Thomas J. Waldschmidt

Mice deficient for the CD40 ligand

To study the potential roles of CD40L in immune responses, we generated CD40L-deficient mice by gene targeting. Similar to the effects of CD40L mutations in humans (hyper-IgM syndrome), CD40L-deficient mice have a decreased IgM response to thymus-dependent antigens, fail altogether to produce an antigen-specific IgG1 response following immunization, yet respond normally to a T-independent antigen, TNP-Ficoll. Moreover, these mice do not develop germinal centers in response to thymus-dependent antigens, suggesting an inability to develop memory B cell responses. Although CD40L-deficient mice have low levels of most circulating immunoglobulin isotypes, they do not exhibit the spontaneous hyper-IgM syndrome seen in humans, at least up to 12 weeks of age. In summary, our study confirms the important role of CD40-CD40L interactions in thymus-dependent humoral immune responses and germinal center formation.

Therapeutic blockade of PD-L1 and LAG-3 rapidly clears established blood-stage Plasmodium infection

Infection of erythrocytes with Plasmodium species induces clinical malaria. Parasite-specific CD4+ T cells correlate with lower parasite burdens and severity of human malaria and are needed to control blood-stage infection in mice. However, the characteristics of CD4+ T cells that determine protection or parasite persistence remain unknown. Here we show that infection of humans with Plasmodium falciparum resulted in higher expression of the inhibitory receptor PD-1 associated with T cell dysfunction. In vivo blockade of the PD-1 ligand PD-L1 and the inhibitory receptor LAG-3 restored CD4+ T cell function, amplified the number of follicular helper T cells and germinal-center B cells and plasmablasts, enhanced protective antibodies and rapidly cleared blood-stage malaria in mice. Thus, chronic malaria drives specific T cell dysfunction, and proper function can be restored by inhibitory therapies to enhance parasite control.

Mice Deficient in Complement Receptors 1 and 2 Lack a Tissue Injury-Inducing Subset of the Natural Antibody Repertoire

Intestinal ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury is initiated when natural Abs recognize neoantigens that are revealed on ischemic cells. Cr2−/− mice, deficient in complement receptors (CR)1 and CR2, demonstrate defects in T-dependent B-2 B cell responses to foreign Ags and have also been suggested to manifest abnormalities of the B-1 subset of B lymphocytes. To determine whether these CRs might play a role in the generation of the natural Abs that initiate intestinal IR injury, we performed experiments in Cr2−/− and control Cr2+/+ mice. We found that Cr2−/− mice did not demonstrate severe intestinal injury that was readily observed in control Cr2+/+ mice following IR, despite having identical serum levels of IgM and IgG. Pretreatment of Cr2−/− mice before the ischemic phase with IgM and IgG purified from the serum of wild-type C57BL/6 mice reconstituted all key features of IR injury, demonstrating that the defect involves the failure to develop this subset of natural Abs. Pretreatment with IgM and IgG individually demonstrates that each contributes to unique features of IR injury. In sum, CR2/CR1 play an unanticipated but critical role in the development of a subset of the natural Ab repertoire that has particular importance in the pathogenesis of IR injury.

Platelet-mediated modulation of adaptive immunity: unique delivery of CD154 signal by platelet-derived membrane vesicles

Although mounting evidence indicates that platelets participate in the modulation of both innate and adaptive immunity, the mechanisms by which platelets exert these effects have not been clearly defined. The study reported herein uses a previously documented adoptive transfer model to investigate the ability of platelet-derived membrane vesicles to communicate activation signals to the B-cell compartment. The findings demonstrate for the first time that platelet-derived membrane vesicles are sufficient to deliver CD154 to stimulate antigen-specific IgG production and modulate germinal center formation through cooperation with responses elicited by CD4(+) T cells. The data are consistent with the hypothesis that platelets modulate inflammation and adaptive immunity at sites distant from the location of activation and that platelet-derived membrane vesicles are sufficient to mediate the effect.

