Project description:IL-2 and IL-21 are closely related cytokines that might have arisen by gene duplication. Both cytokines promote the function of effector CD8+ T cells, but their distinct effects on antigen-driven differentiation of naïve CD8+ T cells into effector CD8+ T cells are not clearly understood. We found that antigen-induced expression of eomesodermin and maturation of naïve CD8+ T cells into granzyme B and CD44 expressing effector CD8+ T cells was enhanced by IL-2, but, unexpectedly, suppressed by IL-21. Furthermore, IL-21 repressed expression of IL-2Ra and inhibited IL-2-mediated acquisition of a cytolytic CD8+ T cell phenotype. Despite its inhibitory effects, IL-21 did not induce anergy, but instead potently enhanced the capacity of cells to mediate tumor regression upon adoptive transfer. In contrast, IL-2, surprisingly, impaired the subsequent anti-tumor function of transferred cells. Gene expression studies revealed a distinct IL-21-program that was characterized phenotypically by increased expression of L-selectin and functionally by enhanced anti-tumor immunity that was not reversed by secondary in vitro stimulation with antigen and IL-2. Thus, the efficacy of CD8+ T cells for adoptive immunotherapy can be influenced by opposing differentiation programs conferred by IL-2 and IL-21, a finding with important implications for the development of cellular cancer therapies. Two-condition experiment: Cytokine-exposed t-cells subsequentially restimulated without cytokine vs. control t-cells without cytokine subsquentially restimulated without cytokine. 3 independent experiments - 1 with experimental RNA labeled with Cy5, control with Cy3, and 2 with dyes-swapped Keywords: Cytokine exposure comparison Comparitive analysis of cytokine effects on lymphocyte gene expression. GSM265712.gpr (S89_1_IL2_0.gpr): Cy3 - control, Cy5 - experimental GSM265713.gpr (S90_1_IL15_0.gpr): Cy3 - control, Cy5 - experimental GSM265714.gpr (S91_1_IL21_0.gpr): Cy3 - control, Cy5 - experimental GSM265715.gpr (S27_2_0_IL2.gpr): Cy3 - experimental, Cy5 - control GSM265716.gpr (S29_2_0_IL15.gpr): Cy3 - experimental, Cy5 - control GSM265717.gpr (S30_2_0_IL21.gpr): Cy3 - experimental, Cy5 - control GSM265718.gpr (S31_3_0_IL2.gpr): Cy3 - experimental, Cy5 - control GSM265719.gpr (S33_3_0_IL15.gpr): Cy3 - experimental, Cy5 - control
Project description:IL-2 and IL-21 are closely related cytokines that might have arisen by gene duplication. Both cytokines promote the function of effector CD8+ T cells, but their distinct effects on antigen-driven differentiation of naïve CD8+ T cells into effector CD8+ T cells are not clearly understood. We found that antigen-induced expression of eomesodermin and maturation of naïve CD8+ T cells into granzyme B and CD44 expressing effector CD8+ T cells was enhanced by IL-2, but, unexpectedly, suppressed by IL-21. Furthermore, IL-21 repressed expression of IL-2Ra and inhibited IL-2-mediated acquisition of a cytolytic CD8+ T cell phenotype. Despite its inhibitory effects, IL-21 did not induce anergy, but instead potently enhanced the capacity of cells to mediate tumor regression upon adoptive transfer. In contrast, IL-2, surprisingly, impaired the subsequent anti-tumor function of transferred cells. Gene expression studies revealed a distinct IL-21-program that was characterized phenotypically by increased expression of L-selectin and functionally by enhanced anti-tumor immunity that was not reversed by secondary in vitro stimulation with antigen and IL-2. Thus, the efficacy of CD8+ T cells for adoptive immunotherapy can be influenced by opposing differentiation programs conferred by IL-2 and IL-21, a finding with important implications for the development of cellular cancer therapies. Two-condition experiment: Cytokine-exposed t-cells subsequentially restimulated without cytokine vs. control t-cells without cytokine subsquentially restimulated without cytokine. 3 independent experiments - 1 with experimental RNA labeled with Cy5, control with Cy3, and 2 with dyes-swapped Keywords: Cytokine exposure comparison
Project description:Interleukin (IL)-2 and IL-21 dichotomously shape CD8+ T cell differentiation. IL-2 drives terminal differentiation, generating cells that are poorly effective against tumors, whereas IL-21 promotes stem cell memory T cells (TSCM) and antitumor responses. Here we investigated the role of metabolic programming in the developmental differences induced by these cytokines. IL-2 promoted effector-like metabolism and aerobic glycolysis, robustly inducing lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and lactate production, whereas IL-21 maintained a metabolically quiescent state dependent on oxidative phosphorylation. LDH inhibition rewired IL-2–induced effects, promoting pyruvate entry into the tricarboxylic acid cycle and inhibiting terminal effector and exhaustion programs, including mRNA expression of members of the NR4A family of nuclear receptors, as well as Prdm1 and Xbp1. While deletion of Ldha prevented development of cells with antitumor effector function, transient LDH inhibition enhanced the generation of memory cells capable of triggering robust antitumor responses after adoptive transfer. LDH inhibition did not significantly affect IL-21–induced metabolism but caused major transcriptomic changes, including the suppression of IL-21–induced exhaustion markers LAG3, PD1, 2B4, and TIM3. LDH inhibition combined with IL-21 increased the formation of TSCM cells, resulting in more profound antitumor responses and prolonged host survival. These findings indicate a pivotal role for LDH in modulating cytokine-mediated T cell differentiation and underscore the therapeutic potential of transiently inhibiting LDH during adoptive T cell-based immunotherapy, with an unanticipated cooperative antitumor effect of LDH inhibition and IL-21.
