scholarly journals Long-term T cell fitness and proliferation is driven by AMPK-dependent regulation of oxygen reactive species

Author(s):  
Anouk Lepez ◽  
Tiphène Pirnay ◽  
Sébastien Denanglaire ◽  
David Perez-Morga ◽  
Marjorie Vermeersch ◽  
...  

AbstractThe AMP-activated kinase (AMPK) is a major energy sensor metabolic enzyme that is activated early during T cell immune responses but its role in the generation of effector T cells is still controversial.Using both in vitro and in vivo models of T cell proliferation, we show herein that AMPK is dispensable for early TCR signaling and short-term proliferation but required for sustained long-term T cell proliferation and effector / memory T cell survival. In particular, AMPK promoted accumulation of effector / memory T cells in competitive homeostatic proliferation settings. Transplantation of AMPK-deficient hematopoïetic cells into allogeneic host recipients led to a reduced graft-versus-host disease, further bolstering a role for AMPK in the expansion and pathogenicity of effector T cells.Mechanistically, AMPK expression enhances the mitochondrial membrane potential of T cells, limits reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and resolves ROS-mediated toxicity. Moreover, dampening ROS production alleviates the proliferative defect of AMPK-deficient T cells, therefore indicating a role for an AMPK-mediated ROS control of T cell fitness.

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anouk Lepez ◽  
Tiphène Pirnay ◽  
Sébastien Denanglaire ◽  
David Perez-Morga ◽  
Marjorie Vermeersch ◽  
...  

AbstractThe AMP-activated kinase (AMPK) is a major energy sensor metabolic enzyme that is activated early during T cell immune responses but its role in the generation of effector T cells is still controversial. Using both in vitro and in vivo models of T cell proliferation, we show herein that AMPK is dispensable for early TCR signaling and short-term proliferation but required for sustained long-term T cell proliferation and effector/memory T cell survival. In particular, AMPK promoted accumulation of effector/memory T cells in competitive homeostatic proliferation settings. Transplantation of AMPK-deficient hematopoïetic cells into allogeneic host recipients led to a reduced graft-versus-host disease, further bolstering a role for AMPK in the expansion and pathogenicity of effector T cells. Mechanistically, AMPK expression enhances the mitochondrial membrane potential of T cells, limits reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and resolves ROS-mediated toxicity. Moreover, dampening ROS production alleviates the proliferative defect of AMPK-deficient T cells, therefore indicating a role for an AMPK-mediated ROS control of T cell fitness.


2005 ◽  
Vol 201 (11) ◽  
pp. 1793-1803 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudia R. Ruprecht ◽  
Marco Gattorno ◽  
Francesca Ferlito ◽  
Andrea Gregorio ◽  
Alberto Martini ◽  
...  

A better understanding of the role of CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells in disease pathogenesis should follow from the discovery of reliable markers capable of discriminating regulatory from activated T cells. We report that the CD4+CD25+ population in synovial fluid of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) patients comprises both regulatory and effector T cells that can be distinguished by expression of CD27. CD4+CD25+CD27+ cells expressed high amounts of FoxP3 (43% of them being FoxP3+), did not produce interleukin (IL)-2, interferon-γ, or tumor necrosis factor, and suppressed T cell proliferation in vitro, being, on a per cell basis, fourfold more potent than the corresponding peripheral blood population. In contrast, CD4+CD25+CD27− cells expressed low amounts of FoxP3, produced effector cytokines and did not suppress T cell proliferation. After in vitro activation and expansion, regulatory but not conventional T cells maintained high expression of CD27. IL-7 and IL-15 were found to be present in synovial fluid of JIA patients and, when added in vitro, abrogated the suppressive activity of regulatory T cells. Together, these results demonstrate that, when used in conjunction with CD25, CD27 is a useful marker to distinguish regulatory from effector T cells in inflamed tissues and suggest that at these sites IL-7 and IL-15 may interfere with regulatory T cell function.


Blood ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 134 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 2632-2632 ◽  
Author(s):  
Veit Bücklein ◽  
Michaela Scheurer ◽  
Bettina Brauchle ◽  
Roman Kischel ◽  
Michael von Bergwelt ◽  
...  

