scholarly journals In Vitro–expanded Antigen-specific Regulatory T Cells Suppress Autoimmune Diabetes

2004 ◽  
Vol 199 (11) ◽  
pp. 1455-1465 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qizhi Tang ◽  
Kammi J. Henriksen ◽  
Mingying Bi ◽  
Erik B. Finger ◽  
Greg Szot ◽  
...  

The low number of CD4+ CD25+ regulatory T cells (Tregs), their anergic phenotype, and diverse antigen specificity present major challenges to harnessing this potent tolerogenic population to treat autoimmunity and transplant rejection. In this study, we describe a robust method to expand antigen-specific Tregs from autoimmune-prone nonobese diabetic mice. Purified CD4+ CD25+ Tregs were expanded up to 200-fold in less than 2 wk in vitro using a combination of anti-CD3, anti-CD28, and interleukin 2. The expanded Tregs express a classical cell surface phenotype and function both in vitro and in vivo to suppress effector T cell functions. Most significantly, small numbers of antigen-specific Tregs can reverse diabetes after disease onset, suggesting a novel approach to cellular immunotherapy for autoimmunity.

Blood ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 107 (6) ◽  
pp. 2409-2414 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mojgan Ahmadzadeh ◽  
Steven A. Rosenberg

Abstract Interleukin-2 (IL-2) is historically known as a T-cell growth factor. Accumulating evidence from knockout mice suggests that IL-2 is crucial for the homeostasis and function of CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells in vivo. However, the impact of administered IL-2 in an immune intact host has not been studied in rodents or humans. Here, we studied the impact of IL-2 administration on the frequency and function of human CD4+CD25hi T cells in immune intact patients with melanoma or renal cancer. We found that the frequency of CD4+CD25hi T cells was significantly increased after IL-2 treatment, and these cells expressed phenotypic markers associated with regulatory T cells. In addition, both transcript and protein levels of Foxp3, a transcription factor exclusively expressed on regulatory T cells, were consistently increased in CD4 T cells following IL-2 treatment. Functional analysis of the increased number of CD4+CD25hi T cells revealed that this population exhibited potent suppressive activity in vitro. Collectively, our results demonstrate that administration of high-dose IL-2 increased the frequency of circulating CD4+CD25hi Foxp3+ regulatory T cells. Our findings suggest that selective inhibition of IL-2-mediated enhancement of regulatory T cells may improve the therapeutic effectiveness of IL-2 administration. (Blood. 2006;107:2409-2414)


Blood ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 117 (8) ◽  
pp. 2494-2505 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yiming Huang ◽  
Larry D. Bozulic ◽  
Thomas Miller ◽  
Hong Xu ◽  
Lala-Rukh Hussain ◽  
...  

Abstract CD8-positive/T-cell receptor–negative (CD8+/TCR−) graft facilitating cells (FCs) are a novel cell population in bone marrow that potently enhance engraftment of hemopoietic stem cells (HSCs). Previously, we showed that the CD11c+/B220+/CD11b− plasmacytoid-precursor dendritic cell (p-preDC) FC subpopulation plays a critical but nonredundant role in facilitation. In the present study, we investigated the mechanism of FC function. We report that FCs induce antigen-specific CD4+/CD25+/FoxP3+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) in vivo. The majority of chimeric Tregs were recipient derived. Chimeric Tregs harvested at ≥ 4 weeks after transplantation significantly enhanced engraftment of donor- and recipient-derived HSCs, but not third-party HSCs, in conditioned secondary recipients, demonstrating antigen specificity. Although Tregs were present 2 and 3 weeks after transplantation, they did not enhance engraftment. In contrast, week 5 and greater Tregs potently enhanced engraftment. The function of chimeric Tregs was directly correlated with the development of FoxP3 expression. Chimeric Tregs also induced significantly stronger suppression of T-cell proliferation to donor antigen in vitro. Removal of p-preDC FCs resulted in impaired engraftment of allogeneic HSCs and failure to produce chimeric Tregs, suggesting that the CD8α+ p-preDC subpopulation is critical in the mechanism of facilitation. These data suggest that FCs induce the production of antigen-specific Tregs in vivo, which potently enhance engraftment of allogeneic HSCs. FCs hold clinical potential because of their ability to remain tolerogenic in vivo.


