Abstract
Immune cells at sites of inflammation are continuously activated by local antigens and cytokines, and regulatory mechanisms must be enacted to control inflammation. The stepwise hydrolysis ...of extracellular ATP by ectonucleotidases CD39 and CD73 generates adenosine, a potent immune suppressor. Here we report that human effector CD8 T cells contribute to adenosine production by releasing CD73-containing extracellular vesicles upon activation. These extracellular vesicles have AMPase activity, and the resulting adenosine mediates immune suppression independently of regulatory T cells. In addition, we show that extracellular vesicles isolated from the synovial fluid of patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis contribute to T cell suppression in a CD73-dependent manner. Our results suggest that the generation of adenosine upon T cell activation is an intrinsic mechanism of human effector T cells that complements regulatory T cell-mediated suppression in the inflamed tissue. Finally, our data underscore the role of immune cell-derived extracellular vesicles in the control of immune responses.
Abstract
T
H
17 cells exemplify environmental immune adaptation: they can acquire both a pathogenic and an anti-inflammatory fate. However, it is not known whether the anti-inflammatory fate is ...merely a vestigial trait, or whether it serves to preserve the integrity of the host tissues. Here we show that the capacity of T
H
17 cells to acquire an anti-inflammatory fate is necessary to sustain immunological tolerance, yet it impairs immune protection against
S
.
aureus
. Additionally, we find that TGF-β signalling via Smad3/Smad4 is sufficient for the expression of the anti-inflammatory cytokine, IL-10, in T
H
17 cells. Our data thus indicate a key function of T
H
17 cell plasticity in maintaining immune homeostasis, and dissect the molecular mechanisms explaining the functional flexibility of T
H
17 cells with regard to environmental changes.
CD4
+
T cells play an essential role in orchestrating adequate immunity, but their overactivity has been associated with the development of immune-mediated inflammatory diseases, including liver ...inflammatory diseases. These cells can be subclassified according to their maturation stage, cytokine profile, and pro or anti-inflammatory functions, i.e., functional heterogeneity. In this review, we summarize what has been discovered so far regarding the role of the different CD4
+
T cell polarization states in the progression of two prominent and still different liver inflammatory diseases: non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and autoimmune hepatitis (AIH). Finally, the potential of CD4
+
T cells as a therapeutic target in both NASH and AIH is discussed.
Wound healing is a crucial process which protects our body against permanent damage and invasive infectious agents. Upon tissue damage, inflammation is an early event which is orchestrated by a ...multitude of innate and adaptive immune cell subsets including TH17 cells. TH17 cells and TH17 cell associated cytokines can impact wound healing positively by clearing pathogens and modulating mucosal surfaces and epithelial cells. Injury of the gut mucosa can cause fast expansion of TH17 cells and their induction from naïve T cells through Interleukin (IL)-6, TGF-β, and IL-1β signaling. TH17 cells produce various cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, IL-17, and IL-22, which can promote cell survival and proliferation and thus tissue regeneration in several organs including the skin, the intestine, and the liver. However, TH17 cells are also potentially pathogenic if not tightly controlled. Failure of these control mechanisms can result in chronic inflammatory conditions, such as Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), and can ultimately promote carcinogenesis. Therefore, there are several mechanisms which control TH17 cells. One control mechanism is the regulation of TH17 cells via regulatory T cells and IL-10. This mechanism is especially important in the intestine to terminate immune responses and maintain homeostasis. Furthermore, TH17 cells have the potential to convert from a pro-inflammatory phenotype to an anti-inflammatory phenotype by changing their cytokine profile and acquiring IL-10 production, thereby limiting their own pathological potential. Finally, IL-22, a signature cytokine of TH17 cells, can be controlled by an endogenous soluble inhibitory receptor, Interleukin 22 binding protein (IL-22BP). During tissue injury, the production of IL-22 by TH17 cells is upregulated in order to promote tissue regeneration. To limit the regenerative program, which could promote carcinogenesis, IL-22BP is upregulated during the later phase of regeneration in order to terminate the effects of IL-22. This delicate balance secures the beneficial effects of IL-22 and prevents its potential pathogenicity. An important future goal is to understand the precise mechanisms underlying the regulation of TH17 cells during inflammation, wound healing, and carcinogenesis in order to design targeted therapies for a variety of diseases including infections, cancer, and immune mediated inflammatory disease.
IL-10 is essential to maintain intestinal homeostasis. CD4
T regulatory type 1 (T
1) cells produce large amounts of this cytokine and are therefore currently being examined in clinical trials as T ...cell therapy in patients with inflammatory bowel disease. However, factors and molecular signals sustaining T
1 cell regulatory activity still need to be identified to optimize the efficiency and ensure the safety of these trials. We investigated the role of IL-10 signaling in mature T
1 cells in vivo. Double IL-10
Foxp3
reporter mice and transgenic mice with impairment in IL-10 receptor signaling were used to test the activity of T
1 cells in a murine inflammatory bowel disease model, a model that resembles the trials performed in humans. The molecular signaling was elucidated in vitro. Finally, we used human T
1 cells, currently employed for cell therapy, to confirm our results. We found that murine T
1 cells expressed functional IL-10Rα. T
1 cells with impaired IL-10 receptor signaling lost their regulatory activity in vivo. T
1 cells required IL-10 receptor signaling to activate p38 MAPK, thereby sustaining IL-10 production, which ultimately mediated their suppressive activity. Finally, we confirmed these data using human T
1 cells. In conclusion, T
1 cell regulatory activity is dependent on IL-10 receptor signaling. These data suggest that to optimize T
1 cell-based therapy, IL-10 receptor expression has to be taken into consideration.
