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Hewavisenti RV, Ferguson AL, Gasparini G, Ohashi T, Braun A, Watkins TS, Miles JJ, Elliott M, Sierro F, Feng CG, Britton WJ, Gebhardt T, Tangye S, Palendira U. Tissue-resident regulatory T cells accumulate at human barrier lymphoid organs. Immunol Cell Biol 2021; 99:894-906. [PMID: 34080230 DOI: 10.1111/imcb.12481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2020] [Revised: 03/19/2021] [Accepted: 05/31/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Regulatory T cells (Tregs) play a critical role in immune regulation and peripheral tolerance. While different types of Tregs have been identified in both mice and humans, much of our understanding about how these cells maintain immune homeostasis is derived from animal models. In this study, we examined two distinct human lymphoid organs to understand how repeated exposure to infections at the mucosal surface influences the phenotype and tissue localization of Tregs. We show that while Tregs in both tonsils and spleen express a tissue-resident phenotype, they accumulate in greater numbers in tonsils. Tonsillar-resident Tregs exhibit a highly suppressive phenotype with significantly increased expression of CD39, ICOS and CTLA-4 compared with their counterparts in circulation or in the spleen. Functionally, resident Tregs are able effectively to suppress T cell proliferation. We further demonstrate that tonsillar-resident Tregs share key features of T follicular helper cells. Spatial analysis reveals that the vast majority of resident Tregs are localized at the border of the T-zone and B cell follicle, as well as within the lymphocyte pockets enriched with resident memory T cells. Together our findings suggest that resident Tregs are strategically co-localized to maintain immune homeostasis at sites of recurrent inflammation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rehana V Hewavisenti
- School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,Centenary Institute, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Angela L Ferguson
- School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,Centenary Institute, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Georgia Gasparini
- School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Tomoki Ohashi
- School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Asolina Braun
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Thomas S Watkins
- Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, James Cook University, Cairns, QLD, Australia
| | - John J Miles
- Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, James Cook University, Cairns, QLD, Australia
| | - Michael Elliott
- Sydney Medical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,Chris O'Brien Lifehouse Cancer Centre, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Frederic Sierro
- School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Carl G Feng
- School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,Centenary Institute, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Warwick J Britton
- Centenary Institute, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,Sydney Medical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Thomas Gebhardt
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Stuart Tangye
- Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Darlinghurst, NSW, Australia.,St Vincent's Clinical School, UNSW Sydney, Darlinghurst, NSW, Australia
| | - Umaimainthan Palendira
- School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,Centenary Institute, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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Baumjohann D, Heissmeyer V. Posttranscriptional Gene Regulation of T Follicular Helper Cells by RNA-Binding Proteins and microRNAs. Front Immunol 2018; 9:1794. [PMID: 30108596 PMCID: PMC6079247 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.01794] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [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: 05/04/2018] [Accepted: 07/20/2018] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
T follicular helper (Tfh) cells are critically involved in the establishment of potent antibody responses against infectious pathogens, such as viruses and bacteria, but their dysregulation may also result in aberrant antibody responses that frequently coincide with autoimmune diseases or allergies. The fate and identity of Tfh cells is tightly controlled by gene regulation on the transcriptional and posttranscriptional level. Here, we provide deeper insights into the posttranscriptional mechanisms that regulate Tfh cell differentiation, function, and plasticity through the actions of RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) and small endogenously expressed regulatory RNAs called microRNAs (miRNAs). The Roquin family of RBPs has been shown to dampen spontaneous activation and differentiation of naïve CD4+ T cells into Tfh cells, since CD4+ T cells with Roquin mutations accumulate as Tfh cells and provide inappropriate B cell help in the production of autoantibodies. Moreover, Regnase-1, an endoribonuclease that regulates a set of targets, which strongly overlaps with that of Roquin, is crucial for the prevention of autoantibody production. Interestingly, both Roquin and Regnase-1 proteins are cleaved and inactivated after TCR stimulation by the paracaspase MALT1. miRNAs are expressed in naïve CD4+ T cells and help preventing spontaneous differentiation into effector cells. While most miRNAs are downregulated upon T cell activation, several miRNAs have been shown to regulate the fate of these cells by either promoting (e.g., miR-17-92 and miR-155) or inhibiting (e.g., miR-146a) Tfh cell differentiation. Together, these different aspects highlight a complex and dynamic regulatory network of posttranscriptional gene regulation in Tfh cells that may also be active in other T helper cell populations, including Th1, Th2, Th17, and Treg.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dirk Baumjohann
