High Frequency CD4+CD25+ Treg Cells in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Is Associated with Suppression of CD8 T Cell Mediated Response to Latency II EBV Antigens.

Blood ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 104 (11) ◽  
pp. 3113-3113
Author(s):  
Frederick E. Chen ◽  
Wensheng Wen ◽  
Guangwu Huang ◽  
Paul Travers ◽  
I. Anthony Dodi ◽  
...  

Abstract Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma (NPC) is associated with latent Epstein Barr Virus (EBV) infection and expression of EBV latent antigen LMP2. Because of the possibility of targeting viral antigens, there is interest in developing EBV-LMP2-specific Cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) immunotherapy for NPC. However, evidence suggests that CD8+ T cell responses to EBV latency II antigens are rarely detectable in these patients. Regulatory T cells have been shown to inhibit stimulation of CD8+ T cells by Antigen Presenting Cells (APC) in vitro, and may play an important role in immune tolerance to tumours. Thirteen newly diagnosed untreated HLA A2 NPC patients were investigated for CTL responses to EBV latency II antigens by flow cytometry using HLA A2 restricted tetramers specific for LMP2a derived peptides (CLG, LTA). No LMP2-specific CD8+ T cells were detected amongst peripheral blood CD8+ T cells either ex vivo or in vitro following short stimulation in ELIspot assays, although strong responses to CMV and flu peptides and PHA were elicited. To investigate the antigen presenting capability of professional APC in NPC, dendritic cells (DC) were generated from ex vivo peripheral blood monocytes and shown to express a stimulatory mature phenotype with expression of CD83 and markers of costimulation CD80 and CD86. Despite this, mature DC pulsed with LMP2 derived peptides failed to stimulate and expand autologous LMP2-specific CTL, suggesting either absence or tolerance of LMP2-specific CTL. CD4+CD25+ regulatory cells have been implicated in peripheral tolerance and inhibition of antigen-specific T cell responses, and analysis of ex vivo peripheral blood T cells from NPC patients showed increased CD25 expression constituting a mean of 22.23 % of total CD4+ T cells compared to normal control mean of 5.35% (student t-test p<0.001). CD25 was not expressed by non-CD4+ T cells including CD8+ and NK cells, indicating that CD25 expression was unlikely to have represented activation. The findings suggest that CD4+CD25+ regulatory cells may play an important role in inhibiting antigen-specific anti-tumour responses in patients with established disease.

2008 ◽  
Vol 205 (13) ◽  
pp. 2965-2973 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Gilfillan ◽  
Christopher J. Chan ◽  
Marina Cella ◽  
Nicole M. Haynes ◽  
Aaron S. Rapaport ◽  
...  

Natural killer (NK) cells and CD8 T cells require adhesion molecules for migration, activation, expansion, differentiation, and effector functions. DNAX accessory molecule 1 (DNAM-1), an adhesion molecule belonging to the immunoglobulin superfamily, promotes many of these functions in vitro. However, because NK cells and CD8 T cells express multiple adhesion molecules, it is unclear whether DNAM-1 has a unique function or is effectively redundant in vivo. To address this question, we generated mice lacking DNAM-1 and evaluated DNAM-1–deficient CD8 T cell and NK cell function in vitro and in vivo. Our results demonstrate that CD8 T cells require DNAM-1 for co-stimulation when recognizing antigen presented by nonprofessional antigen-presenting cells; in contrast, DNAM-1 is dispensable when dendritic cells present the antigen. Similarly, NK cells require DNAM-1 for the elimination of tumor cells that are comparatively resistant to NK cell–mediated cytotoxicity caused by the paucity of other NK cell–activating ligands. We conclude that DNAM-1 serves to extend the range of target cells that can activate CD8 T cell and NK cells and, hence, may be essential for immunosurveillance against tumors and/or viruses that evade recognition by other activating or accessory molecules.


