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The Journal of Immunology, 2001, 167: 6225-6231.
Copyright © 2001 by The American Association of Immunologists

T Cell Costimulation by the TNF Ligand BAFF1

Bertrand Huard2,*, Pascal Schneider{dagger}, Davide Mauri{ddagger}, Jürg Tschopp{dagger} and Lars E. French*

* Department of Dermatology, Geneva University Medical Center, Geneva, Switzerland; {dagger} Institute of Biochemistry, Lausanne University, Epalinges, Switzerland; and {ddagger} Apotech Biochemicals, Epalinges, Switzerland


    Abstract
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
The TNF ligand family member B cell-activating factor belonging to TNF family (BAFF, also called Blys, TALL-1, zTNF-4, or THANK) is an important survival factor for B cells. In this study, we show that BAFF is able to regulate T cell activation. rBAFF induced responses (thymidine incorporation and cytokine secretion) of T cells, suboptimally stimulated through their TCR. BAFF activity was observed on naive, as well as on effector/memory T cells (both CD4+ and CD8+ subsets), indicating that BAFF has a wide function on T cell responses. Analysis of the signal transduced by BAFF into T cells shows that BAFF has no obvious effect on T cell survival upon activation, but is able to deliver a complete costimulation signal into T cells. Indeed, BAFF is sufficient to induce IL-2 secretion and T cell division, when added to an anti-TCR stimulation. This highlights some differences in the BAFF signaling pathway in T and B cells. In conclusion, our results indicate that BAFF may play a role in the development of T cell responses, in addition to its role in B cell homeostasis.


    Introduction
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
Full activation of T lymphocytes requires at least two signals transmitted by an APC. The first one is mediated upon recognition of the antigenic peptide-MHC complex by the TCR and is called signal 1. The second one is mediated upon recognition of molecules expressed constitutively by professional APCs and is called signal 2 or costimulatory signal (1). The number of molecules providing T cell costimulation has considerably increased over the last few years, so that families, according to protein structure, can be defined. To date, the more important T cell costimulatory molecules are found in the Ig and TNF superfamilies.

Members of the TNF superfamily have pleiotropic biological functions. These molecules are involved in organogenesis, tissue homeostasis, inflammation, and immunity (2). For immune responses, TNF molecules have been implicated in both phases, the induction and the down-regulation, of a response. Involvement in the induction phase is explained by expression of TNF receptors with stimulatory activities on key immunological players, such as monocytes/dendritic cells B and T lymphocytes. At the T cell level, TNF receptors with costimulatory functions are expressed, and their respective ligands are found on professional APCs. These T cell stimulatory TNF receptor/ligand pairs are OX40/OX40L (3), 4-1BB/4-1BBL (4), CD27/CD70 (5), and the recently described herpesvirus entry mediator/LIGHT (6, 7).

B cell-activating factor belonging to TNF family (BAFF3; Blys, TALL-1, zTNF-4, THANK) is a recently identified member of the TNF ligand family (8, 9, 10, 11), expressed in monocytes/dendritic cells and T cells. BAFF has been described as a potent survival factor for B cells (8, 9, 12). In this study, we provide evidences that BAFF stimulates T cells, and characterize the activatory signal delivered by BAFF to T cells.


    Materials and Methods
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
Cells and reagents

Buffy coats from healthy donors were prepared at the Geneva transfusion center. PBMCs were obtained after Ficoll-Paque gradient centrifugation, and T cells were purified by immunomagnetic depletion with an anti-CD19 (J4.119; Immunotech, Marseille, France), an anti-CD14 (RMO 52; Immunotech), an anti-MHC class II (IVA12; American Type Culture Collection (ATCC), Manassas, VA), and an anti-CD56 (B159; BD PharMingen, San Diego, CA). The cells were routinely 95% CD3+. Purified CD4+ and CD8+ T cells were obtained by adjunction to this mixture of an anti-CD8 (OKT8; ATCC) and of an anti-CD4 (OKT4; ATCC), respectively. Purity >98% was observed by flow cytometry analysis after staining with a PE-conjugated anti-CD4 (RPA-T4) and anti-CD8 (HIT8a), both from BD PharMingen. Memory and naive T cells were further purified from resting T cells by depletion with an anti-CD45RA (ALB11; Immunotech) and an anti-CD45RO (UCHL1; BD PharMingen). Depletion was controlled by flow cytometry analysis after staining with a PE-conjugated anti-CD45RA (HI100; BD PharMingen) and anti-CD45R0 (UCHL1; BD PharMingen). The naive fraction contained routinely 95% or more CD45RA+ cells with <2% CD45RO+. The memory fraction contained routinely 95% CD45RO+ cells. Dully stained CD45RA+ cells, from 25 to 40%, depending on the donors, were also found present in this latter fraction. PHA-stimulated T cells were obtained by stimulating total PBLs for 10 days with 1 µg/ml PHA (Sigma-Aldrich, St. Louis, MO) and 100 IU/ml IL-2 (a former gift from Roussel Uclaf, Romainville, France). They were used after a resting period of 10 days. The MART-1-specific CD8+ T cell clone, LT12, was kindly provided by Dr. F. Faure (Paris, France).

