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Sehgal ANA, Safran J, Kratzer B, Gattinger P, Stieger RB, Musiejovsky L, Trapin D, Ettel P, Körmöczi U, Rottal A, Borochova K, Dorofeeva Y, Tulaeva I, Weber M, Grabmeier-Pfistershammer K, Perkmann T, Wiedermann U, Valenta R, Pickl WF. Flow Cytometry-Based Measurement of Antibodies Specific for Cell Surface-Expressed Folded SARS-CoV-2 Receptor-Binding Domains. Vaccines (Basel) 2024; 12:377. [PMID: 38675759 PMCID: PMC11053794 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines12040377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2024] [Revised: 03/20/2024] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND COVID-19, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has now become endemic and is currently one of the important respiratory virus infections regularly affecting mankind. The assessment of immunity against SARS-CoV-2 and its variants is important for guiding active and passive immunization and SARS-CoV-2-specific treatment strategies. METHODS We here devised a novel flow cytometry-based diagnostic platform for the assessment of immunity against cell-bound virus antigens. This platform is based on a collection of HEK-293T cell lines which, as exemplified in our study, stably express the receptor-binding domains (RBDs) of the SARS-CoV-2 S-proteins of eight major SARS-CoV-2 variants, ranging from Wuhan-Hu-1 to Omicron. RESULTS RBD-expressing cell lines stably display comparable levels of RBD on the surface of HEK-293T cells, as shown with anti-FLAG-tag antibodies directed against a N-terminally introduced 3x-FLAG sequence while the functionality of RBD was proven by ACE2 binding. We exemplify the usefulness and specificity of the cell-based test by direct binding of IgG and IgA antibodies of SARS-CoV-2-exposed and/or vaccinated individuals in which the assay shows a wide linear performance range both at very low and very high serum antibody concentrations. In another application, i.e., antibody adsorption studies, the test proved to be a powerful tool for measuring the ratios of individual variant-specific antibodies. CONCLUSION We have established a toolbox for measuring SARS-CoV-2-specific immunity against cell-bound virus antigens, which may be considered as an important addition to the armamentarium of SARS-CoV-2-specific diagnostic tests, allowing flexible and quick adaptation to new variants of concern.
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Affiliation(s)
- Al Nasar Ahmed Sehgal
- Institute of Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria (J.S.); (R.B.S.)
| | - Jera Safran
- Institute of Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria (J.S.); (R.B.S.)
| | - Bernhard Kratzer
- Institute of Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria (J.S.); (R.B.S.)
| | - Pia Gattinger
- Institute of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Robert B. Stieger
- Institute of Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria (J.S.); (R.B.S.)
| | - Laszlo Musiejovsky
- Institute of Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria (J.S.); (R.B.S.)
| | - Doris Trapin
- Institute of Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria (J.S.); (R.B.S.)
| | - Paul Ettel
- Institute of Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria (J.S.); (R.B.S.)
| | - Ulrike Körmöczi
- Institute of Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria (J.S.); (R.B.S.)
| | - Arno Rottal
- Institute of Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria (J.S.); (R.B.S.)
| | - Kristina Borochova
- Institute of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Yulia Dorofeeva
- Institute of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Inna Tulaeva
- Institute of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
- Laboratory for Immunopathology, Department of Clinical Immunology and Allergology, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, 119991 Moscow, Russia
| | - Milena Weber
- Institute of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Katharina Grabmeier-Pfistershammer
- Institute of Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria (J.S.); (R.B.S.)
| | - Thomas Perkmann
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria;
| | - Ursula Wiedermann
- Institute of Specific Prophylaxis and Tropical Medicine, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Rudolf Valenta
- Institute of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
- Laboratory for Immunopathology, Department of Clinical Immunology and Allergology, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, 119991 Moscow, Russia
- NRC Institute of Immunology FMBA of Russia, 115478 Moscow, Russia
- Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, 3500 Krems, Austria
| | - Winfried F. Pickl
- Institute of Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria (J.S.); (R.B.S.)
- Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, 3500 Krems, Austria
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2
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Novak W, Berner J, Svaton M, Jimenez-Heredia R, Segarra-Roca A, Frohne A, Guiliani S, Rouhani D, Eder SK, Rottal A, Trapin D, Scheuchenstuhl A, Pickl WF, Simonitsch-Klupp I, Kager L, Boztug K. Evans syndrome caused by a deleterious mutation affecting the adaptor protein SASH3. Br J Haematol 2023; 203:678-683. [PMID: 37646304 DOI: 10.1111/bjh.19061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2023] [Revised: 08/09/2023] [Accepted: 08/11/2023] [Indexed: 09/01/2023]
Abstract
Increasing evidence suggests multilineage cytopenias (also known as Evans syndrome) may be caused by inborn errors of immunity (IEI) with immune dysregulation. We studied a patient with autoimmune haemolytic anaemia and immune thrombocytopenia and identified a germline mutation in SASH3 (c.862C>T;p.Arg288Ter), indicating a recently identified IEI. Immunohistochemistry performed after clinically indicated splenectomy revealed severe hypoplasia/absence of germinal centres. The autoimmune phenotype was associated with an increased CD21low T-bet+ CD11c+ subset along with decreased regulatory T cells, impaired T-cell proliferation and T-cell exhaustion. The younger brother carries the same SASH3 mutation and shares immunophenotypic features but is currently clinical asymptomatic, indicating heterogeneity of SASH3 deficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wolfgang Novak
- St. Anna Children's Hospital, Vienna, Austria
- Medical University of Vienna, Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | - Jakob Berner
- St. Anna Children's Hospital, Vienna, Austria
- Medical University of Vienna, Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Vienna, Austria
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), Vienna, Austria
- Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Rare and Undiagnosed Diseases, Vienna, Austria
- Department of Dermatology, Venerology and Allergology, Klinik Landstrasse, Vienna, Austria
| | - Michael Svaton
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), Vienna, Austria
- CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Raul Jimenez-Heredia
- St. Anna Children's Hospital, Vienna, Austria
- Medical University of Vienna, Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Vienna, Austria
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), Vienna, Austria
- Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Rare and Undiagnosed Diseases, Vienna, Austria
| | - Anna Segarra-Roca
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), Vienna, Austria
- Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Rare and Undiagnosed Diseases, Vienna, Austria
| | - Alexandra Frohne
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), Vienna, Austria
- Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Rare and Undiagnosed Diseases, Vienna, Austria
| | - Sarah Guiliani
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), Vienna, Austria
| | - David Rouhani
- St. Anna Children's Hospital, Vienna, Austria
- Medical University of Vienna, Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | - Sebastian K Eder
- St. Anna Children's Hospital, Vienna, Austria
- Medical University of Vienna, Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Vienna, Austria
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), Vienna, Austria
| | - Arno Rottal
- Medical University of Vienna, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Institute of Immunology, Vienna, Austria
| | - Doris Trapin
- Medical University of Vienna, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Institute of Immunology, Vienna, Austria
| | - Anja Scheuchenstuhl
- Medical University of Vienna, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Institute of Immunology, Vienna, Austria
| | - Winfried F Pickl
- Medical University of Vienna, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Institute of Immunology, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Leo Kager
- St. Anna Children's Hospital, Vienna, Austria
- Medical University of Vienna, Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Vienna, Austria
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), Vienna, Austria
| | - Kaan Boztug
- St. Anna Children's Hospital, Vienna, Austria
- Medical University of Vienna, Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Vienna, Austria
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), Vienna, Austria
- Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Rare and Undiagnosed Diseases, Vienna, Austria
- CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria
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3
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Kratzer B, Grabmeier-Pfistershammer K, Trapin D, Körmöczi U, Rottal A, Feichter M, Waidhofer-Söllner P, Smogavec M, Laccone F, Hauser M, Winkler S, Pickl WF, Lechner AM. Mycobacterium avium Complex Infections: Detailed Phenotypic and Functional Immunological Work-Up Is Required despite Genetic Analyses. Int Arch Allergy Immunol 2023; 184:914-931. [PMID: 37279717 DOI: 10.1159/000530844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2023] [Accepted: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 06/08/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Cervical scrofulous lymphadenitis due to Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) in immunocompetent adults is a rare disease. The presence of MAC infections demands meticulous clinical evaluation of patients along with detailed phenotypic and functional evaluation of their immune system including next-generation sequencing (NGS) analyses of target genes. METHODS Exact clinical histories of the index patients both suffering from retromandibular/cervical scrofulous lymphadenitis were obtained along with phenotypic and functional immunological evaluations of leukocyte populations followed by targeted NGS-based sequencing of candidate genes. RESULTS Immunological investigations showed normal serum immunoglobulin and complement levels, but lymphopenia, which was caused by significantly reduced CD3+CD4+CD45RO+ memory T-cell and CD19+ B-cell numbers. Despite normal T-cell proliferation to a number of accessory cell-dependent and -independent stimuli, the PBMC of both patients elaborated clearly reduced levels of a number of cytokines, including IFN-γ, IL-10, IL-12p70, IL-1α, IL-1β, and TNF-α upon TCR-dependent T-cell stimulation with CD3-coated beads but also superantigens. The IFN-γ production deficiency was confirmed for CD3+CD4+ helper and CD4+CD8+ cytotoxic T cells on the single-cell level by multiparametric flow cytometry irrespective of whether PMA/ionomycin-stimulated whole blood cells or gradient-purified PBMC was analyzed. In the female patient L1, targeted NGS-based sequencing revealed a homozygous c.110T>C mutation in the interferon-γ receptor type 1 (IFNGR1) leading to significantly reduced receptor expression on both CD14+ monocytes and CD3+ T cells. Patient S2 presented with normal IFNGR1 expression on CD14+ monocytes but significantly reduced IFNGR1 expression on CD3+ T cells, despite the absence of detectable homozygous mutations in the IFNGR1 itself or disease-related target genes. Exogenous addition of increasing doses of IFN-γ resulted in proper upregulation of high-affinity FcγRI (CD64) on monocytes from patient S2, whereas monocytes from patient L1 showed only partial induction of CD64 expression after incubation with high doses of IFN-γ. CONCLUSION A detailed phenotypic and functional immunological examination is urgently required to determine the cause of a clinically relevant immunodeficiency, despite detailed genetic analyses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernhard Kratzer
