ABBV-184: A Novel Survivin-specific TCR/CD3 Bispecific T-cell Engager is Active against Both Solid Tumor and Hematologic Malignancies.

CD3 bispecific T-cell engagers (TCE), comprised of a tumor-targeting domain linked to a CD3 binding domain, function by bridging target-positive tumors and CD3-expressing effector T cells enabling redirected T cell-mediated killing of tumor cells. Although the majority of CD3 bispecific molecules in clinical development incorporate tumor-targeting antibody-based binding domains, many tumor-associated antigens derive from intracellular proteins and are not accessible to targeting via antibody. Intracellular proteins processed into short peptide fragments and presented on the cell surface by MHC proteins are recognized by T-cell receptors (TCR) on the surface of T cells. Here we describe the generation and preclinical evaluation of ABBV-184, a novel TCR/anti-CD3 bispecific composed of a highly selective soluble TCR that binds a peptide derived from the oncogene survivin (BIRC5) bound to the class I MHC allele human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-A*02:01 expressed on tumor cells, linked to a specific binder to the CD3 receptor on T cells. ABBV-184 drives an optimal distance between T cell and target cell thereby enabling sensitive recognition of low-density peptide/MHC targets. Consistent with the expression profile of survivin across a broad range of both hematologic and solid tumors, treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines with ABBV-184 results in T-cell activation, proliferation, and potent redirected cytotoxicity of HLA-A2-positive target cell lines, both in vitro and in vivo, including patient-derived AML samples. These results indicate that ABBV-184 is an attractive clinical candidate for the treatment of patients with AML and NSCLC.

Venetoclax Increases Intratumoral Effector T Cells and Antitumor Efficacy in Combination with Immune Checkpoint Blockade.

The antiapoptotic protein BCL2 plays critical roles in regulating lymphocyte development and immune responses, and has also been implicated in tumorigenesis and tumor survival. However, it is unknown whether BCL2 is critical for antitumor immune responses. We evaluated whether venetoclax, a selective small-molecule inhibitor of BCL2, would influence the antitumor activity of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI). We demonstrate in mouse syngeneic tumor models that venetoclax can augment the antitumor efficacy of ICIs accompanied by the increase of PD-1+ T effector memory cells. Venetoclax did not impair human T-cell function in response to antigen stimuli in vitro and did not antagonize T-cell activation induced by anti-PD-1. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the antiapoptotic family member BCL-XL provides a survival advantage in effector T cells following inhibition of BCL2. Taken together, these data provide evidence that venetoclax should be further explored in combination with ICIs for cancer therapy. SIGNIFICANCE: The antiapoptotic oncoprotein BCL2 plays critical roles in tumorigenesis, tumor survival, lymphocyte development, and immune system regulation. Here we demonstrate that venetoclax, the first FDA/European Medicines Agency-approved BCL2 inhibitor, unexpectedly can be combined preclinically with immune checkpoint inhibitors to enhance anticancer immunotherapy, warranting clinical evaluation of these combinations.This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 1.

Regulatory T Cells Control PF4/Heparin Antibody Production in Mice.

Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia is a relatively common drug-induced immune disorder that can have life-threatening consequences for affected patients. Immune complexes consisting of heparin, platelet factor 4 (PF4), and PF4/heparin-reactive Abs are central to the pathogenesis of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia. Regulatory T (Treg) cells are a subpopulation of CD4 T cells that play a key role in regulating immune responses, but their role in controlling PF4/heparin-specific Ab production is unknown. In the studies described in this article, we found that Foxp3-deficient mice lacking functional Treg cells spontaneously produced PF4/heparin-specific Abs. Following transplantation with bone marrow cells from Foxp3-deficient but not wild-type mice, Rag1-deficient recipients also produced PF4/heparin-specific Abs spontaneously. Adoptively transferred Treg cells prevented spontaneous production of PF4/heparin-specific Abs in Foxp3-deficient mice and inhibited PF4/heparin complex-induced production of PF4/heparin-specific IgGs in wild-type mice. Treg cells suppress immune responses mainly through releasing anti-inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-10. IL-10-deficient mice spontaneously produced PF4/heparin-specific Abs. Moreover, bone marrow chimeric mice with CD4 T cell-specific deletion of IL-10 increased PF4/heparin-specific IgG production upon PF4/heparin complex challenge. Short-term IL-10 administration suppresses PF4/heparin-specific IgG production in wild-type mice. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that Treg cells play an important role in suppressing PF4/heparin-specific Ab production.

