Critical role of OX40 in the expansion and survival of CD4 T-cell-derived double-negative T cells

Abstract Classic Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) responds markedly to PD-1 blockade therapy, and the clinical responses are reportedly dependent on expression of major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC-II). This dependence is different from other solid tumors, in which the MHC class I (MHC-I)/CD8+ T-cell axis plays a critical role. In this study, we investigated the role of the MHC-II/CD4+ T-cell axis in the antitumor effect of PD-1 blockade on cHL. In cHL, MHC-I expression was frequently lost, but MHC-II expression was maintained. CD4+ T cells highly infiltrated the tumor microenvironment of MHC-II–expressing cHL, regardless of MHC-I expression status. Consequently, CD4+ T-cell, but not CD8+ T-cell, infiltration was a good prognostic factor in cHL, and PD-1 blockade showed antitumor efficacy against MHC-II–expressing cHL associated with CD4+ T-cell infiltration. Murine lymphoma and solid tumor models revealed the critical role of antitumor effects mediated by CD4+ T cells: an anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody exerted antitumor effects on MHC-I−MHC-II+ tumors but not on MHC-I−MHC-II− tumors, in a cytotoxic CD4+ T-cell–dependent manner. Furthermore, LAG-3, which reportedly binds to MHC-II, was highly expressed by tumor-infiltrating CD4+ T cells in MHC-II–expressing tumors. Therefore, the combination of LAG-3 blockade with PD-1 blockade showed a far stronger antitumor immunity compared with either treatment alone. We propose that PD-1 blockade therapies have antitumor effects on MHC-II–expressing tumors such as cHL that are mediated by cytotoxic CD4+ T cells and that LAG-3 could be a candidate for combination therapy with PD-1 blockade.

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Double Negative T Cells Influence TCR VB Variablity to Induce Allotolerance.

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood.v108.11.759.759 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 108 (11) ◽

pp. 759-759

Author(s):

Zachariah A. McIver ◽

Marcin Wlodarski ◽

Jennifer Powers ◽

Christine O’Keefe ◽

Tao Jin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Flow Cytometry ◽

T Cells ◽

T Cell ◽

Regulatory T Cells ◽

Peripheral Tolerance ◽

Double Negative ◽

Clonal Deletion ◽

Tcr Repertoire ◽

Double Negative T Cells

Abstract Immune alloresponsiveness following allogeneic HSCT is influenced by the dynamics of immune reconstitution and development of allotolerance. In general, tolerance is induced by thymic clonal deletion (central) and apoptosis or suppression of alloresponsive lymphocytes by regulatory T cells in the periphery. We have recently demonstrated that the size of the TCR repertoire within the CD4 and CD8 compartments can be assessed using VB spectrum by flow cytometry, and expansions/losses of individual TCR VB families can be used as a surrogate marker of TCR variability. (Exp. Hem.32: 1010–1022; Br. J. Haematol.129:411–419). Additionally, regulatory T cells can also impact the clonal contractions and expansions within the TCR VB repertoire. Various types of regulatory T cells have been described including CD4+CD25+, CD8+, NK T−cells, and CD3+CD4/CD8− double negative T cells (DN Tregs). In our current study we investigated the role of DN Tregs on the restoration of immune repertoire diversity. We hypothesized that alloresponsiveness clinically detected as a manifestation of GvHD may be associated with oligoclonal T−cell expansions, and in this context decreased numbers of regulatory T cells suggest deficient tolerizing function by regulatory T cells including DN Tregs. Here we studied a cohort of 60 HSCT recipients (AML, CML, CLL, NHL, AA, and PV), of which 25 patients received matched unrelated donor grafts and 35 received matched sibling donor grafts. Blood was sampled between 2003–2006 at monthly intervals after HSCT, and flow cytometry for TCR repertoire in CD4 and CD8 cells as well as the numbers of DN cells were recorded. Additionally, separate samples were collected for measurement of chimerism and were included in analysis when donor lymphoid chimerism was > 60%. A subset analysis was performed based on the presence/absence of GvHD. For the 27/60 (45%) patients with episodes of GvHD, results were obtained at the time of diagnosis of GvHD (grade > 2), while for patients in whom notable GvHD was not captured, the steady−state values at corresponding times were used for analysis. For all patients serial evaluations were available. For the purpose of this study, significant VB expansions/contractions were defined as +/− 2 standard deviation over the average VB family size. Using Cox proportional hazards analysis to identify univariate risk factors for GVHD, CD8 VB TCR contractions > 14 VB families (58.3% contraction of entire CD4 VB repertoire) constituted a strong indicator for increased risk (HR=7.61, p=0.011). This observation is consistent with the fact that oligoclonality of alloreactive T cell clones is frequently accompanied by a significant contraction/loss of remaining VB families and may herald heightened alloresponsiveness as a manifestation of GvHD. Estimation for correlation by Pearson’s correlation coefficient also demonstrated that percentage of DN cells strongly correlated with a normalization of CD4 VB TCR repertoire (lower number of expansions; N=57, R= −0.51, p=0.027), supporting our hypothesis that DN cells participate in peripheral tolerance and suppress proliferative, alloresponsive CD4 clones. In summary, our results further characterize TCR variability post HSCT and define the role of DN cells in the induction of allotolerance.

