scholarly journals Control of Plasmodium falciparum erythrocytic cycle: γδ T cells target the red blood cell–invasive merozoites

Blood ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 118 (26) ◽  
pp. 6952-6962 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giulia Costa ◽  
Séverine Loizon ◽  
Marianne Guenot ◽  
Iulia Mocan ◽  
Franck Halary ◽  
...  

AbstractThe control of Plasmodium falciparum erythrocytic parasite density is essential for protection against malaria, because it prevents pathogenesis and progression toward severe disease. P falciparum blood-stage parasite cultures are inhibited by human Vγ9Vδ2 γδ T cells, but the underlying mechanism remains poorly understood. Here, we show that both intraerythrocytic parasites and the extracellular red blood cell–invasive merozoites specifically activate Vγ9Vδ2 T cells in a γδ T cell receptor–dependent manner and trigger their degranulation. In contrast, the γδ T cell–mediated antiparasitic activity only targets the extracellular merozoites. Using perforin-deficient and granulysin-silenced T-cell lines, we demonstrate that granulysin is essential for the in vitro antiplasmodial process, whereas perforin is dispensable. Patients infected with P falciparum exhibited elevated granulysin plasma levels associated with high levels of granulysin-expressing Vδ2+ T cells endowed with parasite-specific degranulation capacity. This indicates in vivo activation of Vγ9Vδ2 T cells along with granulysin triggering and discharge during primary acute falciparum malaria. Altogether, this work identifies Vγ9Vδ2 T cells as unconventional immune effectors targeting the red blood cell–invasive extracellular P falciparum merozoites and opens novel perspectives for immune interventions harnessing the antiparasitic activity of Vγ9Vδ2 T cells to control parasite density in malaria patients.

2015 ◽  
Vol 112 (6) ◽  
pp. E556-E565 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tanya Dimova ◽  
Margreet Brouwer ◽  
Françoise Gosselin ◽  
Joël Tassignon ◽  
Oberdan Leo ◽  
...  

γδ T cells are unconventional T cells recognizing antigens via their γδ T-cell receptor (TCR) in a way that is fundamentally different from conventional αβ T cells. γδ T cells usually are divided into subsets according the type of Vγ and/or Vδ chain they express in their TCR. T cells expressing the TCR containing the γ-chain variable region 9 and the δ-chain variable region 2 (Vγ9Vδ2 T cells) are the predominant γδ T-cell subset in human adult peripheral blood. The current thought is that this predominance is the result of the postnatal expansion of cells expressing particular complementary-determining region 3 (CDR3) in response to encounters with microbes, especially those generating phosphoantigens derived from the 2-C-methyl-d-erythritol 4-phosphate pathway of isoprenoid synthesis. However, here we show that, rather than requiring postnatal microbial exposure, Vγ9Vδ2 T cells are the predominant blood subset in the second-trimester fetus, whereas Vδ1+ and Vδ3+ γδ T cells are present only at low frequencies at this gestational time. Fetal blood Vγ9Vδ2 T cells are phosphoantigen responsive and display very limited diversity in the CDR3 of the Vγ9 chain gene, where a germline-encoded sequence accounts for >50% of all sequences, in association with a prototypic CDR3δ2. Furthermore, these fetal blood Vγ9Vδ2 T cells are functionally preprogrammed (e.g., IFN-γ and granzymes-A/K), with properties of rapidly activatable innatelike T cells. Thus, enrichment for phosphoantigen-responsive effector T cells has occurred within the fetus before postnatal microbial exposure. These various characteristics have been linked in the mouse to the action of selecting elements and would establish a much stronger parallel between human and murine γδ T cells than is usually articulated.