Age-Based Dynamics of a Stable Circulating Cd8 T Cell Repertoire Component.

T-cell memory to pathogens can be envisioned as a receptor-based imprint of the pathogenic environment on the naïve repertoire of clonotypes. Recurrent exposures to a pathogen inform and reinforce memory, leading to a mature state. The complexity and temporal stability of this system in man is only beginning to be adequately described. We have been using a rank-frequency approach for quantitative analysis of CD8 T cell repertoires. Rank acts as a proxy for previous expansion, and rank-frequency, the number of clonotypes at a particular rank, as a proxy for abundance, with the relation of the two estimating the diversity of the system. Previous analyses of circulating antigen-experienced cytotoxic CD8 T-cell repertoires from adults have shown a complex two-component clonotype distribution. Here we show this is also the case for circulating CD8 T cells expressing the BV19 receptor chain from five adult subjects. When the repertoire characteristic of clonotype stability is added to the analysis, an inverse correlation between clonotype rank frequency and stability is observed. Clonotypes making up the second distributional component are stable; indicating that the circulation can be a depot of selected clonotypes. Temporal repertoire dynamics was further examined for influenza-specific T cells from children, middle-aged, and older adults. Taken together, these analyses describe a dynamic process of system development and aging, with increasing distributional complexity, leading to a stable circulating component, followed by loss of both complexity and stability.

A colitogenic memory CD4+ T cell population mediates gastrointestinal graft-versus-host disease.

Damage to the gastrointestinal tract is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and is attributable to T cell-mediated inflammation. In this work, we identified a unique CD4+ T cell population that constitutively expresses the ß2 integrin CD11c and displays a biased central memory phenotype and memory T cell transcriptional profile, innate-like properties, and increased expression of the gut-homing molecules α4ß7 and CCR9. Using several complementary murine GVHD models, we determined that adoptive transfer and early accumulation of ß2 integrin-expressing CD4+ T cells in the gastrointestinal tract initiated Th1-mediated proinflammatory cytokine production, augmented pathological damage in the colon, and increased mortality. The pathogenic effect of this CD4+ T cell population critically depended on coexpression of the IL-23 receptor, which was required for maximal inflammatory effects. Non-Foxp3-expressing CD4+ T cells produced IL-10, which regulated colonic inflammation and attenuated lethality in the absence of functional CD4+Foxp3+ T cells. Thus, the coordinate expression of CD11c and the IL-23 receptor defines an IL-10-regulated, colitogenic memory CD4+ T cell subset that is poised to initiate inflammation when there is loss of tolerance and breakdown of mucosal barriers.

Immunotherapy with iTreg and nTreg Cells in a Murine Model of Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Regulatory T (Treg) cells that express the transcription factor Foxp3 are essential for maintaining tolerance at mucosal interfaces, where they act by controlling inflammation and promoting epithelial cell homeostasis. There are two major regulatory T-cell subsets, "natural" CD4(+) Treg (nTreg) cells that develop in the thymus and "induced" Treg (iTreg) cells that develop from conventional CD4(+) T (Tconv) cells in the periphery. Dysregulated Treg cell responses are associated with autoimmune diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and arthritis. Adoptive transfer of Treg cells can modulate innate and adaptive immune responses and cure disease in animal models, which has generated considerable interest in using Treg cells to treat human autoimmune disease, prevent rejection of transplanted organs, and to control graft-versus-host disease following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Herein, we describe our modifications of a treatment model of T-cell transfer colitis designed to allow mechanistic investigation of the two major Treg cell subsets and to compare their specific roles in mucosal tolerance.

Alternatively Activated Macrophages Boost Induced Regulatory T and Th17 Cell Responses during Immunotherapy for Colitis.

Induced regulatory T (iTreg) and Th17 cells promote mucosal homeostasis. We used a T cell transfer model of colitis to compare the capacity of iTreg and Th17 cells to develop in situ following the transfer of naive CD4(+)CD45RB(hi)T cells intoRag1(-/-)C57BL/6 or BALB/c mice, the prototypical Th1/M1- and Th2/M2-prone strains. We found that the frequency and number of Foxp3(+)iTreg cells and Th17 cells were significantly reduced in C57BL/6 mice compared with the BALB/c strain. C57BL/6 mice with colitis were also resistant to natural Treg cell immunotherapy. Pretreatment of C57BL/6Rag1(-/-)mice with IL-4 plus IL-13, or with M2a but not M1 macrophages, dramatically increased the generation of iTreg and Th17 cells. Importantly, M2a transfers, either as a pretreatment or in mice with established colitis, allowed successful immunotherapy with natural Treg cells. M2a macrophages also reduced the generation of pathogenic iTreg cells that lost Foxp3 expression, suggesting that they stabilize the expression of Foxp3. Thus, polarized M2a macrophages drive a directionally concordant expansion of the iTreg-Th17 cell axis and can be exploited as a therapeutic adjuvant in cell-transfer immunotherapy to re-establish mucosal tolerance.

