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Chemotherapeutic-induced cardiomyopathies have surpassed cancer as the leading cause of death in patients post-remission. The highly efficacious anti-neoplastic agent, Doxorubicin (DOX), is a major culprit of dose-limiting cardiotoxicity, though the method of insult is not completely understood. While cardiotoxicity is likely multifaceted, a route of interest is the upregulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that leads to mitochondrial damage and other cellular complications within cardiomyocytes. Cardiomyocytes are heavily reliant on their mitochondria as the source of cellular energy, as 30% of cell volume is taken up by the organelle. To understand and counter ROS accumulation in the mitochondria with DOX administration, we are investigating the role of mitochondrially targeted antioxidants. We have found that DOX increases cytotoxicity and caspase-3 cleavage in cardiomyoblasts in vitro while inhibiting activation of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) which plays an important role in cellular antioxidant response. We have also found MitoQ, an analog of coenzyme Q, to be protective against DOX cytotoxicity in cell culture. To further evaluate MitoQ ability to mitigate DOX cardiotoxicity, we are investigating the mechanism of action via the Keap1/Nrf2 pathway, interplay with DOX anti-cancer efficacy, and in vivo therapeutic potential. The endogenous mitochondrial peroxiredoxin, Prx3, has been implicated as an important player in both tumor growth and ROS management in disease models, and it has been shown to be upregulated in the hearts of mice as well as in H9C2 cardiomyoblasts after DOX exposure. We aim to understand how the high ROS environment created by DOX-administration leads to potential post-translational modification of Prx3, thus affecting its role as a possible signaling protein. The interactions between MitoQ and Prx3 will also be elucidated. These in vitro studies will guide future in vivo experimentation to further understand DOX cardiotoxicity and evaluate a potential adjuvant therapeutic.

Despite the emergence of the programmed cell death 1 (PD-1):PD-1 ligand (PD-L) regulatory axis as a promising target for treating multiple human diseases, remarkably little is known about how this pathway regulates responses to extracellular bacterial infections. We found that PD-1−/− mice, as well as wild-type mice treated with a PD-1 blocking Ab, exhibited significantly increased survival against lethal Streptococcus pneumoniae infection following either priming with low-dose pneumococcal respiratory infection or S. pneumoniae-capsular polysaccharide immunization. Enhanced survival in mice with disrupted PD-1:PD-L interactions was explained by significantly increased proliferation, isotype switching, and IgG production by pneumococcal capsule-specific B cells. Both PD-L, B7-H1 and B7-DC, contributed to PD-1–mediated suppression of protective capsule-specific IgG. Importantly, PD-1 was induced on capsule-specific B cells and suppressed IgG production and protection against pneumococcal infection in a B cell–intrinsic manner. To our knowledge, these results provide the first demonstration of a physiologic role for B cell–intrinsic PD-1 expression in vivo. In summary, our study reveals that B cell–expressed PD-1 plays a central role in regulating protection against S. pneumoniae, and thereby represents a promising target for bolstering immunity to encapsulated bacteria.

ERK-dependent signaling is key to many pathways through which extracellular signals are transduced into cell-fate decisions. One conundrum is the way in which disparate signals induce specific responses through a common, ERK-dependent kinase cascade. While studies have revealed intricate ways of controlling ERK signaling through spatiotemporal localization and phosphorylation dynamics, additional modes of ERK regulation undoubtedly remain to be discovered. We hypothesized that fine-tuning of ERK signaling could occur by cysteine oxidation. We report that ERK is actively and directly oxidized by signal-generated H2O2 during proliferative signaling, and that ERK oxidation occurs downstream of a variety of receptor classes tested in four cell lines. Furthermore, within the tested cell lines and proliferative signals, we observed that both activation loop-phosphorylated and non-phosphorylated ERK undergo sulfenylation in cells and that dynamics of ERK sulfenylation is dependent on the cell growth conditions prior to stimulation. We also tested the effect of endogenous ERK oxidation on kinase activity and report that phosphotransfer reactions are reversibly inhibited by oxidation by as much as 80 to 90%, underscoring the importance of considering this additional modification when assessing ERK activation in response to extracellular signals.