Blood ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 108 (11) ◽  
pp. 1742-1742
Author(s):  
Volker Kunzmann ◽  
Brigitte Kimmel ◽  
Judith Engert ◽  
Martin Wilhelm ◽  
Hermann Einsele

Abstract CD4+CD25+FOXP3+ regulatory T cells (Treg) are a unique population of T cells that maintain immune tolerance by suppressing self-reactive cells. Treg also contribute to the establishment of a dominant tolerance during infections and after allogeneic transplantation and suppress immune response to tumors. Increasing evidence supports the existence of elevated numbers of Treg in both solid tumors and hematological malignancies. In this study we show that Treg may also suppress other arms of an effective immune response. In vitro, purified human CD4+CD25+FOXP3+ Treg (by immunomagnetic selection) directly inhibit phosphoantigen (BrHPP)-mediated proliferation of Vγ9Vδ2 T cells, the major γδ T lymphocyte subset in humans. Importantly, suppression of γδ T cell proliferation by Treg was maintained when Treg where separated from γδ T cells by Transwells, suggesting that the inhibitory function of Treg on γδ T cell proliferation is not cell-contact independent and rather soluble factors produced by Treg contribute to this suppressive effect. However, Treg do neither influence the expression of activation markers (CD69, CD25) nor the production of IFN-γ by Vγ9Vδ2 T cells stimulated with phosphoantigen indicating that not all effector functions of Vγ9Vδ2 T cells are suppressed by Treg. As we have recently reported, phosphoantigen-mediated γδ T cell proliferation is frequently suppressed in cancer patients. This observation prompted us to address the role of Treg in controlling γδ T cell proliferation in cancer patients. An inverse correlation between Treg frequencies (i.e. the ratio between Treg and Vγ9Vδ2 T cells) in peripheral blood and phosphoantigen-mediated γδ T cell proliferation was found (mean Treg/Vγ9Vδ2 T cell ratio in cancer patients with maintained phosphoantigen-mediated γδ T cell proliferation (n=14): 4.06; mean Treg/Vγ9Vδ2 T cell ratio in cancer patients without phosphoantigen-mediated γδ T cell proliferation (n=55): 33.36)). Therefore, the Treg/Vγ9Vδ2 T cell ratio in peripheral blood can predict the capacity of γδ T cells to proliferate in response to phosphoantigens. In conclusion, these findings support a role for Treg in blunting the γδ T cell arm of the innate immune response in cancer patients and highlight the potential of Treg depletion (e.g. by anti-CD25 antibodies, cyclophosphamide or fludarabine) to promote γδ T cell mediated antitumor activity.


Cells ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 772 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oliver Nussbaumer ◽  
Martin Thurnher

Butyrophilin and butyrophilin-like proteins select γδ T cells and direct the migration of γδ T cell subsets to distinct anatomical sites. γδ T cells expressing Vδ2 paired with Vγ9 (Vγ9Vδ2 T cells) are the predominant γδ T cell type in human peripheral blood. Vγ9Vδ2 T cells, which cannot be studied easily in vivo because they do not exist in rodents, are often referred to as innate-like T cells. The genetically recombined γδ T cell receptor (TCR) that responds to isoprenoid-derived pyrophosphates (phosphoantigens) produced by infected and malignant cells in a butyrophilin-dependent manner qualifies them as therapeutically relevant components of the adaptive immune system. On the other hand, cell-surface proteins such as the C-type lectin CD161 mark a functional phenotype of Vγ9Vδ2 T cells that mediates TCR-independent innate-like responses. Moreover, CD56 (neural cell adhesion molecule, NCAM) and the G protein-coupled receptor GPR56 define Vγ9Vδ2 T cells with increased cytolytic potential and, like CD161, may also be expressed by dendritic cells, principally facilitating the generation of an innate-like immunological synapse. In this review, we summarise current knowledge of Vγ9Vδ2 T cell functional phenotypes that are critical to lymphoid stress surveillance.


Author(s):  
Shannon L. McArdel ◽  
Anne-Sophie Dugast ◽  
Maegan E. Hoover ◽  
Arjun Bollampalli ◽  
Enping Hong ◽  
...  