- Medical University of Vienna, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Institute of Immunology, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Doris Trapin
- Medical University of Vienna, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Institute of Immunology, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ulrike Körmöczi
- Medical University of Vienna, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Institute of Immunology, Vienna, Austria
| | - Arno Rottal
- Medical University of Vienna, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Institute of Immunology, Vienna, Austria
| | - Melanie Feichter
- Medical University of Vienna, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Institute of Immunology, Vienna, Austria
| | - Petra Waidhofer-Söllner
- Medical University of Vienna, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Institute of Immunology, Vienna, Austria
| | - Mateja Smogavec
- Medical University of Vienna, Center for Pathobiochemistry and Genetics, Institute of Medical Genetics, Vienna, Austria
| | - Franco Laccone
- Medical University of Vienna, Center for Pathobiochemistry and Genetics, Institute of Medical Genetics, Vienna, Austria
| | - Michael Hauser
- Paris Lodron University Salzburg, Division of Allergy and Immunology, Department of Biosciences, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Stefan Winkler
- Medical University of Vienna, Department of Medicine I, Division of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Winfried F Pickl
- Medical University of Vienna, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Institute of Immunology, Vienna, Austria
- Karl Landsteiner University, Krems, Austria
| | - Arno M Lechner
- Paracelsus University Salzburg, University Institute for Clinical Microbiology and Hygiene, Salzburg, Austria
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4
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Tauber PA, Kratzer B, Schatzlmaier P, Smole U, Köhler C, Rausch L, Kranich J, Trapin D, Neunkirchner A, Zabel M, Jutz S, Steinberger P, Gadermaier G, Brocker T, Stockinger H, Derdak S, Pickl WF. The small molecule inhibitor BX-795 uncouples IL-2 production from inhibition of Th2 inflammation and induces CD4 + T cells resembling iTreg. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1094694. [PMID: 37090735 PMCID: PMC10117943 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1094694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2022] [Accepted: 03/06/2023] [Indexed: 04/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Treg cells have been shown to be an important part of immune-homeostasis and IL-2 which is produced upon T cell receptor (TCR)-dependent activation of T lymphocytes has been demonstrated to critically participate in Treg development. Objective To evaluate small molecule inhibitors (SMI) for the identification of novel IL-2/Treg enhancing compounds. Materials and methods We used TCR-dependent and allergen-specific cytokine secretion of human and mouse T cells, next generation messenger ribonucleic acid sequencing (RNA-Seq) and two different models of allergic airway inflammation to examine lead SMI-compounds. Results We show here that the reported 3-phosphoinositide dependent kinase-1 (PDK1) SMI BX-795 increased IL-2 in culture supernatants of Jurkat E6-1 T cells, human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (hPBMC) and allergen-specific mouse T cells upon TCR-dependent and allergen-specific stimulation while concomitantly inhibiting Th2 cytokine secretion. RNA-Seq revealed that the presence of BX-795 during allergen-specific activation of T cells induces a bona fide Treg cell type highly similar to iTreg but lacking Foxp3 expression. When applied in mugwort pollen and house dust mite extract-based models of airway inflammation, BX-795 significantly inhibited Th2 inflammation including expression of Th2 signature transcription factors and cytokines and influx into the lungs of type 2-associated inflammatory cells such as eosinophils. Conclusions BX-795 potently uncouples IL-2 production from Th2 inflammation and induces Th-IL-2 cells, which highly resemble induced (i)Tregs. Thus, BX-795 may be a useful new compound for the treatment of allergic diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter A. Tauber
- Institute of Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Bernhard Kratzer
- Institute of Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Philipp Schatzlmaier
- Institute of Hygiene and Applied Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ursula Smole
- Institute of Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Cordula Köhler
- Institute of Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Lisa Rausch
- Institute for Immunology, Biomedical Center (BMC), Faculty of Medicine, Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU) Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Jan Kranich
- Institute for Immunology, Biomedical Center (BMC), Faculty of Medicine, Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU) Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Doris Trapin
- Institute of Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Alina Neunkirchner
- Institute of Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Maja Zabel
- Institute of Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Sabrina Jutz
- Institute of Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Peter Steinberger
- Institute of Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Thomas Brocker
- Institute for Immunology, Biomedical Center (BMC), Faculty of Medicine, Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU) Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Hannes Stockinger
- Institute of Hygiene and Applied Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Sophia Derdak
- Core Facilities, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Winfried F. Pickl
- Institute of Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Karl Landsteiner University of Healthcare, Krems, Austria
- *Correspondence: Winfried F. Pickl,
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5
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Kratzer B, Schlax LC, Gattinger P, Waidhofer‐Söllner P, Trapin D, Tauber PA, Sehgal ANA, Körmöczi U, Rottal A, Feichter M, Oberhofer T, Grabmeier‐Pfistershammer K, Borochova K, Dorofeeva Y, Tulaeva I, Weber M, Mühl B, Kropfmüller A, Negrin B, Kundi M, Valenta R, Pickl WF. Combined assessment of S- and N-specific IL-2 and IL-13 secretion and CD69 neo-expression for discrimination of post-infection and post-vaccination cellular SARS-CoV-2-specific immune response. Allergy 2022; 77:3408-3425. [PMID: 35690994 PMCID: PMC9348018 DOI: 10.1111/all.15406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2021] [Revised: 05/20/2022] [Accepted: 05/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Antibody-based tests are available for measuring SARS-CoV-2-specific immune responses but fast T-cell assays remain scarce. Robust T cell-based tests are needed to differentiate specific cellular immune responses after infection from those after vaccination. METHODS One hundred seventeen individuals (COVID-19 convalescent patients: n = 40; SARS-CoV-2 vaccinees: n = 41; healthy controls: n = 36) were evaluated for SARS-CoV-2-specific cellular immune responses (proliferation, Th1, Th2, Th17, and inflammatory cytokines, activation-induced marker [AIM] expression) by incubating purified peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) or whole blood (WB) with SARS-CoV-2 peptides (S, N, or M), vaccine antigens (tetanus toxoid, tick borne encephalitis virus) or polyclonal stimuli (Staphylococcal enterotoxin, phytohemagglutinin). RESULTS N-peptide mix stimulation of WB identified the combination of IL-2 and IL-13 secretion as superior to IFN-γ secretion to discriminate between COVID-19-convalescent patients and healthy controls (p < .0001). Comparable results were obtained with M- or S-peptides, the latter almost comparably recalled IL-2, IFN-γ, and IL-13 responses in WB of vaccinees. Analysis 10 months as opposed to 10 weeks after COVID-19, but not allergic disease status, positively correlated with IL-13 recall responses. WB cytokine responses correlated with cytokine and proliferation responses of PBMC. Antigen-induced neo-expression of the C-type lectin CD69 on CD4+ (p < .0001) and CD8+ (p = .0002) T cells informed best about the SARS-CoV-2 exposure status with additional benefit coming from CD25 upregulation. CONCLUSION Along with N- and S-peptide-induced IL-2 and CD69 neo-expression, we suggest to include the type 2 cytokine IL-13 as T-cellular recall marker for SARS-CoV-2 specific T-cellular immune responses after infection and vaccination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernhard Kratzer
- Medical University of ViennaCenter for PathophysiologyInfectiology and ImmunologyInstitute of ImmunologyViennaAustria
| | - Larissa C. Schlax
- Medical University of ViennaCenter for PathophysiologyInfectiology and ImmunologyInstitute of ImmunologyViennaAustria
| | - Pia Gattinger
- Medical University of ViennaCenter for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and ImmunologyDepartment of Pathophysiology and Allergy ResearchViennaAustria
| | - Petra Waidhofer‐Söllner
- Medical University of ViennaCenter for PathophysiologyInfectiology and ImmunologyInstitute of ImmunologyViennaAustria
| | - Doris Trapin
- Medical University of ViennaCenter for PathophysiologyInfectiology and ImmunologyInstitute of ImmunologyViennaAustria
| | - Peter A. Tauber
- Medical University of ViennaCenter for PathophysiologyInfectiology and ImmunologyInstitute of ImmunologyViennaAustria
| | - Al Nasar Ahmed Sehgal
- Medical University of ViennaCenter for PathophysiologyInfectiology and ImmunologyInstitute of ImmunologyViennaAustria
| | - Ulrike Körmöczi
- Medical University of ViennaCenter for PathophysiologyInfectiology and ImmunologyInstitute of ImmunologyViennaAustria
| | - Arno Rottal
- Medical University of ViennaCenter for PathophysiologyInfectiology and ImmunologyInstitute of ImmunologyViennaAustria
| | - Melanie Feichter
- Medical University of ViennaCenter for PathophysiologyInfectiology and ImmunologyInstitute of ImmunologyViennaAustria
| | - Teresa Oberhofer
- Medical University of ViennaCenter for PathophysiologyInfectiology and ImmunologyInstitute of ImmunologyViennaAustria
| | | | - Kristina Borochova
- Medical University of ViennaCenter for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and ImmunologyDepartment of Pathophysiology and Allergy ResearchViennaAustria
| | - Yulia Dorofeeva
- Medical University of ViennaCenter for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and ImmunologyDepartment of Pathophysiology and Allergy ResearchViennaAustria
| | - Inna Tulaeva
- Medical University of ViennaCenter for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and ImmunologyDepartment of Pathophysiology and Allergy ResearchViennaAustria,I. M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University)Department of Clinical Immunology and AllergologyLaboratory for ImmunopathologyMoscowRussia
| | - Milena Weber
- Medical University of ViennaCenter for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and ImmunologyDepartment of Pathophysiology and Allergy ResearchViennaAustria