B-1 cells produce natural Abs which provide an integral first line of defense against pathogens while also performing important homeostatic housekeeping functions. In this study, we demonstrate that programmed cell death 1 ligand 2 (PD-L2) regulates the production of natural Abs against phosphorylcholine (PC). Naive PD-L2–deficient (PD-L2−/−) mice produced significantly more PC-reactive IgM and IgA. This afforded PD-L2−/− mice with selectively enhanced protection against PC-expressing nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae, but not PC-negative nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae, relative to wild-type mice. PD-L2−/− mice had significantly increased PC-specific CD138+ splenic plasmablasts bearing a B-1a phenotype, and produced PC-reactive Abs largely of the T15 Id. Importantly, PC-reactive B-1 cells expressed PD-L2 and irradiated chimeras demonstrated that B cell–intrinsic PD-L2 expression regulated PC-specific Ab production. In addition to increased PC-specific IgM, naive PD-L2−/− mice and irradiated chimeras reconstituted with PD-L2−/− B cells had significantly higher levels of IL-5, a potent stimulator of B-1 cell Ab production. PD-L2 mAb blockade of wild-type B-1 cells in culture significantly increased CD138 and Blimp1 expression and PC-specific IgM, but did not affect proliferation. PD-L2 mAb blockade significantly increased IL-5+ T cells in culture. Both IL-5 neutralization and STAT5 inhibition blunted the effects of PD-L2 mAb blockade on B-1 cells. Thus, B-1 cell–intrinsic PD-L2 expression inhibits IL-5 production by T cells and thereby limits natural Ab production by B-1 cells. These findings have broad implications for the development of therapeutic strategies aimed at altering natural Ab levels critical for protection against infectious disease, autoimmunity, allergy, cancer, and atherosclerosis.

Numerous studies have demonstrated a critical role for T cell avidity in predicting in vivo efficacy. Even though the measurement of avidity is now a routine assessment for the analysis of effector and memory T cell populations, our understanding of how this property is controlled in vivo at both the population and individual cell levels is limited. Our previous studies have identified high avidity as a property of the initial effector population generated in mice following respiratory virus infection. As the response progresses, lower avidity cells appear in the effector pool. The studies described here investigate the mechanistic basis of this in vivo regulation of avidity. We present data supporting in vivo avidity modulation within the early high avidity responders that results in a population of lower avidity effector cells. Changes in avidity were correlated with decreased lck expression and increased sensitivity to lck inhibitors in effector cells present at late versus early times postinfection. The possibility of tuning within select individual effectors is a previously unappreciated mechanism for the control of avidity in vivo.

The efficacy of different vaccines in protecting elderly individuals against Streptococcus pneumoniae infections is not clear. In the current study, aged mice (22–25 months old) exhibited significantly increased susceptibility to respiratory infection with serotype 3 S. pneumoniae relative to younger adult mice, regardless of whether mice were naive or immunized with native pneumococcal polysaccharide (PPS; Pneumovax23) or protein-PPS conjugate (Prevnar-13) vaccines. Nonetheless, Pneumovax-immunized aged mice developed limited bacteremia following respiratory challenge and exhibited significantly increased survival following systemic challenge relative to Prevnar-immune aged mice and young mice that had received either vaccine. This was explained by >10-fold increases in PPS-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) levels in Pneumovax-immunized aged mice relative to other groups. Remarkably, PPS3-specific B-cell expansion, IgG switching, plasmablast differentiation, and spleen and bone marrow antibody-secreting cell frequencies were 10-fold higher in aged mice following Pneumovax immunization relative to young mice, due to significantly increased B-1b cell participation. In summary, this study highlights (1) the need to devise strategies to enhance respiratory immunity in aged populations, (2) the diverse responses young and aged populations generate to Pneumovax vs Prevnar vaccines, and (3) the potential value of exploiting B-1b cell responses in aged individuals for increased vaccine efficacy.

