Antiviral reactivities of gammadelta T cells

The aminobisphosphonate pamidronate controls influenza pathogenesis by expanding a gammadelta T cell population in humanized mice

As shown in humanized mice, a population of Vγ9Vδ2 T cells can reduce the severity and mortality of disease caused by infection with human and avian influenza viruses.

There are few antiviral drugs for treating influenza, and the emergence of antiviral resistance has further limited the available therapeutic options. Furthermore, antivirals are not invariably effective in severe influenza, such as that caused by H5N1 viruses. Thus, there is an urgent need to develop alternative therapeutic strategies. Here, we show that human Vγ9Vδ2 T cells expanded by the aminobisphosphonate pamidronate (PAM) kill influenza virus–infected cells and inhibit viral replication in vitro. In Rag2^−/−γc^−/− immunodeficient mice reconstituted with human peripheral mononuclear cells (huPBMCs), PAM reduces disease severity and mortality caused by human seasonal H1N1 and avian H5N1 influenza virus, and controls the lung inflammation and viral replication. PAM has no such effects in influenza virus–infected Rag2^−/−γc^−/− mice reconstituted with Vγ9Vδ2 T cell–depleted huPBMCs. Our study provides proof-of-concept of a novel therapeutic strategy for treating influenza by targeting the host rather than the virus, thereby reducing the opportunity for the emergence of drug-resistant viruses. As PAM has been commonly used to treat osteoporosis and Paget’s disease, this new application of an old drug potentially offers a safe and readily available option for treating influenza.

Zoledronic acid enhances Vδ2 T-lymphocyte antitumor response to human glioma cell lines

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most frequent and aggressive primary brain tumor in humans, responds modestly to treatment: most patients survive less than one year after diagnosis, despite both classical and innovative treatment approaches. A recent paper focused on γδ T-cell response in GBM patients, suggesting the application of an immunomodulating strategy based on γδ T-cells which is already in clinical trials for other tumors. Human Vγ2 T-cells recognize changes in the mevalonate metabolic pathway of transformed cells by activating cytotoxic response, and by cytokine and chemokine release. Interestingly, this activation may also be induced in vivo by drugs, such as zoledronic acid, that induce the accumulation of Vγ2 T-cell ligand Isopentenyl-pyrophosphate by blocking the farnesyl pyrophosphate synthase enzyme. The aim of our work is to confirm whether bisphosphonate treatment would make glioma cell lines more susceptible to lysis by in vitro expanded γδ T-cells, improving their antitumor activity. We expanded in vitro human Vγ2 T-cells by phosphoantigen stimulation and tested their activity against glioma cell lines. Co-culture with glioma cells induced Vγ2 T-cell differentiation in effector/memory cells, killing glioma cells by the release of perforin. Interestingly, glioma cells were directly affected by zoledronic acid; moreover, treatment increased their activating ability on Vγ2 T-cells, inducing an effective antitumor cytotoxic response. Taken together, our results show that aminobisphosphonate drugs may play a dual role against GBM, by directly affecting tumor cells, and by enhancing the antitumor response of Vγ2 T-cells. Our results confirm the practicability of this approach as a new immunotherapeutic strategy for GBM treatment.

Characterization of γδ T cell subsets in organ transplantation

γδ T cells are innate-type lymphocytes that preferentially act as regulators of local effector immune responses. Recent reports found an altered distribution of the two main subpopulations of blood γδ T cells (Vδ1 and Vδ2) in operationally tolerant liver transplant recipients. Based on this, γδ T cells subset quantification was proposed as a biomarker of immunologic risk in liver transplantation. The specific characteristics of γδ T cell subsets in transplantation remain however unknown. We have investigated here the phenotype, repertoire and functional properties of γδ T cell subsets in a large population of allograft recipients. Our results indicate that alterations in the γδ T cell compartment are not restricted to tolerant liver recipients. In fact, most immunosuppressed liver and kidney recipients also display an enlarged peripheral blood γδ T cell pool mainly resulting from an expansion of Vδ1 T cells exhibiting an oligoclonal repertoire and different phenotypic and cytokine production traits than Vδ2 T cells. We propose that persistent viral infections are likely to contribute to these alterations. Our data provide novel insight in the biology of γδ T cells and a rationale for exploring these lymphocytes in more depth into the pathogenesis of viral infections in transplantation.

