Optimized Protocol for the Detection of Multifunctional Epitope-Specific CD4+ T Cells Combining MHC-II Tetramer and Intracellular Cytokine Staining Technologies

BackgroundMice bearing B78 melanoma tumors can be cured using an in situ vaccine (ISV) regimen that includes radiation (RT) together with immunocytokine (tumor-targeting mAb conjugated to IL-2). B78 melanoma cells, derived from B16 cells, express minimal to no MHC-I but express MHC-II upon IFN-g/TNF-a stimulation. Although B78 cells are primarily MHC-I-deficient, an increased CD8 T cell infiltration into the tumor microenvironment (TME) has been shown following ISV.1 To further investigate the potential role of specific immune cell lineages in the B78 anti-tumor response to ISV, immune subset depletion studies and flow cytometric analyses were performed.MethodsC57BL/6 mice bearing B78 tumors were depleted of immune cell subsets with mAbs (anti-CD4, anti-CD8, anti-NK1.1, or Rat IgG control) for 3 weeks during the course of treatment. Treatment groups included no treatment, RT (12 Gy), or ISV (RT D0 and immunocytokine D5-D9). 6 mice/group (repeated three times) were followed for survival/tumor growth, and flow cytometry studies included 4 mice/group, sacrificed on D8 and D13 following the start of ISV.ResultsMice depleted of CD4 T cells during the course of ISV showed a significant reduction of anti-tumor effect as compared to mice treated with ISV/Rat IgG (pConclusionsThese studies suggest that CD4 T cells are essential for an anti-tumor response in the B78 melanoma model. In vivo depletion data show that CD4 T cells, but not CD8 or NK cells, are required for a decrease in tumor growth via ISV. Flow cytometric analyses suggest an interplay between CD4 and CD8 T cells as indicated by a decrease in CD8/IFN-g expression following ISV in the absence of CD4 T cells. The role that MHC-I and MHC-II expression plays in this CD4/CD8 T cell anti-tumor response is under investigation. In future studies, B78 melanoma may serve as a critical syngeneic model for development of more effective immunotherapy treatment regimens.Ethics ApprovalAll animal experiments were performed in accordance with protocols approved by Animal Care and Use Committees of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.ReferenceMorris Z, Guy E, Francis D, et al. In situ tumor vaccination by combining local radiation and tumor-specific antibody or immunocytokine treatments. Cancer Res 2016;76(13):3929-3941.

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MOG extracellular domain (p1–125) triggers elevated frequency of CXCR3+ CD4+ Th1 cells in the CNS of mice and induces greater incidence of severe EAE

Multiple Sclerosis Journal ◽

10.1177/1352458514524086 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 20 (10) ◽

pp. 1312-1321 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Jyothi T Mony ◽

Reza Khorooshi ◽

Trevor Owens

Keyword(s):

T Cells ◽

T Cell ◽

Cell Response ◽

Cd4 T Cells ◽

Cd8 T Cell ◽

Interferon Γ ◽

T Cell Response ◽

Receptor Expression ◽

Myelin Proteins ◽

Mhc Ii

Background: Myelin-specific T cells are implicated in multiple sclerosis (MS) and drive experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). EAE is commonly induced with short peptides, whereas in MS, whole myelin proteins are available for immune response. We asked whether immunization with the immunoglobulin-like domain of myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOGIgd, residues 1–125) might induce distinct CD4+ T-cell response and/or a stronger CD8+ T-cell response, compared to the 21 amino acid immunodominant MHC II-associating peptide (p35–55). Objectives: Compare both EAE and T-cell responses in C57BL/6 mice immunized with MOGIgd and MOG p35–55. Methods: Cytokine production, and chemokine receptor expression by CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in the mouse central nervous system (CNS), were analyzed by flow cytometry. Results: MOGIgd triggered progression to more severe EAE than MOG p35–55, despite similar time of onset and overall incidence. EAE in MOGIgd-immunized mice was characterized by an increased percentage of CXCR3+ interferon-γ-producing CD4+ T cells in CNS. The CD8+ T-cell response to both immunogens was similar. Conclusions: Increased incidence of severe disease following MOGIgd immunization, accompanied by an increased percentage of CD4+ T cells in the CNS expressing CXCR3 and producing interferon-γ, identifies a pathogenic role for interferon-γ that is not seen when disease is induced with a single Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) II-associating epitope.

