T细胞抗原识别与活化研究

T细胞是通过其表面受体-T细胞抗原特异性受体（T cell antigen specific receptor,TCR）识别抗原并进行免疫应答的．T细胞如何识别以及清除抗原一直是分子免疫学研究的重点．免疫应答的重要过程是淋巴细胞的活化．而T细胞活化是细胞介导的免疫应答中不可缺少的内容．鉴于T细胞抗原识别和活化在免疫应答中的重要性．对近年来T细胞在抗原识别与活化研究方面所取得的重要进展进行了综述,并展望了T细胞的研究前景．     

CD4+T细胞免疫识别的一种新理解

获得性免疫具有抗原特异性,但同时T细胞识别却有混杂性和NHC制约等现象,这提示T细胞对抗原肽-MHC分子复合物(pMHC)识别中可能存在不同模式。本文提出了CD4 T细胞有两种特异性识别活化基础单位(具有不同的生理学意义)的模型,一种为纯TCR模式(TCR model),对pMHC(尤其是抗原肽)高特异性识别;另一种为复合受体模式(TCR-CD4 model),对MHC-Ⅱ分子特异性要求很高(NHC制约),但有可以不同亲合度结合抗原肽的混杂性;它们在免疫应答中以不同组合形式出现,可形成细胞水平区分“自我”与“非我”的效应。由此可更合理、简化地理解各种有关免疫现象以及淋巴免疫系统的起源。     

鸡T细胞受体的研究进展

T细胞受体（TCellReCeptor,TCR）是存在于T细胞膜上的识别外来抗原与自身MHCI类（或Ⅱ类抗原）的复合物成分。它是T细胞将外部信号转化为内部信号,触发T细胞增殖分化、发挥其效应功能的重要分子基础。TCR结构与功能的研究,是深入探讨机体免疫应答机理的重要内容之一。应用单克隆抗体（MCAb）技术和分子生物学技术,已对人和小鼠TCR生物学特性有了详尽的认识。近年来,对鸡TCR结构与功能的研究也取得了新的研究进展,本文就鸡TCR生物学特性的最新研究进展作一综述。一、鸡TCR结构及其亚群分类象哺乳动物一样,鸡TCR多肽键…     

以T细胞受体为基础的免疫疗法研究进展

T细胞是机体抗肿瘤免疫的核心,以T细胞功能调控为基础的免疫检查点疗法已经在多种肿瘤的临床治疗中取得了重大突破,以基因工程化T细胞为基础的过继性免疫细胞疗法在血液瘤治疗中取得了重要进展,免疫治疗已经对肿瘤的临床治疗产生了深刻变革,成为肿瘤临床治疗策略的重要组成部分。T细胞受体（T cell receptor,TCR）赋予了T细胞识别肿瘤抗原的特异性,能够识别由主要组织相容性复合体（major histocompatibility complex,MHC）呈递的包括胞内抗原在内的广泛肿瘤抗原,具有高度的抗原敏感性,因而具有广泛的抗肿瘤应用前景。2022年第一款TCR药物的上市开启了TCR药物开发的新纪元,多项TCR药物临床研究表现出潜在的肿瘤治疗价值。本文综述了以TCR为基础的免疫治疗策略研究进展,包括T细胞受体工程化T细胞（T cell receptor-engineered T cell,TCR-T）和TCR蛋白药物,以及基于TCR信号的其他免疫细胞疗法,以期为以TCR为基础的免疫治疗策略开发提供参考。     

免疫突触的形成及其介导的分子识别

T细胞和APC细胞相互作用形成免疫突触涉及到连续发生的一系列的分子识别事件,最初APC细胞在趋化因子的作用下向T细胞移动,相遇后在抗原非依赖性的弱的黏附力作用下发生最初的黏附,同时伴随着TCR在APC表面俘获特异性抗原;抗原识别之后,由多种机制使T细胞和APC紧密接触并维持一段时间,随后分开,最终引起T细胞的增殖和分化。对免疫突触形成过程中的分子识别机制目前尚无定论,拓扑模式和数学模式的解释,脂筏和细胞骨架蛋白的重排以及接头蛋白的连接为免疫突触形成中分子的识别提供了一定的依据。     