CD8+ gamma-delta TCR+ and CD4+ T cells produce IFN-γ at 5-7 days after yellow fever vaccination in Indian rhesus macaques, before the induction of classical antigen-specific T cell responses

The yellow fever 17D (YF-17D) vaccine is one of the most efficacious vaccines developed to date. Interestingly, vaccination with YF-17D induces IFN-γ production early after vaccination (days 5-7) before the development of classical antigen-specific CD8(+) and CD4(+) T cell responses. Here we investigated the cellular source of this early IFN-γ production. At days 5 and 7 post-vaccination activated CD8(+) gamma-delta TCR T cells produced IFN-γ and TNF-α. Activated CD4(+) T cells produced IFN-γ and TNF-α at day 7 post-vaccination. This early IFN-γ production was also induced after vaccination with recombinant YF-17D (rYF-17D), but was not observed after recombinant Adenovirus type 5 (rAd5) vaccination. Early IFN-γ production, therefore, might be an important aspect of yellow fever vaccination.

The role of Vδ2-negative γδ T cells during cytomegalovirus reactivation in recipients of allogeneic stem cell transplantation

Reactivation of cytomegalovirus (CMV) remains a serious complication after allogeneic stem cell transplantation, but the role of γδ T cells is undefined. We have studied the immune reconstitution of Vδ2negative (Vδ2neg) γδ T cells, including Vδ1 and Vδ3 subsets and Vδ2positive (Vδ2pos) γδ T cells in 40 patients during the first 24 months after stem cell transplantation. Significant long-term expansions of Vδ2neg but not Vδ2pos γδ T cells were observed during CMV reactivation early after transplantation, suggesting direct involvement of γδ T cells in anti-CMV immune responses. Similarly, significantly higher numbers of Vδ2neg γδ T cells were detected in CMV-seropositive healthy persons compared with seronegative donors; the absolute numbers of Vδ2pos cells were not significantly different. The expansion of Vδ2neg γδ T cells appeared to be CMV-related because it was absent in CMV-negative/Epstein-Barr virus-positive patients. T-cell receptor-δ chain determining region 3 spectratyping of Vδ2neg γδ T cells in healthy subjects and patients showed restricted clonality. Polyclonal Vδ2neg cell lines generated from CMV-seropositive healthy donors and from a recipient of a graft from a CMV-positive donor lysed CMV-infected targets in all cases. Our study shows new evidence for role of γδ T cells in the immune response to CMV reactivation in transplantation recipients.

Prolonged antigen survival and cytosolic export in cross-presenting human gammadelta T cells

Human blood Vgamma9Vdelta2 T cells respond to signals from microbes and tumors and subsequently differentiate into professional antigen-presenting cells (gammadelta T-APCs) for induction of CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cell responses. gammadelta T-APCs readily take up and degrade exogenous soluble protein for peptide loading on MHC I, in a process termed antigen cross-presentation. The mechanisms underlying antigen cross-presentation are ill-defined, most notably in human dendritic cells (DCs), and no study has addressed this process in gammadelta T-APCs. Here we show that intracellular protein degradation and endosomal acidification were significantly delayed in gammadelta T-APCs compared with human monocyte-derived DCs (moDCs). Such conditions are known to favor antigen cross-presentation. In both gammadelta T-APCs and moDCs, internalized antigen was transported across insulin-regulated aminopeptidase (IRAP)-positive early and late endosomes; however, and in contrast to various human DC subsets, gammadelta T-APCs efficiently translocated soluble antigen into the cytosol for processing via the cytosolic proteasome-dependent cross-presentation pathway. Of note, gammadelta T-APCs cross-presented influenza antigen derived from virus-infected cells and from free virus particles. The robust cross-presentation capability appears to be a hallmark of gammadelta T-APCs and underscores their potential application in cellular immunotherapy.

Differentiation, distribution and gammadelta T cell-driven regulation of IL-22-producing T cells in tuberculosis

Differentiation, distribution and immune regulation of human IL-22-producing T cells in infections remain unknown. Here, we demonstrated in a nonhuman primate model that M. tuberculosis infection resulted in apparent increases in numbers of T cells capable of producing IL-22 de novo without in vitro Ag stimulation, and drove distribution of these cells more dramatically in lungs than in blood and lymphoid tissues. Consistently, IL-22-producing T cells were visualized in situ in lung tuberculosis (TB) granulomas by confocal microscopy and immunohistochemistry, indicating that mature IL-22-producing T cells were present in TB granuloma. Surprisingly, phosphoantigen HMBPP activation of Vgamma2Vdelta2 T cells down-regulated the capability of T cells to produce IL-22 de novo in lymphocytes from blood, lung/BAL fluid, spleen and lymph node. Up-regulation of IFNgamma-producing Vgamma2Vdelta2 T effector cells after HMBPP stimulation coincided with the down-regulated capacity of these T cells to produce IL-22 de novo. Importantly, anti-IFNgamma neutralizing Ab treatment reversed the HMBPP-mediated down-regulation effect on IL-22-producing T cells, suggesting that Vgamma2Vdelta2 T-cell-driven IFNgamma-networking function was the mechanism underlying the HMBPP-mediated down-regulation of the capability of T cells to produce IL-22. These novel findings raise the possibility to ultimately investigate the function of IL-22 producing T cells and to target Vgamma2Vdelta2 T cells for balancing potentially hyper-activating IL-22-producing T cells in severe TB.

