Victor Peperzak

CD27 is a thymic determinant of the balance between interferon-gamma- and interleukin 17-producing gammadelta T cell subsets.

The production of cytokines such as interferon-γ and interleukin 17 by αβ and γδ T cells influences the outcome of immune responses. Here we show that most γδ T lymphocytes expressed the tumor necrosis factor receptor family member CD27 and secreted interferon-γ, whereas interleukin 17 production was restricted to CD27− γδ T cells. In contrast to the apparent plasticity of αβ T cells, the cytokine profiles of these distinct γδ T cell subsets were essentially stable, even during infection. These phenotypes were established during thymic development, when CD27 functions as a regulator of the differentiation of γδ T cells at least in part by inducing expression of the lymphotoxin-β receptor and genes associated with trans-conditioning and interferon-γ production. Thus, the cytokine profiles of peripheral γδ T cells are predetermined mainly by a mechanism involving CD27.

CD27 sustains survival of CTLs in virus-infected nonlymphoid tissue in mice by inducing autocrine IL-2 production

Immunity to infections relies on clonal expansion of CD8+ T cells, their maintenance as effector CTLs, and their selection into a memory population. These processes rely on delivery of survival signals to activated CD8+ T cells. We here reveal the mechanism by which costimulatory CD27-CD70 interactions sustain survival of CD8+ effector T cells in infected tissue. By unbiased genome-wide gene expression analysis, we identified the Il2 gene as the most prominent CD27 target gene in murine CD8+ T cells. In vitro, CD27 directed IL-2 expression and promoted clonal expansion of primed CD8+ T cells exclusively by IL-2-dependent survival signaling. In mice intranasally infected with influenza virus, Cd27-/- CD8+ effector T cells displayed reduced IL-2 production, accompanied by impaired accumulation in lymphoid organs and in the lungs, which constitute the tissue effector site. Reconstitution of Cd27-/- CD8+ T cells with the IL2 gene restored their accumulation to wild-type levels in the lungs, but it did not rescue their accumulation in lymphoid organs. Competition experiments showed that the IL-2 produced under the control of CD27 supported effector CD8+ T cell survival in the lungs in an autocrine manner. We conclude that CD27 signaling directs the IL-2 production that is reportedly essential to sustain survival of virus-specific CTLs in nonlymphoid tissue.

CD27 instructs CD4+ T cells to provide help for the memory CD8+ T cell response after protein immunization.

For optimal quality, memory CD8+ T cells require CD4+ T cell help. We have examined whether CD4+ T cells require CD27 to deliver this help, in a model of intranasal OVA protein immunization. CD27 deficiency reduced the capacity of CD4+ T cells to support Ag-specific CD8+ T cell accumulation at the tissue site after primary and secondary immunization. CD27-dependent CD4+ T cell help for the memory CD8+ T cell response was delivered during priming. It did not detectably affect formation of CD8+ memory T cells, but promoted their secondary expansion. CD27 improved survival of primed CD4+ T cells, but its contribution to the memory CD8+ T cell response relied on altered CD4+ T cell quality rather than quantity. CD27 induced a Th1-diagnostic gene expression profile in CD4+ T cells, which included the membrane molecule MS4A4B. Accordingly, CD27 increased the frequency of IFN-γ- and IL-2-producing CD4+ T cells. It did not affect CD40L expression. Strikingly, MS4A4B was also identified as a unique marker of CD8+ memory T cells that had received CD27-proficient CD4+ T cell help during the primary response. This apparent imprinting effect suggests a role for MS4A4B as a downstream effector in CD27-dependent help for CD8+ T cell memory.

Costimulatory ligand CD70 allows induction of CD8+ T-cell immunity by immature dendritic cells in a vaccination setting

The use of dendritic cells (DCs) as anticancer vaccines holds promise for therapy but requires optimization. We have explored the potential of costimulatory ligand CD70 to boost the capacity of DCs to evoke effective CD8(+) T-cell immunity. We show that immature conventional DCs, when endowed with CD70 expression by transgenesis, are converted from a tolerogenic state into an immunogenic state. Adoptively transferred CD70-expressing immature DCs could prime CD8(+) T cells, by CD27, to become tumor-eradicating cytolytic effectors and memory cells with a capacity for robust secondary expansion. The CD8(+) T-cell response, including memory programming, was independent of CD4(+) T-cell help, because the transferred immature DCs were loaded with major histocompatibility complex class I-restricted peptide only. Without CD70 expression, the DCs generated abortive clonal expansion, dysfunctional antitumor responses, and no CD8(+) T-cell memory. CD70-expressing CD8(+) DCs were the primary subset responsible for CD8(+) T-cell priming and performed comparably to fully matured DCs. These data highlight the importance of CD27/CD70 interactions at the T-cell/DC interface and indicate that CD70 should be considered in the design of DC vaccination strategies.

