Cyclone: an accessible pipeline to analyze, evaluate and optimize multiparametric cytometry data.

In the past decade, high-dimensional single cell technologies have revolutionized basic and translational immunology research and are now a key element of the toolbox used by scientists to study the immune system. However, analysis of the data generated by these approaches often requires clustering algorithms and dimensionality reduction representation which are computationally intense and difficult to evaluate and optimize. Here we present Cyclone, an analysis pipeline integrating dimensionality reduction, clustering, evaluation and optimization of clustering resolution, and downstream visualization tools facilitating the analysis of a wide range of cytometry data. We benchmarked and validated Cyclone on mass cytometry (CyTOF), full spectrum fluorescence-based cytometry, and multiplexed immunofluorescence (IF) in a variety of biological contexts, including infectious diseases and cancer. In each instance, Cyclone not only recapitulates gold standard immune cell identification, but also enables the unsupervised identification of lymphocytes and mononuclear phagocytes subsets that are associated with distinct biological features. Altogether, the Cyclone pipeline is a versatile and accessible pipeline for performing, optimizing, and evaluating clustering on variety of cytometry datasets which will further power immunology research and provide a scaffold for biological discovery.

Cyclone: an accessible pipeline to analyze, evaluate, and optimize multiparametric cytometry data.

In the past decade, high-dimensional single-cell technologies have revolutionized basic and translational immunology research and are now a key element of the toolbox used by scientists to study the immune system. However, analysis of the data generated by these approaches often requires clustering algorithms and dimensionality reduction representation, which are computationally intense and difficult to evaluate and optimize. Here, we present Cytometry Clustering Optimization and Evaluation (Cyclone), an analysis pipeline integrating dimensionality reduction, clustering, evaluation, and optimization of clustering resolution, and downstream visualization tools facilitating the analysis of a wide range of cytometry data. We benchmarked and validated Cyclone on mass cytometry (CyTOF), full-spectrum fluorescence-based cytometry, and multiplexed immunofluorescence (IF) in a variety of biological contexts, including infectious diseases and cancer. In each instance, Cyclone not only recapitulates gold standard immune cell identification but also enables the unsupervised identification of lymphocytes and mononuclear phagocyte subsets that are associated with distinct biological features. Altogether, the Cyclone pipeline is a versatile and accessible pipeline for performing, optimizing, and evaluating clustering on a variety of cytometry datasets, which will further power immunology research and provide a scaffold for biological discovery.

Hybrid alphavirus-rhabdovirus propagating replicon particles are versatile and potent vaccine vectors.

Self-propagating, infectious, virus-like particles are generated in animal cell lines transfected with a Semliki Forest virus RNA replicon encoding a single viral structural protein, the vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) glycoprotein. We show here that these infectious particles, which we call propagating replicons, are potent inducers of neutralizing antibody in animals yet are nonpathogenic. Mice vaccinated with a single dose of the particles generated high titers of VSV-neutralizing antibody and were protected from a subsequent lethal challenge with VSV. Induction of antibody required RNA replication. We also report that additional genes (including an HIV-1 envelope protein gene) expressed from the propagating replicons induced strong cellular immune responses to the corresponding proteins after a single inoculation. Our studies reveal the potential of these particles as simple and safe vaccine vectors inducing strong humoral and cellular immune responses.

A tumor-specific mechanism of Treg enrichment mediated by the integrin αvß8.

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) that promote tumor immune evasion are enriched in certain tumors and correlate with poor prognosis. However, mechanisms for Treg enrichment remain incompletely understood. We described a mechanism for Treg enrichment in mouse and human tumors mediated by the αvß8 integrin. Tumor cell αvß8 bound to latent transforming growth factor-ß (L-TGF-ß) presented on the surface of T cells, resulting in TGF-ß activation and immunosuppressive Treg differentiation in vitro. In vivo, tumor cell αvß8 expression correlated with Treg enrichment, immunosuppressive Treg gene expression, and increased tumor growth, which was reduced in mice by αvß8 inhibition or Treg depletion. Structural modeling and cell-based studies suggested a highly geometrically constrained complex forming between αvß8-expressing tumor cells and L-TGF-ß-expressing T cells, facilitating TGF-ß activation, independent of release and diffusion, and providing limited access to TGF-ß inhibitors. These findings suggest a highly localized tumor-specific mechanism for Treg enrichment.