T细胞受体(TCR)信号传递的调控及其功能

T细胞受体介导的T细胞活化在胸腺T细胞发育、T细胞亚群分化以及效应T细胞功能发挥过程中均起着至关重要的作用。TCR能特异性识别抗原提呈细胞表面MHC提呈的抗原肽(peptide),并将胞外识别转化成可向细胞内部传递的信号,通过诱导TCR邻近酪氨酸激酶活化,促进信号传递复合物组装,活化下游MAPK、PKC以及钙离子等信号途径,最终活化相应的转录因子,调控效应蛋白分子的表达,完成T细胞的活化。TCR信号传递过程受到不同类型调控分子的调控,这些具有调控功能的分子形成了一个复杂的调控网络来精细调控TCR信号的起始、强度及终止。     

脂筏与T细胞信号转导

抗原提呈细胞将抗原加工处理后通过MHCⅠ/MHCⅡ类分子提呈供T细胞识别。TCR对抗原的识别引起一系列下游信号事件的发生,最终使T细胞激活,但对TCR复合物结合抗原后引起胞内区磷酸化的早期事件机制还不是很清楚。最近的研究揭示脂筏参与了这一早期信号事件的发生。脂筏是一种膜脂双层内含有的特殊微区,T细胞膜表面参与T细胞激活的各种关键信号分子都定位于脂筏。T细胞激活过程中脂筏通过聚集和重分配形成一个信号转导的平台。     

T细胞受体富集区域的微小囊泡在免疫突触的极性释放

<正>T细胞与抗原呈递细胞(APCs)之间的识别过程介导了适应性细胞免疫和抗体应答反应。当T细胞表面的T细胞受体(TCRs)识别APCs表面的主要组织相容性复合体分子(pMHC)上结合的肽段(抗原)时,T细胞信号立即被启动。TCRs与pMHC的识别,加上细胞间黏附受体的参与,共同形成了T细胞和APCs之间的特殊结构,称为免疫突触。免疫突触能介导效应分子和胞内信号在突触间隙进行有效的传递。     

γδ+T细胞与真菌感染

近年来,随着免疫功能低下宿主数量的增加、耐药菌的多发以及新型抗真菌药物的研发进展缓慢等原因,全球真菌感染的发病率呈现逐年上升趋势,感染菌株也发生了变迁,白念珠菌的比例在逐渐减少而非白念珠菌呈上升趋势,同时耐唑类烟曲霉感染以及隐球菌病也均呈上升趋势。T细胞介导的免疫应答在抗真菌感染中占据重要地位,T细胞受体(T cell receptor, TCR)是T细胞上识别和结合抗原并介导机体免疫应答的关键分子。根据T细胞表面TCR的类型,可将T细胞分为αβ⁺T细胞和γδ⁺Τ细胞两类。随着研究的深入,γδ⁺T细胞在真菌感染中的免疫应答也逐渐被揭示,其参与过继免疫以及辅助疫苗接种的潜能逐步被挖掘。该文就γδ⁺T细胞在常见真菌感染性疾病中的作用以及其未来展望作一综述。     

协同刺激分子与疾病

在T细胞表面受体中,除TCR外,协同刺激分子在调节T细胞的免疫反应中起关键性作用,目前较熟悉的协同刺激分子及其配体有：CD40／CD40L、B7—1／B7-2-CD28／CTLA-4、ICOS—B7RP-1。最近人们又发现了CD2-LFA3、CD5-CD5L、4—1BB／4—1BBL、HAS等新的协同刺激分子组合,它们在器官移植、肿瘤治疗、自身免疫病的治疗方面有重要作用;在基础研究中则可用于T细胞与B细胞分化、活化机制、抗原递呈、协同刺激机制、免疫耐受、移植排异反应和自体免疫等的研究。     

Self-peptide/MHC and TCR antagonism: physiological role and therapeutic potential

TCR antagonists are peptides that bind MHC molecules and can specifically inhibit T cell activation induced by antigens. Studying TCR antagonism has taken an important place in immunology for both theoretical and practical reasons. Deciphering the mechanism(s) of action of TCR antagonists can yield important information about interactions of the TCR with ligands, T cell development, and TCR signaling. Moreover, microorganisms may employ TCR antagonism to elude the attention of the immune system. Finally, specificity of inhibition makes TCR antagonists an ideal tool to seek antigen-specific immunomodulation. Present state of knowledge on these topics is reviewed.     