The anti-CD25, B1.49.9 (Immunotech), was used to stain for CD25 expression. Inhibition of IL-2-dependent proliferations was performed with the anti-CD25, Mar 93, kindly provided by Dr. P. Romero (Epalinges, Switzerland).

Soluble forms of rTNF ligands and receptors were obtained from Apotech Biochemicals (Epalinges, Switzerland). Soluble forms of the following human ligands were used: BAFF (aa 83–285), Fas ligand (FasL; aa 103–281), and LIGHT (aa 89–240). These ligands were flag tagged at their amino-terminal part and purified on agarose-M2 gel (Sigma-Aldrich). rBAFF was produced in bacteria. rLIGHT and rFasL were produced in HEK 293. Soluble forms of the following human receptors were used: B cell-maturating Ag (BCMA; aa 2–54), TACI (aa 2–118), Fas (aa 7–154), and TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand-R1 (aa 24–239). These receptors were fused at their carboxyl-terminal part with the C region of a human IgG1. These molecules were produced in HEK 293 and purified on protein A-Sepharose (Amersham Pharmacia, Piscataway, NJ). Endotoxin levels of the purified molecules were <0.1 ng/µg purified proteins, as assessed with the QCL-1000 kit, according to manufacturer’s instructions (BioWhittaker, Walkersville, MD).

T cell stimulation assays

T cells were activated with anti-CD3 (OKT3; ATCC) or anti-TCR (BMA 031; Immunotech) immobilized on plastic surfaces. Culture medium was RPMI 1640 supplemented with sodium pyruvate, glutamine, HEPES, and 10% heat-inactivated FCS (Life Technologies, Basel, Switzerland). Soluble anti-CD28, CD28.2 (a kind gift from Dr. D. Olive, Marseille, France), and 9.3 (a kind gift from Dr. C. June, Philadelphia, PA) were used in some experiments. Optimal concentrations of these anti-CD28 were assessed before use. Immobilization of Abs was performed overnight at 4°C in PBS. Unbound Abs were washed once, followed by immobilization of the indicated TNF ligands for 4 h at 37°C. Unbound materials were washed three times, and T cells were added at 1 x 105 cells/well (U-bottom, 0.2 ml final vol). Proliferation was assessed after 72 h by [3H]thymidine (Hartmann Analytic, Braunschweig, Germany) incorporation for the last 18 h.

Cytokine secretion was assessed in the supernatant of activated cells with a sandwich ELISA for IL-4, IFN-{gamma}, IL-5, and IL-13 (R&D Systems, Minneapolis, MN). TNF-{alpha} and IL-2 secretions were assessed with the sensitive cells WEHI.13 and CTLL2, respectively. Briefly, WEHI.13 cells (3 x 104) were incubated in 50 µl of medium containing 2 µg/ml actinomycin D (Sigma-Aldrich). After 2 h, 50 µl of supernatant was added. Twenty-four hours later, cell viability was assessed with a WST-1-based colorimetric assay according to manufacturer’s instructions (Boehringer Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany). TNF-{alpha} concentrations in cell supernatants were calculated from a standard curve obtained with purified rTNF-{alpha} (Apotech Biochemicals). A total of 4 x 103 CTLL2 cells was incubated with 1 vol cell supernatants for 24 h (final vol, 0.1 ml). [3H]Thymidine was then added for 18 h to assess the IL-2-dependent CTLL-2 proliferation. IL-2 concentrations in cell supernatants were calculated from a standard curve obtained with purified rIL-2. For IL-4, IL-5, IL-13, IFN-{gamma}, and TNF-{alpha} detections, T cells were stimulated at 0.5 x 106/ml. For IL-2 detection, T cells were stimulated at 2.5 x 106/ml.

