Biomedical subjects

Tasuku Honjo

Publications and source records attributed to Tasuku Honjo.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2024

Soluble immune checkpoint factors reflect exhaustion of antitumor immunity and response to PD-1 blockade.

BACKGROUNDPrecise stratification of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is needed for appropriate application of PD-1/PD-L1 blockade therapy.METHODSWe measured soluble forms of the immune-checkpoint molecules PD-L1, PD-1, and CTLA-4 in plasma of patients with advanced NSCLC before PD-1/PD-L1 blockade. A prospective biomarker-finding trial (cohort A) included 50 previously treated patients who received nivolumab. A retrospective observational study was performed for patients treated with any PD-1/PD-L1 blockade therapy (cohorts B and C), cytotoxic chemotherapy (cohort D), or targeted therapy (cohort E). Plasma samples from all patients were assayed for soluble immune-checkpoint molecules with a highly sensitive chemiluminescence-based assay.RESULTSNonresponsiveness to PD-1/PD-L1 blockade therapy was associated with higher concentrations of these soluble immune factors among patients with immune-reactive (hot) tumors. Such an association was not apparent for patients treated with cytotoxic chemotherapy or targeted therapy. Integrative analysis of tumor size, PD-L1 expression in tumor tissue (tPD-L1), and gene expression in tumor tissue and peripheral CD8+ T cells revealed that high concentrations of the 3 soluble immune factors were associated with hyper or terminal exhaustion of antitumor immunity. The combination of soluble PD-L1 (sPD-L1) and sCTLA-4 efficiently discriminated responsiveness to PD-1/PD-L1 blockade among patients with immune-reactive tumors.CONCLUSIONCombinations of soluble immune factors might be able to identify patients unlikely to respond to PD-1/PD-L1 blockade as a result of terminal exhaustion of antitumor immunity. Our data suggest that such a combination better predicts, along with tPD-L1, for the response of patients with NSCLC.TRIAL REGISTRATIONUMIN000019674.FUNDINGThis study was funded by Ono Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. and Sysmex Corporation.

Humans↗

PubMed2003

AID mutant analyses indicate requirement for class-switch-specific cofactors.

Activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) is the essential and sole B cell-specific factor required for class-switch recombination (CSR) and somatic hypermutation (SHM). However, it is not known how AID differentially regulates these two independent events. Involvement of several cofactors interacting with AID has been indicated by scattered distribution of loss-of-function point mutations and evolutionary conservation of the entire 198-amino-acid protein. Here, we report that human AID mutant proteins with insertions, replacements or truncations in the C-terminal region retained strong SHM activity but almost completely lost CSR activity. These results indicate that AID requires interaction with a cofactor(s) specific to CSR.

3T3 Cells↗

PubMed2003

Learning and memory deficits in Notch mutant mice.

Notch is a critical component of evolutionarily conserved signaling mechanisms that regulate development and may contribute to plasticity-related processes, including changes in neurite structure and maintenance of neural stem cells. Deficits in the Notch pathway are responsible for Alagille and Cadasil syndromes, which are associated with mental retardation and dementia. Additionally, in postmitotic neurons, Notch proteins interact with presenilins and with beta-amyloid precursor protein and could therefore have a role in the memory deficits associated with familial and sporadic Alzheimer's disease. To test if alterations in Notch signaling can lead to learning and memory deficits, we studied mice with mutations in this pathway. Here, we show that null heterozygous mutations in Notch1 result in deficits in spatial learning and memory without affecting other forms of learning, motor control, or exploratory activity. We also show that null heterozygous mutations in the downstream cofactor RBP-J result in similarly specific spatial learning and memory deficits. These data indicate that a constitutive decrease in Notch signaling can result in specific learning and memory deficits and suggest that abnormalities in Notch-dependent transcription may contribute to the cognitive deficits associated with Alzheimer's disease and Alagille and Cadasil syndromes.

Analysis of Variance↗

PubMed2003

PD-1 inhibits antiviral immunity at the effector phase in the liver.

Unlike naive T cells, effector T cells can be activated by either T cell receptor signal or costimulatory signal alone and therefore the absence of costimulatory molecules on tissue cells cannot explain the tolerance mechanism at the effector phase. Here we report that PD-L1, the ligand for the immunoinhibitory receptor PD-1, was expressed on vascular endothelium in peripheral tissues. Liver nonparenchymal cells including sinusoidal endothelial cells and Kupffer cells constitutively expressed PD-L1 and inhibited proliferation and cell division of activated T cells expressing PD-1. The absence of PD-1 induced proliferation of effector T cells in the adenovirus-infected liver and resulted in rapid clearance of the virus. These results indicate that PD-1 plays an important role in T cell tolerance at the effector phase and the blockade of the PD-1 pathway can augment antiviral immunity.

