OBJECTIVE: To analyze the correlation between the expression levels of Tim-3, C-myc and the proportion of T lymphocyte subsets and prognosis in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). METHODS: The research group selected 60 ALL patients admitted to our hospital from December 2019 to December 2021, while the control group selected 55 healthy volunteers who underwent physical examination in our hospital. The expression levels of Tim-3, C-myc mRNA and the proportion of T lymphocyte subsets in the two groups were detected. The mortality rate of ALL patients was calculated, and the correlation between the expression levels of Tim-3, C-myc, and the proportion of T lymphocyte subsets and pathological features and prognosis was analyzed. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the levels of Tim-3, C-myc and CD8⁺ in the research group were increased, while the levels of CD3⁺ , CD4⁺ and CD4⁺ /CD8⁺ were decreased (all P < 0.001). The levels of Tim-3, C-myc mRNA, CD3⁺ , CD4⁺ , CD8⁺ , CD4⁺ /CD8⁺ were correlated with risk classification and extramedullary infiltration (all P < 0.05). The survival rate of patients with low expression of Tim-3, C-myc, and CD8⁺ was higher than that of patients with high expression, while the survival rate of patients with high expression of CD3⁺ , CD4⁺ , and CD4⁺ /CD8⁺ was higher than that of patients with low expression (all P < 0.05). Univariate analysis showed that the deceased patients had higher proportions of extramedullary infiltration and high-risk classification, as well as higher levels of Tim-3, C-myc, and CD8⁺ , while lower levels of CD3⁺ , CD4⁺ , and CD4⁺ /CD8⁺ compared with surviving patients (all P < 0.01). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that extramedullary invasion, risk classification, Tim-3, C-myc, CD3⁺ , CD4⁺ , CD8⁺ , CD4⁺ /CD8⁺ were the main factors affecting the prognosis of ALL patients (all P < 0.05). ROC curve analysis showed that the combination of Tim-3, C-myc, and T lymphocyte subsets had higher sensitivity and accuracy in predicting prognosis of ALL patients compared with the single diagnosis of Tim-3, C-myc, CD3⁺ , CD4⁺ , CD8⁺ , and CD4⁺ /CD8⁺ (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION ALL patients show higher levels of Tim-3, C-myc mRNA and CD8⁺ but lower levels of CD3⁺ , CD4⁺ and CD4⁺/CD8⁺. Moreover, the expression levels of Tim-3, C-myc, CD3⁺ , CD4⁺ , CD8⁺ and CD4⁺/CD8⁺ are correlated with extramedullary invasion, high-risk classification and prognosis.
Humans ; Hepatitis A Virus Cellular Receptor 2/metabolism* ; Prognosis ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc/metabolism* ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma/diagnosis* ; T-Lymphocyte Subsets ; Male ; Female ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Adolescent ; RNA, Messenger

OBJECTIVE: To observe the levels of soluble programmed cell death protein 1 (sPD-1) and soluble programmed cell death ligand 1 (sPD-L1) in peripheral blood of lymphoma patients, and reveal their clinical significances. METHODS: The peripheral blood specimens and clinical data of 64 newly diagnosed lymphoma patients and 30 healthy volunteers were collected. The levels of sPD-1 and sPD-L1 were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and their correlations with clinical characteristics of the patients including pathological type, stage, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) level, T cell subsets were analyzed. RESULTS: The levels of both sPD-1 and sPD-L1 in peripheral blood of lymphoma patients were higher than those of normal controls (P <0.05). There were no significant differences in sPD-1 and sPD-L1 levels in peripheral blood between Hodgkin lymphoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma patients. Different pathological subtypes of lymphoma had different levels of sPD-1. The level of sPD-1 in patients with T-cell lymphoma was higher than that in patients with B-cell lymphoma (P =0.001). The levels of both sPD-1 and sPD-L1 in patients with Ann Arbor stage III and IV were higher than those in patients with stage I and II (P <0.05). The level of sPD-L1 in patients with abnormally increased LDH was higher than that in patients with normal LDH (P =0.001), but there was no significant difference in sPD-1 level. T cell subset analysis showed that the level of sPD-L1 was negatively correlated to CD4⁺ T cell content (r =-0.265). CONCLUSION The levels of sPD-1 and sPD-L1 in peripheral blood of lymphoma patients are related to the pathological type, Ann Arbor stage, LDH content and T cell subsets, and will be potential biomarkers in predicting the prognosis of lymphoma.
Humans ; Clinical Relevance ; Prognosis ; T-Lymphocyte Subsets/metabolism* ; Lymphoma, T-Cell, Peripheral ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; B7-H1 Antigen/metabolism*

