Transcriptional insights into the CD8(+) T cell response to infection and memory T cell formation.

After infection, many factors coordinate the population expansion and differentiation of CD8+ effector and memory T cells. Using data of unparalleled breadth from the Immunological Genome Project, we analyzed the CD8+ T cell transcriptome throughout infection to establish gene-expression signatures and identify putative transcriptional regulators. Notably, we found that the expression of key gene signatures can be used to predict the memory-precursor potential of CD8+ effector cells. Long-lived memory CD8+ cells ultimately expressed a small subset of genes shared by natural killer T and γδ T cells. Although distinct inflammatory milieu and T cell precursor frequencies influenced the differentiation of CD8+ effector and memory populations, core transcriptional signatures were regulated similarly, whether polyclonal or transgenic, and whether responding to bacterial or viral model pathogens. Our results provide insights into the transcriptional regulation that influence memory formation and CD8+ T cell immunity.

Hypoxia-inducible factors enhance the effector responses of CD8(+) T cells to persistent antigen.

Cytolytic activity by CD8(+) cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) is a powerful strategy for the elimination of intracellular pathogens and tumor cells. The destructive capacity of CTLs is progressively dampened during chronic infection, yet the environmental cues and molecular pathways that influence immunological 'exhaustion' remain unclear. Here we found that CTL immunity was regulated by the central transcriptional response to hypoxia, which is controlled in part by hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs) and the von Hippel-Lindau tumor suppressor VHL. Loss of VHL, the main negative regulator of HIFs, led to lethal CTL-mediated immunopathology during chronic infection, and VHL-deficient CTLs displayed enhanced control of persistent viral infection and neoplastic growth. We found that HIFs and oxygen influenced the expression of pivotal transcription, effector and costimulatory-inhibitory molecules of CTLs, which was relevant to strategies that promote the clearance of viruses and tumors.

Constitutive Glycolytic Metabolism Supports CD8+ T Cell Effector Memory Differentiation during Viral Infection.

Extensive metabolic changes accompany T cell activation, including a switch to glycolytic energy production and increased biosynthesis. Recent studies suggest that subsequent return to reliance on oxidative phosphorylation and increasing spare respiratory capacity are essential for the differentiation of memory CD8+ T cells. In contrast, we found that constitutive glycolytic metabolism and suppression of oxidative phosphorylation in CD8+ T cells, achieved by conditional deletion of hypoxia-inducible factor regulator Vhl, accelerated CD8+ memory cell differentiation during viral infection. Despite sustained glycolysis, CD8+ memory cells emerged that upregulated key memory-associated cytokine receptors and transcription factors and showed a heightened response to secondary challenge. In addition, increased glycolysis not only permitted memory formation, but it also favored the formation of long-lived effector-memory CD8+ T cells. These data redefine the role of cellular metabolism in memory cell differentiation, showing that reliance on glycolytic metabolism does not hinder formation of a protective memory population.

S-2-hydroxyglutarate regulates CD8+ T-lymphocyte fate.

R-2-hydroxyglutarate accumulates to millimolar levels in cancer cells with gain-of-function isocitrate dehydrogenase 1/2 mutations. These levels of R-2-hydroxyglutarate affect 2-oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenases. Both metabolite enantiomers, R- and S-2-hydroxyglutarate, are detectible in healthy individuals, yet their physiological function remains elusive. Here we show that 2-hydroxyglutarate accumulates in mouse CD8+ T cells in response to T-cell receptor triggering, and accumulates to millimolar levels in physiological oxygen conditions through a hypoxia-inducible factor 1-alpha (HIF-1α)-dependent mechanism. S-2-hydroxyglutarate predominates over R-2-hydroxyglutarate in activated T cells, and we demonstrate alterations in markers of CD8+ T-cell differentiation in response to this metabolite. Modulation of histone and DNA demethylation, as well as HIF-1α stability, mediate these effects. S-2-hydroxyglutarate treatment greatly enhances the in vivo proliferation, persistence and anti-tumour capacity of adoptively transferred CD8+ T cells. Thus, S-2-hydroxyglutarate acts as an immunometabolite that links environmental context, through a metabolic-epigenetic axis, to immune fate and function.