Intact Regulatory T-Cell Function but Defective Generation of IL-17A-Producing CD4+ T Cells in XIAP Deficiency.

OBJECTIVE: X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis (xIAP) deficiency is a primary immune deficiency disorder associated with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis. About 17% of xIAP-deficient patients present with very early onset severe colitis with high mortality. We hypothesized that xIAP deficiency leads to defective generation and/or survival of T regulatory cells (Treg) through its involvement in transforming growth factor-ß signaling. METHODS AND RESULTS: We used a T-cell transfer model of chronic colitis and observed a mild increase in colitis severity induced by naïve CD4 T cells from xIAP mice compared with colitis induced by naïve CD4 T cells from WT mice. We did not observe any significant difference in the induction of Treg cells in these studies. We next tested whether xIAP is required for Treg cell function by co-transferring xIAP or WT Treg cells with naïve WT CD4 cells in this model. We demonstrate that XIAP-deficient Treg cells were able to prevent disease similarly to WT Treg cells. In these experiments we, however, found a significantly decreased percentage of IL-17A-producing CD4 T cells in mice receiving Tregs from xIAP mice. CONCLUSIONS: xIAP appears dispensable for the generation of induced Treg cells as well as function of natural Treg cells. There appeared to be a role of xIAP in generation of IL-17-producing cells from either naïve CD4 T cells or Treg cells. Further research is needed to explore the role of xIAP in generation of IL-17-producing cells.

TGF-ß1 along with other platelet contents augments Treg cells to suppress anti-FVIII immune responses in hemophilia A mice.

Platelets are a rich source of many cytokines and chemokines including transforming growth factor ß 1 (TGF-ß1). TGF-ß1 is required to convert conventional CD4+ T (Tconv) cells into induced regulatory T (iTreg) cells that express the transcription factor Foxp3. Whether platelet contents will affect Treg cell properties has not been explored. In this study, we show that unfractionated platelet lysates (pltLys) containing TGF-ß1 efficiently induced Foxp3 expression in Tconv cells. The common Treg cell surface phenotype and in vitro suppressive activity of unfractionated pltLys-iTreg cells were similar to those of iTreg cells generated using purified TGF-ß1 (purTGFß-iTreg) cells. However, there were substantial differences in gene expression between pltLys-iTreg and purTGFß-iTreg cells, especially in granzyme B, interferon γ, and interleukin-2 (a 30.99-, 29.18-, and 17.94-fold difference, respectively) as determined by gene microarray analysis. In line with these gene signatures, we found that pltLys-iTreg cells improved cell recovery after transfer and immune suppressive function compared with purTGFß-iTreg cells in factor VIII (FVIII)-deficient (F8null, hemophilia A model) mice after recombinant human FVIII (rhF8) infusion. Acute antibody-mediated platelet destruction in F8null mice followed by rhF8 infusion increased the number of Treg cells and suppressed the antibody response to rhF8. Consistent with these data, ex vivo proliferation of F8-specific Treg cells from platelet-depleted animals increased when restimulated with rhF8. Together, our data suggest that pltLys-iTreg cells may have advantages in emerging clinical applications and that platelet contents impact the properties of iTreg cells induced by TGF-ß1.

Depletion of M2-like tumor-associated macrophages delays cutaneous T-cell lymphoma development in vivo.

