scholarly journals Granzyme B is not required for regulatory T cell–mediated suppression of graft-versus-host disease

Blood ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 115 (9) ◽  
pp. 1669-1677 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sheng F. Cai ◽  
Xuefang Cao ◽  
Anjum Hassan ◽  
Todd A. Fehniger ◽  
Timothy J. Ley

Abstract Regulatory T (Treg) cells can suppress a wide variety of immune responses, including antitumor and alloimmune responses. The mechanisms by which Treg cells mediate their suppressive effects depend on the context of their activation. We previously reported that granzyme B is important for Treg cell–mediated suppression of antitumor immune responses. We therefore hypothesized that granzyme B may likewise be important for suppression of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). We found that allogeneic mismatch induces the expression of granzyme B in mixed lymphocyte reactions and in a model of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). However, wild-type and granzyme B–deficient Treg cells were equally able to suppress effector T (Teff) cell proliferation driven by multiple stimuli, including allogeneicantigen-presenting cells. Surprisingly, adoptive transfer of granzyme B–deficient Treg cells prevented GVHD lethality, suppressed serum cytokine production in vivo, and prevented target organ damage. These data contrast strikingly with our previous study, which demonstrated that granzyme B plays a nonredundant role in Treg cell–mediated suppression of antitumor responses. Taken together, these findings suggest that targeting specific Treg cell–suppressive mechanisms, such as granzyme B, may be therapeutically beneficial for segregating GVHD and graft-versus-tumor immune responses.

Blood ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 87 (4) ◽  
pp. 1232-1237 ◽  
Author(s):  
TA Graubert ◽  
JH Russell ◽  
TJ Ley

A complete molecular description of the syndromes of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and graft rejection could have a significant impact on clinical bone marrow transplantation. Recent in vitro experiments (Heusel et al, Cell 76:977, 1994 and Shresta et al, Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 92:5679, 1995) have shown that the putative mediators of these two syndromes, cytotoxic lymphocytes (CTL) and natural killer (NK) cells, respectively, initiate a program of cell death (apoptosis) in susceptible target tissues in a manner critically dependent on the serine protease Granzyme B (gzm B). In the present study, we have analyzed the phenotype of gzm B-deficient mice using experimental transplant models designed to isolate their CD8+ CTL, CD4+ CTL, and NK compartments. We found a significant impairment in class I-dependent GVHD mediated by gzm B -/- CD8+ CTL, whereas class II-dependent GVHD was not altered using gzm B -/- CD4+ effectors. In a hybrid resistance model, gzm B -/- hosts rejected haplo-identical marrow grafts as efficiently as did their wild-type littermates. This result is surprising in light of a severe defect in the ability of gzm B -/- NK cells to induce apoptosis in susceptible targets in vitro. These in vivo data define significant role for gzm B in cytotoxicity mediated by CD8+ CTL, but not by CD4+ CTL. Furthermore, these results do not support a model of hybrid resistance in which NK cells play a pivotal role.


Blood ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 112 (5) ◽  
pp. 2129-2138 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dongchang Zhao ◽  
Chunyan Zhang ◽  
Tangsheng Yi ◽  
Chia-Lei Lin ◽  
Ivan Todorov ◽  
...  

Abstract CD103 (αEβ7) has been shown to be an excellent marker for identifying in vivo–activated FoxP3+CD4+ regulatory T (Treg) cells. It is unknown whether reinfusion of in vivo–activated donor-type CD103+ Treg cells from recipient can ameliorate ongoing chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Here, we showed that, in a chronic GVHD model of DBA/2 (H-2d) donor to BALB/c (H-2d) recipient, donor-type CD103+ Treg cells from recipients were much more potent than CD25hi natural Treg cells from donors in reversing clinical signs of GVHD and tissue damage. Furthermore, in contrast to CD25hi natural Treg cells, CD103+ Treg cells expressed high levels of CCR5 but low levels of CD62L and directly migrated to GVHD target tissues. In addition, the CD103+ Treg cells strongly suppressed donor CD4+ T-cell proliferation; they also induced apoptosis of in vivo–activated CD4+ T and B cells and significantly reduced pathogenic T and B cells in GVHD target tissues. These results indicate that CD103+ Treg cells from chronic GVHD recipients are functional, and reinfusion of the CD103+ Treg cells can shift the balance between Treg cells and pathogenic T cells in chronic GVHD recipients and ameliorate ongoing disease.


Blood ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 114 (6) ◽  
pp. 1263-1269 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Becker ◽  
Christian Taube ◽  
Tobias Bopp ◽  
Christoph Becker ◽  
Kai Michel ◽  
...  

