scholarly journals Itk-mediated integration of T cell receptor and cytokine signaling regulates the balance between Th17 and regulatory T cells

2014 ◽  
Vol 211 (3) ◽  
pp. 529-543 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julio Gomez-Rodriguez ◽  
Elizabeth A. Wohlfert ◽  
Robin Handon ◽  
Françoise Meylan ◽  
Julie Z. Wu ◽  
...  

A proper balance between Th17 and T regulatory cells (Treg cells) is critical for generating protective immune responses while minimizing autoimmunity. We show that the Tec family kinase Itk (IL2-inducible T cell kinase), a component of T cell receptor (TCR) signaling pathways, influences this balance by regulating cross talk between TCR and cytokine signaling. Under both Th17 and Treg cell differentiation conditions, Itk−/− CD4+ T cells develop higher percentages of functional FoxP3+ cells, associated with increased sensitivity to IL-2. Itk−/− CD4+ T cells also preferentially develop into Treg cells in vivo. We find that Itk-deficient T cells exhibit reduced TCR-induced phosphorylation of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) targets, accompanied by downstream metabolic alterations. Surprisingly, Itk−/− cells also exhibit reduced IL-2–induced mTOR activation, despite increased STAT5 phosphorylation. We demonstrate that in wild-type CD4+ T cells, TCR stimulation leads to a dose-dependent repression of Pten. However, at low TCR stimulation or in the absence of Itk, Pten is not effectively repressed, thereby uncoupling STAT5 phosphorylation and phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K) pathways. Moreover, Itk-deficient CD4+ T cells show impaired TCR-mediated induction of Myc and miR-19b, known repressors of Pten. Our results demonstrate that Itk helps orchestrate positive feedback loops integrating multiple T cell signaling pathways, suggesting Itk as a potential target for altering the balance between Th17 and Treg cells.

2003 ◽  
Vol 198 (2) ◽  
pp. 235-247 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sayuri Yamazaki ◽  
Tomonori Iyoda ◽  
Kristin Tarbell ◽  
Kara Olson ◽  
Klara Velinzon ◽  
...  

An important pathway for immune tolerance is provided by thymic-derived CD25+ CD4+ T cells that suppress other CD25− autoimmune disease–inducing T cells. The antigen-presenting cell (APC) requirements for the control of CD25+ CD4+ suppressor T cells remain to be identified, hampering their study in experimental and clinical situations. CD25+ CD4+ T cells are classically anergic, unable to proliferate in response to mitogenic antibodies to the T cell receptor complex. We now find that CD25+ CD4+ T cells can proliferate in the absence of added cytokines in culture and in vivo when stimulated by antigen-loaded dendritic cells (DCs), especially mature DCs. With high doses of DCs in culture, CD25+ CD4+ and CD25− CD4+ populations initially proliferate to a comparable extent. With current methods, one third of the antigen-reactive T cell receptor transgenic T cells enter into cycle for an average of three divisions in 3 d. The expansion of CD25+ CD4+ T cells stops by day 5, in the absence or presence of exogenous interleukin (IL)-2, whereas CD25− CD4+ T cells continue to grow. CD25+ CD4+ T cell growth requires DC–T cell contact and is partially dependent upon the production of small amounts of IL-2 by the T cells and B7 costimulation by the DCs. After antigen-specific expansion, the CD25+ CD4+ T cells retain their known surface features and actively suppress CD25− CD4+ T cell proliferation to splenic APCs. DCs also can expand CD25+ CD4+ T cells in the absence of specific antigen but in the presence of exogenous IL-2. In vivo, both steady state and mature antigen-processing DCs induce proliferation of adoptively transferred CD25+ CD4+ T cells. The capacity to expand CD25+ CD4+ T cells provides DCs with an additional mechanism to regulate autoimmunity and other immune responses.


2000 ◽  
Vol 191 (6) ◽  
pp. 985-994 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suling Li ◽  
Shangwu Chen ◽  
Xiufeng Xu ◽  
Anette Sundstedt ◽  
Kajsa M. Paulsson ◽  
...  