| | | | | | - Bettina Negrin
- Österreichische Gesundheitskasse, Klinikum PeterhofBadenAustria
| | - Michael Kundi
- Medical University of ViennaCenter for Public HealthDepartment for Environmental HealthViennaAustria
| | - Rudolf Valenta
- Medical University of ViennaCenter for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and ImmunologyDepartment of Pathophysiology and Allergy ResearchViennaAustria,I. M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University)Department of Clinical Immunology and AllergologyLaboratory for ImmunopathologyMoscowRussia,NRC Institute of Immunology FMBA of RussiaMoscowRussia,Karl Landsteiner University of Health SciencesKremsAustria
| | - Winfried F. Pickl
- Medical University of ViennaCenter for PathophysiologyInfectiology and ImmunologyInstitute of ImmunologyViennaAustria,Karl Landsteiner University of Health SciencesKremsAustria
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6
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Gattinger P, Tulaeva I, Borochova K, Kratzer B, Trapin D, Kropfmüller A, Pickl WF, Valenta R. Omicron: A SARS-CoV-2 variant of real concern. Allergy 2022; 77:1616-1620. [PMID: 35188670 PMCID: PMC9111213 DOI: 10.1111/all.15264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2022] [Revised: 02/14/2022] [Accepted: 02/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Pia Gattinger
- Department of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research Division of Immunopathology Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Inna Tulaeva
- Department of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research Division of Immunopathology Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
- Laboratory for Immunopathology Department of Clinical Immunology and Allergy Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University Moscow Russia
| | - Kristina Borochova
- Department of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research Division of Immunopathology Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Bernhard Kratzer
- Institute of Immunology Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Doris Trapin
- Institute of Immunology Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Anna Kropfmüller
- Österreichische Gesundheitskasse Klinikum Peterhof Baden Austria
| | - Winfried F. Pickl
- Institute of Immunology Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
- Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences Krems Austria
| | - Rudolf Valenta
- Department of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research Division of Immunopathology Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
- Laboratory for Immunopathology Department of Clinical Immunology and Allergy Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University Moscow Russia
- Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences Krems Austria
- NRC Institute of Immunology FMBA of Russia Moscow Russia
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7
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Gattinger P, Kratzer B, Tulaeva I, Niespodziana K, Ohradanova‐Repic A, Gebetsberger L, Borochova K, Garner‐Spitzer E, Trapin D, Hofer G, Keller W, Baumgartner I, Tancevski I, Khaitov M, Karaulov A, Stockinger H, Wiedermann U, Pickl W, Valenta R. Vaccine based on folded RBD-PreS fusion protein with potential to induce sterilizing immunity to SARS-CoV-2 variants. Allergy 2022; 77:2431-2445. [PMID: 35357709 PMCID: PMC9111473 DOI: 10.1111/all.15305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2022] [Revised: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 03/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Background Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) is responsible for the ongoing global COVID‐19 pandemic. One possibility to control the pandemic is to induce sterilizing immunity through the induction and maintenance of neutralizing antibodies preventing SARS‐CoV‐2 from entering human cells to replicate in. Methods We report the construction and in vitro and in vivo characterization of a SARS‐CoV‐2 subunit vaccine (PreS‐RBD) based on a structurally folded recombinant fusion protein consisting of two SARS‐CoV‐2 Spike protein receptor‐binding domains (RBD) fused to the N‐ and C‐terminus of hepatitis B virus (HBV) surface antigen PreS to enable the two unrelated proteins serving as immunologic carriers for each other. Results PreS‐RBD, but not RBD alone, induced a robust and uniform RBD‐specific IgG response in rabbits. Currently available genetic SARS‐CoV‐2 vaccines induce mainly transient IgG1 responses in vaccinated subjects whereas the PreS‐RBD vaccine induced RBD‐specific IgG antibodies consisting of an early IgG1 and sustained IgG4 antibody response in a SARS‐CoV‐2 naive subject. PreS‐RBD‐specific IgG antibodies were detected in serum and mucosal secretions, reacted with SARS‐CoV‐2 variants, including the omicron variant of concern and the HBV receptor‐binding sites on PreS of currently known HBV genotypes. PreS‐RBD‐specific antibodies of the immunized subject more potently inhibited the interaction of RBD with its human receptor ACE2 and their virus‐neutralizing titers (VNTs) were higher than median VNTs in a random sample of healthy subjects fully immunized with registered SARS‐CoV‐2 vaccines or in COVID‐19 convalescent subjects. Conclusion The PreS‐RBD vaccine has the potential to serve as a combination vaccine for inducing sterilizing immunity against SARS‐CoV‐2 and HBV by stopping viral replication through the inhibition of cellular virus entry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pia Gattinger
- Department of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research Division of Immunopathology Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Bernhard Kratzer
- Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology Institute of Immunology Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Inna Tulaeva
- Department of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research Division of Immunopathology Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
- Laboratory for Immunopathology Department of Clinical Immunology and Allergology Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University Moscow Russia
| | - Katarzyna Niespodziana
- Department of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research Division of Immunopathology Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
- Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences Krems Austria
| | - Anna Ohradanova‐Repic
- Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology Institute for Hygiene and Applied Immunology Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Laura Gebetsberger
- Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology Institute for Hygiene and Applied Immunology Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Kristina Borochova
- Department of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research Division of Immunopathology Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Erika Garner‐Spitzer
- Institute of Specific Prophylaxis and Tropical Medicine Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Doris Trapin
- Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology Institute of Immunology Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Gerhard Hofer
- Department of Materials and Environmental Chemistry University of Stockholm Stockholm Sweden
| | - Walter Keller
- Institute of Molecular Biosciences, BioTechMed Graz University of Graz Graz Austria
| | | | - Ivan Tancevski
- Department of Internal Medicine II Medical University of Innsbruck Innsbruck Austria
| | - Musa Khaitov
- NRC Institute of Immunology FMBA of Russia Moscow Russia
- Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University Moscow Russia
| | - Alexander Karaulov
- Laboratory for Immunopathology Department of Clinical Immunology and Allergology Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University Moscow Russia
| | - Hannes Stockinger
- Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology Institute for Hygiene and Applied Immunology Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Ursula Wiedermann
- Institute of Specific Prophylaxis and Tropical Medicine Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Winfried F. Pickl
- Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology Institute of Immunology Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
- Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences Krems Austria
| | - Rudolf Valenta
- Department of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research Division of Immunopathology Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
- Laboratory for Immunopathology Department of Clinical Immunology and Allergology Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University Moscow Russia
- Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences Krems Austria
- NRC Institute of Immunology FMBA of Russia Moscow Russia
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8
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Kratzer B, Trapin D, Gattinger P, Oberhofer T, Sehgal ANA, Waidhofer-Söllner P, Rottal A, Körmöczi U, Grabmeier-Pfistershammer K, Kopetzky GH, Tischer F, Valenta R, Pickl WF. Lack of Induction of RBD-Specific Neutralizing Antibodies despite Repeated Heterologous SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination Leading to Seroconversion and Establishment of T Cell-Specific Memory in a Patient in Remission of Multiple Myeloma. Vaccines (Basel) 2022; 10:vaccines10030374. [PMID: 35335006 PMCID: PMC8949333 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines10030374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2022] [Revised: 02/22/2022] [Accepted: 02/23/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Prophylactic vaccination against infectious diseases may induce a state of long-term protection in the otherwise healthy host. However, the situation is less predictable in immunocompromised patients and may require adjustment of vaccination schedules and/or basic therapy. Methods: A patient in full remission of multiple myeloma since the last three years and on long-term maintenance therapy with pomalidomide, a drug inhibiting angiogenesis and myeloma cell growth, was vaccinated twice with Comirnaty followed by two vaccinations with Vaxzevria. Seroconversion and SARS-CoV-2-specific cellular responses were monitored. Results: No signs of seroconversion or T cellular memory were observed after the first “full immunization” with Comirnaty. Consequently, long-term-maintenance therapy with Pomalidomide was stopped and two additional shots of Vaxzevria were administered after which the patient seroconverted with Spike(S)-protein specific antibody levels reaching 49 BAU/mL, mild S-peptide pool-specific T cell proliferation, effector cytokine production (IL-2, IL-13), and T cellular activation with increased numbers of CD3+CD4+CD25+ T cells as compared to vaccinated and non-vaccinated control subjects. However, despite suspension of immunosuppression and administration of in total four consecutive heterologous SARS-CoV-2 vaccine shots, the patient did not develop neutralizing RBD-specific antibodies. Conclusions: Despite immunomonitoring-based adjustment of vaccination and/or therapy schedules vaccination success, with clear correlates of protection, the development of RBD-specific antibodies could not be achieved in the immunocompromised patient with current SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. Thus, our report emphasizes the need for improved active and passive immunization strategies for SARS-CoV-2 infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernhard Kratzer
- Division of Cellular Immunology and Immunohematology, Institute of Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (D.T.); (T.O.); (A.N.A.S.); (P.W.-S.); (A.R.); (U.K.); (K.G.-P.)
