scholarly journals Expression of Programmed Cell Death 1 (PD-1) As a Marker of T- Cell Exhaustion and Its Correlation with Interleukin -10 Serum Level in Patients with COVID-19

Author(s):  
Dalia M. Ibrahim ◽  
Fatma M. Mahmoud ◽  
Wafaa K. Zaki ◽  
Amr H. Hamza ◽  
Nadia M. ElSheshtawy

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which is a major global concern, is characterized by a progressive disease pattern involving diverse host immune responses. Programmed cell death marker-1(PD-1) expression, a critical checkpoint for T cell exhaustion, can be modulated by interleukin-10, which also mediates apoptotic T cell cytopenia. We aimed to measure the level of PD-1 expression and to investigate its correlation with IL-10 serum levels in modulating T cell effector function, correlating the results with the level of severity of the disease. This study involved 40 patients with COVID-19 and 20 healthy controls. Using flow cytometry, the expression of PD-1 was determined on CD8+ T lymphocytes and CD4+ T lymphocytes. ELISA was used to determine the levels of IL-10 in the serum. We found a remarkable decrease in T cell counts with functionally exhausted surviving T cells in the patient groups, especially in patients with severe disease. PD-1 expression increased significantly in CD4+, CD8+, and total T cells, showing a higher expression in CD8+ T cells. The patient groups had significantly higher serum IL-10 levels than the control group. The ROC analysis demonstrated the predictive role of IL-10 levels in disease severity (65% sensitivity, 80% specificity, and AUC = 0.806). IL-10 serum levels and PD-1 expression in total T cells were positively correlated, suggesting that IL-10 participates in T cell exhaustion.

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. e558 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel Knauss ◽  
Corinna Preusse ◽  
Yves Allenbach ◽  
Sarah Leonard-Louis ◽  
Mehdi Touat ◽  
...  

ObjectiveTo investigate the relevance of dysfunctional T cells in immune-mediated myopathies. We analyzed T-cell exhaustion and senescence, in the context of programmed cell death protein 1 (PD1)-related immunity in skeletal muscle biopsies from patients with immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy (IMNM), sporadic inclusion body myositis (sIBM), and myositis induced by immune checkpoint inhibitors (irMyositis).MethodsSkeletal muscle biopsies from 12 patients with IMNM, 7 patients with sIBM, and 8 patients with irMyositis were analyzed by immunostaining and immunofluorescence as well as by quantitative PCR. Eight biopsies from nondisease participants served as controls.ResultsCD3+CD8+ T cells in biopsies from IMNM, sIBM, and irMyositis were largely PD1-positive, while CD68+ macrophages were sparsely positive to the ligand of programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-L1). The sarcolemma of myofibers was PD-L2+ and was colocalized with major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I. CD68+ macrophages were colocalized with PD-L2. Senescent T cells were strongly enriched in skeletal muscle of sIBM, revealing a distinct immunologic signature. Biopsies from patients with irMyositis showed mild signs of senescence and exhaustion.ConclusionPersistent exposure to antigens in IMNMs and sIBM may lead to T-cell exhaustion, a process controlled by the PD1 receptor and its cognate ligands PD-L1/PD-L2. To our knowledge, these data are the first evidence of presence of dysfunctional T cells and relevance of the PD1 pathway in IMNM, sIBM, and irMyositis. These findings may guide the way to a novel understanding of the immune pathogenesis of immune-mediated myopathies.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susetta Finotto ◽  
Patricia Haag ◽  
Darja Andreev ◽  
Nina Li ◽  
Alexander Kiefer ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Serum 25(OH)-Vitamin D3 (VitD3) deficiency during infancy has been associated with asthma. The potential therapeutic role of VitD3 given in the airways and its interference with the allergen and Rhinovirus was the objective of this study. Methods: In two cohorts of children with and without asthma, serum levels of the C-reactive protein (CRP) were correlated to Serum VitD3 and in peripheral blood T cell inhibitor marker Programmed cell death protein 1 (PD1) mRNA was analyzed. In a murine model, VitD3 was given intranasally in vivo and in vitro to lung cells with allergen and Rhinovirus. Results: In the cohorts of pre-school age children without (control) asthma, CRP and VitD3 levels inversely correlated. In preschool asthmatic children that did not receive VitD3 supplementation as infant had more episode of asthma exacerbation associated with high CRP serum level. In peripheral blood cells from control but not asthmatic children with higher serum levels of VitD3 had lower PD1 mRNA levels. In murine model, OVA intranasal challenge induced Innate Lymphoid Cells type 2 (ILC2)-associated markers and Eosinophils in BALF and VitD3 inhibited lung inflammation and ILC2 markers. Furthermore, VitD3 given intranasally, induced CD4+T cells and reduced PD1, T regulatory cells in the lung. Similarly, VitD3 had a suppressive role on CD4+PD1+ T cells involved in T cell exhaustion in the airways in the absence of ST2 after Rhinovirus infection. Conclusion: These data support an inhibitory role of VitD3 on T cell exhaustion after allergen and rhinovirus infection that is relevant for pediatric asthma.


