Role of CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell responses against JC virus in the outcome of patients with progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) and PML with immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome

Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) is a severe demyelinating disease of the brain caused by JC virus (JCV). To assess the role of CD4(+) and CD8(+) T-cells against JCV in the clinical outcome of PML and PML in the setting of immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS), we tested gamma interferon (IFN-γ) response by enzyme-linked immunosorbent spot (ELISpot) and intracellular cytokine staining (ICS) in 117 subjects, including 66 PML patients with different clinical outcomes. Both assays were concordant and demonstrated that the cellular immune response against JCV is associated with better clinical outcome. PML survivors had an early CD8(+) T-cell response more frequently than PML progressors (100% versus 27.3%; P = 0.001), while only a trend was observed for the early CD4(+) T-cell response between these two groups (80% versus 45.5%; P = 0.18). Although IRIS itself was more frequent in the PML survivor group, there was no difference in IFN-γ-producing CD4(+) and CD8(+) T-cells between IRIS and non-IRIS PML patients, suggesting that T-cells expressing other cytokines likely have a role in the immunopathogenesis of IRIS. ELISpot and ICS assays are useful prognostic markers of PML evolution and may help in the clinical management of these patients.     

CD4+/CD25+ regulatory cells inhibit activation of tumor-primed CD4+ T cells with IFN-gamma-dependent antiangiogenic activity, as well as long-lasting tumor immunity elicited by peptide vaccination

CD25(+) regulatory T (T reg) cells suppress the activation/proliferation of other CD4(+) or CD8(+) T cells in vitro. Also, down-regulation of CD25(+) T reg cells enhance antitumor immune responses. In this study, we show that depletion of CD25(+) T reg cells allows the host to induce both CD4(+) and CD8(+) antitumoral responses following tumor challenge. Simultaneous depletion of CD25(+) and CD8(+) cells, as well as adoptive transfer experiments, revealed that tumor-specific CD4(+) T cells, which emerged in the absence of CD25(+) T reg cells, were able to reject CT26 colon cancer cells, a MHC class II-negative tumor. The antitumoral effect mediated by CD4(+) T cells was dependent on IFN-gamma production, which exerted a potent antiangiogenic activity. The capacity of the host to mount this antitumor response is lost once the number of CD25(+) T reg cells is restored over time. However, CD25(+) T reg cell depletion before immunization with AH1 (a cytotoxic T cell determinant from CT26 tumor cells) permits the induction of a long-lasting antitumoral immune response, not observed if immunization is conducted in the presence of regulatory cells. A study of the effect of different levels of depletion of CD25(+) T reg cells before immunization with the peptide AH1 alone, or in combination with a Th determinant, unraveled that Th cells play an important role in overcoming the suppressive effect of CD25(+) T reg on the induction of long-lasting cellular immune responses.     

Distinct mechanisms of CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell activation and bystander apoptosis induced by human immunodeficiency virus type 1 virions

Apoptosis of uninfected bystander T cells contributes to T-cell depletion during human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection. HIV-1 envelope/receptor interactions and immune activation have been implicated as contributors to bystander apoptosis. To better understand the relationship between T-cell activation and bystander apoptosis during HIV-1 pathogenesis, we investigated the effects of the highly cytopathic CXCR4-tropic HIV-1 variant ELI6 on primary CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells. Infection of primary T-cell cultures with ELI6 induced CD4(+) T-cell depletion by direct cell lysis and bystander apoptosis. Exposure of primary CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells to nonreplicating ELI6 virions induced bystander apoptosis through a Fas-independent mechanism. Bystander apoptosis of CD4(+) T cells required direct contact with virions and Env/CXCR4 binding. In contrast, the apoptosis of CD8(+) T cells was triggered by a soluble factor(s) secreted by CD4(+) T cells. HIV-1 virions activated CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells to express CD25 and HLA-DR and preferentially induced apoptosis in CD25(+)HLA-DR(+) T cells in a CXCR4-dependent manner. Maximal levels of binding, activation, and apoptosis were induced by virions that incorporated MHC class II and B7-2 into the viral membrane. These results suggest that nonreplicating HIV-1 virions contribute to chronic immune activation and T-cell depletion during HIV-1 pathogenesis by activating CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells, which then proceed to die via apoptosis. This mechanism may represent a viral immune evasion strategy to increase viral replication by activating target cells while killing immune effector cells that are not productively infected.     

