Immune Checkpoints of the B7 Family. Part 2. Representatives of the B7 Family B7-H3, B7-H4, B7-H5, B7-H6, B7-H7, and ILDR2 and Their Receptors

Russian Journal of Bioorganic Chemistry - Immune checkpoints regulate polarity, strength, and termination of the immune response. The leading roles in these processes are played by molecules of the...     

Immune Checkpoints of the B7 Family. Part 1. General Characteristics and First Representatives: B7-1, B7-2, B7-H1, B7-H2, and B7-DC

Russian Journal of Bioorganic Chemistry - T-cell response along with humoral response compose the basis of acquired immunity. Effective activation of T lymphocytes requires at least two signals....     

Differential binding properties of B7-H1 and B7-DC to programmed death-1

Programmed death-1 (PD-1) is a negative regulatory receptor expressed on activated T and B cells. Two ligands for PD-1, B7-H1 (PD-L1) and B7-DC (PD-L2), have been identified, but their binding properties have not been characterized yet. In this study, we generated soluble Ig fusion proteins of these molecules and examined the kinetics and relative affinities of the interactions between B7-H1 or B7-DC and PD-1 by flow cytometry and surface plasmon resonance. The interaction of B7-DC/PD-1 exhibited a 2-6-fold higher affinity and had different association/dissociation kinetics compared with the interaction of B7-H1/PD-1. Our results suggest that the differential binding properties of B7-H1 and B7-DC may be responsible for differential contributions of these two PD-1 ligands to immune responses.     

Generation and characterization of B7-H4/B7S1/B7x-deficient mice

Members of the B7 family of cosignaling molecules regulate T-cell proliferation and effector functions by engaging cognate receptors on T cells. In vitro and in vivo blockade experiments indicated that B7-H4 (also known as B7S1 or B7x) inhibits proliferation, cytokine production, and cytotoxicity of T cells. B7-H4 binds to an unknown receptor(s) that is expressed on activated T cells. However, whether B7-H4 plays nonredundant immune regulatory roles in vivo has not been tested. We generated B7-H4-deficient mice to investigate the roles of B7-H4 during various immune reactions. Consistent with its inhibitory function in vitro, B7-H4-deficient mice mounted mildly augmented T-helper 1 (Th1) responses and displayed slightly lowered parasite burdens upon Leishmania major infection compared to the wild-type mice. However, the lack of B7-H4 did not affect hypersensitive inflammatory responses in the airway or skin that are induced by either Th1 or Th2 cells. Likewise, B7-H4-deficient mice developed normal cytotoxic T-lymphocyte reactions against viral infection. Thus, B7-H4 plays a negative regulatory role in vivo but the impact of B7-H4 deficiency is minimal. These results suggest that B7-H4 is one of multiple negative cosignaling molecules that collectively provide a fine-tuning mechanism for T-cell-mediated immune responses.     

B7-H1和B7-H4在口腔鳞状细胞癌组织中的表达及临床意义

目的:探讨口腔鳞状细胞癌(Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma,OSCC)中B7-H1和B7-H4的表达及其临床意义,并为OSCC的临床诊断、治疗、判断预后及预防等提供依据。方法:采用免疫组织化学S-P法检测B7-H1及B7-H4在60例OSCC及20例非肿瘤患者正常口腔黏膜组织(NOM)中的表达情况,分析两者与OSCC临床病理特征的相关性。结果:B7-H1在OSCC组织中表达显著高于在NOM组织中表达(29例,48.3%v4例,20%,x~2=4.969,P0.05);B7-H4在OSCC组织中表达亦显著高于在NOM组织中表达(31例,51.7%v5例,25%,x~2=4.310,P0.05)。B7-H1与B7-H4在OSCC组织的表达都与TNM分期、淋巴结转移和肿瘤分化程度显著相关(P0.05),而与年龄、性别及肿瘤直径大小等无关。OSCC组织中B7-H1和B7-H4的高表达呈显著性正相关性(x~2=5.613 P0.05),60例组织中B7-H1和B7-H4共表达现象有11例(18.3%),NOM中未发现两者共表达现象。结论:B7-H1和B7-H4过表达与OSCC发生、发展及预后有关,可以作为预后指标。     