Liver distribution of gammadelta-T-cells in patients with chronic hepatitis of different etiology

The gammadelta T cells represent a minor unique T-cell subpopulation long been considered as innate-like immune cells. They are found in increased numbers in tissues from various inflammatory conditions. Their role in chronic hepatitis, however, is still discussed controversially. Fresh frozen tissues from 50 patients (18 cases hepatitis B infection, 25 hepatitis C, three cases with co-infection of hepatitis B and C and four patients with autoimmune hepatitis) were investigated. Immunohistochemistry with primary antibodies detecting alphabeta and gammadelta TCR was used to evaluate their incidence and distribution in the different histological structures of the liver. The inflammatory infiltrate in all cases of chronic hepatitis was dominated by alphabeta T cells and was mainly localized in the portal tracts with formation of an interface hepatitis (95.3%alphabeta T cells; 4.7%gammadelta T cells). There were neither significant differences between inflammatory infiltrate nor the amount or percentage of gammadelta T cells between hepatitis B, C or autoimmune hepatitis. No accumulation of gammadelta T cells could be observed in cases of chronic hepatitis of different etiologies. The immune-mediated phenomena in chronic hepatitis are dominated by alphabeta T cells. Thus, the adapted immune system is responsible for the inflammatory processes in chronic hepatitis.

Phosphoantigen-expanded human gammadelta T cells display potent cytotoxicity against monocyte-derived macrophages infected with human and avian influenza viruses

BackgroundInfluenza virus is a cause of substantial annual morbidity and mortality worldwide. The potential emergence of a new pandemic strain (eg, avian influenza virus) is a major concern. Currently available vaccines and anti-influenza drugs have limited effectiveness for influenza virus infections, especially for new pandemic strains. Therefore, there is an acute need to develop alternative strategies for influenza therapy. γδ T cells have potent antiviral activities against different viruses, but no data are available concerning their antiviral activity against influenza viruses

MethodsIn this study, we used virus-infected primary human monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs) to examine the antiviral activity of phosphoantigen isopentenyl pyrophosphate (IPP)–expanded human Vγ9Vδ2 T cells against influenza viruses

ResultsVγ9Vδ2 T cells were selectively activated and expanded by IPP from peripheral blood mononuclear cells. IPP-expanded Vγ9Vδ2 T cells efficiently killed MDMs infected with human (H1N1) or avian (H9N2 or H5N1) influenza virus and significantly inhibited viral replication. The cytotoxicity of Vγ9Vδ2 T cells against influenza virus–infected MDMs was dependent on NKG2D activation and was mediated by Fas–Fas ligand and perforin–granzyme B pathways

ConclusionOur findings suggest a potentially novel therapeutic approach to seasonal, zoonotic avian, and pandemic influenza—the use of phosphoantigens to activate γδ T cells against influenza virus infections

Gammadelta T cell immune manipulation during chronic phase of simian-human immunodeficiency virus infection [corrected] confers immunological benefits

Vgamma2Vdelta2 T cells, a major human gammadelta T cell subset, recognize the phosphoantigen (E)-4-hydroxy-3-methyl-but-2-enyl pyrophosphate (HMBPP) produced by mycobacteria and some opportunistic pathogens, and they contribute to innate/adaptive/homeostatic and anticancer immunity. As initial efforts to explore Vgamma2Vdelta2 T cell-based therapeutics against HIV/AIDS-associated bacterial/protozoal infections and neoplasms, we investigated whether a well-defined HMBPP/IL-2 therapeutic regimen could overcome HIV-mediated immune suppression to massively expand polyfunctional Vgamma2Vdelta2 T cells, and whether such activation/expansion could impact AIDS pathogenesis in simian HIV (SHIV)-infected Chinese rhesus macaques. While HMBPP/IL-2 coadministration during acute or chronic phase of SHIV infection induced massive activation/expansion of Vgamma2Vdelta2 T cells, the consequences of such activation/expansions were different between these two treatment settings. HMBPP/IL-2 cotreatment during acute SHIV infection did not prevent the increases in peak and set-point viral loads or the accelerated disease progression seen with IL-2 treatment alone. In contrast, HMBPP/IL-2 cotreatment during chronic infection did not exacerbate disease, and more importantly it could confer immunological benefits. Surprisingly, although viral antigenic loads were not increased upon HMBPP/IL-2 cotreatment during chronic SHIV infection, HMBPP activation of Vgamma2Vdelta2 T cells boosted HIV Env-specific Ab titers. Such increases in Abs were sustained for >170 days and were immediately preceded by increased production of IFN-gamma, TNF-alpha, IL-4, and IL-10 during peak expansion of Vgamma2Vdelta2 T cells displaying memory phenotypes, as well as the short-term increased effector function of Vgamma2Vdelta2 T cells and CD4(+) and CD8(+) alphabeta T cells producing antimicrobial cytokines. Thus, HMBPP/Vgamma2Vdelta2 T cell-based intervention may potentially be useful for combating neoplasms and HMBPP-producing opportunistic pathogens in chronically HIV-infected individuals.