Cellular staining and flow cytometry

T cells were labeled with 250 µM CSFE according to manufacturer’s instructions (Molecular Probes, Leiden, The Netherlands). Annexin stainings were performed, according to the manufacturer’s instructions (BD PharMingen). Propidium iodide (PI) stainings were performed by incubation of cells in PBS containing 0.5 µg/ml PI (Sigma-Aldrich) before flow cytometry analysis. Immunostainings were performed, as previously described (13). CSFE and annexin stainings were analyzed on the FL-1 channel, and PI on the FL-3 channel on a FACScan (BD Biosciences, Mountain View, CA) using the CellQuest software.


    Results
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
BAFF induces thymidine incorporation and cytokine secretion of T cells suboptimally stimulated through their TCR

Delivery of signal 1 alone to T cells is known to induce a poor T cell activation. Signal 1 can be reproduced in vitro by using an Ab directed against the TCR-CD3 complex. Fig. 1GoA shows that stimulation of purified human T cells with increasing concentrations of immobilized Ab against CD3 (left panel) or against the TCR (right panel) resulted in marginal proliferative responses at high Ab concentrations (3 µg/ml for the anti-CD3, and 3–10 µg/ml for the anti-TCR). The presence of coimmobilized rBAFF in this assay increased the proliferation to high Ab concentrations and even induced this response at suboptimal concentrations of these Abs. Fig. 1Gob shows that addition of a soluble form of one BAFF receptor, BCMA (14, 15), BCMA-Ig, in this assay completely inhibited BAFF stimulation. On the contrary, control Fas-Ig did not show any effect. Likewise, BCMA-Ig had no effect on stimulation mediated by an unrelated TNF ligand, FasL (16). In these experiments, addition of a soluble form of the second BAFF receptor, the transmembrane activator and calcium modulator and cyclophylin ligand interactor (TACI) (17, 18), also inhibited BAFF stimulation (data not shown). The BAFF stimulation was seen with purified T cells from different donors (n = 10). BAFF activity was seen when the recombinant molecule was coated onto plastic surface. Addition of this molecule in a soluble form did not significantly stimulate T cells (data not shown). Immobilization of rBAFF alone in this experiment did not provide a stimulation by itself (data not shown), reflecting a dependency on TCR/CD3 signaling, and thereby demonstrating that the signal delivered to T cells is a costimulatory signal.



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FIGURE 1. rBAFF induces thymidine incorporation by T cells stimulated with suboptimal doses of anti-TCR/CD3 mAbs. A, rBAFF increases thymidine incorporation by T cells. Purified T cells were incubated with increasing concentrations of immobilized Ab against CD3 (OKT3, left panel) or the TCR (BMA 031, right panel) complex in the presence or absence of coimmobilized rBAFF (10 µg/ml). The proliferative responses were monitored during the last 18 h of a 72-h incubation. The results are expressed as the mean of triplicate cultures ± SD. B, The BAFF stimulation activity is blocked by BCMA-Ig. Proliferative responses were monitored as in A. Anti-CD3 was used at 0.3 µg/ml. Soluble BCMA-Ig and Fas-Ig were added at 50 µg/ml. The inhibition mediated by BCMA-Ig was observed in three separate experiments.

 
In this T cell stimulation assay, anti-CD28 Abs were used to compare the potency of the BAFF stimulation pathway with the well-described CD28 one. We found donors responding better to the BAFF stimulation, as well as donors responding better to the CD28 stimulation. Fig. 2Go shows a comparison of stimulation indexes (SI) obtained with rBAFF or the anti-CD28, mAb 9.3, on T cell proliferation of different donors. Overall, SI obtained with these two reagents were comparable over the range of experiments performed, with a mean of about 30. Similar results were obtained with a second anti-CD28 mAb (CD28.2) (data not shown). These data demonstrate that BAFF provides a potent costimulatory signal to T cells in this assay.