Generating and maintaining a robust CD8+ T cell response in the face of high viral burden is vital for host survival. Further, balancing the differentiation of effectors along the memory precursor effector cell pathway versus the short-lived effector cell (SLEC) pathway may be critical in controlling the outcome of virus infection with regard to clearance and establishing protection. Although recent studies have identified several factors that have the capacity to regulate effector CD8+ T cell differentiation—for example, inflammatory cytokines—we are far from a complete understanding of how cells choose the memory precursor effector cell versus SLEC fate following infection. In this study, we have modulated the infectious dose of the poxvirus vaccinia virus as an approach to modulate the environment present during activation and expansion of virus-specific effector cells. Surprisingly, in the face of a high virus burden, the number of SLECs was decreased. This decrease was the result of increased natural regulatory T cells (Tregs) generated by high viral burden, as depletion of these cells restored SLECs. Our data suggest Treg modulation of differentiation occurs via competition for IL-2 during the late expansion period, as opposed to the time of T cell priming. These findings support a novel model wherein modulation of the Treg response as a result of high viral burden regulates late-stage SLEC number.

A previously unknown mechanism for the active negative regulation of function in effector T cells is described. CD8+ T cells play a critical role in the clearance of respiratory pathogens. Thus, it is surprising that functional inactivation of lung effectors has been observed in many models of viral infection. Currently, the molecular defect responsible for the shut-off of function in these cells is unknown. In the present study, we addressed this question using a model of respiratory infection with the paramyxovirus SV5. Nonfunctional cells were found to exhibit decreases in SOCE, resulting in reduced NFAT1 activation. Notably, function could be restored by the provision of increased levels of extracellular calcium. The reduced ability to mobilize calcium was associated with reduced expression of ORAI1, the CRAC channel subunit. These findings reveal a previously unknown mechanism for the negative regulation of function in effector T cells.

Recently there has been renewed interest in poxvirus pathogenesis, especially with regard to infection via the respiratory route. Members of this family are known to produce a number of proteins that have the potential to negatively regulate the immune response. Vaccinia virus (VACV) has been used for a number of years as a model for the study of poxvirus infection. We have previously reported a dose-dependent decrease in virus-specific CD8 + T cells following respiratory infection with VACV. In this study we have evaluated whether more generalized immunosuppressive effects are also observed following infection with a high dose of VACV. We have found that mice infected intranasally with a high, but non-lethal, dose of VACV exhibited significant weight loss as well as decreased thymocyte number. Although these mice mounted an immune response, there was a significant increase observed in bystander T and B cell apoptosis. While increased death was apparent in both naive and activated/memory T cells populations, naive T cells appeared more sensitive to this effect. These findings are important for our understanding of poxvirus regulation of the immune response and extends our previous understanding of VACV-mediated immunosuppression to include generalized apoptosis in the naive and activated/memory repertoires.

DC maturation is known to be a necessary step in the generation of an effective immune response. We have used vaccinia virus (VACV) as a model to investigate the regulation of DC subsets in vivo following infection. While a number of in vitro studies have shown that DC infected with VACV fail to undergo maturation, the effect of VACV infection on the maturation of and cytokine production by DC subsets in vivo remains less defined. We have found that following systemic infection with vaccinia virus, both CD8 + and CD8 − dendritic cells are infected. The number of infected DC peaked at 6h and was highly decreased by 24h post-infection. In both subsets, there was evidence of generalized upregulation of costimulatory molecules. Surprisingly, this included vaccinia infected DC, suggesting the regulation of DC maturation in vivo is much more complex andlikely influenced by DC extrinsic signals. However, while we observed generalized upregulation of costimulatory molecules, IL-12 production was restricted to a subset of non-infected cells in both the CD8 + and CD8 − DC populations. Importantly, the control of IL-12 production was differentially dependent on MyD88 signaling. IL-12 production was ablated in the absence of MyD88 in CD8 − DC, while it was unchanged in CD8 + DC. These findings provide new insights into the control of DC maturation in vivo and demonstrate that the regulation of maturation in vivo following virus infection can be differentially controlled in distinct types of DC.

