产品说明

Natural killer (NK) cell recognition of tumor cells is mediated through activating receptors such as CD226,with suppression of effector functions often controlled by negative regulatory transcription factors such as FOXO1. Here we show that CD226 regulation of NK cell cytotoxicity is facilitated through inactivation of FOXO1. Gene-expression analysis of NK cells isolated from syngeneic tumors grown in wild-type or CD226-deficient mice revealed dysregulated expression of FOXO1-regulated genes in the absence of CD226. In vitro cytotoxicity and stimulation assays demonstrated that CD226 is required for optimal killing of tumor target cells,with engagement of its ligand CD155 resulting in phosphorylation of FOXO1. CD226 deficiency or anti-CD226 antibody blockade impaired cytotoxicity with concomitant compromised inactivation of FOXO1. Furthermore,inhibitors of FOXO1 phosphorylation abrogated CD226-mediated signaling and effector responses. These results define a pathway by which CD226 exerts control of NK cell responses against tumors. View Publication

Vascular-deposited IgG immune complexes promote neutrophil recruitment,but how this process is regulated is still unclear. Here we show that the CD18 integrin Mac-1,in its bent state,interacts with the IgG receptor Fc$\gamma$RIIA in cis to reduce the affinity of Fc$\gamma$RIIA for IgG and inhibit Fc$\gamma$RIIA-mediated neutrophil recruitment under flow. The Mac-1 rs1143679 lupus-risk variant reverses Mac-1 inhibition of Fc$\gamma$RIIA,as does a Mac-1 ligand and a mutation in Mac-1's ligand binding $\alpha$I-domain. Sialylated complex glycans on Fc$\gamma$RIIA interact with the $\alpha$I-domain via divalent cations,and this interaction is required for Fc$\gamma$RIIA inhibition by Mac-1. Human neutrophils deficient in CD18 integrins exhibit augmented Fc$\gamma$RIIA-dependent recruitment to IgG-coated endothelium. In mice,CD18 integrins on neutrophils dampen IgG-mediated neutrophil accumulation in the kidney. In summary,cis interaction between sialylated Fc$\gamma$RIIA and the $\alpha$I-domain of Mac-1 alters the threshold for IgG-mediated neutrophil recruitment. A disruption of this interaction may increase neutrophil influx in autoimmune diseases. View Publication

T-cell responses in the lung are critical for protection against respiratory pathogens. TNFR superfamily members play important roles in providing survival signals to T cells during respiratory infections. However,whether these signals take place mainly during priming in the secondary lymphoid organs and/or in the peripheral tissues remains unknown. Here we show that under conditions of competition,GITR provides a T-cell intrinsic advantage to both CD4 and CD8 effector T cells in the lung tissue,as well as for the formation of CD4 and CD8 tissue-resident memory T cells during respiratory influenza infection in mice. In contrast,under non-competitive conditions,GITR has a preferential effect on CD8 over CD4 T cells. The nucleoprotein-specific CD8 T-cell response partially compensated for GITR deficiency by expansion of higher affinity T cells; whereas,the polymerase-specific response was less flexible and more GITR dependent. Following influenza infection,GITR is expressed on lung T cells and GITRL is preferentially expressed on lung monocyte-derived inflammatory antigen presenting cells. Accordingly,we show that GITR+/+ T cells in the lung parenchyma express more phosphorylated-ribosomal protein S6 than their GITR-/- counterparts. Thus,GITR signaling within the lung tissue critically regulates effector and tissue-resident memory T-cell accumulation. View Publication

Common variable immunodeficiency disorders (CVID) represent a group of primary immunodeficiency diseases characterized by hypogammaglobulinemia and impaired specific Ab response,resulting in recurrent infections due to dysfunctional immune response. The specific mechanisms mediating immune deficiency in CVID remain to be determined. Previous studies indicated that immune dysregulation in CVID patients is associated with chronic microbial translocation,systemic immune activation,and altered homeostasis of lymphocytic and myeloid lineages. A detailed phenotypic,functional characterization of plasma markers and immune cell populations was performed in 46 CVID patients and 44 healthy donors. CVID patients displayed significantly elevated plasma levels of a marker of neutrophil activation neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin. Neutrophils from CVID patients exhibited elevated surface levels of CD11b and PD-L1 and decreased levels of CD62L,CD16,and CD80,consistent with a phenotype of activated neutrophils with suppressive properties. Neutrophils from CVID patients actively suppressed T cell activation and release of IFN-$\gamma$ via the production of reactive oxygen species. Furthermore,CVID was associated with an increased frequency of low-density neutrophils (LDNs)/granulocytic myeloid-derived suppressor cells. LDN/granulocytic myeloid-derived suppressor cell frequency in CVID patients correlated with reduced T cell responsiveness. Exogenous stimulation of whole blood with bacterial LPS emulated some but not all of the phenotypic changes observed on neutrophils from CVID patients and induced neutrophil population with LDN phenotype. The presented data demonstrate that neutrophils in the blood of CVID patients acquire an activated phenotype and exert potent T cell suppressive activity. Specific targeting of myeloid cell-derived suppressor activity represents a novel potential therapeutic strategy for CVID. View Publication