CpG oligodeoxynucleotides do not require TH1 cytokines to prevent eosinophilic airway inflammation in a murine model of asthma

BACKGROUND Oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) containing the dinucleotide CpG in a specific sequence context (CpG-ODNs) have the ability to prevent the development of eosinophilic airway inflammation and bronchial hyperreactivity in a murine model of asthma. We have previously demonstrated that CpG-ODNs stimulate expression of the T(H1)-inducing cytokines IFN-gamma and IL-12 in a murine model of asthma and that this stimulation is associated with the protection against asthmatic inflammation. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to examine whether the protection conferred by CpG-ODNs in a schistosome egg-egg antigen murine model of asthma is dependent on the induction of IFN-gamma, IL-12, or both. METHODS C57BL/6 mice were sensitized to schistosome eggs in the presence or absence of CpG-ODNs or control ODNs and then stimulated with soluble egg antigen in the airway. The protection offered by CpG-ODNs in these mice was compared with the protection induced by CpG-ODNs in IL-12 and IFN-gamma knockout mice and in mice treated with anticytokine blocking antibodies. Double-knockout mice (IL-12/IFN-gamma) were also generated and used in these studies. Determinations included airway eosinophilic inflammation and bronchial hyperreactivity to inhaled methacholine. RESULTS We found that CpG-ODNs confer protection against both airway eosinophilia and bronchial hyperreactivity in the absence of IFN-gamma or IL-12 or in the presence of both cytokines together. However, in the absence of either IL-12 or IFN-gamma, mice require 10 times as much CpG-ODNs to be protected against the induction of airway eosinophilia. The T(H2) cytokines IL-4 and IL-5 were reduced in all of the CpG-treated mice, although less in the absence of IL-12 and IFN-gamma. CONCLUSION These data indicate that CpG-ODNs prevent the generation of T(H2)-like immune responses by multiple mechanisms, which involve, but do not require, IL-12 and IFN-gamma. A direct suppressive effect of CpG-ODNs on T(H2) responses is suggested by their reduction in IFN-gamma and IL-12 knockout mice.

Tissue-specific expression of the human CD19 gene in transgenic mice inhibits antigen-independent B-lymphocyte development.

CD19 is a B-cell-specific member of the immunoglobulin superfamily expressed from early pre-B-cell development until plasma cell differentiation. In vitro studies demonstrate that the CD19 signal transduction molecule can serve as a costimulatory molecule for activation through other B-lymphocyte cell surface molecules. However, much remains to be known regarding how CD19 functions in vivo and whether CD19 has different roles at particular stages of B-cell differentiation. Therefore, transgenic mice overexpressing the human CD19 (hCD19) gene were generated to determine whether this transgene would be expressed in a B-lineage-specific fashion and to dissect the in vivo role of CD19 in B-cell development and activation. Expression of the human transgene product was specifically restricted to all B-lineage cells and appeared early in development as occurs with hCD19. In addition, expression of hCD19 severely impaired the development of immature B cells in the bone marrow, with dramatically fewer B cells found in the spleen, peripheral circulation, and peritoneal cavity. The level of hCD19 expressed on the cell surface correlated directly with the severity of the defect in different transgenic lines. These results demonstrate that the hCD19 gene is expressed in a lineage-specific fashion in mice, indicating that the hCD19 gene may be useful for mediating B-lineage-specific expression of other transgene products. In addition, these results indicate an important role for the lineage-specific CD19 molecule during early B-cell development before antigen-dependent activation.