An OX40/OX40L interaction directs successful immunity to hepatitis B virus.

Depending on age of acquisition, hepatitis B virus (HBV) can induce a cell-mediated immune response that results in either cure or progressive liver injury. In adult-acquired infection, HBV antigens are usually cleared, whereas in infancy-acquired infection, they persist. Individuals infected during infancy therefore represent the majority of patients chronically infected with HBV (CHB). A therapy that can promote viral antigen clearance in most CHB patients has not been developed and would represent a major health care advance and cost mitigator. Using an age-dependent mouse model of HBV clearance and persistence in conjunction with human blood and liver tissue, we studied mechanisms of viral clearance to identify new therapeutic targets. We demonstrate that age-dependent expression of the costimulatory molecule OX40 ligand (OX40L) by hepatic innate immune cells is pivotal in determining HBV immunity, and that treatment with OX40 agonists leads to improved HBV antigen clearance in young mice, as well as increased strength of T cell responses in young mice and adult mice that were exposed to HBV when they were young and developed a CHB serological profile. Similarly, in humans, we show that hepatic OX40L transcript expression is age-dependent and that increased OX40 expression on peripheral CD4+ T cells in adults is associated with HBV clearance. These findings provide new mechanistic understanding of the immune pathways and cells necessary for HBV immunity and identify potential therapeutic targets for resolving CHB.

Integrin αvß8-expressing tumor cells evade host immunity by regulating TGF-ß activation in immune cells.

TGF-ß is a promising immunotherapeutic target. It is expressed ubiquitously in a latent form that must be activated to function. Determination of where and how latent TGF-ß (L-TGF-ß) is activated in the tumor microenvironment could facilitate cell- and mechanism-specific approaches to immunotherapeutically target TGF-ß. Binding of L-TGF-ß to integrin αvß8 results in activation of TGF-ß. We engineered and used αvß8 antibodies optimized for blocking or detection, which - respectively - inhibit tumor growth in syngeneic tumor models or sensitively and specifically detect ß8 in human tumors. Inhibition of αvß8 potentiates cytotoxic T cell responses and recruitment of immune cells to tumor centers - effects that are independent of PD-1/PD-L1. ß8 is expressed on the cell surface at high levels by tumor cells, not immune cells, while the reverse is true of L-TGF-ß, suggesting that tumor cell αvß8 serves as a platform for activating cell-surface L-TGF-ß presented by immune cells. Transcriptome analysis of tumor-associated lymphoid cells reveals macrophages as a key cell type responsive to ß8 inhibition with major increases in chemokine and tumor-eliminating genes. High ß8 expression in tumor cells is seen in 20%-80% of various cancers, which rarely coincides with high PD-L1 expression. These data suggest tumor cell αvß8 is a PD-1/PD-L1-independent immunotherapeutic target.

Higher Serum Alanine Transaminase Levels in Male Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator-Transgenic Mice Are Associated With Improved Engraftment of Hepatocytes but not Liver Sinusoidal Endothelial Cells.

