Therapy-Inducible Senescence Activates Both Innate and Adaptive Immune Mechanisms That Control Lymphoma Growth In Vivo

Blood ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 118 (21) ◽  
pp. 107-107
Author(s):  
Jan Dörr ◽  
Selina Keppler ◽  
Maja Milanovic ◽  
Simone Spieckermann ◽  
Peter Aichele ◽  
...  

Abstract Abstract 107 Introduction: Premature senescence is a cellular failsafe mechanism which is induced upon various cellular insults, such as oncogene activation or exposure to DNA damaging chemotherapy. It suppresses tumor formation and acts as a barrier to tumor progression in vivo. In contrast to apoptotic cells, senescent cells are viably arrested in the G1 phase of the cell cycle. They continue to take up nutrients and interact with tumor and host cells. To what extent senescent cells alter the tumor environment and tumor-host interactions remains largely unsolved. Here, we analyze lymphoma cells with defined genetic lesions, e.g. deletion of the histone H3 lysine 9 methyltransferase Suv39h1 (controlling senescence) and p53 (mediating both apoptosis and senescence), for their influence on immunological tumor-host interactions as a consequence of therapy-induced senescence (TIS) in the Eμ-myc mouse lymphoma model. Our data demonstrate for the first time a senescence-primed T-cell response against lymphoma cells in vitro and in vivo. Methods: Lymphoma cells (LCs) from different genetic were retrovirally transduced with the bcl2 gene to block apoptosis. Subsequently, they were treated with the DNA damaging anticancer agent adriamycin in vitro or the alkylating agent cyclophosphamide upon lymphoma formation in normal immunocompetent mice in vivo. Therapy-inducible senescence (TIS) was detected based on senescence-associated b-galactosidase activity (SA-b-gal), Ki67 staining and BrdU incorporation. The cytokine profile of senescent LCs was analysed by gene expression and protein arrays. Infiltration and activation of immune cells in TIS lymphomas was analysed by immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry with leukocyte-specific antibodies. Immune responses elicited upon TIS induction in vivo were further analysed in gld (generalized lymphoproliferative disease) mice, which lack functional FasL and by systemic depletion of macrophages after clodronate administration. Pharmaceutical inhibitors of FasL and perforin and IFNg knockout mice were used to analyze T-cell mediated cytotoxity in vitro. Results: TIS lymphoma cells, but not Suv39h1- or p53-deficient LCs, upregulate the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as IL6 and IL12, with pro-inflammatory on tumor and bystander cells. In vivo, TIS correlates with the attraction of immune cells, particularly macrophages and T cells, to the tumor site. Senescent LCs became sensitive to both macrophage engulfment and death receptor (Fas)-mediated apoptosis. Activation of both CD4 and CD8 T cells leads to production of IFNg and clearing of senescent cells. Clearance can be attenuated by systemic depletion of macrophages and interference with T cell-mediated programmed cell death. T-cells specifically primed by TIS cells in vivo potently killed both senescent and proliferating LCs after isolation and co-incubation in vitro. In vivo clearance of TIS LCs was attenuated by systemic depletion of macrophages or by interference with T-cell-mediated programmed cell death. Lymphoma-bearing gld mice presented with a reduced overall survival when compared to wild-type host mice. Discussion: This study demonstrates that therapy-induced senescence drives a profound remodeling of the tumor site after therapy and unveils functional interactions of senescent LCs with different immune cell subsets in vitro and in vivo. Senescent cells secrete a cytokine program, which stimulates immune cell attraction and an adaptive and presumably lastingly protective immune response. Thus, TIS is a highly dynamic and interdependent process whose paracrine effects and immune cell interactions account for regression of the senescent mass and present an attractive target network for novel therapeutic strategies. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (Suppl 3) ◽  
pp. A737-A737
Author(s):  
Anna Cole ◽  
Guillermo Rangel RIvera ◽  
Aubrey Smith ◽  
Megan Wyatt ◽  
Brandon Ware ◽  
...  

