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CUTTING EDGE |
Medical Biochemistry and Immunology, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Wales, United Kingdom
| Abstract |
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| Introduction |
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To explore the role of CD59 in T cell activation in vivo, we examined T cell function in mice lacking the species analog, CD59a (4). T cell activity was compared in Cd59a/ and Cd59a+/+ (wild-type; WT) mice after in vitro stimulation and after infection of mice with recombinant vaccinia virus (rVV). CD8+ T cell responses were unaltered in the absence of CD59a; however, CD4+ T cells displayed enhanced proliferation to several stimuli both in vivo and in vitro. C inhibition did not influence the enhanced responses, indicating that CD59a modulates CD4+ T cell activation independent of C.
| Materials and Methods |
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C57BL/6 (H-2b) mice (WT) were obtained from Harlan. B6.129-Cd59atm1Bpm (Cd59a/) mice were generated as described previously (4) and backcrossed onto the C57BL/6 background for eight generations. Cd59a/ mice were intercrossed with the B6.129S4-C3tm1Crr (C3/) mice (5) also on the C57BL/6 background. Experiments were performed in compliance with Home Office regulations.
Cell culture
Yac-1 cells, T cells, and V8E, a mouse CD4+ T cell hybridoma (6) (provided by Dr. Annette Oxenius, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland), were maintained in RPMI 1640 medium supplemented with 10% FCS, penicillin-streptomycin, L-glutamine, and 2-ME. V8E cells were transfected with CD59a using standard methods.
Infection with rVV and determination of antivirus response
rVV expressing the gp of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) has been described previously (7). Mice received injections i.p. with 50 µl of rVVGP at 108 PFU/ml. At day 3 and 8 after infection, ovaries were harvested for virus titers, and immunostaining and spleens were harvested for CTL assays and T cell proliferation assays. For memory responses, spleens were harvested 6 wk after infection, and CTL assays and CD4+ T cell proliferation assays were performed.
Fluorescence staining
Cy5-conjugated Abs were used for CD4 staining (Caltag Laboratories). Cells were incubated with 5 µg/ml mAb for 30 min, washed, and resuspended in FACS buffer. IFN-
staining was performed using IFN-
-FITC mAbs (BD Pharmingen) after incubating ovary-derived lymphocytes for 4 h at 37°C in the presence of ionomycin (1 µg/ml), PMA (20 ng/ml), and monensin (3 µM) (Sigma-Aldrich). CFSE staining (Molecular Probes) was conducted by incubating the cells for 10 min at 37°C with 0.5 µM CFSE. In all cases, cells were resuspended in FACS buffer and analyzed by FACS (FACSCalibur; BD Biosciences).
Immunoprecipitation and Western blotting
Immunoprecipitation was performed as described previously (8). Lysates of mouse CD4+ or CD8+ T cells were incubated with 10 µg of mouse mAb against CD59a (mCD59.4) (9) and 50 µl of protein A-Sepharose beads for 2 h at 4°C. The immunoprecipitates were washed in lysis buffer and boiled in nonreducing SDS-PAGE sample buffer. Beads were removed by centrifugation, and supernatants were resolved on nonreducing 12% SDS-PAGE and transferred to nitrocellulose. The membrane was probed with the CD59a-specific mAb mCD59.1 as described previously (9).