The effects of sex on the degree of liver damage and human cell engraftment were investigated in immunodeficient urokinase-type plasminogen activator-transgenic (uPA-NOG) mice. Liver damage, measured by serum alanine transaminase (ALT) levels, was compared in male and female uPA-NOG mice of different ages. Male mice had significantly higher ALT levels than females with a median of 334 versus 158 U/L in transgenic homozygous mice, respectively. Mice were transplanted with human adult hepatocytes or fetal liver cells and analyzed for any correlation of engraftment of hepatocytes, liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs), and hematopoietic cells with the degree of liver damage. Hepatocyte engraftment was measured by human albumin levels in the mouse serum. Higher ALT levels correlated with higher hepatocyte engraftment, resulting in albumin levels in male mice that were 9.6 times higher than in females. LSEC and hematopoietic cell engraftment were measured by flow cytometric analysis of the mouse liver and bone marrow. LSEC and hematopoietic engraftment did not differ between male and female transplant recipients. Thus, the sex of uPA-NOG mice affects the degree of liver damage, which is reflected in the levels of human hepatocyte engraftment. However, the high levels of LSEC engraftment observed in uPA-NOG mice are not further improved among male mice, suggesting that a lower threshold of liver damage is sufficient to enhance endothelial cell engraftment. Previously described sex differences in human hematopoietic stem cell engraftment in immunodeficient mice were not observed in this model.

Production of factor VIII by human liver sinusoidal endothelial cells transplanted in immunodeficient uPA mice.

Liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs) form a semi-permeable barrier between parenchymal hepatocytes and the blood. LSECs participate in liver metabolism, clearance of pathological agents, immunological responses, architectural maintenance of the liver and synthesis of growth factors and cytokines. LSECs also play an important role in coagulation through the synthesis of Factor VIII (FVIII). Herein, we phenotypically define human LSECs isolated from fetal liver using flow cytometry and immunofluorescence microscopy. Isolated LSECs were cultured and shown to express endothelial markers and markers specific for the LSEC lineage. LSECs were also shown to engraft the liver when human fetal liver cells were transplanted into immunodeficient mice with liver specific expression of the urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) transgene (uPA-NOG mice). Engrafted cells expressed human Factor VIII at levels approaching those found in human plasma. We also demonstrate engraftment of adult LSECs, as well as hepatocytes, transplanted into uPA-NOG mice. We propose that overexpression of uPA provides beneficial conditions for LSEC engraftment due to elevated expression of the angiogenic cytokine, vascular endothelial growth factor. This work provides a detailed characterization of human midgestation LSECs, thereby providing the means for their purification and culture based on their expression of CD14 and CD32 as well as a lack of CD45 expression. The uPA-NOG mouse is shown to be a permissive host for human LSECs and adult hepatocytes, but not fetal hepatoblasts. Thus, these mice provide a useful model system to study these cell types in vivo. Demonstration of human FVIII production by transplanted LSECs encourages further pursuit of LSEC transplantation as a cellular therapy for the treatment of hemophilia A.

Age-dependent hepatic lymphoid organization directs successful immunity to hepatitis B.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a major human pathogen that causes immune-mediated hepatitis. Successful immunity to HBV is age dependent: viral clearance occurs in most adults, whereas neonates and young children usually develop chronic infection. Using a mouse model of HBV infection, we sought mechanisms underpinning the age-dependent outcome of HBV and demonstrated that hepatic macrophages facilitate lymphoid organization and immune priming within the adult liver and promote successful immunity. In contrast, lymphoid organization and immune priming was greatly diminished in the livers of young mice, and of macrophage-depleted adult mice, leading to abrogated HBV immunity. Furthermore, we found that CXCL13, which is involved in B lymphocyte trafficking and lymphoid architecture and development, is expressed in an age-dependent manner in both adult mouse and human hepatic macrophages and plays an integral role in facilitating an effective immune response against HBV. Taken together, these results identify some of the immunological mechanisms necessary for effective control of HBV.

Hepatitis B virus-induced lipid alterations contribute to natural killer T cell-dependent protective immunity.

