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When combined with anti-PD-1, monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against GARP:TGF-β1 complexes induced more frequent immune-mediated rejections of CT26 and MC38 murine tumors than anti-PD-1 alone. In both types of tumors, the activity of anti-GARP:TGF-β1 mAbs resulted from blocking active TGF-β1 production and immunosuppression by GARP-expressing regulatory T cells. In CT26 tumors, combined GARP:TGF-β1/PD-1 blockade did not augment the infiltration of T cells, but did increase the effector functions of already present anti-tumor T cells. Here we show that, in contrast, in MC38, combined GARP:TGF-β1/PD-1 blockade increased infiltration of T cells, as a result of increased extravasation of T cells from blood vessels. Unexpectedly, combined GARP:TGF-β1/PD-1 blockade also increased the density of GARP + blood vessels covered by pericytes in MC38, but not in CT26 tumors. This appears to occur because anti-GARP:TGF-β1, by blocking TGF-β1 signals, favors the proliferation of and expression of adhesion molecules such as E-selectin by blood endothelial cells. The resulting densification of intratumoral blood vasculature probably contributes to increased T cell infiltration and to the therapeutic efficacy of GARP:TGF-β1/PD-1 blockade in MC38. We conclude from these distinct observations in MC38 and CT26, that the combined blockades of GARP:TGF-β1 and PD-1 can exert anti-tumor activity via multiple mechanisms, including the densification and normalization of intratumoral blood vasculature, the increase of T cell infiltration into the tumor and the increase of the effector functions of intratumoral tumor-specific T cells. This may prove important for the selection of cancer patients who could benefit from combined GARP:TGF-β1/PD-1 blockade in the clinics., Competing Interests: Patents pertaining to results obtained with the 58A2 antibody clone (anti-mouse GARP:TGF-β1) have been filed under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (International application Number PCT/IB2019/053753), with SL, GS, PC as inventors and UCLouvain and argenx as applicants. SL received research support from argenx and owns stock options in argenx. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Bertrand, Van Meerbeeck, de Streel, Vaherto-Bleeckx, Benhaddi, Rouaud, Noël, Coulie, van Baren and Lucas.)

Study Question: Do all 10 human pregnancy-specific beta 1-glycoproteins (PSGs) and murine PSG23 activate latent transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1)?, Summary Answer: All human PSGs and murine PSG23 activated latent TGF-β1., What Is Known Already: Two of the 10 members of the PSG1 family, PSG1 and PSG9, were previously shown to activate the soluble small latent complex of TGF-β1, a cytokine with potent immune suppressive functions., Study Design, Size, Duration: Recombinant PSGs were generated and tested for their ability to activate the small latent complex of TGF-β1 in a cell-free ELISA-based assay and in a bioassay. In addition, we tested the ability of PSG1 and PSG4 to activate latent TGF-β bound to the extracellular matrix (ECM) or on the membranes of the Jurkat human T-cell line., Participants/materials, Setting, Methods: Recombinant PSGs were generated by transient transfection and purified with a His-Trap column followed by gel filtration chromatography. The purified PSGs were compared to vehicle (PBS) used as control for their ability to activate the small latent complex of TGF-β1. The concentration of active TGF-β was measured in an ELISA using the TGF-β receptor II as capture and a bioassay using transformed mink epithelial cells that express luciferase in response to active TGF-β. The specificity of the signal was confirmed using a TGF-β receptor inhibitor. We also measured the binding kinetics of some human PSGs for the latent-associated peptide (LAP) of TGF-β using surface plasmon resonance and determined whether PSG1 and PSG4 could activate the large latent complex of TGF-β1 bound to the ECM and latent TGF-β1 bound to the cell membrane. All experiments were performed in triplicate wells and repeated three times., Main Results and the Role of Chance: All human PSGs activated the small latent complex of TGF-β1 (P < 0.05 vs. control) and showed similar affinities (KD) for LAP. Despite the lack of sequence conservation with its human counterparts, the ability to activate latent TGF-β1 was shared by a member of the murine PSG family. We found that PSG1 and PSG4 activated the latent TGF-β stored in the ECM (P < 0.01) but did not activate latent TGF-β1 bound to glycoprotein A repetitions predominant (GARP) on the surface of Jurkat T cells., Limitations, Reasons for Caution: The affinity of the interaction of LAP and PSGs was calculated using recombinant proteins, which may differ from the native proteins in their post-translational modifications. We also utilized a truncated form of murine PSG23 rather than the full-length protein. For the studies testing the ability of PSGs to activate membrane-bound TGF-β1, we utilized the T-cell line Jurkat and Jurkat cells expressing GARP rather than primary T regulatory cells. All the studies were performed in vitro., Wider Implications of the Findings: Here, we show that all human PSGs activate TGF-β1 and that this function is conserved in at least one member of the rodent PSG family. In vivo PSGs could potentially increase the availability of active TGF-β1 from the soluble and matrix-bound latent forms of the cytokine contributing to the establishment of a tolerogenic environment during pregnancy., Large-Scale Data: None., Study Funding/competing Interest(s): The research was supported by a grant from the Collaborative Health Initiative Research Program (CHIRP). No conflicts of interests are declared by the authors.

