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Conferring alloantigen-specificity to ex vivo expanded CD4 + CD25 + FOXP3 + regulatory T cells (Tregs) increases their capacity to counteract effector alloimmune responses following adoptive transfer into transplant recipients. Three strategies are currently undergoing clinical development, which involve the following: (1) expanding Tregs in the presence of donor B cells (donor alloantigen-reactive [DAR] Tregs); (2) culturing Tregs with donor cells in the presence of costimulation blockade (CSB-Tregs); and (3) transducing Tregs with an human leukocyte antigen A2-specific chimeric antigen receptor (CAR-Tregs). Our goal in this study was to assess the relative potency of each of these manufactured Treg products both in vitro and in vivo. When compared with polyclonal Tregs, all 3 manufacturing strategies increased the precursor frequency of alloreactive Tregs, and this was proportional to the overall in vitro immunosuppressive properties of the cell products. Accordingly, CAR-Tregs, which contained the highest frequency of donor-reactive Tregs, exhibited the strongest suppressive effects on a cell-per-cell basis. Similarly, in an in vivo mouse model of graft-vs-host disease, infusion of CAR-Tregs conferred a significantly longer recipient survival than any other Treg product. Our results highlighting the alloantigen-reactivity and associated immunosuppressive properties of different manufactured Treg products have implications for the mechanistic interpretation of currently ongoing clinical trials in transplantation., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interests The authors of this manuscript have conflicts of interest to disclose as described by the American Journal of Transplantation. A. Sanchez-Fueyo, M. Martinez-Llordella, and G. Lombardi are the founders of Quell Therapeutics, and M. Martinez-Llordella is employed by Quell Therapeutics. A. Sanchez-Fueyo and G. Lombardi hold equity and stocks in Quell Therapeutics. The remaining authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Dysregulated inflammatory responses and oxidative stress are key pathogenic drivers of chronic inflammatory diseases such as liver cirrhosis (LC). Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are essential to prevent excessive immune activation and maintain tissue homeostasis. While inflammatory cues are well known to modulate the function and stability of Tregs, the extent to which Tregs are influenced by oxidative stress has not been fully explored., Methods: The phenotypic and functional properties of CD4 + CD25 + CD127 lo/- Tregs isolated from patients with LC were compared to healthy controls (HC). Treg redox state was investigated by characterizing intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), NADPH oxidase-2 (Nox2) activity, mitochondrial function, morphology, and nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor (Nrf2) antioxidant signalling. The relevance of Nrf2 and its downstream target, Heme-oxygenase-1 (HO-1), in Treg function, stability, and survival, was further assessed using mouse models and CRISPR/Cas9-mediated HO-1 knock-out., Findings: Circulating Tregs from LC patients displayed a reduced suppressive function, correlating with liver disease severity, associated with phenotypic abnormalities and increased apoptosis. Mechanistically, this was linked to a dysregulated Nrf2 signalling with resultant lower levels of HO-1, enhanced Nox2 activation, and impaired mitochondrial respiration and integrity. The functional deficit in LC Tregs could be partially recapitulated by culturing control Tregs in patient sera., Interpretation: Our findings reveal that Tregs rely on functional redox homeostasis for their function, stability, and survival. Targeting Treg specific anti-oxidant pathways may have therapeutic potential to reverse the Treg impairment in conditions of oxidative damage such as advanced liver disease., Funding: This study was funded by the Wellcome Trust (211113/A/18/Z)., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests TV is currently employed by Janssen-Cilag Ltd (a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson) and owns Johnson & Johnson stock/stock options. GL, ASF and MML are Founders of Quell Therapeutics Ltd. MR and MML are employed by Quell Therapeutics Ltd. PN received funding from Novo Nordisk; is advisory board member and received consulting fees from Novo Nordisk, Boehringer Ingelheim, Gilead, Intercept, Poxel Pharmaceuticals, BMS, Pfizer, Sun