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Selective Treg reconstitution during lymphopenia normalizes DC costimulation and prevents graft-versus-host disease
Holly A. Bolton, … , Elena Shklovskaya, Barbara Fazekas de St. Groth
Holly A. Bolton, … , Elena Shklovskaya, Barbara Fazekas de St. Groth
Published August 24, 2015
Citation Information: J Clin Invest. 2015;125(9):3627-3641. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI76031.
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Research Article Immunology

Selective Treg reconstitution during lymphopenia normalizes DC costimulation and prevents graft-versus-host disease

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Abstract

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) have been shown to enhance immune reconstitution and prevent graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation; however, it is unclear how Tregs mediate these effects. Here, we developed a model to examine the mechanism of Treg-dependent regulation of immune reconstitution. Lymphopenic mice were selectively reconstituted with Tregs prior to transfer of conventional CD4+ T cells. Full Treg reconstitution prevented the rapid oligoclonal proliferation that gives rise to pathogenic CD4 effector T cells, while preserving the slow homeostatic form of lymphopenia-induced peripheral expansion that repopulates a diverse peripheral T cell pool. Treg-mediated CTLA-4–dependent downregulation of CD80/CD86 on DCs was critical for inhibition of rapid proliferation and was a function of the Treg/DC ratio achieved by reconstitution. In an allogeneic BM transplant model, selective Treg reconstitution before T cell transfer also normalized DC costimulation and provided complete protection against GVHD. In contrast, cotransfer of Tregs was not protective. Our results indicate that achieving optimal recovery from lymphopenia should aim to improve early Treg reconstitution in order to increase the relative number of Tregs to DCs and thereby inhibit spontaneous oligoclonal T cell proliferation.

Authors

Holly A. Bolton, Erhua Zhu, Alexandra M. Terry, Thomas V. Guy, Woon-Puay Koh, Sioh-Yang Tan, Carl A. Power, Patrick Bertolino, Katharina Lahl, Tim Sparwasser, Elena Shklovskaya, Barbara Fazekas de St. Groth

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Figure 2

Expression of CD80 and CD86 by DCs from Treg-deficient mice.

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Expression of CD80 and CD86 by DCs from Treg-deficient mice.
(A) MFI of ...
(A) MFI of CD80 (left panel) and CD86 expression (right panel) by DCs from immunodeficient Rag–/– mice and their immunosufficient Rag+/– littermates (n = 6 per group). Migratory DCs and blood-borne DCs in pLN/mLN were gated as MHCIIhiCD11cint and MHCIIintCD11chi, respectively. Blood-borne DCs in the spleen were further subdivided based on expression of CD8 and CD11b. Results are from a single experiment and are representative of more than 20 independent experiments. (B) Comparison of DC phenotype in mice housed under SPF versus GF conditions. MFI of CD80 expression by CD11c+B220– pLN and spleen DCs from immunosufficient BALB/c and immunodeficient C.B-17/lcr-scid mice housed under either SPF or GF conditions. Data are pooled from 2 independent experiments with 2 mice per group in each experiment. (C) Expression of CD80 by migratory DCs in the pLN of Rag–/– mice that received either no cells or were reconstituted with 0.25 × 106, 0.5 × 106, 1.25 × 106, or 2.5 × 106 CD4+CD25+ Tregs (open histograms) compared with expression in untreated WT mice (shaded histograms). (D) Expression of CD80 (left panels) and CD86 (right panels) by migratory DCs in the pLN, mLN, and splenic DCs at day 7 after Treg reconstitution compared with expression in untreated WT and Rag–/– mice. Data in C and D are from a single experiment with n = 4 per group. The comparison of WT, Rag–/– mice, and Rag–/– mice reconstituted with 2.5 × 106 CD4+CD25+ Tregs is representative of more than 10 independent experiments. Data in A were analyzed using a 2-tailed t test, while data in B and D were analyzed using one-way ANOVA with a Newman-Keuls post-test. Bars represent mean ± SEM with individual values indicated by the open circles. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001, and ****P < 0.0001.

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