Identification of a distinct NK-like hepatic T-cell population activated by NKG2C in a TCR-independent manner.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: The liver provides a unique niche of lymphocytes enriched with a large proportion of innate-like T cells. However, the heterogeneity and functional characteristics of the hepatic T-cell population remain to be fully elucidated. METHODS: We obtained liver sinusoidal mononuclear cells from the liver perfusate of healthy donors and recipients with HBV-associated chronic liver disease (CLD) during liver transplantation. We performed a CITE-seq analysis of liver sinusoidal CD45+ cells in combination with T cell receptor (TCR)-seq and flow cytometry to examine the phenotypes and functions of liver sinusoidal CD8+ T cells. RESULTS: We identified a distinct CD56hiCD161-CD8+ T-cell population characterized by natural killer (NK)-related gene expression and a uniquely restricted TCR repertoire. The frequency of these cells among the liver sinusoidal CD8+ T-cell population was significantly increased in patients with HBV-associated CLD. Although CD56hiCD161-CD8+ T cells exhibit weak responsiveness to TCR stimulation, CD56hiCD161-CD8+ T cells highly expressed various NK receptors, including CD94, killer immunoglobulin-like receptors, and NKG2C, and exerted NKG2C-mediated NK-like effector functions even in the absence of TCR stimulation. In addition, CD56hiCD161-CD8+ T cells highly respond to innate cytokines, such as IL-12/18 and IL-15, in the absence of TCR stimulation. We validated the results from liver sinusoidal CD8+ T cells using intrahepatic CD8+ T cells obtained from liver tissues. CONCLUSIONS: In summary, the current study found a distinct CD56hiCD161-CD8+ T-cell population characterized by NK-like activation via TCR-independent NKG2C ligation. Further studies are required to elucidate the roles of liver sinusoidal CD56hiCD161-CD8+ T cells in immune responses to microbial pathogens or liver immunopathology. LAY SUMMARY: The role of different immune cell populations in the liver is becoming an area of increasing interest. Herein, we identified a distinct T-cell population that had features similar to those of natural killer (NK) cells - a type of innate immune cell. This distinct population was expanded in the livers of patients with chronic liver disease and could thus have pathogenic relevance.

Dissecting CD8+ T cell pathology of severe SARS-CoV-2 infection by single-cell immunoprofiling.

Introduction: SARS-CoV-2 infection results in varying disease severity, ranging from asymptomatic infection to severe illness. A detailed understanding of the immune response to SARS-CoV-2 is critical to unravel the causative factors underlying differences in disease severity and to develop optimal vaccines against new SARS-CoV-2 variants. Methods: We combined single-cell RNA and T cell receptor sequencing with CITE-seq antibodies to characterize the CD8+ T cell response to SARS-CoV-2 infection at high resolution and compared responses between mild and severe COVID-19. Results: We observed increased CD8+ T cell exhaustion in severe SARS-CoV-2 infection and identified a population of NK-like, terminally differentiated CD8+ effector T cells characterized by expression of FCGR3A (encoding CD16). Further characterization of NK-like CD8+ T cells revealed heterogeneity among CD16+ NK-like CD8+ T cells and profound differences in cytotoxicity, exhaustion, and NK-like differentiation between mild and severe disease conditions. Discussion: We propose a model in which differences in the surrounding inflammatory milieu lead to crucial differences in NK-like differentiation of CD8+ effector T cells, ultimately resulting in the appearance of NK-like CD8+ T cell populations of different functionality and pathogenicity. Our in-depth characterization of the CD8+ T cell-mediated response to SARS-CoV-2 infection provides a basis for further investigation of the importance of NK-like CD8+ T cells in COVID-19 severity.

An NK-like CAR T cell transition in CAR T cell dysfunction.

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy has achieved remarkable success in hematological malignancies but remains ineffective in solid tumors, due in part to CAR T cell exhaustion in the solid tumor microenvironment. To study dysfunction of mesothelin-redirected CAR T cells in pancreatic cancer, we establish a robust model of continuous antigen exposure that recapitulates hallmark features of T cell exhaustion and discover, both in vitro and in CAR T cell patients, that CAR dysregulation is associated with a CD8+ T-to-NK-like T cell transition. Furthermore, we identify a gene signature defining CAR and TCR dysregulation and transcription factors, including SOX4 and ID3 as key regulators of CAR T cell exhaustion. Our findings shed light on the plasticity of human CAR T cells and demonstrate that genetic downmodulation of ID3 and SOX4 expression can improve the efficacy of CAR T cell therapy in solid tumors by preventing or delaying CAR T cell dysfunction.

Impaired NK cell functionality and increased TNF-α production as biomarkers of chronic chikungunya arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

The chronic chikungunya arthritis symptoms closely mimic the rheumatoid arthritis (RA) symptoms, thus making it difficult to distinguish between these two clinical entities. The current comparative study characterizes NK (CD3-CD56+) and NK-like T (CD3+CD56+) cell responses in patients with chronic chikungunya arthritis and RA. Phenotype and functions of NK and NK-like T cells repertoire were assessed in 56 chronic chikungunya arthritis, 26 RA patients and 82 controls using flow cytometry. TNF-α and IFN-γ-secreting NK-like T cells were high in both chronic arthritis patients than in controls. Percentage of TNF-α+ NK cells was higher in RA patients than in controls. Percentage of perforin+ NK cells was low in both chronic arthritis patient groups. Among the patient groups, expressions of perforin+ and IFN-γ+ NK-like T cells were higher in RA. Overall, our data show reduced frequency of NK-like T cells, lower expression of perforin+ NK, higher expression of TNF-α+ NK-like T and IFN-γ+ NK-like T cells as the markers of chronic arthritic diseases. In the absence of any specific treatment for chronic chikungunya induced arthritis and promising results of anti-TNF-α therapy against RA, current data may form the basis for future in vivo studies and has scope as possible therapeutics against chikungunya.

Natural killer cell (NK) subsets and NK-like T-cell populations in acute myeloid leukemias and myelodysplastic syndromes.

The impact of the immune microenvironment on the behavior and therapeutic strategies for hematopoietic and lymphoid neoplasms is being increasingly recognized. Many functional studies of natural killer (NK) cell cytotoxic responses in myelodysplasia (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) exist, but with limited data on these lymphocyte proportions and related T-cell subsets. The proportions of these cells and their prognostic implications were therefore investigated in 89 AML, 51 MDS, and 20 control marrows by flow cytometry. The median proportion of NK cells (relative to the total lymphocytes) was lower in AML versus controls (P = 0.01). Among AML, a lower proportion of NK cells predicted better survival, whereas a higher NK cell proportion was associated with the poor prognostic AML category (P = 0.002). NK cell proportions were similar in MDS, MDS subgroups, and control marrows. The relative proportion of the mature NK cell subset (CD56(dim) CD16/57(bright) ) was lower in AML and MDS versus controls (P = 0.006, P = 0.0002, respectively). The proportion of mature NK cells was not a prognostic indicator although fewer were seen in poor prognosis AML. In contrast, a lower proportion of mature NK cells correlated with worse survival in MDS (P = 0.027). A higher proportion of NK-like T-cells (of total lymphoid cells) was found in MDS compared to controls (P = 0.01). A lower proportion of NK-like T-cells predicted better survival in AML but not in MDS. Thus, the proportions of NK, NK-cell subsets, and NK-like T-cells vary in myeloid neoplasms, may potentially impact immunomodulatory therapies, and may impact outcome. © 2016 International Clinical Cytometry Society.