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Recent investigations relevant to T and B cell cooperation in humoral immunity are discussed from the following aspects: requirement for T cells in antibody responses; T cell facilitation of B cell responsiveness; T cell suppression of B cell responsiveness; evidence for a nonspecific influence of T cells on B cell responsiveness; relevance to clinical disorders.
By using several techniques to detect surface markers on T and B lymphocytes, 11 cases of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (A.L.L.) were studied. In four cases an insignificant number of markers were detected on the lymphoblast populations. In one case a significant number of blasts formed both sheep red blood cell rosettes and Fc rosettes, suggesting a T-cell origin for the neoplastic cells, and in another case the presence of Fc and C3 receptors on the lymphoblast population indicated a B-cell origin. In a further five cases 14-43% of the blasts had detectable surface immunoglobulin. It is concluded that A.L.L. is a heterogeneous disorder, some cases failing to express surface markers and others having either a T-or a B-lymphocyte origin or both.
Immune responses against transgene products can compromise adeno-associated virus-mediated (AAV-mediated) gene transfer. Although several factors influencing this immunogenicity have been described, the early in vivo events driving CD8+ T cell activation remain poorly defined. Here, we examined antigen presentation kinetics following intramuscular AAV administration in mice. Strikingly, viral genomes were detected in draining lymph nodes as early as 1 hour after injection, and transgene-derived peptides were presented to CD8+ T cells from day 1, resulting in progressive activation and first cell divisions detected at day 4. Removal of the injection site demonstrated that AAV particles reaching draining lymph nodes within the first hour were sufficient to induce cytotoxic transgene-specific CD8+ T cells. Finally, AAV vectors incorporating different muscle-specific promoters and regulatory sequences were evaluated. Although muscle specific, all promoters exhibited variable transgene expression in dendritic cells in vitro, correlating with early T cell activation in vivo; notably, those associated with higher early antigen presentation induced robust T cell response, whereas reduced presentation correlated with absence of CD8+ T cells. These findings reveal an unexpectedly early onset of transgene-derived epitope presentation, modulated by promoter specificity, which critically shapes CD8+ T cell response. This provides a rationale for evaluating and mitigating AAV immunogenicity in gene therapy design.
Dengue virus (DENV) is a rapidly spreading pathogen with unusual pathogenesis, and correlates of protection from severe dengue disease and vaccine efficacy have not yet been established. Although DENV-specific CD8(+) T-cell responses have been extensively studied, the breadth and specificity of CD4(+) T-cell responses remains to be defined. Here we define HLA-restricted CD4(+) T-cell epitopes resulting from natural infection with dengue virus in a hyperepidemic setting. Ex vivo flow-cytometric analysis of DENV-specific CD4(+) T cells revealed that the virus-specific cells were highly polarized, with a strong bias toward a CX3CR1(+) Eomesodermin(+) perforin(+) granzyme B(+) CD45RA(+) CD4 CTL phenotype. Importantly, these cells correlated with a protective HLA DR allele, and we demonstrate that these cells have direct ex vivo DENV-specific cytolytic activity. We speculate that cytotoxic dengue-specific CD4(+) T cells may play a role in the control of dengue infection in vivo, and this immune correlate may be a key target for dengue virus vaccine development.
The role of escape from the cytotoxic T cell (CTL) response in Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) evolution remains controversial. Here, we study the origin and spread of SARS-CoV-2 variants whose mutations reduce presentation by the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I alleles common in human populations. We find that 35% of mutations that are characteristic of the variants of concern, and 39% of all subsequent viral mutations, facilitate escape of viral epitopes from presentation. Mutations allowing escape from more common HLA alleles reach higher frequencies, particularly in those countries where these HLA alleles are more frequent, indicating that escape is selected by the local genetic composition of the human host population. We also show that viral mutations that accumulated in general-population transmission chains matched population HLA class I allele frequencies as well as, or better than, mutations acquired during persistent infections, suggesting that selection in favor of escape mutations is not limited to immunocompromised individuals. Together, these data reveal CTL escape as a facet of selection, a driver of evolution, and an epidemiological concern for SARS-CoV-2.
