Proliferative Unresponsiveness Research Articles

P21Cip1 up‐regulated during histone deacetylase inhibitor‐induced CD4+ T‐cell anergy selectively associates with mitogen‐activated protein kinases

Histone deacetylase inhibitor n-butyrate induced proliferative unresponsiveness in antigen-stimulated murine CD4(+) T cells. T cells anergized by n-butyrate demonstrated reduced interleukin-2 (IL-2) secretion and decreased activating protein 1 (AP-1) activity upon restimulation. Mechanistic studies determined that the cyclin-dependent kinase (cdk) inhibitor p21(Cip1) was up-regulated in the anergic CD4(+) T cells. p21(Cip1) is known to inhibit the cell cycle through its interaction with cdk, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) or c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK). p21(Cip1) did not preferentially associate with PCNA or cdk in anergic T helper type 1 (Th1) cells. Instead, among the three interaction partners, p21(Cip1) was found to interact with phospho-JNK and phospho-c-jun selectively in the anergic CD4(+) T cells. The activity of c-jun and downstream transcription factor AP-1 were suppressed in the anergic Th1 cells. In contrast, p21(Cip1) and the two phospho-proteins were never detected concurrently in the control CD4(+) T cells. The n-butyrate-induced p21(Cip1)-mediated inhibition of JNK and c-jun represents a novel potential mechanism by which proliferative unresponsiveness was maintained in CD4(+) T cells.

Differential signaling through the T cell receptor: from biochemistry to transplantation tolerance.

Recent advances in our understanding of the structural nature of T cell activation and signal transduction from the T cell receptor for antigen make possible the development of new tolerogenic strategies. Here, we summarize the evidence supporting a critical role for the co-receptor molecule (CD4 or CD8) and CD45 in determining the pattern of T cell receptor-mediated signaling. The consequences of this differential signaling can range from T cell proliferation and cytokine production to the establishment of a state of proliferative unresponsiveness known as T cell anergy. Inducing T cell anergy can be an alternative approach for the establishment of transplantation tolerance.

Histone deacetylase inhibitor uses p21 Cip1 to maintain anergy in CD4 + T cells

T cell anergy defined as antigen-specific proliferative unresponsiveness was induced in CD4 + T cells exposed to antigen (Ag) in the presence of the histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors n-butyrate, trichostatin A or scriptaid. However, the ability of HDAC inhibitors to induce anergy in Th1 cells was not due to general histone hyperacetylation. Instead, the anergy induced by HDAC inhibitors was associated with upregulation of p21 Cip1, a secondary effect of histone acetylation. Induction of p21 Cip1 in the absence of histone hyperacetylation by exposure to okadaic acid also resulted in T cell anergy. In addition, Ag-specific p21 Cip1-deficient CD4 + T cells were much less susceptible to anergy induction by n-butyrate. Thus, p21 Cip1 appears to mediate the proliferative unresponsiveness found in CD4 + T cell anergized by exposure to Ag in the presence of HDAC inhibitors.

AAV8-mediated Gene Transfer of Interleukin-4 to Endogenous β-Cells Prevents the Onset of Diabetes in NOD Mice

We have demonstrated the ability to deliver and express genes specifically in beta-cells for at least 6 months, using a murine insulin promoter (mIP) in a double-stranded, self-complementary AAV vector (dsAAV8-mIP). In this study, we evaluated the effects of dsAAV8-mIP-mediated delivery of interleukin 4 (mIL-4) to endogenous beta-cells in nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice. In 4-week-old NOD mice, the extent of gene transfer and expression in endogenous beta-cells after ip delivery of dsAAV8-mIP-enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) was comparable to normal BALB/C mice. Further, after IP delivery of dsAAV8-mIP-IL4, expression of mIL-4 was detected in islets isolated from the treated mice and cultured. AAV8-mIP-mediated gene expression of mIL-4 in endogenous beta- cells of 4- and 8-week-old NOD mice prevented the onset of hyperglycemia in NOD mice and reduced the severity of insulitis. Moreover, expression of mIL-4 also maintained the level of CD4(+)CD25(+)FoxP3(+) cells, and adoptive transfer of splenocytes from nondiabetic dsAAV8-mIP-IL-4 mice to NODscid mice was able to block the diabetes induced by splenocytes co-adoptively transferred from nondiabetic dsAAV-mIP-eGFP mice. Taken together, these results demonstrate that local expression of mIL-4 in islets prevents islet destruction and blocks autoimmunity, partly through regulation of T-cell function.

