Regulatory aspects of clonally expanded B-1 (CD5+B) cells

Summary B-1 (CD5⁺ B) cells appear early in ontogeny, produce mainly unmutated polyreactive antibodies, and are capable of self-renewal. B-1 cells clonally expand with age and are the malignant cell in chronic lymphocytic leukemia. In this report immunological analysis of B-1 malignancies in NZB mice, a murine model of chronic lymphocytic leukemia, is related to current information on B-1 cells. B-1 clones from NZB mice produce high levels of interleukin-10, detected at the RNA level by semi-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. In addition, the B-1 malignant clones in NZB mice and their hybrids, are negative for B220/6B2 expression, the B-specific antigenic form of CD45 which is a membrane-associated phosphatase involved in lymphocyte activation. Both the autocrine production by B-1 cells of interleukin-10 and altered CD45 expression may be responsible for the clonal expansion of these cells, as well as the accompanying T cell expansion. We report the establishment of an in vitro cytotoxic CD8⁺ T cell line derived from an NZB with a B-1 malignancy. The effect of B-1 cell-derived interleukin-10 on subsets of T lymphocytes may account for the immunoregulatory properties of B-1 cells. In addition, the NZB malignancies were also characterized for immunoglobulin variable region sequence and antigen specificity. The B-1 malignancies produced immunoglobulin derived from unmutated germline sequences with no N base substitutions. It appears that both the immunoglobulin and interleukin-10 produced by the B-1 malignant cell in NZB mice may have immunoregulatory properties. A study of B-1 malignancies may shed light on the immunoregulatory properties of non-clonally expanded normal B-1 cells.     

CD8+ T cells respond clonally to Mls-1a-encoded determinants

T cell responses to the product of the minor lymphocyte stimulatory locus Mls-1a involve the selective use of TCR V beta domains (especially V beta 6 and V beta 8.1) and are generally considered to be restricted to the CD4+ mature subset. We show here that CD8+ (presumably MHC class I-restricted) T cells bearing V beta 6 or V beta 8.1 also respond preferentially to Mls-1a determinants either in vitro (in mixed leukocyte cultures) or in vivo (in an adoptive transfer system). In vitro responses of both CD4+ V beta 6+ and CD8+ V beta 6+ cells to Mls-1a were dependent upon the MHC haplotype of the stimulator cells, with I-E+ (H-2d or H-2k) alleles being much more stimulatory than I-E- (H-2q). These data strengthen the analogy between Mls gene products and other MHC class II-dependent superantigens such as the bacterial enterotoxins.     

不同树突状细胞对CD4~+CD25~+Foxp3~+调节性T细胞体外扩增的影响

目的利用不同种类树突状细胞(dendritic cells,DC)体外扩增获得表型和功能稳定的CD4+CD25+Foxp3+调节性T细胞(Treg)。方法免疫磁珠法(MACS)分离Balb/c小鼠CD4+CD25+调节性T细胞,利用与调节性T细胞同基因或异基因成熟DC、未成熟DC和调节性DC刺激其扩增,流式细胞术测定其纯度和表型。以CD4+CD25-T细胞作为反应细胞,验证扩增前后Treg细胞的免疫抑制功能。结果MACS分离的CD4+CD25+调节性T细胞纯度达到(95.38±1.82)%,同基因和异基因DC都能有效刺激Treg细胞体外扩增,其中同基因成熟DC扩增效果最为明显。而且同基因成熟DC扩增后CD4+CD25+调节性T细胞纯度达到(94.16±1.88)%,而且高表达Foxp3分子。当CD4+CD25+调节性T细胞与效应T细胞比例为1∶1时,能够有效的抑制效应T细胞的增殖,而且,同基因成熟DC扩增的CD4+CD25+调节性T细胞的抑制效果比新分离的Treg效果更好。结论同基因成熟DC能够体外扩增表型和功能稳定的Treg细胞。     

Regulatory CD4+CD25+ T cells restrict memory CD8+ T cell responses

CD4+ T cell help is important for the generation of CD8+ T cell responses. We used depleting anti-CD4 mAb to analyze the role of CD4+ T cells for memory CD8+ T cell responses after secondary infection of mice with the intracellular bacterium Listeria monocytogenes, or after boost immunization by specific peptide or DNA vaccination. Surprisingly, anti-CD4 mAb treatment during secondary CD8+ T cell responses markedly enlarged the population size of antigen-specific CD8+ T cells. After boost immunization with peptide or DNA, this effect was particularly profound, and antigen-specific CD8+ T cell populations were enlarged at least 10-fold. In terms of cytokine production and cytotoxicity, the enlarged CD8+ T cell population consisted of functional effector T cells. In depletion and transfer experiments, the suppressive function could be ascribed to CD4+CD25+ T cells. Our results demonstrate that CD4+ T cells control the CD8+ T cell response in two directions. Initially, they promote the generation of a CD8+ T cell responses and later they restrain the strength of the CD8+ T cell memory response. Down-modulation of CD8+ T cell responses during infection could prevent harmful consequences after eradication of the pathogen.     