While patient selection and clinical management have reduced high-dose IL-2 (HDIL2) immunotherapy toxicities, the immune mechanisms that underlie HDIL2-induced morbidity remain unclear. Here we show that dose-dependent morbidity and mortality of IL-2 immunotherapy can be modeled in human immune system (HIS) mice. Depletion of human T cell subsets during the HDIL2 treatment reduces toxicity, pointing to the central function of T cells. Preferential expansion of effector T cells secondary to defective suppressive capacity of regulatory T (T reg ) cells after HDIL2 therapy further underscores the importance of T reg in the maintenance of immune tolerance. IL-2 toxicity is induced by selective depletion or inhibition of T reg after LDIL2 therapy, and is ameliorated in HDIL2-treated HIS mice receiving the PIM-1 kinase inhibitor, Kaempferol. Modeling IL-2 pathophysiology in HIS mice offers a means to understand the functions of effector and regulatory T cells in immune-mediated toxicities associated with cancer immunotherapy.

Follicular regulatory T cells (TFR) have been extensively characterized in mice and participate in germinal center responses by regulating the maturation of B cells and production of (auto)antibodies. We report that circulating TFR are phenotypically distinct from tonsil-derived TFR in humans. They have a lower expression of follicular markers, and display a memory phenotype and lack of high expression of B cell lymphoma 6 and ICOS. However, the suppressive function, expression of regulatory markers, and FOXP3 methylation status of blood TFR is comparable with tonsil-derived TFR. Moreover, we show that circulating TFR frequencies increase after influenza vaccination and correlate with anti-flu Ab responses, indicating a fully functional population. Multiple sclerosis (MS) was used as a model for autoimmune disease to investigate alterations in circulating TFR. MS patients had a significantly lower frequency of circulating TFR compared with healthy control subjects. Furthermore, the circulating TFR compartment of MS patients displayed an increased proportion of Th17-like TFR. Finally, TFR of MS patients had a strongly reduced suppressive function compared with healthy control subjects. We conclude that circulating TFR are a circulating memory population derived from lymphoid resident TFR, making them a valid alternative to investigate alterations in germinal center responses in the context of autoimmune diseases, and TFR impairment is prominent in MS., (Copyright © 2015 by The American Association of Immunologists, Inc.)

Inflammation adversely affects the health of millions of people worldwide, and there is an unmet medical need for better anti-inflammatory drugs. We evaluated the therapeutic interest of mycolactone, a polyketide-derived macrolide produced by Mycobacterium ulcerans. Bacterial production of mycolactone in human skin causes a combination of ulcerative, analgesic, and anti-inflammatory effects. Whereas ulcer formation is mediated by the proapoptotic activity of mycolactone on skin cells via hyperactivation of Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome proteins, analgesia results from neuronal hyperpolarization via signaling through angiotensin II type 2 receptors. Mycolactone also blunts the capacity of immune cells to produce inflammatory mediators by an independent mechanism of protein synthesis blockade. In an attempt to isolate the structural determinants of mycolactone's immunosuppressive activity, we screened a library of synthetic subunits of mycolactone for inhibition of cytokine production by activated T cells. The minimal structure retaining immunosuppressive activity was a truncated version of mycolactone, missing one of the two core-branched polyketide chains. This compound inhibited the inflammatory cytokine responses of human primary cells at noncytotoxic doses and bound to angiotensin II type 2 receptors comparably to mycolactone in vitro. Notably, it was considerably less toxic than mycolactone in human primary dermal fibroblasts modeling ulcerative activity. In mouse models of human diseases, it conferred systemic protection against chronic skin inflammation and inflammatory pain, with no apparent side effects. In addition to establishing the anti-inflammatory potency of mycolactone in vivo, our study therefore highlights the translational potential of mycolactone core-derived structures as prospective immunosuppressants., (Copyright © 2015, American Association for the Advancement of Science.)

