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The Journal of Immunology, 2001, 167: 6158-6164.
Copyright © 2001 by The American Association of Immunologists

CD8+ T Lymphocytes in Double {alpha}{beta} TCR Transgenic Mice. II. Competitive Fitness of Dual {alpha}{beta} TCR CD8+ T Lymphocytes in the Peripheral Pools1

Nicolas Legrand and Antonio A. Freitas2

Lymphocyte Population Biology Unit, Unité de Recherche Associée, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France


    Abstract
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
We studied Rag2-deficient mice bearing two rearranged {alpha}{beta} TCR transgenes, both restricted to the MHC H-2Db class I molecule. We have previously shown that, in these DTg mice, most peripheral CD8 T cells express one TCR{beta} chain associated with two TCR{alpha} chains, as in one-third of the mature T cells from normal mice. We examined the functional behavior of the dual-receptor CD8 T cells developing either in the absence or in the presence of self-Ag. The dual-receptor CD8 T cells, which develop in absence of self-Ag, show efficient responses to immunization and remain sensitive to induction of peripheral tolerance. In contrast to single TCR T cells, the dual-TCR cells, when tolerized upon exposure to high levels of self-Ag, are not deleted and therefore may exert important regulatory functions. When developing in the presence of self-Ag, the dual-receptor-expressing CD8 T cells escape central deletion, but are not fully competent to respond to cognate stimuli. Overall, we found that the dual-TCR CD8 T cells show a poor competitive value and can be out-competed by single-TCR cells, both in the course of immune responses and in reconstitution experiments. The decreased fitness of the dual-receptor cells may contribute to diminishing the autoimmune hazard that they could represent.


    Introduction
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
In normal mice, despite mechanisms of TCR allelic exclusion, the generation of T cells with dual specificity is relatively high. First, this is because allelic exclusion of the TCR{beta} chain is never fail proof and ~1% of the mature {alpha}{beta} T cells contain two productive TCR{beta} alleles (1, 2). Second, it is because TCR{alpha} chain rearrangements proceed simultaneously in both chromosomes (3, 4) and ~30% of the human {alpha}{beta} T cells (5) and a fraction of the mouse {alpha}{beta} T cells (6, 7) express two TCR{alpha} chains (4, 5, 6). Potentially these dual-receptor T cells could play an important role in autoimmunity. The presence of a second TCR would allow cells bearing a self-reactive TCR to bypass negative selection in the thymus, in virtue of its lower expression. At the periphery, these T cells once activated by a non-self Ag would acquire a lower threshold of activation, respond to self-peptide/MHC, and cause disease. Several in vivo experimental models have examined this possibility. Studies on mice hemizygous for the TCR{alpha} locus do not seem to support the role of dual-TCR{alpha}-expressing T cells to develop autoimmune diseases, i.e., diabetes in nonobese diabetic mice (8). However, in transgenic (Tg)3 mouse models, co-expression of two TCRs has been shown to rescue self-reactive T cells from tolerance induction, allowing their exit into the peripheral pools (9, 10). These self-reactive T cells could be stimulated in vitro to anti-self effector functions via the second receptor (9), and their in vivo presence was correlated to the induction of autoimmune diabetes when the relevant Ag was expressed by the target tissue (10).

The role of dual-receptor T cells in autoimmune diseases, however, is strictly dependent on their ability to be positively selected in the thymus, to survive, and to remain fully reactive in the peripheral pools. Both thymus positive selection (11) and peripheral T cell survival require receptor engagement by MHC molecules (12, 13, 14, 15, 16). The presence of two receptors with different specificity imposes some constraints on the selection, survival, and functional abilities of dual-receptor T cells. Indeed, it was recently shown that the decreased surface density of specific receptors reduces the thymus positive selection of dual-receptor T cells (17). Moreover, the functional capacity of peripheral dual-receptor T cells has also been challenged because expression of two TCRs does not always confer reactivity to two unrelated Ags (18).