Vaccines are among the most effective public health tools for combating certain infectious diseases such as influenza. The role of the humoral immune system in vaccine-induced protection is widely appreciated; however,our understanding of how antibody specificities relate to B cell function remains limited due to the complexity of polyclonal antibody responses. To address this,we developed the Spec-seq framework,which allows for simultaneous monoclonal antibody (mAb) characterization and transcriptional profiling from the same single cell. Here,we present the first application of the Spec-seq framework,which we applied to human plasmablasts after influenza vaccination in order to characterize transcriptional differences governed by B cell receptor (BCR) isotype and vaccine reactivity. Our analysis did not find evidence of long-term transcriptional specialization between plasmablasts of different isotypes. However,we did find enhanced transcriptional similarity between clonally related B cells,as well as distinct transcriptional signatures ascribed by BCR vaccine recognition. These data suggest IgG and IgA vaccine-positive plasmablasts are largely similar,whereas IgA vaccine-negative cells appear to be transcriptionally distinct from conventional,terminally differentiated,antigen-induced peripheral blood plasmablasts. View Publication

While it is now acknowledged that CD4+ T cells expressing CD25 and Foxp3 (Treg cells) regulate immune responses and,consequently,influence the pathogenesis of infectious diseases,the regulatory response mediated by Treg cells upon infection by Trypanosoma cruzi was still poorly characterized. In order to understand the role of Treg cells during infection by this protozoan parasite,we determined in time and space the magnitude of the regulatory response and the phenotypic,functional and transcriptional features of the Treg cell population in infected mice. Contrary to the accumulation of Treg cells reported in most chronic infections in mice and humans,experimental T. cruzi infection was characterized by sustained numbers but decreased relative frequency of Treg cells. The reduction in Treg cell frequency resulted from a massive accumulation of effector immune cells,and inversely correlated with the magnitude of the effector immune response as well as with emergence of acute immunopathology. In order to understand the causes underlying the marked reduction in Treg cell frequency,we evaluated the dynamics of the Treg cell population and found a low proliferation rate and limited accrual of peripheral Treg cells during infection. We also observed that Treg cells became activated and acquired a phenotypic and transcriptional profile consistent with suppression of type 1 inflammatory responses. To assess the biological relevance of the relative reduction in Treg cells frequency observed during T. cruzi infection,we transferred in vitro differentiated Treg cells at early moments,when the deregulation of the ratio between regulatory and conventional T cells becomes significant. Intravenous injection of Treg cells dampened parasite-specific CD8+ T cell immunity and affected parasite control in blood and tissues. Altogether,our results show that limited Treg cell response during the acute phase of T. cruzi infection enables the emergence of protective anti-parasite CD8+ T cell immunity and critically influences host resistance. View Publication

Pathogen immune responses are profoundly attenuated in fetuses and premature infants,yet the mechanisms underlying this developmental immaturity remain unclear. Here we show transcriptomic,metabolic and polysome profiling and find that monocytes isolated from infants born early in gestation display perturbations in PPAR-$\gamma$-regulated metabolic pathways,limited glycolytic capacity and reduced ribosomal activity. These metabolic changes are linked to a lack of translation of most cytokines and of MALT1 signalosome genes essential to respond to the neonatal pathogen Candida. In contrast,they have little impact on house-keeping phagocytosis functions. Transcriptome analyses further indicate a role for mTOR and its putative negative regulator DNA Damage Inducible Transcript 4-Like in regulating these metabolic constraints. Our results provide a molecular basis for the broad susceptibility to multiple pathogens in these infants,and suggest that the fetal immune system is metabolically programmed to avoid energetically costly,dispensable and potentially harmful immune responses during ontogeny. View Publication

We examined the unique contributions of the cytokines IL-21 and IL-4 on germinal center (GC) B cell initiation and subsequent maturation in a murine model system. Similar to other reports,we found T follicular helper cell expression of IL-21 begins prior to T follicular helper cell migration into the B cell follicle and precedes that of IL-4. Consistent with this timing,IL-21 signaling has a greater influence on the perifollicular pre-GC B cell transition to the intrafollicular stage. Notably,Bcl6hi B cells can form in the combined absence of IL-21R- and STAT6-derived signals; however,these nascent GC B cells cease to proliferate and are more prone to apoptosis. When B cells lack either IL-21R or STAT6,aberrant GCs form atypical centroblasts and centrocytes that differ in their phenotypic maturation and costimulatory molecule expression. Thus,IL-4 and IL-21 play nonredundant roles in the phased progression of GC B cell development that can initiate in the combined absence of these cytokine signals. View Publication