Human CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells share equally complex and comparable repertoires with CD4+CD25- counterparts

CD4(+)CD25(+) T cells are critical mediators of peripheral immune tolerance. However, many developmental and functional characteristics of these cells are unknown, and knowledge of human regulatory T cells is particularly limited. To better understand how human CD4(+)CD25(+) T cells develop and function, we examined the diversity of CD4(+)CD25(+) and CD4(+)CD25(-) T cell repertoires in both thymus and peripheral blood. Levels of T receptor excision circles (TREC) were comparable in purified CD4(+)CD25(+) and CD4(+)CD25(-) thymic populations, but were significantly higher than those in samples derived from peripheral blood, consistent with murine studies demonstrating thymic development of CD4(+)CD25(+) regulatory T cells. Surprisingly, CD4(+)CD25(-) T cells isolated from peripheral blood had greater TREC quantities than their CD4(+)CD25(+) counterparts, supporting the possibility of extrathymic expansion as well. CD4(+)CD25(+) and CD4(+)CD25(-) T cells from a given individual showed overlapping profiles with respect to diversity by Vbeta staining and spectratyping. Interestingly, CD4(+)CD25(+) T cells have lower quantities of CD3 than CD4(+)CD25(-) T cells. Collectively, these data suggest that human CD4(+)CD25(+) T cells recognize a similar array of Ags as CD4(+)CD25(-) T cells. However, reduced levels of TCR on regulatory T cells suggest different requirements for activation and may contribute to how the immune system regulates whether a particular response is suppressed or augmented.     

Multiple CD4+ T cell subsets produce immunomodulatory IL-10 during respiratory syncytial virus infection

The host immune response is believed to contribute to the severity of pulmonary disease induced by acute respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection. Because RSV-induced pulmonary disease is associated with immunopathology, we evaluated the role of IL-10 in modulating the RSV-specific immune response. We found that IL-10 protein levels in the lung were increased following acute RSV infection, with maximum production corresponding to the peak of the virus-specific T cell response. The majority of IL-10-producing cells in the lung during acute RSV infection were CD4(+) T cells. The IL-10-producing CD4(+) T cells included Foxp3(+) regulatory T cells, Foxp3(-) CD4(+) T cells that coproduce IFN-γ, and Foxp3(-) CD4(+) T cells that do not coproduce IFN-γ. RSV infection of IL-10-deficient mice resulted in more severe disease, as measured by increased weight loss and airway resistance, as compared with control mice. We also observed an increase in the magnitude of the RSV-induced CD8(+) and CD4(+) T cell response that correlated with increased disease severity in the absence of IL-10 or following IL-10R blockade. Interestingly, IL-10R blockade during acute RSV infection altered CD4(+) T cell subset distribution, resulting in a significant increase in IL-17A-producing CD4(+) T cells and a concomitant decrease in Foxp3(+) regulatory T cells. These results demonstrate that IL-10 plays a critical role in modulating the adaptive immune response to RSV by limiting T-cell-mediated pulmonary inflammation and injury.     

Downregulation of IL-12 and a novel negative feedback system mediated by CD25+CD4+ T cells

CD25(+)CD4(+) regulatory T cells suppress immune responses and are believed to play roles in preventing autoimmune diseases. However, the mechanism(s) underlying the suppression and the regulation of their homeostasis remain to be elucidated. Here we show that these regulatory T cells downregulated CD25(-)CD4(+) T-cell-mediated production of IL-12 from antigen-presenting cells, which can act as a growth factor for CD25(-)CD4(+) T cells. We further found that CD25(+)CD4(+) T cells, despite their well-documented "anergic" nature, proliferate significantly in vitro only when CD25(-)CD4(+) T cells are present. Notably, this proliferation was strongly dependent on IL-2 and relatively independent of IL-12. Thus, CD25(+)CD4(+) T cells suppress CD25(-)CD4(+) T-cell responses, at least in part, by inhibiting IL-12 production while they themselves can undergo proliferation with the mediation of CD25(-)CD4(+) T cells in vitro. These results offer a novel negative feedback system involving a tripartite interaction among CD25(+)CD4(+) and CD25(-)CD4(+) T cells, and APCs that may contribute to the termination of immune responses.     