FOXO1 opposition of CD8+ T cell effector programming confers early memory properties and phenotypic diversity.

The factors and steps controlling postinfection CD8+ T cell terminal effector versus memory differentiation are incompletely understood. Whereas we found that naive TCF7 (alias "Tcf-1") expression is FOXO1 independent, early postinfection we report bimodal, FOXO1-dependent expression of the memory-essential transcription factor TCF7 in pathogen-specific CD8+ T cells. We determined the early postinfection TCF7high population is marked by low TIM3 expression and bears memory signature hallmarks before the appearance of established memory precursor marker CD127 (IL-7R). These cells exhibit diminished TBET, GZMB, mTOR signaling, and cell cycle progression. Day 5 postinfection, TCF7high cells express higher memory-associated BCL2 and EOMES, as well as increased accumulation potential and capacity to differentiate into memory phenotype cells. TCF7 retroviral transduction opposes GZMB expression and the formation of KLRG1pos phenotype cells, demonstrating an active role for TCF7 in extinguishing the effector program and forestalling terminal differentiation. Past the peak of the cellular immune response, we report a gradient of FOXO1 and TCF7 expression, which functions to oppose TBET and orchestrate a continuum of effector-to-memory phenotypes.

Differential activation and antagonistic function of HIF-{alpha} isoforms in macrophages are essential for NO homeostasis.

Hypoxic response and inflammation both involve the action of the hypoxia-inducible transcription factors HIF-1alpha and HIF-2alpha. Previous studies have revealed that both HIF-alpha proteins are in a number of aspects similarly regulated post-translationally. However, the functional interrelationship of these two isoforms remains largely unclear. The polarization of macrophages controls functionally divergent processes; one of these is nitric oxide (NO) production, which in turn is controlled in part by HIF factors. We show here that the HIF-alpha isoforms can be differentially activated: HIF-1alpha is induced by Th1 cytokines in M1 macrophage polarization, whereas HIF-2alpha is induced by Th2 cytokines during an M2 response. This differential response was most evident in polarized macrophages through HIF-alpha isoform-specific regulation of the inducible NO synthase gene by HIF-1alpha, and the arginase1 gene by HIF-2alpha. In silico modeling predicted that regulation of overall NO availability is due to differential regulation of HIF-1alpha versus HIF-2alpha, acting to, respectively, either increase or suppress NO synthesis. An in vivo model of endotoxin challenge confirmed this; thus, these studies reveal that the two homologous transcription factors, HIF-1alpha and HIF-2alpha, can have physiologically antagonistic functions, but that their antiphase regulation allows them to coordinately regulate NO production in a cytokine-induced and transcription-dependent fashion.

Deletion of vascular endothelial growth factor in myeloid cells accelerates tumorigenesis.

Angiogenesis and the development of a vascular network are required for tumour progression, and they involve the release of angiogenic factors, including vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF-A), from both malignant and stromal cell types. Infiltration by cells of the myeloid lineage is a hallmark of many tumours, and in many cases the macrophages in these infiltrates express VEGF-A. Here we show that the deletion of inflammatory-cell-derived VEGF-A attenuates the formation of a typical high-density vessel network, thus blocking the angiogenic switch in solid tumours in mice. Vasculature in tumours lacking myeloid-cell-derived VEGF-A was less tortuous, with increased pericyte coverage and decreased vessel length, indicating vascular normalization. In addition, loss of myeloid-derived VEGF-A decreases the phosphorylation of VEGF receptor 2 (VEGFR2) in tumours, even though overall VEGF-A levels in the tumours are unaffected. However, deletion of myeloid-cell VEGF-A resulted in an accelerated tumour progression in multiple subcutaneous isograft models and an autochthonous transgenic model of mammary tumorigenesis, with less overall tumour cell death and decreased tumour hypoxia. Furthermore, loss of myeloid-cell VEGF-A increased the susceptibility of tumours to chemotherapeutic cytotoxicity. This shows that myeloid-derived VEGF-A is essential for the tumorigenic alteration of vasculature and signalling to VEGFR2, and that these changes act to retard, not promote, tumour progression.

