Inherited human ITK deficiency impairs IFN-γ immunity and underlies tuberculosis.

Inborn errors of IFN-γ immunity can underlie tuberculosis (TB). We report three patients from two kindreds without EBV viremia or disease but with severe TB and inherited complete ITK deficiency, a condition associated with severe EBV disease that renders immunological studies challenging. They have CD4+ αß T lymphocytopenia with a concomitant expansion of CD4-CD8- double-negative (DN) αß and Vδ2- γδ T lymphocytes, both displaying a unique CD38+CD45RA+T-bet+EOMES- phenotype. Itk-deficient mice recapitulated an expansion of the γδ T and DN αß T lymphocyte populations in the thymus and spleen, respectively. Moreover, the patients' T lymphocytes secrete small amounts of IFN-γ in response to TCR crosslinking, mitogens, or forced synapse formation with autologous B lymphocytes. Finally, the patients' total lymphocytes secrete small amounts of IFN-γ, and CD4+, CD8+, DN αß T, Vδ2+ γδ T, and MAIT cells display impaired IFN-γ production in response to BCG. Inherited ITK deficiency undermines the development and function of various IFN-γ-producing T cell subsets, thereby underlying TB.

Concomitant PIK3CD and TNFRSF9 deficiencies cause chronic active Epstein-Barr virus infection of T cells.

Infection of T cells by Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) causes chronic active EBV infection (CAEBV) characterized by T cell lymphoproliferative disorders (T-LPD) of unclear etiology. Here, we identified two homozygous biallelic loss-of-function mutations in PIK3CD and TNFRSF9 in a patient who developed a fatal CAEBV. The mutation in TNFRSF9 gene coding CD137/4-1BB, a costimulatory molecule expressed by antigen-specific activated T cells, resulted in a complete loss of CD137 expression and impaired T cell expansion toward CD137 ligand-expressing cells. Isolated as observed in one sibling, CD137 deficiency resulted in persistent EBV-infected T cells but without clinical manifestations. The mutation in PIK3CD gene that encodes the catalytic subunit p110δ of the PI3K significantly reduced its kinase activity. Deficient T cells for PIK3CD exhibited reduced AKT signaling, while calcium flux, RAS-MAPK activation, and proliferation were increased, suggestive of an imbalance between the PLCγ1 and PI3K pathways. These skewed signals in T cells may sustain accumulation of EBV-infected T cells, a process controlled by the CD137-CD137L pathway, highlighting its critical role in immunity to EBV.

Inherited CD70 deficiency in humans reveals a critical role for the CD70-CD27 pathway in immunity to Epstein-Barr virus infection.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection in humans is a major trigger of malignant and nonmalignant B cell proliferations. CD27 is a co-stimulatory molecule of T cells, and inherited CD27 deficiency is characterized by high susceptibility to EBV infection, though the underlying pathological mechanisms have not yet been identified. In this study, we report a patient suffering from recurrent EBV-induced B cell proliferations including Hodgkin's lymphoma because of a deficiency in CD70, the ligand of CD27. We show that EBV-specific T lymphocytes did not expand properly when stimulated with CD70-deficient EBV-infected B cells, whereas expression of CD70 in B cells restored expansion, indicating that CD70 on B cells but not on T cells is required for efficient proliferation of T cells. CD70 was found to be up-regulated on B cells when activated and during EBV infection. The proliferation of T cells triggered by CD70-expressing B cells was dependent on CD27 and CD3 on T cells. Importantly, CD27-deficient T cells failed to proliferate when stimulated with CD70-expressing B cells. Thus, the CD70-CD27 pathway appears to be a crucial component of EBV-specific T cell immunity and more generally for the immune surveillance of B cells and may be a target for immunotherapy of B cell malignancies.