Tropomyosin is a two-chain α-helical coiled coil whose periodic interactions with the F-actin helix are critical for thin filament stabilization and the regulation of muscle contraction. Here we deduce the mechanical and chemical basis of these interactions from the 2.3-Å-resolution crystal structure of the middle three of tropomyosin's seven periods. Geometrically specific bends of the coiled coil, produced by clusters of core alanines, and variable bends about gaps in the core, produced by isolated alanines, occur along the molecule. The crystal packing is notable in signifying that the functionally important fifth period includes an especially favorable protein-binding site, comprising an unusual apolar patch on the surface together with surrounding charged residues. Based on these and other results, we have constructed a specific model of the thin filament, with the N-terminal halves of each period (i.e., the so-called “α zones”) of tropomyosin axially aligned with subdomain 3 of each monomer in F-actin.

The 300 kDa cation-independent mannose 6-phosphate receptor (CI-MPR) mediates the intracellular transport of newly synthesized lysosomal enzymes containing mannose 6-phosphate on their N-linked oligosaccharides. In addition to its role in lysosome biogenesis, the CI-MPR interacts with a number of different extracellular ligands at the cell surface, including latent transforming growth factor-beta, insulin-like growth factor-II, plasminogen, and urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR), to regulate cell growth and motility. We have solved the crystal structure of the N-terminal 432 residues of the CI-MPR at 1.8 A resolution, which encompass three out of the 15 repetitive domains of its extracytoplasmic region. The three domains, which exhibit similar topology to each other and to the 46 kDa cation-dependent mannose 6-phosphate receptor, assemble into a compact structure with the uPAR/plasminogen and the carbohydrate-binding sites situated on opposite faces of the molecule. Knowledge of the arrangement of these three domains has allowed us to propose a model of the entire extracytoplasmic region of the CI-MPR that provides a context with which to envision the numerous binding interactions carried out by this multi-faceted receptor.

Reductions in C4 levels may predispose individuals to infection with encapsulated bacteria as well as autoimmunity. In this study, we examined the role C4 has in protection against Streptococcus pneumoniae–induced autoimmunity. Mild respiratory infection with serotype 19F pneumococci selectively induced systemic anti-dsDNA IgA production in naive C4−/− mice, but not in C3−/− or wild-type mice. Systemic challenge with virulent serotype 3 pneumococci also induced anti-dsDNA IgA production in immune C4−/− mice. Remarkably, pneumococcal polysaccharide (PPS) vaccination alone induced C4−/− mice to produce increased anti-dsDNA IgA levels that were maintained in some mice for months. These effects were most pronounced in female C4−/− mice. Importantly, immunization-induced increases in anti-dsDNA IgA levels were strongly associated with increased IgA deposition in kidneys. Cross-reactivity between pneumococcal Ags and dsDNA played a partial role in the induction of anti-dsDNA IgA, but a major role for PPS-associated TLR2 agonists was also revealed. Administration of the TLR2/4 antagonist, OxPAPC, at the time of PPS immunization completely blocked the production of anti-dsDNA IgA in C4−/− mice without suppressing PPS-specific Ab production. The TLR2 agonist, Pam3CSK4, similarly induced anti-dsDNA IgA production in C4−/− mice, which OxPAPC also prevented. LPS, a TLR4 agonist, had no effect. Pam3CSK4, but not LPS, also induced dsDNA-specific IgA production by C4−/− splenic IgA+ B cells in vitro, indicating that TLR2 agonists can stimulate autoantibody production via B cell–intrinsic mechanisms. Collectively, our results show an important role for C4 in suppressing autoantibody production elicited by cross-reactive Ags and TLR2 agonists associated with S. pneumoniae.