AbstractRecombinant agonists that activate co-stimulatory and cytokine receptors have shown limited clinical anticancer utility, potentially due to narrow therapeutic windows, the need for coordinated activation of co-stimulatory and cytokine pathways and the failure of agonistic antibodies to recapitulate signaling by endogenous ligands. RTX-240 is a genetically engineered red blood cell expressing 4-1BBL and IL-15/IL-15Rα fusion (IL-15TP). RTX-240 is designed to potently and simultaneously stimulate the 4-1BB and IL-15 pathways, thereby activating and expanding T cells and NK cells, while potentially offering an improved safety profile through restricted biodistribution. We assessed the ability of RTX-240 to expand and activate T cells and NK cells and evaluated the in vivo efficacy, pharmacodynamics and tolerability using murine models. Treatment of PBMCs with RTX-240 induced T cell and NK cell activation and proliferation. In vivo studies using mRBC-240, a mouse surrogate for RTX-240, revealed biodistribution predominantly to the red pulp of the spleen, leading to CD8 + T cell and NK cell expansion. mRBC-240 was efficacious in a B16-F10 melanoma model and led to increased NK cell infiltration into the lungs. mRBC-240 significantly inhibited CT26 tumor growth, in association with an increase in tumor-infiltrating proliferating and cytotoxic CD8 + T cells. mRBC-240 was tolerated and showed no evidence of hepatic injury at the highest feasible dose, compared with a 4-1BB agonistic antibody. RTX-240 promotes T cell and NK cell activity in preclinical models and shows efficacy and an improved safety profile. Based on these data, RTX-240 is now being evaluated in a clinical trial.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. e002051
Author(s):  
Ryan Michael Reyes ◽  
Yilun Deng ◽  
Deyi Zhang ◽  
Niannian Ji ◽  
Neelam Mukherjee ◽  
...  

BackgroundAnti-programmed death-ligand 1 (αPD-L1) immunotherapy is approved to treat bladder cancer (BC) but is effective in <30% of patients. Interleukin (IL)-2/αIL-2 complexes (IL-2c) that preferentially target IL-2 receptor β (CD122) augment CD8+ antitumor T cells known to improve αPD-L1 efficacy. We hypothesized that the tumor microenvironment, including local immune cells in primary versus metastatic BC, differentially affects immunotherapy responses and that IL-2c effects could differ from, and thus complement αPD-L1.MethodsWe studied mechanisms of IL-2c and αPD-L1 efficacy using PD-L1+ mouse BC cell lines MB49 and MBT-2 in orthotopic (bladder) and metastatic (lung) sites.ResultsIL-2c reduced orthotopic tumor burden and extended survival in MB49 and MBT-2 BC models, similar to αPD-L1. Using antibody-mediated cell depletions and genetically T cell-deficient mice, we unexpectedly found that CD8+ T cells were not necessary for IL-2c efficacy against tumors in bladder, whereas γδ T cells, not reported to contribute to αPD-L1 efficacy, were indispensable for IL-2c efficacy there. αPD-L1 responsiveness in bladder required conventional T cells as expected, but not γδ T cells, altogether defining distinct mechanisms for IL-2c and αPD-L1 efficacy. γδ T cells did not improve IL-2c treatment of subcutaneously challenged BC or orthotopic (peritoneal) ovarian cancer, consistent with tissue-specific and/or tumor-specific γδ T cell contributions to IL-2c efficacy. IL-2c significantly altered bladder intratumoral γδ T cell content, activation status, and specific γδ T cell subsets with antitumor or protumor effector functions. Neither IL-2c nor αPD-L1 alone treated lung metastatic MB49 or MBT-2 BC, but their combination improved survival in both models. Combination treatment efficacy in lungs required CD8+ T cells but not γδ T cells.ConclusionsMechanistic insights into differential IL-2c and αPD-L1 treatment and tissue-dependent effects could help develop rational combination treatment strategies to improve treatment efficacy in distinct cancers. These studies also provide insights into γδ T cell contributions to immunotherapy in bladder and engagement of adaptive immunity by IL-2c plus αPD-L1 to treat refractory lung metastases.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaohui Wang ◽  
Xiang Lin ◽  
Zihan Zheng ◽  
Bingtai Lu ◽  
Jun Wang ◽  
...  