共刺激因子B7-H1和B7-H3蛋白表达与胆囊癌病例特征相关

本研究选取2015年3月至2017年5月在我院保存的胆囊癌标本55例,同选取癌旁正常组织(距癌边缘>5 cm)作为对照,采用免疫组化染色检测B7-H1和B7-H3蛋白表达,分析B7-H1和B7-H3表达与胆囊癌临床病理特征和预后的关系,探讨共刺激因子B7-H1和B7-H3蛋白在胆囊癌中的表达及意义。研究结果表明:胆囊癌组织B7-H1和B7-H3蛋白阳性表达率分别为76.36%和63.63%,明显高于癌旁组织(p<0.05);B7-H1蛋白表达与胆囊癌TNM分期、淋巴结转移和侵袭深度有关(p<0.05);B7-H3蛋白表达与胆囊癌TNM分期、分化程度、淋巴结转移和侵袭深度有关(p<0.05);胆囊癌组织中B7-H1与B7-H3蛋白表达呈正相关(rs=0.516, p<0.05);B7-H1和B7-H3表达双阳性者和B7-H1或B7-H3单一表达阳性者中位总生存时间分别为20个月和21个月,明显低于B7-H1和B7-H3表达双阴性者组,差异比较有统计学意义(p<0.05)。本研究结论认为:B7-H1和B7-H3蛋白表达与胆囊癌病理特征有关系,两者间有一定相关性,且与患者预后有关。     

抗人B7-H1单克隆抗体的制备和鉴定

目的:采用杂交瘤技术制备抗人B7-H1单克隆抗体,并对其进行鉴定。方法:经抗原免疫的小鼠脾细胞与小鼠骨髓瘤细胞以常规方法融合;用间接ELISA法筛选分泌抗体的杂交瘤细胞株;阳性克隆用有限稀释法获得稳定分泌抗人B7-H1单克隆抗体的杂交瘤细胞株;扩增杂交瘤细胞注射进小鼠腹腔后制备腹水;纯化腹水中的单克隆抗体并对其亚型进行鉴定;用间接ELISA法测抗体效价;将肺癌组织制成石蜡切片,用抗人B7-H1抗体进行免疫组化染色。结果:获得1株稳定分泌抗人B7-H1单克隆抗体的杂交瘤细胞株,所分泌的单抗类型为IgG1;抗体效价为1×108,纯化后的抗体含量为6.76g/L;免疫组化实验中,单抗可与肺癌组织表面的B7-H1蛋白特异地结合。结论:制备了人B7-H1单克隆抗体,为B7-H1检测试剂盒的研制奠定了基础。     

Blockade of B7-H1 improves myeloid dendritic cell-mediated antitumor immunity

Suppression of dendritic cell function in cancer patients is thought to contribute to the inhibition of immune responses and disease progression. Molecular mechanisms of this suppression remain elusive, however. Here, we show that a fraction of blood monocyte-derived myeloid dendritic cells (MDCs) express B7-H1, a member of the B7 family, on the cell surface. B7-H1 could be further upregulated by tumor environmental factors. Consistent with this finding, virtually all MDCs isolated from the tissues or draining lymph nodes of ovarian carcinomas express B7-H1. Blockade of B7-H1 enhanced MDC-mediated T-cell activation and was accompanied by downregulation of T-cell interleukin (IL)-10 and upregulation of IL-2 and interferon (IFN)-gamma. T cells conditioned with the B7-H1-blocked MDCs had a more potent ability to inhibit autologous human ovarian carcinoma growth in non-obese diabetic-severe combined immunodeficient (NOD-SCID) mice. Therefore, upregulation of B7-H1 on MDCs in the tumor microenvironment downregulates T-cell immunity. Blockade of B7-H1 represents one approach for cancer immunotherapy.     

Blockade of the B7-H1/PD-1 pathway for cancer immunotherapy

The aim of cancer immunotherapy is to treat malignant disease by inducing or enhancing cancer specific immune responses. With the identification of tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) in the 1990s, cancer immunotherapy research largely focused on inducing immune responses against TAAs but achieved limited success. More recently, the underlying mechanisms and molecular pathways that cancers manipulate to subvert immune-mediated destruction have been identified, including a set of molecules with potent coinhibitory functions. Coinhibitory molecules are expressed on the surface of immune cells, cancer cells, and stromal cells and negatively regulate immune responses to cancer. In particular, one of these ligand-receptor coinhibitory interactions, B7-H1/PD-1, is critical for modulating immune responses to cancer. This knowledge led to the design of revolutionary new immunotherapeutics based on the manipulation of these molecular pathways. Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are the primary immunotherapeutic modality used to promote immune function via antagonism or agonism of inhibitory or stimulatory molecular pathways, respectively. Here, we review current knowledge on the function of the B7-H1/PD-1 pathway in mice and humans, its role in the subversion of immune responses in cancer, and clinical evidence that mAb targeting of this pathway results in profound immune anti-cancer effects.     

