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We have reported that class I- [and lymphocyte function-associated antigen-1 (LFA-1-)] specific monoclonal antibodies (mAb) inhibit anti-CD3-mediated activation of naive T cells. The present study investigated the mechanism of this inhibition. CD28-specific mAb augmented stimulation induced by soluble CD3 mAb, but this costimulation was also inhibited by anti-class I or anti- LFA-1 mAb. However, stimulation of T cells was not inhibited when activated B cells were present. Neither B7-1- nor B7-2-specific blocking mAb or soluble CTLA-4, CD40 or gp39 restored the inhibition. Thus, other molecules expressed on activated B cells are implicated for T-cell activation, which could compensate blockade of class I or LFA-1 molecules. Inhibition induced by class I-specific mAb could potentially be mediated through extracellular, transmembrane or cytoplasmic domains of the target molecules. These possibilities were evaluated by the use of mice transgenic for the Qa-2 molecule, selected for expression of Qa-2 at levels equivalent to classical class I molecules. Qa-2 is inserted in the membrane through phosphalidytinositol linkages. Antibodies directed to Qa-2 inhibited CD3-induced stimulation, demonstrating that cytoplasmic and transmembrane protein sequences of class I molecules are not necessary for the inhibitory effect. Inhibition thus presumably depends on extracellular domains. Finally, T cells from β2-microglobulin knock-out mice responded to CD3-specific mAb as well as their class I-positive littermates. Nevertheless, stimulation of T cells from these mice with mitogenic anti-Thy-1 mAb was markedly reduced. Signalling by Thy-1 and the CD3 complex may normally occur through pathways in which class I molecules are implicated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tumors with reduced expression of MHC class I (MHC-I) molecules may be unrecognized by tumor antigen-specific CD8 + T cells and thus constitute a challenge for cancer immunotherapy. Here we monitored development of autochthonous melanomas in TiRP mice that develop tumors expressing a known tumor antigen as well as a red fluorescent protein (RFP) reporter knock in gene. The latter permits non-invasive monitoring of tumor growth by biofluorescence. One developing melanoma was deficient in cell surface expression of MHC-I, but MHC-I expression could be rescued by exposure of these cells to IFNγ. We show that CD8 + T cells specific for tumor antigen/MHC-I were efficient at inducing regression of the MHC-I-deficient melanoma, provided that the T cells were endowed with properties permitting their migration into the tumor and their efficient production of IFNγ. This was the case for CD8 + T cells transfected to express an active form of STAT5 (STAT5CA). The amount of IFNγ produced ex vivo from T cells present in tumors after adoptive transfer of the CD8 + T cells was correlated with an increase in surface expression of MHC-I molecules by the tumor cells. We also show that these CD8 + T cells expressed PD-1 and upregulated its ligand PDL-1 on melanoma cells within the tumor. Despite upregulation of this immunosuppressive pathway, efficient IFNγ production in the melanoma microenvironment was found associated with resistance of STAT5CA-expressing CD8 + T cells to inhibition both by PD-1/PDL-1 engagement and by TGFβ1, two main immune regulatory mechanisms hampering the efficiency of immunotherapy in patients.

Immunotherapy based on adoptive transfer of tumor antigen-specific CD8(+) T cell (TC) is generally limited by poor in vivo expansion and tumor infiltration. In this study, we report that activated STAT5 transcription factors (STAT5CA) confer high efficiency on CD8(+) effector T cells (eTC) for host colonization after adoptive transfer. Engineered expression of STAT5CA in antigen-experienced TCs with poor replicative potential was also sufficient to convert them into long-lived antigen-responsive eTCs. In transplanted mastocytoma- or melanoma-bearing hosts, STAT5CA greatly enhanced the ability of eTCs to accumulate in tumors, become activated by tumor antigens, and to express the cytolytic factor granzyme B. Taken together, these properties contributed to an increase in tumor regression by STAT5CA-transduced, as compared with untransduced, TCs including when the latter control cells were combined with infusion of interleukin (IL)-2/anti-IL-2 complexes. In tumors arising in the autochthonous TiRP transgenic model of melanoma associated with systemic chronic inflammation, endogenous CD8(+) TCs were nonfunctional. In this setting, adoptive transfer of STAT5CA-transduced TCs produced superior antitumor effects compared with nontransduced TCs. Our findings imply that STAT5CA expression can render TCs resistant to the immunosuppressive environment of melanoma tumors, enhancing their ability to home to tumors and to maintain high granzyme B expression, as well as their capacity to stimulate granzyme B expression in endogenous TCs., (©2011 AACR.)