Intestinal lamina propria retaining CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells is a suppressive site of intestinal inflammation

It is well known that immune responses in the intestine remain in a state of controlled inflammation, suggesting that not only does active suppression by regulatory T (T(REG)) cells play an important role in the normal intestinal homeostasis, but also that its dysregulation of immune response leads to the development of inflammatory bowel disease. In this study, we demonstrate that murine CD4(+)CD25(+) T cells residing in the intestinal lamina propria (LP) constitutively express CTLA-4, glucocorticoid-induced TNFR, and Foxp3 and suppress proliferation of responder CD4(+) T cells in vitro. Furthermore, cotransfer of intestinal LP CD4(+)CD25(+) T cells prevents the development of chronic colitis induced by adoptive transfer of CD4(+)CD45RB(high) T cells into SCID mice. When lymphotoxin (LT)alpha-deficient intercrossed Rag2 double knockout mice (LTalpha(-/-) x Rag2(-/-)), which lack mesenteric lymph nodes and Peyer's patches, are transferred with CD4(+)CD45RB(high) T cells, they develop severe wasting disease and chronic colitis despite the delayed kinetics as compared with the control LTalpha(+/+) x Rag2(-/-) mice transferred with CD4(+)CD45RB(high) T cells. Of note, when a mixture of splenic CD4(+)CD25(+) T(REG) cells and CD4(+)CD45RB(high) T cells are transferred into LTalpha(-/-) x Rag2(-/-) recipients, CD4(+)CD25(+) T(REG) cells migrate into the colon and prevent the development of colitis in LTalpha(-/-) x Rag2(-/-) recipients as well as in the control LTalpha(+/+) x Rag2(-/-) recipients. These results suggest that the intestinal LP harboring CD4(+)CD25(+) T(REG) cells contributes to the intestinal immune suppression.     

Evidence for a selective migration of fetus-specific CD4+CD25bright regulatory T cells from the peripheral blood to the decidua in human pregnancy

During pregnancy, the maternal immune system has to tolerate the persistence of fetal alloantigens. Many mechanisms contribute to the prevention of a destructive immune response mediated by maternal alloreactive lymphocytes directed against the allogeneic fetus. Murine studies suggest that CD4(+)CD25(+) T cells provide mechanisms of specific immune tolerance to fetal alloantigens during pregnancy. Previous studies by our group demonstrate that a significantly higher percentage of activated T cells and CD4(+)CD25(bright) T cells are present in decidual tissue in comparison with maternal peripheral blood in human pregnancy. In this study, we examined the phenotypic and functional properties of CD4(+)CD25(bright) T cells derived from maternal peripheral blood and decidual tissue. Depletion of CD4(+)CD25(bright) T cells from maternal peripheral blood demonstrates regulation to third party umbilical cord blood cells comparable to nonpregnant controls, whereas the suppressive capacity to umbilical cord blood cells of her own child is absent. Furthermore, maternal peripheral blood shows a reduced percentage of CD4(+)CD25(bright)FOXP3(+) and CD4(+)CD25(bright)HLA-DR(+) cells compared with peripheral blood of nonpregnant controls. In contrast, decidual lymphocyte isolates contain high percentages of CD4(+)CD25(bright) T cells with a regulatory phenotype that is able to down-regulate fetus-specific and fetus-nonspecific immune responses. These data suggest a preferential recruitment of fetus-specific regulatory T cells from maternal peripheral blood to the fetal-maternal interface, where they may contribute to the local regulation of fetus-specific responses.     

Disruption of intestinal CD4+ T cell homeostasis is a key marker of systemic CD4+ T cell activation in HIV-infected individuals

HIV infection is associated with depletion of intestinal CD4(+) T cells, resulting in mucosal immune dysfunction, microbial translocation, chronic immune activation, and progressive immunodeficiency. In this study, we examined HIV-infected individuals with active virus replication (n = 15), treated with antiretroviral therapy (n = 13), and healthy controls (n = 11) and conducted a comparative analysis of T cells derived from blood and four gastrointestinal (GI) sites (terminal ileum, right colon, left colon, and sigmoid colon). As expected, we found that HIV infection is associated with depletion of total CD4(+) T cells as well as CD4(+)CCR5(+) T cells in all GI sites, with higher levels of these cells found in ART-treated individuals than in those with active virus replication. While the levels of both CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cell proliferation were higher in the blood of untreated HIV-infected individuals, only CD4(+) T cell proliferation was significantly increased in the gut of the same patients. We also noted that the levels of CD4(+) T cells and the percentages of CD4(+)Ki67(+) proliferating T cells are inversely correlated in both blood and intestinal tissues, thus suggesting that CD4(+) T cell homeostasis is similarly affected by HIV infection in these distinct anatomic compartments. Importantly, the level of intestinal CD4(+) T cells (both total and Th17 cells) was inversely correlated with the percentage of circulating CD4(+)Ki67(+) T cells. Collectively, these data confirm that the GI tract is a key player in the immunopathogenesis of HIV infection, and they reveal a strong association between the destruction of intestinal CD4(+) T cell homeostasis in the gut and the level of systemic CD4(+) T cell activation.     

