Spi6 Protects Alloreactive CD4+ But Not CD8+ Memory T Cell From Granzyme B Attack by Double-Negative T Regulatory Cell

Abstract

Memory T (Tm) cells pose a major barrier to long-term transplant survival. Whether regulatory T cells (Tregs)can control them remains poorly defined. Previously,we established that double-negative (DN) Tregs suppress effector T (Teff) cells. Here, we demonstrate that DNTregs effectively suppress CD4+/CD8+Teff and CD8+Tm but not CD4+Tm cells, whereas the suppression on CD8+Tm is abrogated by perforin (PFN) deficiency in DNTregs. Consistently, in a BALB/c to B6-Rag1-/-skin transplantation, transfer of DN Tregs suppressed the rejection mediated by CD4þ/CD8+Teff and CD8+Tmcells (76.0±4.9, 87.5±5.0 and 63.0±4.7 days, respectively)but not CD4þTmcells (25.3±1.4 days). Both CD8þ effector memory T and central memory T compartments significantly reduced after DN Treg transfer. CD4+Tm highly expresses granzyme B (GzmB) inhibitor serine protease inhibitor-6 (Spi6). Spi6 deficiency renders CD4þTm susceptible to DN Treg suppression. In addition,transfer of WT DN Tregs, but not PFN-/-DN Tregs,inhibited the skin allograft rejection mediated by Spi6-/-CD4þTm(75.5±7.9 days). In conclusion, CD4+ and CD8+Tm cells differentially respond toDNTregs’ suppression.The GzmB resistance conferred by Spi6 in CD4þTm cells might hint at the physiological significance of Tmpersistence