Enhancement of interleukin 2 production in human and Gibbon T cells after in vitro treatment with lithium.

The effect of trace elements lithium, selenium, and zinc on interleukin 2 (IL-2) production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), MLA144, and Jurkat cell lines has been studied. Lithium markedly enhanced IL-2 production by MLA144 and PBMC, but not by Jurkat. Selenium could only enhance IL-2 production by MLA144, whereas in none of these three systems was IL-2 production altered by zinc. The enhancing effect of lithium on IL-2 production showed some differences from that of tetradecanoylphorbol acetate (TPA) in the following aspects: (i) TPA could reverse the inhibitory effect of anti-CD2 monoclonal antibody on IL-2 production, whereas lithium could not; and (ii) lithium was unable to synergistically induce IL-2 production with anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody as TPA did. The effect of lithium on IL-2 production was in the early phase of lymphocyte activation. The addition of cholera toxin or theophylline to phytohemagglutinin-stimulated PBMC culture suppressed IL-2 production. However, IL-2 production could be restored by lithium. There was a corresponding increase in cAMP in cholera toxin or theophylline-treated PBMC, which could be reversed by lithium. Therefore, lithium restores IL-2 production via a decrease in cAMP.     

Immunophenotype of human lymphocytes after interaction with mesenchymal stromal cells

Human multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MMSCs) were cocultured with allogenic blood-born mononuclear cells (MNCs). The MNCs consisted of cells that differed in their maturity or functional state, such as lymphocytes from adult peripheral blood vs. umbilical cord blood (cb) or nonstimulated vs. phytohemagglutinin (PHA)-activated lymphocytes from peripheral blood, respectively. The share of T, B, and natural killer (NK) cells or T cell subsets within the initial MNCs or cbMNCs were within physiological reference range for adult peripheral blood. After coculturing with the MMSCs, the populations of B cells decreased in both MNCs and cbMNCs, whereas the populations of the T and NK cells decreased among cbMNC only (p < 0.05). A decrease in the subset of T-NK cells was observed in the T cells of both MNCs and cbMNCs. In the coculture of MMSCs and PHA-MNCs, we found decrease in the number of CD8⁺ and HLA-DR⁺ cells and an increase in the number of CD25⁺ lymphocytes compared to monocultured PHA-MNCs. Our data show that the interaction with MMSCs did not substantially modify the composition of allogenic lymphocytes independent of their maturation (MNCs vs. cbMNCs) or activation (MNCs vs. PHA-MNCs), and the means were within the physiological limits. Moreover, exposure to the MMSCs did not reduce the viability of lymphocytes and even promoted the survival of cells in case of cbMNCs.     

Enhancement of a human antibody response in vitro mediated by interaction of interferon-alpha with T lymphocytes

This study describes the effects of human recombinant IFN-alpha 2 on antibody production in vitro. Whereas the inclusion of IFN-alpha 2 in cultures for 7 days had a relatively minor effect on pokeweed mitogen (PWM)-induced antibody production, it resulted in a dose-related enhancement of a hapten-specific primary antibody response. Comparison of PWM and IFN-induced [3H]thymidine uptake indicated that the observed IFN activation was not polyclonal. Pretreatment of T cells with IFN for 1 hr before recombination with untreated autologous B lymphocytes increased the anti-TNP response four-fold, whereas similar pretreatment of B lymphocytes had no effect. Furthermore, 2000 R x-irradiation of T cells before coculture with autologous B lymphocytes and IFN abrogated the TNP-specific response. These results indicate that IFN modulates TNP-specific antibody production via a radiosensitive T-helper function. Further subfractionation by panning suggests that the enhancement is mediated by the Leu-3a+ helper/inducer T cell subset. Evidence that a 1-hr exposure to IFN was sufficient to modulate antibody production prompted the examination of T cells for possible receptor mechanisms. Scatchard analysis of 125I-IFN-alpha 2 binding revealed approximately 65 high affinity IFN receptors per cell with an apparent dissociation constant (Kd) of 4.4 X 10(-10) M. This paper is the first demonstration of the role of T cells in mediating the effects of recombinant IFN-alpha 2 on human primary antibody responses in vitro. These data further suggest that the observed modulation of hapten-specific antibody production in vitro by IFN may involve the binding of IFN to specific cellular receptors expressed by T lymphocytes.     