Animals↗

PubMed2003

A novel gene, Btcl1, encoding CUB and LDLa domains is expressed in restricted areas of mouse brain.

A variety of secreted and membrane proteins play key roles in the formation of neuronal circuits in the central nervous system. Using the signal sequence trap method, we isolated and characterized a novel gene, Btcl1 (brain-specific transmembrane protein containing two CUB and an LDLa domains). BTCL1 has significant homology with neuropilin-1 and -2 in their CUB domains. Domain structure of BTCL1 indicates that BTCL1 belongs to a new class of brain-specific CUB domain-containing protein. On Northern blot analysis, Btcl1 mRNA was observed as a single transcript of 3.7 kb specifically in the brain. In situ hybridization analysis revealed that Btcl1 mRNA was highly expressed in the hippocampal CA3 region, olfactory bulb, and neocortex in the adult brain. Expression pattern of mRNA and structural similarity with neuropilin suggest that BTCL1 plays a role in the development and/or maintenance of neuronal circuitry.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2003

Stem cell-derived neural stem/progenitor cell supporting factor is an autocrine/paracrine survival factor for adult neural stem/progenitor cells.

Recent evidence suggests that adult neural stem/progenitor cells (ANSCs) secrete autocrine/paracrine factors and that these intrinsic factors are involved in the maintenance of adult neurogenesis. We identified a novel secretory molecule, stem cell-derived neural stem/progenitor cell supporting factor (SDNSF), from adult hippocampal neural stem/progenitor cells by using the signal sequence trap method. The expression of SDNSF in adult central nervous system was localized to hippocampus including dentate gyrus, where the neurogenesis persists throughout life. In induced neurogenesis status seen in ischemically treated hippocampus, the expression of SDNSF was up-regulated. As functional aspects, SDNSF protein provided a dose-dependent survival effect for ANSC following basic fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF-2) withdrawal. ANSCs treated by SDNSF also retain self-renewal potential and multipotency in the absence of FGF-2. However, SDNSF did not have mitogenic activity, nor was it a cofactor that promoted the mitogenic effects of FGF-2. These data suggested an important role of SDNSF as an autocrine/paracrine factor in maintaining stem cell potential and lifelong neurogenesis in adult central nervous system.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2003

Unmutated immunoglobulin M can protect mice from death by influenza virus infection.

To elucidate the role of class switch recombination (CSR) and somatic hypermutation (SHM) in virus infection, we have investigated the influence of the primary and secondary infections of influenza virus on mice deficient of activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID), which is absolutely required for CSR and SHM. In the primary infection, AID deficiency caused no significant difference in mortality but did cause difference in morbidity. In the secondary infection with a lethal dose of influenza virus, both AID-/- and AID+/- mice survived completely. However, AID-/- mice could not completely block replication of the virus and their body weights decreased severely whereas AID+/- mice showed almost complete prevention from the reinfection. Depletion of CD8+ T cells by administration of an anti-CD8 monoclonal antibody caused slightly severer body weight loss but did not alter the survival rate of AID-/- mice in secondary infection. These results indicate that unmutated immunoglobulin (Ig)M alone is capable of protecting mice from death upon primary and secondary infections. Because the titers of virus-neutralizing antibodies were comparable between AID-/- and AID+/- mice at the time of the secondary infection, a defect of AID-/- mice in protection of morbidity might be due to the absence of either other Ig classes such as IgG, high affinity antibodies with SHM, or both.

Animals↗

PubMed2003

Constitutive expression of AID leads to tumorigenesis.

Genome stability is regulated by the balance between efficiencies of the repair machinery and genetic alterations such as mutations and chromosomal rearrangements. It has been postulated that deregulation of class switch recombination (CSR) and somatic hypermutation (SHM), which modify the immunoglobulin (Ig) genes in activated B cells, may be responsible for aberrant chromosomal translocations and mutations of non-Ig genes that lead to lymphocyte malignancy. However, the molecular basis for these genetic instabilities is not clearly understood. Activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) is shown to be essential and sufficient to induce both CSR and SHM in artificial substrates in fibroblasts as well as B cells. Here we show that constitutive and ubiquitous expression of AID in transgenic mice caused both T cell lymphomas and dysgenetic lesions of epithelium of respiratory bronchioles (micro-adenomas) in all individual mice. Point mutations, but not translocations, were massively introduced in expressed T cell receptor (TCR) and c-myc genes in T lymphoma cells. The results indicate that AID can mutate non-Ig genes including oncogenes, implying that aberrant AID expression could be a cause of human malignancy.

