ABSTRACT
Clonotypic αß T cell responses to cargoes presented by major histocompatibility complex (MHC), MR1, or CD1 proteins underpin adaptive immunity. Those responses are mostly mediated by complementarity-determining region 3 motifs created by quasi-random T cell receptor (TCR) gene rearrangements, with diversity being highest for TCRγδ. Nonetheless, TCRγδ also displays nonclonotypic innate responsiveness following engagement of germline-encoded Vγ-specific residues by butyrophilin (BTN) or BTN-like (BTNL) proteins that uniquely mediate γδ T cell subset selection. We now report that nonclonotypic TCR engagement likewise induces distinct phenotypes in TCRαß+ cells. Specifically, antibodies to germline-encoded human TCRVß motifs consistently activated naïve or memory T cells toward core states distinct from those induced by anti-CD3 or superantigens and from others commonly reported. Those states combined selective proliferation and effector function with activation-induced inhibitory receptors and memory differentiation. Thus, nonclonotypic TCRVß targeting broadens our perspectives on human T cell response modes and might offer ways to induce clinically beneficial phenotypes in defined T cell subsets.
Subject(s)
Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta , Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta , Humans , Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta/genetics , T-Lymphocyte Subsets , Butyrophilins/genetics , Butyrophilins/metabolism , Phenotype , ImmunotherapyABSTRACT
Prolidase deficiency (PD) is a multisystem disorder caused by mutations in the PEPD gene, which encodes a ubiquitously expressed metallopeptidase essential for the hydrolysis of dipeptides containing C-terminal proline or hydroxyproline. PD typically presents in childhood with developmental delay, skin ulcers, recurrent infections, and, in some patients, autoimmune features that can mimic systemic lupus erythematosus. The basis for the autoimmune association is uncertain, but might be due to self-antigen exposure with tissue damage, or indirectly driven by chronic infection and microbial burden. In this study, we address the question of causation and show that Pepd-null mice have increased antinuclear autoantibodies and raised serum IgA, accompanied by kidney immune complex deposition, consistent with a systemic lupus erythematosus-like disease. These features are associated with an accumulation of CD4 and CD8 effector T cells in the spleen and liver. Pepd deficiency leads to spontaneous T cell activation and proliferation into the effector subset, which is cell intrinsic and independent of Ag receptor specificity or antigenic stimulation. However, an increase in KLRG1+ effector CD8 cells is not observed in mixed chimeras, in which the autoimmune phenotype is also absent. Our findings link autoimmune susceptibility in PD to spontaneous T cell dysfunction, likely to be acting in combination with immune activators that lie outside the hemopoietic system but result from the abnormal metabolism or loss of nonenzymatic prolidase function. This knowledge provides insight into the role of prolidase in the maintenance of self-tolerance and highlights the importance of treatment to control T cell activation.
Subject(s)
Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic , Prolidase Deficiency , Animals , Mice , Autoimmunity , Lymphocyte Activation , AutoantigensABSTRACT
Here we consider how high-content flow cytometric methodology at appropriate scale and throughput rapidly provided meaningful biological data in our recent studies of COVID-19, which we discuss in the context of other similar investigations. In our work, high-throughput flow cytometry was instrumental to identify a consensus immune signature in COVID-19 patients, and to investigate the impact of SARS-CoV-2 exposure on patients with either solid or hematological cancers. We provide here some examples of our 'holistic' approach, in which flow cytometry data generated by lymphocyte and myelomonocyte panels were integrated with other analytical metrics, including SARS-CoV-2-specific serum antibody titers, plasma cytokine/chemokine levels, and in-depth clinical annotation. We report how selective differences between T cell subsets were revealed by a newly described flow cytometric TDS assay to distinguish actively cycling T cells in the peripheral blood. By such approaches, our and others' high-content flow cytometry studies collectively identified overt abnormalities and subtle but critical changes that discriminate the immuno-signature of COVID-19 patients from those of healthy donors and patients with non-COVID respiratory infections. Thereby, these studies offered several meaningful biomarkers of COVID-19 severity that have the potential to improve the management of patients and of hospital resources. In sum, flow cytometry provides an important means for rapidly obtaining data that can guide clinical decision-making without requiring highly expensive, sophisticated equipment, and/or "-omics" capabilities. We consider how this approach might be further developed.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Humans , SARS-CoV-2 , Flow Cytometry , Cytokines , T-Lymphocyte SubsetsABSTRACT
Whereas pathogen-specific T and B cells are a primary focus of interest during infectious disease, we have used COVID-19 to ask whether their emergence comes at a cost of broader B cell and T cell repertoire disruption. We applied a genomic DNA-based approach to concurrently study the immunoglobulin-heavy (IGH) and T cell receptor (TCR) ß and δ chain loci of 95 individuals. Our approach detected anticipated repertoire focusing for the IGH repertoire, including expansions of clusters of related sequences temporally aligned with SARS-CoV-2-specific seroconversion, and enrichment of some shared SARS-CoV-2-associated sequences. No significant age-related or disease severity-related deficiencies were noted for the IGH repertoire. By contrast, whereas focusing occurred at the TCRß and TCRδ loci, including some TCRß sequence-sharing, disruptive repertoire narrowing was almost entirely limited to many patients aged older than 50 y. By temporarily reducing T cell diversity and by risking expansions of nonbeneficial T cells, these traits may constitute an age-related risk factor for COVID-19, including a vulnerability to new variants for which T cells may provide key protection.