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are essential to prevent autoimmunity, but excessive Treg function contributes to cancer progression by inhibiting antitumor immune responses. Tregs exert contact-dependent inhibition of immune cells through the production of active transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1). On the Treg cell surface, TGF-β1 is in an inactive form bound to membrane protein GARP and then activated by an unknown mechanism. We demonstrate that GARP is involved in this activation mechanism. Two anti-GARP monoclonal antibodies were generated that block the production of active TGF-β1 by human Tregs. These antibodies recognize a conformational epitope that requires amino acids GARP137-139 within GARP/TGF-β1 complexes. A variety of antibodies recognizing other GARP epitopes did not block active TGF-β1 production by Tregs. In a model of xenogeneic graft-versus-host disease in NSG mice, the blocking antibodies inhibited the immunosuppressive activity of human Tregs. These antibodies may serve as therapeutic tools to boost immune responses to infection or cancer via a mechanism of action distinct from that of currently available immunomodulatory antibodies. Used alone or in combination with tumor vaccines or antibodies targeting the CTLA4 or PD1/PD-L1 pathways, blocking anti-GARP antibodies may improve the efficiency of cancer immunotherapy., (Copyright © 2015, American Association for the Advancement of Science.)

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS), for which current treatments are unable to prevent disease progression. Based on its neuroprotective and neuroregenerating properties, leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), a member of the interleukin-6 (IL-6) cytokine family, is proposed as a novel candidate for MS therapy. However, its effect on the autoimmune response remains unclear. In this study, we determined how LIF modulates T cell responses that play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of MS. We demonstrate that expression of the LIF receptor was strongly increased on immune cells of MS patients. LIF treatment potently boosted the number of regulatory T cells (Tregs) in CD4(+) T cells isolated from healthy controls and MS patients with low serum levels of IL-6. Moreover, IL-6 signaling was reduced in the donors that responded to LIF treatment in vitro. Our data together with previous findings revealing that IL-6 inhibits Treg development, suggest an opposing function of LIF and IL-6. In a preclinical animal model of MS we shifted the LIF/IL-6 balance in favor of LIF by CNS-targeted overexpression. This increased the number of Tregs in the CNS during active autoimmune responses and reduced disease symptoms. In conclusion, our data show that LIF downregulates the autoimmune response by enhancing Treg numbers, providing further impetus for the use of LIF as a novel treatment for MS and other autoimmune diseases., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The human body is constantly exposed to the risk of traumatic lesions. ROQUETTE Schizochytrium sp. (SCs) is a marine microalgae containing large amounts of health-valuable nutrients, more particularly polyunsaturated fatty acids such as docosahexaenoic acid. SCs was investigated by oral administration (125, 250 and 500 mg/kg) and cutaneous application (2.5, 5.0 and 10.0%) to evaluate its impact in two dermatological disorder models in mice: skin inflammation and wound healing. For skin inflammation, it was administered during 14 days starting one week before the induction of chronic skin inflammation by repeated cutaneous application of 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA). For wound healing the microalgae was administered after incisional wound healing of the skin until complete wound healing. Results indicated that oral and topical administrations of the two higher doses of SCs had significant effects on macroscopic score of skin inflammation. It had also efficient effect on healing process and duration of wound healing with a dose-response by oral administration and a maximal effect observed from the lowest to the highest dose by topical application. These findings suggest that administration of SCs by both oral and topical routes appeared to have beneficial effects on skin lesions.

Background: We investigated the ability of clinical-grade enriched human regulatory T cells (Treg) to attenuate experimental xenogeneic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) induced by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMNCs; autologous to Treg) infusion in NSG mice, as well as verified their inability to induce xenogeneic GVHD when infused alone., Study Design and Methods: Human Treg were isolated from peripheral blood apheresis products with a cell separation system (CliniMACS, Miltenyi Biotec GmbH) using a two-step procedure (simultaneous CD8 and CD19 depletion followed by CD25-positive selection) in six independent experiments with six different healthy volunteer donors. Sublethally (2.5 Gy) irradiated NSG mice were given 2 × 10(6) cytapheresis (PBMNC) product cells intravenously (IV) without (PBMNC group) or with 1 × 10(6) Treg (PBMNC + Treg group), while other NSG mice received 2 × 10(6) enriched Treg alone (also in IV; Treg group)., Results: The first five procedures were successful at obtaining a relatively pure Treg population (defined as >50%), while the sixth procedure, due to a technical problem, was not (Treg purity, 42%). Treg cotransfusion significantly delayed death from xenogeneic GVHD in the first five experiments, (p < 0.0001) but not in the sixth experiment. Importantly, none of the mice given enriched Treg alone (Treg group) experienced clinical signs of GVHD, while, interestingly, the CD4+ cells found in these mice 26 days after transplantation were mainly conventional T cells (median CD25+FoxP3+ cells among human CD4+ total cells were only 2.1, 3.1, and 12.2% in spleen, marrow, and blood, respectively)., Conclusions: Infusion of clinical-grade enriched Treg delayed the occurrence of xenogeneic GVHD without inducing toxicity in this murine model., (© 2013 American Association of Blood Banks.)

