CD8 T cells play a central role in immune responses against pathogens and cancer; however, CD8 T cells are typically rendered hypofunctional in tumor microenvironment due to tolerance to cancer cells and functional exhaustion. How to overcome CD8 T cell tolerance and stimulate strong antitumor responses has become an important issue for cancer immunotherapy 1,2. Here we identified the atypical deubiquitinase Otub1 as a pivotal regulator of CD8 T cell self-tolerance and antigen-stimulated responses. T cell-specific deletion of Otub1 in mice breaks CD8 T cell self-tolerance and promotes the metabolic reprograming and effector functions of activated CD8 T cells, resulting in profoundly stronger immunity against infections and tumorigenesis. The Otub1 deletion also synergizes with an immune checkpoint inhibitor in inducing tumor rejection and greatly increases the efficiency of an adoptive T cell transfer model of cancer immunotherapy. In line with these findings, the expression level of Otub1 is inversely associated with the abundance of CD8 effector T cell signature gene expression and patient survival in human melanoma. Mechanistically, Otub1 negatively regulates activation of AKT, a kinase that integrates the T cell receptor (TCR) and cytokine signals and mediates CD8 T cell metabolism and effector functions. Otub1 deficiency greatly promotes AKT activation by both the TCR signal and the immunostimulatory cytokine IL-15. Otub1 inhibits AKT ubiquitination and, thereby, suppresses its interaction with the membrane lipid phosphoinositol 3,4,5 triphosphate required for membrane translocation. These results demonstrate a ubiquitin-dependent mechanism that controls CD8 T cell responses and implicate Otub1 as a potential therapeutic target for cancer immunotherapy. Overall design: Fresh splenic naïve CD8 T cells or fresh splenic naïve CD8 T cells cultured with plate-bound anti-CD3 (1ug/ml) plus anti-CD28 (1ug/ml) for 24 hours. mRNA profiles of 6 to 8-week old wild type -OT-I (WT) and OTUB1-CD4Cre-OT-I (KO) mice were generated by deep sequencing, in triplicate
The deubiquitinase Otub1 controls the activation of CD8<sup>+</sup> T cells and NK cells by regulating IL-15-mediated priming.
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View SamplesTo understand why cancer vaccine-induced T cells often fail to eradicate tumors, we studied immune responses in mice vaccinated with gp100 peptide emulsified in incomplete Freund's adjuvant (IFA), commonly used in clinical cancer vaccine trials. After gp100 peptide/IFA vaccination, tumor-specific CD8+ T cells (adoptively transferred from gp100-specific TCR-transgenic pmel-1 mice) accumulated not in tumors but at the persisting, antigen-rich vaccination site. Once there, primed T cells became dysfunctional and underwent antigen-driven, IFN- and FasL-mediated apoptosis, resulting in systemic hyporesponsiveness to subsequent vaccination. Provision of anti-CD40 antibody, TLR7 agonist and interleukin-2 (covax) reduced T cell apoptosis but did not prevent vaccination site sequestration. A non-persisting vaccine formulation shifted T cell localization towards tumors, inducing superior anti-tumor activity. Short-lived formulation also reduced systemic T cell dysfunction and promoted memory formation, as shown by gene expression profiling and other measures. Persisting peptide/IFA vaccine depots, currently used to vaccinate cancer patients, can induce specific T cell sequestration at vaccination sites followed by dysfunction and deletion; short-lived depot formulations may overcome these limitations and result in greater therapeutic efficacy of peptide-based cancer vaccines.
Persistent antigen at vaccination sites induces tumor-specific CD8⁺ T cell sequestration, dysfunction and deletion.
