scholarly journals Kynurenine Reduces Memory CD4 T-Cell Survival by Interfering with Interleukin-2 Signaling Early during HIV-1 Infection

2016 ◽  
Vol 90 (17) ◽  
pp. 7967-7979 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xavier Dagenais-Lussier ◽  
Mouna Aounallah ◽  
Vikram Mehraj ◽  
Mohamed El-Far ◽  
Cecile Tremblay ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTEarly HIV-1 infection is characterized by enhanced tryptophan catabolism, which contributes to immune suppression and disease progression. However, the mechanism by which kynurenine, a tryptophan-related metabolite, induces immune suppression remains poorly understood. Herein, we show that the increased production of kynurenine correlates with defective interleukin-2 (IL-2) signaling in memory CD4 T cells from HIV-infected subjects. Defective IL-2 signaling in these subjects, which drives reduced protection from Fas-mediated apoptosis, was also associated with memory CD4 T-cell loss. Treatment of memory CD4 T cells with the concentration of kynurenine found in plasma inhibited IL-2 signaling through the production of reactive oxygen species. We further show that IL-2 signaling in memory CD4 T cells is improved by the antioxidantN-acetylcysteine. Early initiation of antiretroviral therapy restored the IL-2 response in memory CD4 T cells by reducing reactive oxygen species and kynurenine production. The study findings provide a kynurenine-dependent mechanism through IL-2 signaling for reduced CD4 T-cell survival, which can be reversed by early treatment initiation in HIV-1 infection.IMPORTANCEThe persistence of functional memory CD4 T cells represents the basis for long-lasting immune protection in individuals after exposure to HIV-1. Unfortunately, primary HIV-1 infection results in the massive loss of these cells within weeks of infection, which is mainly driven by inflammation and massive infection by the virus. These new findings show that the enhanced production of kynurenine, a metabolite related to tryptophan catabolism, also impairs memory CD4 T-cell survival and interferes with IL-2 signaling early during HIV-1 infection.

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie M. Dillon ◽  
Tezha A. Thompson ◽  
Allison J. Christians ◽  
Martin D. McCarter ◽  
Cara C. Wilson

Abstract Background The etiology of the low-level chronic inflammatory state associated with aging is likely multifactorial, but a number of animal and human studies have implicated a functional decline of the gastrointestinal immune system as a potential driver. Gut tissue-resident memory T cells play critical roles in mediating protective immunity and in maintaining gut homeostasis, yet few studies have investigated the effect of aging on human gut T cell immunity. To determine if aging impacted CD4 T cell immunity in the human large intestine, we utilized multi-color flow cytometry to measure colonic lamina propria (LP) CD4 T cell frequencies and immune-modulatory marker expression in younger (mean ± SEM: 38 ± 1.5 yrs) and older (77 ± 1.6 yrs) adults. To determine cellular specificity, we evaluated colon LP CD8 T cell frequency and phenotype in the same donors. To probe tissue specificity, we evaluated the same panel of markers in peripheral blood (PB) CD4 T cells in a separate cohort of similarly aged persons. Results Frequencies of colonic CD4 T cells as a fraction of total LP mononuclear cells were higher in older persons whereas absolute numbers of colonic LP CD4 T cells per gram of tissue were similar in both age groups. LP CD4 T cells from older versus younger persons exhibited reduced CTLA-4, PD-1 and Ki67 expression. Levels of Bcl-2, CD57, CD25 and percentages of activated CD38+HLA-DR+ CD4 T cells were similar in both age groups. In memory PB CD4 T cells, older age was only associated with increased CD57 expression. Significant age effects for LP CD8 T cells were only observed for CTLA-4 expression, with lower levels of expression observed on cells from older adults. Conclusions Greater age was associated with reduced expression of the co-inhibitory receptors CTLA-4 and PD-1 on LP CD4 T cells. Colonic LP CD8 T cells from older persons also displayed reduced CTLA-4 expression. These age-associated profiles were not observed in older PB memory CD4 T cells. The decline in co-inhibitory receptor expression on colonic LP T cells may contribute to local and systemic inflammation via a reduced ability to limit ongoing T cell responses to enteric microbial challenge.


2008 ◽  
Vol 198 (6) ◽  
pp. 843-850 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah W. Read ◽  
Richard A. Lempicki ◽  
Michele Di Mascio ◽  
Sharat Srinivasula ◽  
Rosanne Burke ◽  
...  

2003 ◽  
Vol 198 (12) ◽  
pp. 1909-1922 ◽  
Author(s):  
Souheil-Antoine Younes ◽  
Bader Yassine-Diab ◽  
Alain R. Dumont ◽  
Mohamed-Rachid Boulassel ◽  
Zvi Grossman ◽  
...  

CD4+ T cell responses are associated with disease control in chronic viral infections. We analyzed human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-specific responses in ten aviremic and eight viremic patients treated during primary HIV-1 infection and for up to 6 yr thereafter. Using a highly sensitive 5-(and-6)-carboxyfluorescein diacetate-succinimidyl ester–based proliferation assay, we observed that proliferative Gag and Nef peptide-specific CD4+ T cell responses were 30-fold higher in the aviremic patients. Two subsets of HIV-specific memory CD4+ T cells were identified in aviremic patients, CD45RA− CCR7+ central memory cells (Tcm) producing exclusively interleukin (IL)-2, and CD45RA− CCR7− effector memory cells (Tem) that produced both IL-2 and interferon (IFN)-γ. In contrast, in viremic, therapy-failing patients, we found significant frequencies of Tem that unexpectedly produced exclusively IFN-γ. Longitudinal analysis of HIV epitope–specific CD4+ T cells revealed that only cells that had the capacity to produce IL-2 persisted as long-term memory cells. In viremic patients the presence of IFN-γ–producing cells was restricted to periods of elevated viremia. These findings suggest that long-term CD4+ T cell memory depends on IL-2–producing CD4+ T cells and that IFN-γ only–producing cells are short lived. Our data favor a model whereby competent HIV-specific Tcm continuously arise in small numbers but under persistent antigenemia are rapidly induced to differentiate into IFN-γ only–producing cells that lack self-renewal capacity.