We have derived a line of Rag2-deficient mice bearing two complete rearranged {alpha}{beta} TCR transgenes, one specific for the HY male Ag (15, 19) and the second specific for the gp33-41 peptide of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) (20). Both receptors are restricted to the same MHC H-2Db class I molecule. We have examined the thymus selection of the CD8 T cells in these double transgenic (DTg) mice in the absence or in the presence of the HY male self-Ag (35). In female DTg mice, most mature peripheral CD8 T cells express only the TCR{beta} chain from the aHY transgene associated with the two TCR{alpha} chain transgenes. In male mice, the presence of a second TCR{alpha} chain allows a significant number of CD8 T expressing a self-reactive receptor to escape central deletion and migrate to the peripheral pools. Thus, in both cases, most of the CD8 T cells from the DTg mice express one TCR{beta} associated with two TCR{alpha} chains, like ~30% of the peripheral T cells from a normal mouse. Therefore, these DTg mice provide a unique model for studying the functional behavior of dual-TCR{alpha} CD8 T cells. In the present investigation, we compared the capacity of single- and dual-receptor CD8 T cells to colonize and repopulate peripheral pools, as well as to respond to antigenic stimulation in vivo.


    Materials and Methods
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
Mice

C57BL/6 mice Tg for the anti-HY TCR (V{alpha}T3.70.V{beta}8.2) (15, 19) or the P14 TCR (V{alpha}2.V{beta}8.1) (20) were crossed into a Rag2-deficient background. The mice obtained (MoaHY and MoP14) were intercrossed to give rise to MoaHY.MoP14 DTg mice. All of these strains were maintained in specific pathogen-free isolators at the Centre de Développement des Techniques Avancées pour l’expérimentation Animale-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (Orléans, France). B6.Rag2-/- mice (21) and B6.CD3{epsilon}-/- mice (22) were from the Centre de Développement des Techniques Avancées pour l’expérimentation Animale-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, and C57BL/6 mice were from IFFA-CREDO (Saint-Germain-sur-l’Arbresle, France).

Flow cytometry

The following mAbs were used: anti-CD8{alpha} (53-6.7), anti-V{alpha}2 (B20.1), anti-V{beta}8.1/2 (MR5-2), anti-Thy1.1 (OX-7), anti-Thy1.2 (30-H12), anti-CD3{epsilon} (145-2C11), anti-CD4 (L3T4/RM4-5), anti-CD69 (H1.2F3), anti-CD25 (PC61), and anti-CD24/HSA (M1/69) from BD PharMingen (San Diego, CA) and anti-CD44 (IM781) and anti-CD62L (MEL14) from Caltag Laboratories (San Francisco, CA). The anti-V{alpha}T3.70 and the F23.2 anti-V{beta}8.2 were from B. Rocha (Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale Unité 345, Institut Necker, Paris, France). Cell-surface staining was performed with the appropriate combinations of FITC, PE, TRI-Color (Caltag Laboratories), PerCP (BD Biosciences, San Jose, CA), Biotin, and APC-coupled Abs. Biotin-coupled Abs were revealed by APC-, TRI-Color-, or PerCP-coupled streptavidin. Dead cells were excluded by light-scattering gating. All analyses were performed with a FACScalibur (BD Biosciences) interfaced to Macintosh CellQuest software (Apple Computer, Cupertino, CA).

Bone marrow (BM) chimeras and peripheral T cell transfers

Host Rag2-/-B6 mice were lethally irradiated (900 rad) in a 137Ce source and injected i.v. with 2–4.106 BM cells. This inoculum contained BM cells from different donors, mixed at several ratios (23). Nonirradiated female or male B6.CD3{epsilon}-/- hosts were also injected i.v. with CD8 LN T cell populations. By using mice differing by Thy1 or Ly5 allotype and Tg TCR chains, we were able to discriminate the cells that originated from the different donor and host mice. Spleen, inguinal, and mesenteric lymph node (LN) cell suspensions were prepared, and the number and phenotype of the cells from each donor population were evaluated. The total peripheral T cell numbers shown in Results represent the number of cells recovered in the host’s spleen added to twice the number of cells recovered from the host’s inguinal and mesenteric LNs.