Phosphorylation at serine 318 is not required for inhibition of T cell activation by ALX

The activation of T cells and the initiation of an immune response is tightly controlled by both positive and negative regulators. Two adaptors which function as negative regulators of T cell activation are ALX and LAX. ALX constitutively associates with LAX in T cells, and T cells from mice deficient in ALX and LAX display similar hyper-responsiveness upon T cell receptor (TCR)/CD28 stimulation, including increased production of interleukin-2. During T cell activation, ALX is inducibly phosphorylated, however the site of ALX phosphorylation had not been previously identified and the role of phosphorylation in the inhibitory function of ALX was not known. Here, using mass spectrometry, we demonstrate that ALX is phosphorylated on a serine at position 318. Substitution of alanine for serine at this position (ALX S318A) leads to an abrogation of the mobility shift in ALX induced upon TCR/CD28 stimulation. However, ALX S318A retained the ability to bind to and stimulate tyrosine phosphorylation of LAX. In addition, overexpression of ALX S318A inhibited RE/AP activation upon TCR/CD28 stimulation to a similar extent as wild-type ALX. Therefore, although ALX is inducibly phosphorylated upon TCR/CD28 stimulation, this phosphorylation is not required for ALX to inhibit T cell activation.     

Short-term culture with IL-2 is beneficial for potent memory chimeric antigen receptor T cell production

Interleukin-2 (IL-2) has been extensively used to boost the body's immune cells, especially T cells. IL-2 is a cytokine that for many years was used to activate and amplify T cells. Due to its potent T cell growth-inducing functions in vitro, for many years, IL-2 was used for the culture and expansion of various T cell products, including tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL), T cell receptors T cells (TCR T), or genetically engineered cells with chimeric antigen receptors T cells (CAR T). Despite its positive effect on T cell production, the side-effect is not well studied. Here, we reported that long-term culture with IL-2 promotes terminal differentiation and impairs rather than boosts the function of chimeric antigen receptor T cells. However, short-term culture with IL-2 predominantly generates memory CAR T cell favorable for cancer treatment.     

T-Cell Antigen Receptor-alpha Chain Transmembrane Peptides: Correlation between Structure and Function

Core peptide (CP) is a unique peptide derived from the transmembrane sequence of T cell antigen receptor (TCR)-alpha chain that is capable of inhibiting the immune response both in vitro and in animal models of T cell mediated inflammation. CP contains two basic amino acids (lysine and arginine) in its sequence. The presence of these charged residues interspersed between hydrophobic amino acids is important for function. Here in an attempt to understand CP’s biophysical properties leading to activity we have synthesized a number of CP analogues and correlated their model structure with their biological activity. It became apparent that it is not only the charge of the amino acids but also the nature of the polar amino acids themselves and the topography and spacing between them by hydrophobic amino acids, creating a hydrophobic face, that are critical for CP function.Australian Peptide Conference Issue.     

Hyper‐reactive cloned mice generated by direct nuclear transfer of antigen‐specific CD4+ T cells

T‐cell receptor (TCR)‐transgenic mice have been employed for evaluating antigen‐response mechanisms, but their non‐endogenous TCR might induce immune response differently than the physiologically expressed TCR. Nuclear transfer cloning produces animals that retain the donor genotype in all tissues including germline and immune systems. Taking advantage of this feature, we generated cloned mice that carry endogenously rearranged TCR genes from antigen‐specific CD4⁺ T cells. We show that T cells of the cloned mice display distinct developmental pattern and antigen reactivity because of their endogenously pre‐rearranged TCRα (rTα) and TCRβ (rTβ) alleles. These alleles were transmitted to the offspring, allowing us to establish a set of mouse lines that show chronic‐type allergic phenotypes, that is, bronchial and nasal inflammation, upon local administrations of the corresponding antigens. Intriguingly, the existence of either rTα or rTβ is sufficient to induce in vivo hypersensitivity. These cloned mice expressing intrinsic promoter‐regulated antigen‐specific TCR are a unique animal model with allergic predisposition for investigating CD4⁺ T‐cell‐mediated pathogenesis and cellular commitment in immune diseases.     

