scholarly journals TET2 Regulates CD8+ T Cell Differentiation

Blood ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 124 (21) ◽  
pp. 1423-1423
Author(s):  
Shannon A. Carty ◽  
Mercy Gohil ◽  
Gary A Koretzky ◽  
Martha S Jordan

Abstract Regulation of DNA methylation is critical for proper T cell differentiation and function. Antigen-specific CD8+ T cells undergo global remodeling of DNA methylation following viral infection, suggesting that DNA methylation may direct antigen-specific T cell responses. TET2 is a member of the Ten-Eleven-Translocation (TET) family, which converts 5-methylcytosine (5mC) in DNA to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) and subsequent intermediates ultimately leading to DNA demethylation. How TET2 regulates T cell differentiation and function is unknown. Here we demonstrate that TET2 expression is regulated by TCR signaling in primary murine T cells. Furthermore, using a novel flow cytometric assay to measure 5hmC levels on a single cell basis, we find that TCR signaling also regulates TET activity as evidenced by a rapid increase in global 5hmC levels after TCR stimulation that is blunted in TET2-deficient T cells. To determine the role of TET2 in T cell responses, we generated mice deficient in TET2 in the T cell compartment (TET2fl/flCD4Cre+) mice. These mice develop grossly normal thymic and peripheral T cell subsets. Given the regulation of TET2’s expression and activity by TCR stimulation, we used a murine model of acute viral infection, specifically LCMV-Armstrong, to test if TET2 regulates antigen-specific T cell responses in vivo. Following viral challenge, TET2fl/flCD4Cre+ mice have similar antigen-specific CD8+ T cell expansion and effector responses but exhibit significantly enhanced memory CD8+ T cell differentiation compared to control mice. These data demonstrate that TET2 plays a critical role in directing CD8+ T cell differentiation and function. Studies are ongoing to identify specific TET2 regulated genes important in the development of CD8+ T cell memory. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-37
Author(s):  
Maria A Cardenas ◽  
Nataliya Prokhnevska ◽  
Haydn T Kissick

Abstract Tumor-infiltrating CD8 T cells are associated with improved patient survival and response to immunotherapy in various cancers. Persistent antigen leads to CD8 T-cell exhaustion, where proliferation/self-renewal and killing are divided within distinct subsets of CD8 T cells in the tumor. CD8 T-cell responses in chronic antigen settings must be maintained for long periods of time, suggesting that mechanisms that regulate chronic CD8 T-cell responses may differ from those in acute settings. Currently, factors that regulate the maintenance of stem-like CD8 T cells in the tumor or their differentiation into terminally differentiated cells are unknown. In this review, we discuss the role of dendritic cells in the activation and differentiation of CD8 T-cell subsets within secondary lymphoid tissue and tumors. In addition, we examine changes in CD4 T-cell differentiation in response to chronic antigens and consider how subset-specific mechanisms could assist the stem-like and terminally differentiated CD8 T-cell subsets. Finally, we highlight how tumor-infiltrating CD4 T cells and dendritic cells interact with CD8 T cells within organized lymphoid-like areas in the tumor and propose a CD8 T-cell differentiation model that requires the collaboration of CD4 T cells and dendritic cells. These organized interactions coordinate the anti-tumor response and control disease progression by mechanisms that regulate CD8 T-cell differentiation, which permit the maintenance of an effective balance of stem-like and terminally differentiated CD8 T cells.


2005 ◽  
Vol 79 (15) ◽  
pp. 9419-9429 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole E. Miller ◽  
Jennifer R. Bonczyk ◽  
Yumi Nakayama ◽  
M. Suresh