BackgroundIL-21 enhances the anti-tumor capacity of adoptively transferred CD8+ T cells, while IL-2 and IL-15 impair T cell immunity by driving their expansion to a more differentiated status. Yet, these cytokines can act on many different immune cells. Given the potency of IL-21, we tested if this cytokine directly augments T cells or rather if it enhances other immune cells in the culture that indirectly improves T cell therapy.MethodsTo test this question, splenocytes from pmel-1 transgenic mice were used, as all CD8+ T cells express a transgenic TCR specific for tumor-antigen gp10025–33 overexpressed on melanoma. We then peptide activated naïve CD8+ T cells enriched or not from the spleen of pmel-1 mice and expanded them in the presence of IL-21 or IL-2 (10 ng/mL) for four days. Expanded pmel-1 from these various cultures were then restimulated with irradiated splenocytes pulsed with gp10025–33 and grown an additional seven days with IL-2 (10 ng/mL), irrespective of their initial cytokine condition. The in vitro memory phenotype, exhaustion profile, and cytokine secretion of these cultures were then assayed. Furthermore, mice bearing B16KVP melanoma tumors were infused with pmel-1 T cells expanded via these various approaches and compared for their relative capacity to engraft, persist, and regress tumor in vivo.ResultsInterestingly, we discovered that IL-21-treated T cells generated from bulk splenocytes are phenotypically and functionally distinct from IL-21-treated isolated T cells. Upon restimulation, IL-21-treated T cells from bulk splenocytes exhibited an exhausted phenotype that was like anergic IL-2-treated T cells. Moreover, few cells expressed CD62L but expressed heightened markers of suppression, including TIM3, PD-1, and EOMES. Moreover, they produced more effector molecules, including granzyme B and IFN-gamma. In vivo IL-21-treated T cells expanded from bulk splenocytes engrafted and persisted poorly, in turn mediating suboptimal regression of melanoma. Conversely, IL-21 dramatically bolstered the engraftment and antitumor activity of T cells only if they were first isolated from the spleen prior to their expansion and infusion into the animal.ConclusionsCollectively, our data shows that IL-21 may improve ACT therapy best when used directly on antitumor CD8+ T cells. Further studies will illuminate the mechanism behind this striking difference and determine whether other cell subsets reactive to IL-21 cause T cell dysfunction and/or reduced bioavailability. These findings are important for defining the best culture conditions in which to use IL-21 for ACT.AcknowledgementsWe would like to acknowledge Emory University, The Winship Cancer Institute, and the Pediatrics/Winship Flow Cytometry Core.Ethics ApprovalAll animal procedures were approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of Emory University, protocol number 201900225.


2002 ◽  
Vol 22 (15) ◽  
pp. 5419-5433 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susanne M. A. Lens ◽  
Takao Kataoka ◽  
Karen A. Fortner ◽  
Antoine Tinel ◽  
Isabel Ferrero ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The caspase 8 inhibitor c-FLIPL can act in vitro as a molecular switch between cell death and growth signals transmitted by the death receptor Fas (CD95). To elucidate its function in vivo, transgenic mice were generated that overexpress c-FLIPL in the T-cell compartment (c-FLIPL Tg mice). As anticipated, FasL-induced apoptosis was inhibited in T cells from the c-FLIPL Tg mice. In contrast, activation-induced cell death of T cells in c-FLIPL Tg mice was unaffected, suggesting that this deletion process can proceed in the absence of active caspase 8. Accordingly, c-FLIPL Tg mice differed from Fas-deficient mice by showing no accumulation of B220+ CD4− CD8− T cells. However, stimulation of T lymphocytes with suboptimal doses of anti-CD3 or antigen revealed increased proliferative responses in T cells from c-FLIPL Tg mice. Thus, a major role of c-FLIPL in vivo is the modulation of T-cell proliferation by decreasing the T-cell receptor signaling threshold.


Blood ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 106 (2) ◽  
pp. 617-625 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sven Baumann ◽  
Anja Dostert ◽  
Natalia Novac ◽  
Anton Bauer ◽  
Wolfgang Schmid ◽  
...  