Pharma, Madrigal, GSK; speakers fees from Novo Nordisk, AiCME; and travel support from Novo Nordisk. The authors declare that the research in this manuscript was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background & Aims: Cell-derived small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) participate in cell-cell communication via the transfer of molecular cargo including selectively enriched microRNAs (miRNAs). Utilizing advances in sEV isolation and characterization, this study investigates the impact of liver injury and dysfunction on the circulating EV-miRNA profile., Methods: High-throughput screening of 799 sEV-miRNAs isolated from plasma was performed in patients across a spectrum of liver disorders including compensated and decompensated chronic liver disease, acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF), and acute liver failure, in addition to healthy controls and those with severe sepsis. miRNA levels were compared with clinical and biochemical parameters, composite scores of liver disease, and patient outcomes., Results: miRNA screening revealed the degree of hepatic dysfunction to be the main determinant of changes in circulating sEV-miRNA profile, with liver-specific miRNA-122 being among the most highly dysregulated in severe injury. Principal components analyses of the 215 differentially expressed miRNAs showed differing profiles, particularly among those with acute liver injury and ACLF. A distinct profile of dysregulated miRNA, but not circulating cytokines, was shown to characterize ACLF, with four consensus miRNAs identified-miR-320e, miR-374-5p, miR-202-3p, and miR-1910-5p. High miR-320e was associated with poorer 90-day survival (p = 0.014) and regulated the functional gene targets IK, RPS5, MANBAL, and PEBP1., Conclusions: This first comprehensive analysis to the best of our knowledge of patients with varying degrees and stages of liver failure demonstrates miRNA profiles specifically within the sEV compartment to be significantly altered in progressive liver disease and highlights the diagnostic and prognostic potential of sEV-miRNA in ACLF while also establishing downstream gene targets., (© 2023 The Authors. Hepatology Research published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Japan Society of Hepatology.)

Background & Aims: CD4 + CD25 + Foxp3 + regulatory T cells (Tregs) are essential to maintain immunological tolerance and have been shown to promote liver allograft tolerance in both rodents and humans. Low-dose IL-2 (LDIL-2) can expand human endogenous circulating Tregs in vivo, but its role in suppressing antigen-specific responses and promoting Treg trafficking to the sites of inflammation is unknown. Likewise, whether LDIL-2 facilitates the induction of allograft tolerance has not been investigated in humans., Methods: We conducted a clinical trial in stable liver transplant recipients 2-6 years post-transplant to determine the capacity of LDIL-2 to suppress allospecific immune responses and allow for the complete discontinuation of maintenance immunosuppression (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02949492). One month after LDIL-2 was initiated, those exhibiting at least a 2-fold increase in circulating Tregs gradually discontinued immunosuppression over a 4-month period while continuing LDIL-2 for a total treatment duration of 6 months., Results: All participants achieved a marked and sustained increase in circulating Tregs. However, this was not associated with the preferential expansion of donor-reactive Tregs and did not promote the accumulation of intrahepatic Tregs. Furthermore, LDIL-2 induced a marked IFNγ-orchestrated transcriptional response in the liver even before immunosuppression weaning was initiated. The trial was terminated after the first 6 participants failed to reach the primary endpoint owing to rejection requiring reinstitution of immunosuppression., Conclusions: The expansion of circulating Tregs in response to LDIL-2 is not sufficient to control alloimmunity and to promote liver allograft tolerance, due, at least in part, to off-target effects that increase liver immunogenicity. Our trial provides unique insight into the mechanisms of action of immunomodulatory therapies such as LDIL-2 and their limitations in promoting alloantigen-specific effects and immunological tolerance., Clinical Trials Registration: The study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02949492)., Impact and Implications: The administration of low-dose IL-2 is an effective