Author(s):  
Maud Wilhelm ◽  
Amandeep Kaur ◽  
Marion Wernli ◽  
Hans H Hirsch

Abstract Background BK polyomavirus (BKPyV) remains a significant cause of premature kidney transplant failure. In the absence of effective antivirals, current treatments rely on reducing immunosuppression to regain immune control over BKPyV replication. Increasing BKPyV-specific CD8 T cells correlate with clearance of BKPyV DNAemia in kidney transplant patients. We characterized a novel approach for expanding BKPyV-specific CD8 T cells in vitro using 27mer-long synthetic BKPyV peptides, different types of antigen-presenting cells, and CD4 T cells. Methods Langerhans cells and immature or mature monocyte-derived dendritic cells (Mo-DCs) were generated from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of healthy blood donors, pulsed with synthetic peptide pools consisting of 36 overlapping 27mers (27mP) or 180 15mers (15mP). BKPyV-specific CD8 T-cell responses were assessed by cytokine release assays using 15mP or immunodominant 9mers. Results BKPyV-specific CD8 T cells expanded using 27mP and required mature Mo-DCs (P = .0312) and CD4 T cells (P = .0156) for highest responses. The resulting BKPyV-specific CD8 T cells proliferated, secreted multiple cytokines including interferon γ and tumor necrosis factor α, and were functional (CD107a+/PD1–) and cytotoxic. Conclusions Synthetic 27mP permit expanding BKPyV-specific CD8 T-cell responses when pulsing mature Mo-DCs in presence of CD4 T cells, suggesting novel and safe approaches to vaccination and adoptive T-cell therapies for patients before and after kidney transplantation.


Blood ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 104 (11) ◽  
pp. 5102-5102
Author(s):  
Don J. Diamond ◽  
Zhongde Wang ◽  
Simon F. Lacey ◽  
Corinna La Rosa

Abstract Adoptive transfer of ex vivo expanded CMV-specific T cells is an effective approach, and an attractive alternative to using anti-virals to manage CMV infection for HSCT recipients. We recently published a robust approach to expanding CMV-specific CTL based on infection of autologous EBV-LCL with the attenuated poxvirus, Modified Vaccinia Ankara (MVA), expressing CMV pp65, pp150, and IE1 proteins. This approach causes vigorous, up to 500fold expansions in as little as 12–14 days of memory CD8+ T cells specific for these immunodominant antigens. In order to improve the specificity of the expanded T cells, a method was sought to derive effective antigen presenting cells (APC) that avoided the use of EBV-LCL. Of equal importance is to develop an expansion approach that avoids the need to involve virally infected APC in developing a clinical product. Our preliminary observation is that rMVA can infect PBMC in vitro, causing high levels of expression of recombinant CMV antigens. To be permissible for high level expression from rMVA, fresh PBMC were treated with different combinations of single-stranded CpG-containing phosphorothioate backbone oligonucleotides (ODN). A three-day incubation with a combination of two ODN (ODN # 2006 and 2216) which are known to stimulate both plasmacytoid dendritic and B-cells were found to reproducibly generate a highly rMVA infectable population of PBMC. In all five healthy CMV-positive donors tested, CpG ODN treated autologous PBMC, infected with recombinant rMVA, elicited a 20-fold average expansion of CMV-specific CD8+ T cells, in 10 days. Several different rMVA expressing CMV genes were evaluated, including a novel vector expressing the UL44 gene product, an immunodominant target of the host cellular immune response. The expanded T cell populations showed minimal alloreactivity, and exhibited high levels of CMV-specific MHC Class I tetramer binding, epitope-specific cytokine production, and cytotoxic activity. The availability of a source of autologous professional APC that can be used after only 3 days of priming, enhances the attractiveness of using rMVA for adoptive immunotherapy for HSCT recipients or donor vaccination.


Blood ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 104 (11) ◽  
pp. 606-606 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louis J. Picker ◽  
Andrew W. Sylwester ◽  
Bridget L. Mitchell ◽  
Cara Taormina ◽  
Christian Pelte ◽  
...  