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FIGURE 2. SIs on thymidine incorporation by T cells obtained with rBAFF or anti-CD28. T cell proliferation assays with an anti-CD3 in the presence of immobilized BAFF (left) or soluble anti-CD28 (right) were performed as described in the legend to Fig. 1Go. SI were calculated according to the formula: cpm (T cells stimulated with anti-CD3 and BAFF or anti-CD28)/cpm (T cells stimulated with anti-CD3 alone). Background cpm obtained with T cells in medium alone were negligible. SI shown represent assays wherein the anti-CD3 was suboptimal (<1000 cpm obtained). Each symbol represents one donor (n = 7). The mean SI obtained with these seven donors is indicated. The anti-CD28 mAb 9.3 was used at an optimal concentration (100 ng/ml).

 
We next assessed CD4+ vs CD8+ T cells for their responsiveness to BAFF costimulation. As with total T cells, a costimulation in the proliferation of purified CD4+ T cells was observed (see Fig. 6Go), but no reproducible proliferation could be obtained with purified CD8+ T cells (data not shown). By studying cytokine secretion of these two T cell subsets, we observed that rBAFF induced TNF-{alpha} (left panel) and IFN-{gamma} (right panel) secretion by CD4+ as well as CD8+ T cells (Fig. 3Go). The induction was observed when these cells were stimulated with a suboptimal concentration of anti-CD3 mAb. Addition of BCMA-Ig significantly inhibited TNF-{alpha} and IFN-{gamma} secretion in this experiment. Taken together, these data indicate that BAFF costimulation induces a response (thymidine incorporation and cytokine secretion) in helper as well as cytotoxic T cells, suboptimally stimulated through their TCR.



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FIGURE 6. rBAFF costimulates the proliferation of naive and memory T cells. Purified T cells were subdivided into naive and memory T cells according to their membrane expression of CD45RA and CD45RO Ags, respectively. These cells were stimulated in the indicated conditions, and proliferation was assessed as in Fig. 1Go legend. The anti-CD3 and rBAFF were used at 10 µg/ml; BCMA-Ig and the CIg (TNF-2 related apoptosis-inducing ligand-R1-Ig) were used at 50 µg/ml. Unfractionated T cells are shown for comparison. A similar result was obtained with naive and memory cells purified from a second independent donor.

 


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FIGURE 3. rBAFF induces cytokine secretion by CD4+ and CD8+ T cells stimulated with a suboptimal dose of anti-CD3. Purified CD4+ or CD8+ T cells were incubated with immobilized rBAFF (10 µg/ml) and a suboptimal concentration of anti-CD3. For CD4+ T cells, the anti-CD3 mAb was used at 1 µg/ml for both IFN-{gamma} and TNF-{alpha} assays. For CD8+ T cells, the anti-CD3 mAb was used at 0.3 and 0.1 µg/ml for TNF-{alpha} and IFN-{gamma} assays, respectively. Supernatants were harvested at 72 h for quantification of cytokine secretion in a standard sandwich ELISA. Similar results were obtained in three independent experiments.

 
BAFF costimulation drives T cell division in an IL-2-dependent manner

To insure that the thymidine incorporation reported above corresponded to cell proliferation, we first looked for IL-2 production and CD25 induction. Fig. 4GoA shows that significant levels of IL-2 (22 IU/ml) were detected in the supernatant of T cells stimulated for 24 h with the anti-CD3 and rBAFF. Without rBAFF, no IL-2 was detected. Fig. 4GoB shows that BAFF costimulation results in a strong increase in CD25 membrane expression. Twenty-four hours after stimulation, 27% of the T cells expressed CD25 in the presence of rBAFF, while only 4.5% expressed this Ag in its absence. This CD25 induction was blocked by the addition of the BAFF antagonist BCMA-Ig. Similar results were also obtained at later time points (48 h, Fig. 4GoB; 96 h, data not shown). This strongly suggests that, in the presence of BAFF, a higher proportion of T cells expressed a high affinity receptor for IL-2 and could therefore respond to the IL-2 produced. Fig. 4GoC shows that addition of the anti-CD25 Ab (MAR 93), which blocks IL-2 signaling, almost completely blocked proliferation obtained in the presence of rBAFF. This experiment demonstrates that BAFF-mediated proliferation is IL-2 dependent.