Early triggering of exclusive IFN-gamma responses of human Vgamma9Vdelta2 T cells by TLR-activated myeloid and plasmacytoid dendritic cells

gammadelta T cells, a major innate-like T cell subset, are thought to play in vivo an important role in innate and adaptive immune responses to various infection agents like parasites, bacteria, or viruses but the mechanisms contributing to this immune process remain ill defined. Owing to their ability to recognize a broad set of microbial molecular patterns, TLRs represent a major innate pathway through which pathogens induce dendritic cells (DC) maturation and acquisition of immunostimulatory functions. In this study, we studied the effects of various TLR ligands on the activation of human Vgamma9Vdelta2 T cells, a main human gammadelta PBL subset, which has been recently involved in the licensing of mycobacteria-infected DC. Both TLR3 and TLR4, but not TLR2 ligands, induced a rapid, strong, and exclusive IFN-gamma production by Vgamma9Vdelta2 T cells. This gammadelta subset contributed to a large extent to the overall PBL IFN-gamma response induced after short-term TLR stimulation of human PBMC. Importantly, this phenomenon primarily depended on type I IFN, but not IL-12, produced by monocytic DC upon TLR engagement. Vgamma9Vdelta2 T cells were similarly activated by plasmacytoid DC upon TLR8/9 activation or Yellow Fever virus infection. Moreover TLR-induced Vgamma9Vdelta2 IFN-gamma noncytolytic response led to efficient DC polarization into IL-12p70-producing cells. Our results support an adjuvant role played by Vgamma9Vdelta2 T cells along microbial infections through a particular cross-talk with pathogen-associated molecular patterns-activated DC. Moreover they provide new insights into the mechanisms underlying functional activation of this unique peripheral innate-like T cell subset during viral infections.

Cutting edge: TGF-beta1 and IL-15 Induce FOXP3+ gammadelta regulatory T cells in the presence of antigen stimulation

Several subsets of alphabeta regulatory T cells (Tregs) have been described and studied intensively, but the potential regulatory role of gammadelta T cells remains largely unclear. Lymphocytes expressing gammadelta TCR are involved in both innate and adaptive immune responses, and their major adult human peripheral blood subset (Vgamma9Vdelta2) displays a broad reactivity against microbial agents and tumors. In this study we report that gammadelta T lymphocytes with regulatory functions (Vdelta2 Tregs) are induced in vitro in the presence of specific Ag stimulation and cytokines (TGF-beta1 and IL-15). These cells express FOXP3 and, similarly as alphabeta Tregs, suppress the proliferation of anti-CD3/anti-CD28 stimulated-PBMC. Phenotypic and functional analyses of Vdelta2 Tregs will very likely improve our understanding about the role of gammadelta T cells in the pathogenesis of autoimmune, infectious, and neoplastic diseases.

Thiopyrophosphoantigens: solid-phase synthesis and in vitro characterization of a new class of Vgamma9 Vdelta2 T cells activators

The Vgamma9 Vdelta2 T cells mediate rapid, innate-like immune responses to pathogens and are important in several key immunoregulatory pathways, including those involved in infections and tumor development. Vgamma9 Vdelta2 T cells respond to low molecular weight isoprenoid phosphoantigens; the prototypic stimulatory compound is isopentenylpyrophosphate (IPP), an alkylphosphate intermediate of mevalonate metabolism that elicits proliferative, cytotoxic, and cytokine secretion responses. We studied the replacement of the pyrophosphate moiety with the thiopyrophosphate bioisostere, synthesizing thioanalogues of IPP and 4-hydroxy-3-methyl-but-2-enyl pyrophosphate (HMBPP, the most potent natural antigen known to date). Once their in vitro efficacy and stability had been demonstrated, we synthesized a small library of compounds through the development of an innovative solid-phase strategy. Biological results confirmed thioHMBPP to be the best compound of this first series. Future aims are (i) the exploitation of the parallel solid-phase strategy to further explore structure-activity relationships of this new class of synthetic antigens and (ii) the determination of the PK/PD profile of thioHMBPP.

