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Wnt activation promotes memory T cell polyfunctionality via epigenetic regulator PRMT1
Bo-Yi Sung, … , Jonathan Schneck, Yen-Ling Chiu
Bo-Yi Sung, … , Jonathan Schneck, Yen-Ling Chiu
Published January 18, 2022
Citation Information: J Clin Invest. 2022;132(2):e140508. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI140508.
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Research Article Immunology

Wnt activation promotes memory T cell polyfunctionality via epigenetic regulator PRMT1

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Abstract

T cell polyfunctionality is a hallmark of protective immunity against pathogens and cancer, yet the molecular mechanism governing it remains mostly elusive. We found that canonical Wnt agonists inhibited human memory CD8+ T cell differentiation while simultaneously promoting the generation of highly polyfunctional cells. Downstream effects of Wnt activation persisted after removal of the drug, and T cells remained polyfunctional following subsequent cell division, indicating the effect is epigenetically regulated. Wnt activation induced a gene expression pattern that is enriched with stem cell–specific gene signatures and upregulation of protein arginine methyltransferase 1 (PRMT1), a known epigenetic regulator. PRMT1+CD8+ T cells are associated with enhanced polyfunctionality, especially the ability to produce IL-2. In contrast, inhibition of PRMT1 ameliorated the effects of Wnt on polyfunctionality. Chromatin immunoprecipitation revealed that H4R3me2a, a permissive transcription marker mediated by PRMT1, increased at the IL-2 promoter loci following Wnt activation. In vivo, Wnt-treated T cells exhibited superior polyfunctionality and persistence. When applied to cytomegalovirus (CMV) donor–seropositive, recipient-seronegative patients (D+/R–) lung transplant patient samples, Wnt activation enhanced CMV-specific T cell polyfunctionality, which is important in controlling CMV diseases. These findings reveal a molecular mechanism governing T cell polyfunctionality and identify PRMT1 as a potential target for T cell immunotherapy.

Authors

Bo-Yi Sung, Yi-Hsin Lin, Qiongman Kong, Pali D. Shah, Joan Glick Bieler, Scott Palmer, Kent J. Weinhold, Hong-Ru Chang, Hailiang Huang, Robin K. Avery, Jonathan Schneck, Yen-Ling Chiu

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Figure 7

Wnt activation increases T cell survival and CMV-specific polyfunctionality in CMV D+/R– LT patients.

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Wnt activation increases T cell survival and CMV-specific polyfunctional...
(A) Human memory CD8+ T cells were stimulated with CD3/CD28 and treated with DMSO, TWS119, or SKL2001. On day 7, cells were replated at the same concentration in regular culture medium in the absence of further TCR stimulation and Wnt agonists for 7 days. Viability was analyzed on day 14 (n = 8). Dunn’s test for multiple comparisons. (B) Memory cells in different treatment conditions for 7 days were treated with 0 μM or 50 μM of cisplatin for 6 hours to induce apoptosis. Annexin V and 7-AAD were stained to analyze apoptotic cells. Percentages of Annexin V+/7-AAD+ in each condition were plotted (n = 4). (C) Antiapoptotic proteins Bcl-xL and Bcl-2 were analyzed by flow cytometry in memory CD8+ T cells with or without Wnt agonists for 7 days (n = 5). Dunn’s test for multiple comparisons. (D) Schematic showing the design of adoptive transfer experiment. Healthy donor memory CD8+ cells were sorted from PBMCs and treated with or without SKL2001 for 7 days; 5 × 106 autologous CD4+ T cells and 2 × 106 cultured CD8+ T cells were cotransferred into SCID mice (n = 5). CD8+ cells were monitored periodically. Thirty days after injection, T cells were harvested and a polyfunctionality assay was performed. (E) CD8+ T cell persistence was assessed over 1 month after adoptive transfer. (F) Polyfunctionality assay of transferred T cells on day 30. (G) PBMCs from CMV-infected (D+R–) LT recipients were isolated and stimulated with CMV pp65 peptide pool for 7 days. On day 7, PBMCs were restimulated with pp65 peptide pool for 8 hours. CD107a, TNF-α, IFN-γ, and IL-2 were analyzed for the polyfunctionality assay. (H) CMV-specific polyfunctionality was improved in the cells of 15 CMV D+/R– LT patients following DMSO or SKL2001 treatment (n = 15). Mann-Whitney U test. *P < 0.05; ***P < 0.001. #P < 0.05 by Dunn’s test.

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