CD25 expression distinguishes functionally distinct alloreactive CD4+ CD134+ (OX40+) T-cell subsets in acute graft-versus-host disease

CD134 (OX40) is expressed on activated CD4(+) donor T cells in allogeneic stem cell transplant recipients with acute graft-versus-host disease. The data presented here reveal that differential expression of CD25 by CD4(+) CD134(+) T cells allows separation of these activated cells into 2 phenotypically and functionally distinct alloreactive T-cell subsets. These subsets exhibit distinct tissue associations, with CD4(+) CD134(+) CD25(-) T cells preferentially found in lymphoid tissues and CD4(+) CD134(+) CD25(+) T cells located in lymphoid tissues and inflamed extralymphoid tissues. The CD25(-) T-cell subset exhibited potent proliferative responses to both concanavalin A and allogeneic host leukocytes. By contrast, the CD25(+) T-cell subset proliferated minimally in response to either treatment and inhibited alloantigen-induced proliferation of the CD25(-) subset. Proliferative unresponsiveness associated with the CD25(+) T-cell subset did not extend to cytokine secretion. When stimulated with alloantigen, both CD4(+) CD134(+) T-cell subsets responded by secreting interferon-gamma and interleukin (IL)-10, and neither T-cell subset produced detectable levels of IL-2 or IL-4. Three-day treatment of the CD25(+) T-cell subset with IL-2 restored the proliferative responsiveness of these cells to host alloantigens, suggesting that the proliferative unresponsiveness associated with this T-cell subset reflected a requirement for IL-2. The preferential tissue associations and distinct functional properties associated with these separable alloreactive CD4(+) CD134(+) T-cell subsets suggest that they participate differentially in clinical graft-versus-host disease.

Dendritic cells and measles virus infection.

Measles is a major cause of childhood mortality in developing countries which is mainly attributed to the ability of measles virus (MV) to suppress general immune responses. Paradoxically, virus-specific immunity is efficiently induced, which leads to viral clearance from the host and confers long-lasting protection against reinfection. As sensitisers of pathogen encounter and instructors of the adaptive immune response, dendritic cells (DCs) may play a decisive role in the induction and quality of the MV-specific immune activation. The ability of MV wild-type strains in particular to infect DCs in vitro is dearly established, and the receptor binding haemagglutinin protein of these viruses essentially determines this particular tropism. DC maturation as induced early after MV infection is likely to be of crucial importance for the induction of MV-specific immunity. DCs may, however, be instrumental in MV-induced immunosuppression. (1) T cell depletion could be brought about by DC-T cell fusion or TRAIL-mediated induction of apoptosis. (2) Inhibition of stimulated IL-12 production from MV-infected DCs might affect T cell responses in qualitative terms in favouring Th2 and suppressing Th1 responses. (3) The viral glycoprotein complex expressed at high levels on infected DCs late in infection is able to directly inhibit T cell proliferation by surface contact-dependent negative signalling. This most likely accounts for the failure of infected DC cultures to stimulate allogeneic and inhibit mitogen-stimulated T cell proliferation in vitro and the pronounced proliferative unresponsiveness of T cell ex vivo to polyclonal and antigen-specific stimulation which is a central finding of MV-induced immunosuppression.

The ability of antigen, but not interleukin-2, to promote n-butyrate-induced T helper 1 cell anergy is associated with increased expression and altered association patterns of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors.