ABSTRACT Although it is well documented that CD8 T cells play a critical role in controlling chronic viral infections, the mechanisms underlying the regulation of CD8 T-cell responses are not well understood. Using the mouse model of an acute and chronic lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) infection, we have examined the relative importance of peripheral T cells and thymic emigrants in the elicitation and maintenance of CD8 T-cell responses. Virus-specific CD8 T-cell responses were compared between mice that were either sham thymectomized or thymectomized (Thx) at ∼6 weeks of age. In an acute LCMV infection, thymic deficiency did not affect either the primary expansion of CD8 T cells or the proliferative renewal and maintenance of virus-specific lymphoid and nonlymphoid memory CD8 T cells. Following a chronic LCMV infection, in Thx mice, although the initial expansion of CD8 T cells was normal, the contraction phase of the CD8 T-cell response was exaggerated, which led to a transient but striking CD8 T-cell deficit on day 30 postinfection. However, the virus-specific CD8 T-cell response in Thx mice rebounded quickly and was maintained at normal levels thereafter, which indicated that the peripheral T-cell repertoire is quite robust and capable of sustaining an effective CD8 T-cell response in the absence of thymic output during a chronic LCMV infection. Taken together, these findings should further our understanding of the regulation of CD8 T-cell homeostasis in acute and chronic viral infections and might have implications in the development of immunotherapy.


2006 ◽  
Vol 81 (2) ◽  
pp. 934-944 ◽  
Author(s):  
Markus Cornberg ◽  
Brian S. Sheridan ◽  
Frances M. Saccoccio ◽  
Michael A. Brehm ◽  
Liisa K. Selin

ABSTRACT Live vaccinia virus (VV) vaccination has been highly successful in eradicating smallpox. However, the mechanisms of immunity involved in mediating this protective effect are still poorly understood, and the roles of CD8 T-cell responses in primary and secondary VV infections are not clearly identified. By applying the concept of molecular mimicry to identify potential CD8 T-cell epitopes that stimulate cross-reactive T cells specific to lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) and VV, we identified after screening only 115 peptides two VV-specific immunogenic epitopes that mediated protective immunity against VV. An immunodominant epitope, VV-e7r130, did not generate cross-reactive T-cell responses to LCMV, and a subdominant epitope, VV-a11r198, did generate cross-reactive responses to LCMV. Infection with VV induced strong epitope-specific responses which were stable into long-term memory and peaked at the time virus was cleared, consistent with CD8 T cells assisting in the control of VV. Two different approaches, direct adoptive transfer of VV-e7r-specific CD8 T cells and prior immunization with a VV-e7r-expressing ubiquitinated minigene, demonstrated that memory CD8 T cells alone could play a significant role in protective immunity against VV. These studies suggest that exploiting cross-reactive responses between viruses may be a useful tool to complement existing technology in predicting immunogenic epitopes to large viruses, such as VV, leading to a better understanding of the role CD8 T cells play during these viral infections.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (Suppl 3) ◽  
pp. A696-A696
Author(s):  
Teresa Manzo ◽  
Carina Nava Lauveson ◽  
Teresa Maria Frasconi ◽  
Silvia Tiberti ◽  
Ignazio Caruana ◽  
...  