Animals↗

PubMed2003

Molecular modeling and functional mapping of B7-H1 and B7-DC uncouple costimulatory function from PD-1 interaction.

B7-H1 and B7-DC are ligands for PD-1, a receptor implicated in negative regulation of T and B cell functions. These ligands, however, also costimulate T cell responses. It remains elusive whether or not costimulation is mediated through PD-1. By comparative molecular modeling and site-directed mutagenesis, we found that nonconserved residues between these ligands on the A'GFCC'C" face mediate interaction with PD-1. This indicates significant structural heterogeneity of the interactions between PD-1 and its ligands. Importantly, ligand mutants with abolished PD-1 binding capacity could still costimulate proliferation and cytokine production of T cells from normal and PD-1-deficient mice. Our results reveal unique binding characteristics of B7-H1 and B7-DC and provide direct evidence for an independent costimulatory receptor other than PD-1.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2003

Recombination signal sequence-binding protein Jkappa alters mesodermal cell fate decisions by suppressing cardiomyogenesis.

The transcription factor recombination signal sequence-binding protein Jkappa (RBP-J) is a key downstream element in the signaling pathway of all four mammalian Notch receptors that are critically involved in the control of embryonic and adult development. RBP-J-deficient mice display complex defects and die around day 9.5 postcoitum. Here, we investigate the function of RBP-J in the development of mesodermal cell lineages by using the OP9 stroma coculture system. RBP-J-deficient embryonic stem (ES) cells gave rise to cardiomyocytes, endothelial cells, and primitive and definitive hematopoietic cells. Thus, RBP-J-mediated signals are not required for generation of these cell types. However, when compared with parental RBP-J-expressing ES cells, cardiomyogenesis derived from RBP-J-deficient ES cells was increased. Repression over the cardiogenic pathway was restored by expressing RBP-J in RBP-J-deficient ES cells. Our data indicate that Notch signaling via RBP-J plays an important role for the correct specification of myocardial cell fates.

Animals↗

PubMed2003

Notch/RBP-J signaling regulates epidermis/hair fate determination of hair follicular stem cells.

Notch signaling is involved in the cell fate determination of various cell lineages. Notch interaction with its ligand induces the cleavage of its intracellular domain (IC), and the Notch IC translocates to the nucleus and binds to RBP-J to transactivate transcription of target genes. All four Notches in mammals bind to RBP-J to exert their transactivation activities. Notch is expressed in developing or differentiating epidermis and hairs, inhibits the terminal differentiation of the epidermis, and regulates hair differentiation. The common stem cells that reside in the upper portion of hair follicles (the bulge) contribute to epidermal and hair cell formation. However, it is unknown what determines whether hair follicular stem cells will become hairs or epidermis. Here we report that conditionally disrupting the mouse RBP-J gene in a mosaic pattern to avoid embryonic lethality of RBP-J-deficiency caused hair loss, epidermal hyperkeratinization, and epidermal cyst formation. Cyst formation is probably due to a combination of the aberrant fate determination of RBP-J-deficient stem cells to epidermal progenitors and their accelerated differentiation into epidermis. These results suggest that Notch/RBP-J signaling regulates the cell fate determination of hair follicular stem cells at the bulge region.

Animals↗

PubMed2003

De novo protein synthesis is required for the activation-induced cytidine deaminase function in class-switch recombination.

Activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) is required for class-switch recombination (CSR), somatic hypermutation, and gene conversion of Ig genes. Although AID has sequence similarity to an RNA-editing enzyme Apobec-1, how AID functions in CSR and somatic hypermutation is unknown. Because involvement of RNA-editing but not DNA-editing in CSR requires de novo protein synthesis after AID expression, we examined whether protein synthesis inhibitors could block CSR in the presence of the AID activity. For this purpose we constructed AID fused with the hormone-binding domain of the estrogen receptor (AID-ER), which was introduced into AID-deficient spleen B cells. When such transfectants were treated with an estrogen analogue, 4-hydroxytamoxifen (OHT), CSR was induced within 1 h. Cycloheximide or puromycin drastically suppressed OHT-induced CSR in AID-ER expressing AID-/- B cells when added 1 h before OHT but not after OHT, suggesting that de novo protein synthesis is required for an event downstream to AID expression in CSR. The results lend the weight to RNA-editing hypothesis for the function of AID.

Animals↗

PubMed2003

Regulation of B cell development by Notch/RBP-J signaling.