The ability of the cell cycle inhibitor n-butyrate to induce T helper 1 (Th1) cell anergy is dependent upon its ability to block the cell cycle progression of activated Th1 cells in G1. Results reported here show that although both interleukin (IL)-2 and antigen (Ag) push Th1 cells into G1 where they are blocked by n-butyrate, only the Ag-activated Th1 cells demonstrate functional anergy once the n-butyrate has been removed from the culture. Because n-butyrate-induced Th1 cell anergy has been linked to increased expression of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors p21Cip1 and p27Kip1, mechanistic experiments focused on the role of these inhibitors. It was found that when Th1 cells were reincubated in Ag-stimulated secondary cultures, the Th1 cells previously exposed to Ag and n-butyrate (anergic Th1 cells) demonstrated a cumulative increase in p21Cip1 and p27Kip1 when compared with Th1 cells previously exposed to recombinant (r)IL-2 and n-butyrate (non-anergic Th1 cells). p27Kip1 in the anergic Th1 cells from the secondary cultures was associated with cyclin-dependent kinases (cdks). In contrast, p21Cip1 in the anergic Th1 cells, although present at high levels, did not associate significantly with cdks, suggesting that p21Cip1 may target some other protein in the anergic Th1 cells. Taken together, these findings suggest that Th1 cell exposure to Ag and n-butyrate, rather than IL-2 and n-butyrate, is needed to induce the cumulative increase in p21Cip1 and p27Kip1 that is associated with the proliferative unresponsiveness in anergic Th1 cells. In addition, p21Cip1 may inhibit proliferation in the anergic Th1 cells by some mechanism other than suppression of cdks that is unique to the induction of Th1 cell anergy.

Regulation of gene expression in lymphocytes and antigen-presenting cells by measles virus: consequences for immunomodulation.

Acute measles, a well known disease usually contracted during early childhood, is still the major cause of vaccine-preventable infant deaths worldwide. There are about 40 million cases of acute measles per year, with more than one million cases of infant death as a consequence of measles. These are mainly due to opportunistic infections which develop on the basis of a generalized suppression of the cellular immunity in the course and after the acute disease. Lymphopenia, a general proliferative unresponsiveness of T cells ex vivo and cytokine imbalance, are considered as major hallmarks of measles virus (MV) induced immunosuppression. These findings are compatible with modulation of T cell responses by viral interference with professional antigen-presenting cells such as dendritic cells or direct effects on T cells by suppression of survival or proliferation signals. In vitro, MV interaction causes a variety of effects on dendritic cells, including maturation and loss of their allostimulatory functions. Whether there is an additional impact on the quality of T cell responses is unknown as yet. It is clear, however, that surface interaction of lymphocytes with the MV glycoprotein complex is necessary and sufficient to induce a state of proliferative unresponsiveness in T cells. This surface contact mediated signal essentially interferes with the propagation of the interleukin 2 receptor signal by blocking the activation of the protein kinase B, also called Akt kinase, both in vitro and after experimental infection.

Congenic mapping of the diabetogenic locus Idd4 to a 5.2-cM region of chromosome 11 in NOD mice: identification of two potential candidate subloci.

Twenty diabetes susceptibility loci on 12 mouse chromosomes have been identified to control the development of type 1 diabetes at the level of either initiation of insulitis or progression from insulitis to overt diabetes or both. Previously, we demonstrated that the genetic control of T-cell proliferative unresponsiveness in nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice is linked to Idd4 on mouse chromosome 11. Here, we show by congenic mapping of three newly generated NOD.B6Idd4 diabetes-resistant mouse strains that Idd4 is limited to a 5.2-cM interval of chromosome 11. This B6-derived region expressed in NOD.B6Idd4A mice maps between the D11Nds1 (43.8 cM) and D11Mit38/D11Mit325 (49.0 cM) markers and dramatically reduces the development of both insulitis and type 1 diabetes. NOD.B6Idd4B and NOD.B6Idd4C mice, which carry a smaller B6-derived segment of chromosome 11 that spans <5.2 cM distal to D11Nds1, exhibit protection against type 1 diabetes with the restoration of T-cell proliferation. Our findings suggest that diabetes resistance conferred by Idd4 may be mediated by the Idd4.1 and Idd4.2 subloci. Idd4.1 is localized in the D11Nds1 interval that influences both diabetes and insulitis. Idd4.2 is localized within the D11Mit38/325 interval that mainly influences diabetes incidence and restores T-cell proliferative responsiveness. Three potential candidate genes, platelet activating factor acetylhydrolase Ib1, nitric oxide synthase-2, and CC chemokine genes, are localized in the 5.2-cM interval.

Rapid depletion of peripheral antigen-specific T cells in TCR-transgenic mice after oral administration of myelin basic protein.

