- Department of Surgery, University of British Columbia & British Columbia Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada.,School of Biomedical Engineering, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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Hoeppli RE, MacDonald KG, Levings MK, Cook L. How antigen specificity directs regulatory T-cell function: self, foreign and engineered specificity. HLA 2016; 88:3-13. [PMID: 27256587 DOI: 10.1111/tan.12822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2016] [Accepted: 04/29/2016] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are a suppressive subset of T cells that have important roles in maintaining self-tolerance and preventing immunopathology. The T-cell receptor (TCR) and its antigen specificity play a dominant role in the differentiation of cells to a Treg fate, either in the thymus or in the periphery. This review focuses on the effects of the TCR and its antigen specificity on Treg biology. The role of Tregs with specificity for self-antigen has primarily been studied in the context of autoimmune disease, although recent studies have focused on their role in steady-state conditions. The role of Tregs that are specific for pathogens, dietary antigens and allergens is much less studied, although recent data suggest a significant and previously underappreciated role for Tregs during memory responses to a wide range of foreign antigens. The development of TCR- or chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-transduced T cells means we are now able to engineer Tregs with disease-relevant antigen specificities, paving the way for ensuring specificity with Treg-based therapies. Understanding the role that antigens play in driving the generation and function of Tregs is critical for defining the pathophysiology of many immune-mediated diseases, and developing new therapeutic interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- R E Hoeppli
- Department of Surgery, University of British Columbia and Child & Family Research Institute, Vancouver, Canada
| | - K G MacDonald
- Department of Surgery, University of British Columbia and Child & Family Research Institute, Vancouver, Canada
| | - M K Levings
- Department of Surgery, University of British Columbia and Child & Family Research Institute, Vancouver, Canada
| | - L Cook
- Department of Surgery, University of British Columbia and Child & Family Research Institute, Vancouver, Canada
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Dijke IE, Hoeppli RE, Ellis T, Pearcey J, Huang Q, McMurchy AN, Boer K, Peeters AMA, Aubert G, Larsen I, Ross DB, Rebeyka I, Campbell A, Baan CC, Levings MK, West LJ. Discarded Human Thymus Is a Novel Source of Stable and Long-Lived Therapeutic Regulatory T Cells. Am J Transplant 2016; 16:58-71. [PMID: 26414799 DOI: 10.1111/ajt.13456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2015] [Revised: 06/19/2015] [Accepted: 07/14/2015] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Regulatory T cell (Treg)-based therapy is a promising approach to treat many immune-mediated disorders such as autoimmune diseases, organ transplant rejection, and graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Challenges to successful clinical implementation of adoptive Treg therapy include difficulties isolating homogeneous cell populations and developing expansion protocols that result in adequate numbers of cells that remain stable, even under inflammatory conditions. We investigated the potential of discarded human thymuses, routinely removed during pediatric cardiac surgery, to be used as a novel source of therapeutic Tregs. Here, we show that large numbers of FOXP3(+) Tregs can be isolated and expanded from a single thymus. Expanded thymic Tregs had stable FOXP3 expression and long telomeres, and suppressed proliferation and cytokine production of activated allogeneic T cells in vitro. Moreover, expanded thymic Tregs delayed development of xenogeneic GVHD in vivo more effectively than expanded Tregs isolated based on CD25 expression from peripheral blood. Importantly, in contrast to expanded blood Tregs, expanded thymic Tregs remained stable under inflammatory conditions. Our results demonstrate that discarded pediatric thymuses are an excellent source of therapeutic Tregs, having the potential to overcome limitations currently hindering the use of Tregs derived from peripheral or cord blood.
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Affiliation(s)
- I E Dijke
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.,Alberta Transplant Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - R E Hoeppli
- Department of Surgery, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - T Ellis
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.,Alberta Transplant Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - J Pearcey
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.,Alberta Transplant Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Q Huang
- Department of Surgery, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - A N McMurchy
- Department of Surgery, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - K Boer
- Department of Internal Medicine, Erasmus MC Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - A M A Peeters
- Department of Internal Medicine, Erasmus MC Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - G Aubert
- Terry Fox Laboratory, British Columbia Cancer Research Centre, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - I Larsen
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.,Alberta Transplant Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - D B Ross
- Alberta Transplant Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.,Department of Surgery, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - I Rebeyka
- Alberta Transplant Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.,Department of Surgery, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - A Campbell
- Department of Surgery, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - C C Baan
- Department of Internal Medicine, Erasmus MC Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - M K Levings
- Department of Surgery, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - L J West
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.,Alberta Transplant Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.,Department of Surgery, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
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