- Institute for Immunology, Biomedical Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Vigo Heissmeyer
- Institute for Immunology, Biomedical Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany.,Research Unit Molecular Immune Regulation, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Munich, Germany
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Timperi E, Pacella I, Schinzari V, Focaccetti C, Sacco L, Farelli F, Caronna R, Del Bene G, Longo F, Ciardi A, Morelli S, Vestri AR, Chirletti P, Barnaba V, Piconese S. Regulatory T cells with multiple suppressive and potentially pro-tumor activities accumulate in human colorectal cancer. Oncoimmunology 2016; 5:e1175800. [PMID: 27622025 DOI: 10.1080/2162402x.2016.1175800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2016] [Revised: 04/01/2016] [Accepted: 04/01/2016] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Tregs can contribute to tumor progression by suppressing antitumor immunity. Exceptionally, in human colorectal cancer (CRC), Tregs are thought to exert beneficial roles in controlling pro-tumor chronic inflammation. The goal of our study was to characterize CRC-infiltrating Tregs at multiple levels, by phenotypical, molecular and functional evaluation of Tregs from the tumor site, compared to non-tumoral mucosa and peripheral blood of CRC patients. The frequency of Tregs was higher in mucosa than in blood, and further significantly increased in tumor. Ex vivo, those Tregs suppressed the proliferation of tumor-infiltrating CD8(+) and CD4(+) T cells. A differential compartmentalization was detected between Helios(high) and Helios(low) Treg subsets (thymus-derived versus peripherally induced): while Helios(low) Tregs were enriched in both sites, only Helios(high) Tregs accumulated significantly and specifically in tumors, displayed a highly demethylated TSDR region and contained high proportions of cells expressing CD39 and OX40, markers of activation and suppression. Besides the suppression of T cells, Tregs may contribute to CRC progression also through releasing IL-17, or differentiating into Tfr cells that potentially antagonize a protective Tfh response, events that were both detected in tumor-associated Tregs. Overall, our data indicate that Treg accumulation may contribute through multiple mechanisms to CRC establishment and progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleonora Timperi
- Dipartimento di Medicina Interna e Specialità Mediche, Sapienza Università di Roma , Rome, Italy
| | - Ilenia Pacella
- Dipartimento di Medicina Interna e Specialità Mediche, Sapienza Università di Roma , Rome, Italy
| | - Valeria Schinzari
- Dipartimento di Medicina Interna e Specialità Mediche, Sapienza Università di Roma , Rome, Italy
| | - Chiara Focaccetti
- Dipartimento di Medicina Interna e Specialità Mediche, Sapienza Università di Roma , Rome, Italy
| | - Luca Sacco
- Sezione di Chirurgia Interdisciplinare "F. Durante", Sapienza Università di Roma , Rome, Italy
| | - Francesco Farelli
- Sezione di Chirurgia Interdisciplinare "F. Durante", Sapienza Università di Roma , Rome, Italy
| | - Roberto Caronna
- Sezione di Chirurgia Interdisciplinare "F. Durante", Sapienza Università di Roma , Rome, Italy
| | - Gabriella Del Bene
- Dipartimento di Medicina Molecolare, Sapienza Università di Roma , Rome, Italy
| | - Flavia Longo
- Dipartimento di Medicina Molecolare, Sapienza Università di Roma , Rome, Italy
| | - Antonio Ciardi
- Dipartimento di Scienze Radiologiche, Oncologiche e Anatomo-Patologiche, Sapienza Università di Roma , Rome, Italy
| | - Sergio Morelli
- Dipartimento di Medicina Interna e Specialità Mediche, Sapienza Università di Roma , Rome, Italy
| | - Anna Rita Vestri
- Dipartimento di Sanità Pubblica e Malattie Infettive, Sapienza Università di Roma , Rome, Italy
| | - Piero Chirletti
- Sezione di Chirurgia Interdisciplinare "F. Durante", Sapienza Università di Roma , Rome, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Barnaba
- Dipartimento di Medicina Interna e Specialità Mediche, Sapienza Università di Roma, Rome, Italy; Istituto Pasteur-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Rome, Italy; Center for Life Nano Science, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Rome, Italy
| | - Silvia Piconese
- Dipartimento di Medicina Interna e Specialità Mediche, Sapienza Università di Roma, Rome, Italy; Istituto Pasteur-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Rome, Italy
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