Cytotoxic activities of normal cultured human T cells.

Normal human T cells grown in continued cultures in medium containing conditioned medium (CM) from PHA-stimulated lymphocytes were studied for their ability to manifest three known forms of cell-mediated cytotoxicity: lectin-induced cellular cytotoxicity (LICC), natural killer cell (NK) activity, and antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC). The cultured T cells (CTC) were very effective mediators of LICC, being cytotoxic even at very low attacker-target cell ratios in the presence of different lectins, and against different types of targets. When tested without the addition of lectin, the CTC demonstrated a low degree of spontaneous cytotoxicity. This spontaneous cytotoxicity might not be due to conventional NK cells however, since the CTC failed to show significant numbers of cells with Fc receptors (FcR) for IgG, and had no detectable ADCC activity. CTC could represent a population enriched in polyclonal activated T cells with low spontaneous cytotoxicity against a variety of allogeneic target cells, which is greatly enhanced by the addition of lectins dur ing the 51Cr release assay.     

Direct differentiation of human embryonic stem cells to hepatocyte-like cells exhibiting functional activities

The utilization of human hepatocytes for biomedical research, drug discovery, and treatment of liver diseases is hindered by the limited availability of donated livers and the variability of their derived hepatocytes. Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are pluripotent and provide a unique, unlimited resource for human hepatocytes. However, differentiation of hESCs to hepatocytes remains a challenge. We have developed a multistage procedure by which hESCs can be directly differentiated to hepatocyte-like cells without embryoid body formation and the requirement of sodium butyrate. The hESC-derived hepatocyte-like cells (HLCs) exhibited characteristic hepatocyte morphology, expressed hepatocyte markers, including alpha-fetoprotein, albumin, and hepatocyte nuclear factor 4alpha, and possessed hepatocyte-specific activities, such as p450 metabolism, albumin production, glycogen storage, and uptake and excretion of indocyanine green. Hepatocyte growth factor was found to play a positive role in promoting hepatocyte differentiation. Our differentiation system has shown that hESCs can be differentiated to hepatocyte-like cells capable of executing a range of hepatocyte functions. Therefore, it presents a proof-of-principle of potential applications of using the hESC-derived hepatocytes. Additionally, the hESC-derived HLCs provide a unique model to study the mechanisms involved in human hepatocyte differentiation and liver function.     

T cell induction of precursor B cells: Temporal separation of helper T cell functional activities

Summary The temporal relationships involved in T cell induction of immunoglobulin-secreting B cells have been studied by employing a pulse label technique, in vitro. It was shown that addition of rabbit thymocytes or splenic T cells to B cell-enriched splenocyte populations at the time of initiation of cultures resulted in a marked enhancement in induction of immunoglobulin-secreting cells. However, even a two-hour delay in the addition of thymus cells was sufficient to reduce substantially the extent of induction when measured 70 hours later. Besides this early requirement for thymocytes, a late requirement was also detectable. Thus, thymus cells and splenocyte populations upon being mixed, subsequent to being cultured separately for 72 hours, yielded a several-fold enhancement in [³H]-immunoglobulin secreted during the course of a 90-minute labeling period with [³H]-leucine. Moreover, both the early and late thymocyte effects were lost after treatment with anti-thymocyte serum and complement.The thymocyte-mediated enhancement of immunoglobulin secretion by splenocytes that occurs late in the induction process was detected with spleen cells cultured for two or three days but not with freshly-isolated splenocytes. Although the rate of appearance of extracellular immunoglobulins was markedly enhanced by fresh thymus cells, the rate of appearance of intracellular immunoglobulins in such spleen cells was unchanged. The secretion-stimulating (secretagogue) activity of thymocytes appeared to be specific in that thymus cells were without effect on the rate of secretion of serum albumin by liver cells.In regard to the induction of immunoglobulin-secreting cells, both B and T cell-enriched population's were sensitive to mitomycin C treatment performed before initiation of cell culture, indicating that not only B cells but also T cells undergo some form of differentiation or maturation prior to functioning in the induction of immunoglobulin-producing cells. It should be noted in this context that the late T cell requirement was unaffected by prior mitomycin C treatment of thymocytes. On the other hand, thymocytes heated at 60°C for 5 minutes did not enhance immunoglobulin secretion when added at any time and the late thymocyte requirement could not be replaced with medium in which thymocytes had been previously cultured.     