Anti-DNA antibody production by CD5+ and CD5- B cells of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Although the presence of anti-DNA antibody is a hallmark of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), neither the subsets of B cells that secrete anti-DNA antibody nor the stimuli responsible for the induction of anti-DNA secretion is known. In particular, the role of CD5+ B cells in human SLE, a distinct subpopulation of antibody-secreting cells shown previously to be a source of anti-DNA antibody in murine models of SLE, is unknown. To approach these questions, we developed a sensitive enzyme-linked immunospot (ELIspot) assay to measure spontaneous secretion of antibody to single-stranded (ss) DNA, double-stranded (ds) DNA, tetanus toxoid, and polyclonal immunoglobulin (Ig) by purified CD5+ and CD5- B cells of 15 SLE patients and 15 healthy control subjects. The B cells of only 1 of 15 healthy subjects secreted a significant level of anti-ssDNA antibody, and none secreted anti-dsDNA. By contrast, in the majority of SLE patients both CD5+ and CD5- B cells secreted IgG and/or IgM anti-ssDNA as well as anti-dsDNA antibody. Further analysis of the anti-ssDNA response revealed that the level of IgG and IgM anti-DNA antibody secretion by CD5- B cells correlated closely with the level of polyclonal Ig production by the same subpopulation (r = 0.81 and 0.70, respectively). In contrast, production of anti-DNA by CD5+ B cells occurred independently of polyclonal Ig production by both CD5+ and CD5- B cell subpopulations. These results suggest that in human SLE there exist two anti-DNA antibody-producing B cell subpopulations with distinct induction mechanisms: one (CD5+), which independently secretes anti-DNA, and another (CD5-), which produces anti-DNA as an apparent consequence of polyclonal B cell activation.     

慢性乙型病毒性肝炎患者CD5^＋B细胞的变化

目的 研究CD5^＋B细胞在慢性乙型病毒性肝炎发病中的作用．方法 采用免疫荧光双标记技术和流式细胞仪对39例慢性乙型病毒性肝炎患者和18例健康时照者周围血中CD5^＋B细胞（CD5^＋CD19^＋）的百分率进行测定，同时检测慢性乙型病毒性肝炎患者肝功能的变化。结果 在慢性乙型病毒性肝炎患者周围血CD5^＋B细胞百分率显著高于对照组，而且在慢性乙型病毒性肝炎患者各分组（按肝功能损害程度分组）中CD5^＋B细胞均明显高于对照组；但在慢性乙型病毒性肝炎患者各分组之间CD5^＋B细胞百分率无显著性差异。结论 CD5^＋B细胞与慢性乙型病毒性肝炎发病有关，但与肝功能损害程度无显著相关。     

Cooperative B7-1/2 (CD80/CD86) and B7-DC costimulation of CD4+ T cells independent of the PD-1 receptor

B7-DC is a recently discovered member of the B7 family that binds to PD-1 and is selectively expressed by dendritic cells (DCs). It has been shown to either costimulate or inhibit T cell responses. To assess the role of B7-DC in DC-T cell interactions, DCs from B7-DC knockout (KO) mice were generated and compared with DCs from wild-type (WT) and B7-1/B7-2 double KO mice. B7-1/B7-2-deficient DCs, while strongly diminished in their ability to stimulate naive CD4+ T cells, nonetheless retain partial activity. DCs from B7-DC KO mice are diminished in their ability to activate CD4+ T cells, demonstrating that DC-expressed B7-DC serves a predominantly stimulatory rather than inhibitory function in the initiation of T cell responses. B7-DC costimulates expression of CD40L with faster kinetics than B7-1 and displays potent synergy with B7-1 and B7-2 for T cell proliferation and cytokine production, indicating that these B7 family members work in concert to stimulate T cells. Finally, costimulation with B7-DC alone or in conjunction with B7-1 is PD-1 independent, indicating that B7-DC costimulates T cells via a second receptor.     

