Stephen C. Jameson

T cell receptor antagonist peptides induce positive selection

We have used organ culture of fetal thymic lobes from T cell receptor (TCR) transgenic beta 2M(-/-) mice to study the role of peptides in positive selection. The TCR used was from a CD8+ T cell specific for ovalbumin 257-264 in the context of Kb. Several peptides with the ability to induce positive selection were identified. These peptide-selected thymocytes have the same phenotype as mature CD8+ T cells and can respond to antigen. Those peptides with the ability to induce positive selection were all variants of the antigenic peptide and were identified as TCR antagonist peptides for this receptor. One peptide tested, E1, induced positive selection on the beta 2M(-/-) background but negative selection on the beta 2M(+/-) background. These results show that the process of positive selection is exquisitely peptide specific and sensitive to extremely low ligand density and support the notion that low efficacy ligands mediate positive selection.

Interleukin-7 mediates the homeostasis of naïve and memory CD8 T cells in vivo

The naïve and memory T lymphocyte pools are maintained through poorly understood homeostatic mechanisms that may include signaling via cytokine receptors. We show that interleukin-7 (IL-7) plays multiple roles in regulating homeostasis of CD8+ T cells. We found that IL-7 was required for homeostatic expansion of naïve CD8+ and CD4+ T cells in lymphopenic hosts and for CD8+ T cell survival in normal hosts. In contrast, IL- 7 was not necessary for growth of CD8+ T cells in response to a virus infection but was critical for generating T cell memory. Up-regulation of Bcl-2 in the absence of IL-7 signaling was impaired after activation in vivo. Homeostatic proliferation of memory cells was also partially dependent on IL-7. These results point to IL-7 as a pivotal cytokine in T cell homeostasis.

Maintaining the norm: T-cell homeostasis

The persistence of naive and memory T cells has long been of interest to immunologists, but the factors that influence the survival and homeostasis of these subsets have remained obscure. In recent years, it has become evident that the homeostasis of both naive and memory T-cell pools is highly dynamic and tightly regulated by internal stimuli, including cytokines and self-peptide–MHC ligands for the T-cell receptor. These homeostatic mechanisms might have a vital influence on the capacity of the T-cell pool to respond to both foreign and self-antigens.

Central tolerance: learning self-control in the thymus

In the past few years, there has been a flurry of discoveries and advancements in our understanding of how the thymus prepares T cells to exist at peace in normal healthy tissue: that is, to be self-tolerant. In the thymus, one of the main mechanisms of T-cell central tolerance is clonal deletion, although the selection of regulatory T cells is also important and is gaining enormous interest. In this Review, we discuss the emerging consensus about which models of clonal deletion are most physiological, and we review recent data that define the molecular mechanisms of central tolerance.

Kruppel-like factor 2 regulates thymocyte and T-cell migration

Mammalian Kruppel-like transcription factors are implicated in regulating terminal differentiation of several tissue types. Deficiency in Kruppel-like factor (KLF) 2 (also known as LKLF) leads to a massive loss of the peripheral T-cell pool, suggesting KLF2 regulates T-cell quiescence and survival. Here we show, however, that KLF2 is essential for T-cell trafficking. KLF2-deficient (Klf2-/-) thymocytes show impaired expression of several receptors required for thymocyte emigration and peripheral trafficking, including the sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) receptor S1P1, CD62L and β7 integrin. Furthermore, KLF2 both binds and transactivates the promoter for S1P1—a receptor that is critical for thymocyte egress and recirculation through peripheral lymphoid organs. Our findings suggest that KLF2 serves to license mature T cells for trafficking from the thymus and recirculation through secondary lymphoid tissues.

Diversity in T cell memory: An embarrassment of riches

The adaptive immune response meets the needs of the organism to generate effector cells capable of controlling pathogens but also leads to production of memory cells, which mediate more effective protection during rechallenge. In this review, we focus on the generation, maintenance, and function of memory T cells, with a special emphasis on the increasing evidence for great diversity among functional memory T cell subsets.

Normalizing the environment recapitulates adult human immune traits in laboratory mice.