Subject(s)
Adaptive Immunity , COVID-19 , Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains , Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta , Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell , SARS-CoV-2 , Adaptive Immunity/genetics , Aged , B-Lymphocytes/immunology , COVID-19/genetics , COVID-19/immunology , Genetic Loci , Humans , Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains/genetics , Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/genetics , Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta/genetics , SARS-CoV-2/immunology , Seroconversion , T-Lymphocytes/immunologyABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The efficacy and safety profiles of vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 in patients with cancer is unknown. We aimed to assess the safety and immunogenicity of the BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) vaccine in patients with cancer. METHODS: For this prospective observational study, we recruited patients with cancer and healthy controls (mostly health-care workers) from three London hospitals between Dec 8, 2020, and Feb 18, 2021. Participants who were vaccinated between Dec 8 and Dec 29, 2020, received two 30 µg doses of BNT162b2 administered intramuscularly 21 days apart; patients vaccinated after this date received only one 30 µg dose with a planned follow-up boost at 12 weeks. Blood samples were taken before vaccination and at 3 weeks and 5 weeks after the first vaccination. Where possible, serial nasopharyngeal real-time RT-PCR (rRT-PCR) swab tests were done every 10 days or in cases of symptomatic COVID-19. The coprimary endpoints were seroconversion to SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein in patients with cancer following the first vaccination with the BNT162b2 vaccine and the effect of vaccine boosting after 21 days on seroconversion. All participants with available data were included in the safety and immunogenicity analyses. Ongoing follow-up is underway for further blood sampling after the delayed (12-week) vaccine boost. This study is registered with the NHS Health Research Authority and Health and Care Research Wales (REC ID 20/HRA/2031). FINDINGS: 151 patients with cancer (95 patients with solid cancer and 56 patients with haematological cancer) and 54 healthy controls were enrolled. For this interim data analysis of the safety and immunogenicity of vaccinated patients with cancer, samples and data obtained up to March 19, 2021, were analysed. After exclusion of 17 patients who had been exposed to SARS-CoV-2 (detected by either antibody seroconversion or a positive rRT-PCR COVID-19 swab test) from the immunogenicity analysis, the proportion of positive anti-S IgG titres at approximately 21 days following a single vaccine inoculum across the three cohorts were 32 (94%; 95% CI 81-98) of 34 healthy controls; 21 (38%; 26-51) of 56 patients with solid cancer, and eight (18%; 10-32) of 44 patients with haematological cancer. 16 healthy controls, 25 patients with solid cancer, and six patients with haematological cancer received a second dose on day 21. Of the patients with available blood samples 2 weeks following a 21-day vaccine boost, and excluding 17 participants with evidence of previous natural SARS-CoV-2 exposure, 18 (95%; 95% CI 75-99) of 19 patients with solid cancer, 12 (100%; 76-100) of 12 healthy controls, and three (60%; 23-88) of five patients with haematological cancers were seropositive, compared with ten (30%; 17-47) of 33, 18 (86%; 65-95) of 21, and four (11%; 4-25) of 36, respectively, who did not receive a boost. The vaccine was well tolerated; no toxicities were reported in 75 (54%) of 140 patients with cancer following the first dose of BNT162b2, and in 22 (71%) of 31 patients with cancer following the second dose. Similarly, no toxicities were reported in 15 (38%) of 40 healthy controls after the first dose and in five (31%) of 16 after the second dose. Injection-site pain within 7 days following the first dose was the most commonly reported local reaction (23 [35%] of 65 patients with cancer; 12 [48%] of 25 healthy controls). No vaccine-related deaths were reported. INTERPRETATION: In patients with cancer, one dose of the BNT162b2 vaccine yields poor efficacy. Immunogenicity increased significantly in patients with solid cancer within 2 weeks of a vaccine boost at day 21 after the first dose. These data support prioritisation of patients with cancer for an early (day 21) second dose of the BNT162b2 vaccine. FUNDING: King's College London, Cancer Research UK, Wellcome Trust, Rosetrees Trust, and Francis Crick Institute.