Protein kinase CK2 governs the molecular decision between encephalitogenic TH17 cell and Treg cell development.

T helper 17 (TH17) cells represent a discrete TH cell subset instrumental in the immune response to extracellular bacteria and fungi. However, TH17 cells are considered to be detrimentally involved in autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS). In contrast to TH17 cells, regulatory T (Treg) cells were shown to be pivotal in the maintenance of peripheral tolerance. Thus, the balance between Treg cells and TH17 cells determines the severity of a TH17 cell-driven disease and therefore is a promising target for treating autoimmune diseases. However, the molecular mechanisms controlling this balance are still unclear. Here, we report that pharmacological inhibition as well as genetic ablation of the protein kinase CK2 (CK2) ameliorates experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) severity and relapse incidence. Furthermore, CK2 inhibition or genetic ablation prevents TH17 cell development and promotes the generation of Treg cells. Molecularly, inhibition of CK2 leads to reduced STAT3 phosphorylation and strongly attenuated expression of the IL-23 receptor, IL-17, and GM-CSF. Thus, these results identify CK2 as a nodal point in TH17 cell development and suggest this kinase as a potential therapeutic target to treat TH17 cell-driven autoimmune responses.

Generation and characterization of peptide mimotopes specific for anti ErbB-2 monoclonal antibodies.

The erbb-2 gene receptor is often over-expressed in human cancer and its overexpression is accompanied by worse prognosis. Targeting erbb-2 gene with antibodies is an effective approach to curtail the progression of erbb-2 gene-expressing cancer types. Two monoclonal antibodies, L-26 and N-12, previously generated in our laboratory, have shown effective tumor inhibition in mice, especially when used in combination. Here, we describe novel peptide mimics of erbb-2 gene protein epitopes, also called mimotopes, that were selected from a constraint random 12-mer peptide phage library, specific for the antibodies L-26 and N-12. Initial sequencing analyses revealed little sequence conservation among the peptide mimotopes, and no sequence homology with the erbb-2 gene protein. However, computational analyses of the two groups of peptides, specific for L-26 and N-12, suggested different epitopes on the erbb-2 gene extracellular domain. In vitro assays showed that the phage displayed peptide mimotopes were specific to their respective antibodies. Selected cyclic peptide mimotopes, but not their corresponding linear equivalents, were able to inhibit binding of the antibodies L-26 and N-12 to the surface of erbb-2 gene-expressing cancer cells in a concentration-dependent manner. In line with this observation, phage-displayed cyclic peptides successfully competed in vitro with recombinant erbb-2 gene protein for binding to their respective antibodies L-26 or N-12. Consistent with the antibody inhibition experiments, we detected specific anti-erbb-2 gene antibodies following vaccination with KLH-coupled cyclic peptides but not with multiple antigenic linear peptides. Potentially, the selected peptides could serve as a starting point for the development of a vaccine against erbb-2 gene over-expressing cancer.

Allelic and isotypic light chain inclusion in peripheral B cells from anti-DNA antibody transgenic C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice.

Most mature B lymphocytes express one BCR L chain, kappa or lambda, but recent work has shown that there are exceptions in that some B lymphocytes express both kappa and lambda and some even bear two different kappa L chains. Using the anti-DNA H chain-transgenic mouse, 56R, we find that B cells with pre-existing autoreactivity are especially subject to L chain inclusion. Specifically, we show that isotypic and allelic inclusion enables autoreactive B cells to bypass central tolerance giving rise to B cells that retain dangerous features. One receptor in dual receptor B cells is an editor L chain, i.e., neutralizes or alters self-reactivity of the 56R H chain transgene. We compare the 56R mouse when on the C57/BL/6 background, a strain prone to autoimmunity, with that of 56R when on the BALB/c background, a strain that resists autoimmunity. In the B6.56R mouse, polyreactive B cells with dual L chain move to the follicular B cell compartment. Their localization in the follicular compartment may explain the ease with which B cells in the B6.56R differentiate into autoantibody-producing plasma cells. Likewise, in the BALB/c.56R mouse, dual L chain B cells are found in the follicular B cell compartment. Yet, the lack of autoantibody-producing plasma cells in the BALB/c.56R suggests that postfollicular tolerance checkpoints are intact. The Jkappa usage in dual kappa L chain B cells suggests increased receptor editing activity and is consistent with the expected distribution of Jkappa genes in our computational model for random selection of Jkappa.

Editing and escape from editing in anti-DNA B cells.

