Increased TGF-beta, Cbl-b and CTLA-4 levels and immunosuppression in association with chronic immune activation

In this study we investigated the mechanisms mediating T-cell hyporesponsiveness in chronically immune-activated individuals. We analyzed in healthy and persistently helminth-infected individuals the relationship between immune activation and general T-cell hyporesponsiveness, Th3/regulatory T-cell expression, transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) secretion, CTL-associated antigen 4 (CTLA-4) levels, Casitas B-cell lymphoma-b (Cbl-b) (a negative regulator of T-cell activation) levels and phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinases/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)-1 and -2. We found a very significant increase in plasma levels of TGF-beta and intracellular pools of CTLA-4 and Cbl-b in association with immune activation, which correlates with decreased T-cell responses to anti-CD3 stimulation. We demonstrate that the impaired activity of ERK of peripheral T cells in highly immune-activated individuals is associated with increased levels of CTLA-4 and Cbl-b. Interestingly, in some, but not in all, of these immune-activated individuals, induction of Cbl-b intracellular pools occurs by TGF-beta or CTLA-4 stimulation. We suggest that the higher levels of CTLA-4 and TGF-beta, both involved in the induction of Cbl-b, point at potential mechanisms underlying general and antigen-specific immune hyporesponsiveness in chronically infected individuals.     

Control of Foxp3+ CD25+CD4+ regulatory cell activation and function by dendritic cells

Naturally occurring CD4+CD25+ regulatory T (TR) cells play crucial roles in normal immunohomeostasis. CD4+CD25+ TR cells exhibit a number of interesting in vitro properties including a 'default state' of profound anergy refractory to conventional T cell stimuli. We investigated the in vitro activation requirements of CD4+CD25+ TR cells using bone marrow-derived DC, which as professional antigen presenting cells (APC) can support the activation of normal naive T cells. Comparison of different APC types revealed that LPS-matured DC were by far the most effective at breaking CD4+CD25+ TR cell anergy and triggering proliferation, and importantly their IL-2 production. Examination of Foxp3, a key control gene for CD4+CD25+ TR cells, showed this to be stably expressed even during active proliferation. Although CD4+CD25+ TR cell proliferation was equivalent to that of CD25- cells their IL-2 production was considerably less. Use of IL-2-/- mice demonstrated that the DC stimulatory ability was not dependent on IL-2 production; nor did IL-15 appear crucial but was, at least in part, related to costimulation. DC also blocked normal CD4+CD25+ TR cell-mediated suppression partially via IL-6 secretion. DC therefore possess novel mechanisms to control the suppressive ability, expansion and/or differentiation of CD4+CD25+ TR cells in vivo.     

The emerging role of regulatory T cells following lung transplantation

Regulatory T cells (Treg) have proven to be a powerful immunologic force in nearly every organ system and hold therapeutic potential for a wide range of diseases. Insights gained from non‐transplant pathologies, such as infection, cancer, and autoimmunity, are now being translated to the field of solid organ transplantation, particularly for livers and kidneys. Recent insights from animal models of lung transplantation have established that Tregs play a vital role in suppressing rejection and facilitating tolerance of lung allografts, and such discoveries are being validated in human studies and preclinical trials. Given that long‐term outcomes following lung transplantation remain profoundly limited by chronic rejection, Treg therapy holds the potential to significantly improve patient outcomes and should be aggressively investigated.     

抗Ia单克隆抗体促进异基因皮肤移植耐受

目的:探索抗Ia单克隆抗体促进"细胞+环磷酰胺(cyclophosphamide,CP)"系统诱导移植耐受的作用及其机制.方法:BALB/C(H-2d)小鼠经尾静脉注入C57BL/6(H-2b,B6)小鼠脾细胞,48 h后腹腔注射CP,接着两天分别经尾静脉注入抗小鼠Ia单克隆抗体500 μg,然后进行皮肤移植,并于耐受30 d对受体小鼠作混合淋巴细胞反应(mixed lymphocyte reaction,MLR)、迟发型超敏反应(delayed type hypersensitivity,DTH)等耐受状态的检查.结果:B6小鼠的皮肤移植物在耐受BALB/C小鼠中存活期特异性延长,MLR和DTH检查证明BALB/C小鼠对B6小鼠的脾细胞产生特异性耐受,对无关第3者KM小鼠的脾细胞仍表现出强烈的免疫反应.机制研究发现,克隆不应答(anergy)和抑制细胞在耐受中起作用.结论:抗Ia单克隆抗体可明显促进"细胞+CP"诱导的异基因皮肤移植耐受.克隆不应答和抑制细胞是耐受的主要机制.     