- Correspondence: (B.K.); (W.F.P.)
| | - Doris Trapin
- Division of Cellular Immunology and Immunohematology, Institute of Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (D.T.); (T.O.); (A.N.A.S.); (P.W.-S.); (A.R.); (U.K.); (K.G.-P.)
| | - Pia Gattinger
- Department of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090Vienna, Austria; (P.G.); (R.V.)
| | - Teresa Oberhofer
- Division of Cellular Immunology and Immunohematology, Institute of Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (D.T.); (T.O.); (A.N.A.S.); (P.W.-S.); (A.R.); (U.K.); (K.G.-P.)
| | - Al Nasar Ahmed Sehgal
- Division of Cellular Immunology and Immunohematology, Institute of Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (D.T.); (T.O.); (A.N.A.S.); (P.W.-S.); (A.R.); (U.K.); (K.G.-P.)
| | - Petra Waidhofer-Söllner
- Division of Cellular Immunology and Immunohematology, Institute of Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (D.T.); (T.O.); (A.N.A.S.); (P.W.-S.); (A.R.); (U.K.); (K.G.-P.)
| | - Arno Rottal
- Division of Cellular Immunology and Immunohematology, Institute of Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (D.T.); (T.O.); (A.N.A.S.); (P.W.-S.); (A.R.); (U.K.); (K.G.-P.)
| | - Ulrike Körmöczi
- Division of Cellular Immunology and Immunohematology, Institute of Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (D.T.); (T.O.); (A.N.A.S.); (P.W.-S.); (A.R.); (U.K.); (K.G.-P.)
| | - Katharina Grabmeier-Pfistershammer
- Division of Cellular Immunology and Immunohematology, Institute of Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (D.T.); (T.O.); (A.N.A.S.); (P.W.-S.); (A.R.); (U.K.); (K.G.-P.)
| | - Gerhard H. Kopetzky
- 1st Med. Department Hemato-Oncology, Universitätsklinik St. Poelten, 3100 St. Poelten, Austria;
| | - Franz Tischer
- Landesklinikum Lilienfeld, 3180 Lilienfeld, Austria;
| | - Rudolf Valenta
- Department of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090Vienna, Austria; (P.G.); (R.V.)
- Laboratory for Immunopathology, Department of Clinical Immunology and Allergology, I. M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University), 119991 Moscow, Russia
- NRC Institute of Immunology FMBA of Russia, 115478 Moscow, Russia
- Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, 3500 Krems, Austria
| | - Winfried F. Pickl
- Division of Cellular Immunology and Immunohematology, Institute of Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (D.T.); (T.O.); (A.N.A.S.); (P.W.-S.); (A.R.); (U.K.); (K.G.-P.)
- Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, 3500 Krems, Austria
- Correspondence: (B.K.); (W.F.P.)
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9
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Gattinger P, Niespodziana K, Stiasny K, Sahanic S, Tulaeva I, Borochova K, Dorofeeva Y, Schlederer T, Sonnweber T, Hofer G, Kiss R, Kratzer B, Trapin D, Tauber PA, Rottal A, Körmöczi U, Feichter M, Weber M, Focke‐Tejkl M, Löffler‐Ragg J, Mühl B, Kropfmüller A, Keller W, Stolz F, Henning R, Tancevski I, Puchhammer‐Stöckl E, Pickl WF, Valenta R. Neutralization of SARS-CoV-2 requires antibodies against conformational receptor-binding domain epitopes. Allergy 2022; 77:230-242. [PMID: 34453317 PMCID: PMC8653362 DOI: 10.1111/all.15066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2021] [Revised: 07/13/2021] [Accepted: 07/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Background The determinants of successful humoral immune response to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) are of critical importance for the design of effective vaccines and the evaluation of the degree of protective immunity conferred by exposure to the virus. As novel variants emerge, understanding their likelihood of suppression by population antibody repertoires has become increasingly important. Methods In this study, we analyzed the SARS‐CoV‐2 polyclonal antibody response in a large population of clinically well‐characterized patients after mild and severe COVID‐19 using a panel of microarrayed structurally folded and unfolded SARS‐CoV‐2 proteins, as well as sequential peptides, spanning the surface spike protein (S) and the receptor‐binding domain (RBD) of the virus. Results S‐ and RBD‐specific antibody responses were dominated by immunoglobulin G (IgG), mainly IgG1, and directed against structurally folded S and RBD and three distinct peptide epitopes in S2. The virus neutralization activity of patients´ sera was highly correlated with IgG antibodies specific for conformational but not sequential RBD epitopes and their ability to prevent RBD binding to its human receptor angiotensin‐converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). Twenty percent of patients selectively lacked RBD‐specific IgG. Only immunization with folded, but not with unfolded RBD, induced antibodies against conformational epitopes with high virus‐neutralizing activity. Conformational RBD epitopes required for protection do not seem to be altered in the currently emerging virus variants. Conclusion These results are fundamental for estimating the protective activity of antibody responses after natural infection or vaccination and for the design of vaccines, which can induce high levels of SARS‐CoV‐2–neutralizing antibodies conferring sterilizing immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pia Gattinger
- Department of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research Division of Immunopathology Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Katarzyna Niespodziana
- Department of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research Division of Immunopathology Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Karin Stiasny
- Center for Virology Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Sabina Sahanic
- Department of Internal Medicine II Medical University of Innsbruck Innsbruck Austria
| | - Inna Tulaeva
- Department of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research Division of Immunopathology Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
- Laboratory for Immunopathology Department of Clinical Immunology and Allergology Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University Moscow Russia
| | - Kristina Borochova
- Department of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research Division of Immunopathology Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Yulia Dorofeeva
- Department of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research Division of Immunopathology Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Thomas Schlederer
- Department of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research Division of Immunopathology Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Thomas Sonnweber
- Department of Internal Medicine II Medical University of Innsbruck Innsbruck Austria
| | - Gerhard Hofer
- Department of Materials and Environmental Chemistry University of Stockholm Stockholm Sweden
| | | | - Bernhard Kratzer
- Institute of Immunology Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Doris Trapin
- Institute of Immunology Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Peter A. Tauber
- Institute of Immunology Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Arno Rottal
- Institute of Immunology Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Ulrike Körmöczi
- Institute of Immunology Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Melanie Feichter
- Institute of Immunology Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Milena Weber
- Department of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research Division of Immunopathology Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Margarete Focke‐Tejkl
- Department of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research Division of Immunopathology Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
- Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences Krems Austria
| | - Judith Löffler‐Ragg
- Department of Internal Medicine II Medical University of Innsbruck Innsbruck Austria
| | | | - Anna Kropfmüller
- Österreichische Gesundheitskasse Klinikum Peterhof Baden Austria
| | - Walter Keller
- Institute of Molecular Biosciences, BioTechMed Graz University of Graz Graz Austria
| | | | | | - Ivan Tancevski
- Department of Internal Medicine II Medical University of Innsbruck Innsbruck Austria
| | | | - Winfried F. Pickl
- Institute of Immunology Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
- Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences Krems Austria
| | - Rudolf Valenta
- Department of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research Division of Immunopathology Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
- Laboratory for Immunopathology Department of Clinical Immunology and Allergology Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University Moscow Russia
- Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences Krems Austria
- NRC Institute of Immunology, FMBA Moscow Russia
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10
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Harrison N, Grabmeier-Pfistershammer K, Graf A, Trapin D, Tauber P, Aberle JH, Stiasny K, Schmidt R, Greinix H, Rabitsch W, Ramharter M, Burgmann H, Pickl WF, Bahrs C. Tick-Borne Encephalitis Specific Lymphocyte Response after Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Predicts Humoral Immunity after Vaccination. Vaccines (Basel) 2021; 9:vaccines9080908. [PMID: 34452033 PMCID: PMC8402406 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines9080908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2021] [Revised: 07/29/2021] [Accepted: 08/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The aim of this prospective study was to assess lymphocyte proliferative and cytokine response prior to and following tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) immunization among patients after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Seventeen adult patients 11–13 months after HSCT and eight unvaccinated healthy adults received up to three TBE vaccinations. Following in vitro stimulation with TBE-antigen, lymphocyte proliferation and cytokine secretion (IL-2, IL-10, IL-13, TNF-alpha, IFN-gamma, GM-CSF) were analyzed by thymidine incorporation assay and the Luminex system. Ten patients (59%) showed significant baseline TBE-specific lymphocyte proliferation (stimulation index (SI) > 3) prior to vaccination, but none of the unvaccinated controls (p = 0.002). All patients with a TBE-specific antibody response after two vaccinations (at least 2-fold increase of neutralization test titers) exhibited a strong TBE-specific lymphocyte proliferative response at baseline (SI > 10). Patients with sibling donors had a significantly stronger baseline TBE-specific lymphocyte proliferative and IL-13 cytokine response than patients with unrelated donors (p < 0.05). In conclusion, a relevant proportion of patients showed TBE-specific lymphocyte proliferative and cytokine responses prior to vaccination after HSCT, which predicted the humoral response to the vaccine. Patients with vaccinated sibling donors were more likely to elicit a cellular immune response than patients with unrelated donors of unknown vaccination status.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Harrison
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, Department of Medicine I, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (N.H.); (H.B.)