Critical Care ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. R3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine Chang ◽  
Catherine Svabek ◽  
Cristina Vazquez-Guillamet ◽  
Bryan Sato ◽  
David Rasche ◽  
...  

2013 ◽  
Vol 190 (7) ◽  
pp. 3380-3389 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhirong Mou ◽  
Helen M. Muleme ◽  
Dong Liu ◽  
Ping Jia ◽  
Ifeoma B. Okwor ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (18) ◽  
pp. eabd2710
Author(s):  
Chen Zhu ◽  
Karen O. Dixon ◽  
Kathleen Newcomer ◽  
Guangxiang Gu ◽  
Sheng Xiao ◽  
...  

T cell exhaustion has been associated with poor prognosis in persistent viral infection and cancer. Conversely, in the context of autoimmunity, T cell exhaustion has been favorably correlated with long-term clinical outcome. Understanding the development of exhaustion in autoimmune settings may provide underlying principles that can be exploited to quell autoreactive T cells. Here, we demonstrate that the adaptor molecule Bat3 acts as a molecular checkpoint of T cell exhaustion, with deficiency of Bat3 promoting a profound exhaustion phenotype, suppressing autoreactive T cell–mediated neuroinflammation. Mechanistically, Bat3 acts as a critical mTORC2 inhibitor to suppress Akt function. As a result, Bat3 deficiency leads to increased Akt activity and FoxO1 phosphorylation, indirectly promoting Prdm1 expression. Transcriptional analysis of Bat3−/− T cells revealed up-regulation of dysfunction-associated genes, concomitant with down-regulation of genes associated with T cell effector function, suggesting that absence of Bat3 can trigger T cell dysfunction even under highly proinflammatory autoimmune conditions.


2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (29) ◽  
pp. eaat7061 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bei Wang ◽  
Wen Zhang ◽  
Vladimir Jankovic ◽  
Jacquelynn Golubov ◽  
Patrick Poon ◽  
...  

Most patients with cancer do not develop durable antitumor responses after programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) or programmed cell death ligand 1(PD-L1) checkpoint inhibition monotherapy because of an ephemeral reversal of T cell dysfunction and failure to promote long-lasting immunological T cell memory. Activating costimulatory pathways to induce stronger T cell activation may improve the efficacy of checkpoint inhibition and lead to durable antitumor responses. We performed single-cell RNA sequencing of more than 2000 tumor-infiltrating CD8+T cells in mice receiving both PD-1 and GITR (glucocorticoid-induced tumor necrosis factor receptor–related protein) antibodies and found that this combination synergistically enhanced the effector function of expanded CD8+T cells by restoring the balance of key homeostatic regulators CD226 and T cell immunoreceptor with Ig and ITIM domains (TIGIT), leading to a robust survival benefit. Combination therapy decreased CD8+T cell dysfunction and induced a highly proliferative precursor effector memory T cell phenotype in a CD226-dependent manner. PD-1 inhibition rescued CD226 activity by preventing PD-1–Src homology region 2 (SHP2) dephosphophorylation of the CD226 intracellular domain, whereas GITR agonism decreased TIGIT expression. Unmasking the molecular pathways driving durable antitumor responses will be essential to the development of rational approaches to optimizing cancer immunotherapy.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (7) ◽  
pp. e0254243
Author(s):  
Meritxell Llorens-Revull ◽  
Maria Isabel Costafreda ◽  
Angie Rico ◽  
Mercedes Guerrero-Murillo ◽  
Maria Eugenia Soria ◽  
...  