Tolerance to dsDNA is achieved through editing of Ig receptors that react with dsDNA. Nevertheless, some B cells with anti-dsDNA receptors escape editing and migrate to the spleen. Certain anti-dsDNA B cells that are recovered as hybridomas from the spleens of anti-dsDNA H chain transgenic mice also bind an additional, Golgi-associated antigen. B cells that bind this antigen accumulate intracellular IgM. The intracellular accumulation of IgM is incomplete, because IgM clusters are observed at the cell surface. In the spleen, B cells that express the heavy and light chains encoding this IgM are surface IgM-bright and acquire the CD21-high/CD23-low phenotype of marginal zone B cells. Our data imply that expression of an Ig that binds dsDNA and an additional antigen expressed in the secretory compartment renders B cells resistant to central tolerance. In the periphery, these B cells may be sequestered in the splenic marginal zone.

Eminent role of ICOS costimulation for T cells interacting with plasmacytoid dendritic cells.

CD4+ CD45RO+ T cells could mature freshly isolated human plasmacytoid dendritic cells (PDC) in a superantigen-driven culture in a similar way to recombinant interleukin-3 (IL-3). Mature PDC expressed significantly higher levels of inducible costimulator ligand (ICOS-L), but similar levels of CD80 and CD86, when compared to mature monocyte-derived DC (moDC). We therefore directly compared the capacities of mature PDC and moDC to activate T cells. A similar T helper type 1 (Th1)/Th2 pattern of cytokines was generated in both systems, but significantly higher levels of IL-3, IL-4 and IL-10 were induced by PDC. In T cells interacting with PDC, the ICOS/ICOS-L costimulatory pathway played a pre-eminent role in the generation of IL-3 and IL-10, CD28 was central to the induction of IL-2, and both pathways were equally important for the generation of other cytokines. In cocultures with moDC, the CD28 pathway was dominant over ICOS under all circumstances, except for the ICOS-mediated release of IL-10. In general, our data demonstrate an eminent role of ICOS in the interaction of T cells with PDC, and thus modify the current paradigm of CD28 dominance for the costimulation of T cells interacting with professional antigen-presenting cells. In particular, our data highlight the role of ICOS in the generation of IL-3, a factor central to the biology of human PDC.

Light chain editing generates polyreactive antibodies in chronic graft-versus-host reaction.

The chronic graft-versus-host (cGvH) reaction is a model of induced lupus caused by alloreactive CD4(+) T cells from a Bm-12 mouse in a C57BL/6 recipient. We used this cGvH reaction in C57BL/6 anti-DNA H chain transgenic mice, 56R/B6, to understand the structure, specificity, and origin of the induced autoantibodies (auto-Abs). We found anti-DNA Abs that reacted to several different antigens, such as phosphatidylserine, myelin basic protein, thyroglobulin, histone, insulin, cytochrome C, and beta-galactosidase. This polyreactivity was found for Abs from B cells that expressed the 56R H chain transgene with "editor" L chains that did not completely veto autoreactivity. We suggest that such incomplete editing results in polyreactivity and that incompletely edited polyreactive B cells influence the subsequent expression of pathogenic auto-Abs in disease. We also found B cells that coexpress kappa and lambda L chain. These B cells contributed to the autoimmune response and are possibly in the marginal zone of the spleen.

ICOS and CD28 reversely regulate IL-10 on re-activation of human effector T cells with mature dendritic cells.

With newly generated ICOS-ligand (ICOS-L)-specific monoclonal antibodies we determined that human Langerhans cells in situ express similar levels of ICOS-L, CD80, and CD86, compared to immature dendritic cells (DC) derived from monocytes in vitro. Maturation of DC strongly up-regulated CD80 and CD86 but did not significantly change ICOS-L levels. On coculture of "naive"CD4(+) T cells with mature DC in the presence of superantigen, ICOS was highly up-regulated on T cells, but played only a secondary role in the CD28-dominated release of TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma, and did not participate in the induction of IL-2. Cocultures of "effector" CD4(+) T cells with mature DC revealed CD28 as the driving force for the secretion of IL-2, IFN-gamma, IL-6, and IL-13, with no apparent contribution of ICOS. In contrast, the release of IL-10 was differentially regulated. Interaction of ICOS with ICOS-L strongly promoted IL-10 secretion, whereas the CD28/B7 pathway acted as a potent attenuator of IL-10 release. Our data thus indicate a selective regulation of IL-10 secretion by ICOS on re-activation of effector T cells with professional antigen-presenting cells (bearing CD80 and CD86) in lymphoid tissue.