Analysis of the human VH gene repertoire. Differential effects of selection and somatic hypermutation on human peripheral CD5(+)/IgM+ and CD5(-)/IgM+ B cells.

To analyze the immunoglobulin repertoire of human IgM+ B cells and the CD5(+) and CD5(-) subsets, individual CD19(+)/ IgM+/CD5(+) or CD5(-) B cells were sorted and non-productive as well as productive VH gene rearrangements were amplified from genomic DNA and sequenced. In both subsets, the VH3 family was overrepresented largely as a result of preferential usage of a small number of specific individual family members. In the CD5(+) B cell subset, all other VH families were found at a frequency expected from random usage, whereas in the CD5(-) population, VH4 appeared to be overrepresented in the nonproductive repertoire, and also negatively selected since it was found significantly less often in the productive compared to the nonproductive repertoire; the VH1 family was significantly diminished in the productive rearrangements of CD5(-) B cells. 3-23/DP-47 was the most frequently used VH gene segment and was found significantly more often than expected from random usage in productive rearrangements of both CD5(+) and CD5(-) B cells. Evidence for selection based on the D segment and the JH gene usage was noted in CD5(+) B cells. No differences were found between the B cell subsets in CDR3 length, the number of N-nucleotides or evidence of exonuclease activity. Somatically hypermutated VHDJH rearrangements were significantly more frequent and extensive in CD5(-) compared to CD5(+) IgM+ B cells, indicating that IgM+ memory B cells were more frequent in the CD5(-) B cell population. Of note, the frequency of specific VH genes in the mutated population differed from that in the nonmutated population, suggesting that antigen stimulation imposed additional biases on the repertoire of IgM+ B cells. These results indicate that the expressed repertoire of IgM+ B cell subsets is shaped by recombinational bias, as well as selection before and after antigen exposure. Moreover, the influences on the repertoires of CD5(+) and CD5(-) B cells are significantly different, suggesting that human peripheral blood CD5(+) and CD5(-) B cells represent different B cell lineages, with similarities to murine B-1a and B-2 subsets, respectively.     

CD4+CD25+和CD8+调节性T细胞的作用机制

调节性T细胞（Treg）主要在机体免疫系统中发挥负向调节作用,既能抑制不恰当的免疫反应,又能限定免疫应答的范围、程度及作用时间,对CD4^＋和CD8^＋效应性T淋巴细胞的增殖起抑制作用,因此在移植物抗宿主病、自身免疫病、过敏性疾病等的发病机制和临床治疗中有潜在的应用价值.本文重点介绍CD4^＋CD25^＋Treg和CD8^＋Treg的作用机制,并简述调节性T细胞研究面临的挑战与展望.     

Identification of clonally expanded T cells in rheumatoid arthritis using a sequence enrichment nuclease assay.

Identification of expanded clones engaged in immune and autoimmune responses is still imperfect, since they are often diluted by irrelevant cells expressing diverse specificities. To efficiently characterize T cell receptors expressed by clonally expanded lymphocytes in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and other inflammatory conditions, we developed an assay system, termed sequence enrichment nuclease assay (SENA). Key elements of SENA are the efficiency of heat-denatured DNA strand reassociation, which increases exponentially with concentration, and the elimination of unhybridized sequences by single-strand-specific DNase. T cell clonal expansions were identified primarily in synovial fluids, but also in peripheral blood of RA patients. Synovial fluids had more prominent expansions in the CD8 than the CD4 subset, whereas clonal expansions in the CD4 subset predominated among peripheral blood lymphocytes. Dominant clones exhibited diverse sequences with no clear conservation of junctional motifs, although the same amino acid sequence was identified in two patients. In most instances, dominant clones in the blood were discordant to those in the corresponding synovial fluid, suggesting local stimulation or preferential sequestration of T cells displaying particular specifities.     

CD4~+CD25~+调节性T细胞在肝硬化发病中的作用及意义

目的检测病毒性肝硬化患者外周血Treg细胞和IL-10细胞因子表达的变化,探讨其相关的临床意义。方法收集2014年6月到2016年6月我院收治的病毒性肝硬化患者84例,另取同期我院健康体检者40例作为正常对照。Treg细胞的表达使用流式细胞仪检测,IL-10的表达使用ELISA法检测。结果对照组Treg细胞比例和IL-10表达分别为5.14±1.82%和21.14±4.22ng/L,肝硬化组为2.56±1.02%和9.53±2.61ng/L,对照组上述指标均显著高于肝硬化组(P0.05,P0.01)。Child-Pugh评分分级A级、B级和C级患者Treg细胞比例和IL-10表达各级之间存在显著性差异(P0.05),其中A级显著高于B级(P0.05),B级又显著高于C级(P0.05)。Treg细胞比例和IL-10表达在乙肝病毒性肝硬化患者和丙肝病毒性肝硬化患者之间无显著性差异(P0.05)。结论病毒性肝硬化患者外周血中Treg细胞比例和IL-10表达均减低,提示其可能参与了肝硬化的发生、发展过程,并可能为肝硬化的治疗提供新思路。     

