技术资料

IFN-beta-1a has been used over the past 15 years as a primary therapy for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS). However,the immunomodulatory mechanisms that provide a therapeutic effect against this CNS inflammatory disease are not yet completely elucidated. The effect of IFN-beta-1a on Th17 cells,which play a critical role in the development of the autoimmune response,has not been extensively studied in humans. We have investigated the effect of IFN-beta-1a on dendritic cells (DCs) and naive CD4(+)CD45RA(+) T cells derived from untreated MS patients and healthy controls in the context of Th17 cell differentiation. We report that IFN-beta-1a treatment down-regulated the expression of IL-1beta and IL-23p19 in DCs,whereas it induced the gene expression of IL-12p35 and IL-27p28. We propose that IFN-beta-1a-mediated up-regulation of the suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 expression,induced via STAT3 phosphorylation,mediates IL-1beta and IL-23 down-regulation,while IFN-beta-1a-induced STAT1 phosphorylation induces IL-27p28 expression. CD4(+)CD45RA(+) naive T cells cocultured with supernatants from IFN-beta-1a-treated DCs exhibited decreased gene expression of the Th17 cell markers retinoic acid-related orphan nuclear hormone receptor c (RORc),IL-17A,and IL-23R. A direct IFN-beta-1a treatment of CD45RA(+) T cells cultured in Th17-polarizing conditions also down-regulated RORc,IL-17A,and IL-23R,but up-regulated IL-10 gene expression. Studies of the mechanisms involved in the Th17 cell differentiation suggest that IFN-beta-1a inhibits IL-17 and induces IL-10 secretion via activated STAT1 and STAT3,respectively. IFN-beta's suppression of Th17 cell differentiation may represent its most relevant mechanism of selective suppression of the autoimmune response in MS. View Publication

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) tegument proteins are released into the cytoplasm during viral entry and hence are among the first viral proteins encountered by an infected cell. Despite the implied importance of these proteins in the evasion of host defenses,the function of some,like virion protein 11/12 (VP11/12),have not been clearly defined. Previously,we reported that VP11/12 is strongly tyrosine phosphorylated during the infection of lymphocytes but not in fibroblasts or an epithelial cell line (G. Zahariadis,M. J. Wagner,R. C. Doepker,J. M. Maciejko,C. M. Crider,K. R. Jerome,and J. R. Smiley,J. Virol. 82:6098-6108,2008). We also showed that tyrosine phosphorylation depends in part on the activity of the lymphocyte-specific Src family kinase (SFK) Lck in Jurkat T cells. These data suggested that VP11/12 is a substrate of Lck and that Lck is activated during HSV infection. Here,we show that HSV infection markedly increases the fraction of Lck phosphorylated on its activation loop tyrosine (Y394),a feature characteristic of activated Lck. A previous report implicated the immediate-early protein ICP0 and the viral serine/threonine kinases US3 and UL13 in the induction of a similar activated phenotype of SFKs other than Lck in fibroblasts and suggested that ICP0 interacts directly with SFKs through their SH3 domain. However,we were unable to detect an interaction between ICP0 and Lck in T lymphocytes,and we show that ICP0,US3,and UL13 are not strictly required for Lck activation. In contrast,VP11/12 interacted with Lck or Lck signaling complexes and was strictly required for Lck activation during HSV infection. Thus,VP11/12 likely modulates host cell signaling pathways for the benefit of the virus. View Publication

Mtb influences DC activity and T cell-mediated immune responses. We show that the treatment of immature monocyte-derived DC with Mtb elicited the formation of mature DC,producing TNF-alpha,IL-1beta,IL-6,and IL-23 and instructing CD4(+) cells to secrete IFN-gamma and IL-17. Mtb-induced cytokine release by DC depended on dectin-1 receptor engagement,whereas MR or DC-SIGN stimulation inhibited this process. A selective dectin-1 binding by the receptor agonist glucan was sufficient to enable DC to generate Th1/Th17 lymphocytes,showing features comparable with those induced by Mtb-treated DC. Interestingly,DC-SIGN or MR engagement inhibited Th17 and increased Th1 generation by glucan- or Mtb-treated DC. Our results indicate that Mtb modulates the lymphocyte response by affecting DC maturation and cytokine release. Dectin-1 engagement by Mtb enables DC to promote a Th1/Th17 response,whereas DC-SIGN and MR costimulation limits dectin-1-dependent Th17 generation and favors a Th1 response,probably by interfering with release of cytokines. View Publication