Stimulation of a shorter duration in the state of anergy by an invariant natural killer T cell agonist enhances its efficiency of protection from type 1 diabetes

We have reported previously that treatment of non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice with the invariant natural killer T (iNK T) cell agonist α-galactosylceramide C26:0 (α-GalCer) or its T helper type 2 (Th2)-biasing derivative α-GalCer C20:2 (C20:2) protects against type 1 diabetes (T1D), with C20:2 yielding greater protection. After an initial response to α-GalCer, iNK T cells become anergic upon restimulation. While such anergic iNK T cells can induce tolerogenic dendritic cells (DCs) that mediate protection from T1D, chronic administration of α-GalCer also results in long-lasting anergy accompanied by significantly reduced iNK T cell frequencies, which raises concerns about its long-term therapeutic use. In this study, our objective was to understand more clearly the roles of anergy and induction of tolerogenic DCs in iNK T cell-mediated protection from T1D and to circumvent potential complications associated with α-GalCer. We demonstrate that NOD iNK T cells activated during multi-dose (MD) treatment in vivo with C20:2 enter into and exit from anergy more rapidly than after activation by α-GalCer. Importantly, this shorter duration of iNK T cells in the anergic state promotes the more rapid induction of tolerogenic DCs and reduced iNK T cell death, and enables C20:2 stimulated iNK T cells to elicit enhanced protection from T1D. Our findings further that suggest C20:2 is a more effective therapeutic drug than α-GalCer for protection from T1D. Moreover, the characteristics of C20:2 provide a basis of selection of next-generation iNK T cell agonists for the prevention of T1D.     

CD8α+ dendritic cells prime TCR‐peptide‐reactive regulatory CD4+FOXP3− T cells

CD4⁺ T cells with immune regulatory function can be either FOXP3⁺ or FOXP3^?. We have previously shown that priming of naturally occurring TCR‐peptide‐reactive CD4⁺FOXP3^? Treg specifically controls Vβ8.2⁺CD4⁺ T cells mediating EAE. However, the mechanism by which these Treg are primed to recognize their cognate antigenic determinant, which is derived from the TCRVβ8.2‐chain, is not known. In this study we show that APC derived from splenocytes of naïve mice are able to stimulate cloned CD4⁺ Treg in the absence of exogenous antigen, and their stimulation capacity is augmented during EAE. Among the APC populations, DC were the most efficient in stimulating the Treg. Stimulation of CD4⁺ Treg was dependent upon processing and presentation of TCR peptides from ingested Vβ8.2TCR⁺CD4⁺ T cells. Additionally, DC pulsed with TCR peptide or apoptotic Vβ8.2⁺ T cells were able to prime Treg in vivo and mediate protection from disease in a CD8‐dependent fashion. These data highlight a novel mechanism for the priming of CD4⁺ Treg by CD8α⁺ DC and suggest a pathway that can be exploited to prime antigen‐specific regulation of T‐cell‐mediated inflammatory disease.     

Memory T Cells in the Chronic Inflammatory Microenvironment of Nasal Polyposis are Hyporesponsive to Signaling Through the T Cell Receptor

A majority of T cells from chronic inflammatory tissues derived from patients with nasal polyposis were found to express an effector memory phenotype. We report here that these memory T cells failed to activate NF-κB in response to TCR stimulation but responded normally when the proximal TCR signaling molecules were bypassed with PMA and ionomycin. The dysfunction of these cells was associated with a decrease in the phosphorylation of several TCR proximal signaling molecules including ZAP70, Lck and SLP-76. In addition to the disruption in the TCR signaling pathway, the nasal polyp-associated T cells were shown to have a defect in their ability to translocate LAMP-1 to the cell surface. The results presented here establish that the phenotype and anergy of the T cells in the nasal polyp are similar to those which is seen in memory T cells derived from human tumors and other sites of chronic inflammation.     

关于能、、的新模型——物系∪环境

分析了现有文献中寂态、(火用)及(火无)等概念。提出大系统(物系∪环境)模型。将‘寂态’重新解释为‘大系统寂态’;将大系统能量划分为‘最大可能输出能’E_M和‘不可输出能’E_N(不利用外界作功条件下);定义大系统(火用)E_X为E_M中可以转变部分,大系统(火无)为E_M中不可转变部分;E_N包括大系统可逆地过渡到寂态过程中两子系统直接互相传递的能E_i和大系统其余内能。这样,重新解释了能=(火用)+(火无)公式的意义,从而对现有文献中的一些有争议问题提出了作者的解决方法。最后推导了正压物系∪环境的E_M(物理能)E_X及A_n的表达式。     

ENDOPHTHALMITIS FOLLOWING CATARACT EXTRACTION

We describe a case of bacterial endophthalmitis complicating routine cataract extraction and intraocular lens implantation in a 97-year-old woman. The ocular and systemic factors that may have predisposed to intraocular infection in this case, and the possibility of predicting these pre-operatively, are discussed.