Antigen-specific Vgamma2Vdelta2 T effector cells confer homeostatic protection against pneumonic plaque lesions

The possibility that Vgamma2Vdelta2 T effector cells can confer protection against pulmonary infectious diseases has not been tested. We have recently demonstrated that single-dose (E)-4-hydroxy-3-methyl-but-2-enyl pyrophosphate (HMBPP) plus IL-2 treatment can induce prolonged accumulation of Vgamma2Vdelta2 T effector cells in lungs. Here, we show that a delayed HMBPP/IL-2 administration after inhalational Yersinia pestis infection induced marked expansion of Vgamma2Vdelta2 T cells but failed to control extracellular plague bacterial replication/infection. Surprisingly, despite the absence of infection control, expansion of Vgamma2Vdelta2 T cells after HMBPP/IL-2 treatment led to the attenuation of inhalation plague lesions in lungs. Consistently, HMBPP-activated Vgamma2Vdelta2 T cells accumulated and localized in pulmonary interstitials surrounding small blood vessels and airway mucosa in the lung tissues with no or mild plague lesions. These infiltrating Vgamma2Vdelta2 T cells produced FGF-7, a homeostatic mediator against tissue damages. In contrast, control macaques treated with glucose plus IL-2 or glucose alone exhibited severe hemorrhages and necrosis in most lung lobes, with no or very few Vgamma2Vdelta2 T cells detectable in lung tissues. The findings are consist with the paradigm that circulating Vgamma2Vdelta2 T cells can traffic to lungs for homeostatic protection against tissue damages in infection.

Activated V gamma 9V delta 2 T cells trigger granulocyte functions via MCP-2 release

Vgamma9Vdelta2 T cells display a broad antimicrobial activity by directly killing infected cells and by inducing an effective adaptive immune response. The activation of Vgamma9Vdelta2 T cells by aminobisphosphonate drugs such as zoledronic acid (ZOL) results in a massive release of cytokines and chemokines that may induce a bystander activation of other immune cells. The aim of this work was to evaluate the ability of soluble factors released by ZOL-activated Vgamma9Vdelta2 T cells to induce granulocyte activation. We showed that soluble factors released by ZOL-stimulated Vgamma9Vdelta2 T cells activate granulocytes by inducing their chemotaxis, phagocytosis, and alpha-defensins release. Proteomic analysis allowed us to identify a number of cytokines and chemokines specifically released by activated Vgamma9Vdelta2 T cells. Moreover, MCP-2 depletion by neutralizing Ab revealed a critical role of this chemokine in induction of granulocyte alpha-defensins release. Altogether, these data show a Vgamma9Vdelta2-mediated activation of granulocytes through a bystander mechanism, and confirm the wide ability of Vgamma9Vdelta2 T-lymphocytes in orchestrating the immune response. In conclusion, an immune modulating strategy targeting Vgamma9Vdelta2 T cells may represent a key switch to induce an effective and well-coordinated immune response, and can be proposed as a way to strengthen the immune competence during infectious diseases.

Characteristics of circulating T cell receptor gamma-delta T cells from individuals chronically infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV): an association between V(delta)2 subtype and chronic HBV infection

BACKGROUND

To date, few studies have been conducted to determine whether T cell receptor (TCR) gammadelta T cells are involved in hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. This study was performed to assess the quantity and immune function of TCRgammadelta T cells in the blood of patients with chronic HBV infection and to analyze the relationship between proportions of TCRgammadelta T cells and both proportions of other immune cells and clinical parameters.

METHODS

Flow cytometry was used to detect the proportions of TCRgammadelta T cells and other immune cells in the peripheral blood of 46 asymptomatic carriers (AsCs) of HBV, 95 patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB), and 29 healthy donors (HDs). The immune functions of TCRgammadelta T cells from 5 AsCs, 6 patients with CHB, and 5 HDs were assessed by cytokine secretion and cytotoxity assays.

RESULTS

The difference in the proportion of the V(delta)2 T cell subtype between HDs and patients was significant. For the patients, the proportion of V(delta)2 T cells was negatively correlated with alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and total bilirubin levels. The differences in interferon (IFN)-gamma secretion and cytotoxicity between patients and HDs were significant.

CONCLUSIONS

The proportion of circulating V(delta)2 T cells was significantly decreased in patients with chronic HBV infection, and this was accompanied by a strong immune response in the liver. IFN-gamma secretion and TCRgammadelta T cell cytotoxicity was lower in patients than in HDs.