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FIGURE 4. BAFF costimulation induces IL-2 secretion and CD25 membrane expression, and drives IL-2-dependent proliferation of T cells. A, BAFF stimulation induces IL-2 secretion: T cells were stimulated for 24 h. Supernatants were harvested and assessed for IL-2 in a standard CTLL2 assay. IL-2 concentrations are shown. B, BAFF stimulation up-regulates CD25 membrane expression: T cells were stimulated for the indicated time. Cells were harvested, stained with an anti-CD25, and analyzed by flow cytometry. Fluorescence profiles corresponding to anti-CD25 stainings (solid lines) and control stainings (dashed lines) are shown. Percentages of CD25-stained cells are indicated. C, BAFF-induced proliferation is IL-2 dependent: The proliferative responses were monitored as in Fig. 1GoA. The anti-CD25 was used at 20 µg/ml. CIg was an anti-KIR2DL1 used at the same concentration. Anti-CD3 and BAFF were used at 1 and 10 µg/ml, respectively. BCMA-Ig was used at 50 µg/ml. The experiments shown are representative of three independent experiments with T cells derived from two different donors.

 
We next studied cell division. T cell division was assessed by CSFE staining and flow cytometry analysis of stimulated T cells. Four days after stimulation, we found that in the presence of BAFF costimulation, 33% of T cells had divided, while only 3.5% had divided in its absence (Fig. 5GoA). In this experiment, costimulation with an anti-CD28 (mAb 9.3) gave a comparable percentage of dividing T cells (data not shown). Noteworthy, these dividing T cells excluded PI, demonstrating that they were viable stimulated T cells. In fact, we could not observe any significant modulation in the percentage of apoptotic (annexin positive) or dead cells (PI positive) at any time (from 15 h up to 4 days) after anti-CD3 stimulation in the presence of BAFF (Fig. 5GoB). We do not consider the increase in the percentage of annexin+ T cells (9 and 13% in the absence and in the presence of BAFF, respectively) 42 h after activation significant. Indeed, this increase was not confirmed in the second experiment performed, and we did not recover these cells when the PI+ fraction was studied at later time points (n = 4). These experiments indicate that BAFF costimulation on T cells is sufficient to drive T cell division by inducing factors necessary for T cell growth (IL-2 and CD25).



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FIGURE 5. rBAFF induces T cell division without modulating the early survival of activated T cells. A, rBAFF induces T cell division: T cells were labeled with CSFE and stimulated in the indicated conditions. Anti-CD3 and rBAFF were used at 1 and 10 µg/ml, respectively. After 4 days, cells were harvested, stained with PI, and analyzed by flow cytometry. Dot plots representing CSFE-stained cells (x-axis) and PI-stained cells (y-axis) are shown. Percentage of T cells in each cell division cycle is indicated. B, BAFF does not modulate T cell survival upon activation: T cells were stimulated as in A, harvested at the indicated time, double stained with annexin-FITC and PI, and analyzed by flow cytometry. The percentage of apoptotic cells (annexin stained, upper panel) and dead cells (PI stained, lower panel) is shown. The experiments shown are representative of two independent experiments.

 
Naive as well as memory/effector T cells respond to BAFF costimulation

It is known that mature T cells, depending on their prior Ag encounter, do not have the same requirement for activation signal, naive T cells being the subset that is more refractory to activation signals. To assess whether BAFF costimulation is potent on naive cells, we further separated CD4+ T cells into naive and memory cells based on their expression of CD45RA and CD45RO, respectively. Fig. 6Go shows that the BAFF costimulation described above for total T cells was reproduced on memory cells (middle panel). In this experiment, even though the proliferation obtained was lower, rBAFF also significantly costimulated the proliferation of naive CD4+ T cells (Fig. 6Go, upper panel). Proliferation of total T cells from this donor is shown for comparison (Fig. 6Go, lower panel). Costimulation of naive T cells was reproduced with cells derived from four independent donors (data not shown).

