A Plasma miR-193b-365 Signature Combined With Age and Glycemic Status Predicts Response to Lactococcus lactis-Based Antigen-Specific Immunotherapy in New-Onset Type 1 Diabetes.

Immunomodulation combined with antigen therapy holds great promise to arrest autoimmune type 1 diabetes, but clinical translation is hampered by a lack of prognostic biomarkers. Low-dose anti-CD3 plus Lactococcus lactis bacteria secreting proinsulin and IL-10 reversed new-onset disease in nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice, yet some mice were resistant to the therapy. Using miRNA profiling, six miRNAs (i.e., miR-34a-5p, miR-125a-3p, miR-193b-3p, miR-328, miR-365-3p, and miR-671-3p) were identified as differentially expressed in plasma of responder versus nonresponder mice before study entry. After validation and stratification in an independent cohort, plasma miR-193b-3p and miR-365-3p, combined with age and glycemic status at study entry, had the best power to predict, with high sensitivity and specificity, poor response to the therapy. These miRNAs were highly abundant in pancreas-infiltrating neutrophils and basophils with a proinflammatory and activated phenotype. Here, a set of miRNAs and disease-associated parameters are presented as a predictive signature for the L. lactis-based immunotherapy outcome in new-onset type 1 diabetes, hence allowing targeted recruitment of trial participants and accelerated trial execution. ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS: Low-dose anti-CD3 combined with oral gavage of genetically modified Lactococcus lactis bacteria secreting human proinsulin and IL-10 holds great promise to arrest autoimmune type 1 diabetes, but the absence of biomarkers predicting therapeutic success hampers clinical translation. A set of cell-free circulation miRNAs together with age and glycemia at baseline predicts a poor response after L. lactis-based immunotherapy in nonobese mice with new-onset diabetes. Pancreas-infiltrating neutrophils and basophils are identified as potential cellular sources of discovered miRNAs. The prognostic signature could guide targeted recruitment of patients with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes in clinical trials with the L. lactis-based immunotherapy.

Molecular and cognitive signatures of ageing partially restored through synthetic delivery of IL2 to the brain.

Cognitive decline is a common pathological outcome during aging, with an ill-defined molecular and cellular basis. In recent years, the concept of inflammaging, defined as a low-grade inflammation increasing with age, has emerged. Infiltrating T cells accumulate in the brain with age and may contribute to the amplification of inflammatory cascades and disruptions to the neurogenic niche observed with age. Recently, a small resident population of regulatory T cells has been identified in the brain, and the capacity of IL2-mediated expansion of this population to counter neuroinflammatory disease has been demonstrated. Here, we test a brain-specific IL2 delivery system for the prevention of neurological decline in aging mice. We identify the molecular hallmarks of aging in the brain glial compartments and identify partial restoration of this signature through IL2 treatment. At a behavioral level, brain IL2 delivery prevented the age-induced defect in spatial learning, without improving the general decline in motor skill or arousal. These results identify immune modulation as a potential path to preserving cognitive function for healthy aging.

Astrocyte-targeted gene delivery of interleukin 2 specifically increases brain-resident regulatory T cell numbers and protects against pathological neuroinflammation.

The ability of immune-modulating biologics to prevent and reverse pathology has transformed recent clinical practice. Full utility in the neuroinflammation space, however, requires identification of both effective targets for local immune modulation and a delivery system capable of crossing the blood-brain barrier. The recent identification and characterization of a small population of regulatory T (Treg) cells resident in the brain presents one such potential therapeutic target. Here, we identified brain interleukin 2 (IL-2) levels as a limiting factor for brain-resident Treg cells. We developed a gene-delivery approach for astrocytes, with a small-molecule on-switch to allow temporal control, and enhanced production in reactive astrocytes to spatially direct delivery to inflammatory sites. Mice with brain-specific IL-2 delivery were protected in traumatic brain injury, stroke and multiple sclerosis models, without impacting the peripheral immune system. These results validate brain-specific IL-2 gene delivery as effective protection against neuroinflammation, and provide a versatile platform for delivery of diverse biologics to neuroinflammatory patients.

Unstable regulatory T cells, enriched for naïve and Nrp1neg cells, are purged after fate challenge.

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are indispensable for the control of immune homeostasis and have clinical potential as a cell therapy for treating autoimmunity. Tregs can lose expression of the lineage-defining Foxp3 transcription factor and acquire effector T cell (Teff) characteristics, a process referred to as Treg plasticity. The extent and reversibility of such plasticity during immune responses remain unknown. Here, using a murine genetic fate-mapping system, we show that Treg stability is maintained even during exposure to a complex microbial/antigenic environment. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the observed plasticity of Tregs after adoptive transfer into a lymphopenic environment is a property limited to only a subset of the Treg population, with the nonconverting majority of Tregs being resistant to plasticity upon secondary stability challenge. The unstable Treg fraction is a complex mixture of phenotypically distinct Tregs, enriched for naïve and neuropilin-1-negative Tregs, and includes peripherally induced Tregs and recent thymic emigrant Tregs These results suggest that a "purging" process can be used to purify stable Tregs that are capable of robust fate retention, with potential implications for improving cell transfer therapy.

Alternative glycosylation controls endoplasmic reticulum dynamics and tubular extension in mammalian cells.

