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Anemia due to chronic disease or chemotherapy often is ameliorated by erythropoietin (Epo). Present studies reveal that,unlike steady-state erythropoiesis,erythropoiesis during anemia depends sharply on an Epo receptor-phosphotyrosine-343-Stat5 signaling axis. In mice expressing a phosphotyrosine-null (PY-null) Epo receptor allele (EpoR-HM),severe and persistent anemia was induced by hemolysis or 5-fluorouracil. In short-term transplantation experiments,donor EpoR-HM bone marrow cells also failed to efficiently repopulate the erythroid compartment. In each context,stress erythropoiesis was rescued to WT levels upon the selective restoration of an EpoR PY343 Stat5-binding site (EpoR-H allele). As studied using a unique primary culture system,EpoR-HM erythroblasts exhibited marked stage-specific losses in Epo-dependent growth and survival. EpoR-H PY343 signals restored efficient erythroblast expansion,and the selective Epo induction of the Stat5 target genes proviral integration site-1 (Pim-1) and oncostatin-M. Bcl2-like 1 (Bcl-x),in contrast,was not significantly induced via WT-EpoR,EpoR-HM,or EpoR-H alleles. In Kit+ CD71+ erythroblasts,EpoR-PY343 signals furthermore enhanced SCF growth effects,and SCF modulation of Pim-1 kinase and oncostatin-M expression. In maturing Kit- CD71+ erythroblasts,oncostatin-M exerted antiapoptotic effects that likewise depended on EpoR PY343-mediated events. Stress erythropoiesis,therefore,requires stage-specific EpoR-PY343-Stat5 signals,some of which selectively bolster SCF and oncostatin-M action. View Publication

We have previously reported that an anti-human transferrin receptor IgG3-avidin fusion protein (anti-hTfR IgG3-Av) inhibits the proliferation of an erythroleukemia-cell line. We have now found that anti-hTfR IgG3-Av also inhibits the proliferation of additional human malignant B and plasma cells. Anti-hTfR IgG3-Av induces internalization and rapid degradation of the TfR. These events can be reproduced in cells treated with anti-hTfR IgG3 cross-linked with a secondary Ab,suggesting that they result from increased TfR cross-linking. Confocal microscopy of cells treated with anti-hTfR IgG3-Av shows that the TfR is directed to an intracellular compartment expressing the lysosomal marker LAMP-1. The degradation of TfR is partially blocked by cysteine protease inhibitors. Furthermore,cells treated with anti-hTfR IgG3-Av exhibit mitochondrial depolarization and activation of caspases 9,8,and 3. The mitochondrial damage and cell death can be prevented by iron supplementation,but cannot be fully blocked by a pan-caspase inhibitor. These results suggest that anti-hTfR IgG3-Av induces lethal iron deprivation,but the resulting cell death does not solely depend on caspase activation. This report provides insights into the mechanism of cell death induced by anti-TfR Abs such as anti-hTfR IgG3-Av,a molecule that may be useful in the treatment of B-cell malignancies such as multiple myeloma. View Publication

Prior experimental strategies to induce transplantation tolerance have focused largely on modifying adaptive immunity. However,less is known concerning the role of innate immune signaling in the induction of transplantation tolerance. Using a highly immunogenic murine skin transplant model that resists transplantation tolerance induction when innate immunity is preserved,we show that absence of MyD88,a key innate Toll like receptor signal adaptor,abrogates this resistance and facilitates inducible allograft acceptance. In our model,absence of MyD88 impairs inflammatory dendritic cell responses that reduce T cell activation. This effect increases T cell susceptibility to suppression mediated by CD4+ CD25+ regulatory T cells. Therefore,this study provides evidence that absence of MyD88 promotes inducible allograft acceptance and implies that inhibiting innate immunity may be a potential,clinically relevant strategy to facilitate transplantation tolerance. View Publication

The human pre-T-cell receptor alpha (TCRalpha; pTalpha) gene encodes a polypeptide which associates with the TCRbeta chain and CD3 molecules to form the pre-TCR complex. The surface expression of the pre-TCR is pTalpha dependent,and signaling through this complex triggers an early alphabeta T-cell developmental checkpoint inside the thymus,known as beta-selection. E2A transcription factors,which are involved at multiple stages of T-cell development,regulate the transcription of the pTalpha gene. Here we show that the regulatory protein Tax of the human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) efficiently suppresses the E47-mediated activation of the pTalpha promoter. Furthermore,we report that in Tax lentivirally transduced human MOLT-4 T cells,which constitutively express the pTalpha gene,the amount of pTalpha transcripts decreases. Such a decrease is not observed in MOLT-4 cells transduced by a vector encoding the Tax mutant K88A,which is unable to interact with p300. These data underline that Tax inhibits pTalpha transcription by recruiting this coactivator. Finally,we show that the expression of Tax in human immature thymocytes results in a decrease of pTalpha gene transcription but does not modify the level of E47 transcripts. These observations indicate that Tax,by silencing E proteins,down-regulates pTalpha gene transcription during early thymocyte development. They further provide evidence that Tax can interfere with an important checkpoint during T-cell differentiation in the thymus. View Publication