Definition of APC presentation of phosphoantigen (E)-4-hydroxy-3-methyl-but-2-enyl pyrophosphate to Vgamma2Vdelta 2 TCR

Although microbial (E)-4-hydroxy-3-methyl-but-2-enyl pyrophosphate (HMBPP) can activate primate Vgamma2Vdelta2 T cells, molecular mechanisms by which HMBPP interacts with Vgamma2Vdelta2 T cells remain poorly characterized. Here, we developed soluble, tetrameric Vgamma2Vdelta2 TCR of rhesus macaques to define HMBPP/APC interaction with Vgamma2Vdelta2 TCR. While exogenous HMBPP was associated with APC membrane in an appreciable affinity, the membrane-associated HMBPP readily bound to the Vgamma2Vdelta2 TCR tetramer. The Vgamma2Vdelta2 TCR tetramer was shown to bind stably to HMBPP presented on membrane by various APC cell lines from humans and nonhuman primates but not those from mouse, rat, or pig. The Vgamma2Vdelta2 TCR tetramer also bound to the membrane-associated HMBPP on primary monocytes, B cells and T cells. Consistently, endogenous phosphoantigen produced in Mycobacterium-infected dendritic cells was transported and presented on membrane, and bound stably to the Vgamma2Vdelta2 TCR tetramer. The capability of APC to present HMBPP for recognition by Vgamma2Vdelta2 TCR was diminished after protease treatment of APC. Thus, our studies elucidated an affinity HMBPP-APC association conferring stable binding to the Vgamma2Vdelta2 TCR tetramer and the protease-sensitive nature of phosphoantigen presentation. The findings defined APC presentation of phosphoantigen HMBPP to Vgamma2Vdelta2 TCR.

Immunological headgear: antiviral immune responses protect against neuroinvasive West Nile virus

With the emergence of epidemic strains of West Nile virus (WNV) in North America, there has been a surge in new research and knowledge regarding the peripheral immune responses that prevent neuroinvasion, the routes of WNV entry into the central nervous system (CNS) and the critical CNS immune responses that promote viral clearance and recovery at this anatomic site. WNV infection induces archetypal antiviral immune responses that, in most cases, lead to elimination of the virus with relatively few immunopathological consequences. Here, we present our current understanding of the innate and adaptive immune responses that limit dissemination to the CNS from WNV infection and the antiviral immune responses within the CNS that intervene when they fail.

Long-term expansion of effector/memory Vdelta2-gammadelta T cells is a specific blood signature of CMV infection

The ability of human gammadelta T cells to develop immunologic memory is still a matter of debate. We previously demonstrated the involvement of Vdelta2- gammadelta T lymphocytes in the response of immunosuppressed organ recipients to cytomegalovirus (CMV). Here, we demonstrate their ability to mount an adaptive immune response to CMV in immunocompetent subjects. Vdelta2- gammadelta T-cell peripheral blood numbers, repertoire restriction, and cytotoxicity against CMV-infected fibroblasts were markedly increased in CMV-seropositive, compared with CMV-seronegative, healthy persons. Whereas Vdelta2- gammadelta T cells were found as naive cells in CMV- patients, they virtually all exhibited the cytotoxic effector/memory phenotype in CMV+ patients, which is also observed in transplanted patients challenged with CMV. This long-term complete remodeling of the Vdelta2- gammadelta T-cell population by CMV predicts their ability to exhibit an adaptive anti-CMV immune response. Consistent with this, we observed that the secondary response to CMV was associated with a faster gammadelta T-cell expansion and a better resolution of infection than the primary response. In conclusion, the increased level of effector-memory Vdelta2- gammadelta T cells in the peripheral blood is a specific signature of an adaptive immune response to CMV infection of both immunocompetent and immunosuppressed patients.

Prolonged (E)-4-hydroxy-3-methyl-but-2-enyl pyrophosphate-driven antimicrobial and cytotoxic responses of pulmonary and systemic Vgamma2Vdelta2 T cells in macaques

Although phosphoantigen-specific Vgamma2Vdelta2 T cells appear to play a role in antimicrobial and anticancer immunity, mucosal immune responses and effector functions of these gammadelta T cells during infection or phospholigand treatment remain poorly characterized. In this study, we demonstrate that the microbial phosphoantigen (E)-4-hydroxy-3-methyl-but-2-enyl pyrophosphate (HMBPP) plus IL-2 treatment of macaques induced a prolonged major expansion of circulating Vgamma2Vdelta2 T cells that expressed CD8 and produced cytotoxic perforin during their peak expansion. Interestingly, HMBPP-activated Vgamma2Vdelta2 T cells underwent an extraordinary pulmonary accumulation, which lasted for 3-4 mo, although circulating Vgamma2Vdelta2 T cells had returned to baseline levels weeks prior. The Vgamma2Vdelta2 T cells that accumulated in the lung following HMBPP/IL-2 cotreatment displayed an effector memory phenotype, as follows: CCR5+CCR7-CD45RA-CD27+ and were able to re-recognize phosphoantigen and produce copious amounts of IFN-gamma up to 15 wk after treatment. Furthermore, the capacity of massively expanded Vgamma2Vdelta2 T cells to produce cytokines in vivo coincided with an increase in numbers of CD4+ and CD8+ alphabeta T cells after HMBPP/IL-2 cotreatment as well as substantial perforin expression by CD3+Vgamma2- T cells. Thus, the prolonged HMBPP-driven antimicrobial and cytotoxic responses of pulmonary and systemic Vgamma2Vdelta2 T cells may confer immunotherapeutics against infectious diseases and cancers.