Bacterial cyclic glucans are glucose polymers that concentrate within the periplasm of alpha-proteobacteria. These molecules are necessary to maintain the homeostasis of the cell envelope by contributing to the osmolarity of Gram negative bacteria. Here, we demonstrate that Brucella β 1,2 cyclic glucans are potent activators of human and mouse dendritic cells. Dendritic cells activation by Brucella β 1,2 cyclic glucans requires TLR4, MyD88 and TRIF, but not CD14. The Brucella cyclic glucans showed neither toxicity nor immunogenicity compared to LPS and triggered antigen-specific CD8(+) T cell responses in vivo. These cyclic glucans also enhanced antigen-specific CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cell responses including cross-presentation by different human DC subsets. Brucella β 1,2 cyclic glucans increased the memory CD4(+) T cell responses of blood mononuclear cells exposed to recombinant fusion proteins composed of anti-CD40 antibody and antigens from both hepatitis C virus and Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Thus cyclic glucans represent a new class of adjuvants, which might contribute to the development of effective antimicrobial therapies.

Migration of dendritic cells (DC) from the tumor environment to the T cell cortex in tumor-draining lymph nodes (TDLN) is essential for priming naïve T lymphocytes (TL) to tumor antigen (Ag). We used a mouse model of induced melanoma in which similar oncogenic events generate two phenotypically distinct melanomas to study the influence of tumor-associated inflammation on secondary lymphoid organ (SLO) organization. One tumor promotes inflammatory cytokines, leading to mobilization of immature myeloid cells (iMC) to the tumor and SLO; the other does not. We report that inflammatory tumors induced alterations of the stromal cell network of SLO, profoundly altering the distribution of TL and the capacity of skin-derived DC and TL to migrate or home to TDLN. These defects, which did not require tumor invasion, correlated with loss of fibroblastic reticular cells in T cell zones and in impaired production of CCL21. Infiltrating iMC accumulated in the TDLN medulla and the splenic red pulp. We propose that impaired function of the stromal cell network during chronic inflammation induced by some tumors renders spleens non-receptive to TL and TDLN non-receptive to TL and migratory DC, while the entry of iMC into these perturbed SLO is enhanced. This could constitute a mechanism by which inflammatory tumors escape immune control. If our results apply to inflammatory tumors in general, the demonstration that SLO are poorly receptive to CCR7-dependent migration of skin-derived DC and naïve TL may constitute an obstacle for proposed vaccination or adoptive TL therapies of their hosts.

Viral and non-viral vectors have been developed for gene therapy, but their use is associated with unresolved problems of efficacy and safety. Efficient and safe methods of DNA delivery need to be found for medical application. Here we report a new monopolar system of non-viral electro-gene transfer into the thymus in vivo that consists of the local application of electrical pulses after the introduction of the DNA. We assessed the proof of concept of this approach by correcting ZAP-70 deficient severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) in mice. The thymic electro-gene transfer of the pCMV-ZAP-70-IRES-EGFP vector in these mice resulted in rapid T cell differentiation in the thymus with mature lymphocytes detected by three weeks in secondary lymphoid organs. Moreover, this system resulted in the generation of long-term functional T lymphocytes. Peripheral reconstituted T cells displayed a diversified T cell receptor (TCR) repertoire, and were responsive to alloantigens in vivo. This process applied to the thymus could represent a simplified and effective alternative for gene therapy of T cell immunodeficiencies.