Loss of myeloid cell-derived vascular endothelial growth factor accelerates fibrosis.

Tissue injury initiates a complex series of events that act to restore structure and physiological homeostasis. Infiltration of inflammatory cells and vascular remodeling are both keystones of this process. However, the role of inflammation and angiogenesis in general and, more specifically, the significance of inflammatory cell-derived VEGF in this context are unclear. To determine the role of inflammatory cell-derived VEGF in a clinically relevant and chronically inflamed injury, pulmonary fibrosis, we deleted the VEGF-A gene in myeloid cells. In a model of pulmonary fibrosis in mice, deletion of VEGF in myeloid cells resulted in significantly reduced formation of blood vessels; however, it causes aggravated fibrotic tissue damage. This was accompanied by a pronounced decrease in epithelial cell survival and a striking increase in myofibroblast invasion. The drastic increase in fibrosis following loss of myeloid VEGF in the damaged lungs was also marked by increased levels of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) expression and Wnt/beta-catenin signaling. This demonstrates that the process of angiogenesis, driven by myeloid cell-derived VEGF, is essential for the prevention of fibrotic damage.

FOXO1 constrains activation and regulates senescence in CD8 T cells.

Naive and memory T cells are maintained in a quiescent state, yet capable of rapid response and differentiation to antigen challenge via molecular mechanisms that are not fully understood. In naive cells, the deletion of Foxo1 following thymic development results in the increased expression of multiple AP-1 family members, rendering T cells less able to respond to antigenic challenge. Similarly, in the absence of FOXO1, post-infection memory T cells exhibit the characteristics of extended activation and senescence. Age-based analysis of human peripheral T cells reveals that levels of FOXO1 and its downstream target, TCF7, are inversely related to host age, whereas the opposite is found for AP-1 factors. These characteristics of aging also correlate with the formation of T cells manifesting features of cellular senescence. Our work illustrates a role for FOXO1 in the active maintenance of stem-like properties in T cells at the timescales of acute infection and organismal life span.

HIF-1alpha expression regulates the bactericidal capacity of phagocytes.

Hypoxia is a characteristic feature of the tissue microenvironment during bacterial infection. Here we report on our use of conditional gene targeting to examine the contribution of hypoxia-inducible factor 1, alpha subunit (HIF-1alpha) to myeloid cell innate immune function. HIF-1alpha was induced by bacterial infection, even under normoxia, and regulated the production of key immune effector molecules, including granule proteases, antimicrobial peptides, nitric oxide, and TNF-alpha. Mice lacking HIF-1alpha in their myeloid cell lineage showed decreased bactericidal activity and failed to restrict systemic spread of infection from an initial tissue focus. Conversely, activation of the HIF-1alpha pathway through deletion of von Hippel-Lindau tumor-suppressor protein or pharmacologic inducers supported myeloid cell production of defense factors and improved bactericidal capacity. HIF-1alpha control of myeloid cell activity in infected tissues could represent a novel therapeutic target for enhancing host defense.

Transgenic models to understand hypoxia-inducible factor function.

The hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) is a heterodimeric basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factor that controls the mammalian cellular transcriptional response to low oxygen tension by up-regulating genes including glycolytic enzymes and angiogenic factors, such as the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Under normal oxygen tensions, the pathway is negatively regulated by posttranslational proteasomal degradation of HIF-alpha (alpha) subunits in a pathway requiring prolyl-hydroxylase domain (PHD) containing enzyme modification followed by von-Hippel Lindau (VHL) tumor suppressor polyubiquitination (pVHL). Murine knockouts of HIF, pVHL, PHD, and VEGF have demonstrated the essential role of these hypoxic response pathway proteins in development. Conditional deletion of these genes in a wide range of tissues has further shown that ablation or overexpression of the pathway has profound in vivo effects, with important implications for physiology, pathology, and tumor biology. This review aims to summarize the insights garnered from key murine knockouts and transgenics involving components of the HIF hypoxia response pathway.