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 Vaccines/therapeutic use , COVID-19/immunology , Neoplasms/immunology , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Antibodies, Viral/blood , BNT162 Vaccine , COVID-19/blood , COVID-19/complications , COVID-19/virology , COVID-19 Vaccines/immunology , Dose-Response Relationship, Immunologic , Female , Humans , Immunogenicity, Vaccine/immunology , London/epidemiology , Male , Middle Aged , Neoplasms/blood , Neoplasms/complications , Neoplasms/virology , Prospective Studies , SARS-CoV-2 , WalesABSTRACT
Interaction of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike receptor binding domain (RBD) with the receptor ACE2 on host cells is essential for viral entry. RBD is the dominant target for neutralizing antibodies, and several neutralizing epitopes on RBD have been molecularly characterized. Analysis of circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants has revealed mutations arising in the RBD, N-terminal domain (NTD) and S2 subunits of Spike. To understand how these mutations affect Spike antigenicity, we isolated and characterized >100 monoclonal antibodies targeting epitopes on RBD, NTD, and S2 from SARS-CoV-2-infected individuals. Approximately 45% showed neutralizing activity, of which â¼20% were NTD specific. NTD-specific antibodies formed two distinct groups: the first was highly potent against infectious virus, whereas the second was less potent and displayed glycan-dependant neutralization activity. Mutations present in B.1.1.7 Spike frequently conferred neutralization resistance to NTD-specific antibodies. This work demonstrates that neutralizing antibodies targeting subdominant epitopes should be considered when investigating antigenic drift in emerging variants.
Subject(s)
Antibodies, Monoclonal/immunology , Antibodies, Viral/immunology , COVID-19/immunology , COVID-19/virology , Epitopes/immunology , SARS-CoV-2/immunology , Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus/immunology , Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2/chemistry , Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2/metabolism , Antibodies, Monoclonal/chemistry , Antibodies, Neutralizing/immunology , Antibodies, Viral/chemistry , COVID-19/diagnosis , Cross Reactions/immunology , Epitopes/chemistry , Epitopes/genetics , Humans , Models, Molecular , Mutation , Neutralization Tests , Protein Binding/immunology , Protein Conformation , Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus/chemistry , Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus/genetics , Structure-Activity RelationshipABSTRACT
The interaction of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike receptor binding domain (RBD) with the ACE2 receptor on host cells is essential for viral entry. RBD is the dominant target for neutralizing antibodies and several neutralizing epitopes on RBD have been molecularly characterized. Analysis of circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants has revealed mutations arising in the RBD, the N-terminal domain (NTD) and S2 subunits of Spike. To fully understand how these mutations affect the antigenicity of Spike, we have isolated and characterized neutralizing antibodies targeting epitopes beyond the already identified RBD epitopes. Using recombinant Spike as a sorting bait, we isolated >100 Spike-reactive monoclonal antibodies from SARS-CoV-2 infected individuals. ≈45% showed neutralizing activity of which ≈20% were NTD-specific. None of the S2-specific antibodies showed neutralizing activity. Competition ELISA revealed that NTD-specific mAbs formed two distinct groups: the first group was highly potent against infectious virus, whereas the second was less potent and displayed glycan-dependant neutralization activity. Importantly, mutations present in B.1.1.7 Spike frequently conferred resistance to neutralization by the NTD-specific neutralizing antibodies. This work demonstrates that neutralizing antibodies targeting subdominant epitopes need to be considered when investigating antigenic drift in emerging variants.
