Multifaceted effects of soluble human CD6 in experimental cancer models.

BACKGROUND: CD6 is a lymphocyte surface co-receptor physically associated with the T-cell receptor (TCR)/CD3 complex at the center of the immunological synapse. There, CD6 assists in cell-to-cell contact stabilization and modulation of activation/differentiation events through interaction with CD166/ALCAM (activated leukocyte cell adhesion molecule), its main reported ligand. While accumulating evidence is attracting new interest on targeting CD6 for therapeutic purposes in autoimmune disorders, little is known on its potential in cancer. In an attempt to elucidate the in vivo relevance of blocking CD6-mediated interactions in health and disease, we explored the consequences of expressing high circulating levels of a soluble form CD6 (sCD6) as a decoy receptor. METHODS: High sCD6 serum levels were achieved by using transgenic C57BL/6 mice expressing human sCD6 under the control of lymphoid-specific transcriptional elements (shCD6LckEµTg) or wild type either transduced with hepatotropic adeno-associated virus coding for mouse sCD6 or undergoing repeated infusions of recombinant human sCD6 protein. Characterization of sCD6-induced changes was performed by ex vivo flow cytometry and functional analyses of mouse lymphoid organ cells. The in vivo relevance of those changes was explored by challenging mice with subcutaneous or metastatic tumors induced by syngeneic cancer cells of different lineage origins. RESULTS: Through a combination of in vitro and in vivo studies, we show that circulating sCD6 expression induces defective regulatory T cell (Treg) generation and function, decreased CD166/ALCAM-mediated tumor cell proliferation/migration and impaired galectin-induced T-cell apoptosis, supporting the fact that sCD6 modulates antitumor lymphocyte effector function and tumorigenesis. Accordingly, sCD6 expression in vivo resulted in delayed subcutaneous tumor growth and/or reduced metastasis on challenge of mice with syngeneic cancer cells. CONCLUSIONS: Evidence is provided for the disruption of CD6 receptor-ligand interactions as a feasible immunomodulatory approach in cancer.

Discordant susceptibility of inbred C57BL/6 versus outbred CD1 mice to experimental fungal sepsis.

Individual susceptibility differences to fungal infection following invasive and/or immunosuppressive medical interventions are an important clinical issue. In order to explore immune response-related factors that may be linked to fungal infection susceptibility, we have compared the response of inbred C57BL/6J and outbred CD1 mouse strains to different experimental models of fungal sepsis. The challenge of animals with the zymosan-induced generalised inflammation model revealed poorer survival rates in C57BL/6J, consistent with lower Th1 cytokine interferon (IFN)-γ serum levels, compared with CD1 mice. Likewise, ex vivo exposure of C57BL/6J splenocytes to zymosan but also bacterial lipopolisaccharide or lipoteichoic acid, resulted in lower IFN-γ secretion compared with CD1 mice. C57BL/6J susceptibility could be reverted by rescue infusion of relative low IFN-γ doses (0.2 µg/kg) either alone or in combination with the ß-glucan-binding CD5 protein (0.7 mg/kg) leading to improved post zymosan-induced generalised inflammation survival. Similarly, low survival rates to systemic Candida albicans infection (2.86 × 104  CFU/gr) were ameliorated by low-dose IFN-γ infusion in C57BL/6J but not CD1 mice. Our results highlight the importance of strain choice in experimental fungal infection models and provide a susceptibility rationale for more specific antifungal immunotherapy designs.

CD6 modulates thymocyte selection and peripheral T cell homeostasis.

The CD6 glycoprotein is a lymphocyte surface receptor putatively involved in T cell development and activation. CD6 facilitates adhesion between T cells and antigen-presenting cells through its interaction with CD166/ALCAM (activated leukocyte cell adhesion molecule), and physically associates with the T cell receptor (TCR) at the center of the immunological synapse. However, its precise role during thymocyte development and peripheral T cell immune responses remains to be defined. Here, we analyze the in vivo consequences of CD6 deficiency. CD6(-/-) thymi showed a reduction in both CD4(+) and CD8(+) single-positive subsets, and double-positive thymocytes exhibited increased Ca(2+) mobilization to TCR cross-linking in vitro. Bone marrow chimera experiments revealed a T cell-autonomous selective disadvantage of CD6(-/-) T cells during development. The analysis of TCR-transgenic mice (OT-I and Marilyn) confirmed that abnormal T cell selection events occur in the absence of CD6. CD6(-/-) mice displayed increased frequencies of antigen-experienced peripheral T cells generated under certain levels of TCR signal strength or co-stimulation, such as effector/memory (CD4(+)TEM and CD8(+)TCM) and regulatory (T reg) T cells. The suppressive activity of CD6(-/-) T reg cells was diminished, and CD6(-/-) mice presented an exacerbated autoimmune response to collagen. Collectively, these data indicate that CD6 modulates the threshold for thymocyte selection and the generation and/or function of several peripheral T cell subpopulations, including T reg cells.

The macrophage soluble receptor AIM/Api6/CD5L displays a broad pathogen recognition spectrum and is involved in early response to microbial aggression.

Apoptosis inhibitor of macrophages (AIMs), a homologue of human Spα, is a mouse soluble member of the scavenger receptor cysteine-rich superfamily (SRCR-SF). This family integrates a group of proteins expressed by innate and adaptive immune cells for which no unifying function has yet been described. Pleiotropic functions have been ascribed to AIM, from viability support in lymphocytes during thymic selection to lipid metabolism and anti-inflammatory effects in autoimmune pathologies. In the present report, the pathogen binding properties of AIM have been explored. By using a recombinant form of AIM (rAIM) expressed in mammalian cells, it is shown that this protein is able to bind and aggregate Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, as well as pathogenic and saprophytic fungal species. Importantly, endogenous AIM from mouse serum also binds to microorganisms and secretion of AIM was rapidly induced in mouse spleen macrophages following exposure to conserved microbial cell wall components. Cytokine release induced by well-known bacterial and fungal Toll-like receptor (TLR) ligands on mouse splenocytes was also inhibited in the presence of rAIM. Furthermore, mouse models of pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs)-induced septic shock of bacterial and fungal origin showed that serum AIM levels changed in a time-dependent manner. Altogether, these data suggest that AIM plays a general homeostatic role by supporting innate humoral defense during pathogen aggression.