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Infection and Immunity, July 2005, p. 4427-4431, Vol. 73, No. 7
0019-9567/05/$08.00+0 doi:10.1128/IAI.73.7.4427-4431.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
Department of Pathology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, 4301 Jones Bridge Road, Bethesda, Maryland 20814
Received 16 November 2004/ Returned for modification 7 January 2005/ Accepted 4 March 2005
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(anti-IL-2R
) MAb to deplete regulatory T cells, injection of agonistic MAb against glucocorticoid-induced tumor necrosis factor receptor family-related protein to inhibit regulatory-T-cell function, and adoptive transfer of regulatory-T-cell-depleted CD4+ T cells into athymic nude mice each had no effect on either the primary or secondary protein- or polysaccharide-specific IgG response to intact S. pneumoniae. Surprisingly, anti-IL-2R
MAb also had no effect on the IgG response to intact S. pneumoniae in MyD88/ mice or to a soluble protein-polysaccharide conjugate injected into wild-type mice in the absence of adjuvant. Collectively, these data are the first to suggest that, in contrast to their role in limiting chronic cell-mediated immunity, regulatory T cells may play no significant role in an acute humoral immune response to an intact extracellular bacterial pathogen. |
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The potential for regulatory T cells to influence humoral immune responses is suggested by the emergence of autoantibodies in the absence of a functional regulatory-T-cell population (17, 22) and the observation that regulatory T cells could inhibit the elicitation of anti-double-stranded DNA antibodies when coadministered with CD4+ T helper cells to nonautoimmune mice (21). In addition, immunization of mice expressing transgenes for both specific B- and T-cell antigen receptors with the relevant, linked foreign antigens elicited a hyper immunoglobulin E (IgE) response that was inhibited by transfer of regulatory T cells (4). Finally, FoxP3 transgenic mice overexpressing scurfin, a protein implicated in inducing the regulatory-T-cell phenotype (6, 11), showed a markedly reduced trinitrophenol-specific Ig response to trinitrophenol-keyhole limpet hemocyanin in complete and incomplete Freund adjuvant (8).
CD25 (interleukin 2 receptor
[IL-2R
]) is constitutively expressed on regulatory T cells. Injection of anti-IL-2R
MAb (PC61) (12) has been shown to selectively deplete regulatory T cells in vivo and abrogate suppression (23). Glucocorticoid-induced tumor necrosis factor receptor family-related protein (GITR) is also constitutively expressed on regulatory T cells (13, 24). An agonistic GITR-specific MAb, DTA-1, can abrogate the suppressor activity of regulatory T cells both in vitro and in vivo (13, 24). GITR expression can be induced on activated effector CD4+ T cells, where it can act as a costimulatory molecule (25).
We previously reported that both in vivo protein- and polysaccharide (PS)-specific IgG responses to intact Streptococcus pneumoniae were dependent on T-cell receptor
/ß+ CD4+ T-cell help (9, 29). These data led us to examine a potential role for regulatory T cells in limiting the T-cell-dependent IgG antiprotein and anti-PS responses to intact S. pneumoniae in vivo. To our knowledge, this is the first study to explore the potential role of regulatory T cells in an acute humoral response to an intact extracellular bacterium in vivo.
The preparation of S. pneumoniae capsular type 14, soluble conjugates of PPS14-PspA and C-PS-PspA, and other reagents used in this study has been described by us previously (9). Rat IgG2a anti-mouse GITR MAb (clone DTA-1) (24), a kind gift from Shimon Sakaguchi (Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan), rat IgG1 anti-mouse CD25 (IL-2R
) MAb (clone PC61) (12), purchased from the American Type Culture Collection, and isotype MAb controls (rat IgG2a anti-Escherichia coli ß-galactosidase [clone GL117] and rat IgG1 anti-E. coli ß-galactosidase [GL113]), kind gifts of Fred D. Finkelman (University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH), were purified from ascites by ammonium sulfate precipitation and passaged over a protein G column. DTA-1-biotin was kindly provided by Ethan Shevach (National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD).