ABSTRACT
Given the immune system's importance for cancer surveillance and treatment, we have investigated how it may be affected by SARS-CoV-2 infection of cancer patients. Across some heterogeneity in tumor type, stage, and treatment, virus-exposed solid cancer patients display a dominant impact of SARS-CoV-2, apparent from the resemblance of their immune signatures to those for COVID-19+ non-cancer patients. This is not the case for hematological malignancies, with virus-exposed patients collectively displaying heterogeneous humoral responses, an exhausted T cell phenotype and a high prevalence of prolonged virus shedding. Furthermore, while recovered solid cancer patients' immunophenotypes resemble those of non-virus-exposed cancer patients, recovered hematological cancer patients display distinct, lingering immunological legacies. Thus, while solid cancer patients, including those with advanced disease, seem no more at risk of SARS-CoV-2-associated immune dysregulation than the general population, hematological cancer patients show complex immunological consequences of SARS-CoV-2 exposure that might usefully inform their care.
Subject(s)
COVID-19/immunology , Neoplasms/immunology , Neoplasms/virology , Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome/immunology , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , COVID-19/etiology , COVID-19/mortality , Female , Hematologic Neoplasms/immunology , Hematologic Neoplasms/mortality , Hematologic Neoplasms/therapy , Hematologic Neoplasms/virology , Humans , Immunophenotyping , Male , Middle Aged , Nasopharynx/virology , Neoplasms/mortality , Neoplasms/therapy , Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome/etiology , Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome/mortality , Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome/virology , T-Lymphocytes/virology , Virus Shedding , Young AdultABSTRACT
A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-020-01186-5.
ABSTRACT
An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
ABSTRACT
Improved understanding and management of COVID-19, a potentially life-threatening disease, could greatly reduce the threat posed by its etiologic agent, SARS-CoV-2. Toward this end, we have identified a core peripheral blood immune signature across 63 hospital-treated patients with COVID-19 who were otherwise highly heterogeneous. The signature includes discrete changes in B and myelomonocytic cell composition, profoundly altered T cell phenotypes, selective cytokine/chemokine upregulation and SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies. Some signature traits identify links with other settings of immunoprotection and immunopathology; others, including basophil and plasmacytoid dendritic cell depletion, correlate strongly with disease severity; while a third set of traits, including a triad of IP-10, interleukin-10 and interleukin-6, anticipate subsequent clinical progression. Hence, contingent upon independent validation in other COVID-19 cohorts, individual traits within this signature may collectively and individually guide treatment options; offer insights into COVID-19 pathogenesis; and aid early, risk-based patient stratification that is particularly beneficial in phasic diseases such as COVID-19.
Subject(s)
Antibodies, Viral/immunology , B-Lymphocytes/immunology , Coronavirus Infections/immunology , Cytokines/immunology , Dendritic Cells/immunology , Pneumonia, Viral/immunology , T-Lymphocytes/immunology , Aged , B-Lymphocyte Subsets/immunology , Basophils/immunology , Betacoronavirus , COVID-19 , Case-Control Studies , Cell Cycle , Chemokine CXCL10/immunology , Chemokines/immunology , Cohort Studies , Coronavirus Infections/blood , Disease Progression , Female , Flow Cytometry , Hospitalization , Humans , Immunologic Memory , Immunophenotyping , Interleukin-10/immunology , Interleukin-6/immunology , Leukocyte Count , Lymphocyte Activation/immunology , Male , Middle Aged , Pandemics , Pneumonia, Viral/blood , Prognosis , SARS-CoV-2 , Severity of Illness Index , T-Lymphocyte Subsets/immunology , Up-RegulationABSTRACT
Butyrophilin-like (Btnl) genes are emerging as major epithelial determinants of tissue-associated γδ T cell compartments. Thus, the development of signature, murine TCRγδ+ intraepithelial lymphocytes (IEL) in gut and skin depends on Btnl family members, Btnl1 and Skint1, respectively. In seeking mechanisms underlying these profound effects, we now show that normal gut and skin γδ IEL development additionally requires Btnl6 and Skint2, respectively, and furthermore that different Btnl heteromers can seemingly shape different intestinal γδ+ IEL repertoires. This formal genetic evidence for the importance of Btnl heteromers also applied to the steady-state, since sustained Btnl expression is required to maintain the signature TCR.Vγ7+ IEL phenotype, including specific responsiveness to Btnl proteins. In sum, Btnl proteins are required to select and to maintain the phenotypes of tissue-protective γδ IEL compartments, with combinatorially diverse heteromers having differential impacts on different IEL subsets.
