Human natural killer T cells are heterogeneous in their capacity to reprogram their effector functions.

BACKGROUND: Natural killer T (NKT) cells are a subset of T cells that help potentiate and regulate immune responses. Although human NKT cell subsets with distinct effector functions have been identified, it is unclear whether the effector functions of these subsets are imprinted during development or can be selectively reprogrammed in the periphery. RESULTS: We found that neonatal NKT cells are predominantly CD4+ and express higher levels of CCR7 and CD62L and lower levels of CD94 and CD161 than adult CD4+ or CD4- NKT cell subsets. Accordingly, neonatal NKT cells were more flexible than adult CD4+ NKT cells in their capacity to acquire Th1- or Th2-like functions upon either cytokine-mediated polarization or ectopic expression of the Th1 or Th2 transcription factors T-bet and GATA-3, respectively. Consistent with their more differentiated phenotype, CD4- NKT cells were predominantly resistant to functional reprogramming and displayed higher cytotoxic function. In contrast to conventional T cells, neither the expression of CXCR3 nor the cytotoxic capacity of neonatal NKT cells could be reprogrammed. CONCLUSIONS AND SIGNIFICANCE: Together, these results suggest that neonatal CD4+, adult CD4+, and adult CD4- NKT may represent unique states of maturation and that some functions of human NKT cells may be developmentally imprinted, while others are acquired similar to conventional T cell subsets during peripheral maturation and differentiation. Given the potent immuno-regulatory functions of NKT cells, these findings have important implications for the development of novel NKT cell-based therapeutics and vaccines.

Transcription factor GATA-1 potently represses the expression of the HIV-1 coreceptor CCR5 in human T cells and dendritic cells.

CC chemokine receptor 5 (CCR5) is the major HIV-1 coreceptor and its expression levels are a critical determinant of HIV-1 infection. However, the molecular mechanisms of CCR5 regulation in primary targets of HIV-1 remain unknown. Despite binding to conserved DNA elements, we show that the transcription factors GATA binding protein 1 (GATA-1) and GATA-3 differentially suppress the expression of CCR5 in stem-cell-derived dendritic cells and primary human T-cell subsets. In addition, GATA-1 expression was also more potent than GATA-3 in suppressing T helper 1 (Th1)-associated genes, interferon-gamma (IFNgamma), and CXC chemokine receptor-3 (CXCR3). GATA-1, but not GATA-3, potently suppressed CCR5 transcription, thereby rendering human T cells resistant to CCR5-tropic HIV-1 infection. However, GATA-1 could also serve as a surrogate for GATA-3 in its canonic role of programming Th2 gene expression. These findings provide insight into GATA-3-mediated gene regulation during T-cell differentiation. Importantly, decoding the mechanisms of GATA-1-mediated repression of CCR5 may offer an opportunity to develop novel approaches to inhibit CCR5 expression in T cells.

The innate immune system and HIV pathogenesis.

Innate immunity represents the first line of defense against microbial infections. The innate immune system is activated by conserved structures present on most pathogens and profoundly regulates subsequent adaptive immune responses. HIV is notorious for evading and disrupting the immune system. Although HIV directly targets and gradually destroys the adaptive immunity, it has become clear that the virus also perturbs the components of the innate immune system. In this paper, we review the role of two innate lymphocyte subsets, natural killer and natural killer T cells, that are disrupted during HIV infection.

Perturbation of natural killer cell function and receptors during HIV infection.

Natural killer (NK) cells play an important role in innate host defenses against a variety of pathogens. A recent report described striking perturbations in the expression of NK cell inhibitory and activating receptors in viremic human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients, leading to functional abnormalities in these cells. This finding provides a mechanistic insight into NK cell dysfunction and its possible contribution to the impairment of innate host defenses in HIV-infected individuals.

Use of the bleomycin resistance gene to generate tagged insertional mutants of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii that require elevated CO2 for optimal growth.

Chlamydomonas reinhardtii Dangeard possesses a CO2 concentrating mechanism (CCM) that enables it to grow at very low CO2 concentrations. In previous studies, insertional mutagenesis was successfully used to identify genes required for growth at low CO2 in C. reinhardtii. These earlier studies used the C. reinhardtii genes, Nit1 and Arg7 to complement nit1- or arg7- strains, thereby randomly inserting a second copy of Nit1 or Arg7 into the genome. Because these genes are already present in the C. reinhardtii genome, it was often difficult to identify the location of the inserted DNA and the gene disrupted by the insertion. We have developed a transformation protocol using the BleR gene, which confers resistance to the antibiotic Zeocin. The insertion of this gene allows one to use a variety of existing polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methodologies to identify the disrupted gene. In this study the D66 strain (nit2-, cw15, mt+) was transformed by electroporation using a plasmid containing the BleR gene. Primary transformants (42 000) were obtained after growth in the dark on acetate plus Zeocin medium. Colonies were then tested for their ability to grow photosynthetically on elevated CO2 or low levels of CO2 (100 ppm). About 120 mutants were identified which grew on elevated CO2 but were unable to grow well at low CO2 concentrations. About 50% of these mutants had low affinities for inorganic carbon as assessed by K0.5(CO2), indicating a potential defect in the CCM. The location of the inserted DNA is being determined using inverse PCR (iPCR) and thermal asymmetric interlaced (TAIL) PCR. Using these methods, one can rapidly locate the inserted DNA in the genome and identify the gene that has been disrupted by the insertion.