PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

David F Tough

Publications and source records attributed to David F Tough.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

IL-15 promotes the survival of naive and memory phenotype CD8+ T cells.

IL-15 stimulates the proliferation of memory phenotype CD44(high)CD8(+) T cells and is thought to play a key role in regulating the turnover of these cells in vivo. We have investigated whether IL-15 also has the capacity to affect the life span of naive phenotype (CD44(low)) CD8(+) T cells. We report that IL-15 promotes the survival of both CD44(low) and CD44(high) CD8(+) T cells, doing so at much lower concentrations than required to induce proliferation of CD44(high) cells. Rescue from apoptosis was associated with the up-regulation of Bcl-2 in both cell types, whereas elevated expression of Bcl-x(L) was observed among CD44(high) but not CD44(low) CD8(+) cells. An investigation into the role of IL-15R subunits in mediating the effects of IL-15 revealed distinct contributions of the alpha- and beta- and gamma-chains. Most strikingly, IL-15R alpha was not essential for either induction of proliferation or promotion of survival by IL-15, but did greatly enhance the sensitivity of cells to low concentrations of IL-15. By contrast, the beta- and gamma-chains of the IL-15R were absolutely required for the proliferative and pro-survival effects of IL-15, although it was not necessary for CD44(high)CD8(+) cells to express higher levels of IL-15R beta than CD44(low) cells to proliferate in response to IL-15. These results show that IL-15 has multiple effects on CD8 T cells and possesses the potential to regulate the life span of naive as well as memory CD8(+) T cells.

Animals↗

Measurement and modeling of human T cell kinetics.

The ability to measure, describe and interpret T cell kinetics is pivotal in understanding normal lymphocyte homeostasis and diseases that affect T cell numbers. Following in vivo labeling of dividing cells with 6,6-D(2)-glucose in eight healthy volunteers, peripheral blood T cells were sorted by CD4, CD8 and CD45 phenotype. Enrichment of deuterium in DNA was measured by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. A novel model of T cell kinetics, allowing for heterogeneity within T cell pools, was used to analyze data on acquisition and loss of label and calculate proliferation and disappearance rates for each subpopulation. Proliferation rates for CD45RO(+)CD8(+) cells and CD45RO(+)CD4(+) cells were 5.1% and 2.7% /day, respectively (equivalent doubling times: 14 and 26 days). CD45RA(+)CD8(+) lymphocytes and CD45RA(+)CD4(+) lymphocytes had slower proliferation rates, 0.5% and 0.6% / day, respectively (doubling time about 4 months). Disappearance rates of labeled cells were similar for all cell types (7%-12% / day) and exceeded corresponding proliferation rates. This disparity may be understood conceptually in terms of either phenotypic heterogeneity (rapid versus slow turnover pools), or history (recently divided cells are more likely to die). The new kinetic model fits the data closely and avoids the need to postulate a large external source of lymphocytes to maintain equilibrium.

Adult↗

Developmental kinetics and lifespan of dendritic cells in mouse lymphoid organs.

The labeling kinetics of 5 dendritic cell (DC) subtypes within the lymphoid organs of healthy laboratory mice during continuous administration of bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) was determined to investigate developmental relationships and determine turnover rates. Individual DC subtypes behaved as products of separate developmental streams, at least as far back as their dividing precursors. The rate of labeling varied with the lymphoid organ and the DC subtype. Labeling was faster overall in spleen and mesenteric lymph nodes (LNs) and slower in thymus and skin-draining LNs. The CD8(+) DC subtype displayed the most rapid turnover, with a uniformly short (3-day) lifespan in spleen but with distinct short-lived and longer-lived subgroups in thymus. All the skin-derived DCs in LNs showed delayed and slow BrdU labeling, indicating a long overall lifespan; however, this was shown to reflect a long residence time in skin rather than a long-duration presenting antigen in the draining LN. Epidermal-derived Langerhans DCs displayed longer BrdU labeling lag and slower overall turnover than the dermal-derived DCs, and the movement of fluorescent Langerhans DC from skin to LN was slower than that of dermal DCs following skin painting with a fluorescent dye. However, once they arrived in lymphoid organs, all DCs present in healthy, uninfected mice displayed a rapid turnover, and this turnover was even faster after antigenic or microbial product stimulation.

Animals↗

Type I interferons produced by dendritic cells promote their phenotypic and functional activation.

Resting dendritic cells (DCs) are resident in most tissues and can be activated by environmental stimuli to mature into potent antigen-presenting cells. One important stimulus for DC activation is infection; DCs can be triggered through receptors that recognize microbial components directly or by contact with infection-induced cytokines. We show here that murine DCs undergo phenotypic maturation upon exposure to type I interferons (type I IFNs) in vivo or in vitro. Moreover, DCs either derived from bone marrow cells in vitro or isolated from the spleens of normal animals express IFN-alpha and IFN-beta, suggesting that type I IFNs can act in an autocrine manner to activate DCs. Consistent with this idea, the ability to respond to type I IFN was required for the generation of fully activated DCs from bone marrow precursors, as DCs derived from the bone marrow of mice lacking a functional receptor for type I IFN had reduced expression of costimulatory and adhesion molecules and a diminished ability to stimulate naive T-cell proliferation compared with DCs derived from control bone marrow. Furthermore, the addition of neutralizing anti-IFN-alpha/beta antibody to purified splenic DCs in vitro partially blocked the "spontaneous" activation of these cells, inhibiting the up-regulation of costimulatory molecules, secretion of IFN-gamma, and T-cell stimulatory activity. These results show that DCs both secrete and respond to type I IFN, identifying type I interferons as autocrine DC activators.

Animals↗

Tissue-level regulation of Th1 and Th2 primary and memory CD4 T cells in response to Listeria infection.

Ag-specific Th1 and Th2 cytokine-producing CD4 T cells were quantitated in secondary lymphoid and tertiary tissues following oral Listeria monocytogenes infection. Although the response to Listeria was previously believed to be predominantly Th1 like, CD4 T cells producing IL-4 or IL-5 comprised a substantial proportion of the overall primary and memory response. The frequency of IFN-gamma-, IL-4-, or IL-5-producing primary effector or memory CD4 T cells was significantly higher in lung, liver, and intestinal lamina propria (LP) as compared with spleen and lymph node. However, maximum numbers of IL-4- and IL-5-producing cells were detected in the LP several days after the peak of the Th1 response, and IL-5 production was skewed toward the mucosal tissues. Remarkably, the recall response resulted in sustained Th1 and Th2 responses in tertiary, but not lymphoid tissues and long-term retention of Th1 and Th2 memory cells in equal proportions in the LP. Finally, CD40 ligand was essential for induction of IFN-gamma in the spleen and LP, but not in the liver and lung, while the IL-4 response required CD40 ligand only in the spleen. Therefore, the rules governing the effector phenotype, and the overall magnitude of the CD4 response, are regulated at the level of individual tissues.

Animals↗

Links between innate and adaptive immunity via type I interferon.

Type I interferon (IFN-alpha/beta) is expressed rapidly following exposure to a wide variety of infectious agents and plays a key role in innate control of virus replication. Recent studies have demonstrated that dendritic cells both produce IFN-alpha/beta and undergo maturation in response to IFN-alpha/beta. Moreover, IFN-alpha/beta has been shown to potently enhance immune responses in vivo through the stimulation of dendritic cells. These findings indicate that IFN-alpha/beta serves as a signal linking innate and adaptive immunity.

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