Enhancement of migratory and aggregate activities of human peripheral blood monocyte-derived dendritic cells by stimulation with RANTES

We examined the effects of various chemokines on the functional activation of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) plus interleukin-4 (IL-4)-generated human peripheral blood monocyte-derived immature dendritic cells (iDC). Stimulation of iDC with regulated on activation normal T cell expressed and secreted (RANTES) resulted in the promotion of their chemotactic migratory capacity in response to RANTES when compared with that of unstimulated cells. TNF-alpha induced a homotypic aggregated cluster formation of iDC in a dose-dependent manner, whereas the combination of TNF-alpha and RANTES exhibited more potent induction. IDC stimulated with RANTES were more efficient than unstimulated iDC in the production of endogenous RANTES. Treatment of iDC with the combination of TNF-alpha and RANTES was just little effective for the enhancement of allogeneic T-cell stimulatory capacity as compared with that of TNF-alpha treated iDC. These results suggest that endogenous secretions of RANTES from iDC stimulated with RANTES be potentially involved in RANTES-induced changes of properties with respect to morphology and function.     

Acquisition of CD80 by human T cells at early stages of activation: functional involvement of CD80 acquisition in T cell to T cell interaction

The interaction between CD28 on T cells and CD80 on APCs intensifies the linkage between TCR and MHC at the site of contact between T cells and APCs. In this study, we demonstrate that during human T cell/human APC interaction, the autologous or allogeneic human CD4(+) T cells become positive for the detection of CD80 at an early stage of activation (24 h). This detection of CD80 is attributable to the acquisition of CD80 from APCs, as opposed to the up-regulation of endogenous CD80, as demonstrated by CD4(+) T cells treated with cyclohexamide. Furthermore, no CD80 mRNA could be detected at 24 h in T cells that had acquired CD80 from APCs. CD80 acquisition by T cells from APCs was enhanced upon TCR engagement. The amount of CD80 acquisition by CD4(+) T cells was shown to be related to the expression of CD80 on APCs. Using soluble fusion proteins (soluble CTLA-4, CD28, and CD80) to block either CD28 on the surface of T cells or CD80 on the surface of APCs, it was demonstrated that CD80 acquisition by T cells is mediated through its receptors, possibly CD28 interaction. Moreover, we demonstrate that T cells that have acquired CD80 have the ability to stimulate other T cells. These data thus suggest that CD80 acquisition by human T cells might play a role in the immunoregulation of T cell responses.     

Expression of CD161 (NKR-P1A) defines subsets of human CD4 and CD8 T cells with different functional activities

A subset of T cells in human peripheral blood expresses CD161 (NKR-P1A) receptors that are primarily associated with NK cells. In the current study we isolated blood T cell subsets according to the expression of CD161 and examined their contents of naive, central memory, and effector memory cells and their capacities for proliferation, cytokine secretion, and natural cytolysis. We found that CD4+CD161- and CD8+CD161- subsets contained predominantly naive T cells that secreted high levels of IL-2 after in vitro stimulation, and CD4+CD161int and CD8+CD161int subsets contained predominantly effector and central memory T cells that secreted high levels of IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha. All of these subsets showed vigorous proliferation after stimulation in vitro, but none had NK lytic activity. Unexpectedly, the CD8+CD161+ cells contained an anergic CD8alpha+CD8betalow/-CD161high T cell subset that failed to proliferate, secrete cytokines, or mediate NK lytic activity.     