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Blimp-1–mediated CD4 T cell exhaustion causes CD8 T cell dysfunction during chronic toxoplasmosis

Journal of Experimental Medicine ◽

10.1084/jem.20151995 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 213 (9) ◽

pp. 1799-1818 ◽

Cited By ~ 35

Author(s):

SuJin Hwang ◽

Dustin A. Cobb ◽

Rajarshi Bhadra ◽

Ben Youngblood ◽

Imtiaz A. Khan

Keyword(s):

T Cells ◽

T Cell ◽

Critical Role ◽

Cd8 T Cell ◽

Cd4 T Cell ◽

T Cell Exhaustion ◽

Cell Exhaustion ◽

Cell Dysfunction ◽

T Cell Dysfunction

CD8, but not CD4, T cells are considered critical for control of chronic toxoplasmosis. Although CD8 exhaustion has been previously reported in Toxoplasma encephalitis (TE)–susceptible model, our current work demonstrates that CD4 not only become exhausted during chronic toxoplasmosis but this dysfunction is more pronounced than CD8 T cells. Exhausted CD4 population expressed elevated levels of multiple inhibitory receptors concomitant with the reduced functionality and up-regulation of Blimp-1, a transcription factor. Our data demonstrates for the first time that Blimp-1 is a critical regulator for CD4 T cell exhaustion especially in the CD4 central memory cell subset. Using a tamoxifen-dependent conditional Blimp-1 knockout mixed bone marrow chimera as well as an adoptive transfer approach, we show that CD4 T cell–intrinsic deletion of Blimp-1 reversed CD8 T cell dysfunction and resulted in improved pathogen control. To the best of our knowledge, this is a novel finding, which demonstrates the role of Blimp-1 as a critical regulator of CD4 dysfunction and links it to the CD8 T cell dysfunctionality observed in infected mice. The critical role of CD4-intrinsic Blimp-1 expression in mediating CD4 and CD8 T cell exhaustion may provide a rational basis for designing novel therapeutic approaches.

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Lack of clinical AIDS in SIV-infected sooty mangabeys with significant CD4+ T cell loss is associated with double-negative T cells

Journal of Clinical Investigation ◽

10.1172/jci44876 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 121 (3) ◽

pp. 1102-1110 ◽

Cited By ~ 51

Author(s):

Jeffrey M. Milush ◽

Kiran D. Mir ◽

Vasudha Sundaravaradan ◽

Shari N. Gordon ◽

Jessica Engram ◽

...

Keyword(s):

T Cells ◽

T Cell ◽

Cell Loss ◽

Cd4 T Cell ◽

Double Negative ◽

Sooty Mangabeys ◽

Double Negative T Cells

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Harnessing Antitumor CD4+ T Cells for Cancer Immunotherapy

Cancers ◽

10.3390/cancers14010260 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

pp. 260

Author(s):

Myriam Ben Ben Khelil ◽

Yann Godet ◽

Syrine Abdeljaoued ◽

Christophe Borg ◽

Olivier Adotévi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

T Cells ◽

T Cell ◽

Cancer Immunotherapy ◽

Cd4 T Cells ◽

Critical Role ◽

T Cell Subsets ◽

Cd4 T Cell ◽

Cancer Therapies ◽

The Impact

Over the past decades, CD4+ T cells have been considered as a supporting actor in the fields of cancer immunotherapy. Until recently, accumulating evidence has demonstrated the critical role of CD4+ T cells during antitumor immunity. CD4+ T cells can either suppress or promote the antitumor cytotoxic CD8+ T cell responses, either in secondary lymphoid organs or in the tumor. In this review, we provide an overview of the multifaceted role of different CD4+ T cell subsets in cancer immune response and their contribution during cancer therapies. Specifically, we focus on the latest progress regarding the impact of CD4+ T cell modulation on immunotherapies and other cancer therapies and discuss the prospect for harnessing CD4+ T cells to control tumor progression and prevent recurrence in patients.

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The critical role of CD4+ T-cell help in immunity to HIV

Vaccine ◽

10.1016/s0264-410x(02)00078-6 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 20 (15) ◽

pp. 1961-1963 ◽

Cited By ~ 29

Author(s):

Jonathan Luke Heeney

Keyword(s):

T Cell ◽

Critical Role ◽

Cd4 T Cell ◽

Cd4 T Cell Help ◽

T Cell Help

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Isolevuglandin-Modified Cardiac Proteins Drive CD4+ T Cell Activation in the Heart and Promote Cardiac Dysfunction

Circulation ◽

10.1161/circulationaha.120.051889 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Njabulo Ngwenyama ◽

Annet Kirabo ◽

Mark Aronovitz ◽

Francisco Velázquez ◽

Francisco Carrillo-Salinas ◽

...