Although activation of the B-cell receptor (BCR) signaling pathway is implicated in the pathogenesis of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL),its clinical impact and the molecular correlates of such response are not clearly defined. T-cell leukemia 1 (TCL1),the AKT modulator and proto-oncogene,is differentially expressed in CLL and linked to its pathogenesis based on CD5(+) B-cell expansions arising in TCL1-transgenic mice. We studied here the association of TCL1 levels and its intracellular dynamics with the in vitro responses to BCR stimulation in 70 CLL cases. The growth kinetics after BCR engagement correlated strongly with the degree and timing of induced AKT phospho-activation. This signaling intensity was best predicted by TCL1 levels and the kinetics of TCL1-AKT corecruitment to BCR membrane activation complexes,which further included the kinases LYN,SYK,ZAP70,and PKC. High TCL1 levels were also strongly associated with aggressive disease features,such as advanced clinical stage,higher white blood cell counts,and shorter lymphocyte doubling time. Higher TCL1 levels independently predicted an inferior clinical outcome (ie,shorter progression-free survival,P textless .001),regardless of therapy regimen,especially for ZAP70(+) tumors. We propose TCL1 as a marker of the BCR-responsive CLL subset identifying poor prognostic cases where targeting BCR-associated kinases may be therapeutically useful. View Publication

AIMS Contradictory outcomes from recent clinical trials investigating the transplantation of autologous bone marrow mononuclear cell (BM-MNC) fraction containing stem/progenitor cells to damaged myocardium,following acute myocardial infarction,may be,in part,due to the different cell isolation protocols used. We compared total BM-MNC numbers and its cellular subsets obtained following isolation using Ficoll-Paque and Lymphoprep - two different density gradient media used in the clinical trials. MATERIALS & METHODS Bone marrow samples were taken from patients entered into the REGENERATE-IHD clinical trial after 5 days of subcutaneous granulocyte colony-stimulating factor injections. Each sample was divided equally for BM-MNC isolation using Ficoll-Paque and Lymphoprep,keeping all other procedural steps constant. Isolated fractions were characterized for hematopoietic stem cells,endothelial progenitor cells,T lymphocytes,B lymphocytes and NK cells using cell surface markers CD34(+),CD133(+)VEGFR2(+),CD45(+)CD3(+),CD45(+)CD19(+) and CD45(+)CD16(+)CD56(+),respectively. There were no significant differences in the absolute numbers and percentage cell recovery of various mononuclear cell types recovered following separation using either density gradient media. Cell viability and the proportion of various cell phenotypes investigated were similar between the two media. They were also equally efficient in excluding unwanted red blood cells,granulocytes and platelets from the final cell products. CONCLUSION We demonstrated that the composition and quantity of cell types found within therapeutic BM-MNC preparations for use in clinical trials of cardiac stem cell transplantation are not influenced by the type of density gradient media used when comparing Ficoll-Paque and Lymphoprep. View Publication

The type III family of IFNs displays immunomodulatory and antiviral activity. Each member (IFN-lambda1,-2,and -3) signals through the same heterodimeric receptor complex,which consists of the binding and signaling subunit (IL-28Ralpha) plus the IL-10Rbeta chain. Although the receptor has a wide tissue distribution,the direct effects of IFN-lambda on various immune cell subsets have not been fully characterized. We have identified high levels of IL-28Ralpha mRNA in pDC from peripheral blood and hypothesized that IFN-lambda plays an important role in pDC maturation and development. We show that stimulation of pDC with HSV or Imiquimod causes an increase in IL-28Ralpha mRNA. In these cells,IFN-lambda1 alters expression of the costimulatory molecules CD80 and ICOS-L and synergizes with IFN-alpha to up-regulate CD83. In addition,IFN-lambda1 has a variable effect on the homing molecule expression of pDC and mDC. IFN-lambda1-treated pDC display a marked difference in their ability to stimulate production of the signature cytokines IL-13,IFN-gamma,and IL-10 in a MLR. This work characterizes the variable effects of IFN-lambda on DC surface molecule expression and identifies a role in pDC activation and immunostimulatory potential. View Publication