Ab responses to T cell–independent type 2 (TI-2) Ags, such as bacterial capsular polysaccharides, are critical for host defense. In mice, B-1b cells expressing a CD11b+FSChiCD21lo/−CD19hi phenotype play a key role in producing Abs against TI-2 Ags. In primates, a distinct IgM+CD27+ “memory” B cell population is thought to generate TI-2 Ab responses, and evidence for a B-1b–like cell population participating in these responses is lacking. In this article, we demonstrate that nonhuman primates (NHPs; African green monkeys and cynomolgus macaques) harbor serosal B cells expressing a CD11b+FSChiCD21lo/−CD80+/−CD19hi phenotype, constitutively active Stat3, and increased reactivity with phosphorylcholine, similar to murine peritoneal B-1a and B-1b cell populations. Like what is observed for murine B-1b cells, NHP CD11b+FSChiCD21lo/−CD19hi B cells dominate the Ag-specific B cell response and Ab production against the TI-2 Ag trinitrophenyl-Ficoll. Although Ag-specific IgM+ B cells expressing CD27 were not detected prior to immunization, Ag-specific CD11b+CD19hi B cells expressed and maintained an IgM+IgDloCD27+CD80+ phenotype following immunization. Thus, the murine and NHP B cell populations responding to trinitrophenyl-Ficoll are highly similar, with the main exception being that Ag-specific NHP B-1–like cells express CD27 following TI-2 Ag encounter. Therefore, murine B-1b and primate IgM+CD27+ “memory” B cell subsets proposed to produce TI-2 Ab responses may be highly related, if not identical. Overall, these data not only support that B-1–like cells are present in NHPs but also provide evidence that these cells perform the same functions attributed to murine B-1b cells.

An increasing number of studies suggest that individual subsets of dendritic cells (DC) exhibit distinct capabilities with regard to the generation of the adaptive immune response. In this study, we evaluated the properties of a relatively unexplored DC subset present in the lung-draining mediastinal lymph node. This subset expresses the airway dendritic cell marker CD103 together with CD8. These DC were of interest given that our previous studies using a model of respiratory infection with vaccinia virus revealed a distinct difference in the ability of CD103 + DC to prime T cells that correlated inversely with the expression of CD8, suggesting a differential role of these DC in the context of respiratory virus infection. To expand our understanding of the role of this DC population, we performed analyses to elucidate the phenotype, migratory capacity, responsiveness to innate stimuli, and priming capacity of CD8 + CD103 + DC. We found that expression of surface markers on these DC was similar to that of CD8 − CD103 + DC, supporting their close relationship. Further, the two DC types were similar with regard to antigen uptake. However, although both CD103 + subsets originated from the lung, CD8-bearing CD103 + DC appeared in the lymph node with delayed kinetics following virus infection. While this subset exhibited increased responsiveness to a number of Toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists, their response to infection was virus specific, demonstrating poor responsiveness to vaccinia virus infection but robust maturation following infection with parainfluenza virus 5 or influenza virus. These findings show that CD8 marks a population of lung airway-derived DC with distinct migratory and maturation responses that likely contribute differentially to the immune response depending on the infecting pathogen.

By the peak of the CD8+ T cell response, the effector cell pool consists of a heterogeneous population of cells that includes both those with an increased propensity to become long-lived memory cells (memory precursor effector cells; MPEC) and those that are terminally differentiated cells (short-lived effector cells; SLEC). Numerous studies have established the critical role that functional avidity plays in determining the in vivo efficacy of CD8+ effector cells. Currently, how functional avidity differs in MPEC versus SLEC and the evolution of this property within these two populations during the expansion and contraction of the response are unknown. The data presented in this study show that at the peak of the effector response generated after poxvirus infection, SLEC were of higher functional avidity than their MPEC counterpart. Over time, however, SLEC exhibited a decrease in peptide sensitivity. This is in contrast to MPEC, which showed a modest increase in peptide sensitivity as the response reached equilibrium. The decrease in functional avidity in SLEC was independent of CD8 modulation or the amount of Ag receptor expressed by the T cell. Instead, the loss in sensitivity was correlated with decreased expression and activation of ZAP70 and Lck, critical components of TCR membrane proximal signaling. These results highlight the potential contribution of avidity in the differentiation and evolution of the T cell effector response after viral infection.

