Plasmodium Infection Promotes Genomic Instability and AID-Dependent B Cell Lymphoma.

Chronic infection with Plasmodium falciparum was epidemiologically associated with endemic Burkitt's lymphoma, a mature B cell cancer characterized by chromosome translocation between the c-myc oncogene and Igh, over 50 years ago. Whether infection promotes B cell lymphoma, and if so by which mechanism, remains unknown. To investigate the relationship between parasitic disease and lymphomagenesis, we used Plasmodium chabaudi (Pc) to produce chronic malaria infection in mice. Pc induces prolonged expansion of germinal centers (GCs), unique compartments in which B cells undergo rapid clonal expansion and express activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID), a DNA mutator. GC B cells elicited during Pc infection suffer widespread DNA damage, leading to chromosome translocations. Although infection does not change the overall rate, it modifies lymphomagenesis to favor mature B cell lymphomas that are AID dependent and show chromosome translocations. Thus, malaria infection favors mature B cell cancers by eliciting protracted AID expression in GC B cells. PAPERCLIP.

Inflammatory Flt3l is essential to mobilize dendritic cells and for T cell responses during Plasmodium infection.

Innate sensing mechanisms trigger a variety of humoral and cellular events that are essential to adaptive immune responses. Here we describe an innate sensing pathway triggered by Plasmodium infection that regulates dendritic cell homeostasis and adaptive immunity through Flt3 ligand (Flt3l) release. Plasmodium-induced Flt3l release in mice requires Toll-like receptor (TLR) activation and type I interferon (IFN) production. We found that type I IFN supports the upregulation of xanthine dehydrogenase, which metabolizes the xanthine accumulating in infected erythrocytes to uric acid. Uric acid crystals trigger mast cells to release soluble Flt3l from a pre-synthesized membrane-associated precursor. During infection, Flt3l preferentially stimulates expansion of the CD8-α(+) dendritic cell subset or its BDCA3(+) human dendritic cell equivalent and has a substantial impact on the magnitude of T cell activation, mostly in the CD8(+) compartment. Our findings highlight a new mechanism that regulates dendritic cell homeostasis and T cell responses to infection.

The hSSB1 orthologue Obfc2b is essential for skeletogenesis but dispensable for the DNA damage response in vivo.

Human single-stranded DNA-binding protein 1 (hSSB1), encoded by OBFC2B, was recently characterized as an essential factor for the initiation of DNA damage checkpoints and the maintenance of genomic stability. Here, we report that loss of Obfc2b in mice results in perinatal lethality characterized by growth delay and skeletal abnormalities. These abnormalities are associated with accumulation of γH2ax, apoptosis and defective pre-cartilage condensation, which is essential for normal bone formation. However, deficiency of Obfc2b does not affect the initiation of DNA damage checkpoints, Atm activation, or the maintenance of genomic stability in B lymphocytes and primary fibroblasts. Loss of Obfc2b results in increased expression of its homologue Obfc2a (hSSB2). In contrast to Obfc2b deficiency, depletion of Obfc2a in fibroblasts results in impaired proliferation, accumulation of γH2ax and increased genomic instability. Thus, the hSSB1 orthologue Obfc2b has a unique function during embryogenesis limited to cell types that contribute to bone formation. While being dispensable in most other cell lineages, its absence leads to a compensatory increase in Obfc2a protein, a homologue required for the maintenance of genomic integrity.

Identification of human germinal center light and dark zone cells and their relationship to human B-cell lymphomas.

Germinal centers (GCs) are sites of B-cell clonal expansion, hypermutation, and selection. GCs are polarized into dark (DZ) and light zones (LZ), a distinction that is of key importance to GC selection. However, the difference between the B cells in each of these zones in humans remains unclear. We show that, as in mice, CXCR4 and CD83 can be used to distinguish human LZ and DZ cells. Using these markers, we show that LZ and DZ cells in mice and humans differ only in the expression of characteristic "activation" and "proliferation" programs, suggesting that these populations represent alternating states of a single-cell type rather than distinct differentiation stages. In addition, LZ/DZ transcriptional profiling shows that, with the exception of "molecular" Burkitt lymphomas, nearly all human B-cell malignancies closely resemble LZ cells, which has important implications for our understanding of the molecular programs of lymphomagenesis.

Immunogenicity and protective efficacy of a recombinant yellow fever vaccine against the murine malarial parasite Plasmodium yoelii.

