Macrophage-inducible C-type lectin activates B cells to promote T cell reconstitution in heart allograft recipients.

Diminishing homeostatic proliferation of memory T cells is essential for improving the efficacy of lymphoablation in transplant recipients. Our previous studies in a mouse heart transplantation model established that B lymphocytes secreting proinflammatory cytokines are critical for T cell recovery after lymphoablation. The goal of the current study was to identify mediators of B cell activation following lymphoablation in allograft recipients. Transcriptome analysis revealed that macrophage-inducible C-type lectin (Mincle, Clec4e) expression is up-regulated in B cells from heart allograft recipients treated with murine anti-thymocyte globulin (mATG). Recipient Mincle deficiency diminishes B cell production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and impairs T lymphocyte reconstitution. Mixed bone marrow chimeras lacking Mincle only in B lymphocytes have similar defects in T cell recovery. Conversely, treatment with a synthetic Mincle ligand enhances T cell reconstitution after lymphoablation in non-transplanted mice. Treatment with agonistic CD40 mAb facilitates T cell reconstitution in CD4 T cell-depleted, but not in Mincle-deficient, recipients indicating that CD40 signaling induces T cell proliferation via a Mincle-dependent pathway. These findings are the first to identify an important function of B cell Mincle as a sensor of damage-associated molecular patterns released by the graft and demonstrate its role in clinically relevant settings of organ transplantation.

Splenic macrophage phagocytosis of intravenously infused mesenchymal stromal cells attenuates tumor localization.

Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) possess remarkable tumor tropism, making them ideal vehicles to deliver tumor-targeted therapeutic agents; however, their value in clinical medicine has yet to be realized. A barrier to clinical utilization is that only a small fraction of infused MSCs ultimately localize to the tumor. In an effort to overcome this obstacle, we sought to enhance MSC trafficking by focusing on the factors that govern MSC arrival within the tumor microenvironment. Our findings show that MSC chemoattraction is only present in select tumors, including osteosarcoma, and that the chemotactic potency among similar tumors varies substantially. Using an osteosarcoma xenograft model, we show that human MSCs traffic to the tumor within several hours of infusion. After arrival, MSCs are observed to localize in clusters near blood vessels and MSC-associated bioluminescence signal intensity is increased, suggesting that the seeded cells expand after engraftment. However, our studies reveal that a significant portion of MSCs are eliminated en route by splenic macrophage phagocytosis, effectively limiting the number of cells available for tumor engraftment. To increase MSC survival, we transiently depleted macrophages with liposomal clodronate, which resulted in increased tumor localization without substantial reduction in tumor-associated macrophages. Our data suggest that transient macrophage depletion will significantly increase the number of MSCs in the spleen and thus improve MSC localization within a tumor, theoretically increasing the effective dose of an anti-cancer agent. This strategy may subsequently improve the clinical efficacy of MSCs as vehicles for the tumor-directed delivery of therapeutic agents.

B cell-derived IL-1ß and IL-6 drive T cell reconstitution following lymphoablation.

Understanding the mechanisms of T cell homeostatic expansion is crucial for clinical applications of lymphoablative therapies. We previously established that T cell recovery in mouse heart allograft recipients treated with anti-thymocyte globulin (mATG) critically depends on B cells and is mediated by B cell-derived soluble factors. B cell production of interleukin (IL)-1ß and IL-6 is markedly upregulated after heart allotransplantation and lymphoablation. Neutralizing IL-1ß or IL-6 with mAb or the use of recipients lacking mature IL-1ß, IL-6, IL-1R, MyD88, or IL-6R impair CD4+ and CD8+ T cell recovery and significantly enhance the graft-prolonging efficacy of lymphoablation. Adoptive co-transfer experiments demonstrate a direct effect of IL-6 but not IL-1ß on T lymphocytes. Furthermore, B cells incapable of IL-1ß or IL-6 production have diminished capacity to mediate T cell reconstitution and initiate heart allograft rejection upon adoptive transfer into mATG treated B cell deficient recipients. These findings reveal the essential role of B cell-derived IL-1ß and IL-6 during homeostatic T cell expansion in a clinically relevant model of lymphoablation.

Intratumoral Delivery of Interferonγ-Secreting Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Repolarizes Tumor-Associated Macrophages and Suppresses Neuroblastoma Proliferation In Vivo.