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Soluble MHC-II proteins promote suppressive activity in CD4+T cells

Immunology ◽

10.1111/imm.12360 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 144 (1) ◽

pp. 158-169 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Katerina Bakela ◽

Nikos Kountourakis ◽

Michalis Aivaliotis ◽

Irene Athanassakis

Keyword(s):

T Cells ◽

Cd4 T Cells ◽

Suppressive Activity ◽

Mhc Ii

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T helper cell polarisation as a measure of the maturation of the immune response

Mediators of Inflammation ◽

10.1080/0929350310001619744 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 12 (5) ◽

pp. 285-292 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Scott B. Cameron ◽

Ellen H. Stolte ◽

Anthony W. Chow ◽

Huub F. J. Savelkoul

Keyword(s):

Immune Response ◽

T Cells ◽

Intracellular Cytokine Staining ◽

T Helper Cell ◽

Helper Cell ◽

Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽

Intracellular Cytokine ◽

T Helper

Background:T helper cell polarisation is important under chronic immune stimulatory conditions and drives the type of the evolving immune response. Mice treated with superantigensin vivodisplay strong effects on Thsubset differentiation. The aim of the study was to detect the intrinsic capacity of T cells to polarise under variousex vivoconditions.Methods:Purified CD4+T cells obtained from superantigen-treated mice were cultured under Thpolarising conditionsin vitro. By combining intracellular cytokine staining and subsequent flow cytometric analysis with quantitative cytokine measurements in culture supernatants by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), the differential Thpolarising capacity of the treatment can be detected in a qualitative and quantitative manner.Results and conclusions:BALB/c mice were shown to be biased to develop strong Th2 polarised immune responses using Th0 stimulation of purified CD4+T cells from phosphate-buffered saline-treated mice. Nevertheless, our analysis methodology convincingly showed that even in these mice, Toxic Shock Syndrome Toxin-1 treatmentin vivoresulted in a significantly stronger Th1 polarising effect than control treatment. Our results indicate that populations of Thcells can be assessed individually for their differential Th1 or Th2 maturation capacityin vivoby analysing robustin vitropolarisation cultures combined with intracellular cytokine staining and ELISA.

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Cytokine production in ex-vivo stimulated fresh and cryopreserved T-cells

Acta Marisiensis - Seria Medica ◽

10.2478/amma-2021-0012 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 67 (2) ◽

pp. 95-101

Author(s):

Monica Vuță ◽

Ionela-Maria Cotoi ◽

Ion Bogdan Mănescu ◽

Doina Ramona Manu ◽

Minodora Dobreanu

Keyword(s):

T Cells ◽

Peripheral Blood ◽

Cd4 T Cells ◽

Mononuclear Cells ◽

Cytokine Production ◽

Ex Vivo ◽

Gradient Centrifugation ◽

Intracellular Cytokine Staining ◽

Interleukin 2 ◽

Middle Aged

Abstract Objective: In vitro cytokine production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) is an important and reliable measure of immunocompetence. PBMC can be stimulated directly after isolation or frozen for later use. However, cryopreservation may affect cell recovery, viability and functionality. This study aims to investigate cytokine synthesis in ex-vivo stimulated fresh and cryopreserved CD4+ and CD4- T cells. Methods: PBMCs were obtained by Ficoll gradient centrifugation from heparinized peripheral blood of 6 middle-aged clinically healthy subjects. Half of these cells (labeled “Fresh”) was further processed and the other half (labeled “Cryo”) was cryopreserved at -140°C for up to 3 months. Fresh-PBMCs were activated with Phorbol-Myristate-Acetate/Ionomycin/Monensin for 5 hours immediately after isolation while Cryo-PBMCs were identically activated after thawing and cell resting. Activated cells were fixed, permeabilized and intracellular cytokine staining was performed using Phycoerythrin (PE)-conjugated antibodies for Interleukin-2 (IL-2), Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha (TNF-a), and Interferon-gamma (IFN-g). All samples were analyzed within 24 hours by flow cytometry. Results: Both Fresh and Cryo CD3+CD4+/CD3+CD4- sub-populations partially produced each of the three cytokines. A higher percentage of CD4+ T cells produced IL-2 and TNF-a and a greater percentage of CD4- T cells were found to produce IFN-g. A significantly higher percentage of Cryo-lymphocytes was shown to produce TNF-a in both CD3+CD4+ (31.4% vs 24.9%, p=0.031) and CD3+CD4- (22.7% vs 17.9%, p=0.031) subpopulations. No notable difference was found for IL-2 and IFN-g production between Fresh and Cryo T cells. Conclusion: Cryopreservation for up to 3 months significantly increases TNF-a production of T-cells in clinically healthy middle-aged subjects.