| | - Katharina Grabmeier-Pfistershammer
- Division of Cellular Immunology and Immunohematology, Institute of Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (K.G.-P.); (D.T.); (P.T.); (W.F.P.)
| | - Alexandra Graf
- Section of Medical Statistics, Center for Medical Statistics, Informatics and Intelligent Systems, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria;
| | - Doris Trapin
- Division of Cellular Immunology and Immunohematology, Institute of Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (K.G.-P.); (D.T.); (P.T.); (W.F.P.)
| | - Peter Tauber
- Division of Cellular Immunology and Immunohematology, Institute of Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (K.G.-P.); (D.T.); (P.T.); (W.F.P.)
| | - Judith H. Aberle
- Center for Virology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (J.H.A.); (K.S.)
| | - Karin Stiasny
- Center for Virology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (J.H.A.); (K.S.)
| | - Ralf Schmidt
- Division of Virology, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria;
| | - Hildegard Greinix
- Division of Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine, Medical University of Graz, 8036 Graz, Austria;
| | - Werner Rabitsch
- Bone Marrow Transplantation Unit, Department of Medicine I, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria;
| | - Michael Ramharter
- Department of Tropical Medicine, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine & I. Department of Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20359 Hamburg, Germany;
| | - Heinz Burgmann
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, Department of Medicine I, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (N.H.); (H.B.)
| | - Winfried F. Pickl
- Division of Cellular Immunology and Immunohematology, Institute of Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (K.G.-P.); (D.T.); (P.T.); (W.F.P.)
| | - Christina Bahrs
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, Department of Medicine I, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria; (N.H.); (H.B.)
- Institute of Infectious Diseases and Infection Control, Jena University Hospital/Friedrich-Schiller University, 07747 Jena, Germany
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +43-14040044400; Fax: +43-14040044180
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11
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Agerer B, Koblischke M, Gudipati V, Montaño-Gutierrez LF, Smyth M, Popa A, Genger JW, Endler L, Florian DM, Mühlgrabner V, Graninger M, Aberle SW, Husa AM, Shaw LE, Lercher A, Gattinger P, Torralba-Gombau R, Trapin D, Penz T, Barreca D, Fae I, Wenda S, Traugott M, Walder G, Pickl WF, Thiel V, Allerberger F, Stockinger H, Puchhammer-Stöckl E, Weninger W, Fischer G, Hoepler W, Pawelka E, Zoufaly A, Valenta R, Bock C, Paster W, Geyeregger R, Farlik M, Halbritter F, Huppa JB, Aberle JH, Bergthaler A. SARS-CoV-2 mutations in MHC-I-restricted epitopes evade CD8 + T cell responses. Sci Immunol 2021; 6:6/57/eabg6461. [PMID: 33664060 PMCID: PMC8224398 DOI: 10.1126/sciimmunol.abg6461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 104] [Impact Index Per Article: 34.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2021] [Accepted: 02/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
CD8+ T cell immunity to SARS-CoV-2 has been implicated in COVID-19 severity and virus control. Here, we identified nonsynonymous mutations in MHC-I-restricted CD8+ T cell epitopes after deep sequencing of 747 SARS-CoV-2 virus isolates. Mutant peptides exhibited diminished or abrogated MHC-I binding in a cell-free in vitro assay. Reduced MHC-I binding of mutant peptides was associated with decreased proliferation, IFN-γ production and cytotoxic activity of CD8+ T cells isolated from HLA-matched COVID-19 patients. Single cell RNA sequencing of ex vivo expanded, tetramer-sorted CD8+ T cells from COVID-19 patients further revealed qualitative differences in the transcriptional response to mutant peptides. Our findings highlight the capacity of SARS-CoV-2 to subvert CD8+ T cell surveillance through point mutations in MHC-I-restricted viral epitopes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benedikt Agerer
- CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Venugopal Gudipati
- Institute for Hygiene and Applied Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Mark Smyth
- CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Alexandra Popa
- CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Jakob-Wendelin Genger
- CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Lukas Endler
- CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - David M Florian
- Center for Virology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Vanessa Mühlgrabner
- Institute for Hygiene and Applied Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Stephan W Aberle
- Center for Virology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Anna-Maria Husa
- St. Anna Children´s Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), Vienna, Austria
| | - Lisa Ellen Shaw
- Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Alexander Lercher
- CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Pia Gattinger
- Department of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research, Division of Immunopathology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ricard Torralba-Gombau
- CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Doris Trapin
- Institute of Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Thomas Penz
- CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Daniele Barreca
- CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ingrid Fae
- Department of Blood Group Serology and Transfusion Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Sabine Wenda
- Department of Blood Group Serology and Transfusion Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Gernot Walder
- Division of Hygiene and Medical Microbiology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Winfried F Pickl
- Institute of Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.,Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, Krems, Austria
| | - Volker Thiel
- Institute of Virology and Immunology, Bern and Mittelhäusern, Switzerland.,Department of Infectious Diseases and Pathobiology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | | | - Hannes Stockinger
- Institute for Hygiene and Applied Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Wolfgang Weninger
- Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Gottfried Fischer
- Institute of Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Erich Pawelka
- Department of Blood Group Serology and Transfusion Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Alexander Zoufaly
- Department of Blood Group Serology and Transfusion Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Rudolf Valenta
- Institute for Hygiene and Applied Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.,Department of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research, Division of Immunopathology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.,Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, Krems, Austria.,Laboratory for Immunopathology, Department of Clinical Immunology and Allergy, First Moscow State Medical University Sechenov, Moscow, Russia.,NRC Institute of Immunology FMBA of Russia, Moscow, Russia
| | - Christoph Bock
- CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria.,Department of Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Wolfgang Paster
- St. Anna Children´s Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), Vienna, Austria
| | - René Geyeregger
- St. Anna Children´s Cancer Research Institute (CCRI), Vienna, Austria
| | - Matthias Farlik
- Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Johannes B Huppa
- Institute for Hygiene and Applied Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Judith H Aberle
- Center for Virology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Andreas Bergthaler
- CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria.