Bispecific T-cell engaging (BiTE®) antibody constructs recruit T cells to target antigens independent of their T-cell receptor specificity. Blinatumomab, a CD19xCD3 BiTE® antibody construct, is approved for the treatment of relapsed/refractory (r/r) B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BCP-ALL), including patients with persistence or reoccurrence of measurable residual disease (MRD). Despite superior anti-leukemic efficacy compared to cytostatic agents, a majority of patients do not respond to treatment. Biomarkers for the identification of non-responders prior to or early during treatment are unknown. However, the definition of robust biomarkers for efficacy is of high importance for clinical decision-making and might also indicate ways to improve response rates. We therefore established a comprehensive immune-monitoring program for blinatumomab patients. We sequentially analysed peripheral blood of patients with r/r or MRD-positive disease receiving blinatumomab prior to the start of infusion and once weekly over the course of the first 28-day cycle. We determined CD3+ T cell counts and their subset distribution (CD4, CD8, naïve [TN], central memory [TCM], effector memory [TEM], and effector memory CD45RA-positive [TEMRA] T cells) by multiparameter flow cytometry (MPFC). Additionally, patient-derived T cells were cocultered with BCP-ALL cell lines (SEM and REH) at an effector: target ratio of 1:3 in presence of blinatumomab or a control BiTE® (0.5 ng/ml, respectively) for 3 days to assess their cytotoxic capacity. Blinatumomab-mediated cytotoxicity was determined by MPFC. T-cell proliferation was evaluated by MPFC (Far Red Cell tracer) after incubation with CD3/CD28 beads for 6 days. A total of 16 patients were enrolled. Four of these patients suffered from MRD disease, whereas the remaining 12 had overt relapse of BCP-ALL. Response rates for patients with morphological relapse were 50% (4 CRMRD- and 2 CRMRD+ after the first cycle) and 75% for patients with MRD disease (3 MRD conversions, 1 MRD persistence). Absolute lymphocyte counts were not significantly different between responders and non-responders before treatment initiation (0.9 G/l and 0.7 G/l, respectively). Whereas the percentage of CD3+ T cells (of all lymphocytes) did not significantly differ between responders and non-responders on day 0, non-responders had a significantly reduced CD3+ percentage on day 7 (81.2% vs 92.9%, p=0.03). Until day 28 of the first cycle, CD3+ percentages of responders and non-responders re-converged (80.2% and 81.4%, respectively). There were no significant differences for CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell percentages prior to and over the course of the first cycle. This was also true for TN, TCM, TEM and TEMRA subset distributions. Additionally, CD19-BiTE®-mediated cytotoxicity of patient-derived T cells was assessed against CD19 expressing target B cell lines in vitro. Interestingly, specific lysis did not differ between responders and non-responders on day 0 (89.6% vs 79.8%, p=0.89), but decreased for non-responders over the course of the first cycle (normalized AUC for cytotoxicity 149 vs 403 in responders, p=0.03). However, this observation was only true for the patients with refractory morphologic relapse, as the non-responding MRD patient maintained T cell cytotoxicity over the first cycle of therapy. Impaired T cell proliferation (leading to reduced E:T ratios) might contribute to the observed dysfunctional cytotoxicity in non-responders, as the percentage of proliferating T cells after CD3/CD28 bead-based stimulation tended to be reduced for non-responders (17.9% vs 36.1%, p=0.07). In summary, lymphocyte counts, T cell percentage and T cell subset distributions do not allow for a response prediction prior to treatment start for patients receiving blinatumomab. BCP-ALL patients with morphological relapse/persistence who do not achieve a remission with blinatumomab therapy show reduced cytotoxicity in vitro in comparison to patients responding to treatment. As this observation could not be confirmed with one MRD non-responder in our cohort, the burden of disease might contribute to the observed T cell dysfunction, possibly by interfering with T cell proliferation. Evaluation of immune checkpoint expression on effector and target cells over the course of the therapy is currently ongoing, as are analyses of the T cell transcriptome of responders and non-responders. Disclosures Kischel: AMGEN Research (Munich) GmbH: Employment, Equity Ownership. Subklewe:Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria; Oxford Biotherapeutics: Research Funding; Miltenyi: Research Funding; Roche: Consultancy, Research Funding; Janssen: Consultancy; Gilead: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Pfizer: Consultancy, Honoraria; Morphosys: Research Funding; AMGEN: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Binder ◽  
Felix Sellberg ◽  
Filip Cvetkovski ◽  
Erik Berglund ◽  
David Berglund