Dexamethasone treatment during the expansion phase maintains stemness of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells

Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) can form various mesodermal tissues when grown under appropriate conditions. Dexamethasone (Dex) is regularly used to stimulate the osteogenic potential of hMSCs and it has recently been reported to increase the cell expansion rate. In this study we have investigated the effect of low‐dose Dex treatment (10−8 M) on the multipotency of expanded hMSCs, using histological, biochemical and molecular biological techniques. Early passage (P2‐3) and late passage (P6) cells were positive (>90%) for mesenchymal adhesion cell markers (CD105/CD29/CD44/CD166/CD90) and negative (<10%) for haematopoietic markers (CD34/CD45/CD14). Dex did not change the overall expression pattern of these cell surface markers. Expanded hMSCs gave rise to specialized cell lineages when grown in differentiation‐promoting medium. Depending on the donor, Dex treatment improved the potency for osteogenic, adipogenic and chondrogenic differentiation of expanded hMSCs. Dex also prevented the loss of proliferative potential of hMSCs upon sequential passaging and the loss of the typical hMSCs surface phenotype. hMSCs gene expression analysis showed that low‐dose Dex negatively regulated transcription of genes correlated with apoptosis and differentiation, and positively regulated genes associated with cell proliferation. In conclusion, the collective data argue that low‐dose Dex preserves the stemness of hMSCs during repeated passaging, as indicated by the maintenance of the stem cell phenotype, proliferative capacity and multi‐lineage differentiation potential. Copyright

The Pim Kinase Pathway Contributes to Survival Signaling in Primed CD8+ T Cells upon CD27 Costimulation

Stimulation of the costimulatory receptor CD27 by its ligand CD70 has proved important for the generation of primary and memory CD8+ T cell responses in various models of antigenic challenge. CD27/CD70-mediated costimulation promotes the survival of primed T cells and thereby increases the size of effector and memory populations. In this paper, we reveal molecular mechanisms underlying the prosurvival effect of CD27. CD27 signaling upregulated expression of the antiapoptotic Bcl-2 family member Bcl-xL. However, genetic reconstitution of Cd27−/− CD8+ T cells with Bcl-xL alone or in combination with the related protein Mcl-1 did not compensate for CD27 deficiency in the response to influenza virus infection. This suggested that CD27 supports generation of the CD8+ effector T cell pool not only by counteracting apoptosis via Bcl-2 family members. Genome-wide mRNA expression profiling indicated that CD27 directs expression of the Pim1 gene. Pim-1 is a serine/threonine kinase that sustains survival of rapidly proliferating cells by antiapoptotic and prometabolic effects that are independent of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway. In TCR-primed CD8+ T cells, CD27 could increment Pim-1 protein expression and promote cell survival throughout clonal expansion independent of the mTOR and IL-2R pathways. In addition, introduction of the Pim1 gene in Cd27−/− CD8+ T cells partially corrected their defect in clonal expansion and formation of an effector pool. We conclude that CD27 may contribute to the survival of primed CD8+ T cells by the upregulation of antiapoptotic Bcl-2 family members but also calls the Pim-1 kinase survival pathway into action.

CD8+ T Cells Produce the Chemokine CXCL10 in Response to CD27/CD70 Costimulation To Promote Generation of the CD8+ Effector T Cell Pool

Various cell types can produce the chemokine CXCL10 in response to IFN-γ stimulation. CXCL10 is generally viewed as a proinflammatory chemokine that promotes recruitment of CD8+ and Th1-type CD4+ effector T cells to infected or inflamed nonlymphoid tissues. We show that CXCL10 plays a role during CD8+ T cell priming in the mouse. Genome-wide expression profiling revealed the Cxcl10 gene as a target of CD27/CD70 costimulation in newly activated CD8+ T cells. CD27/CD70 costimulation is known to promote activated T cell survival, but CXCL10 did not affect survival or proliferation of primed CD8+ T cells in vitro. Accordingly, CXCL10 could not fully rescue CD27 deficiency in mice infected with influenza virus. Rather, CXCL10 acted as chemoattractant for other activated CD8+ T cells. It signaled downstream of CD27 in a paracrine fashion to promote generation of the CD8+ effector T cell pool in the Ag-draining lymph nodes. Consistently, CD8+ T cells required expression of the CXCL10 receptor CXCR3 for their clonal expansion in a CD27/CD70-dependent peptide-immunization model. Our findings indicate that CXCL10, produced by primed CD8+ T cells in response to CD27/CD70 costimulation, signals to other primed CD8+ T cells in the lymph node microenvironment to facilitate their participation in the CD8+ effector T cell pool.

The invariant chain transports TNF family member CD70 to MHC class II compartments in dendritic cells

CD70 is a TNF-related transmembrane molecule expressed by mature dendritic cells (DCs), which present antigens to T cells via major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules. In DCs, CD70 localizes with MHC class II molecules in late endosomal vesicles, known as MHC class II compartments (MIICs). MIICs are transported to the immune synapse when a DC contacts an antigen-specific CD4+ T cell. Consequently, MHC class II and CD70 are simultaneously exposed to the T cell. Thereby, T-cell activation via the antigen receptor and CD70-mediated co-stimulation are synchronized, apparently to optimize the proliferative response. We report here that the invariant chain (Ii), a chaperone known to transport MHC class II to MIICs, performs a similar function for CD70. CD70 was found to travel by default to the plasma membrane, whereas Ii coexpression directed it to late endosomes and/or lysosomes. In cells containing the MHC class II presentation pathway, CD70 localized to MIICs. This localization relied on Ii, since transport of CD70 from the Golgi to MIICs was impeded in Ii-deficient DCs. Biophysical and biochemical studies revealed that CD70 and Ii participate in an MHC-class-II-independent complex. Thus, Ii supports transport of both MHC class II and CD70 to MIICs and thereby coordinates their delivery to CD4+ T cells.

Dexamethasone treatment during the expansion phase sustains stemness of mesenchymal stem cells from human bone marrow

Dexamethasone treatment during the expansion phase sustains stemness of mesenchymal stem cells from human bone marrow

Corrigendum: Mcl-1 is essential for the survival of plasma cells

Nat. Immunol. 14, 290–297 (2013); published online 3 February 2013; corrected after print 21 March 2013 In the version of this article initially published, the number for the National Health and Medical Research Council grant to I.V. is incorrect in the Acknowledgements section. The correct number is 1021374.