In most adult humans, hepatitis B is a self-limiting disease leading to life-long protective immunity, which is the consequence of a robust adaptive immune response occurring weeks after hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Notably, HBV-specific T cells can be detected shortly after infection, but the mechanisms underlying this early immune priming and its consequences for subsequent control of viral replication are poorly understood. Using primary human and mouse hepatocytes and mouse models of transgenic and adenoviral HBV expression, we show that HBV-expressing hepatocytes produce endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-associated endogenous antigenic lipids including lysophospholipids that are generated by HBV-induced secretory phospholipases and that lead to activation of natural killer T (NKT) cells. The absence of NKT cells or CD1d or a defect in ER-associated transfer of lipids onto CD1d results in diminished HBV-specific T and B cell responses and delayed viral control in mice. NKT cells may therefore contribute to control of HBV infection through sensing of HBV-induced modified self-lipids.

IL-21 is pivotal in determining age-dependent effectiveness of immune responses in a mouse model of human hepatitis B.

HBV is a noncytopathic hepadnavirus and major human pathogen that causes immune-mediated acute and chronic hepatitis. The immune response to HBV antigens is age dependent: viral clearance occurs in most adults, while neonates and children usually develop chronic infection and liver disease. Here, we characterize an animal model for HBV infection that recapitulates the key differences in viral clearance between early life and adulthood and find that IL-21 may be part of an effective primary hepatic immune response to HBV. In our model, adult mice showed higher HBV-dependent IL-21 production in liver, compared with that of young mice. Conversely, absence of the IL-21 receptor in adult mice resulted in antigen persistence akin to that of young mice. In humans, levels of IL-21 transcripts were greatly increased in blood samples from acutely infected adults who clear the virus. These observations suggest a different model for the dichotomous, age dependent outcome of HBV infection in humans, in which decreased IL-21 production in younger patients may hinder generation of crucial CD8+ T and B cell responses. These findings carry implications for therapeutic augmentation of immune responses to HBV and potentially other persistent liver viruses.

Mouse and human lung fibroblasts regulate dendritic cell trafficking, airway inflammation, and fibrosis through integrin αvß8-mediated activation of TGF-ß.

The airway is a primary portal of entry for noxious environmental stimuli that can trigger airway remodeling, which contributes significantly to airway obstruction in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and chronic asthma. Important pathologic components of airway remodeling include fibrosis and abnormal innate and adaptive immune responses. The positioning of fibroblasts in interstitial spaces suggests that they could participate in both fibrosis and chemokine regulation of the trafficking of immune cells such as dendritic cells, which are crucial antigen-presenting cells. However, physiological evidence for this dual role for fibroblasts is lacking. Here, in two physiologically relevant models - conditional deletion in mouse fibroblasts of the TGF-ß-activating integrin αvß8 and neutralization of αvß8 in human COPD fibroblasts - we have elucidated a mechanism whereby lung fibroblast chemokine secretion directs dendritic cell trafficking, in a manner that is critically dependent on αvß8-mediated activation of TGF-ß by fibroblasts. Our data therefore indicate that fibroblasts have a crucial role in regulating both fibrotic and immune responses in the lung.

Single-dose, therapeutic vaccination of mice with vesicular stomatitis virus expressing human papillomavirus type 16 E7 protein.

We are developing recombinant attenuated vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) as a vaccine vector to generate humoral and cell-mediated immune responses. Here, we explore the use of VSV vaccines for cancer immunotherapy. Immunotherapy targeting high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) lesions has the potential to benefit HPV-infected individuals and cervical cancer patients by generating cytotoxic T cells that kill tumor cells that express viral antigens. A single dose of VSV expressing the HPV type 16 (HPV16) E7 oncogene was used for therapeutic vaccination of mice bearing TC-1 syngeneic tumors, which express HPV16 E7. HPV16 E7-specific T cells were generated and displayed cytotoxic activity against the tumor cells. By 14 days postvaccination, average tumor volumes were 10-fold less in the vaccinated group than in mice that received the empty-vector VSV, and regression of preexisting tumors occurred in some cases. This antitumor effect was CD8 T-cell dependent. Our results demonstrate antitumor responses to HPV16 E7 and suggest that recombinant-VSV-based vaccination should be explored as a therapeutic strategy for cervical carcinoma and other HPV-associated cancers.

