Project description:A range of current candidate AIDS vaccine regimens are focused on generating protective HIV neutralizing antibody responses. Many of these efforts rely on the rhesus macaque animal model. Understanding how protective antibody responses develop and how to increase their efficacy are both major knowledge gaps. Germinal centers (GC) are the engines of antibody affinity maturation. GC T follicular helper (GC Tfh) CD4 T cells are required for GCs. Studying vaccine-specific GC Tfh cells after protein immunizations has been challenging, as antigen-specific GC Tfh cells are difficult to identify by conventional intracellular cytokine staining (ICS). Cytokine production by GC Tfh cells may be intrinsically limited in comparison to other T helper effector cells, as the biological role of a GC Tfh cell is to provide help to individual B cells within the GC, rather than secreting large amounts of cytokines bathing a tissue. To test this idea, we developed a cytokine-independent method to identify antigen-specific GC Tfh cells. RNAseq was performed using TCR stimulated GC Tfh cells to identify candidate markers based on differentially expressed genes and other criteria. Validation experiments determined CD25 (IL2Ra) and OX40 to be highly upregulated activation induced markers on the surface of GC Tfh cells after stimulation. In comparison to ICS, the activation induced marker (AIM) assay identified > 10-fold more antigen-specific GC Tfh cells in HIV Env protein immunized macaques (BG505 SOSIP). Additionally, the AIM assay detected antigen-specific CXCR5+ and CXCR5- CD4 T cells in peripheral blood. Thus, AIM demonstrates that antigen-specific GC Tfh cells are intrinsically stingy producers of cytokines, which is likely an essential part of their biological function. Total RNA obtained from GC Tfh cells from 3 rhesus macaque lymph node cell samples stimulated with Staphylococcal Enterotoxin B compared with 2 unstimulated cell samples.
Project description:A range of current candidate AIDS vaccine regimens are focused on generating protective HIV neutralizing antibody responses. Many of these efforts rely on the rhesus macaque animal model. Understanding how protective antibody responses develop and how to increase their efficacy are both major knowledge gaps. Germinal centers (GC) are the engines of antibody affinity maturation. GC T follicular helper (GC Tfh) CD4 T cells are required for GCs. Studying vaccine-specific GC Tfh cells after protein immunizations has been challenging, as antigen-specific GC Tfh cells are difficult to identify by conventional intracellular cytokine staining (ICS). Cytokine production by GC Tfh cells may be intrinsically limited in comparison to other T helper effector cells, as the biological role of a GC Tfh cell is to provide help to individual B cells within the GC, rather than secreting large amounts of cytokines bathing a tissue. To test this idea, we developed a cytokine-independent method to identify antigen-specific GC Tfh cells. RNAseq was performed using TCR stimulated GC Tfh cells to identify candidate markers based on differentially expressed genes and other criteria. Validation experiments determined CD25 (IL2Ra) and OX40 to be highly upregulated activation induced markers on the surface of GC Tfh cells after stimulation. In comparison to ICS, the activation induced marker (AIM) assay identified > 10-fold more antigen-specific GC Tfh cells in HIV Env protein immunized macaques (BG505 SOSIP). Additionally, the AIM assay detected antigen-specific CXCR5+ and CXCR5- CD4 T cells in peripheral blood. Thus, AIM demonstrates that antigen-specific GC Tfh cells are intrinsically stingy producers of cytokines, which is likely an essential part of their biological function.
Project description:Identification and isolation of antigen-specific T cells is important for many immunological research areas, including cancer, infectious diseases, and vaccines. We optimized an activation-induced markers (AIM) assay that facilitated detection and scRNA analysis of HCV-specific T cells.
Project description:To elucidate differential preventive roles of the blood apoptosis inhibitor of macrophage (AIM) protein in fat deposition and hepatocarcinoma development, we have performed microarray analysis to assess putative difference in expression of genes related to carcinnogenesis in the liver of AIM+/+ and AIM-/- fed a high-fat diet (HFD) for various periods.
Project description:Using liquid chromatography combined with tandem mass spectrometry, we want to use quantitative proteomics of CD4+ T cells from relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) patients and healthy controls. Cells were left unstimulated or stimulated through the T cell receptor (TCR) in vitro allowing us to disentangle potential CD4+ T cell specific differences induced by T cell activation This will provide novel insights into disease mechanisms of MS.