Subject(s)
Butyrophilins/metabolism , Immunity, Cellular , Intraepithelial Lymphocytes/immunology , Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta/metabolism , Animals , Butyrophilins/genetics , Butyrophilins/immunology , Gene Expression Profiling , Intestinal Mucosa/cytology , Intestinal Mucosa/immunology , Intraepithelial Lymphocytes/metabolism , Mice , Mice, Transgenic , Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta/immunologyABSTRACT
By developing a high-density murine immunophenotyping platform compatible with high-throughput genetic screening, we have established profound contributions of genetics and structure to immune variation (http://www.immunophenotype.org). Specifically, high-throughput phenotyping of 530 unique mouse gene knockouts identified 140 monogenic 'hits', of which most had no previous immunologic association. Furthermore, hits were collectively enriched in genes for which humans show poor tolerance to loss of function. The immunophenotyping platform also exposed dense correlation networks linking immune parameters with each other and with specific physiologic traits. Such linkages limit freedom of movement for individual immune parameters, thereby imposing genetically regulated 'immunologic structures', the integrity of which was associated with immunocompetence. Hence, we provide an expanded genetic resource and structural perspective for understanding and monitoring immune variation in health and disease.
Subject(s)
Enterobacteriaceae Infections/immunology , Genetic Variation/genetics , High-Throughput Screening Assays/methods , Immunophenotyping/methods , Salmonella Infections/immunology , Animals , Citrobacter/immunology , Enterobacteriaceae Infections/microbiology , Female , Humans , Male , Mice , Mice, Inbred C57BL , Mice, Knockout , Models, Animal , Salmonella/immunology , Salmonella Infections/microbiologyABSTRACT
Long-term, time-lapse imaging studies of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) require a controlled and stable culturing environment for high-resolution imaging. Microfluidics is well-suited for such studies, especially when the media composition needs to be rapidly and accurately altered without disrupting the imaging. Current studies in plates, which can only add molecules at the start of an experiment without any information on the levels of endogenous signaling before the exposure, are incompatible with continuous high-resolution imaging and cell-tracking. Here, we present a custom designed, fully automated microfluidic chip to overcome these challenges. A unique feature of our chip includes three-dimensional ports that can connect completely sealed on-chip valves for fluid control to individually addressable cell culture chambers with thin glass bottoms for high-resolution imaging. We developed a robust protocol for on-chip culturing of mouse ESCs for minimum of 3 days, to carry out experiments reliably and repeatedly. The on-chip ESC growth rate was similar to that on standard culture plates with same initial cell density. We tested the chips for high-resolution, time-lapse imaging of a sensitive reporter of ESC lineage priming, Nanog-GFP, and HHex-Venus with an H2B-mCherry nuclear marker for cell-tracking. Two color imaging of cells was possible over a 24-hr period while maintaining cell viability. Importantly, changing the media did not affect our ability to track individual cells. This system now enables long-term fluorescence imaging studies in a reliable and automated manner in a fully controlled microenvironment.
ABSTRACT
The physiological role of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) is to provide a source of cells to replace mesenchymal-derivatives in stromal tissues with high cell turnover or following stromal tissue damage to elicit repair. Human MSCs have been shown to suppress in vitro T-cell responses via a number of mechanisms including indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO). This immunomodulatory capacity is likely to be related to their in vivo function in tissue repair where local, transient suppression of immune responses would benefit differentiation. Further understanding of the impact of locally modulated immune responses by MSCs is hampered by evidence that IDO is not produced or utilized by mouse MSCs. In this study, we demonstrate that IDO-mediated tryptophan starvation triggered by human MSCs inhibits T-cell activation and proliferation through induction of cellular stress. Significantly, we show that despite utilizing different means, immunomodulation of murine T-cells also involves cellular stress and thus is a common strategy of immunoregulation conserved between mouse and humans.