The intestinal mucosal barrier controlling the resident microbiome is dependent on a protective mucus layer generated by goblet cells, impairment of which is a hallmark of the inflammatory bowel ...disease, ulcerative colitis. Here, we show that IL-18 is critical in driving the pathologic breakdown of barrier integrity in a model of colitis. Deletion of Il18 or its receptor Il18r1 in intestinal epithelial cells (Δ/EC) conferred protection from colitis and mucosal damage in mice. In contrast, deletion of the IL-18 negative regulator Il18bp resulted in severe colitis associated with loss of mature goblet cells. Colitis and goblet cell loss were rescued in Il18bp−/−;Il18rΔ/EC mice, demonstrating that colitis severity is controlled at the level of IL-18 signaling in intestinal epithelial cells. IL-18 inhibited goblet cell maturation by regulating the transcriptional program instructing goblet cell development. These results inform on the mechanism of goblet cell dysfunction that underlies the pathology of ulcerative colitis.
Display omitted
•IL-18/IL-18R signaling in intestinal epithelial cells promotes DSS-induced colitis•Hyperactive epithelial IL-18 signaling drives goblet cell depletion during colitis•Epithelial IL-18 signaling prevents goblet cell maturation prior to colitis•IL-18 intercepts the transcriptional program controlling goblet cell development
Production of the cytokine IL-18 by epithelial cells, previously thought to protect the mucosal barrier from the effect of inflammation, is critical to drive the pathologic breakdown of intestinal barrier integrity, directly inhibiting goblet cell maturation prior to the onset of colitis.
Clinical manifestations and response to therapies in ulcerative colitis (UC) are heterogeneous, yet patient classification criteria for tailored therapies are currently lacking. Here, we present an ...unsupervised molecular classification of UC patients, concordant with response to therapy in independent retrospective cohorts. We show that classical clustering of UC patient tissue transcriptomic data sets does not identify clinically relevant profiles, likely due to associated covariates. To overcome this, we compare cross-sectional human data sets with a newly generated longitudinal transcriptome profile of murine DSS-induced colitis. We show that the majority of colitis risk-associated gene expression peaks during the inflammatory rather than the recovery phase. Moreover, we achieve UC patient clustering into two distinct transcriptomic profiles, differing in neutrophil-related gene activation. Notably, 87% of patients in UC1 cluster are unresponsive to two most widely used biological therapies. These results demonstrate that cross-species comparison enables stratification of patients undistinguishable by other molecular approaches.
IL-22 has dual functions during tumorigenesis. Short term IL-22 production protects against genotoxic stress, whereas uncontrolled IL-22 activity promotes tumor growth; therefore, tight regulation of ...IL-22 is essential. TGF-β1 promotes the differentiation of Th17 cells, which are known to be a major source of IL-22, but the effect of TGF-β signaling on the production of IL-22 in CD4+ T cells is controversial. Here we show an increased presence of IL-17+IL-22+ cells and TGF-β1 in colorectal cancer compared to normal adjacent tissue, whereas the frequency of IL-22 single producing cells is not changed. Accordingly, TGF-β signaling in CD4+ T cells (specifically Th17 cells) promotes the emergence of IL-22-producing Th17 cells and thereby tumorigenesis in mice. IL-22 single producing T cells, however, are not dependent on TGF-β signaling. We show that TGF-β, via AhR induction, and PI3K signaling promotes IL-22 production in Th17 cells.
Chronic mucosal inflammation and tissue damage predisposes patients to the development of colorectal cancer. This association could be explained by the hypothesis that the same factors and pathways ...important for wound healing also promote tumorigenesis. A sensor of tissue damage should induce these factors to promote tissue repair and regulate their action to prevent development of cancer. Interleukin 22 (IL-22), a cytokine of the IL-10 superfamily, has an important role in colonic epithelial cell repair, and its levels are increased in the blood and intestine of inflammatory bowel disease patients. This cytokine can be neutralized by the soluble IL-22 receptor, known as the IL-22 binding protein (IL-22BP, also known as IL22RA2); however, the significance of endogenous IL-22BP in vivo and the pathways that regulate this receptor are unknown. Here we describe that IL-22BP has a crucial role in controlling tumorigenesis and epithelial cell proliferation in the colon. IL-22BP is highly expressed by dendritic cells in the colon in steady-state conditions. Sensing of intestinal tissue damage via the NLRP3 or NLRP6 inflammasomes led to an IL-18-dependent downregulation of IL-22BP, thereby increasing the ratio of IL-22/IL-22BP. IL-22, which is induced during intestinal tissue damage, exerted protective properties during the peak of damage, but promoted tumour development if uncontrolled during the recovery phase. Thus, the IL-22-IL-22BP axis critically regulates intestinal tissue repair and tumorigenesis in the colon.
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is an aggressive disease with poor prognosis. This is due to the fact that most cases are only diagnosed at an advanced and palliative disease stage, and there ...is a high incidence of therapy resistance. Despite ongoing efforts, to date, the mechanisms underlying PDAC oncogenesis and its poor responses to treatment are still largely unclear. As the study of the microbiome in cancer progresses, growing evidence suggests that bacteria or fungi might be key players both in PDAC oncogenesis as well as in its resistance to chemo- and immunotherapy, for instance through modulation of the tumor microenvironment and reshaping of the host immune response. Here, we review how the microbiota exerts these effects directly or indirectly via microbial-derived metabolites. Finally, we further discuss the potential of modulating the microbiota composition as a therapy in PDAC.
PDF