In vitro proliferation assays

Spleen cells from Tg mice were incubated in 96-well plates (105 cells/well) at 37°C, 5% CO2, in a final volume of 200 µl in complete RPMI 1640 medium supplemented with 10% FCS (Boehringer Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany). Cells were stimulated with Con A (Sigma-Aldrich, St. Louis, MO), anti-CD3 (BD PharMingen), or the Tg TCR specific peptides gp33-41 (24) (KAVYNFATM) and Smcy-3 peptides (25) (KCSRNRQYL) purchased from Neosystem (Strasbourg, France) and used with a >95% purity. After 1–4 days of culture, cells were pulsed overnight with 0.5 µCi [3H]thymidine (ICN Pharmaceuticals, Costa Mesa, CA).


    Results
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
The peripheral pool of female {alpha}{beta} TCR DTg Rag2-deficient mice

By crossing two different lines of TCR Tg B6.Rag2-/- mice, we obtained MoaHY.MoP14 (DTg) mice bearing two MHC H-2Db class I-restricted TCR transgenes. One receptor, aHY, is specific for the HY male Ag (V{beta}8.2+V{alpha}T3.70+) and the second, P14, is specific for the gp33-41 peptide of the LCMV (V{beta}8.1+V{alpha}2+). In these DTg mice, due to the absence of Rag2, lymphocytes can only express chains from the two rearranged TCR transgenes (21). Lymphocyte development in the thymus only gives rise to CD4-CD8+ single positive (SP) cells, indicating that the random association between the {alpha}- and the {beta}-chains from the two transgenes does not allow positive selection by MHC class II. Studies on the reconstitution of CD3-/-H-2Db-/- chimeras reconstituted with BM cells from DTg donors have shown that, in the DTg mice, >99% of the CD8 cells are restricted to the MHC H-2Db class I molecule (35).

In female DTg mice, we have found that 99% of the peripheral CD8 T cells express only the TCR V{beta}8.2+ chain from the aHY transgene (35). Less than 1% of the total CD8 T cells are V{beta}8+8.2-V{alpha}2+T3.70-. In contrast, the majority (~80%) of the peripheral CD8 T cells (Fig. 1GoA) express the two TCR{alpha} chains. These V{alpha}2+T3.70+ CD8 T cells have a naive phenotype, in that they are CD44-, CD62Lhigh, CD25-, and CD69- (data not shown). About 20% of the CD8 T cells express a single TCR{alpha} chain; i.e., they are either V{alpha}2+T3.70- (~5–15%) or V{alpha}2-T3.70+ (~5–15%) (Fig. 1GoA). Whereas both DTg and V{alpha}2-T3.70+ single cells are CD44-, the single V{alpha}2+ cells are CD44int, as in the MoP14 mice (Fig. 1GoB). In conclusion, in the peripheral pools of female DTg mice, most CD8 cells are V{beta}8.2+V{alpha}2+T3.70+; i.e., they express one TCR{beta} chain and two different TCR{alpha} chains, like ~30% of the T cells from a normal mouse (5, 6).



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FIGURE 1. Peripheral T cells in MoP14, MoaHY, and MoaHY.MoP14DTg female mice. A, Expression of CD8 (histograms) and of V{alpha}2 and V{alpha}T3.70 TCR transgenes by gated peripheral LN CD8 T cells (dot plots). B, Expression of CD44 among MoP14, MoaHY, DTg V{alpha}2+V{alpha}T3.70-, V{alpha}2+V{alpha}T3.70+, and V{alpha}2-V{alpha}T3.70+ LN CD8 T cells. Note that the expression of CD44 is higher among the V{alpha}2+ single cells.

