Project description:CD4(+) type 1 T regulatory (Tr1) cells are induced in the periphery and have a pivotal role in promoting and maintaining tolerance. The absence of surface markers that uniquely identify Tr1 cells has limited their study and clinical applications. By gene expression profiling of human Tr1 cell clones, we identified the surface markers CD49b and lymphocyte activation gene 3 (LAG-3) as being stably and selectively coexpressed on mouse and human Tr1 cells. We showed the specificity of these markers in mouse models of intestinal inflammation and helminth infection and in the peripheral blood of healthy volunteers. The coexpression of CD49b and LAG-3 enables the isolation of highly suppressive human Tr1 cells from in vitro anergized cultures and allows the tracking of Tr1 cells in the peripheral blood of subjects who developed tolerance after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. The use of these markers makes it feasible to track Tr1 cells in vivo and purify Tr1 cells for cell therapy to induce or restore tolerance in subjects with immune-mediated diseases.
Project description:CD4(+) type 1 T regulatory (Tr1) cells are induced in the periphery and have a pivotal role in promoting and maintaining tolerance. The absence of surface markers that uniquely identify Tr1 cells has limited their study and clinical applications. By gene expression profiling of human Tr1 cell clones, we identified the surface markers CD49b and lymphocyte activation gene 3 (LAG-3) as being stably and selectively coexpressed on mouse and human Tr1 cells. We showed the specificity of these markers in mouse models of intestinal inflammation and helminth infection and in the peripheral blood of healthy volunteers. The coexpression of CD49b and LAG-3 enables the isolation of highly suppressive human Tr1 cells from in vitro anergized cultures and allows the tracking of Tr1 cells in the peripheral blood of subjects who developed tolerance after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. The use of these markers makes it feasible to track Tr1 cells in vivo and purify Tr1 cells for cell therapy to induce or restore tolerance in subjects with immune-mediated diseases. The transcriptome of human Tr1 cell clones to that of TH0 cell clones either unstimulated or stimulated for 6 and 16 h. Tr1 and TH0 cell clones were isolated from peripheral blood of 2 Healthy Donors (HDs). mRNA from T cell clones unstimulated (t0, n=4 Tr1 cell clones and n=10 TH0 cell clones) or stimulated with immobilized anti-CD3 and soluble anti-CD28 mAbs (6h and 16h, n=4 Tr1 cell clones and n=5 TH0 cell clones) was isolated. Differential expression of 28869 genes was investigated by whole transcript Affymetric chips.
Project description:Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are known to exert a critical role in self tolerance. This subset of cells is also implicated in immune evasion mechanisms operated by cancer cells. In humans, it is known that Tregs are a heterogeneous population that includes different subsets of T cells with different phenotype, differentiation state and presumably exerting their suppressor activity with different modalities. We have provided data showing that a subset of human CD4+ Tregs (CD25hiFoxp3+) expressing the Lymphocytes Activation Gene 3 (LAG-3) molecule is amplified in melanoma invaded lymph nodes as compared with their tumor free counterpart, and these cells are endowed with enhanced suppressive functions (Camisaschi et al., J Immunol 2010). To gain insights into the phenotype, functional features and specificity of this population of Tregs expressing LAG-3, we performed microarrays to obtain gene expression profiles of LAG-3+ and LAG-3- Tregs.
Project description:In chronic infections, sustaining the CD4 T cell responses is crucial for pathogen clearance. The expression of inhibitory receptors such as LAG-3 or Lymphocyte activation gene 3 is usually associated with immune suppression and T cell exhaustion. However, LAG-3 also serves as an immune checkpoint molecule and is implicated in proliferation control and cell survival. In this study, we have utilized a mouse model of visceral leishmaniasis (VL), to characterize a subset of LAG-3- and CXCR5-expressing CD4 T cells. These LAG-3+CXCR5+PD-1lo/int CD4 T cells exist in naïve mice, they expand during VL, and are antigen specific. Importantly, the RNAseq analysis showed that these cells highly express gene signatures associated with self-renewal capacity, indicating that these cells might act as progenitors. Additionally, upon adoptive transfer into Rag1-/- mice followed by challenge with Leishmania donovani, these LAG-3+CXCR5+ PD-1lo/int CD4 T cells gave rise to different types of T effector and regulatory subsets, demonstrating their differentiation potential. These cells were also observed in mice infected with LCMV clone-13 and Heligmosomoides polygyrus bakeri. In summary, we propose that these LAG-3+CXCR5+ PD-1lo/int CD4 T cells that exhibit progenitor-like capacities could be implicated in maintaining CD4 T cell responses in chronic infections.