Preferential infection shortens the life span of human immunodeficiency virus-specific CD4+ T cells in vivo

CD4(+) T-cell help is essential for effective immune responses to viruses. In human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, CD4(+) T cells specific for HIV are infected by the virus at higher frequencies than other memory CD4(+) T cells. Here, we demonstrate that HIV-specific CD4(+) T cells are barely detectable in most infected individuals and that the corresponding CD4(+) T cells exhibit an immature phenotype compared to both cytomegalovirus (CMV)-specific CD4(+) T cells and other memory CD4(+) T cells. However, in two individuals, we observed a rare and diametrically opposed pattern in which HIV-specific CD4(+) T-cell populations of large magnitude exhibited a terminally differentiated immunophenotype; these cells were not preferentially infected in vivo. Clonotypic analysis revealed that the HIV-specific CD4(+) T cells from these individuals were cross-reactive with CMV. Thus, preferential infection can be circumvented in the presence of cross-reactive CD4(+) T cells driven to maturity by coinfecting viral antigens, and this physical proximity rather than activation status per se is an important determinant of preferential infection based on antigen specificity. These data demonstrate that preferential infection reduces the life span of HIV-specific CD4(+) T cells in vivo and thereby compromises the generation of effective immune responses to the virus itself; further, this central feature in the pathophysiology of HIV infection can be influenced by the cross-reactivity of responding CD4(+) T cells.     

CD4(+) T cells are required for the development of cytotoxic CD8(+) T cells during Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection.

The control of acute and chronic Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection is dependent on CD4(+) T cells. In a variety of systems CD8(+) T cell effector responses are dependent on CD4(+) T cell help. The development of CD8(+) T cell-mediated immune responses in the absence of CD4(+) T cells was investigated in a murine model of acute tuberculosis. In vitro and in vivo, priming of mycobacteria-specific CD8(+) T cells was unaffected by the absence of CD4(+) T cells. Infiltration of CD8(+) T cells into infected lungs of CD4(-/-) or wild-type mice was similar. IFN-gamma production by lung CD8(+) T cells in CD4(-/-) and wild-type mice was also comparable, suggesting that emergence of IFN-gamma-producing mycobacteria-specific CD8(+) T cells in the lungs was independent of CD4(+) T cell help. In contrast, cytotoxic activity of CD8(+) T cells from lungs of M. tuberculosis-infected mice was impaired in CD4(-/-) mice. Expression of mRNA for IL-2 and IL-15, cytokines critical for the development of cytotoxic effector cells, was diminished in the lungs of M. tuberculosis-infected CD4(-/-) mice. As tuberculosis is frequently associated with HIV infection and a subsequent loss of CD4(+) T cells, understanding the interaction between CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cell subsets during the immune response to M. tuberculosis is imperative for the design of successful vaccination strategies.     

CD4+CD25bright T cells in human intestinal lamina propria as regulatory cells

It is well known that immune responses in the intestine remain in a state of controlled inflammation, suggesting that not only active suppression by regulatory T cells plays an important role in the normal intestinal homeostasis, but also its dysregulation leads to the development of inflammatory bowel disease. In this study, we demonstrate that the CD4(+)CD25(bright) T cells reside in the human intestinal lamina propria (LP) and functionally retain regulatory activities. All human LP CD4(+) T cells regardless of CD25 expression constitutively expressed CTLA-4, glucocorticoid-induced TNFR family-related protein, and Foxp3 and proliferate poorly. Although LP CD4(+)CD25(-) T cells showed an activated and anergic/memory phenotype, they did not retain regulatory activity. In LP CD4(+)CD25(+) T cells, however, cells expressing CD25 at high levels (CD4(+)CD25(bright)) suppressed the proliferation and various cytokine productions of CD4(+)CD25(-) T cells. LP CD4(+)CD25(bright) T cells by themselves produced fewer amounts of IL-2, IFN-gamma, and IL-10. Interestingly, LP CD4(+)CD25(bright) T cells with regulatory T activity were significantly increased in patients with active inflammatory bowel disease. These results suggest that CD4(+)CD25(bright) T cells found in the normal and inflamed intestinal mucosa selectively inhibit the host immune response and therefore may contribute to the intestinal immune homeostasis.     