 
Competitive capacity of dual-TCR CD8 T cells

Because the majority of the cells express two TCR{alpha} chains, CD8 T cells from DTg mice represent an ideal model to study the physiological behavior of one-third of the T cells from normal mice. We first addressed the question of whether the expression of two TCR transgenes could hinder the selection and survival fitness of the CD8 T cells. We compared the development and accumulation of single and DTg CD8 T cells in the same Rag2-/- hosts reconstituted with BM precursors from MoP14, MoaHY, or MoaHY.MoP14 DTg donors either injected alone or mixed at different ratios (23). Two months later, the female chimeras co-injected with BM cells from MoP14, MoaHY, and DTg donors showed a hierarchy of T cell selection and accumulation in which MoP14 > MoaHY = DTg CD8 T cells (Fig. 2Go). Thus, in the chimeras co-injected with a 10:90 cell ratio of BM cells from MoP14 (Thy1.2) and MoaHY (Thy1.1) donors, >60% of the mature T cells were from P14 origin (Fig. 2GoA). In the chimeras injected with a 50:50 ratio of MoP14 and DTg cells, there was also a preferential selection of the P14 CD8 T cells, which occupy ~80–90% of the peripheral T cell pool (Fig. 2GoB). In these later chimeras, populations of single TCR{alpha}-expressing cells of DTg BM origin were rare or absent. In the chimeras reconstituted with a mixture of MoaHY (Thy1.1) and DTg (Thy1.2) BM, the cells from DTg origin (Thy1.2) represent the majority (~75–80%) of the thymus double negative (DN) precursors. Among the mature thymus SP and peripheral populations, however, cells expressing two TCR{alpha} chains account for 50% of the cells from DTg origin, less than the 80% present either in the original DTg mice (Fig. 1Go) or in the control chimeras reconstituted with 100% BM from DTg donors (data not shown). This is due to a significant increase in the fraction of single V{alpha}T3.70-V{alpha}2+ in the peripheral pools. These results suggest that, among the CD8 T cells from DTg origin, those cells expressing the TCRV{alpha}T3.70 chain are competitively less fit to populate the peripheral T cell pools than those expressing the TCRV{alpha}2 chain alone.



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FIGURE 2. Female Rag2-/- host mice were lethally irradiated and reconstituted with mixtures of BM cells from different donors, respectively from MoaHY and MoP14 female mice (A) (injected ratio, 90:10), DTg and MoP14 female mice (B) (ratio, 50:50), and DTg and MoaHY female mice (C) (ratio, 80:20). Eight weeks after reconstitution, the relative proportions of T cells from the different donors were analyzed in the central and peripheral T cell compartments. The results show the relative proportion of MoP14- (A) or DTg-derived (B and C) cells among T cells (mean ± SD of six to eight mice). B and C, The relative proportion of each T cell subpopulation among cells from DTg origin is shown for SP CD8 thymocytes and peripheral CD8+ T cells (dashed bars, V{alpha}2+V{alpha}T3.70+; filled bars, V{alpha}2+V{alpha}T3.70-; open bars, V{alpha}2-V{alpha}T3.70+). Similar results were obtained in chimeras reconstituted with other cell ratios.

 
Immune responses and "homeostatic" proliferation of DTg CD8 cells

We next compared the in vivo immune responses and the proliferation of mature CD8 T cells from MoP14, MoaHY female, and DTg female mice transferred into T cell-deficient CD3{epsilon}-/- adoptive hosts (Fig. 3Go). In absence of Ag, in female hosts, CD8 T cells from MoaHY or DTg female donors persist at similar numbers from days 1–15 after transfer (Fig. 3GoA). In contrast, the number of cells from MoP14 donors augments to a plateau of 1–2 x 106 cells at day 14. This increase nevertheless was 10-fold lower than that observed for transferred polyclonal CD8 T cell populations (data not shown).



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FIGURE 3. T cell survival and expansion in T cell-deficient hosts. Around 6.105 LN cells from MoP14 ({triangleup}), MoaHY ({diamond}), and DTg ({circ}) female mice were transferred into B6.CD3{epsilon}-/- female (A) and male (B) hosts. Results show the kinetics of the total number of donor Tg T cells recovered in the spleen and LN of the host mice (mean + SD of three mice per time point). C, Results show the kinetics of expansion of the different DTg donor T cell subsets in the male hosts: V{alpha}2+V{alpha}T3.70+ ({circ}), V{alpha}2-V{alpha}T3.70+ ({diamond}), and V{alpha}2+V{alpha}T3.70- ({triangleup}; mean + SD of three mice). D, Proliferation of purified T cells from female MoaHY (open bars) and DTg (filled bars) donors injected (2.105 of each origin) into B6.CD3{epsilon}-/- male hosts 35 days before. Results show cpm after 3 days of in vitro stimulation with the Scmy-3 peptide (2.5 µg/ml) and Con A. Similar results were obtained after anti-CD3 stimulation. Stimulation of control MoaHY female cells resulted in 10 fold higher proliferation indexes.