Molecular Programming of Tumor-Infiltrating CD8+ T Cells and IL15 Resistance.

Despite clinical potential and recent advances, durable immunotherapeutic ablation of solid tumors is not routinely achieved. IL15 expands natural killer cell (NK), natural killer T cell (NKT) and CD8(+) T-cell numbers and engages the cytotoxic program, and thus is under evaluation for potentiation of cancer immunotherapy. We found that short-term therapy with IL15 bound to soluble IL15 receptor α-Fc (IL15cx; a form of IL15 with increased half-life and activity) was ineffective in the treatment of autochthonous PyMT murine mammary tumors, despite abundant CD8(+) T-cell infiltration. Probing of this poor responsiveness revealed that IL15cx only weakly activated intratumoral CD8(+) T cells, even though cells in the lung and spleen were activated and dramatically expanded. Tumor-infiltrating CD8(+) T cells exhibited cell-extrinsic and cell-intrinsic resistance to IL15. Our data showed that in the case of persistent viral or tumor antigen, single-agent systemic IL15cx treatment primarily expanded antigen-irrelevant or extratumoral CD8(+) T cells. We identified exhaustion, tissue-resident memory, and tumor-specific molecules expressed in tumor-infiltrating CD8(+) T cells, which may allow therapeutic targeting or programming of specific subsets to evade loss of function and cytokine resistance, and, in turn, increase the efficacy of IL2/15 adjuvant cytokine therapy. Cancer Immunol Res; 4(9); 799-811. ©2016 AACR.

IL-2Rα mediates temporal regulation of IL-2 signaling and enhances immunotherapy.

Interleukin-2 (IL-2) is a lymphocyte growth factor that is an important component of many immune-based cancer therapies. The efficacy of IL-2 is thought to be limited by the expansion of T regulatory cells, which express the high-affinity IL-2 receptor subunit IL-2Rα. IL-15 is under investigation as an alternative to IL-2. Although both cytokines signal through IL-2Rßγ, IL-15 does not bind IL-2Rα and therefore induces less T regulatory cell expansion. However, we found that transferred effector CD8(+) T cells induced curative responses in lymphoreplete mice only with IL-2-based therapy. Although conventional in vitro assays showed similar effector T cell responsiveness to IL-2 and IL-15, upon removal of free cytokine, IL-2 mediated sustained signaling dependent on IL-2Rα. Mechanistically, IL-2Rα sustained signaling by promoting a cell surface IL-2 reservoir and recycling of IL-2 back to the cell surface. Our results demonstrate that IL-2Rα endows T cells with the ability to compete temporally for limited IL-2 via mechanisms beyond ligand affinity. These results suggest that strategies to enhance IL-2Rα expression on tumor-reactive lymphocytes may facilitate the development of more effective IL-2-based therapies.

Differentiation of CD8 memory T cells depends on Foxo1.

The forkhead O transcription factors (FOXO) integrate a range of extracellular signals, including growth factor signaling, inflammation, oxidative stress, and nutrient availability, to substantially alter the program of gene expression and modulate cell survival, cell cycle progression, and many yet to be unraveled cell type-specific responses. Naive antigen-specific CD8(+) T cells undergo a rapid expansion and arming of effector function within days of pathogen exposure. In addition, by the peak of expansion, they form precursors to memory T cells capable of self-renewal and indefinite survival. Using lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus Armstrong to probe the response to infection, we found that Foxo1(-/-) CD8(+) T cells expand normally with no defects in effector differentiation, but continue to exhibit characteristics of effector T cells long after antigen clearance. The KLRG1(lo) CD8(+) T cells that are normally enriched for memory-precursor cells retain Granzyme B and CD69 expression, and fail to up-regulate TCF7, EOMES, and other memory signature genes. As a correlate, Foxo1(-/-) CD8(+) T cells were virtually unable to expand upon secondary infection. Collectively, these results demonstrate an intrinsic role for FOXO1 in establishing the post-effector memory program that is essential to forming long-lived memory cells capable of immune reactivation.