2004 ◽  
Vol 200 (6) ◽  
pp. 761-770 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saurabh Mehandru ◽  
Michael A. Poles ◽  
Klara Tenner-Racz ◽  
Amir Horowitz ◽  
Arlene Hurley ◽  
...  

Given its population of CCR5-expressing, immunologically activated CD4+ T cells, the gastrointestinal (GI) mucosa is uniquely susceptible to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 infection. We undertook this study to assess whether a preferential depletion of mucosal CD4+ T cells would be observed in HIV-1–infected subjects during the primary infection period, to examine the anatomic subcompartment from which these cells are depleted, and to examine whether suppressive highly active antiretroviral therapy could result in complete immune reconstitution in the mucosal compartment. Our results demonstrate that a significant and preferential depletion of mucosal CD4+ T cells compared with peripheral blood CD4+ T cells is seen during primary HIV-1 infection. CD4+ T cell loss predominated in the effector subcompartment of the GI mucosa, in distinction to the inductive compartment, where HIV-1 RNA was present. Cross-sectional analysis of a cohort of primary HIV-1 infection subjects showed that although chronic suppression of HIV-1 permits near-complete immune recovery of the peripheral blood CD4+ T cell population, a significantly greater CD4+ T cell loss remains in the GI mucosa, despite up to 5 yr of fully suppressive therapy. Given the importance of the mucosal compartment in HIV-1 pathogenesis, further study to elucidate the significance of the changes observed here is critical.


2007 ◽  
Vol 179 (12) ◽  
pp. 8243-8251 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia Novy ◽  
Michael Quigley ◽  
Xiaopei Huang ◽  
Yiping Yang

Blood ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 96 (1) ◽  
pp. 195-202 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masaki Tateyama ◽  
Naoki Oyaizu ◽  
Thomas W. McCloskey ◽  
Soe Than ◽  
Savita Pahwa

CD4 molecules serve as coreceptors for the T-cell receptor (TCR)/CD3 complex that are engaged coordinately with TCR and facilitate antigen-specific T-cell activation leading to interleukin 2 (IL-2) production and proliferation. However, cross-ligation of CD4 molecules prior to TCR stimulation has been shown to prime CD4 T cells to undergo apoptosis. Although in vivo and in vitro experiments have implicated the involvement of Fas/FasL interaction in this CD4 cross-linking (CD4XL)-induced apoptosis, detailed mechanisms to account for cell death induction have not been elucidated. In the present study, we demonstrate that CD4XL in purified T cells not only led to Fas up-regulation but also primed CD4 T cells to express FasL upon CD3 stimulation and rendered the T cells susceptible to Fas-mediated apoptosis. Notably, in addition to CD4+ T cells, CD4XL-induced sensitization for apoptosis was observed in CD8+ T cells as well and was associated with Bcl-x down-modulation. Both CD4 and CD8 T-cell subsets underwent apoptosis following cell–cell contact with FasL+ CD4 T cells. CD28 costimulation abrogated CD4XL/CD3-induced apoptosis with restoration of IL-2 production and prevented Bcl-x down-modulation. As CD4 molecules are the primary receptors for human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1), we conclude that HIV-1 envelope mediated CD4XL can lead to the generation of FasL-expressing CD4+ T cells that can lead to apoptosis of CD4 as well as CD8 T cells. These findings implicate a novel mechanism for CD8 T-cell depletion in HIV disease.


2003 ◽  
Vol 197 (7) ◽  
pp. 861-874 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ye Zheng ◽  
Monika Vig ◽  
Jesse Lyons ◽  
Luk Van Parijs ◽  
Amer A. Beg

Signaling pathways involved in regulating T cell proliferation and survival are not well understood. Here we have investigated a possible role of the nuclear factor (NF)-κB pathway in regulating mature T cell function by using CD4+ T cells from p50−/− cRel−/− mice, which exhibit virtually no inducible κB site binding activity. Studies with these mice indicate an essential role of T cell receptor (TCR)-induced NF-κB in regulating interleukin (IL)-2 expression, cell cycle entry, and survival of T cells. Our results further indicate that NF-κB regulates TCR-induced expression of antiapoptotic Bcl-2 family members. Strikingly, retroviral transduction of CD4+ T cells with the NF-κB–inducing IκB kinase β showed that NF-κB activation is not only necessary but also sufficient for T cell survival. In contrast, our results indicate a lack of involvement of NF-κB in both IL-2 and Akt-induced survival pathways. In vivo, p50−/− cRel−/− mice showed impaired superantigen-induced T cell responses as well as decreased numbers of effector/memory and regulatory CD4+ T cells. These findings provide the first demonstration of a role for NF-κB proteins in regulating T cell function in vivo and establish a critically important function of NF-κB in TCR-induced regulation of survival.


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