Objective This study investigated the regulatory effect of high mobility group protein B1 (HMGB1) in the peripheral blood of patients with primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) on myeloid dendritic cells (mDC) and Th17/regulatory T cells (Treg) balance. Methods The study enrolled 30 newly diagnosed ITP patients and 30 healthy controls.Flow cytometry was used to measure the proportion of mDC, Th17, and Treg cells in the peripheral blood of ITP patients and healthy controls. ELISA was conducted to quantify the serum levels of HMGB1, interleukin 6 (IL-6), IL-23, IL-17, and transforming growth factor β(TGF-β). The mRNA levels of retinoic acid-related orphan receptor γt(RORγt) and forehead box P3(FOXP3) were detected by real-time PCR. The correlation between the abovementioned cells, cytokines, and platelet count was assessed using Pearson linear correlation analysis. Results The proportion of Th17 cells and the expression levels of HMGB1, IL-6, IL-23, IL-17 and the level of RORγt mRNA in the peripheral blood of ITP patients were higher than those in healthy controls. However, the Treg cell proportion and TGF-β level were lower in ITP patients than those in healthy controls. In patients with ITP, the proportion of mDC and the level of FOXP3 mRNA did not show significant changes. The proportion of mDC cells was significantly correlated with the expression of IL-6 and IL-23. Moreover, the expression of HMGB1 showed a significant correlation with the expression of mDC, IL-6, IL-23, RORγt mRNA, and IL-17. Notably, both the proportion of mDC cells and the expression of HMGB1 were negatively correlated with platelet count. Conclusion The high expression of HMGB1 in peripheral blood of ITP patients may induce Th17/Treg imbalance by promoting the maturation of mDC and affecting the secretion of cytokines, thereby potentially playing a role in the immunological mechanism of ITP.
Humans ; Th17 Cells/cytology* ; HMGB1 Protein/genetics* ; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory/cytology* ; Female ; Male ; Dendritic Cells/metabolism* ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Purpura, Thrombocytopenic, Idiopathic/genetics* ; Nuclear Receptor Subfamily 1, Group F, Member 3/genetics* ; Young Adult ; Interleukin-23/blood* ; Interleukin-17/blood* ; Interleukin-6/blood* ; Forkhead Transcription Factors/genetics* ; Myeloid Cells/cytology* ; Aged

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the molecular alterations of splenocytes associated with anti-factor Ⅷ (FⅧ) immune response and the underlying mechanisms based on hemophilia A (HA) murine model via RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) technology. METHODS: Severe HA mice were immunized with recombinant human factor Ⅷ (rhF8) weekly for 4 weeks to establish an FⅧ inhibitor model. High quality raw data were obtained by using bulk RNA-seq and CASAVA base identification technology, and the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified. The DEGs were statistically classified by gene ontology (GO) annotation to obtain information on the major signaling pathways and biological processes involved in anti-FⅧ immune response in HA mouse splenocytes. The cell clusters, genes, and signaling pathway datasets were comprehensively analyzed by GO, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis and single cell RNA-seq (ScRNA-seq) analysis, respectively. Flow cytometry analysis was used to verify the changes in T follicular helper cells (Tfh) and regulatory T cells (Treg). RESULTS: A total of 3731 DEGs was identified, including 2275 genes with up-regulated expression and 1456 genes with down-regulated expression. The DEGs were enriched in helper T cell differentiation, cytokine receptor, T cell receptor signaling pathway, ferroptosis, etc. Uniform Manifold Approximation and Project (UMAP) downscaling and visualization analysis yielded a total number of 11 T/NK cell subsets, visualizing the overall expression distribution of C-X-C chemokine-specific receptor gene cxcr5 among these T/NK cell subsets. Higher expression of cxcr5 was found in activated Tfh from FⅧ inhibitor mice, in comparison to the control group. The visualization using Upset plot R language showed a close interaction between Tfh and Treg. Moreover, the increased frequencies of Tfh and the decreased frequencies of Treg in inhibitor mouse splenocytes were further verified by flow cytometry analysis. CONCLUSION Multiple immune cell subsets, signaling pathways, and characteristic genes may be involved in the process of anti-FⅧ immune response in HA mouse splenocytes. The molecules involved in the regulation of Tfh/Treg may play key roles, which provide potential biological targets and therapeutic strategies for HA patients with inhibitors in the future.
Animals ; Hemophilia A/genetics* ; Mice ; Sequence Analysis, RNA ; Disease Models, Animal ; Spleen/cytology* ; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory/immunology* ; Humans ; Signal Transduction ; Factor VIII/immunology* ; T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer/immunology*

Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is a hemorrhagic autoimmune disease characterized by antibody-mediated platelet injury. ITP has complicated immunopathological mechanisms that need further elucidation. It is well known that the costimulatory molecules OX40 ligand (OX40L) and OX40 play essential roles in the immunological mechanisms of autoimmune diseases. Previously, we discovered that the expression of OX40L and OX40 is significantly increased in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of ITP patients. In our present study, OX40L-induced follicular helper T (Tfh) cells exhibited an activated phenotype with elevated expression of inducible T-cell costimulator (ICOS), programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1), and cluster of differentiation 40 ligand (CD40L) in vitro. Moreover, aberrant OX40L‒OX40 expression might promote the Tfh1-to-Tfh2 shift in vivo, inducing the generation of autoantibodies by enhancing the helper function of Tfh cells for B lymphocytes in a mouse model, which might accelerate the progression of ITP. Additionally, signal transduction through the OX40L‒OX40 axis might be related to the activation of tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor (TRAF)‒nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) and Janus kinase (JAK)‒signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) signaling pathways. Overall, OX40L‒OX40 signaling is proposed as a potential novel therapeutic target for ITP.
Animals ; OX40 Ligand/physiology* ; Purpura, Thrombocytopenic, Idiopathic/immunology* ; Cell Differentiation ; Mice ; T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer/cytology* ; T Follicular Helper Cells/cytology* ; Signal Transduction ; Receptors, OX40 ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Humans ; Female

Cancer immunotherapy including immune checkpoint inhibitors and adoptive cell therapy has gained revolutionary success in the treatment of hematologic tumors; however, it only gains limited success in solid tumors. For example, chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cell therapy has shown significant effects and potential for curing patients with B-cell malignancies. In contrast, it remains a challenge for CAR-T cell therapy to gain similar success in solid tumors. The anti-tumor effect of endogenous or adoptively transferred tumor-specific T cells depends largely on their differentiation status. T cells at early differentiation stage show better anti-tumor therapeutic effects than fully differentiated effector T cells. In cancer patients, the persistence of tumor-specific T cells with the stem cell memory or precursor phenotype is significantly associated with improved therapeutic outcomes; therefore, adoptively transfered CAR-T cells with stem cell memory and/or central memory is expected to gain better anti-tumor effects. Herein we focused on the in vitro optimized culture and expansion system to obtain CAR-T cells with stem cell memory or central memory phenotype for the review.
Humans ; Immunotherapy, Adoptive/methods* ; Receptors, Chimeric Antigen/genetics* ; Neoplasms/immunology* ; Immunologic Memory ; T-Lymphocytes/immunology* ; Memory T Cells/immunology* ; Animals ; Stem Cells/cytology* ; Cell Differentiation