G-CSF/anti-G-CSF antibody complexes drive the potent recovery and expansion of CD11b+Gr-1+ myeloid cells without compromising CD8+ T cell immune responses.

BACKGROUND: Administration of recombinant G-CSF following cytoreductive therapy enhances the recovery of myeloid cells, minimizing the risk of opportunistic infection. Free G-CSF, however, is expensive, exhibits a short half-life, and has poor biological activity in vivo. METHODS: We evaluated whether the biological activity of G-CSF could be improved by pre-association with anti-G-CSF mAb prior to injection into mice. RESULTS: We find that the efficacy of G-CSF therapy can be enhanced more than 100-fold by pre-association of G-CSF with an anti-G-CSF monoclonal antibody (mAb). Compared with G-CSF alone, administration of G-CSF/anti-G-CSF mAb complexes induced the potent expansion of CD11b+Gr-1+ myeloid cells in mice with or without concomitant cytoreductive treatment including radiation or chemotherapy. Despite driving the dramatic expansion of myeloid cells, in vivo antigen-specific CD8+ T cell immune responses were not compromised. Furthermore, injection of G-CSF/anti-G-CSF mAb complexes heightened protective immunity to bacterial infection. As a measure of clinical value, we also found that antibody complexes improved G-CSF biological activity much more significantly than pegylation. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provide the first evidence that antibody cytokine complexes can effectively expand myeloid cells, and furthermore, that G-CSF/anti-G-CSF mAb complexes may provide an improved method for the administration of recombinant G-CSF.

FOXO transcription factors throughout T cell biology.

The outcome of an infection with any given pathogen varies according to the dosage and route of infection, but, in addition, the physiological state of the host can determine the efficacy of clearance, the severity of infection and the extent of immunopathology. Here we propose that the forkhead box O (FOXO) transcription factor family--which is central to the integration of growth factor signalling, oxidative stress and inflammation--provides connections between physical well-being and the form and magnitude of an immune response. We present a case that FOXO transcription factors guide T cell differentiation and function in a context-driven manner, and might provide a link between metabolism and immunity.

Macrophage expression of hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha suppresses T-cell function and promotes tumor progression.

T cells can inhibit tumor growth, but their function in the tumor microenvironment is often suppressed. Many solid tumors exhibit abundant macrophage infiltration and low oxygen tension, yet how hypoxic conditions may affect innate immune cells and their role in tumor progression is poorly understood. Targeted deletion of the hypoxia-responsive transcription factor hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) in macrophages in a progressive murine model of breast cancer resulted in reduced tumor growth, although vascular endothelial growth factor-A levels and vascularization were unchanged. Tumor-associated macrophages can suppress tumor-infiltrating T cells by several mechanisms, and we found that hypoxia powerfully augmented macrophage-mediated T-cell suppression in vitro in a manner dependent on macrophage expression of HIF-1α. Our findings link the innate immune hypoxic response to tumor progression through induction of T-cell suppression in the tumor microenvironment.

Cutting edge: Essential role of hypoxia inducible factor-1alpha in development of lipopolysaccharide-induced sepsis.

Sepsis, the leading cause of death in intensive care units, reflects a detrimental host response to infection in which bacteria or LPS act as potent activators of immune cells, including monocytes and macrophages. In this report, we show that LPS raises the level of the transcriptional regulator hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha) in macrophages, increasing HIF-1alpha and decreasing prolyl hydroxylase mRNA production in a TLR4-dependent fashion. Using murine conditional gene targeting of HIF-1alpha in the myeloid lineage, we demonstrate that HIF-1alpha is a critical determinant of the sepsis phenotype. HIF-1alpha promotes the production of inflammatory cytokines, including TNF-alpha, IL-1, IL-4, IL-6, and IL-12, that reach harmful levels in the host during early sepsis. HIF-1alpha deletion in macrophages is protective against LPS-induced mortality and blocks the development of clinical markers including hypotension and hypothermia. Inhibition of HIF-1alpha activity may thus represent a novel therapeutic target for LPS-induced sepsis.