scholarly journals The GPR171 pathway suppresses T cell activation and limits antitumor immunity

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuki Fujiwara ◽  
Robert J. Torphy ◽  
Yi Sun ◽  
Emily N. Miller ◽  
Felix Ho ◽  
...  

AbstractThe recently identified G-protein-coupled receptor GPR171 and its ligand BigLEN are thought to regulate food uptake and anxiety. Though GPR171 is commonly used as a T cell signature gene in transcriptomic studies, its potential role in T cell immunity has not been explored. Here we show that GPR171 is transcribed in T cells and its protein expression is induced upon antigen stimulation. The neuropeptide ligand BigLEN interacts with GPR171 to suppress T cell receptor-mediated signalling pathways and to inhibit T cell proliferation. Loss of GPR171 in T cells leads to hyperactivity to antigen stimulation and GPR171 knockout mice exhibit enhanced antitumor immunity. Blockade of GPR171 signalling by an antagonist promotes antitumor T cell immunity and improves immune checkpoint blockade therapies. Together, our study identifies the GPR171/BigLEN axis as a T cell checkpoint pathway that can be modulated for cancer immunotherapy.

Blood ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 108 (11) ◽  
pp. 3891-3891
Author(s):  
Zwi N. Berneman ◽  
Nathalie Cools ◽  
Viggo F.I. Van Tendeloo ◽  
Marc Lenjou ◽  
Griet Nijs ◽  
...  

Abstract Dendritic cells (DC), the professional antigen presenting cells of the immune system, exert important functions both in induction of T cell immunity as well as of tolerance. Previously, it was accepted that the main function of immature DC (iDC) in their in vivo steady state condition is to maintain peripheral tolerance to self-antigens and that these iDC mature upon encounter of so-called danger signals and subsequently promote T cell immunity. However, a growing body of experimental evidence now indicates that traditional DC maturation can no longer be used to distinguish between tolerogenic and immunogenic properties of DC. In this study, we compared the in vitro stimulatory capacity of immature DC (iDC), cytokine cocktail-matured DC (CC-mDC) and poly I:C-matured DC (pIC-mDC) in the absence and presence of antigen. All investigated DC types could induce at least 2 subsets of regulatory T cells. We observed a significant increase in both the number of functionally suppressive transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta+ interleukin (IL)-10+ T cells as well as of CD4+CD25+FOXP3+ T cells within DC/T cell co-cultures as compared to T cell cultures without DC. The induction of these regulatory T cells correlates with in vitro T cell non-responsiveness after co-culture with iDC and CC-mDC, while stimulation with pIC-mDC resulted in reproducible cytomegalovirus pp65 or influenza M1 matrix peptide-specific T cell activation as compared to control cultures in the absence of DC. In addition, the T cell non-responsiveness after stimulation with iDC was shown to be mediated by TGF-beta and IL-10. Moreover, the suppressive capacity of CD4+ T cells activated by iDC and CC-mDC was shown to be transferable when these CD4+ T cells were added to an established T cell response. In contrast, addition of CD4+ T cells stimulated by pIC-mDC made responder T cells refractory to their suppressive activity. In conclusion, we hypothesize that DC have a complementary role in inducing both regulatory T cells and effector T cells, where the final result of antigen-specific T cell activation will depend on the activation state of the DC. This emphasizes the need for proper DC activation when T cell immunity is the desired effect, especially when used in clinical trials.


2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anabelle Visperas ◽  
Jeongsu Do ◽  
Booki Min

The fate of adaptive T cell immunity is determined by multiple cellular and molecular factors, among which the cytokine milieu plays the most important role in this process. Depending on the cytokines present during the initial T cell activation, T cells become effector cells that produce different effector molecules and execute adaptive immune functions. Studies thus far have primarily focused on defining how these factors control T cell differentiation by targeting T cells themselves. However, other non-T cells, particularly APCs, also express receptors for the factors and are capable of responding to them. In this review, we will discuss how APCs, by responding to those cytokines, influence T cell differentiation and adaptive immunity.


2001 ◽  
Vol 193 (7) ◽  
pp. 803-814 ◽  
Author(s):  
François Van Laethem ◽  
Erika Baus ◽  
Lesley A. Smyth ◽  
Fabienne Andris ◽  
Françoise Bex ◽  
...  