Disruption of pathways leading to programmed cell death plays a major role in most malignancies,including multiple myeloma (MM). ABT-737 is a BH3 mimetic small-molecule inhibitor that binds with high affinity to Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL,preventing the sequestration of proapoptotic molecules and shifting the cell survival/apoptosis balance toward apoptosis induction. In this study,we show that ABT-737 is cytotoxic to MM cell lines,including those resistant to conventional therapies,and primary tumor cells. Flow cytometric analysis of intracellular levels of Bcl-2 family proteins demonstrates a clear inversion of the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio leading to induction of apoptosis. Activation of the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway was indicated by mitochondrial membrane depolarization and caspase cleavage. Additionally,several signaling pathways known to be important for MM cell survival are disrupted following treatment with ABT-737. The impact of ABT-737 on survival could not be overcome by the addition of interleukin-6,vascular endothelial growth factor or insulin-like growth factor,suggesting that ABT-737 may be effective in preventing the growth and survival signals provided by the microenvironment. These data indicate that therapies targeting apoptotic pathways may be effective in MM treatment and warrant clinical evaluation of ABT-737 and similar drugs alone or in combination with other agents in the setting of MM. View Publication

We have previously developed an antibody fusion protein composed of a mouse/human chimeric IgG3 specific for the human transferrin receptor genetically fused to avidin (anti-hTfR IgG3-Av) as a universal delivery system for cancer therapy. This fusion protein efficiently delivers biotinylated FITC into cancer cells via TfR-mediated endocytosis. In addition,anti-hTfR IgG3-Av alone exhibits intrinsic cytotoxic activity and interferes with hTfR recycling,leading to the rapid degradation of the TfR and lethal iron deprivation in certain malignant B-cell lines. We now report on the cytotoxic effects of a conjugate composed of anti-hTfR IgG3-Av and biotinylated saporin 6 (b-SO6),a toxin derived from the plant Saponaria officinalis that inhibits protein synthesis. Conjugation of anti-hTfR IgG3-Av with b-SO6 enhances the cytotoxic effect of the fusion protein in sensitive cells and also overcomes the resistance of malignant cells that show low sensitivity to the fusion protein alone. Our results show for the first time that loading anti-hTfR IgG3-Av with a biotinylated toxin enhances the cytotoxicity of the fusion protein alone. These results suggest that anti-hTfR IgG3-Av has great potential as a therapeutic agent for a wide range of applications due to its intrinsic cytotoxic activity plus its ability to deliver biotinylated molecules into cancer cells. View Publication

Lymphocyte activation is regulated by costimulatory and inhibitory receptors,of which both B and T lymphocyte attenuator (BTLA) and CD160 engage herpesvirus entry mediator (HVEM). Notably,it remains unclear how HVEM functions with each of its ligands during immune responses. In this study,we show that HVEM specifically activates CD160 on effector NK cells challenged with virus-infected cells. Human CD56(dim) NK cells were costimulated specifically by HVEM but not by other receptors that share the HVEM ligands LIGHT,Lymphotoxin-α,or BTLA. HVEM enhanced human NK cell activation by type I IFN and IL-2,resulting in increased IFN-γ and TNF-α secretion,and tumor cell-expressed HVEM activated CD160 in a human NK cell line,causing rapid hyperphosphorylation of serine kinases ERK1/2 and AKT and enhanced cytolysis of target cells. In contrast,HVEM activation of BTLA reduced cytolysis of target cells. Together,our results demonstrate that HVEM functions as a regulator of immune function that activates NK cells via CD160 and limits lymphocyte-induced inflammation via association with BTLA. View Publication

Chronic viruses and cancers thwart immune responses in humans by inducing T cell dysfunction. Using a murine chronic virus that models human infections,we investigated the function of the adhesion molecule,P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 (PSGL-1),that is upregulated on responding T cells. PSGL-1-deficient mice cleared the virus due to increased intrinsic survival of multifunctional effector T cells that had downregulated PD-1 as well as other inhibitory receptors. Notably,this response resulted in CD4(+)-T-cell-dependent immunopathology. Mechanistically,PSGL-1 ligation on exhausted CD8(+) T cells inhibited T cell receptor (TCR) and interleukin-2 (IL-2) signaling and upregulated PD-1,leading to diminished survival with TCR stimulation. In models of melanoma cancer in which T cell dysfunction occurs,PSGL-1 deficiency led to PD-1 downregulation,improved T cell responses,and tumor control. Thus,PSGL-1 plays a fundamental role in balancing viral control and immunopathology and also functions to regulate T cell responses in the tumor microenvironment. View Publication