AbstractInnate immunity is important for host defense by eliciting rapid anti-viral responses and bridging adaptive immunity. Here, we show that endogenous lipids released from virus-infected host cells activate lung γδ T cells to produce interleukin 17 A (IL-17A) for early protection against H1N1 influenza infection. During infection, the lung γδ T cell pool is constantly supplemented by thymic output, with recent emigrants infiltrating into the lung parenchyma and airway to acquire tissue-resident feature. Single-cell studies identify IL-17A-producing γδ T (Tγδ17) cells with a phenotype of TCRγδhiCD3hiAQP3hiCXCR6hi in both infected mice and patients with pneumonia. Mechanistically, host cell-released lipids during viral infection are presented by lung infiltrating CD1d+ B-1a cells to activate IL-17A production in γδ T cells via γδTCR-mediated IRF4-dependent transcription. Reduced IL-17A production in γδ T cells is detected in mice either lacking B-1a cells or with ablated CD1d in B cells. Our findings identify a local host-immune crosstalk and define important cellular and molecular mediators for early innate defense against lung viral infection.


Blood ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 102 (1) ◽  
pp. 200-206 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Wilhelm ◽  
Volker Kunzmann ◽  
Susanne Eckstein ◽  
Peter Reimer ◽  
Florian Weissinger ◽  
...  

Abstract There is increasing evidence that γδ T cells have potent innate antitumor activity. We described previously that synthetic aminobisphosphonates are potent γδ T cell stimulatory compounds that induce cytokine secretion (ie, interferon γ [IFN-γ]) and cell-mediated cytotoxicity against lymphoma and myeloma cell lines in vitro. To evaluate the antitumor activity of γδ T cells in vivo, we initiated a pilot study of low-dose interleukin 2 (IL-2) in combination with pamidronate in 19 patients with relapsed/refractory low-grade non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) or multiple myeloma (MM). The objectives of this trial were to determine toxicity, the most effective dose for in vivo activation/proliferation of γδ T cells, and antilymphoma efficacy of the combination of pamidronate and IL-2. The first 10 patients (cohort A) who entered the study received 90 mg pamidronate intravenously on day 1 followed by increasing dose levels of continuous 24-hour intravenous (IV) infusions of IL-2 (0.25 to 3 × 106 IU/m2) from day 3 to day 8. Even at the highest IL-2 dose level in vivo, γδ T-cell activation/proliferation and response to treatment were disappointing with only 1 patient achieving stable disease. Therefore, the next 9 patients were selected by positive in vitro proliferation of γδ T cells in response to pamidronate/IL-2 and received a modified treatment schedule (6-hour bolus IV IL-2 infusions from day 1-6). In this patient group (cohort B), significant in vivo activation/proliferation of γδ T cells was observed in 5 patients (55%), and objective responses (PR) were achieved in 3 patients (33%). Only patients with significant in vivo proliferation of γδ T cells responded to treatment, indicating that γδ T cells might contribute to this antilymphoma effect. Overall, administration of pamidronate and low-dose IL-2 was well tolerated. In conclusion, this clinical trial demonstrates, for the first time, that γδ T-cell–mediated immunotherapy is feasible and can induce objective tumor responses. (Blood. 2003;102:200-206)


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (Suppl 3) ◽  
pp. A119-A119
Author(s):  
Lu Bai ◽  
Kevin Nishimoto ◽  
Mustafa Turkoz ◽  
Marissa Herrman ◽  
Jason Romero ◽  
...  