Glucocorticoids (GCs) affect peripheral immune responses by inhibiting T cell immunity at several stages of the activation cascade, causing impaired cytokine production and effector function. The recent demonstration that the thymic epithelium and possibly thymocytes themselves produce steroids suggests that endogenous GCs also play a role in the control of T cell development. As both peripheral responsiveness and thymic differentiation appear to be regulated by the quantity and quality of intracellular signals issued by antigen–major histocompatibility complex-engaged T cell receptor (TCR) complexes, we investigated the effects of GCs on the signaling properties of T cells stimulated by anti-CD3 monoclonal antibodies or agonist peptides. We demonstrate in this work that dexamethasone, a synthetic GC, inhibits the early signaling events initiated upon TCR ligation, such as tyrosine phosphorylation of several TCR-associated substrates including the ζ chain, the ZAP70 kinase, and the transmembrane adapter molecule linker for activation of T cells. Hypophosphorylation was not a consequence of reduced kinase activity of src protein tyrosine kinases, but was correlated with an altered- membrane compartmentalization of these molecules. These observations indicate that in addition to their well-described ability to interfere with the transcription of molecules involved in peripheral responses, GCs inhibit T cell activation by affecting the early phosphorylating events induced after TCR ligation.


Blood ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 128 (22) ◽  
pp. SCI-12-SCI-12
Author(s):  
Nicholas Restifo

Abstract T lymphocytes are at the very center of the rapidly expanding universe of cancer immunotherapy. We now know that each T cell clonotype can in fact contain a stem cell-like system, which is capable of self-renewal and differentiation. We have described the identification of human T memory stem cells (TSCM). TSCM maintain robust replicative capacity and are multipotent in their ability to give rise to cytolytic effector and memory progeny. Stem-cell-like T cells are epigenetically distinct. From their poised epigenetic and metabolic states, TSCM efficiently can give rise to cells with a multiplicity of identities required for successful immune responses, and collectively provide protection against infections and cancer. We have visualized the chromatin states of TSCM on a whole genome level. We have found that the transcription factor Bach2 is a repressor of T cell receptor-driven programs. These findings go a long way in identifying a molecular mechanism that enables T cells to maintain their stem cell-like state. We have direct evidence that sufficient T cell activation can overwhelm the repressive influence of Bach2 through the action of the Akt kinase. Akt mediates the core events of T cell differentiation and it is possible to selectively block the Akt pathway with an allosteric inhibitor enabling the creation of long-lived, less-differentiated T cells that are much more effective therapeutically in a mouse model of established tumor. These findings form the basis for a novel immunometabolomic approach to improve cell-intrinsic features of therapeutic T cells in the clinic. Finally, we will describe how even the most effective T cells can be thwarted by mechanisms in place in the tumor microenvironment. Our recent and unpublished findings involve two elements from the periodic table - potassium and oxygen - that can be immunosuppressive under certain physiologic conditions. We have also described an internal T cell checkpoint mechanism called Cish. We furthermore seek to find ways of overcoming the powerful physiology that can enable tumors to grow and kill their hosts. These efforts can produce T cells that are capable of increased anti-tumor efficacy. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (58) ◽  
pp. eabf7550
Author(s):  
Sunil Kumar Saini ◽  
Ditte Stampe Hersby ◽  
Tripti Tamhane ◽  
Helle Rus Povlsen ◽  
Susana Patricia Amaya Hernandez ◽  
...  