Objective To investigate the therapeutic effect of SPK1 gene transfected adipose derived mesenchymal stem cells(ADMSC)on experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis mice and the effect on T helper cell 17(Th17)/regulatory T(Treg) cells balance. Methods EAE was induced by myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein 35-55 in mice.Totally 44 mice were randomly divided into four groups:normal control group(NC group),model group(EAE group),ADMSC group,and ADMSC-SPK1 group.Forty days after injection,the pathological changes of brain and spinal cord,Th17/Treg-related inflammatory markers in brain tissue,expressions of interleukin-17A(IL-17A)and forkhead box protein p3(Foxp3)in brain and spinal cord tissue,and flow cytometric results of spleen immune cells were detected. Results Forty days after the injection,serious inflammatory cell infiltration and demyelination occurred in the brain and spinal cord of EAE group,whereas demyelination and axonal injury were improved in ADMSC group and ADMSC-SPK1 group.Compared with EAE group,the ADMSC group and ADMSC-SPK1 group had significantly improved levels of IL-17A(
Adipose Tissue/cytology* ; Animals ; Cytokines ; Encephalomyelitis, Autoimmune, Experimental/therapy* ; Interleukin-17 ; Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation ; Mesenchymal Stem Cells/cytology* ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Phosphotransferases (Alcohol Group Acceptor)/genetics* ; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory/cytology* ; Th17 Cells/cytology* ; Transfection

Age-associated changes in immune cells have been linked to an increased risk for infection. However, a global and detailed characterization of the changes that human circulating immune cells undergo with age is lacking. Here, we combined scRNA-seq, mass cytometry and scATAC-seq to compare immune cell types in peripheral blood collected from young and old subjects and patients with COVID-19. We found that the immune cell landscape was reprogrammed with age and was characterized by T cell polarization from naive and memory cells to effector, cytotoxic, exhausted and regulatory cells, along with increased late natural killer cells, age-associated B cells, inflammatory monocytes and age-associated dendritic cells. In addition, the expression of genes, which were implicated in coronavirus susceptibility, was upregulated in a cell subtype-specific manner with age. Notably, COVID-19 promoted age-induced immune cell polarization and gene expression related to inflammation and cellular senescence. Therefore, these findings suggest that a dysregulated immune system and increased gene expression associated with SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility may at least partially account for COVID-19 vulnerability in the elderly.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Aging ; genetics ; immunology ; Betacoronavirus ; CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes ; metabolism ; Cell Lineage ; Chromatin Assembly and Disassembly ; Coronavirus Infections ; immunology ; Cytokine Release Syndrome ; etiology ; immunology ; Cytokines ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Disease Susceptibility ; Flow Cytometry ; methods ; Gene Expression Profiling ; Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental ; Gene Rearrangement ; Humans ; Immune System ; cytology ; growth & development ; immunology ; Immunocompetence ; genetics ; Inflammation ; genetics ; immunology ; Mass Spectrometry ; methods ; Middle Aged ; Pandemics ; Pneumonia, Viral ; immunology ; Sequence Analysis, RNA ; Single-Cell Analysis ; Transcriptome ; Young Adult

Triptolide( TP) is isolated from the traditional Chinese medicine Tripterygium wilfordii,which exhibits notable immuneregulative effect. Th17 cells involve in inflammatory response and Treg cells contribute to immune tolerance. They both play an important role in immune response. Previous studies have investigated that TP induced hepatic Th17/Treg imbalance. However,the effect of TP on spleen Th17/Treg cells remains unclear. Therefore,the aim of present study was to investigate the effect of TP on Th17/Treg cells in spleen. In this study,the effect of TP on the proliferation of splenic lymphocyte was detected by cytotoxicity test in vitro. After different concentrations of TP( 2. 5,5,20,40 nmol·L~(-1)) were given to splenic lymphocyte,cytokines secreted from the supernatant of splenic lymphocyte were detected by cytometric bead array,and the expression of suppressor of cytokine signaling( SOCS) mRNA was detected by qRT-PCR. Female C57 BL/6 mice were continuously observed for 24 h after treatment of 500 μg·kg-1 TP. The effects of TP on the splenic tissue structure and the percentage of Th17/Treg cells were examined. The results showed that the IC50 of TP was19. 6 nmol·L~(-1) in spleen lymphocytes. TP inhibited the secretion of IL-2 and IL-10 and induced the expression of SOCS-1/3 mRNA in spleen lymphocytes at the dosage of 2. 5 and 5 nmol·L~(-1) after 24 h in vitro. Administration of TP at dosage of 500 μg·kg-1 had no significant spleen toxicity in vivo. TP treatment increased the percentage of Th17 cells after 12 h and inhibited the proportion of Treg cells after 12 and 24 h. In conclusion,TP reduced the secretion of IL-2 and IL-10 through SOCS-1/3 signaling pathway,thereby induced the percentage of Th17 cells and inhibited the percentage of Treg cells.
Animals ; Cytokines ; metabolism ; Diterpenes ; pharmacology ; Epoxy Compounds ; pharmacology ; Female ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Phenanthrenes ; pharmacology ; Signal Transduction ; Spleen ; cytology ; drug effects ; Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling 1 Protein ; metabolism ; Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling 3 Protein ; metabolism ; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory ; cytology ; Th17 Cells ; cytology