Urticaria is an immune-mediated allergic disease. This study explored the effect of Jingfang Mixture on spleen T lymphocyte subsets of urticaria mice. A total of 50 Kunming mice were randomized into normal group(C), model group(V), and low-(JF-L, 0.5 g·kg~(-1)), medium-(JF-M, 1 g·kg~(-1)) and high-dose(JF-H, 2 g·kg~(-1)) Jingfang Mixture groups, with 10 mice in each group. The mixture of ovalbumin and aluminum hydroxide(0.1 mg + 0.1 mL) was used(intraperitoneal injection) to induce urticaria in mice. The administration began 6 days after the first immunization, and the second immunization was carried out 10 days after the first immunization. The pruritus index was detected within 30 min after the second immunization. The administration lasted 21 days. After 21 days, the serum was taken to detect the total IgE level. Based on hematoxylin and eosin(HE) staining, the pathological changes of skin tissue were observed, and Western blot was used to detect the levels of p-Janus kinase 2(JAK2)/JAK2 and p-signal transducer and activator of transcription 3(STAT3)/STAT3 in skin tissue. The spleen was taken to detect the spleen index, and flow cytometry was employed to determine the expression of lymphocyte subsets. The results showed that group V had obvious pathological changes in skin tissue compared with group C. Moreover, group V showed more scratches, higher spleen index, and higher level of total serum IgE than group C. In addition, higher levels of p-JAK2 and p-STAT3, lower proportions of CD4~+T, Th1, and Treg, higher proportions of CD8~+T, Th2, and Th17, and lower ratios of CD4~+/CD8~+, Th1/Th2, and Terg/Th17 were observed in group V than in group C. Compared with group V, each administration group showed alleviation of the pathological morphology of skin tissue, obvious epidermal thickening, relatively intact collagen fiber structure of dermal reticular layer, alleviated edema, and relief of vasodilation and peripheral inflammatory cell infiltration. Moreover, less scratching, lower spleen index, lower p-JAK2/JAK2 and p-STAT3/STAT3 were observed in the administration groups than in group V. JF-M group and JF-H group demonstrated lower levels of total IgE, larger proportions of CD4~+T, Th1, and Treg, smaller proportions of CD8~+ T, Th2, and Th17, and higher ratios of CD4~+/CD8~+, Th1/Th2, and Terg/Th17. In conclusion, Jingfang Mixture may improve the symptoms of urticaria mice by regulating the balance of spleen T lymphocyte subsets through JAK2-STAT3 signaling pathway.
Mice ; Animals ; Janus Kinase 2/pharmacology* ; Spleen ; T-Lymphocyte Subsets/metabolism* ; Signal Transduction ; Urticaria ; Immunoglobulin E

