B cell-derived GABA elicits IL-10+ macrophages to limit anti-tumour immunity.

Small, soluble metabolites not only are essential intermediates in intracellular biochemical processes, but can also influence neighbouring cells when released into the extracellular milieu1-3. Here we identify the metabolite and neurotransmitter GABA as a candidate signalling molecule synthesized and secreted by activated B cells and plasma cells. We show that B cell-derived GABA promotes monocyte differentiation into anti-inflammatory macrophages that secrete interleukin-10 and inhibit CD8+ T cell killer function. In mice, B cell deficiency or B cell-specific inactivation of the GABA-generating enzyme GAD67 enhances anti-tumour responses. Our study reveals that, in addition to cytokines and membrane proteins, small metabolites derived from B-lineage cells have immunoregulatory functions, which may be pharmaceutical targets allowing fine-tuning of immune responses.

mTORC1 Signaling Controls TLR2-Mediated T-Cell Activation by Inducing TIRAP Expression.

Effector, but not naïve, T cells are activated by toll-like receptor-2 (TLR2) stimulation, leading to cytokine production and proliferation. We found that the differential response is attributable to the lack of expression of the adaptor protein TIRAP in naive T cells. TIRAP expression is induced upon T-cell receptor (TCR) stimulation and sustained by strong interleukin-2 (IL-2) signals. Expression of TIRAP requires TCR- and IL-2-induced mTORC1 activation. TLR2 stimulation induced the activation of nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) and ERK, leading to much higher production of interferon-γ (IFN-γ) by T helper 1 (Th1) cells cultured in a high concentration of IL-2 than by those cultured in a low concentration of IL-2. In contrast, TLR2 stimulation induces mTORC1 activation through TIRAP, which is essential for TLR2-mediated IFN-γ production. These data demonstrate that the mTORC1 signal confers the response to TLR2 signaling by inducing TIRAP expression and that the TIRAP-mTORC1 axis is critical for TLR2-mediated IFN-γ production by effector T cells.

Reciprocal regulation of STING and TCR signaling by mTORC1 for T-cell activation and function.

Stimulator of interferon genes (STING) plays a key role in detecting cytosolic DNA and induces type I interferon (IFN-I) responses for host defense against pathogens. Although T cells highly express STING, its physiological role remains unknown. Here, we show that costimulation of T cells with the STING ligand cGAMP and TCR leads to IFN-I production and strongly inhibits T-cell growth. TCR-mediated mTORC1 activation and sustained activation of IRF3 are required for cGAMP-induced IFN-I production, and the mTORC1 activity is partially counteracted by cGAMP, thereby blocking proliferation. This mTORC1 inhibition in response to costimulation depends on IRF3 and IRF7. Effector T cells produce much higher IFN-I levels than innate cells in response to cGAMP. Finally, we demonstrated that STING stimulation in T cells is effective in inducing antitumor responses in vivo. Our studies demonstrate that the outputs of STING and TCR signaling pathways are mutually regulated through mTORC1 to modulate T-cell functions.

Spatiotemporal basis of CTLA-4 costimulatory molecule-mediated negative regulation of T cell activation.

T cell activation is positively and negatively regulated by a pair of costimulatory receptors, CD28 and CTLA-4, respectively. Because these receptors share common ligands, CD80 and CD86, the expression and behavior of CTLA-4 is critical for T cell costimulation regulation. However, in vivo blocking of CD28-mediated costimulation by CTLA-4 and its mechanisms still remain elusive. Here, we demonstrate the dynamic behavior of CTLA-4 in its real-time competition with CD28 at the central-supramolecular activation cluster (cSMAC), resulting in the dislocalization of protein kinase C-θ and CARMA1 scaffolding protein. CTLA-4 translocation to the T cell receptor microclusters and the cSMAC is tightly regulated by its ectodomain size, and its accumulation at the cSMAC is required for its inhibitory function. The CTLA-4-mediated suppression was demonstrated by the in vitro anergy induction in regulatory T cells constitutively expressing CTLA-4. These results show the dynamic mechanism of CTLA-4-mediated T cell suppression at the cSMAC.

T-cell receptor microclusters critical for T-cell activation are formed independently of lipid raft clustering.