In myelin basic protein (MBP)-specific TCR-transgenic (Tg) mice, peripheral T cells express the Valpha2.3/Vbeta8.2-Tg TCR, demonstrate vigorous proliferative responses to MBP in vitro, and can exhibit experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) within 5 days of pertussis toxin injection. We explored the effects of oral administration of MBP on the cellular trafficking of the MBP-specific TCR-Tg cells and the ability of oral MBP to protect Tg mice from EAE. Tg mice were fed MBP, OVA or vehicle and sacrificed at various times after feeding. An immediate and dramatic decrease in Valpha2.3/Vbeta8.2(+)-Tg cells was observed in the periphery within 1 h after feeding. By 3 days after feeding, the percentage of Tg cells increased to near control levels, but decreased again by 10 days. When MBP or vehicle-fed Tg mice were challenged for EAE at this point, disease was severe in the vehicle-fed mice and reduced in the MBP-fed mice over the 40-day observation period. In vitro studies revealed a biphasic pattern of MBP proliferative unresponsiveness and an induction of Th1 cytokines. Immunohistochemical staining showed that the number of Tg cells found in the intestinal lamina propria increased dramatically as the number of Tg cells in the periphery decreased. There was no apparent proliferation of Tg cells in the lamina propria, indicating that Tg cells trafficked there from the periphery. Taken together, these results suggest that T cell trafficking into the site of Ag deposition acts to protect the TCR-Tg mouse from EAE.

Induction of anergy in Th1 cells associated with increased levels of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors p21Cip1 and p27Kip1.

Th1 cells exposed to Ag and the G(1) blocker n-butyrate in primary cultures lose their ability to proliferate in Ag-stimulated secondary cultures. The ability of n-butyrate to induce anergy in Ag-stimulated, but not resting, Th1 cells was shown here to be blocked by cycloheximide. Subsequent experiments to delineate the nature of the protein apparently required for n-butyrate-induced Th1 cell anergy focused on the role of cyclin-dependent kinase (cdk) inhibitors p21(Cip1) and p27(Kip1). Normally, entry into S phase by Th1 cells occurs around 24 h after Ag stimulation and corresponds with relatively low levels of both p21(Cip1) and p27(Kip1). However, unlike control Th1 cells, anergic Th1 cells contained high levels of both p21(Cip1) and p27(Kip1) when examined 24 h after Ag stimulation. The increase in p21(Cip1) observed in Ag-stimulated anergic Th1 cells appeared to be initiated in primary cultures. In contrast, the increase in p27(Kip1) observed in these anergic Th1 cells appears to represent a re-expression of the protein much earlier than control cells following Ag stimulation in secondary cultures. The anergic Th1 cells contained functionally active cdk inhibitors capable of inhibiting the activity of both endogenous and exogenous cdks. Consequently, it appears that n-butyrate-induced anergy in Th1 cells correlated with the up-regulation of p21(Cip1) and perhaps the downstream failure to maintain low levels of p27(Kip1). Increased levels of both p21(Cip1) and p27(Kip1) at the end of G(1) could prevent cdk-mediated entry into S phase, and thus help maintain the proliferative unresponsiveness found in the anergic Th1 cells.

Interleukin-15 redirects the outcome of a tolerizing T-cell stimulus from apoptosis to anergy

Clonal deletion and anergy are 2 mechanisms used by the immune system to establish peripheral tolerance. In vitro, these mechanisms are induced in T lymphocytes by triggering the T-cell receptor (signal 1) in the absence of costimulation (signal 2). T-cell clones have been shown either to become anergic or to die in response to signal 1 alone; yet the factors that govern this choice remain unknown. This study evaluated the influence of the cytokines interleukin (IL)-2 and IL-15 on the response of the Th1 clone hemagglutinin (T-HA) to signal 1, delivered by stimulation with immobilized anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody (mAb). The response induced by immobilized anti-CD3 mAb was dependent on the cytokine milieu; in the presence of IL-2, T-HA cells were subject to apoptosis, whereas in the presence of IL-15 the cells remained viable but showed proliferative unresponsiveness. After release from the anti-CD3 stimulus, the IL-15-rescued T-HA cells regained responsiveness to IL-2 and IL-15 growth factor activity. However, they were unable to proliferate when stimulated with their cognate antigen presented by professional antigen-presenting cells (signal 1 plus 2) and thus had acquired an anergic phenotype. These data assign a novel function to the previously reported antiapoptotic activity of IL-15, namely, the capacity to redirect the T-cell response to partial stimulation from clonal deletion to anergy. Furthermore, they emphasize that the cytokine environment can critically influence the outcome of a tolerizing stimulus.