Astragalus membranaceus may be a potential therapy for childhood asthma but its driving mechanism remains elusive. The main components of A. membranaceus were identified by HPLC. The children with asthma remission were divided into two combination group (control group, the combination of budesonide and terbutaline) and A. membranaceus group (treatment group, the combination of budesonide, terbutaline and A. membranaceus). The therapeutic results were compared between two groups after 3-month therapy. Porcine peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated from venous blood by using density gradient centrifugation on percoll. The levels of FoxP3, EGF-β, IL-17 and IL-23 from PBMCs and serum IgE were measured. The relative percentage of Treg/Th17 cells was determined using flow cytometry. The main components of A. membranaceus were calycosin-7-O-glucoside, isoquercitrin, ononin, calycosin, quercetin, genistein, kaempferol, isorhamnetin and formononetin, all of which may contribute to asthma therapy. Lung function was significantly improved in the treatment group when compared with a control group (P < 0.05). The efficacy in preventing the occurrence of childhood asthma was higher in the treatment group than the control group (P < 0.05). The levels of IgE, IL-17 and IL-23 were reduced significantly in the treatment group when compared with the control group, while the levels of FoxP3 and TGF-β were increased in the treatment group when compared with the control group (P < 0.05). A. membranaceus increased the percentage of Treg cells and reduced the percentage of Th17 cells. A. membranaceus is potential natural product for improving the therapeutic efficacy of combination therapy of budesonide and terbutaline for the children with asthma remission by modulating the balance of Treg/Th17 cells.
Animals ; Asthma ; drug therapy ; immunology ; Astragalus propinquus ; chemistry ; Budesonide ; administration & dosage ; Cells, Cultured ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Cytokines ; metabolism ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; Female ; Humans ; Immunologic Factors ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; Leukocytes, Mononuclear ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Lung ; drug effects ; physiology ; Male ; Swine ; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory ; cytology ; drug effects ; Terbutaline ; administration & dosage ; Th17 Cells ; cytology ; drug effects ; Treatment Outcome

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

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common cancers worldwide. This malignancy is associated with poor prognosis and high mortality. Novel approaches for prolonging the overall survival of patients with advanced HCC are urgently needed. The antitumor activities of adoptive cell transfer therapy (ACT), such as strategies based on tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes and cytokine-induced killer cells, are more effective than those of traditional strategies. Currently, chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) immunotherapy has achieved numerous breakthroughs in the treatment of hematological malignancies, including relapsed or refractory lymphoblastic leukemia and refractory large B-cell lymphoma. Nevertheless, this approach only provides a modest benefit in the treatment of solid tumors. The clinical results of CAR-T immunotherapy for HCC that could be obtained at present are limited. Some published studies have demonstrated that CAR-T could inhibit tumor growth and cause severe side effects. In this review, we summarized the current application of ACT, the challenges encountered by CAR-T technology in HCC treatment, and some possible strategies for the future direction of immunotherapeutic research.
Adoptive Transfer ; methods ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; immunology ; therapy ; Humans ; Immunotherapy, Adoptive ; methods ; Liver Neoplasms ; immunology ; therapy ; Lymphocytes, Tumor-Infiltrating ; cytology ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic ; Receptors, Chimeric Antigen ; T-Lymphocytes ; cytology