Abstract Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is among the largest and most complex of known viruses with 150–200nm virions enclosing a double stranded 230kb DNA genome capable of coding for >200 proteins. HCMV infection is life-long, and for the vast majority of immune competent individuals clinically benign. Disease occurs almost exclusively in the setting of immune deficiency, suggesting that the stable host-parasite relationship that characterizes these infections is the result of an evolutionarily “negotiated” balance between viral mechanisms of pathogenesis and the host immune response. In keeping with, and perhaps because of this balance, the human CD4+ T cell response to whole HCMV viral lysates is enormous, with median peripheral blood frequencies of HCMV-specific cells ~5–10 fold higher than for analogous preparations of other common viruses. Although certain HCMV ORFs have been identified as targets of either the CD4+ or CD8+ T cell response, the specificities comprising the CD4+ T cell response, and both the total frequencies and component parts of the CD8+ T cell response are unknown. Here, we used cytokine flow cytometry and ~14,000 overlapping 15mer peptides comprising all 213 HCMV ORFs encoding proteins >100 amino acids in length to precisely define the total CD4+ and CD8+ HCMV-specific T cell responses and the HCMV ORFs responsible for these responses in 33 HCMV-seropositive, HLA-disparate donors. An additional 9 HCMV seronegative donors were similarly examined to define the extent to which non-HCMV responses cross-react with HCMV-encoded epitopes. We found that when totaled, the median frequencies of HCMV-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in the peripheral blood of the seropositive subjects were 4.0% and 4.5% for the total CD4+ or CD8+ T cell populations, respectively (which corresponds to 9.1% and 10.5% of the memory populations, respectively). The HCMV-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses included a median 12 and 7 different ORFs, respectively, and all told, 73 HCMV ORFs were identified as targets for both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, 26 ORFs as targets for CD8+ T cells alone, and 43 ORFS as targets for CD4+ T cells alone. UL55, UL83, UL86, UL99, and UL122 were the HCMV ORFs most commonly recognized by CD4+ T cells; UL123, UL83, UL48, UL122 and UL28 were the HCMV ORFs most commonly recognized by CD8+ T cells. The relationship between immunogenicity and 1) HLA haplotype and 2) ORF expression and function will be discussed. HCMV-seronegative individuals were non-reactive with the vast majority of HCMV peptides. Only 7 potentially cross-reactive responses were identified (all by CD8+ T cells) to 3 ORFs (US32, US29 and UL116) out of a total of almost 4,000 potential responses, suggesting fortuitous cross-reactivity with HCMV epitopes is uncommon. These data provide the first glimpse of the total human T cell response to a complex infectious agent, and will provide insight into the rules governing immunodominance and cross-reactivity in complex viral infections of humans.


Blood ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 108 (11) ◽  
pp. 455-455 ◽  
Author(s):  
Federico Mingozzi ◽  
Marcela V. Maus ◽  
Denise E. Sabatino ◽  
Daniel J. Hui ◽  
John E.J. Rasko ◽  
...  

Abstract Efforts to establish an adeno-associated viral (AAV) vector-mediated gene therapy for the treatment of hemophilia B have been hindered by an immune response to the viral capsid antigen. Preclinical studies in small and large animal models of the disease showed long-term factor IX (F.IX) transgene expression and correction of the phenotype. However, in a recent phase I/II clinical trial in humans (Manno et al., Nat. Med. 2006), after hepatic gene transfer with an AAV-2 vector expressing human F.IX transgene, expression lasted for only a few weeks, declining to baseline concurrently with a peak in liver enzymes. We hypothesized that T cells directed towards AAV capsid antigens displayed by transduced hepatocytes were activated and these mediated destruction of the transduced hepatocytes, thereby causing loss of transgene expression and a transient transaminitis. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells isolated from AAV-infused subjects were stained with an AAV capsid-specific MHC class I pentamer either directly or after in vitro expansion. Two weeks after vector infusion 0.14% of circulating CD8+ T cells were capsid-specific on direct staining, and five weeks after infusion the capsid-specific population had expanded to 0.5% of the circulating CD8+ T cells, indicating proliferation of this T cell subset. By 20 weeks after vector infusion, the capsid-specific CD8+ T cell population had contracted to the level seen at 2 weeks. The expansion and contraction of this capsid-specific CD8+ T cell population paralleled the rise and fall of serum transaminases in the subject observed. Subsequent ex vivo studies of PBMC showed the presence of a readily expandable pool of capsid-specific CD8+ T cells up to 2.5 years post vector-infusion. Similarly, we were able to expand AAV-specific CD8+ T cells from peripheral blood of normal donors, suggesting the existence of a T cell memory pool. Expanded CD8+ T cells were functional as evidenced by specific lysis of HLA-matched target cells and by IFN-γsecretion in response to AAV epitopes. It has been argued that potentially harmful immune responses could be avoided by switching AAV serotypes, however, capsid protein sequences are highly conserved among different serotypes, as are some immunodominant epitopes that we identified. Indeed, we demonstrated that capsid-specific CD8+ T cells from AAV-infused hemophilic subjects functionally cross-react with AAV-8. Moreover, cells expanded from normal donors with AAV-2 vector capsids proliferated upon culture with AAV-8 capsids, demonstrating that both vectors could be processed appropriately in vitro to present the epitopic peptide to capsid-specific T cells. This suggests that AAV-2-specific memory CD8+ T cells normally present in humans likely would expand upon exposure to AAV-8 capsid epitopes. We conclude that the use of immunomodulatory therapy may be a better approach to achieving durable transgene expression in the setting of AAV-mediated gene therapy.