Antibodies are commonly used in organ transplant induction therapy and to treat autoimmune disorders. The effects of some biologics on the human immune system remain incompletely characterized and a deeper understanding of their mechanisms of action may provide useful insights for their clinical application. The goal of this study was to contrast the mechanistic properties of siplizumab with Alemtuzumab and rabbit Anti-Thymocyte Globulin (rATG). Mechanistic assay systems investigating antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity, antibody-dependent cell phagocytosis and complement-dependent cytotoxicity were used to characterize siplizumab. Further, functional effects of siplizumab, Alemtuzumab, and rATG were investigated in allogeneic mixed lymphocyte reaction. Changes in T cell activation, T cell proliferation and frequency of naïve T cells, memory T cells and regulatory T cells induced by siplizumab, Alemtuzumab and rATG in allogeneic mixed lymphocyte reaction were assessed via flow cytometry. Siplizumab depleted T cells, decreased T cell activation, inhibited T cell proliferation and enriched naïve and bona fide regulatory T cells. Neither Alemtuzumab nor rATG induced the same combination of functional effects. The results presented in this study should be used for further in vitro and in vivo investigations that guide the clinical use of immune modulatory biologics.


2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (11) ◽  
pp. 2229-2239 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhuoran Tang ◽  
Fengzhen Mo ◽  
Aiqun Liu ◽  
Siliang Duan ◽  
Xiaomei Yang ◽  
...  

Adoptive cell-based immunotherapy typically utilizes cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs), expanding these cells ex vivo. Such expansion is traditionally accomplished through the use of autologous APCs that are capable of interactions with T cells. However, incidental inhibitory program such as CTLA-4 pathway can impair T cell proliferation. We therefore designed a nanobody which is specific for CTLA-4 (CTLA-4 Nb 16), and we then used this molecule to assess its ability to disrupt CTLA-4 signaling and thereby overcome negative costimulation of T cells. With CTLA-4 Nb16 stimulation, dendritic cell/hepatocellular carcinoma fusion cells (DC/HepG2-FCs) enhanced autologous CD8+ T cell proliferation and production of IFN-γ in vitro, thereby leading to enhanced killing of tumor cells. Using this approach in the context of adoptive CD8+ immunotherapy led to a marked suppression of tumor growth in murine NOD/SCID hepatocarcinoma or breast cancer xenograft models. We also observed significantly increased tumor cell apoptosis, and corresponding increases in murine survival. These findings thus demonstrate that in response to nanobody stimulation, DC/tumor cells-FC-induced specific CTLs exhibit superior anti-tumor efficacy, making this a potentially valuable means of achieving better adoptive immunotherapy outcomes in cancer patients.


Cells ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 300 ◽  
Author(s):  
Konstantina Antoniou ◽  
Fanny Ender ◽  
Tillman Vollbrandt ◽  
Yves Laumonnier ◽  
Franziska Rathmann ◽  
...  