Interleukin-15 redirects the outcome of a tolerizing T-cell stimulus from apoptosis to anergy

AbstractClonal deletion and anergy are 2 mechanisms used by the immune system to establish peripheral tolerance. In vitro, these mechanisms are induced in T lymphocytes by triggering the T-cell receptor (signal 1) in the absence of costimulation (signal 2). T-cell clones have been shown either to become anergic or to die in response to signal 1 alone; yet the factors that govern this choice remain unknown. This study evaluated the influence of the cytokines interleukin (IL)-2 and IL-15 on the response of the Th1 clone hemagglutinin (T-HA) to signal 1, delivered by stimulation with immobilized anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody (mAb). The response induced by immobilized anti-CD3 mAb was dependent on the cytokine milieu; in the presence of IL-2, T-HA cells were subject to apoptosis, whereas in the presence of IL-15 the cells remained viable but showed proliferative unresponsiveness. After release from the anti-CD3 stimulus, the IL-15-rescued T-HA cells regained responsiveness to IL-2 and IL-15 growth factor activity. However, they were unable to proliferate when stimulated with their cognate antigen presented by professional antigen-presenting cells (signal 1 plus 2) and thus had acquired an anergic phenotype. These data assign a novel function to the previously reported antiapoptotic activity of IL-15, namely, the capacity to redirect the T-cell response to partial stimulation from clonal deletion to anergy. Furthermore, they emphasize that the cytokine environment can critically influence the outcome of a tolerizing stimulus.

Single cell analysis of cytokine expression kinetics by human CD4+ T-cell clones during activation or tolerance induction.

Exposure to optimal peptide antigen concentrations induces human CD4+ T-cell clones to proliferate and secrete various cytokines. Higher (> 10-fold optimal) antigen concentrations cause long-term proliferative unresponsiveness, which can be reversed by exogenous interleukin-2 (IL-2). We call this condition 'tolerance'. We used intracellular cytokine staining and flow cytometric analysis to investigate the kinetics of interferon-gamma, tumour necrosis factor-alpha, IL-4 and IL-5 production during the initial phase of tolerance induction. Single cell analysis of interferon-gamma and IL-4 or IL-5 coexpression showed functional heterogeneity of cloned human CD4+ T cells. Superstimulation with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate and ionomycin (PI) revealed enhanced responsiveness shortly after tolerizing treatment, followed by reduced responsiveness. Both tolerized and activated T cells had similarly reduced cytokine responses when further stimulated with antigen during the following 48 hr, with limited enhancement following additional stimulation with PI. We conclude that cytokine induction is normally followed by a refractory phase, but that the expression of cytokines is enhanced in the initial phase of tolerance induction.

Measles virus-induced immunosuppression in vitro is associated with deregulation of G1 cell cycle control proteins.

Virus-induced immunosuppression is the major cause of the high morbidity/mortality rates associated with acute measles. It has been shown previously that mitogen-dependent proliferation of peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) was strongly impaired after contact with the measles virus (MV) glycoproteins F and H expressed on the surface of infected cells, cells transfected with the corresponding expression constructs or UV-inactivated MV (UV-MV). The state of unresponsiveness was not associated with the induction of apoptosis, and a significant proportion of PBL was found to be arrested in the G0/G1 phase of the cell cycle. It is now shown that cell cycle cessation, rather than complete arrest, is induced after MV glycoprotein contact. No obvious role was found for p53 in the induction of this unresponsiveness. With UV-MV as effector, downregulation of p27, an inhibitor of cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK)-cyclin complexes, was significantly delayed after mitogenic stimulation of human PBL. The activities of both CDK4/6-cyclin D and CDK2-cyclin E complexes for phosphorylation of exogenous substrates in vitro were strongly reduced. CDK4, CDK6, cyclins D3 and E and, to a minor extent, CDK2 failed to accumulate at the protein level after mitogenic stimulation in the presence of UV-MV. These data indicate that MV-induced proliferative unresponsiveness of PBL to mitogenic stimulation is associated with a drastic deregulation of the expression of cell cycle genes essential for the G1/S phase transition.