RBP-J is an essential signal mediator of all four Notches in nuclei. Loss-of-function analyses clearly show the crucial roles of RBP-J in commitment of T cells versus B cells as well as MZ B cells versus Fo B cells. Such Notch/RBP-J regulation of dichotomic differentiation steps in lymphocyte is reminiscent of the development of sensory organ precursors (SOPs) in Drosophila. Studies on RBP-J conditional knockout mice that have lost MZ B cells without affecting Fo B cell functions have shown that MZ B cells play pivotal roles in immune responses to blood-borne bacteria.

Animals↗

PubMed2003

Regulation of marginal zone B cell development by MINT, a suppressor of Notch/RBP-J signaling pathway.

We found that Msx2-interacting nuclear target protein (MINT) competed with the intracellular region of Notch for binding to a DNA binding protein RBP-J and suppressed the transactivation activity of Notch signaling. Although MINT null mutant mice were embryonic lethal, MINT-deficient splenic B cells differentiated about three times more efficiently into marginal zone B cells with a concomitant reduction of follicular B cells. MINT is expressed in a cell-specific manner: high in follicular B cells and low in marginal zone B cells. Since Notch signaling directs differentiation of marginal zone B lymphocytes and suppresses that of follicular B lymphocytes in mouse spleen, the results indicate that high levels of MINT negatively regulate Notch signaling and block differentiation of precursor B cells into marginal zone B cells. MINT may serve as a functional homolog of Drosophila Hairless.

Animals↗

PubMed2003

Elimination of local macrophages in intestine prevents chronic colitis in interleukin-10-deficient mice.

Uncontrolled activation of T cells and macrophages is involved in the development of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). However, the precise role of intestinal macrophages for development of IBD is till unclear. To investigate the role of local macrophages for development of IBD, we developed poly-D, L-lactic acid microspheres containing dichloromethylene diphosphonate, which was specifically taken up by macrophages and depleted them, and then the animal model for human IBD was treated with this reagent. We have shown that rectal administration of the microspheres reduced the numbers of resident macrophages in the intestinal lymphoid follicles of interleukin-10-deficient mice. Importantly, depletion of intestinal macrophages was associated with suppression of development of chronic colitis. These results suggest that local macrophages in the intestine play a critical role in the development of chronic colitis in an animal model for IBD. Our study implies that elimination of resident macrophages in the intestine may become a therapeutic approach to IBD.

Animals↗

PubMed2003

Intestinal IgA synthesis: regulation of front-line body defences.

Immunoglobulin A is the most abundant immunoglobulin isotype in mucosal secretions. In this review, we summarize recent advances in our understanding of the sites, mechanisms and functions of intestinal IgA synthesis in mice. On the basis of these recent findings, we propose an updated model for the induction and regulation of IgA responses in the gut. In addition, we discuss new insights into the role of IgA in the maintenance of gut homeostasis and into the reciprocal interactions between gut B cells and the bacterial flora.

Animals↗

PubMed2003

Allogeneic offspring produced by male germ line stem cell transplantation into infertile mouse testis.

The testis is one of several immune-privileged organs and is known for its unique ability to support allogeneic or xenogeneic tissue transplants. We investigated the possibility of deriving offspring from mice that underwent transplantation with allogeneic male germ line stem cells in the testis. Although mature adult mice rejected allogeneic germ cells and were infertile, offspring were obtained by intracytoplasmic germ cell injection using partially differentiated donor cells. In contrast, complete spermatogenesis occurred when allogeneic germ cells were transplanted into immature pup testes. Tolerance induction by monoclonal antibody administration allowed the pup transplant recipients to produce allogeneic offspring by natural mating, whereas no spermatozoa were found in the epididymis of untreated recipients. Thus, these results indicate that a histoincompatible recipient can serve as a "surrogate father" to propagate the genetic information of heterologous male donors.

Animals↗

PubMed2003

Type two hyper-IgM syndrome caused by mutation in activation-induced cytidine deaminase.

Thirteen Japanese patients with hyper-IgM syndrome but normal CD40 ligand were characterized. All patients had mutations in AID (activation-induced cytidine deaminase) gene. Five of them had a missense mutation of Arg112His. In all patients, serum IgG, IgA and IgE levels were undetectable, B cells failed to produce detectable amounts of IgE even if cultured them with anti-CD40 and IL-4. Somatic hypermutation (SHM) was also impaired in their peripheral blood B cells. These results suggest that Arg112 is the hot spot of AID mutation and demonstrate that AID plays indispensable roles in class switch recombination (CSR) and somatic hypermutation (SHM) in human B cells. In addition, serum IgM levels in the patients have been continuously high even after proper intravenous immunogloburin infusion (IVIG) and without infection, indicate that AID has the function to induce spontaneous IgM production in B cells.

Adult↗