Blood ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 112 (11) ◽  
pp. 2910-2910
Author(s):  
Katayoun Rezvani ◽  
Agnes S. M. Yong ◽  
Abdul Tawab ◽  
Behnam Jafarpour ◽  
Rhoda Eniafe ◽  
...  

Abstract PRAME (Preferentially expressed antigen of melanoma) is aberrantly expressed in hematological malignancies and may be a useful target for immunotherapy in leukemia. We studied CD8+ T-cell responses to four HLA-A*0201-restricted PRAME-derived epitopes (PRA100, PRA142, PRA300, PRA425) in HLA-A*0201-positive patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), acute myeloid leukemia (AML), chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and healthy donors, using PRA300/HLA-A*0201 tetramer staining, intracellular cytokine (IC) assay and ex-vivo and cultured ELISPOT analysis. CD8+ T-cells recognizing PRAME peptides were detected directly ex-vivo in 4/10 ALL, 6/10 AML, 3/10 CML patients and 3/10 donors. The frequency of PRAME-specific CD8+ T-cells was greater in patients with AML, CML and ALL than in healthy controls. All peptides were immunogenic in patients, whilst PRA300 was the only immunogenic peptide in donors. High PRAME expression in patient peripheral blood mononuclear cells was associated with responses to two or more PRAME epitopes (4/7 vs. 0/23 in individuals with low PRAME expression, P = 0.001), suggesting a PRAME-driven T-cell response. In 2 patients studied PRA300/HLA-A*0201+ CD8+T-cells were found to be a mixture of effector and central memory phenotypes. To determine the functional avidity of the PRAME T-cell response, the response of CD8+ T-cells to stimulation with 2 concentrations of peptide was measured by IC-IFN-γ staining. High-avidity CD8+ T-cells were defined as those capable of producing IFN-γ in response to the lower concentration of peptide (0.1μM), while low-avidity CD8+ T-cells were those that only produced IFN-γ in response to the higher concentration of peptide (10 μM). Both high and low-avidity CD8+ T-cell responses could be detected for all peptides tested (median 1.05, 0.90, 0.52, 0.40 high/lowavidity ratios for PRA100, PRA142, PRA300 and PRA425 respectively). In patients with high PRAME expression (&gt;0.001 PRAME/ABL) low-avidity CD8+ T-cell responses to PRAME peptides were more prominent than high-avidity responses, suggesting selective deletion of high-avidity T-cells. In contrast, in some patients with levels &lt;0.001 PRAME/ABL, we could detect the presence of high-avidity CD8+ T-cell responses to PRAME. PRAME-specific CD8+ T-cells were further characterized by IC staining for IL-2, IL-4 and IL-10 production and CD107a mobilization (as a marker of cytotoxicity). Following stimulation with the relevant PRAME peptide, there was no significant production of IL-2, IL-4 or IL-10, suggesting a Tc1 effector response but no significant CD107a mobilization was detected despite significant CD107a mobilization in the same patient in response to CMVpp65495. This finding suggests that patients with leukemia have a selective functional impairment of PRAME-specific CD8+ T-cells, consistent with PRAME-specific T cell exhaustion. However, PRAME-specific T-cells were readily expanded in the presence of cytokines in short-term cultures in-vitro to produce IFN-γ, suggesting that it may be possible to improve the functional capacity of PRAME-specific T-cells for therapeutic purposes. These results provide evidence for spontaneous T-cell reactivity against multiple epitopes of PRAME in ALL, AML and CML and support the usefulness of PRAME as a target for immunotherapy in leukemia. The predominance of low-avidity PRAME-specific CD8+ T-cells suggests that achievement of a state of minimal residual disease may be required prior to peptide vaccination to augment T-cell immune surveillance.


Blood ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 114 (22) ◽  
pp. 377-377 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel J Hui ◽  
Gary C Pien ◽  
Etiena Basner-Tschakarjan ◽  
Federico Mingozzi ◽  
Jonathan D Finn ◽  
...  