The role of clonal anergy in the avoidance of autoimmunity: inactivation of autocrine growth without loss of effector function.

Exposure of mature CD4+ T cells in the peripheral immune system to peptide-antigen/MHC complexes in the absence of a threat of infection induces tolerance to the antigen as a result of both a decreased clonal frequency (peripheral deletion) and the induction of proliferative unresponsiveness (clonal anergy) in the survivors. Interestingly, Th 1-like effector functions are not automatically blocked after the development of clonal anergy. Thus, anergic T cells have the capacity to mediate Th 1-like helper activities if allowed to accumulate to high frequency. In this article, we examine those factors important to the development of tolerance versus immunity against protein antigen, and speculate on the relationship that exists between effective peripheral tolerance induction and the avoidance of autoimmune disease.

EFFECTS OF ANTI-CD2 MONOCLONAL ANTIBODY : CD2 AND CD95-MEDIATED APOPTOSIS OF HUMAN PERIPHERAL T CELLS.

380 The range of immunosuppressive agents developped in recent years for the therapy of organ allograft rejection includes anti-CD2 monoclonal antibody(mAb) that exert the apoptotic death of large activated T lymphocytes. We examined the relationship between proliferation and susceptibility to Fas- and CD2-mediated apoptosis of human peripheral T lymphocytes that had been exposed in primary culture to CD3- or CD2-derived mitogenic stimuli in the presence of monocytes and exogenous IL-2. After 5 days, activated T cells were fractionated into large (F2) and small (F6) cells on Percoll density gradients and analyzed for their susceptibility to apoptosis and for their position in the cell cycle. Most F6 cells displayed a CD45RA+, CD25-, CD2R- phenotype and were unable to incorporate bromodeoxyuridine (BrdUrd) during the entire culture period. However, they were activated to express Fas Ag and some cell cycle regulatory proteins specific to late G1 phase. T cells with proliferative unresponsiveness were sensitive to Fas-mediated apoptosis whether it was triggered by anti-Fas mAb or by Fas ligand, but were almost completely resistant to CD2 apoptotic signaling. In contrast, F2 cells exhibited classical activation markers (CD45RO, CD25 and CD2R) had crossed S phase at least once, and were sensitive to both Fas and CD2 apoptotic signals. In large cells harvested earlier (on day 3), the signals were operative in both BrdUrd+ and BrdUrd- cells. Thus, S phase entry is not required for Fas- and CD2-mediated apoptosis. The profound proliferative unresponsiveness of F6 cells to CD3 and CD2 stimuli (bypassed by ionomycin plus PMA) and the CD2R- conformation of their CD2 molecules suggest that they may be in vivo anergized cells whose elimination, upon restimulation, is highly dependent on the Fas death pathway.

Relationship between proliferation and susceptibility to CD95- and CD2-mediated apoptosis in stimulated primary T lymphocytes: T cells manifesting proliferative unresponsiveness are preferentially susceptible to CD95-mediated apoptosis.

Abstract We examined the relationship between proliferation and susceptibility to Fas- and CD2-mediated apoptosis of human peripheral T lymphocytes that had been exposed in primary culture to CD3- or CD2-derived mitogenic stimuli in the presence of monocytes and exogenous IL-2. After 5 days, activated T cells were fractionated into large (F2) and small (F6) cells on Percoll density gradients and analyzed for their susceptibility to apoptosis and for their position in the cell cycle. Most F6 cells displayed a CD45RA+, CD25-, CD2R- phenotype and were unable to incorporate bromodeoxyuridine (BrdUrd) during the entire culture period. However, they were activated to express Fas Ag and some cell cycle regulatory proteins specific to late G1 phase. T cells with proliferative unresponsiveness were sensitive to Fas-mediated apoptosis whether it was triggered by anti-Fas mAb or by Fas ligand, but were almost completely resistant to CD2 apoptotic signaling. In contrast, F2 cells exhibited classical activation markers (CD45RO, CD25, and CD2R), had crossed S phase at least once, and were sensitive to both Fas and CD2 apoptotic signals. In large cells harvested earlier (on day 3), the signals were operative in both BrdUrd+ and BrdUrd- cells. Thus, S phase entry is not required for Fas- and CD2-mediated apoptosis. The profound proliferative unresponsiveness of F6 cells to CD3 and CD2 stimuli (bypassed by ionomycin plus PMA) and the CD2R- conformation of their CD2 molecules suggest that they may be in vivo anergized cells whose elimination, upon restimulation, is highly dependent on the Fas death pathway.