T cells are important for effective viral clearance, elimination of virus-infected cells and long-term disease protection. To examine the full-spectrum of CD8+ T cell immunity in COVID-19, we experimentally evaluated 3141 major histocompatibility (MHC) class I-binding peptides covering the complete SARS-CoV-2 genome. Using DNA-barcoded peptide-MHC complex (pMHC) multimers combined with a T cell phenotype panel, we report a comprehensive list of 122 immunogenic and a subset of immunodominant SARS-CoV-2 T cell epitopes. Substantial CD8+ T cell recognition was observed in COVID-19 patients, with up to 27% of all CD8+ lymphocytes interacting with SARS-CoV-2-derived epitopes. Most immunogenic regions were derived from open reading frame (ORF) 1 and ORF3, with ORF1 containing most of the immunodominant epitopes. CD8+ T cell recognition of lower affinity was also observed in healthy donors toward SARS-CoV-2-derived epitopes. This pre-existing T cell recognition signature was partially overlapping with the epitope landscape observed in COVID-19 patients and may drive the further expansion of T cell responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Importantly the phenotype of the SARS-CoV-2-specific CD8+ T cells, revealed a strong T cell activation in COVID-19 patients, while minimal T cell activation was seen in healthy individuals. We found that patients with severe disease displayed significantly larger SARS-CoV-2-specific T cell populations compared to patients with mild diseases and these T cells displayed a robust activation profile. These results further our understanding of T cell immunity to SARS-CoV-2 infection and hypothesize that strong antigen-specific T cell responses are associated with different disease outcomes.


Blood ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 113 (16) ◽  
pp. 3696-3705 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel David ◽  
Liang Ma ◽  
Aleksandar Ivetic ◽  
Aya Takesono ◽  
Anne J. Ridley ◽  
...  

Abstract Localization of primed T cells to antigenic tissue is essential for the development of effective immunity. Together with tissue-selective homing molecules, T-cell receptor (TCR)– and CD28-mediated signals have been shown to promote transendothelial migration of specific T cells into nonlymphoid antigen-rich tissue. However, the cellular and molecular requirements for T-cell accumulation to target tissue following their recruitment are largely undefined. The guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) Vav1 has an integral role in coupling TCR and CD28 to signaling pathways that regulate T-cell activation and migration. Here, we have investigated the contribution of TCR- and CD28-induced Vav1 activity to the trafficking and localization of primed HY-specific CD4+ T cells to antigenic sites. Severe migratory defects displayed by Vav1−/− T cells in vitro were fully compensated by a combination of shear flow and chemokines, leading to normal recruitment of Vav1−/− T cells in vivo. In contrast, Vav1−/− T-cell retention into antigen-rich tissue was severely impaired, reflecting T cells' inability to engage in sustained TCR- and CD28-mediated interactions with tissue-resident antigen-presenting cells (APCs). This novel function of APC-induced, and TCR- and CD28-mediated Vav1 activity in the regulation of effector T-cell immunity highlights its potential as a therapeutic target in T cell–mediated tissue damage.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bram Van Den Eeckhout ◽  
Jan Tavernier ◽  
Sarah Gerlo

The three-signal paradigm tries to capture how the innate immune system instructs adaptive immune responses in three well-defined actions: (1) presentation of antigenic peptides in the context of MHC molecules, which allows for a specific T cell response; (2) T cell co-stimulation, which breaks T cell tolerance; and (3) secretion of polarizing cytokines in the priming environment, thereby specializing T cell immunity. The three-signal model provides an empirical framework for innate instruction of adaptive immunity, but mainly discusses STAT-dependent cytokines in T cell activation and differentiation, while the multi-faceted roles of type I IFNs and IL-1 cytokine superfamily members are often neglected. IL-1α and IL-1β are pro-inflammatory cytokines, produced following damage to the host (release of DAMPs) or upon innate recognition of PAMPs. IL-1 activity on both DCs and T cells can further shape the adaptive immune response with variable outcomes. IL-1 signaling in DCs promotes their ability to induce T cell activation, but also direct action of IL-1 on both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, either alone or in synergy with prototypical polarizing cytokines, influences T cell differentiation under different conditions. The activities of IL-1 form a direct bridge between innate and adaptive immunity and could therefore be clinically translatable in the context of prophylactic and therapeutic strategies to empower the formation of T cell immunity. Understanding the modalities of IL-1 activity during T cell activation thus could hold major implications for rational development of the next generation of vaccine adjuvants.