Replication and propagation of attenuated vesicular stomatitis virus vectors in vivo: vector spread correlates with induction of immune responses and persistence of genomic RNA.

Live-attenuated vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) vectors expressing foreign antigens induce potent immune responses and protect against viral diseases in animal models. Highly attenuated (VSV-CT1) or single-cycle VSV (VSVDeltaG) vectors induce immune responses lower than those generated by attenuated wild-type VSV vectors when given intranasally. We show here that reduced spread of the more highly attenuated or single-cycle vectors to other organs, including lymph nodes, correlates with the reduction in the immune responses. A reverse transcription, real-time PCR assay for VSV genomic RNA (gRNA) sequences showed long-term persistence of gRNA from replicating vectors in lymph nodes, long after viral clearance. Such persistence may be important for induction of potent immune responses by VSV vectors.

Requirement for CD4 T cell help in maintenance of memory CD8 T cell responses is epitope dependent.

CD4 Th cells play critical roles in stimulating Ab production and in generating primary or maintaining memory CTL. The requirement for CD4 help in generating and maintaining CTL responses has been reported to vary depending on the vector or method used for immunization. In this study, we examined the requirement for CD4 T cell help in generating and maintaining CTL responses to an experimental AIDS vaccine vector based on live recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) expressing HIV Env protein. We found that primary CD8 T cell responses and short-term memory to HIV Env and VSV nucleocapsid (VSV N) proteins were largely intact in CD4 T cell-deficient mice. These responses were efficiently recalled at 30 days postinfection by boosting with vaccinia recombinants expressing HIV Env or VSV N. However, by 60 days postinfection, the memory/recall response to VSV N was lost in CD4-deficient mice, while the recall response HIV Env was partially maintained in the same animals for at least 90 days. This result indicates that there are epitope-specific requirements for CD4 help in the maintenance of memory CD8 T cell responses. Our results also suggest that choice of epitopes might be critical in an AIDS vaccine designed to protect against disease in the context of reduced or declining CD4 T cell help.

Rapid pathogenesis induced by a vesicular stomatitis virus matrix protein mutant: viral pathogenesis is linked to induction of tumor necrosis factor alpha.

Vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) matrix (M) protein blocks host mRNA export from the nucleus and thereby inhibits interferon induction in infected cells. M mutants with mutations of methionine 51 (M51) lack this shutoff function. We examined pathogenesis of a VSV M mutant with a deletion of M51 (VSVDeltaM51) after intranasal infection of BALB/c mice and found an unexpected phenotype. Mice that received VSVDeltaM51 experienced a more rapid but overall less severe weight loss than mice that received the recombinant wild-type VSV (rwtVSV). Rapid weight loss was not explained by faster initial replication because VSVDeltaM51 replication was controlled faster than rwtVSV replication in the lungs and did not spread systemically like rwtVSV. This faster control of VSVDeltaM51 correlated with a more rapid induction of interferon in the lung. Because tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) is associated with weight loss, we examined TNF-alpha induction in mice infected with rwtVSV or VSVDeltaM51. We found more-rapid induction of TNF-alpha by the mutant at early times after infection, while rwtVSV induced more TNF-alpha later in infection. This result suggested that TNF-alpha induction might explain both the rapid weight loss caused by the mutant and the overall greater weight loss caused by the rwtVSV. Using TNF-alpha knockout mice (C57BL/6 background), we showed that weight loss following rwtVSV infection was greatly reduced in the absence of TNF-alpha. Although the rapid weight loss caused by VSVDeltaM51 was less pronounced in C57BL/6 mice, it was eliminated in the absence of TNF-alpha. These results indicate a role for TNF-alpha in the pathogenesis of VSV.

A single-cycle vaccine vector based on vesicular stomatitis virus can induce immune responses comparable to those generated by a replication-competent vector.