way of increasing the number of circulating regulatory T cells (Tregs), an immunosuppressive lymphocyte subset that is key for the establishment of immunological tolerance, but its use to promote allograft tolerance in the setting of clinical liver transplantation had not been explored before. In liver transplant recipients on tacrolimus monotherapy, low-dose IL-2 effectively expanded circulating Tregs but did not increase the number of Tregs with donor specificity, nor did it promote their trafficking to the transplanted liver. Low-dose IL-2 did not facilitate the discontinuation of tacrolimus and elicited, as an off-target effect, an IFNγ-orchestrated inflammatory response in the liver that resembled T cell-mediated rejection. These results, supporting an unexpected role for IL-2 in regulating the immunogenicity of the liver, highlight the need to carefully evaluate systemic immunoregulatory strategies with investigations that are not restricted to the blood compartment and involve target tissues such as the liver., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ Tregs are known to acquire tissue-specific features and exert cytoprotective and regenerative functions. The extent to which this applies to liver-resident Tregs is unknown. In this study, we aimed to explore the phenotypic and functional characteristics of adult murine liver resident Tregs during homeostasis. Additionally, we investigated their role in ameliorating liver inflammation and tissue damage. Quantification of Foxp3+CD4+CD25+ cells comparing different tissues showed that the liver contained significantly fewer resident Tregs. A combination of flow cytometry phenotyping and microarray analysis of intra-hepatic and splenic Tregs under homeostatic conditions revealed that, although intra-hepatic Tregs exhibited the core transcriptional Treg signature, they expressed a distinct transcriptional profile. This was characterized by reduced CD25 expression and increased levels of pro-inflammatory Th1 transcripts Il1b and Ifng . In vivo ablation of Tregs in the Foxp3-DTR mouse model showed that Tregs had a role in reducing the magnitude of systemic and intra-hepatic inflammatory responses following acute carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄) injury, but their absence did not impact the development of hepatocyte necrosis. Conversely, the specific expansion of Tregs by administration of IL-2 complexes increased the number of intra-hepatic Tregs and significantly ameliorated tissue damage following CCl₄ administration in C57BL/6 mice. The cytoprotective effect observed in response to IL-2c was associated with the increased expression of markers known to regulate Treg suppressive function. Our results offer insight into the transcriptome and complex immune network of intra-hepatic Tregs and suggest that strategies capable of selectively increasing the pool of intra-hepatic Tregs could constitute effective therapies in inflammatory liver diseases., Competing Interests: The 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. The reviewer JH declared a shared consortium with one of the authors, AS-F, to the handling editor., (Copyright © 2022 Kurt, Strobl, Ruiz, Osborn, Chester, Dawson, Warwas, Grey, Mastoridis, Kodela, Safinia, Sanchez-Fueyo and Martinez-Llordella.)

Cirrhosis-associated immune dysfunction (CAID) contributes to disease progression and organ failure development. We interrogated immune system function in nonseptic compensated and decompensated cirrhotic patients using the TruCulture whole blood stimulation system, a novel technique that allows a more accurate representation than traditional methods, such as peripheral blood mononuclear cell culture, of the immune response in vivo. Thirty cirrhotics (21 decompensated and 9 compensated) and seven healthy controls (HCs) were recruited. Whole blood was drawn directly into three TruCulture tubes [unstimulated to preloaded with heat-killed Escherichia coli 0111:B4 (HKEB) or lipopolysaccharide (LPS)] and incubated in dry heat blocks at 37°C for 24 h. Cytokine analysis of the supernatant was performed by multiplex assay. Cirrhotic patients exhibited a robust proinflammatory response to HKEB compared with HCs, with increased production of interferon-γ-induced protein 10 (IP-10) and IFN-λ1, and to LPS, with increased production of IFN-λ1. Decompensated patients demonstrated an augmented immune response compared with compensated patients, orchestrated by an increase in type I, II, and III interferons, and higher levels of IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-8 post-LPS stimulation. IL-1β, TNF-α, and IP-10 post-HKEB stimulation and IP-10 post-LPS stimulation negatively correlated with biochemical markers of liver disease severity and liver disease severity scores. Cirrhotic patients exposed to bacterial products exhibit an exaggerated inflammatory response orchestrated by IFNs, IL-6, and IL-8. Poststimulation levels of a number of proinflammatory cytokines negatively correlate with markers of liver disease severity raising the possibility that the switch to an immunodeficient phenotype in CAID may commence earlier in the course of advanced liver disease. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Decompensated cirrhotic patients, compared with compensated patients, exhibit a greater exaggerated inflammatory response to bacterial products orchestrated by interferons, IL-6, and IL-8. Postbacterial product stimulation levels of a number of pro-inflammatory cytokines negatively correlate with liver disease severity biomarkers and liver disease severity scores raising the possibility that the switch to an immunodeficient phenotype in cirrhosis-associated immune dysfunction may commence earlier in the course of advanced liver disease.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are a heterogenous group of nanosized, membrane-bound particles which are released by most cell types. They are known to play an essential role in cellular communication by way of their varied cargo which includes selectively enriched proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids. In the last two decades, wide-ranging evidence has established the involvement of EVs in the regulation of immunity, with EVs released by immune and non-immune cells shown to be capable of mediating immune stimulation or suppression and to drive inflammatory, autoimmune, and infectious disease pathology. More recently, studies have demonstrated the involvement of allograft-derived EVs in alloimmune responses following transplantation, with EVs shown to be capable of eliciting allograft rejection as well as promoting tolerance. These insights are necessitating the reassessment of standard paradigms of T cell alloimmunity. In this article, we explore the latest understanding of the impact of EVs on alloresponses following transplantation and we highlight the recent technological advances which have enabled the study of EVs in clinical transplantation. Furthermore, we discuss the rapid progress afoot in the development of EVs as novel therapeutic vehicles in clinical transplantation with particular focus on liver transplantation., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: There are no conflicts of interest to be reported., (©The Author(s) 2020. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.)

Idiopathic aplastic anemia (AA) has 2 key characteristics: an autoimmune response against hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells and regulatory T-cells (Tregs) deficiency. We have previously demonstrated reduction in a specific subpopulation of Treg in AA, which predicts response to immunosuppression. The aims of the present study were to define mechanisms of Treg subpopulation imbalance and identify potential for therapeutic intervention. We have identified 2 mechanisms that lead to skewed Treg composition in AA: first, FasL-mediated apoptosis on ligand interaction; and, second, relative interleukin-2 (IL-2) deprivation. We have shown that IL-2 augmentation can overcome these mechanisms. Interestingly, when high concentrations of IL-2 were used for in vitro Treg expansion cultures, AA Tregs were able to expand. The expanded populations expressed a high level of p-BCL-2, which makes them resistant to apoptosis. Using a xenograft mouse model, the function and stability of expanded AA Tregs were tested. We have shown that these Tregs were able to suppress the macroscopic clinical features and tissue manifestations of T-cell-mediated graft-versus-host disease. These Tregs maintained their suppressive properties as well as their phenotype in a highly inflammatory environment. Our findings provide an insight into the mechanisms of Treg reduction in AA. We have identified novel targets with potential for therapeutic interventions. Supplementation of ex vivo expansion cultures of Tregs with high concentrations of IL-2 or delivery of IL-2 directly to patients could improve clinical outcomes in addition to standard immunosuppressive therapy., (© 2020 by The American Society of Hematology.)