Background & aims HCV CD4+ and CD8+ specific T cells responses are functionally impaired during chronic hepatitis C infection. DAAs therapies eradicate HCV infection in more than 95% of treated patients. However, the impact of HCV elimination on immune responses remain controversial. Here, we aimed to investigate whether HCV cure by DAAs could reverse the impaired immune response to HCV. Methods We analyzed 27 chronic HCV infected patients undergoing DAA treatment in tertiary care hospital, and we determined the phenotypical and functional changes in both HCV CD8+ and CD4+ specific T-cells before and after viral clearance. PD-1, TIM-3 and LAG-3 cell-surface expression was assessed by flow cytometry to determine CD4+ T cell exhaustion. Functional responses to HCV were analyzed by IFN-Ɣ ELISPOT, intracellular cytokine staining (IL-2 and IFN-Ɣ) and CFSE-based proliferation assays. Results We observed a significant decrease in the expression of PD-1 in CD4+ T-cells after 12 weeks of viral clearance in non-cirrhotic patients (p = 0.033) and in treatment-naive patients (p = 0.010), indicating a partial CD4 phenotype restoration. IFN-Ɣ and IL-2 cytokines production by HCV-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cells remained impaired upon HCV eradication. Finally, a significant increase of the proliferation capacity of both HCV CD4+ and CD8+ specific T-cells was observed after HCV elimination by DAAs therapies. Conclusions Our results show that in chronically infected patients HCV elimination by DAA treatment lead to partial reversion of CD4+ T cell exhaustion. Moreover, proliferative capacity of HCV-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cells is recovered after DAA’s therapies.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weiqin Jiang ◽  
Yinjun He ◽  
Wenguang He ◽  
Guosheng Wu ◽  
Xile Zhou ◽  
...  

Tumor-specific CD8+T cells are exposed to persistent antigenic stimulation which induces a dysfunctional state called “exhaustion.” Though functioning to limit damage caused by immune response, T cell exhaustion leads to attenuated effector function whereby cytotoxic CD8+T cells fail to control tumor progression in the late stage. This pathway is a dynamic process from activation to “progenitor exhaustion” through to “terminally exhaustion” with distinct properties. With the rapid development of immunotherapy via enhancing T cell function, new studies are dissecting the mechanisms and identifying specific biomarkers of dynamic differentiation during the process of exhaustion. Further, although immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have achieved great success in clinical practice, most patients still show limited efficacy to ICIs. The expansion and differentiation of progenitor exhausted T cells explained the success of ICIs while the depletion of the progenitor T cell pool and the transient effector function of terminally exhausted T cells accounted for the failure of immune monotherapy in the context of exorbitant tumor burden. Thus, combination strategies are urgent to be utilized based on the reduction of tumor burden or the expansion of the progenitor T cell pool. In this review, we aim to introduce the concept of homeostasis of the activated and exhausted status of CD8+T cells in the tumor immune microenvironment, and present recent findings on dynamic differentiation process during T cell exhaustion and the implications for combination strategies in immune therapy.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (Suppl 3) ◽  
pp. A673-A673
Author(s):  
Rhodes Ford ◽  
Natalie Rittenhouse ◽  
Nicole Scharping ◽  
Paolo Vignali ◽  
Greg Delgoffe ◽  
...  