T cell proliferation
CD4+ and CD8+ T cells from single-cell suspensions of splenocytes were purified by positive MACS MicroBeads selection (Miltenyi Biotec). To produce APCs, spleen cells were panT depleted (Dynabeads; Dynal Biotech) and irradiated with 2400 cGy CD4+, or CD8+ cells (2 x 104 cells) were incubated with 105 APCs and 1 µg/ml anti-CD3 mAb in a 96-multiwell (MW) plate. Cell proliferation was assessed by thymidine incorporation or CFSE FACS analysis at day 3. For anti-CD28 and anti-CD3 mAb stimulation, 105 CD4+ T cells were incubated in a 96-MW plate with 2 µg/ml anti-CD28 and 2 µg/ml anti-CD3 (Leinco Technologies). Vaccinia-specific CD4+ T cell proliferation was performed by incubation of 105 CD4+ T cells with 6 x 105-irradiated splenocytes and 2.5 µg/ml P13 peptide (GLNGPDIYKGVYQFKSVEFD) (LCMV-GP, I-Ab) or P61 peptide (SGEGWPYIACRTSVVGRAWE) (LCMV-NP, I-Ab). CD8+ T cell proliferation was conducted against the Db-restricted peptide gp33. Cells were incubated for 6 days, and thymidine was added for the last 18 h.
Exogenous incorporation of CD59a
CD59a was purified as described previously (10). CD4+ T cells (5 x 106 cells) were incubated with 5 µg of CD59a for 20 min at 37°C to permit incorporation via the GPI anchor. Cells were then washed and incubated for another 2 h to allow migration of CD59a into lipid rafts (11).
CTL assay
Spleen cells (4 x 106 cells) were stimulated in vitro with 1 x 106 gp33 (KAVYNFATM) (LCMV-GP, Db) peptide-loaded (105 M) splenocytes, and IL-2 was added at day 2. After 1 wk, cells were restimulated with 1 x 106 gp33 splenocytes and IL-2 (10 U/ml). rVV-specific CTL activity was measured 5 days later as described previously (12).
Virus titers
rVVGP titers were determined in ovaries at day 3 and 8 postinfection. Ovaries were homogenized and incubated on a monolayer of TK cells as described previously (13).
CD59a cross-linking and IL-2 ELISA
V8E, a mouse CD4+ T cell hybridoma negative for CD59a expression by FACS, was transfected with CD59a as described (9). Purified CD4+ T cells from Cd59a/ or WT mice or V8E cells, untransfected or transfected with CD59a, were incubated with mCD59.1 or isotype-control mAb for 15 min at 4°C. After washing, cells were plated at 105 cells/well in triplicate in a 96-MW plate. Where appropriate, 5 µg/ml F(ab')2 rabbit anti-rat IgG Ab (Serotec) was added to the wells to cross-link (3). Cells were activated with 0.5 ng/ml PMA and incubated at 37°C. After 18 h, IL-2 was measured by ELISA according to the manufacturers instructions (BD Pharmingen).
C inhibition
For inhibition of C activity in vitro, 1 µg/ml recombinant human soluble CR1 (sCR1; gift from T Cell Sciences) was added to each well of a 96-MW plate. Cell proliferation was assayed after 3 days by thymidine incorporation. For in vivo inhibition, mice received injections i.v. daily with 20 mg/kg sCR1. To confirm C inhibition, mice were bled daily, and serum was tested for C hemolytic activity using rabbit erythrocytes (RbE) sensitized with mouse anti-RbE antiserum. Serial dilutions of test or control sera were incubated with 2% RbE. Hemolysis was measured by absorbance in supernatants at 415 nm ([A415 (sample) A415 (min)]/[A415 (max) A415 (min)] x100). Hemolytic activity in samples taken 24 h posttreatment was always <15% of controls.
| Results and Discussion |
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Previous cross-linking experiments indicate that human CD59 acts as an accessory molecule for T cell activation (3). To confirm this finding in the mouse system, we stimulated purified splenic CD4+ T cells with PMA, CD59a-specific mAb and cross-linking anti-Ig. CD59a cross-linking on mouse CD4+ T cells did not induce IL-2 production (Fig. 1A). Because this may be due to the low level of CD59a on mouse lymphocytes (as assessed by FACS; Ref.9), we overexpressed CD59a in a murine CD4+ T cell hybridoma (V8E) (6). Transfected cells expressed CD59a (Fig. 1C), and, when stimulated with PMA, cross-linking of CD59a yielded enhanced IL-2 production in comparison to untransfected cells subjected to the same stimuli (Fig. 1B). These data indicate that when CD59a is expressed at a sufficient level on murine T cells, cross-linking CD59a does enhance IL-2 production in a manner similar to that described for human T cells.