Macrophages have key roles in tumor development and invasion in several human cancers, but little is known about their pathogenic role in cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL). Herein, we used PCR arrays to profile the expression of inflammatory cytokines in 12 patients with mycosis fungoides (MF), the most common variant of CTCL. Compared with normal controls, MF skin displayed increased mRNA levels of macrophage-related cytokines. Moreover, we detected CD163, a reliable marker of tumor-associated macrophages, in the tumor microenvironment of MF biopsies. To demonstrate that macrophages had a role in CTCL tumorigenesis, we xenografted human CTCL tumor cells in immunocompromised mice and compared tumor development using clodronate-containing liposomes to deplete macrophages in mice. Mice treated with clodronate-containing liposomes show markedly less tumor growth compared with mice treated with phosphate-buffered saline-containing liposomes (P<0.001). We also noted a strong correlation between macrophage depletion and decreased expression of vascular marker, CD31, and lymphatic marker, podoplanin, suggesting a role for macrophages in angiogenesis. In vitro, clodronate-containing liposomes killed activated murine M2 macrophages, but not Hut78 cells, demonstrating selective ability to induce apoptosis in macrophages. Our data indicate that macrophages have a critical role in the progression of Hut78 cell tumor formation in skin, thus providing a new therapeutic strategy for CTCL.

Mice with an absent stress response are protected against ischemic renal injury.

Inducible heat shock proteins (HSPs), regulated by heat shock factor-1 (HSF-1), protect against renal cell injury in vitro. To determine whether HSPs ameliorate ischemic renal injury in vivo, HSF-1 functional knockout mice (HSF-KO) were compared with wild-type mice following bilateral ischemic renal injury. Following injury, the kidneys of wild-type mice had the expected induction of HSP70 and HSP25; a response absent in the kidneys of HSF-KO mice. Baseline serum creatinine was equivalent between strains. Serum creatinine at 24 h reflow in HSF-KO mice was significantly lower than that in the wild type. Histology showed similar tubule injury in both strains after ischemic renal injury but increased medullary vascular congestion in wild-type compared with HSF-KO mice. Flow cytometry of mononuclear cells isolated from kidneys showed no difference between strains in the number of CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells in sham-operated animals. At 1 h of reflow, CD4(+) and CD8(+) cells were doubled in the kidneys of wild-type but not HSF-KO mice. Foxp3(+) T-regulatory cells were significantly more abundant in the kidneys of sham-operated HSF-KO than wild-type mice. Suppression of CD25(+)Foxp3(+) cells in HSF-KO kidneys with the anti-CD25 antibody PC61 reversed the protection against ischemic renal injury. Thus, HSF-KO mice are protected from ischemic renal injury by a mechanism that depends on an increase in the T-regulatory cells in the kidney associated with altered T-cell infiltration early in reflow. Hence, stress response activation may contribute to early injury by facilitating T-cell infiltration into ischemic kidney.

Chronic follicular bronchiolitis requires antigen-specific regulatory T cell control to prevent fatal disease progression.

To study regulatory T (Treg) cell control of chronic autoimmunity in a lymphoreplete host, we created and characterized a new model of autoimmune lung inflammation that targets the medium and small airways. We generated transgenic mice that express a chimeric membrane protein consisting of hen egg lysozyme and a hemoglobin epitope tag under the control of the Clara cell secretory protein promoter, which largely limited transgene expression to the respiratory bronchioles. When Clara cell secretory protein-membrane hen egg lysozyme/hemoglobin transgenic mice were crossed to N3.L2 TCR transgenic mice that recognize the hemoglobin epitope, the bigenic progeny developed dense, pseudo-follicular lymphocytic peribronchiolar infiltrates that resembled the histological pattern of follicular bronchiolitis. Aggregates of activated IFN-γ- and IL-17A-secreting CD4(+) T cells as well as B cells surrounded the airways. Lung pathology was similar in Ifng(-/-) and Il17a(-/-) mice, indicating that either cytokine is sufficient to establish chronic disease. A large number of Ag-specific Treg cells accumulated in the lesions, and Treg cell depletion in the affected mice led to an interstitial spread of the disease that ultimately proved fatal. Thus, Treg cells act to restrain autoimmune responses, resulting in an organized and controlled chronic pathological process rather than a progressive disease.

IL-10 produced by induced regulatory T cells (iTregs) controls colitis and pathogenic ex-iTregs during immunotherapy.