Subject(s)
CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes/metabolism , Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress , Indoleamine-Pyrrole 2,3,-Dioxygenase/metabolism , Mesenchymal Stem Cells/metabolism , Animals , Bone Marrow Cells/cytology , CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes/drug effects , CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes/immunology , Cell Proliferation , Cells, Cultured , Coculture Techniques , Culture Media, Conditioned/pharmacology , Dental Pulp/cytology , Humans , Leukocytes, Mononuclear/cytology , Leukocytes, Mononuclear/metabolism , Lymphocyte Activation , Mesenchymal Stem Cells/cytology , Mice , Nitric Oxide/metabolism , Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases/metabolism , Tryptophan/deficiency , Tryptophan/metabolismABSTRACT
Inhibiting MAPK14 (p38α) diminishes cardiac damage in myocardial ischemia. During myocardial ischemia, p38α interacts with TAB1, a scaffold protein, which promotes p38α autoactivation; active p38α (pp38α) then transphosphorylates TAB1. Previously, we solved the X-ray structure of the p38α-TAB1 (residues 384-412) complex. Here, we further characterize the interaction by solving the structure of the pp38α-TAB1 (residues 1-438) complex in the active state. Based on this information, we created a global knock-in (KI) mouse with substitution of 4 residues on TAB1 that we show are required for docking onto p38α. Whereas ablating p38α or TAB1 resulted in early embryonal lethality, the TAB1-KI mice were viable and had no appreciable alteration in their lymphocyte repertoire or myocardial transcriptional profile; nonetheless, following in vivo regional myocardial ischemia, infarction volume was significantly reduced and the transphosphorylation of TAB1 was disabled. Unexpectedly, the activation of myocardial p38α during ischemia was only mildly attenuated in TAB1-KI hearts. We also identified a group of fragments able to disrupt the interaction between p38α and TAB1. We conclude that the interaction between the 2 proteins can be targeted with small molecules. The data reveal that it is possible to selectively inhibit signaling downstream of p38α to attenuate ischemic injury.
Subject(s)
Adamantane/pharmacology , Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing/metabolism , Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 14/metabolism , Myocardial Infarction/pathology , Myocardium/pathology , Adamantane/analogs & derivatives , Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing/antagonists & inhibitors , Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing/genetics , Animals , Cell Line , Crystallography, X-Ray , Disease Models, Animal , Female , Gene Knock-In Techniques , HEK293 Cells , Humans , Male , Mice , Mice, Transgenic , Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 14/antagonists & inhibitors , Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 14/genetics , Mutation , Myocardial Infarction/drug therapy , Myocardial Infarction/etiology , Phosphorylation/drug effects , Protein Binding/drug effects , Protein Binding/genetics , Protein Interaction Domains and Motifs/genetics , Reperfusion Injury/complicationsABSTRACT
Motivation: Identification of cell populations in flow cytometry is a critical part of the analysis and lays the groundwork for many applications and research discovery. The current paradigm of manual analysis is time consuming and subjective. A common goal of users is to replace manual analysis with automated methods that replicate their results. Supervised tools provide the best performance in such a use case, however they require fine parameterization to obtain the best results. Hence, there is a strong need for methods that are fast to setup, accurate and interpretable. Results: flowLearn is a semi-supervised approach for the quality-checked identification of cell populations. Using a very small number of manually gated samples, through density alignments it is able to predict gates on other samples with high accuracy and speed. On two state-of-the-art datasets, our tool achieves median(F1)-measures exceeding 0.99 for 31%, and 0.90 for 80% of all analyzed populations. Furthermore, users can directly interpret and adjust automated gates on new sample files to iteratively improve the initial training. Availability and implementation: FlowLearn is available as an R package on https://github.com/mlux86/flowLearn. Evaluation data is publicly available online. Details can be found in the Supplementary Material. Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Subject(s)
Computational Biology/methods , Flow Cytometry/methods , SoftwareABSTRACT