To document the activity of rBAFF on Ag-experienced T cells, we studied whether recently activated T cells could also respond to BAFF costimulation. As recently activated T cells, we used in vitro propagated CD8+ T cell clone and bulk populations of T cells activated with PHA. Fig. 7GoA shows that stimulation of the T cell clone in the presence of rBAFF resulted in the induction of IFN-{gamma} secretion, when a suboptimal concentration of an anti-TCR mAb was used. In this experiment, LIGHT, another member of the TNF ligand family (19), was used as a control molecule and gave reproducibly no induction of IFN-{gamma} by this T cell clone. Similarly, induction of IFN-{gamma} was obtained when starved, PHA-activated T cells were used in this experiment (Fig. 7GoB, lower panel). We also assessed induction of type II cytokines (IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13) by these PHA-activated T cells. In addition to IFN-{gamma} induction, rBAFF induced ng/ml levels of IL-5 and IL-13 (Fig. 7GoB, middle panel) and weak IL-4 secretion (Fig. 7GoC, upper panel). This experiment shows that BAFF costimulation of T cell cytokine secretion is not selective for a type of cytokine. Type I and II cytokines appear to be induced similarly. To rule out any putative polarization signal mediated by BAFF on T cell differentiation, we performed T cell polarization experiments. When total T cells were stimulated with anti-CD3, the percentage of IFN-{gamma} vs IL-4-secreting T cells upon restimulation did not change when BAFF was present during the stimulation phase (data not shown). This was further detailed in an experiment wherein naive T cells were used. The amount of type I (IFN-{gamma}) as well as type II (IL-5 and IL-13) cytokines secreted by these T cells did not change significantly in the presence of rBAFF, even after two cycles of stimulation (data not shown). Altogether, these experiments show that BAFF has a wide costimulatory activity on T cell responses. The costimulation is evident on proliferation as well as cytokine secretion, without any evident specificity for the type of cytokines induced. Importantly, naive, as well as effector/memory T cells are responsive to this newly identified costimulation pathway.



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FIGURE 7. rBAFF induces cytokine secretion of recently activated T cells. A, BAFF induces IFN-{gamma} in a CD8+ T cell clone: A CD8+ T cell clone was restimulated with an anti-TCR at the indicated concentrations. BAFF and LIGHT were immobilized at 10 µg/ml. Supernatants were harvested at 48 h and tested for IFN-{gamma} in a standard sandwich ELISA. Similar results were reproduced in a second experiment. B, BAFF induces type I and II cytokines in PHA-activated T cells: PHA-activated T cells were restimulated with a suboptimal dose of anti-CD3 (10 ng/ml). Supernatants were harvested at 48 h and tested for the indicated cytokines in standard sandwich ELISAs. This experiment is representative of three independent experiments.

 

    Discussion
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
In this study, we report that BAFF, a TNF ligand recently described as an important molecule in the development of B cell responses, also has an activity on T cell responses. BAFF induced thymidine incorporation and cytokine secretion of T cells in the presence of a suboptimal signal 1. For cytokine secretion, no selectivity in the type of cytokines induced was detected in the presence of BAFF stimulation. IFN-{gamma} as well as IL-5 and IL-13 were all induced in preactivated T cells by BAFF. BAFF activity was observed on mature T cells at all stages of differentiation. BAFF stimulated thymidine incorporation of naive T cells, recently primed T cells, and memory T cells. The wide activity of BAFF on T cell responses is further strengthened by the observation that both CD4 helper and CD8 cytotoxic T cells were found responsive to this costimulation pathway. Importantly, T cell costimulation by BAFF resulted in the production of IL-2 and induction of the high-affinity component of its receptor, CD25, which together drove T cell division. The BAFF costimulation pathway is therefore a complete signal 2, known to be essential for T cell division and expansion.

It is of interest to note that many T cell stimulatory molecules do not induce detectable levels of IL-2 (20). For example, among the different T cell stimulatory molecules from the TNF superfamily, only 4-1BBL has been shown to induce IL-2 production by T cells. In this regard, BAFF costimulation may be comparable with the well-described signal 2 provided by CD28. In our in vitro T cell proliferation assays (thymidine incorporation and CSFE staining), we observed a similar potency for BAFF and two different anti-CD28 mAbs. Noteworthy, we observed this BAFF activity in absence of any potent CD28 signaling (purified T cells in the absence of APCs). This indicates that the BAFF costimulation pathway may play a substitutive role, when the CD28 pathway is absent.

BAFF mRNA has been detected constitutively in monocytes, dendritic cells, as well as in T cells with an up-regulation upon cellular activation in both CD4+ and CD8+ T cell subsets ( Ref. 8 and our unpublished data). Such expression pattern appears to be common among stimulatory molecules belonging to the TNF ligand family (e.g., OX40L, 4-1BBL, CD70, and LIGHT). This expression pattern indicates that T cell costimulation mediated by BAFF may be delivered by APCs during APC/T cell interactions. It could not be excluded that BAFF may act also during the T cell expansion phase, in an autocrine fashion, once T cells have detached from APCs.