"Natural" regulatory T cells (nTregs) that express the transcription factor Foxp3 and produce IL-10 are required for systemic immunological tolerance. "Induced" regulatory T cells (iTregs) are nonredundant and essential for tolerance at mucosal surfaces, yet their mechanisms of suppression and stability are unknown. We investigated the role of iTreg-produced IL-10 and iTreg fate in a treatment model of inflammatory bowel disease. Colitis was induced in Rag1(-/-) mice by the adoptive transfer of naive CD4(+) T cells carrying a nonfunctional Foxp3 allele. At the onset of weight loss, mice were treated with both iTregs and nTregs where one marked subset was selectively IL-10 deficient. Body weight assessment, histological scoring, cytokine analysis, and flow cytometry were used to monitor disease activity. Transcriptional profiling and TCR repertoire analysis were used to track cell fate. When nTregs were present but IL-10 deficient, iTreg-produced IL-10 was necessary and sufficient for the treatment of disease, and vice versa. Invariably, ∼85% of the transferred iTregs lost Foxp3 expression (ex-iTregs) but retained a portion of the iTreg transcriptome, which failed to limit their pathogenic potential upon retransfer. TCR repertoire analysis revealed no clonal relationships between iTregs and ex-iTregs, either within mice or between mice treated with the same cells. These data identify a dynamic IL-10-dependent functional reciprocity between regulatory T cell subsets that maintains mucosal tolerance. The niche supporting stable iTregs is limited and readily saturated, which promotes a large population of ex-iTregs with pathogenic potential during immunotherapy.

The TCR repertoires of regulatory and conventional T cells specific for the same foreign antigen are distinct.

The relationship between the TCR repertoires of natural regulatory T cells (nTregs) and conventional CD4(+) T cells (Tconv) capable of responding to the same antigenic epitope is unknown. In this study, we used TCRß-chain transgenic mice to generate polyclonal nTreg and Tconv populations specific for a foreign Ag. CD4(+) T cells from immunized 3.L2ß(+/-) TCRα(+/-) Foxp3(EGFP) mice were restimulated in culture to yield nTregs (EGFP(+)) and Tconv (EGFP(-)) defined by their antigenic reactivity. Relative to Tconv, nTreg expansion was delayed, although a higher proportion of viable nTregs had divided after 72 h. Spectratype analysis revealed that both the nTreg and Tconv responses were different and characterized by skewed distributions of CDR3 lengths. CDR3 sequences from nTregs displayed a divergent pattern of Jα usage, minimal CDR3 overlap (3.4%), and less diversity than did CDR3 sequences derived from Tconv. These data indicate that foreign Ag-specific nTregs and Tconv are clonally distinct and that foreign Ag-specific nTreg populations are constrained by a limited TCR repertoire.

CD8+ Foxp3+ regulatory T cells are induced during graft-versus-host disease and mitigate disease severity.

Regulatory T cells (Tregs), in particular CD4(+) Foxp3(+) T cells, have been shown to play an important role in the maintenance of tolerance after allogeneic stem cell transplantation. In the current study, we have identified a population of CD8(+) Foxp3(+) T cells that are induced early during graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), constitute a significant percentage of the entire Treg population, and are present in all major GVHD target organs. These cells expressed many of the same cell surface molecules as found on CD4(+) Tregs and potently suppressed in vitro alloreactive T cell responses. Induction of these cells correlated positively with the degree of MHC disparity between donor and recipient and was significantly greater than that observed for CD4(+)-induced Tregs (iTregs) in nearly all tissue sites. Mice that lacked the ability to make both CD8(+) and CD4(+) iTregs had accelerated GVHD mortality compared with animals that were competent to make both iTreg populations. The absence of both iTreg populations was associated with significantly greater expansion of activated donor T cells and increased numbers of CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells that secreted IFN-γ and IL-17. The presence of CD8(+) iTregs, however, was sufficient to prevent increased GVHD mortality in the complete absence of CD4(+) Tregs, indicating at least one functional iTreg population was sufficient to prevent an exacerbation in GVHD severity, and that CD8(+) iTregs could compensate for CD4(+) iTregs. These studies define a novel population of CD8(+) Tregs that play a role in mitigating the severity of GVHD after allogeneic stem cell transplantation.

A requisite role for induced regulatory T cells in tolerance based on expanding antigen receptor diversity.

Although both natural and induced regulatory T (nTreg and iTreg) cells can enforce tolerance, the mechanisms underlying their synergistic actions have not been established. We examined the functions of nTreg and iTreg cells by adoptive transfer immunotherapy of newborn Foxp3-deficient mice. As monotherapy, only nTreg cells prevented disease lethality, but did not suppress chronic inflammation and autoimmunity. Provision of Foxp3-sufficient conventional T cells with nTreg cells reconstituted the iTreg pool and established tolerance. In turn, acute depletion of iTreg cells in rescued mice resulted in weight loss and inflammation. Whereas the transcriptional signatures of nTreg and in vivo-derived iTreg cells were closely matched, there was minimal overlap in their T cell receptor (TCR) repertoires. Thus, iTreg cells are an essential nonredundant regulatory subset that supplements nTreg cells, in part by expanding TCR diversity within regulatory responses.