Abstract Abstract 377 Hemophilia B represents a promising model for the development of adeno-associated viral (AAV) vectors-based gene therapeutics. In the first clinical trial for AAV serotype 2 mediated gene transfer of Factor IX (F.IX) to the liver of severe hemophilia B subjects, transgene expression was short-lived with a gradual decline of F.IX levels. The loss of transgene expression was accompanied by a transient transaminitis, which we hypothesized to be the result of the reactivation of a pool of capsid-specific memory CD8+ T cells originated from a previous exposure to wild-type AAV. These results were unanticipated since previous work in small and large animal models showed that AAV administration is uneventful, allowing prolonged expression of F.IX transgene at therapeutic levels. We developed an in vitro cytotoxicity assay using a human hepatocyte cell line expressing HLA-B*0702, a common MHC class I allele for which the AAV capsid immunodominant epitope VPQYGYLTL was identified. Using this model, we demonstrated that HLA-matched AAV-specific effector CD8+ T cells were able to lyse target hepatocytes transduced with AAV-2. We now use this in vitro model of CTL killing of AAV-transduced hepatocytes to demonstrate the efficacy of a novel strategy to circumvent undesirable immune response through the engagement of regulatory T cells. A recently characterized MHC Class II-restricted T cell epitope (Tregitope) in the Fc fragment of IgG has been shown to induce regulatory T cells in vitro and in vivo (Blood, 2008; 112: 3303-3311). AAV-specific HLA-B*0702 effector cells expanded in the presence of a human Tregitope peptide resulted in 79% to 89% inhibition of cytotoxic activity against peptide-pulsed and AAV-transduced target cells, respectively. These results were confirmed using PBMCs from 5 different donors. A similar degree of inhibition of CTL activity was observed for the HLA allele A*0101, which binds to the AAV-derived epitope SADNNNSEY; co-culture of effector cells with the Tregitope inhibited CTL-mediated killing by 60%. Interestingly, the same Tregitope efficiently mediated suppression of CTL activity in subjects carrying different HLA alleles, indicating a high level of promiscuity of Tregitope binding. Staining for the regulatory T cell markers CD4, CD25, and FoxP3 supported the hypothesis that Tregitopes suppress T cell responses by expanding regulatory T cells; 62.2% of the CD4+ population stained positive for CD25 and FoxP3 in PBMCs expanded against AAV epitopes in the presence of Tregitope, compared with PBMCs expanded against an AAV epitope alone (3.63%), or against an AAV epitope and an irrelevant control peptide (1.94%). Polyfunctional analysis for markers for T cell activation showed that CD8+ T cells incubated in the presence of Tregitope had an approximately 5-fold decrease in production of IL-2 and IFN-γand a 2-fold reduction in TNF-α production, indicating levels of activation close to naïve CD8+ T cells. We further characterized the mechanism of action of Tregitopes by showing that Tregitopes are required at the time of CD8+ T cell priming, as CTL activity of AAV-expanded CD8+ T cells against transduced hepatocytes was not inhibited by the CD4+ T cell fraction of PBMC expanded separately in vitro with Tregitopes only. We conclude that the use of Tregitopes represents a promising strategy for antigen-specific, Treg-mediated modulation of capsid-specific T cell responses. Disclosures: Martin: EpiVax: Employment. De Groot:EpiVax, Inc.: Employment, Equity Ownership.


Blood ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 116 (21) ◽  
pp. 584-584
Author(s):  
Regina Gary ◽  
Simon Voelkl ◽  
Ralf Palmisano ◽  
Andreas Mackensen

Abstract Abstract 584 Specific T-cell responses are initiated by T-cell receptor (TCR) recognition of peptide-MHC-complexes on antigen presenting cells (APCs). Upon specific interaction of T cells with APCs T cells capture membrane fragments and surface molecules of APCs in a process termed trogocytosis. Exchange of membrane molecules/antigens between immune cells has been observed for a long time, but the mechanisms and functional consequences of these transfers remain unclear. Here, we demonstrate that human antigen-specific CD8+ T cells do acquire the co-inhibitory molecule programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) from mature monocyte-derived dendritic cells (mDC) and tumor cells in an antigen-specific manner. The kinetics of PD-L1 transfer revealed a maximal PD-L1 expression on antigen-specific T cells within 3–4 hours after co-incubation with antigen-pulsed APCs, being detectable up to 72 hours. Antigen-pulsed immature DCs were less effective in transfering surface molecules such as PD-L1 onto CD8+ T cells after antigen-specific recognition. Using a transwell system we could show that the acquisition of PD-L1 requires cell-cell contact. Furthermore, PD-L1 cannot be acquired by T cells from a lysate of mDCs. The transfer process is impaired after pretreatment of T cells with concanamycin A, a specific inhibitor of vacuolar ATPases, playing an important role in membrane trafficking. Moreover, fixation of DCs with glutaraldehyde completely abrogated the acquisition of PD-L1 on T cells suggesting that an active interaction between APCs and T cells is required for trogocytosis. Of importance, CD8+ T cells which acquired PD-L1 complexes, were able to induce apoptosis of neighbouring PD-1 expressing CD8+ T cells, that could be completely blocked by an anti-PD-L1 antibody. In summary our data demonstrate for the first time that human antigen-specific CD8+ T cells take up functionally active PD-L1 from APCs in an antigen-specific fashion, leading to apoptosis of PD-1 expressing T cells. The transfer of functionally active co-inhibitory molecules from APCs onto human CD8+ T cells may serve to limit clonal expansion of antigen-specific T-cell responses but may also play a major role for T-cell exhaustion in chronic infection and tumor immunosurveillance. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (7_suppl) ◽  
pp. 162-162
Author(s):  
Emmanuel S. Antonarakis ◽  
David I. Quinn ◽  
Adam S. Kibel ◽  
Daniel Peter Petrylak ◽  
Tuyen Vu ◽  
...  