The costimulation of immune cells using first-generation anti-4-1BB monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) has demonstrated anti-tumor activity in human trials. Further clinical development,however,is restricted by significant off-tumor toxicities associated with Fc$\gamma$R interactions. Here,we have designed an Fc-free tumor-targeted 4-1BB-agonistic trimerbody,1D8N/CEGa1,consisting of three anti-4-1BB single-chain variable fragments and three anti-EGFR single-domain antibodies positioned in an extended hexagonal conformation around the collagen XVIII homotrimerization domain. The1D8N/CEGa1 trimerbody demonstrated high-avidity binding to 4-1BB and EGFR and a potent in vitro costimulatory capacity in the presence of EGFR. The trimerbody rapidly accumulates in EGFR-positive tumors and exhibits anti-tumor activity similar to IgG-based 4-1BB-agonistic mAbs. Importantly,treatment with 1D8N/CEGa1 does not induce systemic inflammatory cytokine production or hepatotoxicity associated with IgG-based 4-1BB agonists. These results implicate Fc$\gamma$R interactions in the 4-1BB-agonist-associated immune abnormalities,and promote the use of the non-canonical antibody presented in this work for safe and effective costimulatory strategies in cancer immunotherapy. View Publication

Despite showing success in treating melanoma and haematological malignancies,adoptive cell therapy (ACT) has generated only limited effects in solid tumors. This is,in part,due to a lack of specific antigen targets,poor trafficking/infiltration and immunosuppression in the tumor microenvironment. In this study,we combined ACT with oncolytic virus vaccines (OVV) to drive expansion and tumor infiltration of transferred antigen-specific T cells,and demonstrated that the combination is highly potent for the eradication of established solid tumors. Consistent with other successful immunotherapies,this approach elicited severe autoimmune consequence when the antigen targeted was a self-protein. However,modulation of IFN$\alpha$/$\beta$ signaling,either by functional blockade or rational choice of an OVV backbone,ameliorated autoimmune side effects without compromising antitumor efficacy. Our study uncovers a pathogenic role for IFN$\alpha$/$\beta$ in facilitating autoimmune toxicity during cancer immunotherapy and offers a safe and powerful combinatorial regimen with immediate translational applications. View Publication

Chronic periodontitis (CP) is a microbial dysbiotic disease linked to increased risk of oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCCs). To address the underlying mechanisms,mouse and human cell infection models and human biopsy samples were employed. We show that the 'keystone' pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis,disrupts immune surveillance by generating myeloid-derived dendritic suppressor cells (MDDSCs) from monocytes. MDDSCs inhibit CTLs and induce FOXP3 + Tregs through an anti-apoptotic pathway. This pathway,involving pAKT1,pFOXO1,FOXP3,IDO1 and BIM,is activated in humans with CP and in mice orally infected with Mfa1 expressing P. gingivalis strains. Mechanistically,activation of this pathway,demonstrating FOXP3 as a direct FOXO1-target gene,was demonstrated by ChIP-assay in human CP gingiva. Expression of oncogenic but not tumor suppressor markers is consistent with tumor cell proliferation demonstrated in OSCC-P. gingivalis cocultures. Importantly,FimA + P. gingivalis strain MFI invades OSCCs,inducing inflammatory/angiogenic/oncogenic proteins stimulating OSCCs proliferation through CXCR4. Inhibition of CXCR4 abolished Pg-MFI-induced OSCCs proliferation and reduced expression of oncogenic proteins SDF-1/CXCR4,plus pAKT1-pFOXO1. Conclusively,P. gingivalis,through Mfa1 and FimA fimbriae,promotes immunosuppression and oncogenic cell proliferation,respectively,through a two-hit receptor-ligand process involving DC-SIGN+hi/CXCR4+hi,activating a pAKT+hipFOXO1+hiBIM-lowFOXP3+hi and IDO+hi- driven pathway,likely to impact the prognosis of oral cancers in patients with periodontitis. View Publication

CRISPR/Cas9 mediated gene editing of patient-derived hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) ex vivo followed by autologous transplantation of the edited HSPCs back to the patient can provide a potential cure for monogenic blood disorders such as $\beta$-hemoglobinopathies. One challenge for this strategy is efficient delivery of the ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complex,consisting of purified Cas9 protein and guide RNA,into HSPCs. Because $\beta$-hemoglobinopathies are most prevalent in developing countries,it is desirable to have a reliable,efficient,easy-to-use and cost effective delivery method. With this goal in mind,we developed TRansmembrane Internalization Assisted by Membrane Filtration (TRIAMF),a new method to quickly and effectively deliver RNPs into HSPCs by passing a RNP and cell mixture through a filter membrane. We achieved robust gene editing in HSPCs using TRIAMF and demonstrated that the multilineage colony forming capacities and the competence for engraftment in immunocompromised mice of HSPCs were preserved post TRIAMF treatment. TRIAMF is a custom designed system using inexpensive components and has the capacity to process HSPCs at clinical scale. View Publication