CD4+ NKT cells,but not conventional CD4+ T cells,are required to generate efferent CD8+ T regulatory cells following antigen inoculation in an immune-privileged site

Following inoculation of Ag into the anterior chamber (a.c.), systemic tolerance develops that is mediated in part by Ag-specific efferent CD8(+) T regulatory (Tr) cells. This model of tolerance is called a.c.-associated immune deviation. The generation of the efferent CD8(+) Tr cell in a.c.-associated immune deviation is dependent on IL-10-producing, CD1d-restricted, invariant Valpha14(+) NKT (iNKT) cells. The iNKT cell subpopulations are either CD4(+) or CD4(-)CD8(-) double negative. This report identifies the subpopulation of iNKT cells that is important for induction of the efferent Tr cell. Because MHC class II(-/-) (class II(-/-)) mice generate efferent Tr cells following a.c. inoculation, we conclude that conventional CD4(+) T cells are not needed for the development of efferent CD8(+) T cells. Furthermore, Ab depletion of CD4(+) cells in both wild-type mice (remove both conventional and CD4(+) NKT cells) and class II(-/-) mice (remove CD4(+) NKT cells) abrogated the generation of Tr cells. We conclude that CD4(+) NKT cells, but not the class II molecule or conventional CD4(+) T cells, are required for generation of efferent CD8(+) Tr cells following Ag introduction into the eye. Understanding the mechanisms that lead to the generation of efferent CD8(+) Tr cells may lead to novel immunotherapy for immune inflammatory diseases.     

Plasmacytoid dendritic cells take up opsonized antigen leading to CD4+ and CD8+ T cell activation in vivo

Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDC) are the body's main source of IFN-alpha, but, unlike classical myeloid DC (myDC), they lack phagocytic activity and are generally perceived as playing only a minor role in Ag processing and presentation. We show that murine pDC, as well as myDC, express Fcgamma receptors (CD16/CD32) and can use these receptors to acquire Ag from immune complexes (IC), resulting in the induction of robust Ag-specific CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cell responses. IC-loaded pDC stimulate CD4(+) T cells to proliferate and secrete a mixture of IL-4 and IFN-gamma, and they induce CD8(+) T cells to secrete IL-10 as well as IFN-gamma. In contrast, IC-loaded myDC induce both CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells to secrete mainly IFN-gamma. These results indicate that pDC can shape an immune response by acquiring and processing opsonized Ag, leading to a predominantly Th2 response.     

Multiple dendritic cell populations activate CD4+ T cells after viral stimulation

Dendritic cells (DC) are a heterogeneous cell population that bridge the innate and adaptive immune systems. CD8alpha DC play a prominent, and sometimes exclusive, role in driving amplification of CD8(+) T cells during a viral infection. Whether this reliance on a single subset of DC also applies for CD4(+) T cell activation is unknown. We used a direct ex vivo antigen presentation assay to probe the capacity of flow cytometrically purified DC populations to drive amplification of CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells following infection with influenza virus by different routes. This study examined the contributions of non-CD8alpha DC populations in the amplification of CD8(+) and CD4(+) T cells in cutaneous and systemic influenza viral infections. We confirmed that in vivo, effective immune responses for CD8(+) T cells are dominated by presentation of antigen by CD8alpha DC but can involve non-CD8alpha DC. In contrast, CD4(+) T cell responses relied more heavily on the contributions of dermal DC migrating from peripheral lymphoid tissues following cutaneous infection, and CD4 DC in the spleen after systemic infection. CD4(+) T cell priming by DC subsets that is dependent upon the route of administration raises the possibility that vaccination approaches could be tailored to prime helper T cell immunity.     

Turnover rates of B cells,T cells,and NK cells in simian immunodeficiency virus-infected and uninfected rhesus macaques

We determined average cellular turnover rates by fitting mathematical models to 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine measurements in SIV-infected and uninfected rhesus macaques. The daily turnover rates of CD4(+) T cells, CD4(-) T cells, CD20(+) B cells, and CD16(+) NK cells in normal uninfected rhesus macaques were 1, 1, 2, and 2%, respectively. Daily turnover rates of CD45RA(-) memory T cells were 1%, and those of CD45RA(+) naive T cells were 0.5% for CD4(+) T cells and approximately 1% for CD4(-)CD45RA(+) T cells. In SIV-infected monkeys with high viral loads, the turnover rates of T cells were increased approximately 2-fold, and that of memory T cells approximately 3-fold. The turnover of CD4(+)CD45RA(+) naive T cells was increased 2-fold, whereas that of CD4(-)CD45RA(+) naive T cells was marginally increased. B cells and NK cells also had increased turnover in SIV-infected macaques, averaging 3 and 2.5% per day, respectively. For all cell types studied here the daily turnover rate increased with the decrease of the CD4 count that accompanied SIV infection. As a consequence, the turnover rates of CD4(+) T cells, CD4(-) T cells, B cells, and NK cells within each monkey are strongly correlated. This suggests that the cellular turnover of different lymphocyte populations is governed by a similar process which one could summarize as "generalized immune activation." Because the viral load and the CD4 T cell count are negatively correlated we cannot determine which of the two plays the most important role in this generalized immune activation.     