Identifying highly specific T cell receptors (TCRs) or antibodies against epitopic peptides presented by class I major histocompatibility complex (MHC I) proteins remains a bottleneck in the development of targeted therapeutics. Here, we introduce targeted recognition of antigen-MHC complex reporter for MHC I (TRACeR-I), a generalizable platform for targeting peptides on polymorphic HLA-A*, HLA-B* and HLA-C* allotypes while overcoming the cross-reactivity challenges of TCRs. Our TRACeR-MHC I co-crystal structure reveals a unique antigen recognition mechanism, with TRACeR forming extensive contacts across the entire peptide length to confer single-residue specificity at the accessible positions. We demonstrate rapid screening of TRACeR-I against a panel of disease-relevant HLAs with peptides derived from human viruses (human immunodeficiency virus, Epstein-Barr virus and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2), and oncoproteins (Kirsten rat sarcoma virus, paired-like homeobox 2b and New York esophageal squamous cell carcinoma 1). TRACeR-based bispecific T cell engagers and chimeric antigen receptor T cells exhibit on-target killing of tumor cells with high efficacy in the low nanomolar range. Our platform empowers the development of broadly applicable MHC I-targeting molecules for research, diagnostic and therapeutic applications.
OBJECTIVE: The DRB1 locus is strongly associated with both susceptibility and resistance to rheumatoid arthritis (RA). DRB1 alleles encoding the VKA or VRA epitope in positions 11, 71, and 74 confer the highest risk of developing RA, whereas the allele encoding VEA is protective. We therefore investigated the feasibility of creating antigen-specific tolerance without inducing alloreactivity by replacing lysine with glutamic acid at position 71 in DRβ1*04:01. METHODS: Individual DRB1 alleles and the DRB1*04:01K71E allele were cloned into T2 cell lines to measure binding of biotinylated peptides. Transgenic animals expressing DRB1*04:01, DRB1*01:01, or DRB1*04:01K71E were injected with collagen to measure T cell proliferation. Skin and bone marrow transplants between DRB1*04:01K71E and DRB1*04:01 mice were performed to determine if the single amino acid change at position 71 would be recognized as foreign. DRB1*04:01 mice transplanted with DRB1*04:01K71E bone marrow were injected with collagen to test if resistance to collagen sensitization could be transferred. RESULTS: Replacing lysine (K) at position 71 in DRβ1*04:01 with glutamic acid (E) blocked collagen peptide binding and rendered the DRB1*04:01K71E mice resistant to collagen sensitization. Skin and bone marrow transplants from DRB1*04:01K71E mice were not rejected by DRB1*04:01 mice, suggesting the single E71 difference was not recognized as allogeneic. Bone marrow from DRB1*04:01K71E mice adoptively transferred antigen-specific tolerance to collagen to DRB1*04:01 mice. CONCLUSION: These studies demonstrate that editing a single amino acid in DRβ1*04:01 blocks collagen peptide binding without inducing alloreactivity and could therefore represent a gene therapy approach to induce antigen-specific passive tolerance.