Enhancement of cell recovery for dissociated human embryonic stem cells after cryopreservation

Due to widespread applications of human embryonic stem (hES) cells, it is essential to establish effective protocols for cryopreservation and subsequent culture of hES cells to improve cell recovery. We have developed a new protocol for cryopreservation of dissociated hES cells and subsequent culture. We examined the effects of new formula of freezing solution containing 7.5% dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) (v/v %) and 2.5% polyethylene glycol (PEG) (w/v %) on cell survival and recovery of hES cells after cryopreservation, and further investigated the role of the combination of Rho‐associated kinase (ROCK) inhibitor and p53 inhibitor on cell recovery during the subsequent culture. Compared with the conventional slow‐freezing method which uses 10% DMSO as a freezing solution and then cultured in the presence of ROCK inhibitor at the first day of culture, we found out that hES cell recovery was significantly enhanced by around 30 % (P < 0.05) by the new freezing solution. Moreover, at the first day of post‐thaw culture, the presence of 10 μM ROCK inhibitor (Y‐27632) and 1 μM pifithrin‐μ together further significantly improved cell recovery by around 20% (P < 0.05) either for feeder‐dependent or feeder‐independent culture. hES cells remained their undifferentiated status after using this novel protocol for cryopreservation and subsequent culture. Furthermore, this protocol is a scalable cryopreservation method for handling large quantities of hES cells. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 2010     

Memory T cells and their costimulators in human allograft injury

Both CD4(+) and CD8(+) human memory but not naive T cells respond to allogeneic human dermal microvascular endothelial cells (HDMEC) in vitro by secreting cytokines and by proliferating. Several recently identified costimulators, namely, 4-1BB ligand, ICOS ligand, and OX40 ligand, are up-regulated on cultured HDMEC in response to TNF or coculture with allogeneic T cells. Blockade of these costimulators each partially reduces IFN-gamma and IL-2 secretion and proliferation of previously resting memory T cells. The effects of these costimulators are overlapping but not identical. Memory but not naive T cells are the principal effectors of microvascular injury in human skin allografts following adoptive transfer into immunodeficient mice. Furthermore, blocking 4-1BB ligand, ICOS ligand, or OX40 ligand in this model reduces human skin allograft injury and T cell effector molecule expression. These data demonstrate that human memory T cells respond to microvascular endothelial cells and can injure allografts in vivo without priming. Furthermore, several recently described costimulators contribute to these processes.     

Enhancement of the recognition by cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) of target membrane antigens after fusion with whole cells

Plasma membrane vesicles (R4-PM) prepared from mouse lymphoma cells (RDM4,H2k) were employed to investigate requirements for recognition of target cell membranes by allogeneic cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL). Using immunofluorescent staining and fluorescence microscopy, the R4-PM were tested for binding to CTL and were found to bind to these effector cells in a specific manner. However, this binding was very inefficient compared to the binding of whole RDM4 cells to CTL. The R4-PM were then attached to P388D1 cells (H-2d) in the presence of wheat germ agglutinin and polyethylene glycol (PEG), both under conditions which promote membrane fusion (40% PEG) and under conditions which do not (10% PEG). About 1 cell equivalent R4-PM becomes associated per P388D1 cell in both situations. In the cytotoxicity assays that were carried out, the P388D1 cells which had R4-PM attached under fusion conditions were lysed by CTL directed against H2k in a specific manner, while the P388D1 cells which had R4-PM attached under nonfusion conditions were not lysed above background levels by these CTL. These results suggest that recognition of target cells by allogeneic CTL such that lysis occurs requires more than presentation of the alloantigens as they are expressed in plasma membrane vesicles. However, fusion of these vesicles back into living cells apparently enhances the ability of the alloantigens to be recognized.     