Activation of the C5/C5a/C5a receptor 1 (C5aR1) axis during allergen sensitization protects from maladaptive T cell activation. To explore the underlying regulatory mechanisms, we analyzed the impact of C5aR1 activation on pulmonary CD11b+ conventional dendritic cells (cDCs) in the context of house-dust-mite (HDM) exposure. BALB/c mice were intratracheally immunized with an HDM/ovalbumin (OVA) mixture. After 24 h, we detected two CD11b+ cDC populations that could be distinguished on the basis of C5aR1 expression. C5aR1− but not C5aR1+ cDCs strongly induced T cell proliferation of OVA-reactive transgenic CD4+ T cells after re-exposure to antigen in vitro. C5aR1− cDCs expressed higher levels of MHC-II and CD40 than their C5aR1+ counterparts, which correlated directly with a higher frequency of interactions with cognate CD4+ T cells. Priming of OVA-specific T cells by C5aR1+ cDCs could be markedly increased by in vitro blockade of C5aR1 and this was associated with increased CD40 expression. Simultaneous blockade of C5aR1 and CD40L on C5aR1+ cDCs decreased T cell proliferation. Finally, pulsing with OVA-induced C5 production and its cleavage into C5a by both populations of CD11b+ cDCs. Thus, we propose a model in which allergen-induced autocrine C5a generation and subsequent C5aR1 activation in pulmonary CD11b+ cDCs promotes tolerance towards aeroallergens through downregulation of CD40.


Blood ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 122 (21) ◽  
pp. 4484-4484 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Pierini ◽  
Lucrezia Colonna ◽  
Maite Alvarez ◽  
Dominik Schneidawind ◽  
Byung-Su Kim ◽  
...  

Adoptive transfer of CD4+CD25+FoxP3+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) prevents graft versus host disease (GvHD) in several animal models and following allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) in clinical trials. In these models donor derived Tregs have been mainly used as they share the same major histocompatibility complex (MHC) with conventional CD4+ and CD8+ T cells (Tcons) that are primarily responsible for GvHD onset and persistence. Third-party derived Tregs are a promising alternative tool for cellular therapy as they can be prepared in advance, screened for pathogens and activity and banked. In this study we explored MHC disparities between Tregs and Tcons in HCT to evaluate the impact of these different cell populations in GvHD prevention and survival after transplant. Methods and Results We evaluated the ability of highly purified Treg to suppress proliferation of C57BL/6 (H-2b) Tcons following exposure to irradiated splenocytes from BALB/C (H-2d) mice in vitro in a mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR). Either donor derived C57BL/6 (H-2b) or third party FVB (H-2q) Tregs suppressed Tcon proliferation at the Treg/Tcon ratios of 1:2 and 1:4. The same Treg population effectively suppressed different MHC derived Tcons where BALB/C (H-2d) or FVB (H-2q, third-party) Tcons were incubated with irradiated splenocytes from C57BL/6 (H-2b) mice and were effectively suppressed with BALB/C (H-2d) Tregs. In the MLR, third-party Tregs present the same activation molecule expression patterns as MHC matched Tregs: CTLA4 and LAG3 expression is enhanced after stimulation with interleukin-2 (IL-2) and anti-CD3/CD28 beads, while MHC class II molecule expression is increased after 3-4 days of culture with Tcons and irradiated splenocytes. Furthermore third-party and MHC matched Tregs express the same levels of interleukin-10 (IL-10). We translated these results to in vivo studies in animal models. In these studies T cell depleted bone marrow (TCD BM) from C57BL/6 (H-2b) mice was injected into lethally irradiated (total body irradiation, 8 Gy) BALB/C (H-2d) recipient mice. 2 days later GvHD was induced by injecting luc+ donor derived Tcons (1x106/mouse). Using this model GvHD was evaluated following the adoptive transfer of freshly isolated CD4+CD25+FoxP3+ Tregs derived from BALB/C (H-2d, host type), C57BL/6 (H-2b, donor type), FVB (H-2q, third-party) or BALB/B (H-2b, minor mismatched with the donor, major mismatched with the host) mice at the different Treg/Tcon ratios of 1:1, 1:2 and 1:4. As expected, donor Tregs exerted the strongest dose dependent GvHD protection (p = 0.028), while host Tregs did not improve mouse survival (p = 0.58). Third-party and minor mismatched with the donor Tregs improved mouse survival (third-party and minor mismatched with the donor respectively, p = 0.028 and p = 0.17) but mice had worse GvHD score profiles (both p< 0.001) and could not recover their weight as well as mice treated with donor Tregs (both p< 0.001). In vivoTcon bioluminescent imaging confirmed these results showing a reduced Tcon proliferation in mice treated with donor, third-party and minor mismatched with the donor Tregs, the first exerting the strongest effect (after 6 weeks of observation, p< 0.001). Conclusions Our studies indicate that MHC disparities between Tregs and Tcons do not represent an insurmountable barrier for Treg function. In vitro and in vivo data strongly suggest that Tregs can suppress Tcon proliferation without requiring MHC matching. In vivo GvHD prevention efficiency was affected by MHC disparities with donor derived Treg being the most effective, however, third party Treg also resulted in GvHD attenuation. These studies indicate that both donor and third party Treg could be effective in clinical application raising the possibility of screening and banking Treg for use. Further, these studies highlight the need for activation of the Treg on host tissues to effectively suppress conventional T cell proliferation and GvHD induction. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Aras Toker