The live-attenuated yellow fever vaccine (YF17D) is one of the safest and most effective vaccines available today. Here, YF17D was genetically altered to express the circumsporozoite protein (CSP) from the murine malarial parasite Plasmodium yoelii. Reconstituted recombinant virus was viable and exhibited robust CSP expression. Immunization of naïve mice resulted in extensive proliferation of adoptively transferred CSP-specific transgenic CD8(+) T-cells. A single immunization of naïve mice with recombinant YF17D resulted in robust production of IFN-gamma by CD8(+) T-cells and IFN-gamma and IL-2 by CD4(+) T-cells. A prime-boost regimen consisting of recombinant virus followed by a low-dose of irradiated sporozoites conferred protection against challenge with P. yoelii. Taken together, these results show that recombinant YF17D can efficiently express CSP in culture, and prime a protective immune response in vivo.

AID produces DNA double-strand breaks in non-Ig genes and mature B cell lymphomas with reciprocal chromosome translocations.

Cancer-initiating translocations such as those associated with lymphomas require the formation of paired DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). Activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) produces widespread somatic mutation in mature B cells; however, the extent of "off-target" DSB formation and its role in translocation-associated malignancy is unknown. Here, we show that deregulated expression of AID causes widespread genome instability, which alone is insufficient to induce B cell lymphoma; transformation requires concomitant loss of the tumor suppressor p53. Mature B cell lymphomas arising as a result of deregulated AID expression are phenotypically diverse and harbor clonal reciprocal translocations involving a group of Immunoglobulin (Ig) and non-Ig genes that are direct targets of AID. This group includes miR-142, a previously unknown micro-RNA target that is translocated in human B cell malignancy. We conclude that AID produces DSBs throughout the genome, which can lead to lymphoma-associated chromosome translocations in mature B cells.

Feedback control of regulatory T cell homeostasis by dendritic cells in vivo.

CD4(+)CD25(+)Foxp3(+) natural regulatory T cells (T reg cells) maintain self-tolerance and suppress autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). In addition to their effects on T cells, T reg cells are essential for maintaining normal numbers of dendritic cells (DCs): when T reg cells are depleted, there is a compensatory Flt3-dependent increase in DCs. However, little is known about how T reg cell homeostasis is maintained in vivo. We demonstrate the existence of a feedback regulatory loop between DCs and T reg cells. We find that loss of DCs leads to a loss of T reg cells, and that the remaining T reg cells exhibit decreased Foxp3 expression. The DC-dependent loss in T reg cells leads to an increase in the number of T cells producing inflammatory cytokines, such as interferon gamma and interleukin 17. Conversely, increasing the number of DCs leads to increased T reg cell division and accumulation by a mechanism that requires major histocompatibility complex II expression on DCs. The increase in T reg cells induced by DC expansion is sufficient to prevent type 1 autoimmune diabetes and IBD, which suggests that interference with this feedback loop will create new opportunities for immune-based therapies.

Liver-stage development of Plasmodium falciparum, in a humanized mouse model.

BACKGROUND: The liver stage of the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum is the least known, yet it holds the greatest promise for the induction of sterile immunity and the development of novel drugs. Progress has been severely limited by the lack of adequate in vitro and in vivo models. METHODS: Recently, it was found that immunodeficient mice transgenic for the urokinase plasminogen activator allow survival of differentiated human hepatocytes. We confirm this finding but show that hepatocyte survival is short lived unless nonadaptive defenses are simultaneously depleted. RESULTS: By controlling macrophages and NK cells, we readily effected the long-term secretion of human serum albumin and human alpha-1 antitrypsin in mouse serum (at 3 months, the proportion of repopulated mice increased from 0% to 60% and from 22% to 80%, respectively; P<.0001). P. falciparum sporozoites delivered intravenously into mice readily infected transplanted human hepatocytes and developed into liver schizonts. Their size was twice as large as what was seen in vitro and was comparable to that found in humans and chimpanzees. CONCLUSION: These results emphasize the importance of nonadaptive defenses against xenotransplantation and lead to development of small laboratory models that, because they can harbor human hepatocytes, provide novel opportunities to study intrahepatic pathogens, such as those causing malaria and hepatitis.

Insights into the P. y. yoelii hepatic stage transcriptome reveal complex transcriptional patterns.

During their complex life cycle, malaria parasites adopt morphologically, biochemically and immunologically distinct forms. The intra-hepatic form is the least known, yet of established value in the induction of sterile immunity and as a target for chemoprophylaxis. Using Plasmodium yoelii as a model we present here a novel approach to the elucidation of the transcriptome of this poorly studied stage. Sequences from Plasmodium were obtained in 388 of the 3533 inserts (11%) isolated from liver stages cDNA obtained from optimized cultures with high yields. These corresponded to a total of 88 putative P. yoelii genes. The majority of the transcribed genes identified, code for predicted proteins of as yet unknown function. The RT-PCR analysis carried out for 29 of these genes, confirmed expression at the hepatic stage and provided evidence for complex patterns of genes transcription in the distinct stages found in the mosquito and vertebrate host. The results demonstrate the efficacy of the approach that can now be applied to further detailed analysis of the hepatic stage transcriptome of Plasmodium.