PTPN2 Regulates Inflammasome Activation and Controls Onset of Intestinal Inflammation and Colon Cancer

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The expression of B7-H1 and B7-H4 molecules on immature myeloid and lymphoid dendritic cells in cord blood of healthy neonates

The aim of our study was to estimate both B7-H1 and B7-H4 molecules on immature myeloid and lymphoid dendritic cells in umbilical cord blood of healthy neonates in comparison with peripheral blood of healthy adults. Thirty nine healthy full-term neonates from physiological single pregnancies and 27 healthy adults were included in the study. The expression of B7-H1 and B7-H4 was revealed using the immunofluorescence method. Statistical analysis was performed using a non-parametric test (Mann-Whitney U-Test). The percentages of BDCA-1+ dendritic cells with B7-H1 and B7-H4 expressions were significantly higher in peripheral blood of healthy adults (p<0.00003). It was either observed that the percentage of BDCA-2+ dendritic cells with the expression of B7-H4 molecules was significantly higher in peripheral blood of healthy adults in comparison with umbilical cord blood (p<0.02). Decreased percentages of dendritic cells and co-stimulatory molecules indicate that neonates have immature immune system. Depletion of co-stimulatory B7-H1 and B7-H4 molecules enable appropriate development of immune response.     

Expression of B7-H1 and B7-DC on the airway epithelium is enhanced by double-stranded RNA

Viral infection in the airway provokes various immune responses, including Th1 and Th2 responses, which are partly initiated by double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), a viral product for its replication. B7-H1 (PD-L1) and B7-DC (PD-L2) are B7-family molecules that bind to programmed death-1 (PD-1) on lymphocytes and are implicated in peripheral tolerance. We investigated the effect of dsRNA on the expression of B7-H1 and B7-DC on airway epithelial cell lines. B7-H1 and B7-DC were constitutively expressed on the cells, and their expression was profoundly upregulated by stimulation with an analog of viral dsRNA, polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid. B7-H1 and B7-DC were also upregulated by stimulation with IFN-gamma, IL-13, and the supernatant from T cell clones. A relatively high concentration of dexamethasone (1 microM) was required to suppress the upregulation of B7-H1 or B7-DC. These results suggest that epithelial B7-H1 and B7-DC play a role in virus-associated immune responses in the airways.     

Blockade of B7-H1 suppresses the development of chronic intestinal inflammation

A newly identified costimulatory molecule, programmed death-1 (PD-1), provides a negative signal that is essential for immune homeostasis. However, it has been suggested that its ligands, B7-H1 (PD-L1) and B7-dendritic cells (B7-DC; PD-L2), could also costimulate T cell proliferation and cytokine secretion. Here we demonstrate the involvement of PD-1/B7-H1 and B7-DC interaction in the development of colitis. We first examined the expression profiles of PD-1 and its ligands in both human inflammatory bowel disease and a murine chronic colitis model induced by adoptive transfer of CD4(+)CD45RB(high) T cells to SCID mice. Second, we assessed the therapeutic potential of neutralizing anti-B7-H1 and/or B7-DC mAbs using this colitis model. We found significantly increased expression of PD-1 on T cells and of B7-H1 on T, B, and macrophage/DCs in inflamed colon from both inflammatory bowel disease patients and colitic mice. Unexpectedly, the administration of anti-B7-H1, but not anti-B7-DC, mAb after transfer of CD4(+)CD45RB(high) T cells suppressed wasting disease with colitis, abrogated leukocyte infiltration, and reduced the production of IFN-gamma, IL-2, and TNF-alpha, but not IL-4 or IL-10, by lamina propria CD4(+) T cells. These data suggest that the interaction of PD-1/B7-H1, but not PD-1/B7-DC, might be involved in intestinal mucosal inflammation and also show a possible role of interaction between B7-H1 and an as yet unidentified receptor for B7-H1 in inducing T cell activation.     