Blood ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 108 (8) ◽  
pp. 2655-2661 ◽  
Author(s):  
Devi K. Banerjee ◽  
Madhav V. Dhodapkar ◽  
Elyana Matayeva ◽  
Ralph M. Steinman ◽  
Kavita M. Dhodapkar

AbstractCD4+CD25+FOXP3+ regulatory T cells (Treg's) play an important role in the maintenance of immune tolerance. The mechanisms controlling the induction and maintenance of Treg's in humans need to be defined. We find that human myeloid dendritic cells (DCs) are superior to other antigen presenting cells for the maintenance of FOXP3+ Treg's in culture. Coculture of DCs with autologous T cells leads to an increase in both the number of Treg's, as well as the expression of FOXP3 protein per cell both in healthy donors and myeloma patients. DC-mediated expansion of FOXP3high Treg's is enhanced by endogenous but not exogenous interleukin-2 (IL-2), and DC-T-cell contact, including the CD80/CD86 membrane costimulatory molecules. DCs also stimulate the formation of Treg's from CD25- T cells. The efficacy of induction of Treg's by DCs depends on the nature of the DC maturation stimulus, with inflammatory cytokine-treated DCs (Cyt-DCs) being the most effective Treg inducers. DC-induced Treg's from both healthy donors and patients with myeloma are functional and effectively suppress T-cell responses. A single injection of cytokine-matured DCs led to rapid enhancement of FOXP3+ Treg's in vivo in 3 of 3 myeloma patients. These data reveal a role for DCs in increasing the number of functional FOXP3high Treg's in humans.


1981 ◽  
Vol 153 (5) ◽  
pp. 1198-1214 ◽  
Author(s):  
JW Kappler ◽  
B Skidmore ◽  
J White ◽  
P Marrack

We developed a method for production of antigen-specific, H-2-restricted T cell hybrids. The tumor cell partner in the fusions was itself a T cell hybrid, FS6-14.13.AG2 (or its derivatives), which could be induced to produce the growth factor, interleukin-2 (IL-2), in response to a challenge with concanavalin A, but had no known antigen specificity. The normal T cell partner in the fusions was a population of lymph node T cell blasts that had been highly enriched in antigen-specific, H-2-restricted T cells by in vivo immunization, followed by in vitro challenge with antigen and clonal expansion in IL-2-containing medium. These fusions produced hybrids that grew constitutively in culture. A sizable proportion of the hybrids demonstrated the ability to produce IL-2 in response to a challenge with specific antigen presented by irradiated spleen cells of the appropriate H-2 type. Four cloned antigen/H-2-specific hybrid lines were produced. AO-40.10 responded to chicken ovalbumin (OVA) when presented by I-A(k)-bearing cells. DC1.18.3 responded to the apo form of beef cytochrome c when presented with I-A(d). AODK-10.4 responded to keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) presented with I-A (d). AODK-1.16 also responded to KLH presented by a product of the I region of H-2(d), but the data were consistent with either a product of the I-J-I-E(d) region or a combinatorial molecule with elements from both I-A(d) and I-E(d)/I-C(d). Coincidentally, AO-40.10 was shown to have an unexpected alloreactivity with a product of H-2(b) mapping to the K-I-A region. These hybrids should prove invaluable as sources of monoclonal material for the study of the receptor(s) on T cells with H-2-restricted antigen specificities. We also generated T cell hybrids with two antigen/H-2 specificities by fusing an azaguanine-resistant clone of AO-40.10 to normal T cells with a different antigen/H-2 specificity. Many of the hybrids retained reactivity to OVA plus H-2(a) and to the second antigen/H-2 combination. None reacted to either OVA plus the second H-2 type or to the second antigen plus H-2(a). One of these hybrids was successfully cloned to produce the line AOFK- 11.11.1. It retained the ability to recognize OVA plus I-A(k) inherited from one parent, and KLH plus IA(f) inherited from the other. It did not recognize OVA plus IA(f) or KLH plus I-A(k). These results have some bearing on models describing the nature of T cell receptors for antigen recognized in association with H-2 products. They do not support models in which antigen and H-2 are recognized separately by two independent T cell receptors.


Blood ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 106 (11) ◽  
pp. 1302-1302
Author(s):  
Michael H. Albert ◽  
Yan Liu ◽  
Claudio Anasetti ◽  
Xue-Zhong Yu

Abstract Adoptive transfer of polyclonal CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) can tolerize transplantation alloresponses and prevent lethal acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). For optimal suppressive function, Tregs need to be activated via their T-cell receptors (TCR), but the antigen specificity of wild type Tregs remains elusive, and therefore controlling potency and duration of Treg activity in the transplantation setting remains not feasible. In this study, we used a murine lethal acute GVHD model system to test the hypothesis that specifically activated, antigen-specific Tregs induced by foxp3 transduction could suppress the response of T effector cells to alloantigens in vitro and prevent GVHD in vivo more effectively than polyclonal Tregs. We found that the suppressive potential of TCR transgenic (Tg), antigen-specific CD4+CD25+ Tregs was much greater than that of polyclonal Tregs in vitro and in vivo. When activated by their specific peptide antigen, Tg Tregs protected 95% of recipients from lethal GVHD even at ten times lower doses than polyclonal Tregs. To facilitate the acquisition of larger numbers of antigen-specific Tregs, we transduced naive CD4+CD25- cells with foxp3, and observed that these foxp3-induced Tregs also suppressed alloresponses in vitro and prevented GVHD in vivo as effectively as naturally derived CD4+CD25+ Tregs. To enhance translational feasibility, we then used an antigen-specific CD4 Th1 T-cell clone as a source of Tregs after transduction with foxp3, and found those Tregs to effectively prevent GVHD in 90% of recipients. We further found that prevention of GVHD via foxp3-induced Tregs was also dependent on their activation by either a specific alloantigen expressed on recipient cells or by immunization with a specific peptide antigen. The findings of this study provide a basis for the concept that the onset and potency of alloresponse suppression in GVHD can be regulated by using Tregs with known antigen specificity. The novel evidence that antigen-specific T cell clones can be used as the cell source for foxp3-induced Tregs further improves the feasibility of using Tregs for modulating immune responses in vivo. These data suggest a novel approach to control induction of tolerance using Tregs as an adoptive immunotherapy in allogeneic transplantation.