Abstract Glucocorticoids (GCs) play an important role in the regulation of peripheral T-cell survival. Their molecular mechanism of action and the question of whether they have the ability to inhibit apoptosis in vivo, however, are not fully elucidated. Signal transduction through the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) is complex and involves different pathways. Therefore, we used mice with T-cell-specific inactivation of the GR as well as mice with a function-selective mutation in the GR to determine the signaling mechanism. Evidence is presented for a functional role of direct binding of the GR to 2 negative glucocorticoid regulatory elements (nGREs) in the CD95 (APO-1/Fas) ligand (L) promoter. Binding of GRs to these nGREs reduces activation-induced CD95L expression in T cells. These in vitro results are fully supported by data obtained in vivo. Administration of GCs to mice leads to inhibition of activation-induced cell death (AICD). Thus, GC-mediated inhibition of CD95L expression of activated T cells might contribute to the anti-inflammatory function of steroid drugs. (Blood. 2005;106:617-625)


2004 ◽  
Vol 78 (10) ◽  
pp. 5184-5193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diana M. Brainard ◽  
William G. Tharp ◽  
Elva Granado ◽  
Nicholas Miller ◽  
Alicja K. Trocha ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Cell-mediated immunity depends in part on appropriate migration and localization of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL), a process regulated by chemokines and adhesion molecules. Many viruses, including human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), encode chemotactically active proteins, suggesting that dysregulation of immune cell trafficking may be a strategy for immune evasion. HIV-1 gp120, a retroviral envelope protein, has been shown to act as a T-cell chemoattractant via binding to the chemokine receptor and HIV-1 coreceptor CXCR4. We have previously shown that T cells move away from the chemokine stromal cell-derived factor 1 (SDF-1) in a concentration-dependent and CXCR4 receptor-mediated manner. Here, we demonstrate that CXCR4-binding HIV-1 X4 gp120 causes the movement of T cells, including HIV-specific CTL, away from high concentrations of the viral protein. This migratory response is CD4 independent and inhibited by anti-CXCR4 antibodies and pertussis toxin. Additionally, the expression of X4 gp120 by target cells reduces CTL efficacy in an in vitro system designed to account for the effect of cell migration on the ability of CTL to kill their target cells. Recombinant X4 gp120 also significantly reduced antigen-specific T-cell infiltration at a site of antigen challenge in vivo. The repellant activity of HIV-1 gp120 on immune cells in vitro and in vivo was shown to be dependent on the V2 and V3 loops of HIV-1 gp120. These data suggest that the active movement of T cells away from CXCR4-binding HIV-1 gp120, which we previously termed fugetaxis, may provide a novel mechanism by which HIV-1 evades challenge by immune effector cells in vivo.


Blood ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 112 (5) ◽  
pp. 1759-1766 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter N. Lalli ◽  
Michael G. Strainic ◽  
Min Yang ◽  
Feng Lin ◽  
M. Edward Medof ◽  
...  

Abstract Our recent studies have shown that immune cell–produced complement provides costimulatory and survival signals to naive CD4+ T cells. Whether these signals are similarly required during effector cell expansion and what molecular pathways link locally produced complement to T-cell survival were not clarified. To address this, we stimulated monoclonal and polyclonal T cells in vitro and in vivo with antigen-presenting cells (APCs) deficient in the complement regulatory protein, decay accelerating factor (DAF), and/or the complement component C3. We found that T-cell expansion induced by DAF-deficient APCs was augmented with diminished T-cell apoptosis, whereas T-cell expansion induced by C3−/− APCs was reduced because of enhanced T-cell apoptosis. These effects were traced to locally produced C5a, which through binding to T cell–expressed C5aR, enhanced expression of Bcl-2 and prevented Fas up-regulation. The results show that C5aR signal transduction in T cells is important to allow optimal T-cell expansion, as well as to maintain naive cell viability, and does so by suppressing programmed cell death.


Blood ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 132 (Supplement 1) ◽  
pp. 1671-1671
Author(s):  
Harbani Malik ◽  
Ben Buelow ◽  
Brian Avanzino ◽  
Aarti Balasubramani ◽  
Andrew Boudreau ◽  
...  