Central memory Vgamma9Vdelta2 T lymphocytes primed and expanded by bacillus Calmette-Guérin-infected dendritic cells kill mycobacterial-infected monocytes

In humans, innate immune recognition of mycobacteria, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis and bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), is a feature of cells as dendritic cells (DC) and gammadelta T cells. In this study, we show that BCG infection of human monocyte-derived DC induces a rapid activation of Vgamma9Vdelta2 T cells (the major subset of gammadelta T cell pool in human peripheral blood). Indeed, in the presence of BCG-infected DC, Vgamma9Vdelta2 T cells increase both their expression of CD69 and CD25 and the production of TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma, in contrast to DC treated with Vgamma9Vdelta2 T cell-specific Ags. Without further exogenous stimuli, BCG-infected DC expand a functionally cytotoxic central memory Vgamma9Vdelta2 T cell population. This subset does not display lymph node homing receptors, but express a high amount of perforin. They are highly efficient in the killing of mycobacterial-infected primary monocytes or human monocytic THP-1 cells preserving the viability of cocultured, infected DC. This study provides further evidences about the complex relationship between important players of innate immunity and suggests an immunoregulatory role of Vgamma9Vdelta2 T cells in the control of mycobacterial infection.

Human gamma delta T cells: candidates for the development of immunotherapeutic strategies

A numerically small subset of human T lymphocytes expresses a gamma delta T cell receptor (TCR). These gamma delta T cells share certain effector functions with alpha beta T cells as well as with NK cells and NKT cells. The major peripheral blood gamma delta T cell subset in healthy adults expresses a Vgamma9Vdelta2 TCR, which recognizes small phosphorylated metabolites referred to as phosphoantigens. Vdelta1 gamma delta T cells mainly occur in the intestine. They recognize the stress-induced MICA/B and CD1c. Furthermore, gamma delta T cells express a variety of NK cell and pattern-recognition receptors which are responsible for the "fine-tuning" of effector functions. In recent years, gamma delta T cells start to emerge as a rewarding target for immunotherapeutic strategies against viral infections and cancer. A better understanding of factors that modulate gamma gamma delta T cell function will further eluminate the potential of these cells.

Cytotoxic effects of human peripheral blood γδT cells on the tumor cells of digestive system in vitro

AIM: To investigate the cytotoxic effects of human peripheral blood γδT cells on the tumor cell lines of digestive system.

METHODS: The γδT cells in peripheral blood of healthy volunteers were expanded using interleukin-2 (IL-2) and isopentenyl pyrophodphate (IPP) in PRMI 1640 medium. After 10 days, the purity of γδT cells was analyzed by flow cytometry. The cytotoxic activity of the purified γδT cells against human gastric cancer cells, pancreatic carcinoma cells and hepatocellular carcinoma cells were tested in different effector-to-target ratios.

RESULTS: After peripheral blood mononuclear cells were cultured for 10 days, the γδT cells were expanded rapidly from 4.21% to 70.35%. Cytotoxic activities of the purified γδT cells against human gastric cancer cells, pancreatic carcinoma cells and hepatocellular carcinoma cells were 61%, 50% and 59% respectively at the effecter-to-target cell ratio of 40∶1. The cytotoxic activities of the attached γδT cells on tumor cells were higher than those of the suspended γδT (50%, 37% and 37%, respectively) and CIK (45%, 34% and 40%, respectively) cells.

CONCLUSION: The purified human peripheral blood γδT cells show a highly-efficient cytotoxicity against the tumor cells of digestive system. The attached γδT cells are more efficient than the suspended γδT and CIK cells. γδT cells may be another important group of immune effector cells in the adoptive immunotherapy for cancer.

Self/non-self discrimination by human gammadelta T cells: simple solutions for a complex issue?