The TLC-Ag dressings, a combination of technology lipido-colloid and silver salts, are used to promote healing in wounds with risks or signs of local infection, thanks to the antimicrobial properties of the silver salts. Nanocrystalline silver dressings containing nanocrystalline silver, also used to improve wound healing, present both antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects. The aim of this study was to investigate the anti-inflammatory effects of TLC-Ag dressings in a model of chronic skin inflammation induced by repeated application of 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate to the skin of hairless mice, in comparison with TLC dressing, Silcryst nanocrystalline dressing, desonide cream 0.05%, a corticoid cream used as positive control, and gauze. Daily treatments of the mice began 7 days after the start of induction of chronic skin inflammation and lasted for 7 days. A macroscopic score was performed daily during the treatment period until the mice killing on day 15 and skin samples were taken for histopathological analysis. TLC-Ag reduced significantly the macroscopic score of chronic skin inflammation from day 10 in comparison with gauze and TLC dressing, similarly to Silcryst nanocrystalline dressing and desonide cream, which presented the best anti-inflammatory effects. No significant differences were observed between TLC dressing and gauze. TLC-Ag reduced significantly the microscopic score of chronic skin inflammation in comparison with TLC dressing and gauze, similarly to Silcryst nanocrystalline dressing but significantly less than desonide cream. These results demonstrate that TLC-Ag dressings present significant anti-inflammatory effects on chronic skin inflammation. They can improve wound healing, due to both the antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties., (© 2013 Japanese Dermatological Association.)

The human suppressive T cells that stably express transcription factor FOXP3, or regulatory T cells (Tregs), are thought to suppress antitumor immune responses. The most specific marker for human Tregs is the demethylation of CpG dinucleotides located in the first intron of FOXP3 (FOXP3i1). FOXP3i1 is completely methylated in other hematopoietic cells, including nonsuppressive T cells that transiently express FOXP3 after activation. Previously, we and others reported estimations of the frequency of Tregs in the blood of melanoma patients using a FOXP3i1 methylation-specific qPCR assay. Here, we attempted to quantify Tregs inside tumor samples using this assay. However, we found demethylated FOXP3i1 sequences in the melanoma cells themselves. This demethylation was not associated with substantial FOXP3 mRNA or protein expression, even though the demethylation extended to the promoter and terminal regions of the gene in some melanoma cells. Our results imply that analyzing Treg frequencies by quantification of demethylated FOXP3i1 will require that tumor-infiltrating T cells be separated from melanoma cells., (Copyright © 2011 UICC.)

Rationale: There is evidence that CD4(+) effector T lymphocytes (T eff) participate in the development of lung fibrosis, but the role of their CD4(+) regulatory T-cell (T reg) counterparts remains to be determined., Objectives: To elucidate the contribution of T reg cells in a mouse model of lung fibrosis induced by silica (SiO(2)) particles., Methods: Lung T reg and T eff cells purified from SiO(2)-treated Foxp3-GFP transgenic mice were cocultured with naive lung fibroblasts or transferred to the lungs of healthy mice. DEREG mice, which express the diphtheria toxin receptor under the control of the foxp3 gene, were used to deplete T reg cells during fibrogenesis., Measurements and Main Results: CD4(+) Foxp3(+) T reg cells were persistently recruited in the lungs in response to SiO(2). T reg accumulation paralleled the establishment of pulmonary immunosuppression and fibrosis. T reg cells highly expressed platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-B via a TGF-β autocrine signaling pathway, directly stimulated fibroblast proliferation in vitro, and increased lung collagen deposition upon transfer in the lung of naive mice. The direct profibrotic effects of T reg cells were abolished by the inhibitor of the PDGF-B/TGF-β signaling pathway, imatinib mesylate. Neutralization of T reg-immunosuppressive activity resulted in enhanced accumulation of T eff cells and IL-4-driven pulmonary fibrogenesis, further demonstrating that T reg cells control T eff cell functions during inflammatory fibrosis., Conclusions: Our study indicates that T reg cells contribute to lung fibrosis by stimulating fibroblasts through the secretion of PDGF-B in noninflammatory conditions and regulate detrimental T eff cell activities during inflammation-related fibrosis.