Abstract Introduction Along with CD20 and CD22, the restricted expression of CD19 to the B-cell lineage makes it an attractive target for the therapeutic treatment of B-cell malignancies. Many monoclonal antibodies and antibody drug conjugates specific to CD19 have been described, including bispecific T-cell redirecting antibodies (T-BsAbs). In addition, anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor T-cells (CAR-Ts) have been approved to treat leukemia. To date, toxicity from over-activation of T-cells and large-scale production of CAR-Ts still hinder this approach. Bispecific T-cell engaging antibodies redirecting T cells to CD19 circumvent the latter problem but to date have shown similar T-cell over-activation, as well as significant neurotoxicity. Utilizing TeneoSeek, a next generation sequencing (NGS)-based discovery pipeline that uses in silico analysis of heavy chain only/fixed light chain antibody (HCA/Flic, respectively) sequences to enrich for antigen specific antibodies, we made a high affinity αCD19 HCA and a library of αCD3 Flic antibodies that showed a >2 log range of EC50s for T cell activation in vitro. Of note, the library contained a selectively-activating αCD3 that induced potent T-cell dependent lysis of lymphoma cells (when paired with an αCD19 HCA) with minimal cytokine secretion. To characterize the relative efficacy and potential therapeutic window of this unique molecule, we compared the low-activating (and Fc-containing) CD19 x CD3 to two pan T-cell activating bispecific CD19 x CD3 antibodies (blinatumomab and another developed in-house) in vitro and in vivo for T-cell activation, efficacy in killing lymphoma cells, and toxicity. Methods T-cell activation was measured via flow cytometry (CD69 and CD25 expression) and cytokine ELISA (IL-2, IL-6, IL-10, INF-ɣ, and TNFα) in vitro. Lysis of B-cell tumor cell lines (Raji, Ramos, and Nalm6) was measured via calcein release in vitro. In vivo, NOG mice were engrafted with human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (huPBMC) and human lymphoma cell lines, and the mice treated with weekly injections of T-BsAbs. Tumor burden was evaluated via caliper measurement. Pharmacokinetic (PK) studies were performed in NOG mice using ELISA. Results EC50s for cytotoxicity were in the single-digit nanomolar range for the selective T cell activating T-BsAb and sub-nanomolar for the pan T-cell activating controls. The selective T cell activator showed markedly reduced cytokine release for all cytokines tested compared to the pan T-cell controls even at saturating concentrations. In vivo, established CD19 positive B-cell tumors were cleared in NOG mice in the presence of huPBMC. PK profiles of both molecules generated in-house (selective and pan T-cell activators) were consistent with those of an IgG in mice. No activation of T-cells was observed in vitro or in vivo in the absence of CD19 expressing target cells. Conclusions Both the selectively-activating and the pan T-cell activating control bispecific antibodies killed lymphoma cells in vitro and in vivo in a CD19-dependent manner. While the pan T-cell activating controls showed T-cell activation comparable to other CD3-engaging bispecifics, the selective activator induced significantly reduced cytokine secretion by T-cells and demonstrated a half-life consistent with other IgG antibodies. In summary, our selectively activating CD19 x CD3 T-BsAb shows promise as a lymphoma therapeutic differentiated from current T-cell targeted therapies currently in the clinic and in clinical trials. Disclosures Malik: Teneobio, Inc.: Employment. Buelow:Teneobio Inc.: Employment. Avanzino:Teneobio, Inc.: Employment. Balasubramani:Teneobio, Inc.: Employment. Boudreau:Teneobio, Inc.: Employment. Clarke:Teneobio, Inc.: Employment. Dang:Teneobio, Inc.: Employment. Davison:Teneobio, Inc.: Employment. Force Aldred:Teneobio Inc.: Employment. Harris:Teneobio, Inc.: Employment. Jorgensen:Teneobio, Inc.: Employment. Li:Teneobio, Inc.: Employment. Medlari:Teneobio, Inc.: Employment. Narayan:Teneobio, Inc.: Employment. Ogana:Teneobio, Inc.: Employment. Pham:Teneobio Inc.: Employment. Prabhakar:Teneobio, Inc.: Employment. Rangaswamy:Teneobio, Inc.: Employment. Sankaran:Teneobio, Inc.: Employment. Schellenberger:Teneobio, Inc.: Employment. Ugamraj:Teneobio, Inc.: Employment. Trinklein:Teneobio, Inc.: Employment. Van Schooten:Teneobio, Inc.: Employment.