The activation mechanism of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-engineered T cells may differ substantially from T cells carrying native T cell receptor, but this difference remains poorly understood. We present the first comprehensive portrait of single-cell level transcriptional and cytokine signatures of anti-CD19/4-1BB/CD28/CD3ζ CAR-T cells upon antigen-specific stimulation. Both CD4 helper T (T) cells and CD8 cytotoxic CAR-T cells are equally effective in directly killing target tumor cells and their cytotoxic activity is associated with the elevation of a range of T1 and T2 signature cytokines, e.g., interferon γ, tumor necrotic factor α, interleukin 5 (IL5), and IL13, as confirmed by the expression of master transcription factor genes TBX21 and GATA3. However, rather than conforming to stringent T1 or T2 subtypes, single-cell analysis reveals that the predominant response is a highly mixed T1/T2 function in the same cell. The regulatory T cell activity, although observed in a small fraction of activated cells, emerges from this hybrid T1/T2 population. Granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) is produced from the majority of cells regardless of the polarization states, further contrasting CAR-T to classic T cells. Surprisingly, the cytokine response is minimally associated with differentiation status, although all major differentiation subsets such as naïve, central memory, effector memory, and effector are detected. All these suggest that the activation of CAR-engineered T cells is a canonical process that leads to a highly mixed response combining both type 1 and type 2 cytokines together with GM-CSF, supporting the notion that polyfunctional CAR-T cells correlate with objective response of patients in clinical trials. This work provides new insights into the mechanism of CAR activation and implies the necessity for cellular function assays to characterize the quality of CAR-T infusion products and monitor therapeutic responses in patients.
Antigens ; metabolism ; CTLA-4 Antigen ; metabolism ; Cell Differentiation ; drug effects ; Cell Line ; Cytokines ; metabolism ; Cytotoxicity, Immunologic ; drug effects ; Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Lymphocyte Activation ; drug effects ; immunology ; Lymphocyte Subsets ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Phenotype ; Proteomics ; Receptors, Chimeric Antigen ; metabolism ; Single-Cell Analysis ; methods ; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Th1 Cells ; cytology ; drug effects ; Th2 Cells ; cytology ; drug effects ; Transcription, Genetic ; drug effects ; Up-Regulation ; drug effects

Objective To investigate the expression and regulation of programmed cell death protein 1 (PD1), B lymphocyte and T lymphocyte attenuator (BTLA) in peripheral blood of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC); to examine the correlation of the mRNA levels between PD and BTLA in NSCLC. Methods Flow cytometry was used to detect the expression of PD1 and BTLA on the surfaces of CD8⁺ T cells and γδ⁺ T cells in the peripheral blood samples collected from 32 in-patients with stage IV NSCLC and 30 healthy individuals. We compared the expression of PD1 and BTLA on the surfaces of γδ⁺ T cells in the NSCLC patients with bone metastasis before and after the treatment of zoledronic acid. The correlations of PD1 and BTLA, as well as their ligands were analyzed using Pearson correlation analysis with the cBioPortal data platform. Results The frequency of PD1 on the surfaces of CD8⁺ T cells was significantly higher than that of the γδT cells in both healthy controls (t=2.324, P=0.024) and NSCLC patients（t=2.498, P=0.015). The frequency of PD1 on CD8⁺ T cells, rather than on γδ⁺ T cells, was significantly upregulated in advanced NSCLC patients compared with that in healthy controls (t=4.829, P<0.001). The PD1⁺ BTLA⁺γδT cells of the healthy controls were significantly lower than that of the NSCLC patients (t=2.422, P=0.0185). No differences in percentage of PD1⁺γδ⁺ and BTLA⁺γδ⁺ T cells were observed in 7 NSCLC patients with bone metastasis before and after zoledronic acid treatment. PD1 was positively correlated with BTLA in both lung adenocarcinoma (r=0.54; P<0.05) and lung squamous cell carcinoma (r=0.78; P<0.05). Conclusions The upregulation of co-inhibitory molecules occurs on the surfaces of both CD8⁺ T cells and γδT cells in advanced NSCLC, suggesting that these molecules were involved in regulating the inactivation of CD8⁺ T cells and γδ⁺ T cells, immune escape and tumor invasion.
Bone Neoplasms/secondary* ; CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/immunology* ; Case-Control Studies ; Female ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Humans ; Ligands ; Lung Neoplasms/immunology* ; Lymphocyte Subsets/immunology* ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor/metabolism* ; RNA, Messenger/metabolism* ; Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta ; Receptors, Immunologic/metabolism*

T lymphocytes rely on several metabolic processes to produce the high amounts of energy and metabolites needed to drive clonal expansion and the development of effector functions. However, many of these pathways result in the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which have canonically been thought of as cytotoxic agents due to their ability to damage DNA and other subcellular structures. Interestingly, ROS has recently emerged as a critical second messenger for T cell receptor signaling and T cell activation, but the sensitivity of different T cell subsets to ROS varies. Therefore, the tight regulation of ROS production by cellular antioxidant pathways is critical to maintaining proper signal transduction without compromising the integrity of the cell. This review intends to detail the common metabolic sources of intracellular ROS and the mechanisms by which ROS contributes to the development of T cell-mediated immunity. The regulation of ROS levels by the glutathione pathway and the Nrf2-Keap1-Cul3 trimeric complex will be discussed. Finally, T cell-mediated autoimmune diseases exacerbated by defects in ROS regulation will be further examined in order to identify potential therapeutic interventions for these disorders.
Antioxidants ; Autoimmune Diseases ; Autoimmunity ; Cytotoxins ; DNA ; Glutathione ; Immunity, Cellular ; Metabolism ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell ; Second Messenger Systems ; Signal Transduction ; T-Lymphocyte Subsets ; T-Lymphocytes