CD25+ CD4+ T cells, expanded with dendritic cells presenting a single autoantigenic peptide, suppress autoimmune diabetes

In the nonobese diabetic (NOD) mouse model of type 1 diabetes, the immune system recognizes many autoantigens expressed in pancreatic islet beta cells. To silence autoimmunity, we used dendritic cells (DCs) from NOD mice to expand CD25+ CD4+ suppressor T cells from BDC2.5 mice, which are specific for a single islet autoantigen. The expanded T cells were more suppressive in vitro than their freshly isolated counterparts, indicating that DCs from autoimmune mice can increase the number and function of antigen-specific, CD25+ CD4+ regulatory T cells. Importantly, only 5,000 expanded CD25+ CD4+ BDC2.5 T cells could block autoimmunity caused by diabetogenic T cells in NOD mice, whereas 10(5) polyclonal, CD25+ CD4+ T cells from NOD mice were inactive. When islets were examined in treated mice, insulitis development was blocked at early (3 wk) but not later (11 wk) time points. The expanded CD25+ CD4+ BDC2.5 T cells were effective even if administered 14 d after the diabetogenic T cells. Our data indicate that DCs can generate CD25+ CD4+ T cells that suppress autoimmune disease in vivo. This might be harnessed as a new avenue for immunotherapy, especially because CD25+ CD4+ regulatory cells responsive to a single autoantigen can inhibit diabetes mediated by reactivity to multiple antigens.     

Normal mouse peritoneum contains a large population of Ly-1+ (CD5) B cells that recognize phosphatidyl choline. Relationship to cells that secrete hemolytic antibody specific for autologous erythrocytes

We have found that, in the peritoneums of normal adult mice, 5-15% of lymphocytes bind a fluorescent liposome probe. In ontogeny, cells with this specificity were shown to appear by 8 d after birth, and increase to the adult frequency by 2-3 wk. Some older mice contain an expanded population of these cells. We have shown that liposome binding occurs by cell surface IgM recognizing the common membrane phospholipid, phosphatidyl choline (PtC). Virtually all of these PtC-specific cells bear the cell surface marker Ly-1. Our results indicate that roughly 1 in 10 peritoneal Ly-1+ B cells has this single specificity. We have found that the precursors to all the cells that form plaques on protease-treated autologous erythrocytes (BrMRBC) are included in the PtC-specific population and can be isolated by FACS. We believe this is the first report of sorting large numbers of B cells with a single antigen specificity from normal, unimmunized animals. This method will allow for in vitro and in vivo studies of differentiative and proliferative properties of Ly-1+ B cells, which may help define their role in development and disease.     

CD4+CD25+调节性T细胞的研究进展

CD4^＋CD25^＋调节性T细胞（regulatory T cell,Treg）具有维持自身免疫耐受和调节免疫应答的功能,其功能紊乱或数目下降是导致自身免疫性疾病的重要原因之一。近年来,研究发现Foxp3在调控CD4^＋CD25^＋Treg细胞的发育和功能上起着重要作用。本文就CD4^＋CD25^＋Treg细胞的免疫抑制机制、Foxp3在其发育和功能上的作用、IL-2和细胞毒性T淋巴细胞相关抗原4（CTLA-4）等对其产生、维持及活化的作用等方面作一综述。     

CD4+ CD7- CD28- T cells are expanded in rheumatoid arthritis and are characterized by autoreactivity.