Specimen part, Time
View SamplesWNT-induced secreted protein 1 (WISP1/CCN4), a member of the CCN protein family, acts as a downstream factor of the canonical WNT-signaling pathway. A dysregulated expression of WISP1 often reflects its oncogenic potential by inhibition of apoptosis, a necessary form of cell death that protect cell populations for transformation into malignant phenotypes. WISP1-signaling is also known to affect proliferation and differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs), which are fundamental for the constitution and maintenance of the musculoskeletal system. Our study emphasizes the importance of WISP1-signaling for cell survival of primary human cells. Therefore, we established a successful down-regulation of endogenous WISP1 transcripts through gene silencing in hMSCs. We were able to demonstrate the consequence of cell death immediately after WISP1 down-regulation took place. Bioinformatical analyses of subsequent performed microarrays from WISP1 down-regulated vs. control samples confirmed this observation. We uncovered several clusters of differential expressed genes important for cellular apoptosis induction and immuno-regulatory processes, thereby indicating TRAIL-induced and p53-mediated apoptosis as well as IFNbeta-signaling. Since all of them act as potent inhibitors for malignant cell growth, in vitro knowledge about the connection with WISP1-signaling could help to find new therapeutic approaches concerning cancerogenesis and tumor growth in musculoskeletal tissues.
WISP 1 is an important survival factor in human mesenchymal stromal cells.
Specimen part, Treatment
View SamplesIn this study we analyzed the myeloma cell contact-mediated changes on the transcriptome of skeletal precursor cells. Therefore, human mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) and osteogenic precursor cells (OPC) were co-cultured with the representative myeloma cell line INA-6 for 24 h. Afterwards, MSC and OPC were separated from INA-6 cells by fluorescence activated cell sorting. Total RNA of MSC and OPC fractions was used for whole genome array analysis.
Contact of myeloma cells induces a characteristic transcriptome signature in skeletal precursor cells -Implications for myeloma bone disease.
Sex, Age, Specimen part, Disease stage
View SamplesGenome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified dozens of genomic loci, whose single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) predispose to prostate cancer (PCa). However, the biological functions of these common genetic variants and the mechanisms to increase disease risk are largely unknown. We integrated chromatin-IP coupled sequencing (ChIP-seq) and microarray expression profiling in the TMPRSS2-ERG gene rearrangement positive DuCaP cell model with the NHGRI GWAS PCa risk SNPs catalog, in an attempt to identify disease susceptibility SNPs localized within functional androgen receptor binding sites (ARBSs). Among the 48 GWAS index SNPs and 2,702 linked SNPs defined by the 1000G project 104 were found to be localized in the AR ChIP-seq peaks. Of these risk SNPs, rs11891426 T/G in the 7th intron of its host gene melanophilin (MLPH) was found located within a putative auxiliary ARE motif, which we found enriched in the neighborhood of canonical ARE motifs. Exchange of T to G attenuated the transcriptional activity of the MLPH-ARBS in a reporter gene assay. The expression of MLPH protein in tissue samples from prostate cancer patients was significantly lower in those with the G compared to the T allele. Moreover, a significant positive correlation of AR and MLPH protein expression levels was also confirmed in tissue samples. These results unravel a hidden link between AR and a functional PCa risk SNP rs11891426, whose allele alteration affects androgen regulation of its host gene MLPH. This study shows the power of integrative studies to pin down functional risk SNPs and justifies further investigations.
Putative Prostate Cancer Risk SNP in an Androgen Receptor-Binding Site of the Melanophilin Gene Illustrates Enrichment of Risk SNPs in Androgen Receptor Target Sites.
Cell line, Treatment, Time
View SamplesGrowth factor independence genes (Gfi1 and Gfi1b) repress recombination activating genes (Rag) transcription in developing B lymphocytes. Because all blood lineages originate from hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and different lineage progenitors have been shown to share transcription factor networks prior to cell fate commitment, we hypothesized that GFI family proteins may also play a role in repressing Rag transcription or a global lymphoid transcriptional program in other blood lineages. We tested the level of Rag transcription in various blood cells when Gfi1 and Gfi1b were deleted, and observed an upregulation of Rag expression in plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs). Using microarray analysis, we observed that Gfi1 and Gfi1b regulate a broad spectrum of cellular processes in pDCs, but not a lymphoid specific transcriptional program. This study establishes a role for Gfi1 and Gfi1b in Rag regulation in a non-B lineage cell type
Gfi1 and gfi1b repress rag transcription in plasmacytoid dendritic cells in vitro.