BackgroundCD8+ T cells are a fundamental component of the anti-tumor response; however, tumor-infiltrating CD8+ T cells (TIL) are rendered dysfunctional by the tumor microenvironment. CD8+ TIL display an exhausted phenotype with decreased cytokine expression and increased expression of co-inhibitory receptors (IRs), such as PD-1 and Tim-3. The acquisition of IRs mark the progression of dysfunctional TIL from progenitors (PD-1Low) to terminally exhausted (PD-1+Tim-3+). How the chromatin landscape changes during this progression has not been described.MethodsUsing a low-input ChIP-based assay called Cleavage Under Targets and Release Using Nuclease (CUT&RUN), we have profiled the histone modifications at the chromatin of tumor-infiltrating CD8+ T cell subsets to better understand the relationship between the epigenome and the transcriptome as TIL progress towards terminal exhaustion.ResultsWe have identified two epigenetic characteristics unique to terminally exhausted cells. First, we have identified a unique set of genes, characterized by active histone modifications that do not have correlated gene expression. These regions are enriched for AP-1 transcription factor motifs, yet most AP-1 family factors are actively downregulated in terminally exhausted cells, suggesting signals that promote downregulation of AP-1 expression negatively impacts gene expression. We have shown that inducing expression of AP-1 factors with a 41BB agonist correlates with increased expression of these anticorrelated genes. We have also found a substantial increase in the number of genes that exhibit bivalent chromatin marks, defined by the presence of both active (H3K4me3) and repressive (H3K27me3) chromatin modifications that inhibit gene expression. These bivalent genes in terminally exhausted T cells are not associated with plasticity and represent aberrant hypermethylation in response to tumor hypoxia, which is necessary and sufficient to promote downregulation of bivalent genes.ConclusionsOur study defines for the first time the roles of costimulation and the tumor microenvironment in driving epigenetic features of terminally exhausted tumor-infiltrating T cells. These results suggest that terminally exhausted T cells have genes that are primed for expression, given the right signals and are the basis for future work that will elucidate that factors that drive progression towards terminal T cell exhaustion at the epigenetic level and identify novel therapeutic targets to restore effector function of tumor T cells and mediate tumor clearance.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Qian Gao ◽  
Hui-Ting Liu ◽  
Yu-Qin Xu ◽  
Lin Zhang ◽  
Yuan-Ru Liu ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Hypopharyngeal cancer (HPC) is associated with a poor prognosis and a high recurrence rate. Immune escape is one of the reasons for the poor prognosis of malignant tumors. Programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) and programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) have been shown to play important roles in immune escape. However, the role of PD-1/PD-L1 in HPC remains unclear. In this experiment, we investigated the effect of exosomes from HPC patient serum on CD8+ T cell function and PD-1/PD-L1 expression and, thus, on prognosis. We hope to provide guidance for the identification of new targets for HPC immunotherapy. Methods PD-1 and CD8 expression in 71 HPC tissues and 16 paracarcinoma tissues was detected by immunohistochemistry. Concurrently, the clinicopathological data of the patients were obtained to conduct correlation analysis. Exosomes were isolated from serum and then identified by Western blotting (WB), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA). Flow cytometry was used to assess the activity of CD8+ T cells after exosome stimulation. The effects of exosomes on the ability of CD8+ T cells to kill FaDu cells were assessed by CCK-8 assay. The expression of IL-10 and TGF-β1 was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). PD-L1 expression in HPC tissue samples was evaluated by immunohistochemistry, and the relationship between PD-1/PD-L1 expression and prognosis was investigated with patient specimens. Results PD-1 expression was significantly upregulated on CD8+ T cells in tumor tissues compared with those in normal tissues. The overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) of PD-1-overexpressing patients were decreased. Serum exosomes from patients can elevate PD-1 expression on CD8+ T cells and suppress their killing capacity and secretory function. The rate of positive PD-L1 expression was increased in HPC tissues compared with paracancerous tissues. The DFS and OS of the PD-1(+)-PD-L1(+) group were significantly lower than those of the PD-1(−)-PD-L1(−) group. Conclusion Our findings indicate that serum exosomes from HPC patients can inhibit CD8+ T cell function and that the PD-1-PD-L1 pathway plays an important role in the immune escape of HPC. Exosomes combined with immunotherapy may guide the treatment of patients with advanced disease in the future.


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