 
In the presence of the HY Ag, in male hosts, cells from MoaHY female and DTg female donors respond to antigenic stimulation and expand to reach a plateau of 107 cells at day 15 (Fig. 3GoB). The kinetics of response and the long-term persistence differed between the dual and the single V{alpha}-expressing CD8 T cell populations from DTg donors (Fig. 3GoC). The number of cells expressing single V{alpha}2-T3.70+ and dual V{alpha}2+T3.70+ increased to similar numbers (Fig. 3GoC). The expansion of the V{alpha}2-T3.70+ cells continued slightly longer (Fig. 3Go, B and C) to reach a peak at day 7, but when in the presence of other CD8 T cell populations, they decay thereafter. Thus, after transfer the V{alpha}2-T3.70+ population becomes the less represented T cell subset (Fig. 3GoC). These single V{alpha}2-T3.70+ TCR cells, recovered late after transfer, become refractory and proliferate poorly upon in vitro stimulation with the HY-specific peptide or Con A (Fig. 3GoD) (26). The fraction of dual V{alpha}2+T3.70+ cells increased at a similar rate and continued to expand up to day 14 after transfer, but once they reached their peak of growth, their numbers did not decline and remain constant. The dual-receptor cells that persisted after expansion proliferated better than the single V{alpha}2-T3.70+ cells to the in vitro stimulation by the HY peptide (Fig. 3Go, B and D). However, this response was 10-fold lower than that of control naive CD8 cells from MoaHY female mice (data not shown). Finally, the fraction of V{alpha}2+T3.70- cells augmented 10-fold less at a much slower rate (Fig. 3GoC); i.e., they mimic the growth of MoP14 cells transferred into CD3{epsilon}-/- female hosts (Fig. 3GoA).

We conclude that mature dual-receptor cells show efficient in vivo responses but are less susceptible to the induction of peripheral tolerance than the single TCR-expressing cells. Indeed, after in vivo stimulation with an excess of Ag, they are not replaced by other cell populations and retain a partial responsiveness when stimulated in vitro with the specific peptide.

Competitive ability and immune responses of DTg CD8 cells from male mice

We have investigated whether the presence of two TCR transgenes could rescue cells from deletion in the presence of male HY self-Ag. Comparing T cell development in the thymus of MoaHY and DTg male mice, we found that the presence of the second V{alpha}2 TCR transgene rescues a significant fraction of cells into the double positive (DP) compartment (35). This allows the selection of cells co-expressing both V{alpha}2 and low levels of HY-specific V{alpha}T3.70 into the SP CD8 T cell compartment (35). At the periphery of the DTg males, we recovered significant numbers of CD8+ T cells (12 x 106), of which the majority (~80%) express two TCR{alpha} chains (Fig. 4GoA). In contrast to DTg females (Fig. 1GoA), single V{alpha}2+T3.70- cells are more abundant (15–20%) and V{alpha}2-T3.70+ cells are rare (<=2%). A significant fraction of the CD8+T3.70+ cells are activated, i.e., they express intermediate or high levels of CD44 (Fig. 4GoB).



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FIGURE 4. Peripheral T cells in MoaHY and MoaHY.MoP14DTg male mice. A, Expression of CD8 (histograms) and of V{alpha}2 and V{alpha}T3.70 TCR transgenes by gated peripheral LN CD8 T cells (dot plots). B, Expression of CD44 among MoaHY, DTg V{alpha}2+V{alpha}T3.70-, V{alpha}2+V{alpha}T3.70+, and V{alpha}2-V{alpha}T3.70+ LN CD8 T cells.

 
We investigated the selection fitness and functional abilities of dual-TCR-expressing CD8 T cells that developed in the presence of self-Ag in male DTg mice. For this purpose, we compared the development and peripheral accumulation of dual- and single-receptor CD8 T cells in male chimeras co-injected with MoaHY (Thy1.1) and DTg (Thy1.2) BM cells mixed at a 50:50 ratio. We found that, among the DN, DP, and SP thymus compartments and at the periphery, ~90% of the cells were from DTg origin (Fig. 5GoA). The fraction of MoaHY and single V{alpha}2-T3.70+ cells is strongly reduced, whereas the V{alpha}2+T3.70- cells become more abundant (Fig. 5GoA). These findings show a preferential selection of the cells that lose expression of the HY-specific V{alpha}T3.70, suggesting that, when in the presence of self-Ag, dual TCR{alpha} CD8 T cells expressing the V{alpha}T3.70 aHY chain are counter selected and less fit to integrate the peripheral T cell pool.