B7-H3 Promotes Pathogenesis of Autoimmune Disease and Inflammation by Regulating the Activity of Different T Cell Subsets

B7-H3 is a cell surface molecule in the immunoglobulin superfamily that is frequently upregulated in response to autoantigens and pathogens during host T cell immune responses. However, B7-H3''s role in the differential regulation of T cell subsets remains largely unknown. Therefore, we constructed a new B7-H3 deficient mouse strain (B7-H3 KO) and evaluated the functions of B7-H3 in the regulation of Th1, Th2, and Th17 subsets in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), experimental asthma, and collagen-induced arthritis (CIA); these mouse models were used to predict human immune responses in multiple sclerosis, asthma, and rheumatoid arthritis, respectively. Here, we demonstrate that B7-H3 KO mice have significantly less inflammation, decreased pathogenesis, and limited disease progression in both EAE and CIA mouse models when compared with littermates; these results were accompanied by a decrease in IFN-γ and IL-17 production. In sharp contrast, B7-H3 KO mice developed severe ovalbumin (OVA)-induced asthma with characteristic infiltrations of eosinophils in the lung, increased IL-5 and IL-13 in lavage fluid, and elevated IgE anti-OVA antibodies in the blood. Our results suggest B7-H3 has a costimulatory function on Th1/Th17 but a coinhibitory function on Th2 responses. Our studies reveal that B7-H3 could affect different T cell subsets which have important implications for regulating pathogenesis and disease progression in human autoimmune disease.     

Reviving exhausted T lymphocytes during chronic virus infection by B7-H1 blockade

Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) are killer cells that are crucial in the control of viral pathogens and cancers. They can become exhausted during chronic viral infection, a phenomenon that consists of a reduction in both number and functionality of CTLs. Recently, Barber and colleagues demonstrated that B7-H1 (also called PD-L1), a cell-surface molecule that is widely distributed in tissues, was necessary for the maintenance of T-cell exhaustion in a chronic-infection mouse model of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV). PD-1, the receptor of B7-H1, was greatly upregulated on CTLs in response to LCMV, and its expression was maintained during chronic infection. Blockade of the B7-H1-PD-1 pathway by a monoclonal antibody restored CTL function and reduced viral burden. These results suggest a new strategy for the treatment of chronic viral infection.     

B7-H1, a third member of the B7 family, co-stimulates T-cell proliferation and interleukin-10 secretion

The B7 family members B7-1 and B7-2 interact with CD28 and constitute an essential T-cell co-stimulatory pathway in the initiation of antigen-specific humoral and cell-mediated immune response. Here, we describe a third member of the B7 family, called B7-H1 that does not bind CD28, cytotoxic T-lymphocyte A4 or ICOS (inducible co-stimulator). Ligation of B7-H1 co-stimulated T-cell responses to polyclonal stimuli and allogeneic antigens, and preferentially stimulated the production of interleukin-10. Interleukin-2, although produced in small amounts, was required for the effect of B7-H1 co-stimulation. Our studies thus define a previously unknown co-stimulatory molecule that may be involved in the negative regulation of cell-mediated immune responses.     

子宫内膜异位症患者血清可溶性B7-H4的水平及意义

目的:探讨子宫内膜异位症患者血清可溶性B7-H4(sB7-H4)的水平及其临床意义。方法:用ELISA夹心法检测43例子宫内膜异位症患者术前血清sB7-H4的水平及40例子宫内膜异位症患者术后血清sB7-H4的水平,同时选取30例体检健康妇女血清sB7-H4水平作为对照。结果:子宫内膜异位症患者血清sB7-H4水平为(36.23±5.67)μg/L,体检健康者血清sB7-H4水平为(31.24±4.56)μg/L,两者比较差异有统计学意义(P0.01)。手术前,子宫内膜异位症患者血清sB7-H4水平为(36.23±5.67)μg/L,明显高于术后(32.54±4.27)μg/L(P0.05)。子宫内膜异位症患者血清sB7-H4水平与CA125水平呈显著正相关(r=0.531,P0.01)。结论:血清可溶性B7-H4可能与子宫内膜异位症的发病有关,检测血清中可溶性B7-H4水平对内异症的辅助诊断和疗效观察可能具有一定的临床意义。