Determination of antigen-specific serum titers of various Ig isotypes by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), magnetic bead cell sorting, flow cytometry, adoptive transfer studies, and statistical analysis were also performed as described previously (9, 30). Female BALB/c and athymic nude mice were purchased from the National Cancer Institute (Frederick, MD). Mice were used between 6 and 8 weeks of age and were maintained in a pathogen-free environment at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (Bethesda, MD). MyD88/ mice were obtained from S. Akira (Osaka University, Osaka, Japan) and bred and genotyped in our facility (10). For spleen cell proliferation in vitro, spleen cells (1 x 106/ml) were treated with various concentrations of either GL117 (control MAb) or DTA-1 for various times, and incorporation of [3H] thymidine (1 µCi/well) was measured during the last 6 h of culture.
Treatment with anti-IL-2R
MAb (PC61) to selectively deplete CD4+ CD25+ T cells (regulatory T cells) has no effect on the humoral response to various doses of live intact S. pneumoniae capsular type 14.
Administration of PC61, an anti-IL-2R
MAb, results in the selective depletion of regulatory T cells (3). Flow cytometric analysis was performed using spleen cells from mice treated with either PC61 or control MAb GL113 and stained with anti-CD4 and either PC61 or another anti-CD25 MAb, 7D4, which recognizes a different epitope of CD25. In accordance with other studies (23), we found that regulatory T cells were markedly reduced when PC61 was given 1 day prior to immunization with live S. pneumoniae capsular type 14 (Fig. 1A). We injected three doses of live S. pneumoniae capsular type 14 (5 x 106, 1 x 107, or 5 x 107 CFU per mouse) intraperitoneally (i.p.), which led to induction of various serum titers of anti-PPS14 (capsular pneumococcal polysaccharide type 14), anti-PC (phosphorylcholine determinant of C-polysaccharide [C-PS]), and anti-PspA (pneumococcal surface protein A). PC61 or isotype-matched control MAb, GL113, was injected 16 h prior to immunization, and sera were collected on day 0 (prebleed), day 7 (anti-PPS14 and anti-PC) and day 14 (anti-PspA). As illustrated in Fig. 1B, PC61 had no significant effect on the primary serum titers of IgG anti-PPS14, anti-PC, or anti-PspA relative to treatment with GL113, at any of the three immunization doses used.
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FIG. 1. PC61 treatment does not alter the humoral response to various doses of live S. pneumoniae capsular type 14. (A) Flow-cytometric analysis of spleen cells from mice treated with 1 mg PC61 i.p. 1 day prior to sacrifice. Left two panels, spleen cells from control (GL113) and PC61-treated mice stained with anti-CD4-fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) and anti-CD25-PE (PC61); right two panels, spleen cells from control and PC61-treated mice stained with anti-CD25-FITC (7D4) and anti-CD4-PE. (B) Seven mice per group were injected i.p. with either 1 mg PC61 or 1 mg GL113 and 16 h later with the respective dose of live S. pneumoniae capsular type 14. Sera were obtained on days 0, 7, and 14 for determination of antigen-specific IgG titers by ELISA. Data are presented as serum titers of anti-PPS14 and anti-PC (day 7) and titers of anti-PspA (day 14). Values are arithmetic means ± standard errors of the means. Data from one of three representative experiments are shown.
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FIG. 2. DTA-1 treatment does not alter the primary or secondary humoral immune response to heat-killed S. pneumoniae capsular type 14. (A) Spontaneous proliferation of spleen cells (1 x 106/ml) in the presence of various concentrations of control MAb (GL117) or DTA-1. (B) Seven mice per group were injected i.p. with either 1 mg DTA-1 or 1 mg of control MAb (GL117), and 16 h later with 2 x 108 CFU of heat-killed S. pneumoniae capsular type 14 i.p. Mice were boosted on day 14 with a similar dose of S. pneumoniae capsular type 14. Sera were obtained on days 0, 7, 14, and 21 for determination of antigen-specific Ig isotype titers by ELISA. Values are arithmetic means ± standard errors of the means. Data are from one of three representative experiments.
