RETRACTED: T cell metabolism. The protein LEM promotes CD8⁺ T cell immunity through effects on mitochondrial respiration.

Protective CD8(+) T cell-mediated immunity requires a massive expansion in cell number and the development of long-lived memory cells. Using forward genetics in mice, we identified an orphan protein named lymphocyte expansion molecule (LEM) that promoted antigen-dependent CD8(+) T cell proliferation, effector function, and memory cell generation in response to infection with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus. Generation of LEM-deficient mice confirmed these results. Through interaction with CR6 interacting factor (CRIF1), LEM controlled the levels of oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) complexes and respiration, resulting in the production of pro-proliferative mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mROS). LEM provides a link between immune activation and the expansion of protective CD8(+) T cells driven by OXPHOS and represents a pathway for the restoration of long-term protective immunity based on metabolically modified cytotoxic CD8(+) T cells.

Diverse specificity and effector function among human antibodies to HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein epitopes exposed by CD4 binding.

The HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein (Env) undergoes conformational transitions consequent to CD4 binding and coreceptor engagement during viral entry. The physical steps in this process are becoming defined, but less is known about their significance as targets of antibodies potentially protective against HIV-1 infection. Here we probe the functional significance of transitional epitope exposure by characterizing 41 human mAbs specific for epitopes exposed on trimeric Env after CD4 engagement. These mAbs recognize three epitope clusters: cluster A, the gp120 face occluded by gp41 in trimeric Env; cluster B, a region proximal to the coreceptor-binding site (CoRBS) and involving the V1/V2 domain; and cluster C, the coreceptor-binding site. The mAbs were evaluated functionally by antibody-dependent, cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) and for neutralization of Tiers 1 and 2 pseudoviruses. All three clusters included mAbs mediating ADCC. However, there was a strong potency bias for cluster A, which harbors at least three potent ADCC epitopes whose cognate mAbs have electropositive paratopes. Cluster A epitopes are functional ADCC targets during viral entry in an assay format using virion-sensitized target cells. In contrast, only cluster C contained epitopes that were recognized by neutralizing mAbs. There was significant diversity in breadth and potency that correlated with epitope fine specificity. In contrast, ADCC potency had no relationship with neutralization potency or breadth for any epitope cluster. Thus, Fc-mediated effector function and neutralization coselect with specificity in anti-Env antibody responses, but the nature of selection is distinct for these two antiviral activities.

Serine protease inhibitor 6 is required to protect dendritic cells from the kiss of death.

How dendritic cells (DC) present Ag to cytotoxic T cells (CTL) without themselves being killed through contact-mediated cytotoxicity (so-called kiss of death) has proved to be controversial. Using mice deficient in serine protease inhibitor 6 (Spi6), we show that Spi6 protects DC from the kiss of death by inhibiting granzyme B (GrB) delivered by CTL. Infection of Spi6 knockout mice with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus revealed impaired survival of CD8α DC. The impaired survival of Spi6 knockout CD8α DC resulted in impaired priming and expansion of both primary and memory lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus-specific CTL, which could be corrected by GrB deficiency. The rescue in the clonal burst obtained by GrB elimination demonstrated that GrB was the physiological target through which Spi6 protected DC from CTL. We conclude that the negative regulation of DC priming of CD8 T lymphocyte immunity by CTL killing is mitigated by the physiological inhibition of GrB by Spi6.