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CD59a expression is not detectable on murine lymphocytes by FACS (9). More sensitive methods were therefore used to determine whether primary murine CD4+ and CD8+ T cells express CD59a. CD59a expression was detectable by RT-PCR (data not shown) and immunoprecipitation, followed by Western blotting (Fig. 2A) in both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells from WT but not Cd59a/ mice.
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To determine whether physiological levels of CD59a plays any role in modulation of murine T cell activation in vivo, T cell responses were compared in WT and Cd59a/ mice after rVVGP infection. rVVGP contains several MHC-restricted peptide epitopes recognized by T cells in WT mice. One peptide, gp33, derived from the gp, is presented by H2-Db to CD8+ T cells (14), whereas another epitope, p13, is presented by H2-I-Ab to CD4+ T cells (12). No significant difference in CTL activity (Fig. 2B) or Ag-specific CD8+ T cell proliferation (Fig. 2C) was observed between groups of mice at 8 days after infection. There was also no significant difference in CTL activity measured at day 42 after infection (data not shown). Virus-specific CD4+ T cell proliferation assays performed at the same time points revealed stronger proliferative responses to the specific peptide, p13, in Cd59a/ mice compared with WT mice, whereas no differences were observed in background proliferation to an irrelevant peptide, p61 (Figs. 2, D and E). These data are similar to those reported recently using CD55-deficient mice, where CD4+ T lymphocytes from these mice were found to proliferate more vigorously in response to a range of Ags compared with WT mice (15, 16). Another study reported that T cells isolated from Ly-6A-deficient animals also proliferate more vigorously than those isolated from their WT counterparts (17). Interestingly, Ly-6A, CD59, and CD55 are all GPI-anchored molecules localized in lipid rafts, and all have previously been found in cross-linking studies to promote T cell activation in vitro (3, 17, 18). Despite this, all three molecules negatively regulate T cell activity in vivo. Because GPI-linked proteins weakly associate with protein tyrosine kinases, it is possible that they can act either as positive or negative regulators of T cell activation by sequestering signaling molecules or interfering with assembly of signaling complexes in lipid rafts, the net effect dependent upon the trigger.
Immune responses in ovaries and virus titers
To determine whether the enhanced proliferation of gp-specific CD4+ T cells observed after in vitro stimulation reflected a stronger anti-viral CD4+ T cell response in vivo, numbers of CD4+ T cells at the site of rVVGP infection (ovary) were compared in WT and Cd59a/ mice at day 8 after infection. Higher numbers of infiltrating CD4+ T cells (Fig. 3A) and IFN-
-producing CD4+ T cells (Fig. 3B) were observed in the ovaries of Cd59a/ mice compared with WT mice. The same analysis was performed for ovary-infiltrating CD8+ T cells (Figs. 3, C and D). Although higher numbers of CD8+ T cells were observed in the ovaries of Cd59a/ mice compared with WT mice, this difference was not statistically significant and may reflect enhanced helper CD4+ T cell activity rather than a direct effect of CD59a on CD8+ T activity. Virus titers were also compared in both groups of mice at days 3 and 8 postinfection. Virus titers were significantly lower in Cd59a/ mice compared with WT mice at day 3 postinfection, whereas both groups of mice had controlled the infection by day 8 (Fig. 3E). These data indicate that the more robust CD4+ T cell response observed in Cd59a/ mice does not reflect an inability to clear the virus efficiently but may rather contribute to more rapid control of the infection.