We studied the function of lipid rafts in generation and signaling of T-cell receptor microclusters (TCR-MCs) and central supramolecular activation clusters (cSMACs) at immunological synapse (IS). It has been suggested that lipid raft accumulation creates a platform for recruitment of signaling molecules upon T-cell activation. However, several lipid raft probes did not accumulate at TCR-MCs or cSMACs even with costimulation and the fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) between TCR or LAT and lipid raft probes was not induced at TCR-MCs under the condition of positive induction of FRET between CD3 zeta and ZAP-70. The analysis of LAT mutants revealed that raft association is essential for the membrane localization but dispensable for TCR-MC formation. Careful analysis of the accumulation of raft probes in the cell interface revealed that their accumulation occurred after cSMAC formation, probably due to membrane ruffling and/or endocytosis. These results suggest that lipid rafts control protein translocation to the membrane but are not involved in the clustering of raft-associated molecules and therefore that the lipid rafts do not serve as a platform for T-cell activation.

Spatiotemporal regulation of T cell costimulation by TCR-CD28 microclusters and protein kinase C theta translocation.

T cell activation is mediated by microclusters (MCs) containing T cell receptors (TCRs), kinases, and adaptors. Although TCR MCs translocate to form a central supramolecular activation cluster (cSMAC) of the immunological synapse at the interface of a T cell and an antigen-presenting cell, the role of MC translocation in T cell signaling remains unclear. Here, we found that the accumulation of MCs at cSMAC was important for T cell costimulation. Costimulatory receptor CD28 was initially recruited coordinately with TCR to MCs, and its signals were mediated through the assembly with the kinase PKCtheta. The accumulation of MCs at the cSMAC was accompanied by the segregation of CD28 from the TCR, which resulted in the translocation of both CD28 and PKCtheta to a spatially unique subregion of cSMAC. Thus, costimulation is mediated by the generation of a unique costimulatory compartment in the cSMAC via the dynamic regulation of MC translocation.

Newly generated T cell receptor microclusters initiate and sustain T cell activation by recruitment of Zap70 and SLP-76.

T cell receptor (TCR) activation and signaling precede immunological synapse formation and are sustained for hours after initiation. However, the precise physical sites of the initial and sustained TCR signaling are not definitively known. We report here that T cell activation was initiated and sustained in TCR-containing microclusters generated at the initial contact sites and the periphery of the mature immunological synapse. Microclusters containing TCRs, the tyrosine kinase Zap70 and the adaptor molecule SLP-76 were continuously generated at the periphery. TCR microclusters migrated toward the central supramolecular cluster, whereas Zap70 and SLP-76 dissociated from these microclusters before the microclusters coalesced with the TCR-rich central supramolecular cluster. Tyrosine phosphorylation and calcium influx were induced as microclusters formed at the initial contact sites. Inhibition of signaling prevented recruitment of Zap70 into the microclusters. These results indicated that TCR-rich microclusters initiate and sustain TCR signaling.

In vivo overexpression of CTLA-4 suppresses lymphoproliferative diseases and thymic negative selection.

Cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA-4) induces major inhibitory signals for T cell activation. From analyses of TCR-transgenic (Tg) CTLA-4-deficient mice, it has been believed that CTLA-4 does not affect thymocyte development. To focus upon the in vivo function of CTLA-4 in thymocyte development from a different aspect, we have established Tg mice expressing either full-length CTLA-4 (FL-Tg) or a mutant CTLA-4 lacking the cytoplasmic region (truncated, TR-Tg), and analyzed thymocyte development. TR-T cells express much higher CTLA-4 on the cell surface than FL-T cells, in which most CTLA-4 was localized in intracellular vesicles. While CTLA-4-/- mice exhibit lymphoproliferative disease, neither of the Tg mice with CTLA-4-/- background developed the disorder. Although the development of thymocytes appeared normal in both Tg mice, in vivo depletion of double-positive thymocytes by injection of anti-CD3 Ab as well as the elimination of minor lymphocyte-stimulating antigen-reactive thymocytes were impaired in FL-Tg mice but not in TR-Tg mice. Functionally, cross-linking of CTLA-4 on thymocytes from FL-Tg mice, but not from TR-Tg mice, inhibited proliferation. These results reveal a potential role of CTLA-4, through its cytoplasmic domain, in the negative selection of thymocytes and in the prevention of lymphoproliferative disease.