Live attenuated vaccine vectors based on recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) are effective in several viral disease models. In this study, we asked if a VSV vector capable of only a single cycle of replication might be an effective alternative to replication-competent VSV vectors. We compared the cellular immune responses to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) envelope protein (Env) expressed by replication-competent and single-cycle VSV vectors and also examined the antibody response to Env. The single-cycle vector was grown by complementation with VSV G protein and then tested initially for immunogenicity when given by four different routes. When given by the intramuscular route in mice, we found that the single-cycle vector was equivalent to the replication-competent VSV vector in generating high-level primary and memory CD8 T-cell responses as well as antibody responses to Env. Cellular responses were analyzed using major histocompatibility complex class I tetramers and direct measurement of cytotoxic T-lymphocyte activity in vivo. We also found that the recall responses after boosting were equivalent in animals vaccinated with replication-competent or single-cycle vectors. Additionally, we observed recall and heightened memory responses after boosting animals with a single-cycle vector complemented with G protein from a different vesiculovirus. Because expression of HIV Env by G-deleted VSV might allow replication in human cells expressing CD4, we generated a single-cycle VSV recombinant expressing a secreted form of the HIV Env protein. This virus was just as effective as the recombinant expressing the membrane-anchored Env protein at producing CD8 T cells and antibody responses.

A vesicular stomatitis virus recombinant expressing granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor induces enhanced T-cell responses and is highly attenuated for replication in animals.

Live attenuated vectors based on recombinant vesicular stomatitis viruses (rVSVs) expressing foreign antigens are highly effective vaccines in animal models. In this study, we report that an rVSV (VSV-GMCSF1) expressing high levels of murine granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) from the first position in the viral genome is highly attenuated in terms of viral dissemination and pathogenesis after intranasal delivery to mice. However, this highly attenuated virus generated antibody and T-cell responses equivalent to those induced by a control virus expressing enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) from the first position (VSV-EGFP1). The better containment and clearance of VSV-GMCSF1 may be due to enhanced recruitment of macrophages to the site of infection but is not explained by a greater induction of interferons. The primary CD8 T-cell and neutralizing antibody responses to VSV-GMCSF1 were equivalent to those generated by VSV-EGFP1, while the CD8 T-cell memory and recall responses to the vector were enhanced in mice infected with VSV-GMCSF1. It is likely that the GM-CSF produced by immunization with this virus results in an enhanced recruitment of antigen-presenting cells, leading to better acute and long-term T-cell responses. This recruitment appears to cancel out any negative effect of viral attenuation on immunogenicity.

Characterization of nonpathogenic, live, viral vaccine vectors inducing potent cellular immune responses.

Experimental vaccines based on recombinant vesicular stomatitis viruses (VSV) expressing foreign viral proteins are protective in several animal disease models. Although these attenuated viruses are nonpathogenic in nonhuman primates when given by nasal, oral, or intramuscular routes, they are pathogenic in mice when given intranasally, and further vector attenuation may be required before human trials with VSV-based vectors can begin. Mutations truncating the VSV glycoprotein (G) cytoplasmic domain from 29 to 9 or 1 amino acid (designated CT9 or CT1, respectively) were shown previously to attenuate VSV growth in cell culture and pathogenesis in mice. Here we show that VSV recombinants carrying either the CT1 or CT9 deletion and expressing the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) Env protein are nonpathogenic in mice, even when given by the intranasal route. We then carried out a detailed analysis of the CD8+ T-cell responses, including in vivo cytotoxic T-cell activity, induced by these vectors. When given by either the intranasal or intraperitoneal route, the VSV-CT9 vector expressing HIV Env elicited primary and memory CD8+ T-cell responses to Env equivalent to those elicited by recombinant wild-type VSV expressing Env. The VSV-CT1 vector also induced potent CD8+ T-cell responses after intraperitoneal vaccination, but was less effective when given by the intranasal route. The VSV-CT1 vector was also substantially less effective than the VSV-CT9 or wild-type vector at inducing antibody to Env. The VSV-CT9 vector appears ideal because of its lack of pathogenesis, propagation to high titers in vitro, and stimulation of strong cellular and humoral immune responses.