BACKGROUNDAmong HIV-infected patients initiating antiretroviral therapy (ART), early changes in CD4+ T-cell subsets are well described. However, HIV-infected late presenters initiating treatment present with a suboptimal CD4+ T-cell reconstitution and remain at a higher risk for AIDS and non-AIDS events. Therefore, factors associated with CD4+ T-cell reconstitution need to be determined in this population, which will allow designing effective immunotherapeutic strategies.

METHODSThirty-one adult patients with baseline CD4+ T-cell count <350 cells/mm3 exhibiting viral suppression after ART initiation were followed in the HIV/AIDS research center of Peking Union Medical College Hospital in Beijing, China, from October 2002 to September 2013. Changes in T-cell subsets and associated determinants were measured.

RESULTSMedian baseline CD4+ T-cell count was 70 cells/mm3. We found a biphasic reconstitution of T-cell subsets and immune activation: a rapid change during the first 6 months followed by a more gradual change over the subsequent 8 years. Baseline CD4+ T-cell count >200 cells/mm3 in comparison to CD4+ T-cell count ≤200 cells/mm3 was associated with more complete immune Reconstitution (77.8% vs. 27.3% respectively; P = 0.017) and normalized CD4/CD8 ratio. We showed that the baseline percentage of naive CD4+ T-cell was a predictive marker for complete immune reconstitution (area under receiver operating characteristic curve 0.907), and 12.4% as cutoff value had a sensitivity of 84.6% and a specificity of 88.2%.

CONCLUSIONSBaseline naive CD4+ T-cell percentage may serve as a predictive marker for optimal immune reconstitution during long-term therapy. Such study findings suggest that increasing thymic output should represent an avenue to improve patients who are diagnosed late in the course of infection.

Adult ; Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active ; methods ; CD4 Lymphocyte Count ; CD4-CD8 Ratio ; CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes ; metabolism ; Female ; HIV Infections ; drug therapy ; immunology ; metabolism ; HIV-1 ; drug effects ; immunology ; pathogenicity ; Humans ; Male ; Prospective Studies ; T-Lymphocyte Subsets ; immunology

OBJECTIVETo investigate the distribution of pathogenic bacteria in the patients with hematologic malignancies received hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) and its influence on the expression of BCL-2 and BAX proteins.

METHODSThe clinical data of 64 patients with malignant lymphoma (ML) received auto-HSCT from January 2011 to December 2015 in our hospital were analyzed. On basis of post-treansplant infection, the patients were divided into infection group (36 cases) and non-infection group (28 cases). The distribution of pathogenic bacteria in 2 groups was identified, the T lymphocyte subsets of peripheral blood, expression level of apoptotic proteins and C-reaction protein (CRP) in 2 group were detected.

RESULTSThirty-six strains of pathogenic bacteria were isolated from 36 case of hematological malignancy after HSCT, including 24 strains of Gram-negative bacteria (66.67%) with predominamce of klebsiella pneumoniae (19.44%). The periperal blood CD4+ (t=2.637, P<0.01), CD4+/CD8+ ratio (t=8.223, P<0.01), BCL-2 protein (t=5.852, P<0.05), BCL-2/BAX ratio (t=14.56, P<0.01) in infection group were significantly lower than those in non-infection group, while CD8+ (t=2.285, P=<0.01), CRP (t=39.71, P<0.01), BAX level in infection group were higher than those in non-infection group. The pearson correcation analysis showed that the CD4+/CD8+ ratio in infection group positively correlated with BCL-2/BAX ratio (t=0.341, P<0.05), while serum CRP level in infection group negatively correlated with BCL-2/BAX ratio (t=-0.362, P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe pathogenic bacteria infecting ML patients after HSCT were mainly Gram-negative bacteria. The post-transplant infection can promote the expression up-regulation of related inflammatory factors and apoptotic proteins. The pathogens may be involved in cell apoptisis that provides a new strategy to treat the hematologic malignancies.

