Individuation and the Organization in Complex Living Ecosystem: Recursive Integration and Self-assertion by Holon-Lymphocytes.

Individuation and organization in complex living multi-level ecosystem occurs as dynamical processes from early ontogeny. The notion of living "holon" displaying dynamic self-assertion and integration is used here to explain the ecosystems dynamic processes. The update of the living holon state according to the continuous change of the dynamic system allows for its viability. This is interpreted as adaptation, selection and organization by the human that observes the system a posteriori from its level. Our model concerns the complex dynamics of the adaptive immune system, integrating holon-lymphocytes that collectively preserve the identity and integrity of the organism. Each lymphocyte individualizes as a dynamic holon-lymphocyte, with somatic gene individuation leading to an individual, singular antigen immunoreceptor type, promoting the self-assertion. In turn, the "Immunoception" allows for perception of the environmental antigenic context, thus integration of the holon in its environment. The self-assertion/integration of holon-lymphocyte starts from fetal stages and is influenced by mother Lamarckian acquired historicity transmissions, a requisite for the integrity of the holobiont-organism. We propose a dynamic model of the perception by holon-lymphocyte, and at the supra-clonal level of the immune system functions that sustain the identity and integrity of the holon-holobiont organism.

Modelling T cell proliferation: Dynamics heterogeneity depending on cell differentiation, age, and genetic background.

Cell proliferation is the common characteristic of all biological systems. The immune system insures the maintenance of body integrity on the basis of a continuous production of diversified T lymphocytes in the thymus. This involves processes of proliferation, differentiation, selection, death and migration of lymphocytes to peripheral tissues, where proliferation also occurs upon antigen recognition. Quantification of cell proliferation dynamics requires specific experimental methods and mathematical modelling. Here, we assess the impact of genetics and aging on the immune system by investigating the dynamics of proliferation of T lymphocytes across their differentiation through thymus and spleen in mice. Our investigation is based on single-cell multicolour flow cytometry analysis revealing the active incorporation of a thymidine analogue during S phase after pulse-chase-pulse experiments in vivo, versus cell DNA content. A generic mathematical model of state transition simulates through Ordinary Differential Equations (ODEs) the evolution of single cell behaviour during various durations of labelling. It allows us to fit our data, to deduce proliferation rates and estimate cell cycle durations in sub-populations. Our model is simple and flexible and is validated with other durations of pulse/chase experiments. Our results reveal that T cell proliferation is highly heterogeneous but with a specific "signature" that depends upon genetic origins, is specific to cell differentiation stages in thymus and spleen and is altered with age. In conclusion, our model allows us to infer proliferation rates and cell cycle phase durations from complex experimental 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) data, revealing T cell proliferation heterogeneity and specific signatures.

Regulatory T-cell development and function are impaired in mice lacking membrane expression of full length intercellular adhesion molecule-1.

To further investigate the contribution of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) to adaptive immune responses, we analysed T-cell development and function in mice lacking full-length ICAM-1 (ICAM-1(tm1Jcgr) ). Compared with wild-type (ICAM-1(WT) ) mice, ICAM-1(tm1Jcgr) mice have impaired thymocyte development. Proportions and numbers of double negative, double positive, mature CD4(+) and CD8(+) thymocytes, as well as of regulatory T (Treg) cells were also significantly decreased. In the periphery, ICAM-1(tm1Jcgr) mice had significantly decreased proportions and numbers of naive and activated/memory CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells, as well as of Treg cells, in lymph nodes but not in the spleen. In vitro activation of CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells from ICAM-1(tm1Jcgr) mice with anti-CD3 antibodies and antigen-presenting cells (APCs) resulted in a significantly weaker proliferation, whereas proliferation induced with anti-CD3 and anti-CD28 antibody-coated beads was normal. In vivo immunization of ICAM-1(tm1Jcgr) mice resulted in normal generation of specific effector and memory immune responses that protect against a viral challenge. However, contrary to ICAM-1(WT) mice, immunization-induced specific effectors could not eradicate immunogen-expressing tumours. Treg cells from ICAM-1(tm1Jcgr) mice have abnormal activation and proliferation induced by anti-CD3 antibody and APCs, and have markedly decreased suppressive activity in vitro. In contrast to ICAM-1(WT) mice, they were unable to control experimentally induced colitis in vivo. Hence, our results further highlight the pleiotropic role of ICAM-1 in T-cell-dependent immune responses, with a major role in Treg cell development and suppressive function.