2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e14532-e14532
Author(s):  
Joerg Wischhusen ◽  
Markus Haake ◽  
Neha Vashist ◽  
Sabrina Genßler ◽  
Kilian Wistuba-Hamprecht ◽  
...  

e14532 Background: Growth and differentiation factor 15 (GDF-15) is a divergent member of the TGF-β superfamily with low to absent expression in healthy tissue. GDF-15 has been linked to feto-maternal immune tolerance, to prevention of excessive immune cell infiltration during tissue damage, and to anorexia. Various major tumor types secrete high levels of GDF-15. In cancer patients, elevated GDF-15 serum levels correlate with poor prognosis and reduced overall survival (OS). Methods: Impact of a proprietary GDF-15 neutralizing antibody (CTL-002) regarding T cell trafficking was analyzed by whole blood adhesion assays, a HV18-MK melanoma-bearing humanized mouse model and a GDF-15-transgenic MC38 model. Additionally, patient GDF-15 serum levels were correlated with clinical response and overall survival in oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) and melanoma brain metastases. Results: In whole blood cell adhesion assays GDF-15 impairs adhesion of T and NK cells to activated endothelial cells. Neutralization of GDF-15 by CTL-002 rescued T cell adhesion. In HV18-MK-bearing humanized mice CTL-002 induced a strong increase in TIL numbers. Subset analysis revealed an overproportional enrichment of T cells, in particular CD8+ T cells. As immune cell exclusion is detrimental for checkpoint inhibitor (CPI) therapy, a GDF-15-transgenic MC38 model was tested for anti-PD-1 therapy efficacy. In GDF-15 overexpressing MC38 tumors response to anti PD-1 therapy was reduced by 90% compared to wtMC38 tumors. Combining aPD-1 with CTL-002 resulted in 50% of the mice rejecting their GDF-15 overexpressing tumors. Clinically, inverse correlations of GDF-15 levels with CD8+ T cell infiltration were shown for HPV+ OPSCC and for melanoma brain metastases. GDF-15 serum levels were significantly higher in HPV- than in HPV+ OPSCC patient (p < 0.0001). Low GDF-15 levels corresponded to longer OS in both HPV- and HPV+ OPSCC. In two independent melanoma patient cohorts treated with nivolumab or pembrolizumab low baseline serum GDF-15 levels were predictive for clinical response to anti-PD1 treatment and superior OS. Bivariate analysis including LDH indicates that GDF-15 independently predicts poor survival in aPD-1 treated melanoma patients. Conclusions: Taken together our in vitro and in vivo data show that elevated GDF-15 levels block T-cell infiltration into tumor tissues. Neutralizing GDF-15 with CTL-002 restores the ability of T cells to extravasate blood vessels and enter tumor tissue both in vitro and in vivo. In melanoma, patients with higher GDF-15 levels have significantly shorter survival and are less likely to respond to anti-PD1 therapy. GDF-15 may thus serve as a new predictive biomarker for anti-PD1 response, but most importantly also represents a novel target for cancer immunotherapy to improve tumor immune cell infiltration and response to anti-PD1 therapy.


2015 ◽  
Vol 90 (2) ◽  
pp. 904-916 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin Trinité ◽  
Chi N. Chan ◽  
Caroline S. Lee ◽  
David N. Levy