Our current understanding of immunology was largely defined in laboratory mice, partly because they are inbred and genetically homogeneous, can be genetically manipulated, allow kinetic tissue analyses to be carried out from the onset of disease, and permit the use of tractable disease models. Comparably reductionist experiments are neither technically nor ethically possible in humans. However, there is growing concern that laboratory mice do not reflect relevant aspects of the human immune system, which may account for failures to translate disease treatments from bench to bedside. Laboratory mice live in abnormally hygienic specific pathogen free (SPF) barrier facilities. Here we show that standard laboratory mouse husbandry has profound effects on the immune system and that environmental changes produce mice with immune systems closer to those of adult humans. Laboratory mice—like newborn, but not adult, humans—lack effector-differentiated and mucosally distributed memory T cells. These cell populations were present in free-living barn populations of feral mice and pet store mice with diverse microbial experience, and were induced in laboratory mice after co-housing with pet store mice, suggesting that the environment is involved in the induction of these cells. Altering the living conditions of mice profoundly affected the cellular composition of the innate and adaptive immune systems, resulted in global changes in blood cell gene expression to patterns that more closely reflected the immune signatures of adult humans rather than neonates, altered resistance to infection, and influenced T-cell differentiation in response to a de novo viral infection. These data highlight the effects of environment on the basal immune state and response to infection and suggest that restoring physiological microbial exposure in laboratory mice could provide a relevant tool for modelling immunological events in free-living organisms, including humans.Our current understanding of immunology was largely defined in laboratory mice because of experimental advantages including inbred homogeneity, tools for genetic manipulation, the ability to perform kinetic tissue analyses starting with the onset of disease, and tractable models. Comparably reductionist experiments are neither technically nor ethically possible in humans. Despite revealing many fundamental principals of immunology, there is growing concern that mice fail to capture relevant aspects of the human immune system, which may account for failures to translate disease treatments from bench to bedside1–8. Laboratory mice live in abnormally hygienic “specific pathogen free” (SPF) barrier facilities. Here we show that the standard practice of laboratory mouse husbandry has profound effects on the immune system and that environmental changes result in better recapitulation of features of adult humans. Laboratory mice lack effector-differentiated and mucosally distributed memory T cells, which more closely resembles neonatal than adult humans. These cell populations were present in free-living barn populations of feral mice, pet store mice with diverse microbial experience, and were induced in laboratory mice after co-housing with pet store mice, suggesting a role for environment. Consequences of altering mouse housing profoundly impacted the cellular composition of the innate and adaptive immune system and resulted in global changes in blood cell gene expression patterns that more closely aligned with immune signatures of adult humans rather than neonates, altered the mouse’s resistance to infection, and impacted T cell differentiation to a de novo viral infection. These data highlight the impact of environment on the basal immune state and response to infection and suggest that restoring physiological microbial exposure in laboratory mice could provide a relevant tool for modeling immunological events in free-living organisms, including humans.

Sweet 'n' sour: the impact of differential glycosylation on T cell responses

The fate and functional activity of T lymphocytes depend largely on the precise timing of gene expression and protein production. However, it is clear that post-translational modification of proteins affects their functional properties. Although modifications such as phosphorylation have been intensely studied by immunologists, less attention has been paid to the impact that changes in glycosylation have on protein function. However, there is considerable evidence that glycosylation plays a key role in immune regulation. We will focus here on examples in which differential glycosylation affects the development, survival or reactivity of T cells.

Transcriptional downregulation of S1pr1 is required for the establishment of resident memory CD8+ T cells

Cell-mediated immunity critically depends on the localization of lymphocytes at sites of infection. While some memory T cells recirculate, a distinct lineage (resident memory T cells (TRM cells)) are embedded in nonlymphoid tissues (NLTs) and mediate potent protective immunity. However, the defining transcriptional basis for the establishment of TRM cells is unknown. We found that CD8+ TRM cells lacked expression of the transcription factor KLF2 and its target gene S1pr1 (which encodes S1P1, a receptor for sphingosine 1-phosphate). Forced expression of S1P1 prevented the establishment of TRM cells. Cytokines that induced a TRM cell phenotype (including transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), interleukin 33 (IL-33) and tumor-necrosis factor) elicited downregulation of KLF2 expression in a pathway dependent on phosphatidylinositol-3-OH kinase (PI(3)K) and the kinase Akt, which suggested environmental regulation. Hence, regulation of KLF2 and S1P1 provides a switch that dictates whether CD8+ T cells commit to recirculating or tissue-resident memory populations.

In Vivo Survival and Homeostatic Proliferation of Natural Killer Cells

While the specificity and development of natural killer (NK) cells have been intensely studied, little is known about homeostasis of the mature NK population. Here we show that mouse NK cells undergo homeostatic proliferation when transferred into NK-deficient Rag−/− γC−/− hosts. Normal NK functional activity is maintained during this process, although there are some changes in NK phenotype. Using cell sorting, we demonstrate that mature (Mac-1hi) NK cells undergo homeostatic proliferation in an NK-deficient environment, yet immature (Mac-1lo) NK cells also proliferate in such hosts. We find that mature NK cells survive but do not proliferate in hosts which possess an endogenous NK pool. However, we go on to show that mature NK survival is critically dependent on interleukin (IL)-15. Surprisingly, NK survival is also compromised after transfer of cells into IL-15Rα−/− mice, implying that IL-15 responsiveness by bystander cells is critical for NK maintenance. These data imply that, similar to T cells, homeostasis of the NK pool is much more dynamic than previously appreciated and this may be relevant to manipulation of NK cells for therapeutic purposes.