In vivo correction of ZAP-70 immunodeficiency by intrathymic gene transfer.

SCID patients have been successfully treated by administration of ex vivo gene-corrected stem cells. However, despite its proven efficacy, such treatment carries specific risks and difficulties. We hypothesized that some of these drawbacks may be overcome by in situ gene correction of T lymphoid progenitors in the thymus. Indeed, in vivo intrathymic transfer of a gene that provides a selective advantage for transduced prothymocytes should result in the generation of functional T lymphocyte progeny, allowing long-term immune reconstitution. We assessed the feasibility of this approach in a murine model of ZAP-70-deficient SCID. A T cell-specific ZAP-70-expressing lentiviral vector was injected into thymi of adult ZAP-70-/- mice without prior conditioning. This resulted in the long-term differentiation of mature TCR-alphabeta+ thymocytes, indicating that the vector had integrated into progenitor cells. Moreover, peripheral ZAP-70-expressing T cells demonstrated a partially diversified receptor repertoire and were responsive to alloantigens in vitro and in vivo. Improved treatment efficacy was achieved in infant ZAP-70-/- mice, in which the thymus is proportionately larger and a higher percentage of prothymocytes are in cycle. Thus, intrathymic injection of a lentiviral vector could represent a simplified and potentially safer alternative to ex vivo gene-modified hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for gene therapy of T cell immunodeficiencies.

Neuropilin 1 and CD25 co-regulation during early murine thymic differentiation.

Neuropilin 1 (NP1) is a receptor for both semaphorin and vascular endothelial growth factor expressed by subpopulations of neuronal and endothelial cells. In the immune system, NP1 is present on dendritic and regulatory T cells. Here, we show that NP1 is expressed in the murine thymus, starting on day 12.5 of gestation. In the adult, NP1 is mainly expressed by CD4(-)CD8(-) double negative cells, CD4+CD8+ double positive cells, and CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells but barely detected in single CD4+ and CD8+ positive thymocytes. Within the CD4(-)CD8(-)CD3(-) (triple-negative, TN) immature cells, NP1 expression starts in TN3 (CD44(-)CD25+) and increases in TN4 (CD44(-)CD25(-)) cells. In order to study the role of NP1 in thymocyte differentiation, we generated mice in which the np1 gene is selectively disrupted in the T-cell lineage. The mutant mice display normal thymocyte, peripheral, conventional and CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ regulatory T-cell populations. However, we observe a down-regulation of the CD25 expression between the TN3 and TN4 stages that is (i) correlated to increased expression of NP1 in control mice and (ii) altered in mutant mice, suggesting that NP1 is co-regulated with CD25 during early immature thymocyte differentiation.

Dynamical and Mechanistic Reconstructive Approaches of T Lymphocyte Dynamics: Using Visual Modeling Languages to Bridge the Gap between Immunologists, Theoreticians, and Programmers.

Dynamic modeling of lymphocyte behavior has primarily been based on populations based differential equations or on cellular agents moving in space and interacting each other. The final steps of this modeling effort are expressed in a code written in a programing language. On account of the complete lack of standardization of the different steps to proceed, we have to deplore poor communication and sharing between experimentalists, theoreticians and programmers. The adoption of diagrammatic visual computer language should however greatly help the immunologists to better communicate, to more easily identify the models similarities and facilitate the reuse and extension of existing software models. Since immunologists often conceptualize the dynamical evolution of immune systems in terms of "state-transitions" of biological objects, we promote the use of unified modeling language (UML) state-transition diagram. To demonstrate the feasibility of this approach, we present a UML refactoring of two published models on thymocyte differentiation. Originally built with different modeling strategies, a mathematical ordinary differential equation-based model and a cellular automata model, the two models are now in the same visual formalism and can be compared.