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12
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Kratzer B, Trapin D, Ettel P, Körmöczi U, Rottal A, Tuppy F, Feichter M, Gattinger P, Borochova K, Dorofeeva Y, Tulaeva I, Weber M, Grabmeier‐Pfistershammer K, Tauber PA, Gerdov M, Mühl B, Perkmann T, Fae I, Wenda S, Führer H, Henning R, Valenta R, Pickl WF. Immunological imprint of COVID-19 on human peripheral blood leukocyte populations. Allergy 2021; 76:751-765. [PMID: 33128792 PMCID: PMC7984452 DOI: 10.1111/all.14647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2020] [Revised: 10/12/2020] [Accepted: 10/14/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Background SARS‐CoV‐2 has triggered a pandemic that is now claiming many lives. Several studies have investigated cellular immune responses in COVID‐19‐infected patients during disease but little is known regarding a possible protracted impact of COVID‐19 on the adaptive and innate immune system in COVID‐19 convalescent patients. Methods We used multiparametric flow cytometry to analyze whole peripheral blood samples and determined SARS‐CoV‐2‐specific antibody levels against the S‐protein, its RBD‐subunit, and viral nucleocapsid in a cohort of COVID‐19 convalescent patients who had mild disease ~10 weeks after infection (n = 109) and healthy control subjects (n = 98). Furthermore, we correlated immunological changes with clinical and demographic parameters. Results Even ten weeks after disease COVID‐19 convalescent patients had fewer neutrophils, while their cytotoxic CD8+ T cells were activated, reflected as higher HLA‐DR and CD38 expression. Multiparametric regression analyses showed that in COVID‐19‐infected patients both CD3+CD4+ and CD3+CD8+ effector memory cells were higher, while CD25+Foxp3+ T regulatory cells were lower. In addition, both transitional B cell and plasmablast levels were significantly elevated in COVID‐19‐infected patients. Fever (duration, level) correlated with numbers of central memory CD4+ T cells and anti‐S and anti‐RBD, but not anti‐NC antibody levels. Moreover, a “young immunological age” as determined by numbers of CD3+CD45RA+CD62L+CD31+ recent thymic emigrants was associated with a loss of sense of taste and/or smell. Conclusion Acute SARS‐CoV‐2 infection leaves protracted beneficial (ie, activation of T cells) and potentially harmful (ie, reduction of neutrophils) imprints in the cellular immune system in addition to induction of specific antibody responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernhard Kratzer
- Institute of Immunology Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Doris Trapin
- Institute of Immunology Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Paul Ettel
- Institute of Immunology Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Ulrike Körmöczi
- Institute of Immunology Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Arno Rottal
- Institute of Immunology Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Friedrich Tuppy
- Institute of Immunology Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Melanie Feichter
- Institute of Immunology Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Pia Gattinger
- Institute of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Kristina Borochova
- Institute of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Yulia Dorofeeva
- Institute of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Inna Tulaeva
- Institute of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
- Laboratory for Immunopathology Department of Clinical Immunology and Allergology I. M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University) Moscow Russia
| | - Milena Weber
- Institute of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | | | - Peter A. Tauber
- Institute of Immunology Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Marika Gerdov
- Department of Laboratory Medicine Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | | | - Thomas Perkmann
- Department of Laboratory Medicine Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Ingrid Fae
- Department for Blood Group Serology and Transfusion Medicine Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Sabine Wenda
- Department for Blood Group Serology and Transfusion Medicine Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | | | | | - Rudolf Valenta
- Institute of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
- Laboratory for Immunopathology Department of Clinical Immunology and Allergology I. M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University) Moscow Russia
- NRC Institute of Immunology FMBA of Russia Moscow Russia
- Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences Krems Austria
| | - Winfried F. Pickl
- Institute of Immunology Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
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13
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Gattinger P, Borochova K, Dorofeeva Y, Henning R, Kiss R, Kratzer B, Mühl B, Perkmann T, Trapin D, Trella M, Ettel P, Tulaeva I, Pickl WF, Valenta R. Antibodies in serum of convalescent patients following mild COVID-19 do not always prevent virus-receptor binding. Allergy 2021; 76:878-883. [PMID: 32734595 PMCID: PMC7984338 DOI: 10.1111/all.14523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2020] [Revised: 07/17/2020] [Accepted: 07/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Pia Gattinger
- Department of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research Division of Immunopathology Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Kristina Borochova
- Department of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research Division of Immunopathology Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Yulia Dorofeeva
- Department of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research Division of Immunopathology Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | | | | | - Bernhard Kratzer
- Institute of Immunology Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | | | - Thomas Perkmann
- Department of Laboratory Medicine Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Doris Trapin
- Institute of Immunology Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Martina Trella
- Department of Laboratory Medicine Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Paul Ettel
- Institute of Immunology Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Inna Tulaeva
- Department of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research Division of Immunopathology Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
- Laboratory for Immunopathology Department of Clinical Immunology and Allergy Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University Moscow Russia
| | - Winfried F. Pickl
- Institute of Immunology Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Rudolf Valenta
- Department of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research Division of Immunopathology Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
- Laboratory for Immunopathology Department of Clinical Immunology and Allergy Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University Moscow Russia
- NRC Institute of Immunology FMBA of Russia Moscow Russia
- Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences Krems Austria
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14
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Köhler C, Smole U, Kratzer B, Trapin D, Schmetterer KG, Pickl WF. Allergen alters IL-2/αIL-2-based Treg expansion but not tolerance induction in an allergen-specific mouse model. Allergy 2020; 75:1618-1629. [PMID: 31991489 PMCID: PMC7383865 DOI: 10.1111/all.14203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2019] [Revised: 11/25/2019] [Accepted: 12/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Background Regulatory T lymphocytes (Treg) play an important role in preventing allergic diseases. We characterized Treg expansion kinetics, marker profiles, and recirculation behavior in allergen‐challenged mice, which had been pretreated with IL‐2/αIL‐2 complexes in the presence or absence of allergen. Moreover, the ability of induced Treg to control airway hyperreactivity and effector functions of lung T cells was determined. Methods Humanized TCR/HLA‐transgenic allergy mice were treated in vivo with recombinant IL‐2 complexed to the anti‐IL‐2 mAb JES6‐1 in the presence or absence of mugwort pollen extract (MPE) on days 0‐2. Afterward, they were intranasally challenged with MPE (days 13‐15) followed by determination of airway hyperreactivity and lung T cell effector functions. Multiparametric flow cytometry on peripheral blood T cells was performed on a daily basis. Results IL‐2/αIL‐2 complexes highly efficiently expanded peripheral Treg cells, while concomitant allergen exposure altered the phenotype of expanded Treg cells. Notably, application of allergen together with IL‐2/αIL‐2 complexes induced expression of Treg marker molecules CTLA4, NRP1, Helios, and GITR on conventional T cells. Apart from CD25, GARP was identified as the most reliable surface‐expressed lineage discrimination marker of Treg expanded in the presence of IL‐2/αIL‐2 complexes and allergen. Finally, IL‐2/αIL‐2 complex‐expanded Treg cells could be recalled upon allergen challenge, which was associated with suppression of lung‐specific Th2 responses long after initial treatment. Conclusion The characterization of reliable surface and transcription markers of IL‐2/αIL‐2 complex‐expanded Treg along with their expansion kinetics and function will help to identify protocols for their long‐term expansion in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cordula Köhler
- Institute of Immunology Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Ursula Smole
- Institute of Immunology Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Bernhard Kratzer
- Institute of Immunology Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Doris Trapin
- Institute of Immunology Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Klaus G. Schmetterer
- Clinical Department of Medical and Chemical Laboratory Diagnostics Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
| | - Winfried F. Pickl
- Institute of Immunology Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria
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15
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Ziegler LS, Gerner MC, Schmidt RLJ, Trapin D, Steinberger P, Pickl WF, Sillaber C, Egger G, Schwarzinger I, Schmetterer KG. Attenuation of canonical NF-κB signaling maintains function and stability of human Treg. FEBS J 2020; 288:640-662. [PMID: 32386462 PMCID: PMC7891634 DOI: 10.1111/febs.15361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2019] [Revised: 02/07/2020] [Accepted: 05/05/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Nuclear factor ‘κ‐light‐chain‐enhancer’ of activated B cells (NF‐κB) signaling is a signaling pathway used by most immune cells to promote immunostimulatory functions. Recent studies have indicated that regulatory T cells (Treg) differentially integrate TCR‐derived signals, thereby maintaining their suppressive features. However, the role of NF‐κB signaling in the activation of human peripheral blood (PB) Treg has not been fully elucidated so far. We show that the activity of the master transcription factor forkhead box protein 3 (FOXP3) attenuates p65 phosphorylation and nuclear translocation of the NF‐κB proteins p50, p65, and c‐Rel following activation in human Treg. Using pharmacological and genetic inhibition of canonical NF‐κB signaling in FOXP3‐transgenic T cells and PB Treg from healthy donors as well as Treg from a patient with a primary NFKB1 haploinsufficiency, we validate that Treg activation and suppressive capacity is independent of NF‐κB signaling. Additionally, repression of residual NF‐κB signaling in Treg further enhances interleukin‐10 (IL‐10) production. Blockade of NF‐κB signaling can be exploited for the generation of in vitro induced Treg (iTreg) with enhanced suppressive capacity and functional stability. In this respect, dual blockade of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and NF‐κB signaling was accompanied by enhanced expression of the transcription factors FOXP1 and FOXP3 and demethylation of the Treg‐specific demethylated region compared to iTreg generated under mTOR blockade alone. Thus, we provide first insights into the role of NF‐κB signaling in human Treg. These findings could lead to strategies for the selective manipulation of Treg and the generation of improved iTreg for cellular therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liesa S Ziegler
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Marlene C Gerner
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ralf L J Schmidt
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Doris Trapin
- Institute of Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Peter Steinberger
- Institute of Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Winfried F Pickl
- Institute of Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Christian Sillaber
- Division of Hematology and Hemostaseology, Department of Internal Medicine I, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Gerda Egger
- Department of Pathology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.,Ludwig Boltzmann Institute Applied Diagnostics, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ilse Schwarzinger
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Klaus G Schmetterer
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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16