Characterization of CD4(+) CTLs ex vivo

The cytotoxic potential of CD8(+) T cells and NK cells plays a crucial role in the immune response to pathogens. Although in vitro studies have reported that CD4(+) T cells are also able to mediate perforin-mediated killing, the in vivo existence and relevance of cytotoxic CD4(+) T cells have been the subject of debate. Here we show that a population of CD4(+) perforin(+) T cells is present in the circulation at low numbers in healthy donors and is markedly expanded in donors with chronic viral infections, in particular HIV infection, at all stages of the disease, including early primary infection. Ex vivo analysis shows that these cells have cytotoxic potential mediated through the release of perforin. In comparison with more classical CD4(+) T cells, this subset displays a distinct surface phenotype and functional profile most consistent with end-stage differentiated T cells and include Ag experienced CD4(+) T cells. The existence of CD4(+) cytotoxic T cells in vivo at relatively high levels in chronic viral infection suggests a role in the immune response.     

Lung cancer patients’ CD4<Superscript>+</Superscript> T cells are activated in vitro by MHC II cell-based vaccines despite the presence of myeloid-derived suppressor cells

BACKGROUND: Advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains an incurable disease. Immunotherapies that activate patients' T cells against resident tumor cells are being developed; however, these approaches may not be effective in NSCLC patients due to tumor-induced immune suppression. A major cause of immune suppression is myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC). Because of the strategic role of CD4(+) T lymphocytes in the activation of cytotoxic CD8(+) T cells and immune memory, we are developing cell-based vaccines that activate tumor-specific CD4(+) T cells in the presence of MDSC. The vaccines are NSCLC cell lines transfected with costimulatory (CD80) plus major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC II) genes that are syngeneic to the recipient. The absence of invariant chain promotes the presentation of endogenously synthesized tumor antigens, and the activation of MHC II-restricted, tumor-antigen-specific CD4(+) T cells. METHODS: Potential vaccine efficacy was tested in vitro by priming and boosting peripheral blood mononuclear cells from ten NSCLC patients who had varying levels of MDSC. CD4(+) T cell activation was quantified by measuring Type 1 and Type 2 cytokine release. RESULTS: The vaccines activated CD4(+) T cells from all ten patients, despite the presence of CD33(+)CD11b(+) MDSC. Activated CD4(+) T cells were specific for NSCLC and did not cross-react with tumor cells derived from non-lung tissue or normal lung fibroblasts. CONCLUSIONS: The NSCLC vaccines activate tumor-specific CD4(+) T cells in the presence of potent immune suppression, and may be useful for the treatment of patients with NSCLC.     

MHC class II-restricted interaction between thymocytes plays an essential role in the production of innate CD8+ T cells

We have recently shown that MHC class II-dependent thymocyte-thymocyte (T-T) interaction successfully generates CD4(+) T cells (T-T CD4(+) T cells), and that T-T CD4(+) T cells expressing promyelocytic leukemia zinc finger protein (PLZF) show an innate property both in mice and humans. In this article, we report that the thymic T-T interaction is essential for the conversion of CD8(+) T cells into innate phenotype in the physiological condition. CD8(+) T cells developed in the presence of PLZF(+) CD4(+) T cells showed marked upregulation of eomesodermin (Eomes), activation/memory phenotype, and rapid production of IFN-γ on ex vivo stimulation. Their development was highly dependent on the PLZF expression in T-T CD4(+) T cells and the IL-4 secreted by PLZF(+) T-T CD4(+) T cells. The same events may take place in humans, as a substantial number of Eomes expressing innate CD8(+) T cells were found in human fetal thymi and spleens. It suggests that PLZF(+) T-T CD4(+) T cells in combination with Eomes(+) CD8(+) T cells might actively participate in the innate immune response against various pathogens, particularly in human perinatal period.