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Telomerase and CD4 T Cell Immunity in Cancer

Cancers ◽

10.3390/cancers12061687 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (6) ◽

pp. 1687

Author(s):

Magalie Dosset ◽

Andrea Castro ◽

Hannah Carter ◽

Maurizio Zanetti

Keyword(s):

T Cells ◽

T Cell ◽

Cd4 T Cells ◽

Critical Role ◽

Tumor Formation ◽

T Cell Immunity ◽

Cd4 T Cell ◽

Current Status ◽

Mhc Ii ◽

Cell Immunity

Telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) is a conserved self-tumor antigen which is overexpressed in most tumors and plays a critical role in tumor formation and progression. As such, TERT is an antigen of great relevance to develop widely applicable immunotherapies. CD4 T cells play a major role in the anti-cancer response alone or with other effector cells such as CD8 T cells and NK cells. To date, efforts have been made to identify TERT peptides capable of stimulating CD4 T cells that are also able to bind diverse MHC-II alleles to ease immune status monitoring and immunotherapies. Here, we review the current status of TERT biology, TERT/MHC-II immunobiology, and past and current vaccine clinical trials. We propose that monitoring CD4 T cell immunity against TERT is a simple and direct way to assess immune surveillance in cancer patients and a new way to predict the response to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICPi). Finally, we present the initial results of a systematic discovery of TERT peptides able to bind the most common HLA Class II alleles worldwide and show that the repertoire of MHC-II TERT peptides is wider than currently appreciated.

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The critical role of CD4+ T cells in PD-1 blockade against MHC-II–expressing tumors such as classic Hodgkin lymphoma

Blood Advances ◽

10.1182/bloodadvances.2020002098 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (17) ◽

pp. 4069-4082

Author(s):

Joji Nagasaki ◽

Yosuke Togashi ◽

Takeaki Sugawara ◽

Makiko Itami ◽

Nobuhiko Yamauchi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

T Cells ◽

T Cell ◽

Cd4 T Cells ◽

Critical Role ◽

Cd4 T Cell ◽

Antitumor Effects ◽

Cell Axis ◽

Mhc I ◽

Mhc Ii

Abstract Classic Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) responds markedly to PD-1 blockade therapy, and the clinical responses are reportedly dependent on expression of major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC-II). This dependence is different from other solid tumors, in which the MHC class I (MHC-I)/CD8+ T-cell axis plays a critical role. In this study, we investigated the role of the MHC-II/CD4+ T-cell axis in the antitumor effect of PD-1 blockade on cHL. In cHL, MHC-I expression was frequently lost, but MHC-II expression was maintained. CD4+ T cells highly infiltrated the tumor microenvironment of MHC-II–expressing cHL, regardless of MHC-I expression status. Consequently, CD4+ T-cell, but not CD8+ T-cell, infiltration was a good prognostic factor in cHL, and PD-1 blockade showed antitumor efficacy against MHC-II–expressing cHL associated with CD4+ T-cell infiltration. Murine lymphoma and solid tumor models revealed the critical role of antitumor effects mediated by CD4+ T cells: an anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody exerted antitumor effects on MHC-I−MHC-II+ tumors but not on MHC-I−MHC-II− tumors, in a cytotoxic CD4+ T-cell–dependent manner. Furthermore, LAG-3, which reportedly binds to MHC-II, was highly expressed by tumor-infiltrating CD4+ T cells in MHC-II–expressing tumors. Therefore, the combination of LAG-3 blockade with PD-1 blockade showed a far stronger antitumor immunity compared with either treatment alone. We propose that PD-1 blockade therapies have antitumor effects on MHC-II–expressing tumors such as cHL that are mediated by cytotoxic CD4+ T cells and that LAG-3 could be a candidate for combination therapy with PD-1 blockade.

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