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Schmetterer KG, Goldhahn K, Ziegler LS, Gerner MC, Schmidt RLJ, Themanns M, Zebedin-Brandl E, Trapin D, Leitner J, Pickl WF, Steinberger P, Schwarzinger I, Marculescu R. Overexpression of PDE4A Acts as Checkpoint Inhibitor Against cAMP-Mediated Immunosuppression in vitro. Front Immunol 2019; 10:1790. [PMID: 31417563 PMCID: PMC6682678 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.01790] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2019] [Accepted: 07/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Malignant cells acquire physiological mechanisms of immunosuppression to escape immune surveillance. Strategies to counteract this suppression could help to improve adoptive immunotherapy regimen. The intracellular second messenger cyclic AMP (cAMP) acts as a potent immunosuppressive signaling molecule in T-cells and is up-regulated by multiple tumor-relevant suppressive factors including prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), adenosine and the functions of regulatory T-cells. Consequently, we aimed to abrogate cAMP signaling in human T-cells by ectopic overexpression of phosphodiesterase 4A (PDE4A). We could show that retroviral transduction of PDE4A into T-cells led to efficient degradation of cAMP in response to induction of adenylate cyclase. Retroviral transduction of PDE4A into CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells restored proliferation, cytokine secretion as well as cytotoxicity under immunosuppression by PGE2 and A2A-R agonists. PDE4A-transgenic T-cells were also partially protected from suppression by regulatory T-cells. Furthermore, PGE2-mediated upregulation of the inhibitory surface markers CD73 and CD94 on CD8+ T-cells was efficiently counteracted by PDE4A. Importantly, no differences in the functionality under non-suppressive conditions between PDE4A- and control-vector transduced T-cells were observed, indicating that PDE4A does not interfere with T-cell activation per se. Similarly, expression of surface markers associated with T-cell exhaustion were not influenced by PDE4A overexpression in long term cultures. Thus, we provide first in vitro evidence that PDE4A can be exploited as immune checkpoint inhibitor against multiple suppressive factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Klaus G Schmetterer
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Katrin Goldhahn
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Liesa S Ziegler
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Marlene C Gerner
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ralf L J Schmidt
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Madeleine Themanns
- Center of Physiology and Pharmacology, Institute of Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Eva Zebedin-Brandl
- Center of Physiology and Pharmacology, Institute of Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Doris Trapin
- Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Institute of Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Judith Leitner
- Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Institute of Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Winfried F Pickl
- Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Institute of Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Peter Steinberger
- Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Institute of Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ilse Schwarzinger
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Rodrig Marculescu
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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17
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Kratzer B, Köhler C, Hofer S, Smole U, Trapin D, Iturri J, Pum D, Kienzl P, Elbe-Bürger A, Gattinger P, Mittermann I, Linhart B, Gadermaier G, Jahn-Schmid B, Neunkirchner A, Valenta R, Pickl WF. Prevention of allergy by virus-like nanoparticles (VNP) delivering shielded versions of major allergens in a humanized murine allergy model. Allergy 2019; 74:246-260. [PMID: 30035810 PMCID: PMC6587790 DOI: 10.1111/all.13573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2018] [Revised: 06/21/2018] [Accepted: 07/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Background In high‐risk populations, allergen‐specific prophylaxis could protect from sensitization and subsequent development of allergic disease. However, such treatment might itself induce sensitization and allergies, thus requiring hypoallergenic vaccine formulations. We here characterized the preventive potential of virus‐like nanoparticles (VNP) expressing surface‐exposed or shielded allergens. Methods Full‐length major mugwort pollen allergen Art v 1 was selectively targeted either to the surface or to the inner side of the lipid bilayer envelope of VNP. Upon biochemical and immunological analysis, their preventive potential was determined in a humanized mouse model of mugwort pollen allergy. Results Virus‐like nanoparticles expressing shielded version of Art v 1, in contrast to those expressing surface‐exposed Art v 1, were hypoallergenic as they hardly induced degranulation of rat basophil leukemia cells sensitized with Art v 1‐specific mouse or human IgE. Both VNP versions induced proliferation and cytokine production of allergen‐specific T cells in vitro. Upon intranasal application in mice, VNP expressing surface‐exposed but not shielded allergen induced allergen‐specific antibodies, including IgE. Notably, preventive treatment with VNP expressing shielded allergen‐protected mice from subsequent sensitization with mugwort pollen extract. Protection was associated with a Th1/Treg‐dominated cytokine response, increased Foxp3+ Treg numbers in lungs, and reduced lung resistance when compared to mice treated with empty particles. Conclusion Virus‐like nanoparticles represent a novel and versatile platform for the in vivo delivery of allergens to selectively target T cells and prevent allergies without inducing allergic reactions or allergic sensitization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernhard Kratzer
- Institute of Immunology; Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology; Medical University of Vienna; Vienna Austria
| | - Cordula Köhler
- Institute of Immunology; Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology; Medical University of Vienna; Vienna Austria
| | - Sandra Hofer
- Institute of Immunology; Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology; Medical University of Vienna; Vienna Austria
| | - Ursula Smole
- Institute of Immunology; Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology; Medical University of Vienna; Vienna Austria
| | - Doris Trapin
- Institute of Immunology; Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology; Medical University of Vienna; Vienna Austria
| | - Jagoba Iturri
- Department of Nanobiotechnology; Institute for Biophysics; University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna; Vienna Austria
| | - Dietmar Pum
- Department of Nanobiotechnology; Institute for Biophysics; University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna; Vienna Austria
| | - Philip Kienzl
- Department of Dermatology; Division of Immunology, Allergy and Infectious Diseases; Medical University of Vienna; Vienna Austria
| | - Adelheid Elbe-Bürger
- Department of Dermatology; Division of Immunology, Allergy and Infectious Diseases; Medical University of Vienna; Vienna Austria
| | - Pia Gattinger
- Department of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research; Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology; Medical University of Vienna; Vienna Austria
| | - Irene Mittermann
- Department of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research; Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology; Medical University of Vienna; Vienna Austria
| | - Birgit Linhart
- Department of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research; Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology; Medical University of Vienna; Vienna Austria
| | - Gabriele Gadermaier
- Division of Allergy and Immunology; Department of Biosciences; University of Salzburg; Salzburg Austria
| | - Beatrice Jahn-Schmid
- Department of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research; Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology; Medical University of Vienna; Vienna Austria
| | - Alina Neunkirchner
- Institute of Immunology; Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology; Medical University of Vienna; Vienna Austria
| | - Rudolf Valenta
- Department of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research; Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology; Medical University of Vienna; Vienna Austria
| | - Winfried F. Pickl
- Institute of Immunology; Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology; Medical University of Vienna; Vienna Austria
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18
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Neunkirchner A, Kratzer B, Köhler C, Smole U, Mager LF, Schmetterer KG, Trapin D, Leb-Reichl V, Rosloniec E, Naumann R, Kenner L, Jahn-Schmid B, Bohle B, Valenta R, Pickl WF. Genetic restriction of antigen-presentation dictates allergic sensitization and disease in humanized mice. EBioMedicine 2018; 31:66-78. [PMID: 29678672 PMCID: PMC6014064 DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2018.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2018] [Revised: 03/29/2018] [Accepted: 04/02/2018] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Immunoglobulin(Ig)E-associated allergies result from misguided immune responses against innocuous antigens. CD4+ T lymphocytes are critical for initiating and perpetuating that process, yet the crucial factors determining whether an individual becomes sensitized towards a given allergen remain largely unknown. OBJECTIVE To determine the key factors for sensitization and allergy towards a given allergen. METHODS We here created a novel human T cell receptor(TCR) and human leucocyte antigen (HLA)-DR1 (TCR-DR1) transgenic mouse model of asthma, based on the human-relevant major mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) pollen allergen Art v 1 to examine the critical factors for sensitization and allergy upon natural allergen exposure via the airways in the absence of systemic priming and adjuvants. RESULTS Acute allergen exposure led to IgE-independent airway hyperreactivity (AHR) and T helper(Th)2-prone lung inflammation in TCR-DR1, but not DR1, TCR or wildtype (WT) control mice, that was alleviated by prophylactic interleukin(IL)-2-αIL-2 mAb complex-induced expansion of Tregs. Chronic allergen exposure sensitized one third of single DR1 transgenic mice, however, without impacting on lung function. Similar treatment led to AHR and Th2-driven lung pathology in >90% of TCR-DR1 mice. Prophylactic and therapeutic expansion of Tregs with IL-2-αIL-2 mAb complexes blocked the generation and boosting of allergen-specific IgE associated with chronic allergen exposure. CONCLUSIONS We identify genetic restriction of allergen presentation as primary factor dictating allergic sensitization and disease against the major pollen allergen from the weed mugwort, which frequently causes sensitization and disease in humans. Furthermore, we demonstrate the importance of the balance between allergen-specific T effector and Treg cells for modulating allergic immune responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alina Neunkirchner
- Christian Doppler Laboratory for Immunomodulation, 1090 Vienna, Austria; Institute of Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Bernhard Kratzer
- Christian Doppler Laboratory for Immunomodulation, 1090 Vienna, Austria; Institute of Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Cordula Köhler
- Christian Doppler Laboratory for Immunomodulation, 1090 Vienna, Austria; Institute of Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Ursula Smole
- Institute of Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Lukas F Mager
- Institute of Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Klaus G Schmetterer
- Institute of Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria; Department of Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Doris Trapin
- Institute of Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Edward Rosloniec
- Department of Medicine, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, 38163, TN, USA; Memphis Veterans Affairs Medical Center, 38104, TN, USA; Department of Pathology, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, 38163, TN, USA
| | - Ronald Naumann
- Max Planck Institute for Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, 01307 Dresden, Germany
| | - Lukas Kenner
- Department of Laboratory Animal Pathology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria; Department of Laboratory Animal Pathology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, 1210 Vienna, Austria; Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Cancer Research, Vienna, Austria
| | - Beatrice Jahn-Schmid
- Department of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Barbara Bohle
- Christian Doppler Laboratory for Immunomodulation, 1090 Vienna, Austria; Department of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Rudolf Valenta
- Department of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Winfried F Pickl
- Christian Doppler Laboratory for Immunomodulation, 1090 Vienna, Austria; Institute of Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria.