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FIGURE 5. A, Male Rag2-/- host mice were irradiated and reconstituted with mixtures of BM cells from MoaHY and DTg male donor mice (ratio, 50:50). Eight weeks after reconstitution, the relative proportions of T cells from the different donors were analyzed in the central and peripheral T cell compartments (results show the mean ± SD of six to eight mice). The relative proportion of each T cell subpopulation among cells from DTg origin is shown for SP CD8 thymocytes and peripheral CD8+ T cells (dashed bars, V{alpha}2+V{alpha}T3.70+; filled bars, V{alpha}2+V{alpha}T3.70-; open bars, V{alpha}2-V{alpha}T3.70+). B, LN cells from DTg male mice were transferred into B6.CD3{epsilon}-/- male ({square}) or female ({circ}) hosts. Results show the kinetics of the total number of donor Tg T cells recovered in the spleen and LN of the host mice (mean + SD of three mice per time point). C, Dot plots show the expression of V{alpha}2 and V{alpha}T3.70 TCR transgenes by gated peripheral LN CD8 T cells from DTg male mice before (top panel) and 35 days after transfer into female and male adoptive hosts. Note the increase in the fraction of single V{alpha}2+V{alpha}T3.70- cells in both types of recipient mice.

 
The anti-HY responses of the dual-receptor CD8 T cells from DTg male mice were studied. In vivo, the CD8 T cells from DTg male donors when exposed to the HY Ag in male adoptive hosts expanded, but 10-fold less and at a slower rate (Fig. 5GoB) than CD8 cells from DTg female donors (see Fig. 3GoB). After transfer, the fraction of the single V{alpha}2+T3.70- expressing donor cells increased both in male and female adoptive hosts (Fig. 5GoC). In vitro, upon stimulation with the Scmy-3 HY-specific peptide, the response of the T cells from DTg males was of lower intensity and delayed compared with the T cells from female DTg mice, but it was significantly detectable in the presence of high concentrations of the stimulating ligands (Fig. 6GoA). The T cells from male DTg mice up-regulated CD69 expression after stimulation with the HY peptide (Fig. 6GoB). In contrast, the CD8 T cells from DTg males did not proliferate upon stimulation with the gp33-41 peptide (Fig. 6GoC). The fraction of T cells that up-regulate CD69 after gp33-41 stimulation was reduced (Fig. 6GoD) compared with T cells from DTg females (data not shown). Overall, these results show that CD8 T cells from DTg male mice, though functionally impaired, retain some functional capabilities in that they can expand in vivo and proliferate in vitro when stimulated with high concentrations of the specific peptide.



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FIGURE 6. In vitro stimulation of T cells from MoP14, MoaHY, and MoaHY.MoP14 DTg mice. A, Spleen T cells from MoaHY female ({diamond}), MoaHY male ({square}), and DTg males ({circ}) were stimulated in cultures with the Scmy3 aHY TCR-specific peptide. Results show the [3H]thymidine incorporation at day 2 of culture obtained in one typical experiment (mean of triplicate ± SD). B, Peptide-activated (filled line) and nonactivated (dotted line) cells were stained at 24 h for the surface expression of the early activation marker CD69. The percentage of CD69+ cells is indicated inside each histogram. C and D, The same analysis was performed for T cells from MoP14 mice ({triangleup}) and DTg males ({circ}) using the gp33-41 P14 TCR-specific peptide.

 

    Discussion
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
The role of dual-receptor T cells in autoimmune diseases depends on the ability of the dual-TCR cells to be positively selected in the thymus, to escape negative selection, to survive, and to remain functionally active in the peripheral T cell pools. We have derived a line of B6.Rag2-/- mice Tg for two complete TCRs, namely the {alpha}- and the {beta}-chains of the anti-LCMV P14 TCR and of the anti-male Ag aHY TCR (15, 20). We have reported that, in these DTg mice, most CD8 T cells express only the TCR{beta} chain from the aHY transgene. By comparing the mRNA species for both TCR{beta} chains, we previously have shown that, in DTg T cells, the anti-LCMV TCR{beta} chain transcripts were less abundant (35), suggesting that the earlier and higher expression of the aHY TCR{beta} chain inhibits the late transcription of the anti-LCMV TCR{beta} chain. As a result of this process, ~80% of the peripheral CD8 T cells from the DTg mice express one TCR{beta} associated with two TCR{alpha} chains. Therefore, these DTg mice provide a unique model for studying the functional behavior of the dual-TCR{alpha} CD8 T cells. Here, we investigated the peripheral selection and competitive survival fitness of these dual-receptor CD8 T cells.