Members of the suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS) family were discovered as negative regulators of cytokine signaling by inhibition of the Janus kinase–signal transducer and activator of transcription (Jak-STAT) pathway. Among them, cytokine-induced Src homology 2 (SH2) protein (CIS) was found to inhibit the interleukin 3– and erythropietin-mediated STAT5 signaling pathway. However, involvement of SOCS proteins in other signaling pathways is still unknown. This study shows that the expression of CIS is selectively induced in T cells after T cell receptor (TCR) stimulation. In transgenic mice, with selective expression of CIS in CD4 T cells, elevated CIS strongly promotes TCR-mediated proliferation and cytokine production in vitro, and superantigen-induced T cell activation in vivo. Forced expression of CIS also prolongs survival of CD4 T cells after TCR activation. Molecular events immediately downstream from the TCR are not changed in CIS-expressing CD4 T cells, but activation of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase pathways by TCR stimulation is significantly enhanced. Together with the increased MAP kinase activation, a direct interaction of CIS and protein kinase Cθ was also demonstrated. These results suggest that CIS is one of the important regulators of TCR-mediated T cell activation. The functions of CIS, enhancing TCR signaling and inhibiting cytokine signaling, may be important in the regulation of immune response and homeostasis.


2001 ◽  
Vol 194 (6) ◽  
pp. 719-732 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saied Mirshahidi ◽  
Ching-Tai Huang ◽  
Scheherazade Sadegh-Nasseri

Induction of tolerance in self-reactive memory T cells is an important process in the prevention of autoimmune responses against peripheral self-antigens in autoimmune diseases. Although naive T cells can readily be tolerized, memory T cells are less susceptible to tolerance induction. Recently, we demonstrated that low avidity engagement of T cell receptor (TCR) by low densities of agonist peptides induced anergy in T cell clones. Since memory T cells are more responsive to lower antigenic stimulation, we hypothesized that a low avidity TCR engagement may induce tolerance in memory T cells. We have explored two antigenic systems in two transgenic mouse models, and have tracked specific T cells that are primed and show memory phenotype. We demonstrate that memory CD4+ T cells can be rendered anergic by presentation of low densities of agonist peptide–major histocompatibility complex complexes in vivo. We rule out other commonly accepted mechanisms for induction of T cell tolerance in vivo, such as deletion, ignorance, or immunosuppression. Anergy is the most likely mechanism because addition of interleukin 2–reversed anergy in specific T cells. Moreover, cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen (CTLA)-4 plays a critical role in the induction of anergy because we observed that there was increased surface expression of CTLA-4 on anergized T cells, and that injection of anti–CTLA-4 blocking antibody restored anergy in vivo.


1993 ◽  
Vol 178 (3) ◽  
pp. 909-916 ◽  
Author(s):  
V Kumar ◽  
E E Sercarz

Experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) is a prototype for CD4+ T cell-mediated autoimmune diseases. Immunization with myelin basic protein (MBP) in B10.PL mice results in EAE, and a majority of animals recover permanently from the disease. Most MBP-reactive encephalitogenic T cells recognize an immunodominant NH2-terminal peptide, Ac1-9, and predominantly use the T cell receptor (TCR) V beta 8.2 gene segment. Here we report that in mice recovering from MBP-induced EAE, peripheral T cells proliferate in response to a single immunodominant TCR peptide from the V beta 8.2 chain (amino acids 76-101), indicating natural priming during the course of the disease. Cloned T cells, specific for this TCR peptide, specifically downregulate proliferative responses to Ac1-9 in vivo and also protect mice from MBP-induced EAE. These regulatory T cells express CD4 molecules and recognize a dominant peptide from the TCR variable framework region of V beta 8.2, in the context of the major histocompatibility complex class II molecule, I-Au, and predominantly use the TCR V beta 14 gene segment. This is the first demonstration of the physiological induction of TCR peptide-specific CD4+ T cells that result from MBP immunization and that are revealed only during the recovery from disease. The downregulation of disease-causing T cells by TCR peptide-specific T cells offers a mechanism for antigen-specific, network-induced recovery from autoimmune disease.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. 2713
Author(s):  
Sun-Hye Shin ◽  
Kyung-Ah Cho ◽  
Hee-Soo Yoon ◽  
So-Yeon Kim ◽  
Hee-Yeon Kim ◽  
...  