Solid tumors often evade TCR-engineered αβ T cells when antigen expression varies or when the restricting Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) allele is lost. γδ T cells, in contrast, detect cellular dysregulation through non-peptide/Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) cues, including phosphoantigens and stress ligands, and can be developed as allogeneic therapies. Although intratumoral γδ T cell signatures are associated with improved outcome across cancers, γδ recognition itself is broad and still selected within the thymus just as αβ T cell receptors (TCRs) are. It does not, however, anchor specificity to a defined driver-mutation pMHC epitope. We therefore asked whether a high-affinity, co-receptor-independent αβ TCR could graft oncogenic-driver specificity onto γδ T cells while leaving the endogenous γδ TCR intact. We knocked the KRASG12V/HLA-A*11:01 TCR A11v into primary human γδ T cells. Engineered cells co-expressed the transgenic αβ TCR and the endogenous γδ TCR and lysed KRASG12V/HLA-A*11:01+ tumor cells in vitro and in vivo. To cover potential resistance through loss of HLA-A*11:01, we delivered an mRNA lipid nanoparticle (LNP) encoding a secreted mesothelin×CD3 (M5) bispecific T cell engager (TCE). LNP-M5 produced circulating TCE that redirected γδ A11v T cells and polyclonal bystander T cells to kill mesothelin+ targets, accompanied by development of higher γδ A11v T cell counts in vivo. In humanized mice bearing mixed HLA-A*11:01+ and HLA-A*11:01 - KRASG12V tumors, γδ A11v T cells produced transient control, whereas adding LNP-M5 yielded complete responses and prolonged survival. Thus, this two-part therapy couples invariant driver targeting to tunable redirection and addresses loss of the restricting HLA allele, a central escape route for TCR-based therapy. It provides an off-the-shelf reagent to enable KRAS-anchored treatment with the ability to redeliver the reagent.
Antilymphocyte antibodies in serum from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), as detected by microcytotoxicity and indirect immunofluorescence, were predominantly cold reactive and of the IgM class. These IgM antibodies were most active at 4 degrees C. IgG antibodies were infrequent, and were only minimally lymphocytotoxic. Most sera were cytotoxic for autologous lymphocytes and were equally reactive with normal and SLE lymphocytes, as well as with B- and T-cell preparations. Separate T- and B-cell specificities, which appeared not to be related to HL-A determinants, were identified by differential absorption experiments. The functional significance of these antilymphocyte antibodies is discussed.
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While our prior study identified the HLA-A *0201-restricted ACRBP epitope peptide and demonstrated its capacity to generate cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) in vitro, the clinical relevance of the peptide-induced T cell reactivity in ovarian cancer (OC) patients and the in vivo anti-tumor efficacy of these CTLs remain unexplored. In this study, dendritic cells were sensitized with ACRBP peptide (ALLVLCYSI) and co-cultured with autologous CD8+T cells to induce the production of specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (Pep-CTLs). The anti-tumor effects of Pep-CTLs were evaluated in SCID mice bearing human ovarian cancer (OC) OVCAR-3 cells. Concurrently, we co-cultured ALLVLCYSI peptide with peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from OC patients (HLA-A2+, ACRBP+) and assessed the number of specific T cells using ELISPOT assays. The immunological impact of the ACRBP peptide against human OC was validated through both in vitro and in vivo experiments. These findings establish a preclinical foundationfor developing ACRBP peptide-based vaccines in OC immunotherapy. To further elucidate ACRBP's role in OC treatment, the study analyzed single-cell RNA sequencing data from 8 OC patients and bulk RNA sequencing data from the Cancer Genome Atlas Project (TCGA) comprising 308 ovarian cancer cases. This analysis aimed to explore the heterogeneity among ACRBP-expressing tumor cell populations and to investigate the correlation between ACRBP expression and immune molecule expression (including MHC and chemokines) alongside chemotherapy response. These insights furnish a theoretical framework supporting the future application of ACRBP in tumor immunotherapy and strategies to prevent immune escape.
Tetraparental bone marrow chimeras were produced by injecting lethally X-irradiated F1 hybrids with relatively high numbers of T-cell-depleted bone marrow cells from both allogeneic parental strains. The mice survival in excellent health and showed a stable, approximately 50:50 (parent:parent), lymphoid cell chimerism lasting for at least 7 mo after irradiation; regeneration of host-type hemopoietic cells was very limited. Thymus, lymph node, and thoracic duct lymphocytes showed specific unresponsiveness to host mixed leukocyte reaction (MLR) determinants. Similarly specific tolerance to H-2 antigens of host type was demonstrated in spleen and lymph node. No suppressor cells could be demonstrated in either system and blocking serum factors could not be found. The results suggest specific deletion of functional T cells reactive to host-type MLR and cell-mediated lympholysis determinants.