<p>Glatiramer acetate (GA) is approved for the treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS), and can suppress experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a murine model of human MS. GA treatment is associated with the induction of anti-inflammatory TH2 responses and with the antigen specific expansion of regulatory T cells that counteract or inhibit pathogenic events in MS and EAE. These T cell mediated mechanisms of protection are considered to be a result of modulation of antigen presenting cells (APCs) by GA, rather than direct effects on T cells. However, it is unknown if GA preferentially targets a specific APC subset or can act through multiple APCs in vivo. In addition, GA-modulated innate cells may also exhibit direct antigen non-specific suppression of autoreactive cells. One objective of this study was to identify the in vivo target cell population of GA and to assess the potential of the target cells to antigen non-specifically suppress immune responses. Fluorophor-labelled GA bound to monocytes after intravenous injections, suggesting that monocytes may be the primary target of GA in vivo. In addition, intravenous GA treatment enhanced the intrinsic ability of monocytes to suppress T cell proliferation, both in vitro and in vivo. The findings of this study therefore suggest that GA-induced monocytes may contribute to GA therapy through direct mechanisms of antigen non-specific T cell immunosuppression. A further objective of this work was to investigate the potential of an in vivo drug targeting approach. This approach was hypothesised to increase the uptake of GA by the target cells and substantially improve GA treatment through antigen specific mechanisms such as induction of TH2 or regulatory T cells. Targeting antigens to professional APCs with an anti-MHC class II antibody resulted in significantly enhanced T cell proliferation in vitro. However, no EAE suppression occurred when GA was targeted to MHC class II in vivo. In addition, targeting GA specifically to monocytes also failed to suppress EAE. These findings suggest that GA treatment may selectively modulate monocytes to enhance their ability to inhibit autoreactive T cells, which could be part of the mechanism by which GA ameliorates MS. Targeting GA to a specific cell type may not be a powerful approach to improve treatment, because increased proliferation of GA specific T cells is not sufficient for disease suppression, and conjugation to antibodies may functionally reduce GA to a mere antigen devoid of immunomodulatory capacity.</p>


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danielle Minns ◽  
Katie J. Smith ◽  
Gareth Hardisty ◽  
Adriano G. Rossi ◽  
Emily Gwyer Findlay

Neutrophils and T cells exist in close proximity in lymph nodes and inflamed tissues during health and disease. They are able to form stable interactions, with profound effects on the phenotype and function of the T cells. However, the outcome of these effects are frequently contradictory; in some systems neutrophils suppress T cell proliferation, in others they are activatory or present antigen directly. Published protocols modelling these interactions in vitro do not reflect the full range of interactions found in vivo; they do not examine how activated and naïve T cells differentially respond to neutrophils, or whether de-granulating or resting neutrophils induce different outcomes. Here, we established a culture protocol to ask these questions with human T cells and autologous neutrophils. We find that resting neutrophils suppress T cell proliferation, activation and cytokine production but that de-granulating neutrophils do not, and neutrophil-released intracellular contents enhance proliferation. Strikingly, we also demonstrate that T cells early in the activation process are susceptible to suppression by neutrophils, while later-stage T cells are not, and naïve T cells do not respond at all. Our protocol therefore allows nuanced analysis of the outcome of interaction of these cells and may explain the contradictory results observed previously.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document