Lupus nephritis (LN) is a potentially dangerous end organ pathology that affects upwards of 60% of lupus patients. Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) is important for B cell development,Fc receptor signaling,and macrophage polarization. In this study,we investigated the effects of a novel,highly selective and potent BTK inhibitor,BI-BTK-1,in an inducible model of LN in which mice receive nephrotoxic serum (NTS) containing anti-glomerular antibodies. Mice were treated once daily with vehicle alone or BI-BTK-1,either prophylactically or therapeutically. When compared with control treated mice,NTS-challenged mice treated prophylactically with BI-BTK-1 exhibited significantly attenuated kidney disease,which was dose dependent. BI-BTK-1 treatment resulted in decreased infiltrating IBA-1+ cells,as well as C3 deposition within the kidney. RT-PCR on whole kidney RNA and serum profiling indicated that BTK inhibition significantly decreased levels of LN-relevant inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. Renal RNA expression profiling by RNA-seq revealed that BI-BTK-1 dramatically modulated pathways related to inflammation and glomerular injury. Importantly,when administered therapeutically,BI-BTK-1 reversed established proteinuria and improved renal histopathology. Our results highlight the important role for BTK in the pathogenesis of immune complex-mediated nephritis,and BTK inhibition as a promising therapeutic target for LN. View Publication

The AP-1 factor basic leucine zipper transcription factor,ATF-like (BATF) is important for CD4(+) Th17,Th9,and follicular Th cell development. However,its precise role in Th2 differentiation and function remains unclear,and the requirement for BATF in nonallergic settings of type-2 immunity has not been explored. In this article,we show that,in response to parasitic helminths,Batf(-/-) mice are unable to generate follicular Th and Th2 cells. As a consequence,they fail to establish productive type-2 immunity during primary and secondary infection. Batf(-/-) CD4(+) T cells do not achieve type-2 cytokine competency,which implies that BATF plays a key role in the regulation of IL-4 and IL-13. In contrast to Th17 and Th9 cell subsets in which BATF binds directly to promoter and enhancer regions to regulate cytokine expression,our results show that BATF is significantly enriched at Rad50 hypersensitivity site (RHS)6 and RHS7 of the locus control region relative to AP-1 sites surrounding type-2 cytokine loci in Th2 cells. Indeed,Batf(-/-) CD4(+) T cells do not obtain permissive epigenetic modifications within the Th2 locus,which were linked to RHS6 and RHS7 function. In sum,these findings reveal BATF as a central modulator of peripheral and humoral hallmarks of type-2 immunity and begin to elucidate a novel mechanism by which it regulates type-2 cytokine production through its modification of the Th2 locus control region. View Publication

Mucosa-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells are a unique innate T cell subset that is necessary for rapid recruitment of activated CD4(+) T cells to the lungs after pulmonary F. tularensis LVS infection. Here,we investigated the mechanisms behind this effect. We provide evidence to show that MAIT cells promote early differentiation of CCR2-dependent monocytes into monocyte-derived DCs (Mo-DCs) in the lungs after F. tularensis LVS pulmonary infection. Adoptive transfer of Mo-DCs to MAIT cell-deficient mice (MR1(-/-) mice) rescued their defect in the recruitment of activated CD4(+) T cells to the lungs. We further demonstrate that MAIT cell-dependent GM-CSF production stimulated monocyte differentiation in vitro,and that in vivo production of GM-CSF was delayed in the lungs of MR1(-/-) mice. Finally,GM-CSF-deficient mice exhibited a defect in monocyte differentiation into Mo-DCs that was phenotypically similar to MR1(-/-) mice. Overall,our data demonstrate that MAIT cells promote early pulmonary GM-CSF production,which drives the differentiation of inflammatory monocytes into Mo-DCs. Further,this delayed differentiation of Mo-DCs in MR1(-/-) mice was responsible for the delayed recruitment of activated CD4(+) T cells to the lungs. These findings establish a novel mechanism by which MAIT cells function to promote both innate and adaptive immune responses. View Publication

In the presence of antigen and costimulation,T cells undergo a characteristic response of expansion,cessation and contraction. Previous studies have revealed that population-level reproducibility is a consequence of multiple clones exhibiting considerable disparity in burst size,highlighting the requirement for single-cell information in understanding T-cell fate regulation. Here we show that individual T-cell clones resulting from controlled stimulation in vitro are strongly lineage imprinted with highly correlated expansion fates. Progeny from clonal families cease dividing in the same or adjacent generations,with inter-clonal variation producing burst-size diversity. The effects of costimulatory signals on individual clones sum together with stochastic independence; therefore,the net effect across multiple clones produces consistent,but heterogeneous population responses. These data demonstrate that substantial clonal heterogeneity arises through differences in experience of clonal progenitors,either through stochastic antigen interaction or by differences in initial receptor sensitivities. View Publication