Neuroblastoma, the most common extracranial solid tumor in childhood, remains a therapeutic challenge. However, one promising patient treatment strategy is the delivery of anti-tumor therapeutic agents via mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC) therapy. MSCs have been safely used to treat genetic bone diseases such as osteogenesis imperfecta, cardiovascular diseases, autoimmune diseases, and cancer. The pro-inflammatory cytokine interferon-gamma (IFNγ) has been shown to decrease tumor proliferation by altering the tumor microenvironment (TME). Despite this, clinical trials of systemic IFNγ therapy have failed due to the high blood concentration required and associated systemic toxicities. Here, we developed an intra-adrenal model of neuroblastoma, characterized by liver and lung metastases. We then engineered MSCs to deliver IFNγ directly to the TME. In vitro, these MSCs polarized murine macrophages to the M1 phenotype. In vivo, we attained a therapeutically active TME concentration of IFNγ without increased systemic concentration or toxicity. The TME-specific IFNγ reduced tumor growth rate and increased survival in two models of T cell deficient athymic nude mice. Absence of this benefit in NOD SCID gamma (NSG) immunodeficient mouse model indicates a mechanism dependent on the innate immune system. IL-17 and IL-23p19, both uniquely M1 polarization markers, transiently increased in the tumor interstitial fluid. Finally, the MSC vehicle did not promote tumor growth. These findings reveal that MSCs can deliver effective cytokine therapy directly to the tumor while avoiding systemic toxicity. This method transiently induces inflammatory M1 macrophage polarization, which reduces tumor burden in our novel neuroblastoma murine model. Stem Cells 2018;36:915-924.

Measuring alloreactive B cell responses in transplant recipients.

PURPOSE: Despite advanced immunosuppression, donor-specific antibodies (DSA) remain the leading cause of acute and chronic transplant tissue injury. Comprehensive evaluation of anti-donor humoral immune responses is critical for successful prevention, diagnosis and treatment of antibody-mediated rejection. This review summarizes the evolution of techniques used for this purpose in experimental and clinical transplantation. RECENT FINDINGS: For decades, measuring DSA serum levels was the only way to assess recipient humoral immunity. Recently, the interest shifted from quantifying circulating DSA to the analyses of various B cell subsets and most importantly, of donor antigen-specific B cells. State-of-the-art approaches have been developed by studies of model antigens, infectious agents and autoimmunity. These methods are now being adopted by the transplantation field. SUMMARY: The complexity of humoral immunity caused by organ transplantation necessitates complementary approaches assessing both DSA and various B cell subsets to successfully target antibody-mediated rejection.

Interleukin-27 promotes CD8+ T cell reconstitution following antibody-mediated lymphoablation.

Antibody-mediated lymphoablation is used in solid organ and stem cell transplantation and autoimmunity. Using murine anti-thymocyte globulin (mATG) in a mouse model of heart transplantation, we previously reported that the homeostatic recovery of CD8+ T cells requires help from depletion-resistant memory CD4+ T cells delivered through CD40-expressing B cells. This study investigated the mechanisms by which B cells mediate CD8+ T cell proliferation in lymphopenic hosts. While CD8+ T cell recovery required MHC class I expression in the host, the reconstitution occurred independently of MHC class I, MHC class II, or CD80/CD86 expression on B cells. mATG lymphoablation upregulated the B cell expression of several cytokine genes, including IL-15 and IL-27, in a CD4-dependent manner. Neither treatment with anti-CD122 mAb nor the use of IL-15Rα-/- recipients altered CD8+ T cell recovery after mATG treatment, indicating that IL-15 may be dispensable for T cell proliferation in our model. Instead, IL-27 neutralization or the use of IL-27Rα-/- CD8+ T cells inhibited CD8+ T cell proliferation and altered the phenotype and cytokine profile of reconstituted CD8+ T cells. Our findings uncover what we believe is a novel role of IL-27 in lymphopenia-induced CD8+ T cell proliferation and suggest that targeting B cell-derived cytokines may increase the efficacy of lymphoablation and improve transplant outcomes.

Generation of Immunodeficient Mice Bearing Human Immune Systems by the Engraftment of Hematopoietic Stem Cells.

Immunodeficient mice are being used as recipients of human hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) for in vivo analyses of human immune system development and function. The development of several stocks of immunodeficient Prkdc (scid) (scid), or recombination activating 1 or 2 gene (Rag1 or Rag2) knockout mice bearing a targeted mutation in the gene encoding the IL2 receptor gamma chain (IL2rγ), has greatly facilitated the engraftment of human HSC and enhanced the development of functional human immune systems. These "humanized" mice are being used to study human hematopoiesis, human-specific immune therapies, human-specific pathogens, and human immune system homeostasis and function. The establishment of these model systems is technically challenging, and levels of human immune system development reported in the literature are variable between laboratories. The use of standard protocols for optimal engraftment of HSC and for monitoring the development of the human immune systems would enable more direct comparisons between humanized mice generated in different laboratories. Here we describe a standard protocol for the engraftment of human HSC into 21-day-old NOD-scid IL2rγ (NSG) mice using an intravenous injection approach. The multiparameter flow cytometry used to monitor human immune system development and the kinetics of development are described.