Blood ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 110 (13) ◽  
pp. 4293-4302 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sayuri Yamazaki ◽  
Anthony J. Bonito ◽  
Radek Spisek ◽  
Madhav Dhodapkar ◽  
Kayo Inaba ◽  
...  

Foxp3+CD25+CD4+ regulatory T cells are produced in the thymus (natural T regs) but can also differentiate from peripheral Foxp3−CD4+ precursors (induced or adaptive T regs). We assessed antigen presenting cell (APC) requirements for the latter differentiation. With added transforming growth factor (TGF)-β, both immature and mature populations of dendritic cells (DCs) induced antigen-specific Foxp3+ T regs from Foxp3− precursors. Using endogenous TGF-β, DCs from gut-associated mesenteric lymph nodes were capable of differentiating Foxp3+T regs. Spleen DCs were 100-fold more potent than DC-depleted APCs for the induction of T regs and required 10-fold lower doses of peptide antigen. Interleukin-2 (IL-2) was essential, but could be provided endogenously by T cells stimulated by DCs, but not other APCs. The required IL-2 was induced by DCs that expressed CD80/CD86 costimulatory molecules. The DC-induced Foxp3+T regs divided up to 6 times in 6 days and were comprised of CD62L and CD103 positive and negative forms. The induced Foxp3+T regs exerted suppression in vitro and blocked tumor immunity in vivo. These results indicate that DCs are specialized to differentiate functional peripheral Foxp3+T regs and help set the stage to use DCs to actively suppress the immune response in an antigen-specific manner.


Blood ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 103 (11) ◽  
pp. 4216-4221 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olivier Joffre ◽  
Nathalie Gorsse ◽  
Paola Romagnoli ◽  
Denis Hudrisier ◽  
Joost P. M. van Meerwijk

Abstract Thymus-derived regulatory T lymphocytes of CD4+CD25+ phenotype regulate a large variety of beneficial and deleterious immune responses and can inhibit lethal graft-versus-host disease in rodents. In vitro, CD4+CD25+ T cells require specific major histocompatibility complex (MHC)/peptide ligands for their activation, but once activated they act in an antigen-nonspecific manner. In vivo, regulatory T cells are also activated in an antigen-specific fashion, but nothing is known about antigen specificity of their suppressor-effector function. Here we show that CD4+CD25+ regulatory T lymphocytes isolated from naive mice and activated in vitro with allogeneic antigen-presenting cells (APCs) induced specific long-term tolerance to bone marrow grafts disparate for major and minor histocompatibility antigens; whereas “target” bone marrow was protected, third-party bone marrow was rejected. Importantly, in mice injected with a mix of target and third-party bone marrows, protection and rejection processes took place simultaneously. These results indicate that CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells can act in an antigen-specific manner in vivo. Our results suggest that CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells could in the future be used in clinical settings to induce specific immunosuppression. (Blood. 2004;103:4216-4221)


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine E. Harris ◽  
Kyle J. Lorentsen ◽  
Harbani K. Malik-Chaudhry ◽  
Kaitlyn Loughlin ◽  
Harish Medlari Basappa ◽  
...  

AbstractThe use of recombinant interleukin-2 (IL-2) as a therapeutic protein has been limited by significant toxicities despite its demonstrated ability to induce durable tumor-regression in cancer patients. The adverse events and limited efficacy of IL-2 treatment are due to the preferential binding of IL-2 to cells that express the high-affinity, trimeric receptor, IL-2Rαβγ such as endothelial cells and T-regulatory cells, respectively. Here, we describe a novel bispecific heavy-chain only antibody which binds to and activates signaling through the heterodimeric IL-2Rβγ receptor complex that is expressed on resting T-cells and NK cells. By avoiding binding to IL-2Rα, this molecule circumvents the preferential T-reg activation of native IL-2, while maintaining the robust stimulatory effects on T-cells and NK-cells in vitro. In vivo studies in both mice and cynomolgus monkeys confirm the molecule’s in vivo biological activity, extended pharmacodynamics due to the Fc portion of the molecule, and enhanced safety profile. Together, these results demonstrate that the bispecific antibody is a safe and effective IL-2R agonist that harnesses the benefits of the IL-2 signaling pathway as a potential anti-cancer therapy.


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