BAFF is predicted to be expressed as a soluble molecule, due to a furin-like protease site in its ectodomain. This site is effective in transfected epithelial cells, and most of the transfected BAFF is secreted ( (Ref. 8 and our unpublished observation). On the other hand, a recent observation indicates that BAFF could be detected at the membrane of human monocytes (9), indicating that BAFF cleavage may not be as effective in primary cells. BAFF cleavage is of importance, when one considers BAFF function. Indeed, on B cells, a soluble BAFF trimer is functional for signaling (8, 9, 18), and this signaling is not enhanced by addition of a cross-linking reagent (8). On T cells, our experiments indicate that BAFF needs to be oligomerized (immobilization on plastic surfaces) to signal into T cells. In vivo, such an oligomerized state for BAFF is likely to be found on a cell surface. These observations suggest a different mechanism of action for BAFF on B cells and on T cells. On B cells, BAFF may act as a cytokine, able to signal into cells even at a distant site from the BAFF-producing cells. The observed B cell dysregulation when BAFF is overexpressed as a transgene under the control of a liver promotor (21) is an argument in favor of this mechanism of action. On the contrary, on T cells, BAFF may signal into cells that are in close contact with the BAFF-producing cells. Such signaling is likely to occur between T cells and APCs in the presence of the Ag.

To date, two BAFF receptors, BCMA and TACI, have been described (14, 15, 17, 22). In addition to its expression on B cells, TACI has been found to be expressed in human activated T cells (23, 24), and rBAFF appears to bind to these activated T cells (18). On the other hand, BCMA appears to be expressed exclusively on B cells (25). Therefore, TACI may be the receptor mediating the BAFF costimulatory activity reported in this work. One should note that BAFF may not be the only TNF ligand signaling into T cells through TACI (or another yet unknown receptor). Indeed, APRIL (a proliferation-inducing ligand, also called TRDL-1) is another member of the TNF ligand family (26, 27) that shares common receptors with BAFF (17, 22, 28). Interestingly, APRIL has also been reported to stimulate T cells in the murine system (22). The involvement of BAFF and APRIL in T cell activation is strengthened by a recent report indicating that a soluble form of TACI inhibited anti-CD3-driven T cell activation in vitro, as well as T cell-mediated pathologies in a collagen-induced arthritis model (24). Further studies are definitely required to dissect the relative contribution of the two related TNF ligands, BAFF and APRIL, on T cell stimulation.

From our study, it can be said that BAFF regulates both B and T cell activation, with an overall enhancement of proliferation and effector responses (Ig secretion for B cells and cytokine secretion for T cells). The enhancement of B cell responses originally described for BAFF (8, 9, 18) is thought to be due to an increase in survival of activated B cells (29). This survival signal has been further confirmed on resting B cells (12). On T cells, we did not detect such increase in T cell survival upon activation, in the presence of BAFF signaling. Enhancement of T cell responses is therefore likely to be due to a BAFF costimulatory activity, important for the development of a full T cell response in the presence of a signal 1. Taken together, these indicate that BAFF may differentially regulate humoral and cellular responses. On humoral responses, BAFF may have a more pronounced quantitative effect, by increasing the number of viable Ag-responding B cells. On cellular responses, the effect of BAFF may be more qualitative, by allowing the development of an optimal response in Ag-responding T cells.

Note added in proof.

Recently, a third receptor for BAFF, not shared by APRIL, has been reported (30, 31).


    Acknowledgments
 
We gratefully acknowledge K. Grosdemange for technical assistance. We thank E. Roosnek and C. Hauser for stimulating discussions and critical reading of this manuscript.


    Footnotes
 
1 This work was supported by grants from the Swiss National Science Foundation, the Ligue Genevoise Contre le Cancer, the Fondation pour la lutte contre le Cancer et pour des Recherches, Medico-Biologiques, and the Fondation Leenaards. Back

2 Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Bertrand Huard, Dermatology Laboratory, University Medical Center, 1 rue Michel-Servet, 1211 Geneva 4, Switzerland. E-mail address: huard{at}cmu.unige.ch Back

3 Abbreviations used in this paper: BAFF, B cell-activating factor belonging to TNF family; APRIL, a proliferation-inducing ligand; BCMA, B cell maturation Ag; FasL, Fas ligand; PI, propidium iodide; SI, stimulation index; TACI, transmembrane activator and calcium modulator and cyclophylin ligand interactor. Back

Received for publication August 16, 2001. Accepted for publication September 26, 2001.


    References
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 

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