ABSTRACTHIV-1 infection leads to the progressive depletion of the CD4 T cell compartment by various known and unknown mechanisms.In vivo, HIV-1 infects both activated and resting CD4 T cells, butin vitro, in the absence of any stimuli, resting CD4 T cells from peripheral blood are resistant to infection. This resistance is generally attributed to an intracellular environment that does not efficiently support processes such as reverse transcription (RT), resulting in abortive infection. Here, we show thatin vitroHIV-1 infection of resting CD4 T cells induces substantial cell death, leading to abortive infection.In vivo, however, various microenvironmental stimuli in lymphoid and mucosal tissues provide support for HIV-1 replication. For example, common gamma-chain cytokines (CGCC), such as interleukin-7 (IL-7), render resting CD4 T cells permissible to HIV-1 infection without inducing T cell activation. Here, we find that CGCC primarily allow productive infection by preventing HIV-1 triggering of apoptosis, as evidenced by early release of cytochromecand caspase 3/7 activation. Cell death is triggered both by products of reverse transcription and by virion-borne Vpr protein, and CGCC block both mechanisms. When HIV-1 RT efficiency was enhanced by SIVmac239 Vpx protein, cell death was still observed, indicating that the speed of reverse transcription and the efficiency of its completion contributed little to HIV-1-induced cell death in this system. These results show that a major restriction on HIV-1 infection in resting CD4 T cells resides in the capacity of these cells to survive the early steps of HIV-1 infection.IMPORTANCEA major consequence of HIV-1 infection is the destruction of CD4 T cells. Here, we show that delivery of virion-associated Vpr protein and the process of reverse transcription are each sufficient to trigger apoptosis of resting CD4 T cells isolated from peripheral blood. While these 2 mechanisms have been previously described in various cell types, we show for the first time their concerted effect in inducing resting CD4 T cell depletion. Importantly, we found that cytokines such as IL-7 and IL-4, which are particularly active in sites of HIV-1 replication, protect resting CD4 T cells from these cytopathic effects and, primarily through this protection, rather than through enhancement of specific replicative steps, they promote productive infection. This study provides important new insights for the understanding of the early steps of HIV-1 infection and T cell depletion.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Juliana Hofstatter Azambuja ◽  
Nils Ludwig ◽  
Saigopalakrishna Yerneni ◽  
Aparna Rao ◽  
Elizandra Braganhol ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Glioblastoma is one of the most immunosuppressive human tumors. Emerging data suggest that glioblastoma-derived exosomes (GBex) reprogram the tumor microenvironment into a tumor-promoting milieu by mechanisms that not yet understood. Methods Exosomes were isolated from supernatants of glioblastoma cell lines by size exclusion chromatography. The GBex endosomal origin, size, protein cargos, and ex vivo effects on immune cell functions were determined. GBex were injected intravenously into mice to evaluate their ability to in vivo modulate normal immune cell subsets. Results GBex carried immunosuppressive proteins, including FasL, TRAIL, CTLA-4, CD39, and CD73, but contained few immunostimulatory proteins. GBex co-incubated with primary human immune cells induced simultaneous activation of multiple molecular pathways. In CD8+ T cells, GBex suppressed TNF-α and INF-γ release and mediated apoptosis. GBex suppressed natural killer (NK) and CD4+ T-cell activation. GBex activated the NF-κB pathway in macrophages and promoted their differentiation into M2 cells. Inhibition of the NF-κB pathway in macrophages reversed the GBex-mediated effects. GBex-driven reprogramming of macrophages involved the release of soluble factors that promoted tumor proliferation in vitro. In mice injected with GBex, the frequency of splenic CD8+ T cells, NK cells, and M1-like macrophages was reduced, while that of naïve and M2-like macrophages increased (P &lt; .05). Conclusions GBex reprogrammed functions of all types of immune cells in vitro and altered their frequency in vivo. By creating and sustaining a highly immunosuppressive environment, GBex play a key role in promoting tumor progression.


Blood ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 101 (4) ◽  
pp. 1422-1429 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gudrun Ratzinger ◽  
John L. Reagan ◽  
Glenn Heller ◽  
Klaus J. Busam ◽  
James W. Young

Alemtuzumab (anti-CD52; Campath 1-H) depletes both host and donor T cells when used in preparative regimens for allogeneic transplantation. This promotes engraftment even after nonmyeloablative conditioning and limits graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) even after unrelated or major histocompatibility complex (MHC) disparate allografts. We asked whether anti-CD52 differentially targets antigen-presenting cells (APCs), in addition to depleting T cells. Monocyte-derived dendritic cells (moDCs) expressed abundant CD52 as expected. Langerhans cells (LCs) and dermal-interstitial DCs (DDC-IDCs), however, never expressed CD52. Immunostaining of skin and gut confirmed the absence of CD52 on these resident DC populations under both steady-state and inflammatory conditions. Although anti-CD52 functions primarily by antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) in vivo, assessment of its activity in vitro included complement-dependent lysis of CD52+ cells. Anti-CD52 did not impair DC–T–cell adhesion, diminish DC-stimulated T-cell proliferation, or alter moDC development in vitro. We propose that anti-CD52 abrogates GVHD not only by T-cell depletion, but also by removing moDCs and their precursors. This would mitigate moDC phagocytosis and presentation of host-derived antigens to donor T cells in the inflammatory peritransplantation environment, thereby limiting GVHD. The sparing of LCs and DDC-IDCs by anti-CD52, as well as the recovery of donor-derived moDCs in a less inflammatory environment later after transplantation, may allow all these DCs to exert formative roles in graft-versus-tumor (GVT) reactions and immune reconstitution. Whether these results support a separation of deleterious from beneficial graft-host interactions at the level of antigen presentation, rather than solely at the level of T cells, will require further evaluation.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document