Exposure of mature naive DTg cells from female mice to the male HY Ag in vivo, i.e., after transfer into male hosts, resulted in the selective expansion of both HY-specific single V{alpha}2-T3.70+ and dual V{alpha}2+T3.70+ cells. The immune response of single V{alpha}2-T3.70+, however, was more efficient, as indicated by their faster rate of expansion. Thus, the lower surface expression of the aHY-specific TCR may decrease the overall T cell avidity to the HY Ag and render the dual V{alpha}2+T3.70+ cells less efficient responders (27). A similar expansion of single LCMV-specific V{alpha}2+T3.70- cells was observed upon immunization of the DTgmice with the virus (N.L., unpublished observations). In the DTg mice, the single V{alpha}2-T3.70+ aHY-specific cells were susceptible to the tolerogenic effects of excess Ag, because 7 days after transfer into male hosts, they became refractory and unable to proliferate upon in vitro stimulation (26). Later, in vivo, both dual V{alpha}2+T3.70+ cells and V{alpha}2+T3.70- non-HY-specific cells replaced the "anergic" V{alpha}2-T3.70+ cells (Fig. 3Go). Indeed, tolerant MoaHY CD8 T cells have been shown to persist when alone (28) (Fig. 3Go) but are rapidly substituted when in the presence of other competing populations (26, 29). In contrast, the dual-receptor cells exposed in vivo to an excess of male Ag, though still susceptible to the induction of tolerance, were not substituted and did not disappear later after transfer. The fact that these tolerant dual-TCR{alpha} cells persist and are not replaced may allow them to exert important regulatory functions in vivo (30).

We have shown that the presence of a second TCR transgene reduces the level of surface expression of the aHY-specific TCR, allowing the appearance of significant numbers of DP thymocytes and SP TCRhighCD8+ T cells in male DTg mice (35). In DTg males, peripheral CD8+ cells express two V{alpha} chains, but in contrast to female DTg mice, the single T3.70+ cells are rare and the single V{alpha}2+ cells are more abundant. Overall, the presence of the HY Ag leads to the counterselection of cells bearing high levels of the aHY-specific receptors in DTg mice. What functional roles do the dual-receptor-expressing T cells, which develop in the presence of self-Ag, play? We show that, although the presence of a second TCR permits the development and emigration of mature CD8 T cells expressing a self-reactive TCR, these peripheral dual-receptor T cells are functionally tolerant. They express low levels of CD8 and of the aHY-specific TCR, and like CD8 T cells from Rag+ aHY Tg and MoaHY males, proliferate poorly to high doses of ligand (15, 26, 28) and up-regulate CD69 expression, mimicking partial agonistic responses (31). In vivo exposure of DTg cells from male mice to the HY Ag, i.e., after transfer into male hosts, results in a limited increase in the number of DTg cells. Despite the increased expression of the P14 TCR{beta} chain, the dual-receptor CD8 cells from male mice are unable to proliferate to the LCMV gp33-41 peptide. A significant fraction of the dual-receptor cells from male mice, however, express the activation/memory CD44 marker and produce {gamma}-IFN (data not shown) and IL-10 mRNAs (30), suggesting that these tolerant cells are not fully anergic and may have important regulatory functions. These findings support the notion that tolerance induction, rather than a state of complete functional "anergy" (20), represents a change in the functional behavior of the cell (30), which may be due to changes in the thresholds of cell activation.