AbstractNaturally occurring CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) represent a unique T-cell lineage that is endowed with the ability to actively suppress immune responses. Therefore, approaches to modulate Treg function in vivo could provide ways to enhance or reduce immune responses and lead to novel therapies. Here we show that the CD4 binding human immunodeficiency virus-1 envelope glycoprotein gp120 is a useful and potent tool for functional activation of human Tregs in vitro and in vivo. Gp120 activates human Tregs by binding and signaling through CD4. Upon stimulation with gp120, human Tregs accumulate cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) in their cytosol. Inhibition of endogeneous cAMP synthesis prevents gp120-mediated Treg activation. Employing a xenogeneic graft versus host disease model that has been shown to be applicable for the functional analysis of human Tregs in vivo, we further show that a single dose of gp120 is sufficient to prevent lethal graft versus host disease and that the tolerizing effect of gp120 is strictly dependent on the presence of human Tregs and their up-regulation of cAMP upon gp120-mediated activation. Our findings demonstrate that stimulation via the CD4 receptor represents a T-cell receptor–independent Treg activating pathway with potential to induce immunologic tolerance in vivo.


Blood ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 109 (5) ◽  
pp. 2225-2233 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Zeiser ◽  
Vu H. Nguyen ◽  
Jing-Zhou Hou ◽  
Andreas Beilhack ◽  
Elizabeth Zambricki ◽  
...  

Abstract Murine CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells (Treg cells) reduce acute graft-versus-host disease (aGvHD). However, surface molecules critical for suppression are unclear. Deficiency of CD30 (CD30−/−) leads to impaired thymic negative selection and augmented T-cell autoreactivity. Therefore, we investigated the role of CD30 signaling in Treg-cell function during aGvHD. Treg cells derived from CD30−/− animals were significantly less effective in preventing aGvHD lethality. Early blockade of the CD30/CD153 pathway with a neutralizing anti-CD153 mAb reduced Treg-mediated protection from proinflammatory cytokine accumulation and donor-type T-cell apoptosis. In vivo bioluminescence imaging demonstrated intact homing but reduced expansion of luciferase-expressing Treg cells when CD153 was blocked during the early phase after adoptive transfer. CD30 surface expression on Treg cells increased with alloantigen exposure, and CD153 expression on recipient-type dendritic cells increased in the presence of a proinflammatory environment. These data demonstrate that early CD30 signaling is critical for Treg-mediated aGvHD protection after major MHC-mismatch bone marrow transplantation.


Blood ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 121 (18) ◽  
pp. 3745-3758 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Blyth ◽  
Leighton Clancy ◽  
Renee Simms ◽  
Chun K. K. Ma ◽  
Jane Burgess ◽  
...  

Key Points Infusion of CMV-specific T cells early posttransplant does not increase acute or chronic graft-versus-host disease. CMV-specific T cells early posttransplant reduce the need for pharmacotherapy without increased rates of CMV-related organ damage.


Blood ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 84 (8) ◽  
pp. 2815-2820 ◽  
Author(s):  
PY Dietrich ◽  
A Caignard ◽  
A Lim ◽  
V Chung ◽  
JL Pico ◽  
...  

In a series of patients transplanted with HLA-matched allogeneic bone marrow grafts (alloBMT), we previously showed that a few T-cell receptor (TCR) V alpha and V beta gene segment transcripts were overexpressed in skin compared with blood at the time of acute graft- versus-host disease (aGVHD). Here, in one selected patient with overexpressed V beta 16 and V alpha 11 transcripts in skin, we analyzed the junctional variability of these transcripts in donor blood, patient blood, and skin collected at aGVHD onset. A unique junctional region sequence accounted for 81% of in frame V beta 16 transcripts (13 of 16) in skin and 59% (13 of 22) in patient blood. Similarly, two recurrent junctional region sequences were found in skin V alpha 11 transcripts, one accounting for 66% (21 of 32) and the other for 16% (5 of 32). These recurrences were also found in patient blood (36% and 15% of V alpha 11 transcripts, respectively). To extend our analysis, a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based method was used to precisely determine TCR beta transcript length in run-off reactions using uncloned bulk cDNA samples. All V beta-C beta PCR products analyzed in donor blood, as well as the majority of those analyzed in patient blood, included transcripts with highly diverse junctional region sizes. As expected from the sequence data, most V beta 16-C beta PCR products in skin and patient blood were of the same size (ie, same junctional region). In addition, V beta 3, V beta 5, and V beta 17 transcripts in skin were shown to display highly restricted size variability. The clonality of the V beta 16-C beta and V beta 17-C beta transcripts was further supported by the results of run-off reactions using 13 J beta specific primers. We have identified several recurrent TCR transcripts in skin, some of them also present in patient blood. These data support the view that several T-cell subpopulations are clonally expanded in vivo at the time of aGVHD onset in this case of related HLA-matched alloBMT.


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