Keyword(s):

T Cells ◽

T Cell ◽

Antigen Presentation ◽

T Cell Activation ◽

Cardiac Dysfunction ◽

Cd4 T Cells ◽

Cell Activation ◽

Cd4 T Cell ◽

Myocardial Oxidative Stress

Background: Despite the well-established association between T cell-mediated inflammation and non-ischemic heart failure (HF), the specific mechanisms triggering T cell activation during the progression of HF and the antigens involved are poorly understood. We hypothesized that myocardial oxidative stress induces the formation of isolevuglandin (IsoLG)-modified proteins that function as cardiac neoantigens to elicit CD4+ T cell receptor (TCR) activation and promote HF. Methods: We used transverse aortic constriction (TAC) in mice to trigger myocardial oxidative stress and T cell infiltration. We profiled the TCR repertoire by mRNA sequencing of intramyocardial activated CD4+ T cells in Nur77 GFP reporter mice, which transiently express GFP upon TCR engagement. We assessed the role of antigen presentation and TCR specificity in the development of cardiac dysfunction using antigen presentation-deficient MhcII -/- mice, and TCR transgenic OTII mice that lack specificity for endogenous antigens. We detected IsoLG-protein adducts in failing human hearts. We also evaluated the role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and IsoLGs in eliciting T cell immune responses in vivo by treating mice with the antioxidant TEMPOL, and the IsoLG scavenger 2-hydroxybenzylamine (2-HOBA) during TAC, and ex-vivo in mechanistic studies of CD4+ T cell proliferation in response to IsoLG-modified cardiac proteins. Results: We discovered that TCR antigen recognition increases in the left ventricle (LV) as cardiac dysfunction progresses, and identified a limited repertoire of activated CD4+ T cell clonotypes in the LV. Antigen presentation of endogenous antigens was required to develop cardiac dysfunction since MhcII -/- mice reconstituted with CD4+ T cells, and OTII mice immunized with their cognate antigen were protected from TAC-induced cardiac dysfunction despite the presence of LV-infiltrated CD4+ T cells. Scavenging IsoLGs with 2-HOBA reduced TCR activation and prevented cardiac dysfunction. Mechanistically, cardiac pressure overload resulted in ROS dependent dendritic cell accumulation of IsoLG-protein adducts which induced robust CD4+ T cell proliferation. Conclusions: Collectively, our study demonstrates an important role of ROS-induced formation of IsoLG-modified cardiac neoantigens that lead to TCR-dependent CD4+ T cell activation within the heart.

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Critical role of the CD44lowCD62Llow CD8+ T cell subset in restoring antitumor immunity in aged mice

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ◽

10.1073/pnas.2103730118 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 118 (23) ◽

pp. e2103730118

Author(s):

Yuka Nakajima ◽

Kenji Chamoto ◽

Takuma Oura ◽

Tasuku Honjo

Keyword(s):

T Cells ◽

T Cell ◽

T Cell Activation ◽

Critical Role ◽

Cell Subset ◽

Effector Memory ◽

T Cell Subset ◽

Aged Mice ◽

Age Related

CD8+ T cells play a central role in antitumor immune responses that kill cancer cells directly. In aged individuals, CD8+ T cell immunity is strongly suppressed, which is associated with cancer and other age-related diseases. The mechanism underlying this age-related decrease in immune function remains largely unknown. This study investigated the role of T cell function in age-related unresponsiveness to PD-1 blockade cancer therapy. We found inefficient generation of CD44lowCD62Llow CD8+ T cell subset (P4) in draining lymph nodes of tumor-bearing aged mice. In vitro stimulation of naive CD8+ T cells first generated P4 cells, followed by effector/memory T cells. The P4 cells contained a unique set of genes related to enzymes involved in one-carbon (1C) metabolism, which is critical to antigen-specific T cell activation and mitochondrial function. Consistent with this finding, 1C-metabolism–related gene expression and mitochondrial respiration were down-regulated in aged CD8+ T cells compared with young CD8+ T cells. In aged OVA-specific T cell receptor (TCR) transgenic mice, ZAP-70 was not activated, even after inoculation with OVA-expressing tumor cells. The attenuation of TCR signaling appeared to be due to elevated expression of CD45RB phosphatase in aged CD8+ T cells. Surprisingly, strong stimulation by nonself cell injection into aged PD-1–deficient mice restored normal levels of CD45RB and ameliorated the emergence of P4 cells and 1C metabolic enzyme expression in CD8+ T cells, and antitumor activity. These findings indicate that impaired induction of the P4 subset may be responsible for the age-related resistance to PD-1 blockade, which can be rescued by strong TCR stimulation.

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