Phospholipase C{gamma}1 is essential for T cell development, activation, and tolerance.

Phospholipase Cgamma1 (PLCgamma1) is an important signaling effector of T cell receptor (TCR). To investigate the role of PLCgamma1 in T cell biology, we generated and examined mice with T cell-specific deletion of PLCgamma1. We demonstrate that PLCgamma1 deficiency affects positive and negative selection, significantly reduces single-positive thymocytes and peripheral T cells, and impairs TCR-induced proliferation and cytokine production, and the activation of ERK, JNK, AP-1, NFAT, and NF-kappaB. Importantly, PLCgamma1 deficiency impairs the development and function of FoxP3(+) regulatory T cells, causing inflammatory/autoimmune symptoms. Therefore, PLCgamma1 is essential for T cell development, activation, and tolerance.

Enteric defensins are essential regulators of intestinal microbial ecology.

Antimicrobial peptides are important effectors of innate immunity throughout the plant and animal kingdoms. In the mammalian small intestine, Paneth cell alpha-defensins are antimicrobial peptides that contribute to host defense against enteric pathogens. To determine if alpha-defensins also govern intestinal microbial ecology, we analyzed the intestinal microbiota of mice expressing a human alpha-defensin gene (DEFA5) and in mice lacking an enzyme required for the processing of mouse alpha-defensins. In these complementary models, we detected significant alpha-defensin-dependent changes in microbiota composition, but not in total bacterial numbers. Furthermore, DEFA5-expressing mice had striking losses of segmented filamentous bacteria and fewer interleukin 17 (IL-17)-producing lamina propria T cells. Our data ascribe a new homeostatic role to alpha-defensins in regulating the makeup of the commensal microbiota.

The role of NF-kappaB and Smad3 in TGF-beta-mediated Foxp3 expression.

The transcription factor Foxp3 is essential for the development of functional, natural Treg (nTreg), which plays a prominent role in self-tolerance. Suppressive Foxp3(+) Treg cells can be generated from naïve T cells ex vivo, following TCR and TGF-beta1 stimulations. However, the molecular contributions from the different arms of these pathways leading to Foxp3 expression are not fully understood. TGF-beta1-activated Smad3 plays a major role in the expression of Foxp3, since TGF-beta1-induced-Treg generation from Smad3(-/-) mice is markedly reduced and abolished by inactivating Smad2. In the TCR pathway, deletion of Bcl10, which activates NF-kappaB, markedly reduces both IL-2 and Foxp3 production. However, partial rescue of Foxp3 expression occurs on addition of exogenous IL-2. TGF-beta1 significantly attenuates NF-kappaB binding to the Foxp3 promoter, while inducing Foxp3 expression. Furthermore, deletion of p50, a NF-kappaB subunit, results in increased Foxp3 expression despite a decline in the IL-2 production. We posit several TCR-NF-kappaB pathways, some increasing (Bcl10-IL-2-Foxp3) while others decreasing (p50-Foxp3) Foxp3 expression, with the former predominating. A better understanding of Foxp3 regulation could be useful in dissecting the cause of Treg dysfunction in several autoimmune diseases and for generating more potent TGF-beta1-induced-Treg cells for therapeutic purposes.

A central role for induced regulatory T cells in tolerance induction in experimental colitis.

In addition to thymus-derived or natural T regulatory (nT(reg)) cells, a second subset of induced T regulatory (iT(reg)) cells arises de novo from conventional CD4(+) T cells in the periphery. The function of iT(reg) cells in tolerance was examined in a CD45RB(high)CD4(+) T cell transfer model of colitis. In situ-generated iT(reg) cells were similar to nT(reg) cells in their capacity to suppress T cell proliferation in vitro and their absence in vivo accelerated bowel disease. Treatment with nT(reg) cells resolved the colitis, but only when iT(reg) cells were also present. Although iT(reg) cells required Foxp3 for suppressive activity and phenotypic stability, their gene expression profile was distinct from the established nT(reg) "genetic signature," indicative of developmental and possibly mechanistic differences. These results identified a functional role for iT(reg) cells in vivo and demonstrated that both iT(reg) and nT(reg) cells can act in concert to maintain tolerance.