Project description:Cytotoxic T cells are typically expanded ex vivo for adoptive immunotherapy by culture with IL-2. This culture period leads to a differentiated phenotype and acquisition of effector function, as well as a loss of in vivo proliferative capability and anti-tumor efficacy. Here, we report antigen-specific and polyclonal expansion of cytotoxic T cells in a cocktail of cytokines and small molecules that leads to a memory-like phenotype in mouse and human cells even during extended culture, leading to enhanced in vivo expansion and tumor control. OT-I CD8 T cells were cultured for 14 days in either IL-2 or a cocktail of memory inducing small molecules and cytokines (IL-7, IL-21, 2-deoxyglucose and TWS119). Populations were sorted, IL-2 cells were CD44+CD62L-, cocktail cells were sorted into CD44+CD62L-, CD44+CD62L+ and CD44lowCD62L+ populations, and naive OT-I cells were CD44-CD62L+. Total RNA was extracted from each population and prepared for sequencing as three technical replicates.
Project description:The optimal T cell attributes for the adoptive immunotherapy of cancer and viral diseases are currently unclear. Recent adoptive transfer clinical trials using ex vivo expanded tumor infiltrating lymphocytes has provided evidence that differentiated effector T cells can mediate durable responses in selected cancer patients. The capacity of these transferred cells to persist in the host was found to strongly correlate with their clinical activity. Thus, there is significant interest in identifying intrinsic markers that define antigen specific effector T cells that can develop into long-lived memory cells rather than undergoing apoptosis after infusion in humans. We recently reported the long term persistence of ex vivo expanded tumor specific CD8+ T effector clones in refractory metastatic melanoma patients after adoptive T cell transfer. By utilizing these highly homogeneous clone populations, we sought to define the pre-infusion cellular and molecular attributes associated with their effector to memory transition. Comparative transcriptional profiling found the pre-infusion clone mRNA expression levels of the IL-7 receptor (IL-7Ra) and the proto-oncogene, c-myc, directly correlated with the level of clonal persistence after adoptive transfer in humans. The predictive value of these markers was further established by utilizing IL-7R protein, induced pSTAT5, and c-myc mRNA expression to prospectively identify human tumor specific effector clones that could engraft after controlled adoptive transfer into highly immunodeficient mice. These findings support that IL-7R and c-myc expression are valuable cell intrinsic markers that can predict the fate of effector CD8+ T cells after adoptive transfer. We used microarrays to compare the pre-infusion gene expression profile of melanoma-specific CD8+ T cell clones that would eventually either persist or not after adoptive transfer in humans. We derived ten melanoma-specific CD8+ T cell clones and determined their degree of persistence after adoptive therapy into patients. We performed microarray on the pre-infusion samples of six persisting and four non-persisting clones to obtain a comparative gene signature profile.
Project description:Effector cells for adoptive immunotherapy can be generated by in vitro stimulation of naïve or memory subsets of CD8+ T cells. While the characteristics of CD8+ T cell subsets are well defined, the heritable influence of those populations on their effector cell progeny is not well understood. We studied effector cells generated from naïve or central memory CD8+ T cells and found that they retained distinct gene expression signatures and developmental programs. Effector cells derived from central memory cells tended to retain their CD62L+ phenotype, but also to acquire KLRG1, an indicator of cellular senescence. In contrast, the effector cell progeny of naïve cells displayed reduced terminal differentiation, and, following infusion, they displayed greater expansion, cytokine production, and tumor destruction. These data indicate that effector cells retain a gene expression imprint conferred by their naïve or central memory progenitors, and they suggest a strategy for enhancing cancer immunotherapy. Experiment Overall Design: Effector cells were generated from naive or central memory CD8+ T cells. The cells were then rested (unstimulated) or restimulated (stimulated). This experimental design resulted in 4 groups (Naïve-derived/stimulated, Naïve-derived/unstimulated, Central memory-derived/stimulated, Central memory-derived/unstimulated). Three replicates from independent experiments were analyzed.
Project description:In the NOD mouse model of autoimmune diabetes, IL-27 stimulates CD4 and CD8 T cells to enhance their IFNγ production and diabetogenic capacity. Here, single-cell RNA sequencing and T cell adoptive transfer showed that IL-27 intrinsically controlled the differentiation of islet-infiltrating CD4 T cells by driving them toward an IL-21+ Th1 phenotype. Consequently, IL-27 signaling in CD4 T cells was important for BATF and granzyme B expression in islet CD8 T effectors. Complete absence of IL-21 signaling in CD8 T cells additionally impaired their cytokine production. BATF overexpression increased the diabetogenic potential of β-cell autoreactive CD8 T cells lacking help from CD4 T cell-derived IL-21. Macrophages were the main source of IL-27 in islets, whose expression correlated with T cell infiltration. IFNγ and CD40 signaling conferred by activated T cells induced macrophage IL-27 production. Collectively, our findings reveal a role of IL-27 in orchestrating interconnected positive feedback loops involving CD4 T cells, CD8 T cells, and macrophages in autoimmune diabetes.
Project description:This phase I pilot trial studies the side effects of cluster of differentiation 8 (CD8)+ T cells in treating patients with gastrointestinal tumors that have spread to other places in the body. Tumor cells and blood are used to help create an adoptive T cell therapy, such as CD8+ T cell therapy, that is individually designed for a patient and may help doctors learn more about genetic changes in the tumor. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as pembrolizumab, may help the body’s immune system attack the cancer, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Giving CD8+ T cell therapy and pembrolizumab may work better in treating patients with gastrointestinal tumors.