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19
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Boztug H, Hirschmugl T, Holter W, Lakatos K, Kager L, Trapin D, Pickl W, Förster-Waldl E, Boztug K. NF-κB1 Haploinsufficiency Causing Immunodeficiency and EBV-Driven Lymphoproliferation. J Clin Immunol 2016; 36:533-40. [PMID: 27338827 PMCID: PMC4940442 DOI: 10.1007/s10875-016-0306-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2016] [Accepted: 05/10/2016] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Purpose NF-κB signaling is critically important for regulation of both innate and adaptive immune responses. While activation of NF-κB has been implicated in malignancies such as leukemia and lymphoma, loss-of-function mutations affecting different NF-κB pathway components have been shown to cause primary immunodeficiency disorders. Recently, haploinsufficiency of NF-κB1 has been described in three families with common variable immunodeficiency (CVID). Methods and Results We studied a patient with recurrent respiratory infections and bacterial parapharyngeal abscess. Immunological investigations revealed normal total B- cell numbers, but hypogammaglobulinemia, decreased frequencies of class-switched B cells and impaired T-cell proliferation. Targeted next-generation sequencing using a custom-designed panel comprising all known PID genes (IUIS 2014 classification) and novel candidate genes identified a novel heterozygous frameshift mutation in the NFKB1 gene leading to a premature stop codon (c.491delG; p.G165A*31). We could show that the mutation leads to reduced phosphorylation of p105 upon stimulation, resulting in decreased protein levels of p50. The further disease course was mainly characterized by two episodes of severe EBV-associated lymphoproliferative disease responsive to rituximab treatment. Due to disease severity, the patient is considered for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Interestingly, the father carries the same heterozygous NFKB1 mutation and also shows decreased frequencies of memory B cells but has a much milder clinical phenotype, in line with a considerable phenotypic disease heterogeneity. Conclusions Deficiency of NF-κB1 leads to immunodeficiency with a wider phenotypic spectrum of disease manifestation than previously appreciated, including EBV lymphoproliferative diseases as a hitherto unrecognized feature of the disease. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s10875-016-0306-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heidrun Boztug
- St. Anna Kinderspital, Department of Pediatrics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Tatjana Hirschmugl
- CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Lazarettgasse 14 AKH BT 25.3, Vienna, Austria
| | - Wolfgang Holter
- St. Anna Kinderspital, Department of Pediatrics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Karoly Lakatos
- St. Anna Kinderspital, Department of Pediatrics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Leo Kager
- St. Anna Kinderspital, Department of Pediatrics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Doris Trapin
- Institute of Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology, and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Winfried Pickl
- Institute of Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology, and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Elisabeth Förster-Waldl
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Medical University Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Kaan Boztug
- St. Anna Kinderspital, Department of Pediatrics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria. .,CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Lazarettgasse 14 AKH BT 25.3, Vienna, Austria. .,Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Medical University Vienna, Vienna, Austria. .,Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Rare and Undiagnosed Diseases, Lazarettgasse 14 AKH BT 25.3, Vienna, Austria.
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Wojta-Stremayr D, Neunkirchner A, Srinivasan B, Trapin D, Schmetterer KG, Pickl WF. CD8+ T Cell Fate and Function Influenced by Antigen-Specific Virus-Like Nanoparticles Co-Expressing Membrane Tethered IL-2. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0126034. [PMID: 25946103 PMCID: PMC4422701 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0126034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2014] [Accepted: 03/27/2015] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
A variety of adjuvants fostering humoral immunity are known as of today. However, there is a lack of adjuvants or adjuvant strategies, which directly target T cellular effector functions and memory. We here determined whether systemically toxic cytokines such as IL-2 can be restricted to the site of antigen presentation and used as ‘natural adjuvants’. Therefore, we devised antigen-presenting virus-like nanoparticles (VNP) co-expressing IL-2 attached to different membrane-anchors and assessed their potency to modulate CD8+ T cell responses in vitro and in vivo. Efficient targeting of IL-2 to lipid rafts and ultimately VNP was achieved by fusing IL-2 at its C-terminus to a minimal glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchor acceptor sequence. To identify optimal membrane-anchor dimensions we inserted one (1Ig), two (2Ig) or four (4Ig) immunoglobulin(Ig)-like domains of CD16b between IL-2 and the minimal GPI-anchor acceptor sequence of CD16b (GPI). We found that the 2IgGPI version was superior to all other evaluated IL-2 variants (IL-2v) in terms of its i) degree of targeting to lipid rafts and to the VNP surface, ii) biological activity, iii) co-stimulation of cognate T cells in the absence of bystander activation and iv) potency to induce differentiation and acquisition of CD8+ T cell effector functions in vitro and in vivo. In contrast, the GPI version rather favored memory precursor cell formation. These results exemplify novel beneficial features of membrane-bound IL-2, which in addition to its mere T cell stimulatory capacity include the induction of differential effector and memory functions in CD8+ T lymphocytes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Wojta-Stremayr
- Institute of Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria; Christian Doppler Laboratory for Immunomodulation, Vienna, Austria
| | - Alina Neunkirchner
- Institute of Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria; Christian Doppler Laboratory for Immunomodulation, Vienna, Austria
| | - Bharani Srinivasan
- Institute of Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Doris Trapin
- Institute of Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Klaus G Schmetterer
- Institute of Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Winfried F Pickl
- Institute of Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria; Christian Doppler Laboratory for Immunomodulation, Vienna, Austria
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Hofbauer JP, Heyder C, Denk U, Kocher T, Holler C, Trapin D, Asslaber D, Tinhofer I, Greil R, Egle A. Development of CLL in the TCL1 transgenic mouse model is associated with severe skewing of the T-cell compartment homologous to human CLL. Leukemia 2011; 25:1452-8. [PMID: 21606964 DOI: 10.1038/leu.2011.111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cells require complex microenvironmental and immunologic interactions to survive and proliferate. Such interactions might be best recreated in animal models; however, this needs extensive verification. We therefore investigated the composition of the T-cell compartment in the Eμ-TCL1 transgenic mouse, currently the most widely used murine model for CLL. Immunophenotyping and transplant approaches were used to define T-cell subsets at various stages of CLL. Analogous to human CLL, we observed a skewing of T-cell subsets from naive to antigen-experienced memory T cells that was more pronounced in lymph nodes than in blood. Transplantation of CLL into non-transgenic recipients was feasible without immunosuppression in a pure C57BL/6 background and resulted in the prominent skewing of the T cells of the recipient mice. Both in spontaneously developed CLL and in the transplantation setting, a loss in T-cell receptor diversity was observed, with a relevant number of clonal T-cell populations arising. This suggests that antigen-dependent differentiation toward the T memory pool is initiated by murine CLL cells. In summary, we validate the TCL1 transgenic mouse model for analysis of T-cell phenotypes and suggest a CLL-dependent antigen-driven skewing of T cells in these mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Piñón Hofbauer
- Laboratory for Immunological and Molecular Cancer Research, 3rd Medical Department for Hematology, Federal Hospital of Salzburg and Paracelsus Medical Private University, Salzburg, Austria
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