Human Treg and Th clones secrete the latent form of TGF-beta, in which the mature TGF-beta protein is bound to the latency-associated peptide (LAP), and is thereby prevented from binding to the TGF-beta receptor. We previously showed that upon TCR stimulation, human Treg clones but not Th clones produce active TGF-beta and bear LAP on their surface. Here, we show that latent TGF-beta, i.e. both LAP and mature TGF-beta, binds to glycoprotein A repetitions predominant (GARP), a transmembrane protein containing leucine rich repeats, which is present on the surface of stimulated Treg clones but not on Th clones. Membrane localization of latent TGF-beta mediated by binding to GARP may be necessary for the ability of Treg to activate TGF-beta upon TCR stimulation. However, it is not sufficient as lentiviral-mediated expression of GARP in human Th cells induces binding of latent TGF-beta to the cell surface, but does not result in the production of active TGF-beta upon stimulation of these Th cells.

The cancer-germline gene MAGE-3 codes for tumor-specific antigens recognized on many tumors by T lymphocytes. A MAGE-3 antigen presented by HLA-A1 has been used in several vaccination trials on metastatic melanoma patients. Only a small minority of patients have shown evidence of tumor regression. Attempts to correlate the tumor rejections with the cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) response against the vaccine have been hampered by the low level of these responses. In noncancerous individuals, the frequency of the T cell precursors against antigen MAGE-3.A1 is approximately 4 x 10(-7) CD8 T cells. The diversity of the T cell receptor repertoire of these anti-MAGE-3.A1 precursors was analyzed in one individual. The results indicate that it is very likely that the repertoire comprises >100 clonotypes. On this basis, it is possible to use not only the frequency of CTL precursors in the blood but also the presence of dominant clonotypes to ascertain in patients the existence of anti-MAGE-3.A1 responses as low as 10(-6) of CD8. With this approach, we observed a correlation between tumor regression and anti-MAGE-3.A1 CTL responses in patients vaccinated with a recombinant virus encoding the antigen and also in patients vaccinated with peptide-pulsed dendritic cells. In contrast, for patients showing tumor regression after vaccination with peptide alone, CTL responses were almost never observed. It is possible that even those CTL responses that are below our present detection level can trigger a sequence of events that leads to tumor regression.

Cell therapy can be defined as "the in vivo use of autologous, allogeneic or xenogeneic cells for the prevention, treatment or attenuation of disease". There have been major advances in this field in the last few years, leading to many clinical applications. Because of safety and ethical concerns, the therapeutic use of cells products justified to be regulated. In France, the law number 96-452 and the law number 98-535 defined a specific regulatory framework for these products: previous authorisation is required for the site of preparation of therapeutic cells product, for clinical trial relating to cell therapy products and for their therapeutic use. Some Cell therapy products could be considered as proprietary medicinal product. The authorisation for the site of preparation and for the clinical trial are granted by the French Health Products Agency ("Afssaps"). Depending on the status, the product could be authorised by Afssaps or by the European Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products (EMEA). Whatever the status, the quality and security of these products should be controlled and the therapeutic use validated. In Europe, such products are currently regulated under the varying national laws of each member states. A European regulation must be defined for cell based products., (John Libbey Eurotext 2003)

'Cancer-germline' genes such as the MAGE gene family are expressed in many tumors and in male germline cells but not in normal tissues. They encode shared tumor-specific antigens, which have been used in therapeutic vaccination trials of metastatic melanoma patients. To establish whether there is a correlation between tumoral regressions and T-cell responses against the vaccine antigen, we evaluated the responses of patients vaccinated with a MAGE-3 antigenic peptide or a recombinant virus coding for the peptide. Blood lymphocytes were stimulated with antigenic peptide followed by detection with tetramer, T-cell cloning, and TCR analysis. In 4/9 regressor patients and in 1/14 progressors we found a low level, usually monoclonal cytolytic T lymphocyte response against the MAGE-3 peptide.