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View SamplesRoquin proteins are required to preclude spontaneous T cell activation and aberrant T follicular helper (Tfh) or T helper 17 (Th17) differentiation. Here, we show that deletion of Roquin encoding alleles in regulatory T cells (Tregs) also caused the activation of conventional T cells. These Tregs exhibited a follicular Treg phenotype, CD25 downregulation and could not protect from colitis. Mechanistically, Roquin was required for full expression and activity of Pten and Foxo1, two essential signaling molecules in Tregs and effector T cells. Roquin upregulated Pten by interfering with miR-17~92 binding to an overlapping cis-element in the Pten 3' UTR and downregulated the Foxo1-specific E3 ubiquitin ligase Itch. Loss of Roquin enhanced mTOR signaling and global protein synthesis, while inhibition of PI3K or mTOR in Roquin-deficient CD4+ T cells corrected increased Tfh and Th17 differentiation. Thereby, the control of PI3K-mTOR signaling by Roquin prevents autoimmunity through T cell-intrinsic and Treg-mediated regulation. Overall design: Examination of transcriptome and ribosome occupancy in MEF and T cells upon Roquin expression and inhibition. Examination of Roquin binding sites in the mouse transcriptome of MEF cells. Examination of transcriptome in CD25+ and CD25- Treg cells from WT and Roquin DKO mice.
Roquin targets mRNAs in a 3'-UTR-specific manner by different modes of regulation.
Specimen part, Cell line, Subject
View SamplesTransplanting renal allografts represents the major curative treatment of chronic renal failure. Despite recent advances in immunosuppressive therapy, long-term survival of allografts remains a major clinical problem. Kidney function depends in part on transport proteins such as MRP2 (ABCC2) which facilitates renal secretion of amphiphilic exogenous and endogenous compounds. Inherited variants of genes not related to the immune system have been shown to modify the outcome after renal transplantation. We investigated whether ABCC2 gene variants in the donor kidney affect renal graft function.
Multidrug resistance-related protein 2 genotype of the donor affects kidney graft function.
Sex
View SamplesTransformation of Glycine max with seed-targeted expression vectors via Agrobacterium causes measurable unscripted gene expression changes in the seed transcriptome Overall design: mRNA was sequenced from three transgenic events expressing three different recombinant proteins in soybean seeds. Three plants were chosen from each as group replicates, and three seeds from each plant as individual biological replicates.
Transcript Polymorphism Rates in Soybean Seed Tissue Are Increased in a Single Transformant of <i>Glycine max</i>.
Subject
View SamplesThe Photo-Activatable Ribonucleoside-enhanced CrossLinking and ImmunoPrecipitation (PAR-CLIP) method was recently developed for global identification of RNAs interacting with proteins. The strength of this versatile method results from induction of specific T to C transitions at sites of interaction. However, current analytical tools do not distinguish between non-experimentally and experimentally induced transitions. Furthermore, geometric properties at potential binding sites are not taken into account. To surmount these shortcomings, we developed a two-step algorithm consisting of a non-parametric two-component mixture model and a wavelet-based peak calling procedure. Our algorithm can reduce the number of false positives up to 24% thereby identifying high confidence interaction sites. We successfully employed this approach in conjunction with a modified PAR-CLIP protocol to study the functional role of nuclear MOV10, a putative RNA helicase interacting with Argonaute2 and Polycomb. Our method, available as the R package wavClusteR, is generally applicable to any substitution-based inference problem in genomics. Overall design: The data comprises one MOV10 PAR-CLIP data file and one nuclear RNA-seq file
Mixture models and wavelet transforms reveal high confidence RNA-protein interaction sites in MOV10 PAR-CLIP data.
Cell line, Subject
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