BackgroundAdoptive cell therapy (ACT) harnesses the immune system to recognise tumor cells and carry out an anti-tumor function. However, metabolic constraints imposed by the tumour microenvironment (TME) suppress anti-tumor responses of CTL by reshaping their metabolism and epigenetic landscape. We have recently demonstrated that progressive accumulation of specific long-chain fatty acids (LCFAs) impair mitochondrial function and drives CD8+ T cell dysfunction. In this scenario, maintaining T cells in a less-differentiated state and with high metabolic plasticity during ex vivo T cell production and after infusion may have a strong therapeutic impact. Here, we propose a novel strategy to boost ACT efficacy by implementing T cell long-term functionality, metabolic fitness and preventing exhaustion through lipid-induced mitochondrial rewiring.MethodsWe screen different LCFAs and assess their ability to shape CD8+ T cell differentiation using multi-parametric flow cytometry, proliferation and cytotoxic assays, together with a complete transcriptomic and epigenomic profiling. Metabolic reprogramming of lipid-treated CD8+ T cell was examined by bioenergetic flux measurements paired with metabolomic and lipidomic analysis. Finally, the anti-tumor responses of lipid-instructed CD8 T cells was evaluated in a melanoma mouse model, known to poorly respond to immunotherapy.ResultsLCFAs-treated CD8+ T cells are endowed with highly effector and cytotoxic features but still retaining a memory-like phenotype with decreased PD1 protein levels. Consistently, analysis of the bioenergetic profile and mitochondrial activity has shown that LCFA-instructed CD8+ T cells display a greater mitochondrial fitness. Thus, in vitro LCFA-instructed CD8+ T cells are characterized by higher mitochondrial fitness, potent functionality, memory-like phenotype and PD-1 down-regulation, overall evoking the ideal T cell population associated with a productive anti-tumor response. The therapeutic potential of CD8 T cells lipid-induced metabolic rewiring was further confirmed in vivo. ACT performed with LCFA-reprogrammed CD8 T cells induces higher frequency of memory T cells, which show high polyfunctionality and mitochondrial function, decreased PD1 expression, ultimately resulting in improved tumor control. In addition, LCFA-induced metabolic rewiring during manufacturing of human CAR-redirected T cells, generated a CD8+ T cell memory-like population with higher mitochondrial fitness coupled with a much potent cytotoxic activity.ConclusionsThese results suggest that LCFAs dictate the fate of CD8+ T cell differentiation and could be considered as a molecular switch to fine-tune memory T cell formation and metabolic fitness maintenance, linking lipid metabolism to anti-tumor surveillance. This will be of fundamental importance for a new generation of adoptive T cell-based therapies.Ethics ApprovalThe experiments described were performed in accordance with the European Union Guideline on Animal Experiments and mouse protocols were approved by Italian Ministry of Health and the IEO Committee.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonardo Estrada ◽  
Didem Agac Cobanoglu ◽  
Aaron Wise ◽  
Robert Maples ◽  
Murat Can Cobanoglu ◽  
...  

Viral infections drive the expansion and differentiation of responding CD8+ T cells into variegated populations of cytolytic effector and memory cells. While pro-inflammatory cytokines and cell surface immune receptors play a key role in guiding T cell responses to infection, T cells are also markedly influenced by neurotransmitters. Norepinephrine is a key sympathetic neurotransmitter, which acts to suppress CD8 + T cell cytokine secretion and lytic activity by signaling through the beta2-adrenergic receptor (ADRB2). Although ADRB2 signaling is considered generally immunosuppressive, its role in regulating differentiation of effector T cells in response to infection has not been investigated. Using an adoptive transfer approach, we compared the expansion and differentiation of wild type (WT) to Adrb2-/- CD8 + T cells throughout the primary response to vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) infection in vivo. We measured the dynamic changes in transcriptome profiles of antigen-specific CD8 + T cells as they responded to VSV. Within the first 7 days of infection, WT cells out-paced the expansion of Adrb2-/- cells, which correlated with reduced expression of IL-2 and the IL-2Ralpha; in the absence of ADRB2. RNASeq analysis identified over 300 differentially expressed genes that were both temporally regulated following infection and selectively regulated in WT vs Adrb2-/- cells. These genes contributed to major transcriptional pathways including cytokine receptor activation, signaling in cancer, immune deficiency, and neurotransmitter pathways. By parsing genes within groups that were either induced or repressed over time in response to infection, we identified three main branches of genes that were differentially regulated by the ADRB2. These gene sets were predicted to be regulated by specific transcription factors involved in effector T cell development, such as Tbx21 and Eomes. Collectively, these data demonstrate a significant role for ADRB2 signaling in regulating key transcriptional pathways during CD8 + T cells responses to infection that may dramatically impact their functional capabilities and downstream memory cell development.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karolin I. Wagner ◽  
Laura M. Mateyka ◽  
Sebastian Jarosch ◽  
Vincent Grass ◽  
Simone Weber ◽  
...  