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a central eukaryotic organelle with a tubular network made of hairpin proteins linked by hydrolysis of guanosine triphosphate nucleotides. Among posttranslational modifications initiated at the ER level, glycosylation is the most common reaction. However, our understanding of the impact of glycosylation on the ER structure remains unclear. Here, we show that exostosin-1 (EXT1) glycosyltransferase, an enzyme involved in N-glycosylation, is a key regulator of ER morphology and dynamics. We have integrated multiomics and superresolution imaging to characterize the broad effect of EXT1 inactivation, including the ER shape-dynamics-function relationships in mammalian cells. We have observed that inactivating EXT1 induces cell enlargement and enhances metabolic switches such as protein secretion. In particular, suppressing EXT1 in mouse thymocytes causes developmental dysfunctions associated with the ER network extension. Last, our data illuminate the physical and functional aspects of the ER proteome-glycome-lipidome structure axis, with implications in biotechnology and medicine.

Loss of the Transfer RNA Wobble Uridine-Modifying Enzyme Elp3 Delays T Cell Cycle Entry and Impairs T Follicular Helper Cell Responses through Deregulation of Atf4.

The activation of T cells is accompanied by intensive posttranscriptional remodeling of their proteome. We observed that protein expression of enzymes that modify wobble uridine in specific tRNAs, namely elongator subunit 3 (Elp3) and cytosolic thiouridylase (Ctu)2, increased in the course of T cell activation. To investigate the role of these tRNA epitranscriptomic modifiers in T cell biology, we generated mice deficient for Elp3 in T cells. We show that deletion of Elp3 has discrete effects on T cells. In vitro, Elp3-deficient naive CD4+ T cells polarize normally but are delayed in entering the first cell cycle following activation. In vivo, different models of immunization revealed that Elp3-deficient T cells display reduced expansion, resulting in functional impairment of T follicular helper (TFH) responses, but not of other CD4+ effector T cell responses. Transcriptomic analyses identified a progressive overactivation of the stress-responsive transcription factor Atf4 in Elp3-deficient T cells. Overexpression of Atf4 in wild-type T cells phenocopies the effect of Elp3 loss on T cell cycle entry and TFH cell responses. Reciprocally, partial silencing of Atf4 or deletion of its downstream effector transcription factor Chop rescues TFH responses of Elp3-deficient T cells. Together, our results reveal that specific epitranscriptomic tRNA modifications contribute to T cell cycle entry and promote optimal TFH responses.

Microglia Require CD4 T Cells to Complete the Fetal-to-Adult Transition.

The brain is a site of relative immune privilege. Although CD4 T cells have been reported in the central nervous system, their presence in the healthy brain remains controversial, and their function remains largely unknown. We used a combination of imaging, single cell, and surgical approaches to identify a CD69+ CD4 T cell population in both the mouse and human brain, distinct from circulating CD4 T cells. The brain-resident population was derived through in situ differentiation from activated circulatory cells and was shaped by self-antigen and the peripheral microbiome. Single-cell sequencing revealed that in the absence of murine CD4 T cells, resident microglia remained suspended between the fetal and adult states. This maturation defect resulted in excess immature neuronal synapses and behavioral abnormalities. These results illuminate a role for CD4 T cells in brain development and a potential interconnected dynamic between the evolution of the immunological and neurological systems. VIDEO ABSTRACT.

Mice Deficient in Nucleoporin Nup210 Develop Peripheral T Cell Alterations.

The nucleopore is an essential structure of the eukaryotic cell, regulating passage between the nucleus and cytoplasm. While individual functions of core nucleopore proteins have been identified, the role of other components, such as Nup210, are poorly defined. Here, through the use of an unbiased ENU mutagenesis screen for mutations effecting the peripheral T cell compartment, we identified a Nup210 mutation in a mouse strain with altered CD4/CD8 T cell ratios. Through the generation of Nup210 knockout mice we identified Nup210 as having a T cell-intrinsic function in the peripheral homeostasis of T cells. Remarkably, despite the deep evolutionary conservation of this key nucleopore complex member, no other major phenotypes developed, with viable and healthy knockout mice. These results identify Nup210 as an important nucleopore complex component for peripheral T cells, and raise further questions of why this nucleopore component shows deep evolutionary conservation despite seemingly redundant functions in most cell types.

Interferon response factor-3 promotes the pro-Th2 activity of mouse lung CD11b+ conventional dendritic cells in response to house dust mite allergens.

Very few transcription factors have been identified that are required by antigen-presenting cells (APCs) to induce T helper type 2 (Th2) responses. Because lung CD11b+ conventional dendritic cells (CD11b+ cDCs) are responsible for priming Th2 responses in house-dust mite (HDM)-induced airway allergy, we used them as a model to identify transcriptional events regulating the pro-Th2 activity of cDCs. Transcriptomic profiling of lung CD11b+ cDCs exposed to HDM in vivo revealed first that HDM triggers an antiviral defence-like response, and second that the majority of HDM-induced transcriptional changes depend on the transcription factor Interferon Response Factor-3 (Irf3). Validating the functional relevance of these observations, Irf3-deficient CD11b+ cDCs displayed reduced pro-allergic activity. Indeed, Irf3-deficient CD11b+ cDCs induced less Th2, more regulatory T cell, and similar Th1 differentiation in naïve CD4+ T cells compared to their wild-type counterparts. The altered APC activity of Irf3 CD11b+ cDCs was associated with reduced expression of CD86 and was phenocopied by blocking CD86 activity in wild-type CD11b+ cDCs. Altogether, these results establish Irf3, known mostly for its role in antiviral responses, as a transcription factor involved in the induction of Th2 responses through the promotion of pro-Th2 costimulation in CD11b+ DCs.