Modulation of immunological synapse by membrane-bound and soluble ligands

An efficient adaptive immune response should prevent pathogen infections and tumor growth without causing significant damage to host constituents. A crucial event determining the balance between tolerance and immunity is antigen recognition by T cells on the surface of antigen presenting cells (APC). Several molecular contacts at the interface between T cells and APCs contribute to define the nature of the adaptive immune response against a particular antigen. Upon TCR engagement by a peptide-MHC complex (pMHC) on the surface of an APC, a specialized supra-molecular structure known as immunological synapse (IS) assembles at the interface between these two cells. This structure involves massive re-distribution of membrane proteins, including TCR and pMHC complexes, as well as co-stimulatory and adhesion molecules. Furthermore, IS assembly leads to several important intracellular events necessary for T cell activation, such as recruitment of signaling molecules and cytoskeleton rearrangements. Because IS assembly leads to major consequences on the function of T cells, several studies have attempted to identify both soluble and membrane-bound molecules that could contribute to modulate the IS function. Here we describe recent literature on the regulation of IS assembly and modulation by TCR/pMHC binding kinetics, chemokines and cytokines focusing on their role at controlling the balance between adaptive immunity and tolerance.     

The influence of age on T cell generation and TCR diversity

The ability to mount protective immune responses depends on the diversity of T cells. T cell diversity may be compromised by the declining thymic output of new T cells. The aging process imposes a threat to diversity, because thymic function deteriorates. In this study we have examined the relationship between thymic production, homeostatic T cell proliferation and TCR beta-chain diversity in young (approximately 25 years), middle-aged ( approximately 60 years), and elderly adults (approximately 75 years). TCR excision circles (TREC) as a marker of thymic output exponentially decreased by >95% between 25 and 60 years of age. The frequency of Ki67(+) cycling CD4 T cells remained steady, and surprisingly, the diversity of the naive CD4 T cell repertoire was maintained at approximately 2 x 10(7) different TCR beta-chains. After the age of 70 years, TRECs only slightly declined, but homeostatic proliferation doubled. The diversity of the T cell pool drastically contracted to 200,000 TCR beta-chains. Also, the phenotypic distinction between naive and memory CD4 T cells became fuzzy. The collapse in CD4 T cell diversity during the seventh and eighth decades indicates substantial T cell loss and implies that therapeutic measures to improve vaccine responses will have to include strategies for T cell replenishment.     

Regulating the discriminatory response to antigen by T-cell receptor

The cell-mediated immune response constitutes a robust host defense mechanism to eliminate pathogens and oncogenic cells. T cells play a central role in such a defense mechanism and creating memories to prevent any potential infection. T cell recognizes foreign antigen by its surface receptors when presented through antigen-presenting cells (APCs) and calibrates its cellular response by a network of intracellular signaling events. Activation of T-cell receptor (TCR) leads to changes in gene expression and metabolic networks regulating cell development, proliferation, and migration. TCR does not possess any catalytic activity, and the signaling initiates with the colocalization of several enzymes and scaffold proteins. Deregulation of T cell signaling is often linked to autoimmune disorders like severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), rheumatoid arthritis, and multiple sclerosis. The TCR remarkably distinguishes the minor difference between self and non-self antigen through a kinetic proofreading mechanism. The output of TCR signaling is determined by the half-life of the receptor antigen complex and the time taken to recruit and activate the downstream enzymes. A longer half-life of a non-self antigen receptor complex could initiate downstream signaling by activating associated enzymes. Whereas, the short-lived, self-peptide receptor complex disassembles before the downstream enzymes are activated. Activation of TCR rewires the cellular metabolic response to aerobic glycolysis from oxidative phosphorylation. How does the early event in the TCR signaling cross-talk with the cellular metabolism is an open question. In this review, we have discussed the recent developments in understanding the regulation of TCR signaling, and then we reviewed the emerging role of metabolism in regulating T cell function.