The origin and function of human double negative (DN) TCR-alphabeta+ T cells is unknown. They are thought to contribute to the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus because they expand and accumulate in inflamed organs. In this study,we provide evidence that human TCR-alphabeta+ CD4- CD8- DN T cells can derive from activated CD8+ T cells. Freshly isolated TCR-alphabeta+ DN T cells display a distinct gene expression and cytokine production profile. DN cells isolated from peripheral blood as well as DN cells derived in vitro from CD8+ T cells produce a defined array of proinflammatory mediators that includes IL-1beta,IL-17,IFN-gamma,CXCL3,and CXCL2. These results indicate that,upon activation,CD8+ T cells have the capacity to acquire a distinct phenotype that grants them inflammatory capacity. View Publication

Interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF-3) is essential for innate intracellular immune defenses that limit virus replication,but these defenses fail to suppress human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection,which can ultimately associate with opportunistic coinfections and the progression to AIDS. Here,we examined antiviral defenses in CD4+ cells during virus infection and coinfection,revealing that HIV type 1 (HIV-1) directs a global disruption of innate immune signaling and supports a coinfection model through suppression of IRF-3. T cells responded to paramyxovirus infection to activate IRF-3 and interferon-stimulated gene expression,but they failed to mount a response against HIV-1. The lack of response associated with a marked depletion of IRF-3 but not IRF-7 in HIV-1-infected cells,which supported robust viral replication,whereas ectopic expression of active IRF-3 suppressed HIV-1 infection. IRF-3 depletion was dependent on a productive HIV-1 replication cycle and caused the specific disruption of Toll-like receptor and RIG-I-like receptor innate immune signaling that rendered cells permissive to secondary virus infection. IRF-3 levels were reduced in vivo within CD4+ T cells from patients with acute HIV-1 infection but not from long-term nonprogressors. Our results indicate that viral suppression of IRF-3 promotes HIV-1 infection by disrupting IRF-3-dependent signaling pathways and innate antiviral defenses of the host cell. IRF-3 may direct an innate antiviral response that regulates HIV-1 replication and viral set point while governing susceptibility to opportunistic virus coinfections. View Publication

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections impair plasmacytoid dendritic cell (PDC) and natural killer (NK) cell subset numbers and functions,though little is known about PDC-NK cell interactions during these infections. We evaluated PDC-dependent NK cell killing and gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) and granzyme B production,using peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC)-based and purified cell assays of samples from HCV- and HIV-infected subjects. CpG-enhanced PBMC killing and IFN-gamma and granzyme B activity (dependent on PDC and NK cells) were impaired in viremic HIV infection. In purified PDC-NK cell culture experiments,CpG-enhanced,PDC-dependent NK cell activity was cell contact and IFN-alpha dependent,and this activity was impaired in viremic HIV infection but not in HCV infection. In heterologous PDC-NK cell assays,impaired PDC-NK cell killing activity was largely attributable to an NK cell defect,while impaired PDC-NK cell IFN-gamma-producing activity was attributable to both PDC and NK cell defects. Additionally,the response of NK cells to direct IFN-alpha stimulation was defective in viremic HIV infection,and this defect was not attributable to diminished IFN-alpha receptor expression,though IFN-alpha receptor and NKP30 expression was closely associated with killer activity in viremic HIV infection but not in healthy controls. These data indicate that during uncontrolled HIV infection,PDC-dependent NK cell function is impaired,which is in large part attributable to defective IFN-alpha-induced NK cell activity and not to altered IFN-alpha receptor,NKP30,NKP44,NKP46,or NKG2D expression. View Publication