T cell immunity is crucial for the control of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections and has been widely characterized on a quantitative level. In contrast, the quality of such T cell responses has been poorly investigated, in particular in the case of CD8+ T cells. Here, we explored the quality of SARS-CoV-2-specific CD8+ T cell responses in individuals who recovered from mild symptomatic infections, through which protective immunity should develop, by functional characterization of their T cell receptor (TCR) repertoire. CD8+ T cell responses specific for SARS-CoV-2-derived epitopes were low in frequency but could be detected robustly early as well as late - up to twelve months - after infection. A pool of immunodominant epitopes, which accurately identified previous SARSCoV- 2 infections, was used to isolate TCRs specific for epitopes restricted by common HLA class I molecules. TCR-engineered T cells showed heterogeneous functional avidity and cytotoxicity towards virus-infected target cells. High TCR functionality correlated with gene signatures of T cell function and activation that, remarkably, could be retrieved for each epitope:HLA combination and patient analyzed. Overall, our data demonstrate that highly functional HLA class I TCRs are recruited and maintained upon mild SARS-CoV-2 infection. Such validated epitopes and TCRs could become valuable tools for the development of diagnostic tests determining the quality of SARS-CoV-2-specific CD8+ T cell immunity, and thereby investigating correlates of protection, as well as to restore functional immunity through therapeutic transfer of TCR-engineered T cells.


eLife ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandria C Wells ◽  
Keith A Daniels ◽  
Constance C Angelou ◽  
Eric Fagerberg ◽  
Amy S Burnside ◽  
...  

The differentiation of naive CD8 T cells into effector cytotoxic T lymphocytes upon antigen stimulation is necessary for successful antiviral, and antitumor immune responses. Here, using a mouse model, we describe a dual role for the let-7 microRNAs in the regulation of CD8 T cell responses, where maintenance of the naive phenotype in CD8 T cells requires high levels of let-7 expression, while generation of cytotoxic T lymphocytes depends upon T cell receptor-mediated let-7 downregulation. Decrease of let-7 expression in activated T cells enhances clonal expansion and the acquisition of effector function through derepression of the let-7 targets, including Myc and Eomesodermin. Ultimately, we have identified a novel let-7-mediated mechanism, which acts as a molecular brake controlling the magnitude of CD8 T cell responses.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suhas Sureshchandra ◽  
Sloan A. Lewis ◽  
Brianna Doratt ◽  
Allen Jankeel ◽  
Izabela Ibraim ◽  
...  

mRNA based vaccines for SARS-CoV-2 have shown exceptional clinical efficacy providing robust protection against severe disease. However, our understanding of transcriptional and repertoire changes following full vaccination remains incomplete. We used single-cell RNA sequencing and functional assays to compare humoral and cellular responses to two doses of mRNA vaccine with responses observed in convalescent individuals with asymptomatic disease. Our analyses revealed enrichment of spike-specific B cells, activated CD4 T cells, and robust antigen-specific polyfunctional CD4 T cell responses in all vaccinees. On the other hand, CD8 T cell responses were both weak and variable. Interestingly, clonally expanded CD8 T cells were observed in every vaccinee, as observed following natural infection. TCR gene usage, however, was variable, reflecting the diversity of repertoires and MHC polymorphism in the human population. Natural infection induced expansion of larger CD8 T cell clones occupied distinct clusters, likely due to the recognition of a broader set of viral epitopes presented by the virus not seen in the mRNA vaccine. Our study highlights a coordinated adaptive immune response where early CD4 T cell responses facilitate the development of the B cell response and substantial expansion of effector CD8 T cells, together capable of contributing to future recall responses.


Blood ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 119 (4) ◽  
pp. 967-977 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agostinho Carvalho ◽  
Antonella De Luca ◽  
Silvia Bozza ◽  
Cristina Cunha ◽  
Carmen D'Angelo ◽  
...  

Abstract Aspergillus fumigatus is a model fungal pathogen and a common cause of severe infections and diseases. CD8+ T cells are present in the human and murine T-cell repertoire to the fungus. However, CD8+ T-cell function in infection and the molecular mechanisms that control their priming and differentiation into effector and memory cells in vivo remain elusive. In the present study, we report that both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells mediate protective memory responses to the fungus contingent on the nature of the fungal vaccine. Mechanistically, class I MHC-restricted, CD8+ memory T cells were activated through TLR3 sensing of fungal RNA by cross-presenting dendritic cells. Genetic deficiency of TLR3 was associated with susceptibility to aspergillosis and concomitant failure to activate memory-protective CD8+ T cells both in mice and in patients receiving stem-cell transplantations. Therefore, TLR3 essentially promotes antifungal memory CD8+ T-cell responses and its deficiency is a novel susceptibility factor for aspergillosis in high-risk patients.


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