C-Reactive Protein ; analysis ; CD4-CD8 Ratio ; Gram-Negative Bacteria ; isolation & purification ; Hematologic Neoplasms ; metabolism ; microbiology ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; Humans ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 ; metabolism ; T-Lymphocyte Subsets ; cytology ; Up-Regulation ; bcl-2-Associated X Protein ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo compare the expression of C-C chemokine receptor type 5 (CCR5) on T cells between bone marrow grafts (G-BM) and peripheral blood grafts (G-PB) nobilized by recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (rhG-CSF), and to analyze the correlation of CCR5+ T lymphocyte expression in the grafts with the occurrence of acute GVHD.

METHODSForty-six healthy donor and their recipient pairs of related allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) were enrolled in this study. All the recipients were received the infusion of G-BM and G-PB. The relative proportion and quantity of CCR5+ T cell subset in G-BM and G-PB were detected and compared. Then the correlation of the quantity of infused CCR5+ T cells with the occurrence of acute GVHD was analyzed.

RESULTSAfter mobilization, the proportions of CD4+ CCR5+ and CD8+ CCR5+ T cells occupying T cells in G-PB were both lower than those in G-BM. However, the absolute counts in G-PB were 15-25 times more than those in the bone marrow. And the absolute counts could not predict the occurrence of acute GVHD after transplantation (P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe difference of CCR5+ subsets between G-PB and G-BM may partially explain that grafts from different sources have different immunologic characteristics. Besides, the quantity of CCR5+ T cells in the grafts are not related with the occurrence of acute GVHD. However, the relative proportion of CCR5+ T cell subset in the grafts may be predictive of acute GVHD.

Bone Marrow ; metabolism ; Bone Marrow Transplantation ; Graft vs Host Disease ; pathology ; Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor ; pharmacology ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Mobilization ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; Humans ; Receptors, CCR5 ; metabolism ; T-Lymphocyte Subsets ; metabolism ; Tissue Donors

OBJECTIVETo investigate whether Shen-Fu Injection (, SFI) reduces post-resuscitation immune dysfunction in a porcine model of cardiac arrest by modulating apoptosis of regulatory T lymphocytes (Treg) in the spleen.

METHODSAfter 8-min untreated ventricular fibrillation and 2-min basic life support, 24 pigs were divided into 3 groups with a random number table, i.e. SFI group, epinephrine (EP) group, and saline (SA) group (8 in each group), which received central venous injection of SFI (1.0 mL/kg), EP (0.02 mg/kg) and SA, respectively. The same procedure without CA initiation was achieved in the sham-operated (sham) group (n=6). After successful return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC), apoptosis rate of splenic Treg was detected by flow cytometry; and the mRNA expression of forkhead/winged helix transcription factor (Foxp3) of splenic Treg was detected by real time-polymerase chain reaction; and the levels of interleukin-4 (IL-4) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) in porcine splenic Treg were detected by using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

RESULTSCompared with the sham group, the apoptosis rate of Treg was significantly decreased, and the levels of Foxp3 mRNA expression, IFN-γ, IL-4 and IFN-γ/IL-4 were increased in the SA group (P<0.05 or P<0.01). Compared with the EP and SA groups, SFI treatment increased the apoptosis rate of Treg and reduced the levels of Foxp3 mRNA expression, IFN-γ and IFN-γ/IL-4 (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONSSFI has signifificant effects in attenuating post-resuscitation immune dysfunction by modulating apoptosis of Treg in the spleen.

Animals ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation ; Disease Models, Animal ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Forkhead Transcription Factors ; genetics ; metabolism ; Heart Arrest ; drug therapy ; immunology ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Hemodynamics ; drug effects ; Injections ; Interferon-gamma ; metabolism ; Interleukin-4 ; metabolism ; Lymphocyte Subsets ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Male ; Oxygen ; metabolism ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; metabolism ; Spleen ; immunology ; Survival Analysis ; Swine ; Swine, Miniature ; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory ; drug effects ; immunology