IL-33,a new member of the IL-1 family,has been described as an important inducer of Th2 cytokines and mediator of inflammatory responses. In this study,we demonstrate that murine basophils sorted directly from the bone marrow,without prior exposure to IL-3 or Fc(epsilon)R cross-linking,respond to IL-33 alone by producing substantial amounts of histamine,IL-4,and IL-6. These cells express ST2 constitutively and generate a cytokine profile that differs from their IL-3-induced counterpart by a preferential production of IL-6. In vivo,IL-33 promotes basophil expansion in the bone marrow (BM) through an indirect mechanism of action depending on signaling through the beta(c) chain shared by receptors for IL-3,GM-CSF,and IL-5. IL-3 can still signal through its specific beta(IL-3) chain in these mutant mice,which implies that it is not the unique growth-promoting mediator in this setup,but requires IL-5 and/or GMCSF. Our results support a major role of the latter growth factor,which is readily generated by total BM cells as well as sorted basophils in response to IL-33 along with low amounts of IL-3. Furthermore,GM-CSF amplifies IL-3-induced differentiation of basophils from BM cells,whereas IL-5 that is also generated in vivo,affects neither their functions nor their growth in vitro or in vivo. In conclusion,our data provide the first evidence that IL-33 not only activates unprimed basophils directly,but also promotes their expansion in vivo through induction of GM-CSF and IL-3. View Publication

RATIONALE: Tolerogenic dendritic cells and natural regulatory T cells have been implicated in the process of infectious tolerance in human allergic asthma. However,the significance of the influence of natural regulatory T cells on tolerogenic dendritic cells in the disease has not been investigated. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to characterize the mechanism of induction of the tolerogenic phenotype in circulating blood dendritic cells by allergic asthmatic natural regulatory T cells. METHODS: The study was performed in a cohort of 21 subjects with allergic asthma,21 healthy control subjects,and 21 subjects with nonallergic asthma. We cultured blood dendritic cells with natural regulatory T cells to study the induction of tolerogenic dendritic cells. Flow cytometry and proliferation assays were employed to analyze phenotype and function of dendritic cells as well as IL-10 production from natural regulatory T cells. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Dendritic cells cultured with natural regulatory T cells up-regulated IL-10,down-regulated costimulatory molecules,and stimulated the proliferation of CD4(+)CD25(-) effector T cells less potently. Allergic asthmatic natural regulatory T cells were significantly less efficient in inducing this tolerogenic phenotype of dendritic cells compared with healthy control and nonallergic asthmatic counterparts. Furthermore,this defective function of natural regulatory T cells was associated with their decreased IL-10 expression,disease severity,and could be reversed by oral corticosteroid therapy. CONCLUSIONS: These results provided the first evidences of impaired induction of tolerogenic dendritic cells mediated by natural regulatory T cells in human allergic asthma. View Publication

A variety of nonmalignant cells present in the tumor microenvironment promotes tumorigenesis by stimulating tumor cell growth and metastasis or suppressing host immunity. The role of such stromal cells in T-cell lymphoproliferative disorders is incompletely understood. Monocyte-derived cells (MDCs),including professional antigen-presenting cells such as dendritic cells (DCs),play a central role in T-cell biology. Here,we provide evidence that monocytes promote the survival of malignant T cells and demonstrate that MDCs are abundant within the tumor microenvironment of T cell-derived lymphomas. Malignant T cells were observed to remain viable during in vitro culture with autologous monocytes,but cell death was significantly increased after monocyte depletion. Furthermore,monocytes prevent the induction of cell death in T-cell lymphoma lines in response to either serum starvation or doxorubicin,and promote the engraftment of these cells in nonobese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficient mice. Monocytes are actively recruited to the tumor microenvironment by CCL5 (RANTES),where their differentiation into mature DCs is impaired by tumor-derived interleukin-10. Collectively,the data presented demonstrate a previously undescribed role for monocytes in T-cell lymphoproliferative disorders. View Publication