The long-held view that gamma delta (γδ) T cells in mice and humans are fundamentally dissimilar, as are γδ cells in blood and peripheral tissues, has been challenged by emerging evidence of the cells' regulation by butyrophilin (BTN) and butyrophilin-like (BTNL) molecules. Thus, murine Btnl1 and the related gene, Skint1, mediate T cell receptor (TCR)-dependent selection of murine intraepithelial γδ T cell repertoires in gut and skin, respectively; BTNL3 and BTNL8 are TCR-dependent regulators of human gut γδ cells; and BTN3A1 is essential for TCR-dependent activation of human peripheral blood Vγ9Vδ2+ T cells. However, some observations concerning BTN/Btnl molecules continue to question the extent of mechanistic conservation. In particular, murine and human gut γδ cell regulation depends on pairings of Btnl1 and Btnl6 and BTNL3 and BTNL8, respectively, whereas blood γδ cells are reported to be regulated by BTN3A1 independent of other BTNs. Addressing this paradox, we show that BTN3A2 regulates the subcellular localization of BTN3A1, including functionally important associations with the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), and is specifically required for optimal BTN3A1-mediated activation of Vγ9Vδ2+ T cells. Evidence that BTNL3/BTNL8 and Btnl1/Btnl6 likewise associate with the ER reinforces the prospect of broadly conserved mechanisms underpinning the selection and activation of γδ cells in mice and humans, and in blood and extralymphoid sites.
Subject(s)
Butyrophilins/immunology , Butyrophilins/metabolism , Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta/metabolism , T-Lymphocyte Subsets/immunology , T-Lymphocyte Subsets/metabolism , Amino Acid Motifs , Animals , Antigens, CD/chemistry , Antigens, CD/immunology , Antigens, CD/metabolism , Butyrophilins/chemistry , Endoplasmic Reticulum/immunology , Endoplasmic Reticulum/metabolism , HEK293 Cells , Humans , Lymphocyte Activation , Mice , Protein MultimerizationABSTRACT
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) show considerable promise as a cellular immunotherapy for the treatment of a number of autoimmune and inflammatory disorders. However, the precise physiologically and therapeutically relevant mechanism(s) by which MSCs mediate immune modulation remains elusive. Dental pulp stem cells are a readily available source of MSCs that have been reported to show similar immune modulation in vitro as bone marrow MSCs. To test their potential in vivo, we used a clinically relevant humanized mouse model of GvHD in which only human T cells engraft. In this model, we found no effects on either T-cell proliferation, T-cell phenotype or disease progression. To determine if this lack of efficacy was related to a failure of engraftment or persistence of the cells, we used viability dependent radioactive cell tracking and showed that no cells were detectable after 24-h postinjection. Given the apparent failure of MSC to survive following intravenous injection, we hypothesized that their apoptosis may account for the widely reported therapeutic effect in numerous experimental models in vivo. To address this, we employed a well-established model of allergic airway inflammation to compare the efficacy of live and apoptotic MSCs in a fully immunocompetent model. In this model, both live and apoptotic dental pulp MSCs induced a robust immune suppressive reaction that was substantially greater with apoptotic cells. We propose that the mechanism of immune modulation following systemic application of MSCs is a result of cell entrapment and apoptosis occurring in the lungs.
Subject(s)
Apoptosis , Dental Pulp/immunology , Immunomodulation , Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation , T-Lymphocytes/immunology , Animals , Cell Proliferation , Cells, Cultured , Dental Pulp/pathology , Disease Models, Animal , Female , Graft vs Host Disease/therapy , Lung/pathology , Mice , Mice, Inbred Strains , Respiratory Hypersensitivity/chemically induced , Respiratory Hypersensitivity/therapy , T-Lymphocytes/physiologyABSTRACT
Simões et al. () argued that large matrices are linked to the construction of "problematic" characters, and that those characters negatively affect tree topology. In their re-evaluation of two squamate datasets, however, Simões et al. () simply eliminated what they termed "problematic" characters, rather than recode them. This practice ignores potential sources of phylogenetic information and, if it were to be more widely followed, would inhibit the advancement of the field of systematics. Here, we defend the necessity and inevitability of large morphological (phenomic) datasets and discuss best practices for morphological data collection in contemporary phylogenetics.