Innate immunity is considered to initiate adaptive antitumor responses. We demonstrate that monoclonal CD8 T lymphocytes reactive to tumor Ag P1A on P815 mastocytoma cells provide essential "help" to NK cells for rejection of P1A-deficient tumors. RAG-deficient mice have normal NK cells but do not reject either tumor. Reconstitution of these mice with P1A-specific T cells conferred resistance to both P1A-expressing and -deficient tumor cells provided they were present at the same site. Elimination of Ag-negative tumor variants required both activated T and NK cells. Gene expression profiling of NK cells infiltrating P1A-positive tumors in mice with specific CD8 T cells demonstrated an activated effector phenotype. However, CD8 T cell help to NK cells appeared ineffective for P1A-negative variants separated from the P1A-positive tumor. Local tumor Ag-specific T cell-NK cell collaboration results in the elimination of tumor cells whether they express or not the T cell tumor Ag epitope, thus containing the emergence of tumor escape variants before metastasis.

Skin-draining LN contain several phenotypically distinguishable DC populations, which may be immature or mature. Mature DC are generally considered to have lost the capacity to acquire and present newly encountered Ag. Using antibody-opsonized liposomes as Ag carriers, we show that mature DC purified from skin explants are able to efficiently capture liposomes, process Ag encapsulated within them and activate Ag-specific CD4(+) T cells. Explant DC from mice with Langerhans cells (LC) expressing the primate diphtheria toxin receptor that were exposed to diphtheria toxin in vivo presented Ag as well as explant DC from wild-type mice, indicating that LC are not required and dermal DC are probably responsible for this presentation. We further show that all DC subtypes from LN that capture opsonized Ag are capable of cross-presenting it to CD8(+) T cells. Induction of additional maturation in vivo by LPS or treatment with double-stranded RNA did not alter the Ag presentation capacity of the skin or LN DC subtypes. These results suggest that mature DC present in skin-draining LN may play an important role in the induction of primary and/or secondary immune responses against Ag delivered to the LN that they take up by receptor-mediated endocytosis.

Insight into the mechanisms by which dendritic cells (DC) present exogenous antigen to T cells is of major importance in the design of vaccines. We examined the effectiveness of free antigen as well as antigen with lipopolysaccharide, emulsified in complete Freund's adjuvant, and antigen encapsulated in liposomes in activating adoptively transferred antigen-specific CD4 and CD8 T cells. When contained in liposomes, 100- to 1000-fold lower antigen amounts were as efficient in inducing proliferation and effector functions of CD4 and CD8 T cells in draining lymph nodes as other antigen forms. CD11c(+)/CD11b(+)/CD205(mod)/CD8alpha(-) DC that captured liposomes were activated and presented this form of antigen in an MHC class I- and class II-restricted manner. CD4 T cells differentiated into Th1 and Th2 effector cells. Primary expansion and cytotoxic activity of CD8 T cells were CD4 T cell-dependent and required the transporter associated with antigen processing (TAP). Finally, adoptively transferred CD4 and CD8 T cells were not deleted after primary immunization and rapidly responded to a secondary immunization with antigen-containing liposomes. In conclusion, encapsulation of antigen in liposomes is an efficient way of delivering antigen to DC for priming of both CD4 and CD8 T cell responses. Importantly, primary CD8 T cell responses were CD4 T cell-dependent.

Langerhans cells (LCs) are prominent dendritic cells (DCs) in epithelia, but their role in immunity is poorly defined. To track and discriminate LCs from dermal DCs in vivo, we developed knockin mice expressing enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) under the control of the langerin (CD207) gene. By using vital imaging, we showed that most EGFP(+) LCs were sessile under steady-state conditions, whereas skin inflammation induced LC motility and emigration to lymph nodes (LNs). After skin immunization, dermal DCs arrived in LNs first and colonized areas distinct from slower migrating LCs. LCs reaching LNs under steady-state or inflammatory conditions expressed similar levels of costimulatory molecules. Langerin and EGFP were also expressed on thymic DCs and on blood-derived, CD8alpha(+) DCs from all secondary lymphoid organs. By using a similar knockin strategy involving a diphtheria toxin receptor (DTR) fused to EGFP, we demonstrated that LCs were dispensable for triggering hapten-specific T cell effectors through skin immunization.