Clonal expansion of CD4+ T cells is a characteristic finding in patients with RA and is only infrequently found in patients with psoriatic arthritis and healthy controls. Expanded CD4+ clonotypes are present in the blood, infiltrate into the joint, and persist over years. We have not addressed the question of whether the expanded clonotypes have unique functional and phenotypic properties which may explain the preferential in vivo expansion in RA. In contrast to most CD4+ T cells, expanded clonotypes lacked the expression of the CD28 and CD7 cell surface molecules. Accordingly, the subsets of CD4+ CD28- (9.7 vs 1.7, P = 0.00002) and CD4+ CD7- T cells (21.5 vs 12.26, P = 0.018) were increased in RA patients compared with age-matched normal individuals. Despite the lack of CD28 expression, clonally expanded CD4+ T cells were not anergic but proliferated in response to immobilized anti-CD3 and could be maintained in tissue culture. In vivo expanded CD4+ T cells were autoreactive to ubiquitously distributed autoantigens. They responded in an autologous mixed lymphocyte reaction, and T cell clones isolated from selected patients proliferated to autologous peripheral blood adherent cells. These data suggest that in RA patients selected CD4+ T cells which share the CD7- CD28- phenotype escape from peripheral tolerance.     

Human B1 cells in umbilical cord and adult peripheral blood express the novel phenotype CD20+ CD27+ CD43+ CD70-

B1 cells differ in many ways from conventional B cells, most prominently in the production of natural immunoglobulin, which is vitally important for protection against pathogens. B1 cells have also been implicated in the pathogenesis of autoimmune dyscrasias and malignant diseases. It has been impossible to accurately study B1 cells during health and illness because the nature of human B1 cells has not been successfully defined. This has produced controversy regarding the existence of human B1 cells. Here, we determined the phenotype of human B1 cells by testing sort-purified B cell fractions for three fundamental B1 cell functions based on mouse studies: spontaneous IgM secretion, efficient T cell stimulation, and tonic intracellular signaling. We found that a small population of CD20(+)CD27(+)CD43(+) cells present in both umbilical cord and adult peripheral blood fulfilled these criteria and expressed a skewed B cell receptor repertoire. These B cells express little or no surface CD69 and CD70, both of which are markedly up-regulated after activation of CD20(+)CD27(-)CD43(-) (naive) and CD20(+)CD27(+)CD43(-) (memory) B cells. This work identifies human B1 cells as CD20(+)CD27(+)CD43(+)CD70(-). We determined that the proportion of B1 cells declines with age, which may contribute to disease susceptibility. Identification of human B1 cells provides a foundation for future studies on the nature and role of these cells in human disease.     

CD5 maintains tolerance in anergic B cells

Clonal anergy of autoreactive B cells is a key mechanism regulating tolerance. Here, we show that anergic B cells express significant surface levels of CD5, a molecule normally found on T cells and a subset of B-1 cells. Breeding of the hen egg lysozyme (HEL) transgenic model for B cell anergy onto the CD5 null background resulted in a spontaneous loss of B cell tolerance in vivo. Evidence for this included elevated levels of anti-HEL immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibodies in the serum of CD5(-/-) mice transgenic for both an HEL-specific B cell receptor (BCR) and soluble lysozyme. "Anergic" B cells lacking CD5 also showed enhanced proliferative responses in vitro and elevated intracellular Ca(2+) levels at rest and after IgM cross-linking. These data support the hypothesis that CD5 negatively regulates Ig receptor signaling in anergic B cells and functions to inhibit autoimmune B cell responses.     

The CD28 ligand B7/BB1 provides costimulatory signal for alloactivation of CD4+ T cells.

Activation via the T lymphocyte cell surface molecule CD28 provides a potent amplification signal for interleukin 2 (IL-2) production in several in vitro systems. The B lymphocyte activation antigen, B7/BB1, is a natural ligand for CD28. Here we investigate the role of CD28 and B7/BB1 in primary activation of CD4+ T lymphocytes stimulated with allogeneic B lymphoblastoid cell lines. A subset of peripheral CD4+ T cells that is unresponsive to crosslinking of CD3/T cell receptor (TCR) with CD3 monoclonal antibody (mAb) does proliferate in response to allogeneic B lymphoblasts. TCR binding to allogeneic major histocompatibility complex antigens was an absolute requirement for activation of these cells because mAbs to either CD3 or human histocompatibility leukocyte antigen (HLA) class II completely inhibited activation. CD28 and B7/BB1 antibodies inhibited T cell proliferation 90% and 84%, respectively. Similar results were obtained with the total CD4+ T lymphocyte population. Crosslinking of HLA-DR antigens on small, resting B cells induced rapid expression of B7/BB1, which peaked at 6 h and returned to baseline levels within 18 h. These data demonstrate that CD28-B7/BB1 binding provides an important early second signal for alloactivation of CD4+ T lymphocyte by B lymphoblasts. The results also suggest that T cells interacting with allogeneic resting B cells may induce B7/BB1 expression in the alloantigen-presenting cell as a consequence of interaction between the TCR and class II molecules.