162 Background: Sip-T is an FDA-approved immunotherapy for patients (pts) with asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic metastatic CRPC. Sip-T is manufactured from autologous peripheral blood mononuclear cells cultured with the immunogen PA2024, a fusion antigen of prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP) conjugated to granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor. After sip-T, antibody and T cell responses to PA2024 and/or PAP correlate with improved survival. To further elucidate the mechanism of sip-T–induced immune responses, we evaluated the proliferative and lytic ability of PA2024- and PAP-specific CD8+ T cells. Methods: Mononuclear blood cells were labeled with the membrane dye carboxyfluorescein succinimidyl ester (CFSE) and cultured with PA2024 or PAP. In vitro proliferative and lytic CD8+ (cytotoxic T lymphocyte [CTL]) T cell responses to these antigens were evaluated by flow cytometry. For proliferation, progressive dilution of CFSE was measured. For CTL activity, the loss of intracellular granzyme B (GzB), indicating exocytosis of this apoptosis-mediating enzyme, was assessed. Samples were from 2 sip-T clinical trials STAND (NCT01431391) and STRIDE (NCT01981122), hormone-sensitive and CRPC pts, respectively. Results: Six wk after sip-T administration, CD8+ PAP- and PA2024-specific responses were observed (n=14 pts assessed). The magnitude of PA2024-specific CD8+ proliferative responses was greater than that for PAP-specific responses. CD8+ T cells from a subset of pts who exhibited PA2024- and/or PAP-specific proliferative responses were assessed for lytic ability. After in vitro antigen stimulation, CTL activity in all evaluated samples (n=14, PA2024; n=13, PAP) was demonstrated by a significant decrease (p<0.05) in intracellular GzB relative to a no-antigen control. Conclusions: Sip-T induced CD8+ CTL proliferation against the target antigens PAP and PA2024. Moreover, antigen-specific CTL activity provides the first direct evidence that sip-T can induce tumor cell lysis. These antigen-specific CD8+ lytic abilities were observed within 6 wk following sip-T, suggesting rapidly generated immune responses. Clinical trial information: NCT01431391; NCT01981122.


Blood ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 113 (25) ◽  
pp. 6351-6360 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jorge R. Almeida ◽  
Delphine Sauce ◽  
David A. Price ◽  
Laura Papagno ◽  
So Youn Shin ◽  
...  

Abstract CD8+ T cells are major players in the immune response against HIV. However, recent failures in the development of T cell–based vaccines against HIV-1 have emphasized the need to reassess our basic knowledge of T cell–mediated efficacy. CD8+ T cells from HIV-1–infected patients with slow disease progression exhibit potent polyfunctionality and HIV-suppressive activity, yet the factors that unify these properties are incompletely understood. We performed a detailed study of the interplay between T-cell functional attributes using a bank of HIV-specific CD8+ T-cell clones isolated in vitro; this approach enabled us to overcome inherent difficulties related to the in vivo heterogeneity of T-cell populations and address the underlying determinants that synthesize the qualities required for antiviral efficacy. Conclusions were supported by ex vivo analysis of HIV-specific CD8+ T cells from infected donors. We report that attributes of CD8+ T-cell efficacy against HIV are linked at the level of antigen sensitivity. Highly sensitive CD8+ T cells display polyfunctional profiles and potent HIV-suppressive activity. These data provide new insights into the mechanisms underlying CD8+ T-cell efficacy against HIV, and indicate that vaccine strategies should focus on the induction of HIV-specific T cells with high levels of antigen sensitivity to elicit potent antiviral efficacy.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document