Lymphocytes from CBA mice are strongly responsive to cells from the H-2-identical strain C3H in vitro (MLC), whereas C3H lymphocytes are poorly reactive against CBA cells. Immunization of CBA mice with C3H lymphocytes did not yield any detectable specific antibodies. On the other hand, C3H mice immunized with CBA cells produced specific antibodies as detected by membrane immunofluorescence. Mice of the strains AKR and DBA/2 also possess this specific membrane alloantigen. We thus conclude that it is now possible to discriminate among lymphocytes of CBA and C3H origin.
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Genetically controlled intraspecific differences between immunoglobulins (allotypes) provide valuable markers for the study of the quantitative expression of allelic and nonallelic alternative forms of immunoglobulins (Igs) during the normal development of rabbits. Heterozygous rabbits are mosaics of cells expressing different Ig-genes since fully differentiated productive cells generally secrete only one of alternative forms of Ig. The proportions of cells that differentiate to produce allelic forms of immunoglobulins during normal development depend on the particular heterozygous genotype. The normal proportions of some markers can be drastically altered if the differentiation of lymphoid cells in the young rabbit occurs in the milieu of antibody specific for one form (allotype suppression). An initiating step in the establishment of persistent allotype suppression is probably the interaction of antiallotype antibody with allotype-bearing receptors on lymphoid cell surfaces, but the mechanism for the maintenance of a state of chronic suppression may well be more complex. Allotype suppression can be viewed as one example of numerous immunological phenomena that reflect specific and finely tuned regulatory mechanisms governing the differentiation and clonal expansion of lymphoid cells destined to secrete immunoglobulins.
Several culture conditions and media were studied in an effort to establish long-term cultures of murine lymphoid cells from blood and thymus. Cultures vessels included small glass bottles and rubber-stoppered tubes. Media such as Roswell Park Memorial Institute 1640, 1700, 1701, 1715, GEM 1717, NCTC, fetal calf and horse serum supplements, and conditioned medium were tried. Lymphoid cells in mouse leukocyte cultures survived as long as eight months before dying out. However, lymphoid cells in thymus cell cultures, strarted and maintained with GEM 1717 medium with 20% fetal calf serum supplementation, gave rise to cell lines that continued to yield subcultures for more than 2 years. Mcroscopic examination of thymus cell subcultures revealed lymphoid and thymic epighelioid cells. Tumorigenicity studies of one cell line were negative. Chromosomal preparations of this cell line often contained near-normal karyotypes but were complicated by the presence of binucleated cells. Live cell fluorescent antibody assays for surface theta-antigen and immunoglobulin revealed immunoglobulin-negative cells possessing barely detectable theta determinants. Functional assays for thymus-derived lymphoid cell activity suggested that these cells were mitogen responsive and weakly reactive in one-way mixed lymphocyte culture. On the basis of this evidence it was sugguested that these cells represent a class of T-cells (thymus-derived lymphocytes) that have all but lost theta antigen, possibly due to prolonged culture.
Brief digestion of human peripheral blood lymphocytes by vibrio cholera neuraminidase (VCN) revealed hidden components of the membrane. Autologous human serums contained antibodies directed to these components that were readily demonstrated by immunofluorescence. Antibodies of similar specificity were found in all normal serums. The antibodies were principally of the IgM variety with lesser amounts of the IgG class present. They were equally active at 4 degrees C and 37 degrees C. The VCN revealed membrane determinants were present in normal B and T lymphocytes, monocytes, lymphocytes of patients with chronic lymphatic leukemia and cells of lymphoid lines. The newly revealed determinants slowly disappeared upon culture of the lymphocytes. These hidden components were similarly demonstrated in erythrocyte membranes and represent the T antigen long known for the red blood cells. Absorption by either VCN treated autologous lymphocytes or erythroyctes removed all of the antibodies capable of reacting with both cell types. Absorption by VCN digested isologous lymphocytes removed all reactivity with autologous lymphocytes.