(1) Background: six mammalian ceramide synthases (CerS1–6) determine the acyl chain length of sphingolipids (SLs). Although ceramide levels are increased in murine allergic asthma models and in asthmatic patients, the precise role of SLs with specific chain lengths is still unclear. The role of CerS2, which mainly synthesizes C22–C24 ceramides, was investigated in immune responses elicited by airway inflammation using CerS2 null mice. (2) Methods: asthma was induced in wild type (WT) and CerS2 null mice with ovalbumin (OVA), and inflammatory cytokines and CD4 (cluster of differentiation 4)+ T helper (Th) cell profiles were analyzed. We also compared the functional capacity of CD4+ T cells isolated from WT and CerS2 null mice. (3) Results: CerS2 null mice exhibited milder symptoms and lower Th2 responses than WT mice after OVA exposure. CerS2 null CD4+ T cells showed impaired Th2 and increased Th17 responses with concomitant higher T cell receptor (TCR) signal strength after TCR stimulation. Notably, increased Th17 responses of CerS2 null CD4+ T cells appeared only in TCR-mediated, but not in TCR-independent, treatment. (4) Conclusions: altered Th2/Th17 immune response with higher TCR signal strength was observed in CerS2 null CD4+ T cells upon TCR stimulation. CerS2 and very-long chain SLs may be therapeutic targets for Th2-related diseases such as asthma.


2001 ◽  
Vol 276 (20) ◽  
pp. 17455-17460 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wakae Fujimaki ◽  
Makio Iwashima ◽  
Junji Yagi ◽  
Hua Zhang ◽  
Hisako Yagi ◽  
...  

2002 ◽  
Vol 196 (4) ◽  
pp. 481-492 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristin V. Tarbell ◽  
Mark Lee ◽  
Erik Ranheim ◽  
Cheng Chi Chao ◽  
Maija Sanna ◽  
...  

Glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD)65 is an early and important antigen in both human diabetes mellitus and the nonobese diabetic (NOD) mouse. However, the exact role of GAD65-specific T cells in diabetes pathogenesis is unclear. T cell responses to GAD65 occur early in diabetes pathogenesis, yet only one GAD65-specific T cell clone of many identified can transfer diabetes. We have generated transgenic mice on the NOD background expressing a T cell receptor (TCR)-specific for peptide epitope 286–300 (p286) of GAD65. These mice have GAD65-specific CD4+ T cells, as shown by staining with an I-Ag7(p286) tetramer reagent. Lymphocytes from these TCR transgenic mice proliferate and make interferon γ, interleukin (IL)-2, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and IL-10 when stimulated in vitro with GAD65 peptide 286–300, yet these TCR transgenic animals do not spontaneously develop diabetes, and insulitis is virtually undetectable. Furthermore, in vitro activated CD4 T cells from GAD 286 TCR transgenic mice express higher levels of CTL-associated antigen (CTLA)-4 than nontransgenic littermates. CD4+ T cells, or p286-tetramer+CD4+ Tcells, from GAD65 286–300-specific TCR transgenic mice delay diabetes induced in NOD.scid mice by diabetic NOD spleen cells. This data suggests that GAD65 peptide 286–300-specific T cells have disease protective capacity and are not pathogenic.


Pancreas ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 468
Author(s):  
A. Dummer ◽  
M. Sendler ◽  
F.-U. Weiss ◽  
B. M. Bröker ◽  
M. M. Lerch ◽  
...  

2001 ◽  
Vol 75 (2) ◽  
pp. 1065-1071 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mineki Saito ◽  
Graham P. Taylor ◽  
Akiko Saito ◽  
Yoshitaka Furukawa ◽  
Koichiro Usuku ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Using HLA-peptide tetrameric complexes, we isolated human T-cell lymphotrophic virus type 1 Tax peptide-specific CD8+ T cells ex vivo. Antigen-specific amino acid motifs were identified in the T-cell receptor Vβ CDR3 region of clonally expanded CD8+ T cells. This result directly confirms the importance of the CDR3 region in determining the antigen specificity in vivo.


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