Although gammadelta T cells express clonally distributed T-cell receptors (TCRs), a hallmark of adaptive immunity, they are classically considered as innate-like effectors, owing to the high frequency of preactivated gammadelta T cells, with restricted antigen recognition repertoire in particular tissue locations. Actually, such features are shared only by a fraction of gammadelta T-cell subsets located in the skin and reproductive organ mucosa in rodents or in peripheral blood in humans. By contrast, other gammadelta subsets, e.g. those found in rodent and human spleen, show diverse antigenic reactivity patterns and mixed naive/memory phenotypes. Thus, gammadelta T cells are made of both 'primitive' subsets endowed with innate-like properties and 'evolved' subsets able to mount anamnestic responses like conventional major histocompatibility complex-restricted alphabeta T cells. In this article, we show that human gammadelta T cells, although heterogeneous, do share recurrent innate features that distinguish them from mainstream alphabeta T cells. In particular, most of them are activated on TCR- or natural killer receptor-mediated recognition of a restricted set of conserved yet poorly defined endogenous stress determinants. This rather simple recognition mechanism allows human gammadelta T cells to discriminate healthy cells from altered cells and to exert a variety of immunostimulatory or regulatory functions. The recent availability of synthetic gammadelta T-cell agonists mimicking these natural stress-induced ligands have fostered development of immunotherapeutic strategies, with broad indications against infectious and tumor diseases, which are briefly reviewed here.

Human Vgamma9Vdelta2 T cells: promising new leads for immunotherapy of infections and tumors

Vgamma9Vdelta2 T cells, a major human peripheral gammadelta T-cell subset, react in vitro against a wide array of microbial agents and tumor cells. This broad reactivity pattern is conferred by non-peptidic phosphorylated isoprenoid pathway metabolites, referred to as phosphoantigens, which are able to specifically activate this gammadelta T-cell subset in a T-cell receptor dependent fashion. Recent studies provide new insights into the mode of action of phosphoantigens on Vgamma9Vdelta2 T cells and might explain how their recognition can allow detection of infected or altered self by the immune system. The broad antimicrobial and antitumoral reactivity of Vgamma9Vdelta2 T cells, their ability to produce inflammatory cytokines involved in protective immunity against intracellular pathogens and tumors, and their strong cytolytic and bactericidal activities suggest a direct involvement in immune control of cancers and infections. These observations have recently aided development of novel immunotherapeutic approaches aimed at Vgamma9Vdelta2 T-cell activation, which have already yielded encouraging results.

Anti-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus immune responses: the role played by V gamma 9V delta 2 T cells

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is caused by a novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV) strain. Analyses of T cell repertoires in health care workers who survived SARS-CoV infection during the 2003 outbreak revealed that their effector memory Vγ9Vδ2 T cell populations were selectively expanded ∼3 months after the onset of disease. No such expansion of their αβ T cell pools was detected. The expansion of the Vγ9Vδ2 T cell population was associated with higher anti–SARS-CoV immunoglobulin G titers. In addition, in vitro experiments demonstrated that stimulated Vγ9Vδ2 T cells display an interferon-γ–dependent anti–SARS-CoV activity and are able to directly kill SARS-CoV–infected target cells. These findings are compatible with the possibility that Vγ9Vδ2 T cells play a protective role during SARS

Activation of Vgamma9Vdelta2 T cells by non-peptidic antigens induces the inhibition of subgenomic HCV replication

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) has evolved complex strategies to evade host immune responses and establish chronic infection. Since human Vγ9Vδ2 T lymphocytes play a critical role in the immune response against viruses, we analyzed their antiviral functions on Huh7 hepatoma cells carrying the subgenomic HCV replicon (Rep60 cells). In a transwell culture system, Rep60 cells were co-cultured with either PBMCs or highly purified γδ T cells stimulated by non-peptidic antigens. Vγ9Vδ2 T cell activation was associated with a dramatic reduction of HCV RNA levels. Neutralizing antibodies targeting IFN-γ revealed a critical role for this cytokine in the inhibition of HCV replication. Interestingly, drugs already in clinical use, such as Phosphostim and Zoledronate, known to activate γδ T cells, were shown to induce the inhibition of HCV replication mediated by Vγ9Vδ2 T cells of HCV patients. Our data suggest that the therapeutic activation of Vγ9Vδ2 T lymphocytes may represent an additional strategy to inhibit HCV replication and to restore a T_h1-oriented immune response in HCV-infected patients.

Vgamma9Vdelta2 T cell-mediated non-cytolytic antiviral mechanisms and their potential for cell-based therapy

In healthy adult Homo sapiens, the most frequent circulating gammadelta T cells (Vgamma9Vdelta2) respond to pyrophosphomonoesters, alkylamines (together referred to as non-peptidic antigens, NpAgs) and nitrogen-containing bisphosphonates. The seemingly very low toxicity of bisphosphonate and pyrophosphomonoester drugs in vivo, may allow novel approaches to the immunotherapy of viral infections. For example, these drugs can be used to stimulate Vgamma9Vdelta2 T cells to release antiviral molecules that directly suppress virus replication without destroying the virus-replicating cells. In addition, the soluble molecules released by gammadelta T cells could boost the antiviral potency of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) and promote antigen presentation. The relative therapeutic value of drug-induced direct antiviral and immunoregulatory activities may depend on the infecting virus as well as on the nature of protective immune responses.