1993 ◽  
Vol 178 (6) ◽  
pp. 2107-2113 ◽  
Author(s):  
A J da Silva ◽  
O Janssen ◽  
C E Rudd

Intracellular signaling from the T cell receptor (TCR)zeta/CD3 complex is likely to be mediated by associated protein tyrosine kinases such as p59fyn(T), ZAP-70, and the CD4:p56lck and CD8:p56lck coreceptors. The nature of the signaling cascade initiated by these kinases, their specificities, and downstream targets remain to be elucidated. The TCR-zeta/CD3:p59fyn(T) complex has previously been noted to coprecipitate a 120/130-kD doublet (p120/130). This intracellular protein of unknown identity associates directly with p59fyn(T) within the receptor complex. In this study, we have shown that this interaction with p120/130 is specifically mediated by the SH2 domain (not the fyn-SH3 domain) of p59fyn(T). Further, based on the results of in vitro kinase assays, p120/130 appears to be preferentially associated with p59fyn(T) in T cells, and not with p56lck. Antibody reprecipitation studies identified p120/130 as a previously described 130-kD substrate of pp60v-src whose function and structure is unknown. TCR-zeta/CD3 induced activation of T cells augmented the tyrosine phosphorylation of p120/130 in vivo as detected by antibody and GST:fyn-SH2 fusion proteins. p120/130 represents the first identified p59fyn(T):SH2 binding substrate in T cells, and as such is likely to play a key role in the early events of T cell activation.


1993 ◽  
Vol 177 (6) ◽  
pp. 1791-1796 ◽  
Author(s):  
F A Harding ◽  
J P Allison

The activation requirements for the generation of CD8+ cytotoxic T cells (CTL) are poorly understood. Here we demonstrate that in the absence of exogenous help, a CD28-B7 interaction is necessary and sufficient for generation of class I major histocompatibility complex-specific CTL. Costimulation is required only during the inductive phase of the response, and not during the effector phase. Transfection of the CD28 counter receptor, B7, into nonstimulatory P815 cells confers the ability to elicit P815-specific CTL, and this response can be inhibited by anti-CD28 Fab or by the chimeric B7-binding protein CTLA4Ig. Anti-CD28 monoclonal antibody (mAb) can provide a costimulatory signal to CD8+ T cells when the costimulatory capacity of splenic stimulators is destroyed by chemical fixation. CD28-mediated signaling provokes the release of interleukin 2 (IL-2) from the CD8+ CTL precursors, as anti-CD28 mAb could be substituted for by the addition of IL-2, and an anti-IL-2 mAb can block the generation of anti-CD28-induced CTL. CD4+ cells are not involved in the costimulatory response in the systems examined. We conclude that CD8+ T cell activation requires two signals: an antigen-specific signal mediated by the T cell receptor, and an additional antigen nonspecific signal provided via a CD28-B7 interaction.


Blood ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 114 (3) ◽  
pp. 580-588 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathrin Gollmer ◽  
François Asperti-Boursin ◽  
Yoshihiko Tanaka ◽  
Klaus Okkenhaug ◽  
Bart Vanhaesebroeck ◽  
...  

Abstract CD4+ T cells use the chemokine receptor CCR7 to home to and migrate within lymphoid tissue, where T-cell activation takes place. Using primary T-cell receptor (TCR)–transgenic (tg) CD4+ T cells, we explored the effect of CCR7 ligands, in particular CCL21, on T-cell activation. We found that the presence of CCL21 during early time points strongly increased in vitro T-cell proliferation after TCR stimulation, correlating with increased expression of early activation markers. CCL21 costimulation resulted in increased Ras- and Rac-GTP formation and enhanced phosphorylation of Akt, MEK, and ERK but not p38 or JNK. Kinase-dead PI3KδD910A/D910A or PI3Kγ-deficient TCR-tg CD4+ T cells showed similar responsiveness to CCL21 costimulation as control CD4+ T cells. Conversely, deficiency in the Rac guanine exchange factor DOCK2 significantly impaired CCL21-mediated costimulation in TCR-tg CD4+ T cells, concomitant with impaired Rac- but not Ras-GTP formation. Using lymph node slices for live monitoring of T-cell behavior and activation, we found that G protein-coupled receptor signaling was required for early CD69 expression but not for Ca2+ signaling. Our data suggest that the presence of CCL21 during early TCR signaling lowers the activation threshold through Ras- and Rac-dependent pathways leading to increased ERK phosphorylation.


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