Project description:Regulatory T cells (Tregs) expressing the transcription factor Foxp3 have a pivotal role in maintaining immunological self-tolerance1-5; yet, excessive Treg activities suppress anti-tumor immune responses6-8. Compared to resting phenotype Tregs (rTregs) in the secondary lymphoid organs, Tregs in non-lymphoid tissues including solid tumors exhibit an activated Treg (aTreg) phenotype9-11. However, aTreg function and whether its generation can be manipulated to promote tumor immunity without evoking autoimmunity are largely unexplored. Here we show that the transcription factor Foxo1, previously demonstrated to promote Treg suppression of lymphoproliferative diseases12,13, has an unexpected function in inhibiting aTreg-mediated immune tolerance. We found that aTregs turned over at a slower rate than rTregs, but were not locally maintained in tissues. Transcriptome analysis revealed that aTreg differentiation was associated with repression of Foxo1-dependent gene transcription, concomitant with reduced Foxo1 expression, cytoplasmic Foxo1 localization, and enhanced Foxo1 phosphorylation at sites of the Akt kinase. Treg-specific expression of an Akt-insensitive Foxo1 mutant prevented downregulation of lymphoid organ homing molecules, and impeded Treg homing to non-lymphoid organs, causing CD8+ T cell-mediated autoimmune diseases. Compared to Tregs from healthy tissues, tumor-infiltrating Tregs downregulated Foxo1 target genes more substantially. Expression of the Foxo1 mutant at a lower dose was sufficient to deplete tumor-associated Tregs, activate effector CD8+ T cells, and inhibit tumor growth without inflicting autoimmunity. Thus, Foxo1 inactivation is essential for the migration of aTregs that have a crucial function in suppressing CD8+ T cell responses; and the Foxo signaling pathway in Tregs can be titrated to preferentially break tumor immune tolerance.
Project description:To understand the mechanisms through which JunB regulates Tregs-mediated immune regulation, we examined the global gene expression profiles in the JunB WT and KO Tregs by performing RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis.
Project description:Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are critical for maintaining immune homeostasis, but their presence in tumor tissues impairs anti-tumor immunity and portends poor prognoses in cancer patients. Here we reveal a mechanism to selectively target and reprogram the function of tumor-infiltrating Tregs (TI-Tregs) by exploiting their dependency for the histone H3K27 methyltransferase Enhancer of Zeste Homolog 2 (EZH2) in tumors. Disruption of EZH2 activity in Tregs, either pharmacologically or genetically, drove the acquisition of pro-inflammatory functions in TI-Tregs, remodeling the tumor microenvironment and enhancing the recruitment and function of CD8+ and CD4+ effector T cells that eliminate tumors. Moreover, abolishing EZH2 function in Tregs was mechanistically distinct from, more potent than, and less toxic than a generalized Treg depletion approach. This study reveals a novel strategy to target Tregs in cancer that mitigates autoimmunity by reprogramming their function in tumors to enhance anti-cancer immunity.
Project description:Foxp3+ T-regulatory (Treg) cells maintain immune homeostasis and limit autoimmunity, but can also curtail host responses to cancers. Tregs are therefore promising targets to enhance anti-tumor immunity. Histone/protein acetyltransferases (HATs) promote chromatin accessibility, gene transcription and the function of multiple transcription factors and non-histone proteins. We found that conditional deletion or pharmacologic inhibition of one specific HAT, p300, in Foxp3+ Tregs, increased TCR-induced apoptosis in Tregs, impaired Treg suppressive function and iTreg peripheral conversion, and limited tumor growth in immunocompetent, but not in immunodeficient, hosts. Our data demonstrate that p300 is important for Foxp3+ Treg function and homeostasis in vivo and in vitro, and identify a novel mechanism to diminish Treg function without overtly impairing effector Tcell responses or inducing autoimmunity. Collectively, these data suggest a new approach for cancer immunotherapy. RNA from three independent samples from magnetically separated CD4+CD25+ Treg of fl-p300/Foxp3cre mice, compared to wild type (Foxp3cre) control (all C57Bl/6 background).
Project description:The importance of unanchored Ub in innate immunity has been shown only for a limited number of unanchored Ub-interactors. We investigated what additional cellular factors interact with unanchored Ub and whether unanchored Ub plays a broader role in innate immunity. To identify unanchored Ub-interacting factors from murine lungs, we used His-tagged recombinant poly-Ub chains as bait. These chains were mixed with lung tissue lysates and protein complexes were isolated with Ni-NTA beads. Sample elutions were subjected to mass spectrometry (LC-MSMS) analysis.
Project description:Roquin proteins are required to preclude spontaneous T cell activation and aberrant T follicular helper (Tfh) or T helper 17 (Th17) differentiation. Here, we show that deletion of Roquin encoding alleles in regulatory T cells (Tregs) also caused the activation of conventional T cells. These Tregs exhibited a follicular Treg phenotype, CD25 downregulation and could not protect from colitis. Mechanistically, Roquin was required for full expression and activity of Pten and Foxo1, two essential signaling molecules in Tregs and effector T cells. Roquin upregulated Pten by interfering with miR-17~92 binding to an overlapping cis-element in the Pten 3' UTR and downregulated the Foxo1-specific E3 ubiquitin ligase Itch. Loss of Roquin enhanced mTOR signaling and global protein synthesis, while inhibition of PI3K or mTOR in Roquin-deficient CD4+ T cells corrected increased Tfh and Th17 differentiation. Thereby, the control of PI3K-mTOR signaling by Roquin prevents autoimmunity through T cell-intrinsic and Treg-mediated regulation.