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FIG. 3. Adoptive transfer of CD4+ CD25 T cells into athymic nude recipients restored S. pneumoniae capsular type 14-induced PspA-, PC-, and PPS14-specific IgG titers to levels no greater than that observed for total CD4+ T cells. (A) Flow-cytometric analysis of spleen cells that underwent magnetic bead selection for CD4+ (both CD25+ and CD25) (left) and CD4+ CD25 (right) T cells. (B) Seven athymic nude mice each were injected intravenously with either phosphate-buffered saline, 3 x 106 CD4+ T cells, or 3 x 106 CD4+ CD25 T cells in the tail vein and challenged 16 h later with 2 x 108 CFU of heat-killed S. pneumoniae capsular type 14. Values are arithmetic means of the peak titers for PspA (day 14)-, PC (day 7)-, and PPS14 (day 7)-specific-IgG titers plus standard errors of the means. Data are from one of two representative experiments.
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MAb (PC61) to deplete regulatory T cells has no effect on the humoral response to heat-killed, intact S. pneumoniae capsular type 14 in MyD88/ mice or to soluble protein-polysaccharide conjugates injected in the absence of adjuvant.
Intact S. pneumoniae expresses a number of ligands for Toll-like receptors (TLRs) (20). TLR-mediated immune activation has been shown to abrogate regulatory-T-cell activity, thus allowing initial induction of immunity (15, 16). We previously demonstrated that MyD88/ mice are markedly defective in their innate immune response to S. pneumoniae and exhibit a striking reduction in type 1 IgG isotypes (IgG3, IgG2b, and IgG2a) specific for PPS14, PC, and PspA (10). We thus reasoned that regulatory-T-cell activity would still be operative in S. pneumoniae-immunized MyD88/, but not wild-type mice, and that regulatory-T-cell depletion would enhance humoral immunity in the former, but not the latter. As shown in Fig. 4A, although specific IgM and IgG responses to heat-killed S. pneumoniae capsular type 14 were lower in MyD88/ than wild-type mice, PC-61 had no significant effect on the humoral response in either group of mice. Further, regulatory-T-cell depletion using PC-61 had no effect on induction of IgM or IgG anti-PPS14, anti-PC, or anti-PspA in wild-type mice immunized with a mixture of soluble PPS14-PspA and C-PS-PspA conjugates in saline (Fig. 4B). The ability of PC-61 to deplete regulatory-T-cell in vivo was independently confirmed prior to the latter experiments (Fig. 1A).
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FIG. 4. PC-61 treatment does not alter the humoral immune response to intact S. pneumoniae capsular type 14 in MyD88/ mice or to soluble protein-polysaccharide conjugates injected in saline into wild-type mice. (A) MyD88/ and wild-type mice (seven per group) were injected i.p. with 1 mg of PC-61 or 1 mg of GL113 followed 16 h later by 2 x 108 CFU heat-killed S. pneumoniae capsular type 14 i.p. Sera were obtained on days 0, 7, and 14 for determination of antigen-specific Ig isotype titers by ELISA. (B) Wild-type mice (seven per group) were injected i.p. with 1 mg of PC-61 or 1 mg of GL113 followed 16 h later by 1 µg each of PPS14-PspA and C-PS-PspA in saline i.p. Sera were obtained on days 0, 7, and 14 for determination of antigen-specific Ig isotype titers by ELISA. One experiment each was performed.
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We thank Andy Lees (Biosynexus, Inc., Gaithersburg, MD) for provision of PC-keyhole limpet hemocyanin, PPS14-PspA, and C-PS-PspA, Shizuo Akira (Osaka University, Osaka, Japan) for providing MyD88/ breeding pairs, Ethan Shevach (National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD) for biotin-DTA-1, Fred D. Finkelman (University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH) for provision of GL113 and GL117 cell lines, and Shimon Sakaguchi (Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan) for the DTA-1 cell line.
This work was supported by NIH grants 1R01 AI49192 and 1R01 AI46551 and the USUHS Dean's Research and Education Endowment Fund.
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