T细胞功能亚群

T细胞是高度异质性的细胞群,可分为不同类别。近年来,T细胞(尤其是CD4+T细胞)功能亚群的研究进展极为迅速。Th1、Th2、nTreg、Th17、Tfh、iTreg、Th9和Th22细胞等陆续被发现,极大扩展了对CD4+T细胞功能亚群的认识。同时,对CD8+T细胞和记忆性T细胞功能亚群的研究也取得进展。     

Killing of melanoma cells and their metastases by human lactoferricin derivatives requires interaction with the cancer marker phosphatidylserine

Despite favorable advancements in therapy cancer is still not curative in many cases, which is often due to inadequate specificity for tumor cells. In this study derivatives of a short cationic peptide derived from the human host defense peptide lactoferricin were optimized in their selective toxicity towards cancer cells. We proved that the target of these peptides is the negatively charged membrane lipid phosphatidylserine (PS), specifically exposed on the surface of cancer cells. We have studied the membrane interaction of three peptides namely LF11-322, its N-acyl derivative 6-methyloctanoyl-LF11-322 and its retro repeat derivative R(etro)-DIM-P-LF11-322 with liposomes mimicking cancerous and non-cancerous cell membranes composed of PS and phosphatidylcholine (PC), respectively. Calorimetric and permeability studies showed that N-acylation and even more the repeat derivative of LF11-322 leads to strongly improved interaction with the cancer mimic PS, whereas only the N-acyl derivative also slightly affects PC. Tryptophan fluorescence of selective peptide R-DIM-P-LF11-322 revealed specific peptide penetration into the PS membrane interface and circular dichroism showed change of its secondary structure by increase of proportion of β-sheets just in the presence of the cancer mimic. Data correlated with in vitro studies with cell lines of human melanomas, their metastases and melanocytes, revealing R-DIM-P-LF11-322 to exhibit strongly increased specificity for cancer cells. This indicates the need of high affinity to the target PS, a minimum length and net positive charge, an adequate but moderate hydrophobicity, and capability of adoption of a defined structure exclusively in presence of the target membrane for high antitumor activity.     

Enhancement of CD2-mediated T cell activation by the interaction of VLA-4 with fibronectin.

Human fibroblasts were shown to enhance the proliferation of peripheral T cells in the presence of suboptimal concentrations of anti-CD2 antibodies (anti-T112 and anti-T113) and agonistic anti-VLA-4 antibody. Evidence is provided that the interaction of VLA-4 with immobilized fibronectin can enhance the proliferation of T cells subjected to suboptimal stimulation via CD2. Our results suggest that the fibroblast-stimulated T cell proliferative response to low doses of anti-T112 and T113 antibodies is due to the interaction of VLA-4 with fibroblast fibronectin. These findings also suggest a role for the fibronectin/VLA-4 interaction in the inflammatory process.     

Demonstration of functional immaturity of signal transduction pathways in human cord T cells

We examined the nature of cytoplasmic signal transduction pathways in cord blood T cells by stimulating them with tumor promoter (TPA) and calcium ionophore (A23187). Costimulation of T cells with TPA and A23187 induced optimal proliferative responses on Day 2 in cord T cells but on Day 4 in adult T cells. The maximal responses observed in cord T cells were much less than those of adult T cells, whereas the Con A-induced proliferative responses of these cells showed no significant differences. The reduced responses of cord T cells were due to their lower efficiency in activating the cellular events in T cell activation and proliferation phase, because cord T cells have significantly less ability than adult T cells to express IL-2 receptor as well as HLA-DR and produce IL-2 molecules, thereby inducing proliferation. These data show immature characteristics of intracellular signal transduction pathways in cord T cells, which are directly related with the functional immaturity of cord T cells.     

Antigen-induced T suppressor cells regulate the autoreactive T helper-B cell interaction

The T suppressor (Ts) cell population that functions to regulate antigen-specific MHC-restricted T helper (Th)-B cell interactions also regulates the activation of B cells by cloned autoreactive Th cells. Activated Ts cells were generated by in vivo priming and restimulation in vitro with high concentrations of the specific priming antigen. Once generated, this Ts population inhibits the Th-dependent activation of primed B cells by both antigen-specific and autoreactive T cells in an antigen-nonspecific manner. This suppression requires the participation of both Lyt-1+2- and Lyt-1-2+ T cells. It was also demonstrated that accessory cells were required for the induction of Ts cells. Moreover, the generation of suppression was MHC-restricted and required the recognition by T cells of Ia antigens on accessory cells. These studies demonstrate that the same or a very similar Ts cell population can function to inhibit the activation of B cells by antigen-specific as well as autoreactive T cells.