Using a competitive repopulation strategy, we directly accessed the accumulation of dual- and single-receptor CD8 T cells in the peripheral pools of different BM chimeras. When alone, T cells from DTg and single transgenic donors show similar behavior and generate peripheral pools of similar size. When mixed in the same host, CD8 T cells colonized the peripheral pools, following a hierarchy in which MoP14 > MoaHY = DTg cells. In these experiments, the advantage of the P14 cells may be due to their ability to recognize cross-reactive Ags present at the periphery but absent in the thymus. Indeed, after transfer into syngeneic T cell-deficient hosts, the P14 CD8 T cells express CD44+ and expand moderately (32). In agreement with these observations, we found that, in mixed DTg vs MoaHY chimeras, the fraction of single V{alpha}2+T3.70- cells increases in the peripheral pool, again suggesting a broader reactivity of the cells expressing the V{alpha}2 TCR. We must mention that, in the mixed DTg vs P14 chimeras, the fraction of the same V{alpha}2+T3.70- of DTg origin decreases. In these chimeras, it is possible that the V{alpha}2+T3.70- cells of DTg origin are out-competed by the V{alpha}2+ cells of P14 origin. Thus, CD8 T cells expressing the P14 V{beta}8.1+V{alpha}2+ TCR are more fit than V{beta}8.2+V{alpha}2+-expressing cells from the DTg donors, and they both out-compete the aHY-specific V{beta}8.2+V{alpha}T3.70+ cells. These results suggest that fine TCR specificity and/or promiscuity may be determinant for the peripheral survival and accumulation of CD8 T cells. They also indicate that dilution of each specific TCR may reduce the survival fitness of the dual-TCR CD8 T cells, favoring the occupation of peripheral pools by single-receptor T cells. Lymphocyte competition for survival signals is likely part of the homeostatic processes that regulate the peripheral T cell pool size (33, 34). Comparing peripheral CD8 T cells in male MoaHY and DTg mice, we found that, in contrast to MoaHY males where TCR+CD8- (DN) cells represent 60% of the peripheral TCR+ cell pool (15), in DTg male mice most peripheral TCR+ cells are CD8+. These results suggest that an optimal level of signal is required to ensure peripheral T cell survival. Successful survival may reflect a process of "adaptation" of lymphocyte populations to the host environment. Thus, according to the antigenic environment, surviving T cell populations express the correct levels of TCR and coreceptors; i.e., low TCR and CD8 levels compensate for an excess of ligand, high TCR expression for the lack of CD8 coreceptors, etc.

In normal mice, TCR{alpha} inclusion occurs in 30% of T cells, which may represent an autoimmune hazard. Using double-TCR Tg mice, we characterized the functional behavior of dual-receptor CD8 T cells. Naive dual-receptor cells, which develop in absence of self-Ag, respond to Ag immunization, though less efficiently than single-receptor T cells. The naive dual-receptor cells remain sensitive to induction of peripheral tolerance after exposure to high levels of self-Ag. However, the tolerant dual-receptor cells are more resistant to in vivo replacement by nonspecific T cell populations than single-receptor cells. They persist and, therefore, may exert important regulatory functions in vivo. We found that the presence of a second TCR allows a significant number of dual-receptor CD8 T cells expressing a self-reactive receptor to escape central deletion by self-Ag. These nondeleted cells migrate to the peripheral pools but are not fully competent to respond to cognate stimuli. The ensemble of these characteristics may contribute to a decrease in the autoimmune hazard that dual-receptor cells could represent in normal physiological conditions.


    Acknowledgments
 
We thank Dr. B. Rocha for criticism and suggestions and J. Di Santo and L. Ferradini for reviewing the manuscript.


    Footnotes
 
1 This work was supported by the Institute Pasteur, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Agence Nationale de Recherches sur le SIDA, Association pour la Recherche sur le Cancer, Sidaction, and Ministére de la Recherche et de l’Espace, France. Back

2 Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Antonio A. Freitas, Lymphocyte Population Biology Unit, Unité de Recherche Associée, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, 1961 Institut Pasteur, 25 Rue du Dr. Roux, 75015 Paris, France. E-mail address: afreitas{at}pasteur.fr Back

3 Abbreviations used in this paper: Tg, transgenic; LCMV, lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus; DTg, double transgenic; BM, bone marrow; LN, lymph node; DN, double negative; SP, single positive; DP, double positive. Back

Received for publication July 13, 2001. Accepted for publication September 21, 2001.


    References
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 

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