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We next compared proliferation of T cells from WT mice and Cd59a/ mice after in vitro stimulation with CD3-specific mAb and APCs. Although no difference was observed in proliferation of CD8+ T cells (Fig. 4B), CD4+ T cells from Cd59a/ mice exhibited more proliferation in vitro compared with T cells from WT mice (2.5-fold increase; Fig. 4A). The increase in proliferation of CD4+ T cells from Cd59a/ mice compared with WT mice was only apparent when CD3-specific mAb and APCs were used for in vitro stimulation and not when CD3- and CD28-specific Abs were used (compare Figs. 4, B and C). To determine whether CD59a expression on APCs affected proliferation of the responding T cells, CD4+ T cells were incubated with APCs from WT or Cd59a/ mice. CD4+ T cell proliferation was not influenced by the presence or absence of CD59a on APCs, indicating that the difference in proliferation of CD4+ T cells from WT and Cd59a/ mice is due to expression of CD59a on the T cells (data shown). Incorporation of GPI-anchored CD59a into CD4+ T cells from Cd59a/ mice (Fig. 4D) caused a reduction in proliferation to levels the same as cells from WT mice (Fig. 4E). Together, these data imply that CD59a down-modulates CD4+ T cell proliferation and requires the presence of APCs to exert this effect. It is possible that CD59a engages with a ligand on the APC or, alternatively, a soluble factor produced by the APC. To test the possibility that C activation and formation of the membrane attack complex mediates CD59a modulation of T cell activity, CD4+ T cells purified from both WT and Cd59a/ mice were stimulated with CD3-specific mAb and APCs in the presence and absence of a soluble inhibitor of C (sCR1). sCR1 blocks activation of the classical and alternative pathways of C by binding C3b and C4b and mediating proteolytic degradation of these molecules (19). Inhibition of C in vitro did not affect the proliferative response of Cd59a/ T cells, indicating that the enhanced proliferation was C independent (Fig. 5A). To determine whether this was also true in vivo, mice infected with rVVGP received injections daily with sCR1, a treatment that efficiently inhibited C throughout the course of the experiment. gp-specific CD4+ T cell responses were measured 9 days after infection, and no difference was observed in virus-specific proliferative responses induced in the presence or absence of C inhibition (Fig. 5B). To confirm this result, Cd59a/ mice were intercrossed with C3/ mice and then infected with rVVGP. Virus-specific CD4+ T cell responses were enhanced equally in Cd59a/ and Cd59a/C3/ mice compared with WT and C3/ mice (Fig. 5C). These data demonstrate that the enhanced proliferation of Cd59a/ CD4+ T cells is C independent and contrast with a recent report for the C regulator CD55 (15). Enhanced CD4+ proliferative responses observed in CD55-deficient mice were largely, although not exclusively, C dependent.
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Further analyses of Cd59a/ mice are required to provide insight into the precise nature of the molecular events underlying the effect of CD59a on T cell activity. Such an understanding will reveal pathways through which CD59a and its human analog may be exploited for therapeutic approaches designed to either up-regulate beneficial T cell responses or down-modulate those that are harmful.
| Acknowledgments |
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| Disclosures |
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| Footnotes |
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1 M.P.L. is supported by a Prize Studentship awarded by The Wellcome Trust (ref. no. 073055). B.P.M. and N.O. are supported by a Wellcome Trust program grant (ref. no. 068590). B.S. is supported by the Wellcome Trust International Travelling Research Fellowship (ref. no. 068280). A.G. is supported by a Medical Research Council Senior Fellowship (ref. no. G117/488). ![]()
2 Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. M. Paula Longhi, Medical Biochemistry and Immunology, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, CF14 4XN Wales, U.K. E-mail address: longhimp{at}Cardiff.ac.uk ![]()
3 Abbreviations used in this paper: C, complement; WT, wild type; rVV, recombinant vaccinia virus; LCMV, lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus; MW, multiwell; sCR1, recombinant human soluble CR1; RbE, rabbit erythrocyte. ![]()
Received for publication June 9, 2005. Accepted for publication September 20, 2005.
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