A large number of viral infections are contracted via the respiratory route. Thus, an effective immune response at this site is of vital importance. Past studies in murine models analyzing a number of viruses have reported that CD8(+) effector T cells entering the lung after respiratory infection exhibit significant functional inactivation. The impaired function in these cells has been proposed to be the result of infection-induced changes in the lung; however, we have found that loss of function can occur in effector CD8(+) T cells present in the lung, even in the absence of infection. This functional inactivation takes place within 48 hours of entry into the lung, and is seen only in effector cells residing in the lung parenchyma, and not the airway. In this study, we have extended our findings to show that functional impairment of these effector cells is not initiated by bone marrow-derived cells, and is independent of proliferation in the lung tissue. Of critical importance, we have also determined that the susceptibility to functional inactivation is a common property shared by most effector cells. Finally, we show that the susceptibility to loss of function is actively regulated throughout differentiation. Although naive CD8(+) T cells, like effector cells, are negatively regulated as a result of residence in the lung, memory cells exhibit profound resistance to functional inactivation. The selective resistance of CD8(+) memory cells may allow the host to limit damage during the effector phase while retaining a protective response that can effectively limit subsequent infection.

The insulin-like growth factor II/mannose 6-phosphate receptor is a multifunctional receptor that binds to a diverse array of mannose 6-phosphate (Man-6-P) modified proteins as well as nonglycosylated ligands. Previous studies have mapped its two Man-6-P binding sites to a minimum of three domains, 1-3 and 7-9, within its 15-domain extracytoplasmic region. Since the primary amino acid determinants of carbohydrate recognition by the insulin-like growth factor II/mannose 6-phosphate receptor are predicted by sequence alignment to the cation-dependent mannose 6-phosphate receptor to reside within domains 3 and 9, constructs encoding either domain 3 alone or domain 9 alone were expressed in a Pichia pastoris expression system and tested for their ability to bind several carbohydrate ligands, including Man-6-P, pentamannosyl phosphate, the lysosomal enzyme, beta-glucuronidase, and the carbohydrate modifications (mannose 6-sulfate and Man-6-P methyl ester) found on Dictyostelium discoideum lysosomal enzymes. Although both constructs were functional in ligand binding and dissociation, these studies demonstrate the ability of domain 9 alone to fold into a high affinity (K(d) = 0.3 +/- 0.1 nm) carbohydrate-recognition domain whereas the domain 3 alone construct is capable of only low affinity binding (K(d) approximately 500 nm) toward beta-glucuronidase, suggesting that residues in adjacent domains (domains 1 and/or 2) are important, either directly or indirectly, for optimal binding by domain 3.

Recently there has been renewed interest in poxvirus pathogenesis. Vaccinia virus (VACV) serves as a useful model for the study of poxvirus infection in vivo. Understanding how vaccinia virus generates immunity necessitates an appreciation for how this virus interacts with dendritic cells (DC), which are the most potent activators of naïve T cells. A number of in vitro studies have shown that DC infected with VACV fail to undergo maturation. However, the effect of VACV infection on DC in vivo remains less defined. We have found that following intravenous administration of vaccinia virus, both CD8+ and CD8− dendritic cells are infected. The number of infected DC peaks at 6 hours and is highly decreased by 24h postinfection. Dendritic cells infected with vaccinia virus have an immature phenotype. However, non-infected dendritic cells, both CD8+ and CD8− subsets, show increased expression of CD80, CD86, and CD40, suggesting that there is a generalized maturation of non-infected DC. In contrast to the generalized upregulation of costimulatory molecules, cytokine analysis suggests that only a subset of these mature DC may be relevant for activation of T cells, as IL-12 production is restricted to a small percentage of cells. These findings provide new insights into the control of DC maturation in vivo following vaccinia virus infection. This work was supported by NIH grant P01 AI60642.