Identification of Murine Germinal Center B Cell Subsets Defined by the Expression of Surface Isotypes and Differentiation Antigens

Germinal centers (GCs) are inducible lymphoid microenvironments that support the generation of memory B cells, affinity maturation, and isotype switching. Previously, phenotypic transitions following in vivo B cell activation have been exploited to discriminate GC from non-GC B cells in the mouse and to delineate as many as seven distinct human peripheral B cell subsets. To better understand the differentiative processes occurring within murine GCs, we sought to identify subpopulations of GC B cells corresponding to discrete stages of GC B cell ontogeny. We performed multiparameter flow-cytometric analyses of GC B cells at consecutive time points following immunization of BALB/c mice with SRBC. We resolved the murine GC compartment into subsets based on the differential expression of activation markers, surface Ig isotypes, and differentiation Ags. Class-switched and nonswitched GC B cells emerged contemporaneously, and their relative frequencies remained nearly constant throughout the GC reaction, perhaps reflecting the establishment of a steady state. A significant percentage of the nonswitched B cells with a GC phenotype exhibited surface markers associated with naive B cells, including CD23, surface IgD, and high levels of CD38 consistent with either prolonged recruitment into the GC reaction or protracted expression of these markers during differentiation within the GC. Expression of the activation marker BLA-1 was dynamic over time, with all GC B cells being positive early after immunization, followed by progressive loss as the GC reaction matured into the second and third week. Implications of these results concerning GC evolution are discussed.

Estrogen Blocks Early T Cell Development in the Thymus

PROBLEM: Pregnancy and estrogen are known to suppress B lymphopoiesis as well as lead to thymic involution in the mouse. Additionally, estrogen deficiency by oophorectomy reportedly causes a selective increase in the B220+ B cells in the murine bone marrow. The purpose of this study was to determine if estrogens played a regulatory role in T cell development.

Chronic ethanol consumption by mice results in activated splenic T cells

Previous studies have shown that T cells from human alcoholics overexpress activation or memory markers such as human leukocyte antigen‐DR, CD45RO, CD57, and CD11b and may have reduced levels of CD62L. In those studies, we demonstrated that the increased CD57+ T cell population rapidly produces interferon‐γ (IFN‐γ) and tumor necrosis factor α, independent of a second signal requirement, consistent with an increased effector T cell population. In contrast to the length of alcohol abuse by human alcoholics, most work with mice has involved 2‐week ethanol exposures or less, which result in decreased IFN‐γ responses. In the present work, we have evaluated C57Bl/6 or BALB/c mice, which were administered 20% w/v ethanol in water for 3–13 weeks. In these mice, rapid cytoplasmic IFN‐γ expression by T cells after stimulation through the T cell receptor was significantly increased versus normals. Studies of surface‐activation markers showed that T cells from chronically ethanol‐fed mice had reduced CD62L expression and an increased percentage of CD44hi T cells. The CD44hi subset was largely second signal‐independent for secreted IFN‐γ and interleukin (IL)‐4 production at early times after stimulation. The enriched T cells of chronic ethanol mice secreted more IFN‐γ and IL‐4 than controls and equivalent IL‐2 at early times after stimulation (6–24 h). The overall results support the concept that in humans and mice, chronic alcohol exposure of sufficient duration results in T cell activation or sensitization in vivo and an increased percentage of the effector/memory subset.

Mast cell degranulation breaks peripheral tolerance

Mast cells (MC) have been shown to mediate regulatory T‐cell (Treg)‐dependent, peripheral allograft tolerance in both skin and cardiac transplants. Furthermore, Treg have been implicated in mitigating IgE‐mediated MC degranulation, establishing a dynamic, reciprocal relationship between MC and Treg in controlling inflammation. In an allograft tolerance model, it is now shown that intragraft or systemic MC degranulation results in the transient loss of Treg suppressor activities with the acute, T‐cell dependent rejection of established, tolerant allografts. Upon degranulation, MC mediators can be found in the skin, Treg rapidly leave the graft, MC accumulate in the regional lymph node and the Treg are impaired in the expression of suppressor molecules. Such a dramatic reversal of Treg function and tissue distribution by MC degranulation underscores how allergy may causes the transient breakdown of peripheral tolerance and episodes of acute T‐cell inflammation.