The past, present, and future of immune repertoire biology - the rise of next-generation repertoire analysis.

T and B cell repertoires are collections of lymphocytes, each characterized by its antigen-specific receptor. We review here classical technologies and analysis strategies developed to assess immunoglobulin (IG) and T cell receptor (TR) repertoire diversity, and describe recent advances in the field. First, we describe the broad range of available methodological tools developed in the past decades, each of which answering different questions and showing complementarity for progressive identification of the level of repertoire alterations: global overview of the diversity by flow cytometry, IG repertoire descriptions at the protein level for the identification of IG reactivities, IG/TR CDR3 spectratyping strategies, and related molecular quantification or dynamics of T/B cell differentiation. Additionally, we introduce the recent technological advances in molecular biology tools allowing deeper analysis of IG/TR diversity by next-generation sequencing (NGS), offering systematic and comprehensive sequencing of IG/TR transcripts in a short amount of time. NGS provides several angles of analysis such as clonotype frequency, CDR3 diversity, CDR3 sequence analysis, V allele identification with a quantitative dimension, therefore requiring high-throughput analysis tools development. In this line, we discuss the recent efforts made for nomenclature standardization and ontology development. We then present the variety of available statistical analysis and modeling approaches developed with regards to the various levels of diversity analysis, and reveal the increasing sophistication of those modeling approaches. To conclude, we provide some examples of recent mathematical modeling strategies and perspectives that illustrate the active rise of a "next-generation" of repertoire analysis.

Systems biology in vaccine design.

Vaccines are the most effective tools to prevent infectious diseases and to minimize their impact on humans or animals. Despite the successful development of vaccines that are able to elicit potent and protective immune responses, the majority of vaccines have been so far developed empirically and mechanistic events leading to protective immune responses are often poorly understood. This hampers the development of new prophylactic as well as therapeutic vaccines for infectious diseases and cancer. Biological correlates of immune-mediated protection are currently based on standard readout such as antibody titres and ELISPOT assays. The development of successful vaccines for difficult settings, such as infectious agents leading to chronic infection (HIV, HCV...) or cancer, calls for novel 'readout systems' or 'correlates' of immune-mediated protection that would reliably predict immune responses to novel vaccines in vivo. Systems biology offers a new approach to vaccine design that is based upon understanding the molecular network mobilized by vaccination. Systems vaccinology approaches investigate more global correlates of successful vaccination, beyond the specific immune response to the antigens administered, providing new methods for measuring early vaccine efficacy and ultimately generating hypotheses for understanding the mechanisms that underlie successful immunogenicity. Using functional genomics, specific molecular signatures of individual vaccine can be identified and used as predictors of vaccination efficiency. The immune response to vaccination involves the coordinated induction of master transcription factors that leads to the development of a broad, polyfunctional and persistent immune response integrating all effector cells of the immune systems.

State-transition diagrams for biologists.

It is clearly in the tradition of biologists to conceptualize the dynamical evolution of biological systems in terms of state-transitions of biological objects. This paper is mainly concerned with (but obviously not limited too) the immunological branch of biology and shows how the adoption of UML (Unified Modeling Language) state-transition diagrams can ease the modeling, the understanding, the coding, the manipulation or the documentation of population-based immune software model generally defined as a set of ordinary differential equations (ODE), describing the evolution in time of populations of various biological objects. Moreover, that same UML adoption naturally entails a far from negligible representational economy since one graphical item of the diagram might have to be repeated in various places of the mathematical model. First, the main graphical elements of the UML state-transition diagram and how they can be mapped onto a corresponding ODE mathematical model are presented. Then, two already published immune models of thymocyte behavior and time evolution in the thymus, the first one originally conceived as an ODE population-based model whereas the second one as an agent-based one, are refactored and expressed in a state-transition form so as to make them much easier to understand and their respective code easier to access, to modify and run. As an illustrative proof, for any immunologist, it should be possible to understand faithfully enough what the two software models are supposed to reproduce and how they execute with no need to plunge into the Java or Fortran lines.