BackgroundAutologous chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells have been shown to be efficacious for the treatment of B cell malignancies; however, widespread adoption and application of CAR T cell products still face a number of challenges. To overcome these challenges, Adicet Bio is developing an allogeneic γδ T cell-based CAR T cell platform, which capitalizes on the intrinsic abilities of Vδ1 γδ T cells to recognize and kill transformed cells in an MHC-unrestricted manner, to migrate to epithelial tissues, and to function in hypoxic conditions. To gain a better understanding of the requirements for optimal intratumoral CAR Vδ1 γδ T cell activation, proliferation, and differentiation, we developed a three-dimensional (3D) tumor spheroid assay, in which tumor cells acquire the structural organization of a solid tumor and establish a microenvironment that has oxygen and nutrient gradients. Moreover, through the addition of cytokines and/or tumor stromal cell types, the spheroid microenvironment can be modified to reflect hot or cold tumors. Here, we report on the use of a 3D CD20+ Raji lymphoma spheroid assay to evaluate the effects of IL-2 and IL-15, positive regulators of T cell homeostasis and differentiation, on the proliferative and antitumor capacities of CD20 CAR Vδ1 γδ T cells.MethodsMolecular, phenotypic, and functional profiling were performed to characterize the in vitro dynamics of the intraspheroid CD20 CAR Vδ1 γδ T cell response to target antigen in the presence of IL-2, IL-15, or no added cytokine.ResultsWhen compared to no added cytokine, the addition of IL-2 or IL-15 enhanced CD20 CAR Vδ1 γδ T cell activation, proliferation, survival, and cytokine production in a dose-dependent manner but were only able to alter the kinetics of Raji cell killing at low effector to target ratios. Notably, differential gene expression analysis using NanoString nCounter® Technology confirmed the positive effects of IL-2 or IL-15 on CAR-activated Vδ1 γδ T cells as evidenced by the upregulation of genes involved in activation, cell cycle, mitochondrial biogenesis, cytotoxicity, and cytokine production.ConclusionsTogether, these results not only show that the addition of IL-2 or IL-15 can potentiate CD20 CAR Vδ1 γδ T cell activation, proliferation, survival, and differentiation into antitumor effectors but also highlight the utility of the 3D spheroid assay as a high throughput in vitro method for assessing and predicting CAR Vδ1 γδ T cell activation, proliferation, survival, and differentiation in hot and cold tumors.


Blood ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 114 (20) ◽  
pp. 4422-4431 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georg Gruenbacher ◽  
Hubert Gander ◽  
Andrea Rahm ◽  
Walter Nussbaumer ◽  
Nikolaus Romani ◽  
...  

Abstract CD56+ human dendritic cells (DCs) have recently been shown to differentiate from monocytes in response to GM-CSF and type 1 interferon in vitro. We show here that CD56+ cells freshly isolated from human peripheral blood contain a substantial subset of CD14+CD86+HLA-DR+ cells, which have the appearance of intermediate-sized lymphocytes but spontaneously differentiate into enlarged DC-like cells with substantially increased HLA-DR and CD86 expression or into fully mature CD83+ DCs in response to appropriate cytokines. Stimulation of CD56+ cells containing both DCs and abundant γδ T cells with zoledronate and interleukin-2 (IL-2) resulted in the rapid expansion of γδ T cells as well as in IFN-γ, TNF-α, and IL-1β but not in IL-4, IL-10, or IL-17 production. IFN-γ, TNF-α, and IL-1β production were almost completely abolished by depleting CD14+ cells from the CD56+ subset before stimulation. Likewise, depletion of CD14+ cells dramatically impaired γδ T-cell expansion. IFN-γ production could also be blocked by neutralizing the effects of endogenous IL-1β and TNF-α. Conversely, addition of recombinant IL-1β, TNF-α, or both further enhanced IFN-γ production and strongly up-regulated IL-6 production. Our data indicate that CD56+ DCs from human blood are capable of stimulating CD56+ γδ T cells, which may be harnessed for immunotherapy.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 923
Author(s):  
Josephine G. M. Strijker ◽  
Ronja Pscheid ◽  
Esther Drent ◽  
Jessica J. F. van der Hoek ◽  
Bianca Koopmans ◽  
...  

Currently ~50% of patients with a diagnosis of high-risk neuroblastoma will not survive due to relapsing or refractory disease. Recent innovations in immunotherapy for solid tumors are highly promising, but the low MHC-I expression of neuroblastoma represents a major challenge for T cell-mediated immunotherapy. Here, we propose a novel T cell-based immunotherapy approach for neuroblastoma, based on the use of TEG002, αβ-T cells engineered to express a defined γδ-T cell receptor, which can recognize and kill target cells independent of MHC-I. In a co-culture killing assay, we showed that 3 out of 6 neuroblastoma organoids could activate TEG002 as measured by IFNγ production. Transcriptional profiling showed this effect correlates with an increased activity of processes involved in interferon signaling and extracellular matrix organization. Analysis of the dynamics of organoid killing by TEG002 over time confirmed that organoids which induced TEG002 activation were efficiently killed independent of their MHC-I expression. Of note, efficacy of TEG002 treatment was superior to donor-matched untransduced αβ-T cells or endogenous γδ-T cells. Our data suggest that TEG002 may be a promising novel treatment option for a subset of neuroblastoma patients.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document