Trypanosoma cruzi-induced immunosuppression: selective triggering of CD4+ T-cell death by the T-cell receptor-CD3 pathway and not by the CD69 or Ly-6 activation pathway.

In a model of experimental Chagas' disease induced with metacyclic forms of Trypanosoma cruzi, CD4+ but not CD8+ T cells undergo T-cell receptor (TCR)-CD3-mediated activation-induced cell death (AICD) in vitro. CD4+ T cells from T. cruzi-infected mice also developed unresponsiveness in proliferative responses to TCR-CD3-mediated stimulation. A linear correlation was found between extent of proliferative unresponsiveness and loss of CD4+ T-cell viability. CD4+ T-cell activation through the CD69 or Ly-6 A/E pathway, on the other hand, did not result in proliferative unresponsiveness compared with controls. Lack of suppression in proliferation assays correlated with lack of AICD by cells stimulated through the CD69 or Ly-6 A/E pathway. Concomitant stimulation through CD69, however, did not rescue CD4+ T cells from CD3-induced death. Flow cytometry study of cells stimulated in vitro showed no defect in interleukin-2 receptor expression by CD4+ T cells from infected donors, which escaped TCR-mediated AICD. In vivo injection of anti-CD3 into acutely infected mice, but not into control mice, led to splenocyte DNA fragmentation and failed to increase splenic CD4+ T-cell numbers. These results show that TCR-CD3-mediated AICD is involved in CD4+ T-cell unresponsiveness in vitro following infection with T. cruzi. In addition, successful activation of these cells through the CD69 and Ly-6 pathways is due to differences in the inability of these stimuli to trigger AICD. Since TCR-CD3-mediated AICD can be induced in vivo in infected mice, these findings may be relevant for the onset of immunological disturbances in the host.

Neonatal peptide exposure can prime T cells and, upon subsequent immunization, induce their immune deviation: implications for antibody vs. T cell-mediated autoimmunity.

Neonatal exposure to antigen is believed to result in T cell clonal inactivation or deletion. Here we report that, contrary to this notion, neonatal injection of BALB/c mice with a hen egg lysozyme peptide 106-116 in putative "tolergenic" doses induced a T cell proliferative and an immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody (Ab) response of both T helper cell 1 (Th1)- (IgG2a, IgG2b, and IgG 3) and Th2-dependent (IgG1) isotopes. Upon subsequent challenge with the peptide in complete Freund's adjuvant in adult life, although this neonatal regimen suppressed proliferation and the production of Th1 cytokines (interleukin[IL]-2 and interferon gamma), Th2 cytokine (IL-5, IL-4, and IL-10) secretion was increased, and the serum levels of Th1- and Th2-dependent isotypes of peptide-specific Ab remained elevated. The in vitro proliferative unresponsiveness in Th1 cells could be reversed by Abs to Th2 cytokines (IL-4 and IL-10). Thus, neonatal treatment with a peptide antigen induces T cell priming including production of IgG Abs of both Th1- and Th2-dependent isotypes. Upon subsequent peptide exposure, the peptide-specific T cell responses undergo an effective class switch in the direction of Th2, resulting in T cell proliferative unresponsiveness. Accordingly, this shift towards increased Ab production to autoantigen could be deleterious in individuals prone to antibody-mediated diseases. Indeed, neonatal treatment with a self-autoantigenic peptide from an anti-DNA monoclonal Ab (A6H 58-69) significantly increased the IgG anti-double-stranded DNA Ab levels in lupus-prone NZB/NZW F1 mice, despite suppressing peptide-specific T cell proliferation. This adverse clinical response is in sharp contrast to the beneficial outcome of neonatal treatment with autoantigens in Th1-mediated autoimmune diseases, such as autoimmune encephalomyelitis, as reported by others. A Th1 to Th2 immune deviation can explain the discordant biological responses after the presumed induction of neonatal tolerance in autoantibody- vs. Th-1 mediated autoimmune diseases.