Comprehensive assessment and mathematical modeling of T cell population dynamics and homeostasis.

Our current view of T cell differentiation and population dynamics is assembled from pieces of data obtained from separate experimental systems and is thus patchy. We reassessed homeostasis and dynamics of T cells 1) by generating a mathematical model describing the spatiotemporal features of T cell differentiation, and 2) by fitting this model to experimental data generated by disturbing T cell differentiation through transient depletion of dividing T cells in mice. This specific depletion was obtained by administration of ganciclovir to mice expressing the conditional thymidine kinase suicide gene in T cells. With this experimental approach, we could derive quantitative parameters describing the cell fluxes, residence times, and rates of import, export, proliferation, and death across cell compartments for thymocytes and recent thymic emigrants (RTEs). Among other parameters, we show that 93% of thymocytes produced before single-positive stages are eliminated through the selection process. Then, a postselection peripheral expansion of naive T cells contributes three times more to naive T cell production than the thymus, with half of the naive T cells consisting of dividing RTEs. Altogether, this work provides a quantitative population dynamical framework of thymocyte development, RTEs, and naive T cells.

Initial depletion of regulatory T cells: the missing solution to preserve the immune functions of T lymphocytes designed for cell therapy.

We investigated the causes of the altered functionality of T cells cultured under conditions designed for cell and gene therapy and the strategies to prevent their defects. We first showed that human T cells cultured for 6 days with anti-CD3 +/- anti-CD28 antibodies and interleukin-2 presented a 50% decrease of their proliferative responses to allogeneic or recall antigens. Similarly, day-6 cultured murine T cells completely lost their capacity to reject allogeneic skin grafts and to provoke graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) when infused into irradiated semi-allogeneic mice. Interestingly, injection of higher amounts of cultured T cells restored GVHD induction. Moreover, depletion of CD25+ cells prior to T-cell cultures can prevent these deficiencies both in mice and humans. Therefore, we demonstrated that culture conditions used for T-cell therapy preferentially activated and expanded regulatory T cells (Treg's). Thus, we showed that dividing cells sorted from T-cell cultures strongly suppressed the proliferation of autologous T cells in response to allogeneic stimulation. An increased detection of Foxp3 at mRNA and protein levels in the cultures confirmed the Treg expansion. Overall, we demonstrate that T-cell cultures promote Treg expansion over effector T cells, leading to deleterious immune functions, and that this imbalance can be prevented by an initial depletion of CD25+ cells.

Turning immunological memory into amnesia by depletion of dividing T cells.

Immunological memory, defined as more efficient immune responses on antigen reexposure, can last for decades. The current paradigm is that memory is maintained by antigen-experienced "memory T cells" that can be long-lived quiescent or dividing. The contribution of T cell division to memory maintenance is poorly known and has important clinical implications. In this study, we directly addressed the role of dividing T cells in immunological memory maintenance by evaluating the consequences of their elimination. The specific ablation of dividing T cells was obtained by administration of ganciclovir to immune mice expressing the herpes simplex type 1 thymidine kinase suicide gene in T cells. We show that depletion of dividing T cells for 5 or 2 weeks suffices to abolish in vitro and in vivo memory responses against the male H-Y transplantation alloantigen or against lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus antigens, respectively. Similar results were obtained after the nonspecific elimination of all dividing cells by using hydroxyurea, a cytostatic toxic agent commonly used for cancer chemotherapy. This immune amnesia occurred in otherwise immunocompetent mice and despite the persistence of functional quiescent T cells displaying a "memory" phenotype. Thus, division of antigen-experienced T cells is an absolute requirement for immunological memory maintenance and the current concept of memory T cells is challenged.