Liver transplantation (LT) is a successful treatment for patients with liver failure. However, organ shortage results in over 11% of patients losing their chance of a transplant attributed to liver decompensation (LD) and death. Ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI) following conventional cold storage (CS) is a major cause of injury leading to graft loss after LT. Normothermic machine perfusion (NMP), a method of organ preservation, provides oxygen and nutrition during preservation and allows aerobic metabolism. NMP has recently been shown to enable improved organ utilization and posttransplant outcomes following a phase I and a phase III randomized trial. The aim of the present study is to assess the impact of NMP on reducing IRI and to define the underlying mechanisms. We transplanted and compared 12 NMP with 27 CS-preserved livers by performing gene microarray, immunoprofiling of hepatic lymphocytes, and immunochemistry staining of liver tissues for assessing necrosis, platelet deposition, and neutrophil infiltration, and the status of steatosis after NMP or CS prereperfusion and postreperfusion. Recipients receiving NMP grafts showed significantly lower peak aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels than those receiving CS grafts. NMP altered gene-expression profiles of liver tissue from proinflammation to prohealing and regeneration. NMP also reduced the number of interferon gamma (IFN-γ) and interleukin (IL)-17-producing T cells and enlarged the CD4 pos CD25 high CD127 neg FOXP3 pos regulatory T cell (Treg) pool. NMP liver tissues showed less necrosis and apoptosis in the parenchyma and fewer neutrophil infiltration compared to CS liver tissues. Conclusion: Reduced IRI in NMP recipients was the consequence of the combination of inhibiting inflammation and promoting graft regeneration., (© 2018 by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.)

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) have unique immunosuppressive properties and are essential to ensure effective immunoregulation. In animal models, Tregs have been shown to prevent autoimmune disorders and establish transplantation tolerance. Therefore, the prospect of harnessing Tregs, either by increasing their frequency or by conferring allospecificity, has prompted a growing interest in the development of immunotherapies. Here, employing a well-established skin transplant model with a single major histocompatibility complex mismatch, we compared the therapeutic efficacy of adoptively transfer Treg with or without donor specificity and the administration of IL-2 to promote in vivo expansion of Treg. We showed that IL-2 treatment preferentially enhances the proliferation of the allospecific Tregs adoptively transferred in an antigen-dependent manner. In addition, donor-specific Tregs significantly increased the expression of regulatory-related marker, such as CTLA4 and inducible costimulator (ICOS), in the skin allograft and draining lymph nodes compared to endogenous and polyclonal transferred Tregs. Importantly, by combining IL-2 with donor-specific Tregs, but not with polyclonal Tregs, a synergistic effect in prolonging skin allograft survival was observed. Altogether, our data suggest that this combination therapy could provide the appropriate conditions to enhance the immunoregulation of alloimmune responses in clinical transplantation., (© 2019 The Authors American Journal of Transplantation published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of The American Society of Transplantation and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons.)

Clinical studies with cellular therapies using tolerance-inducing cells, such as tolerogenic antigen-presenting cells (tolAPC) and regulatory T cells (Treg) for the prevention of transplant rejection and the treatment of autoimmune diseases have been expanding the last decade. In this perspective, we will summarize the current perspectives of the clinical application of both tolAPC and Treg, and will address future directions and the importance of immunomonitoring in clinical studies that will result in progress in the field.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are responsible for a multitude of physiological functions, including immunomodulation. A heterogenous mixture of small EV (sEV) subsets, including putative exosomes, is derived when commonly used "exosome" isolation techniques are employed. Subset diversity relates in part to their different intracellular origins, and can be associated with distinct functional properties. Recent progress in the EV field has enabled the categorization of such subsets based on their surface composition. For the first time, we combine such emerging subset-specific markers with advanced imaging flow cytometry (iFCM) to perform high-throughput, multiparametric, vesicle-by-vesicle characterization, and functional assessment of specific small EV subsets, and exosomes in particular. The approach allows researchers to address three important applications. First, it is known that different isolation techniques result in the divergent recovery of particular vesicle subsets. Taking three commonly used "exosome" isolation techniques as test cases (ultracentrifugation, size-exclusion chromatography, and polymer-based precipitation), the capacity for convenient and accurate isolate compositional analysis by iFCM is demonstrated. The approach was able to corroborate and to quantify the known skewing of subtype recovery among different isolation approaches. Second, exosomes are a particularly widely studied EV subset. Applying exosome-specific markers to samples collected from an optimal clinical transplantation model, we verify the capacity for iFCM to detect exosomes in circulation, to establish their tissue of origin, and to provide insights as to their functional immunological potential. Finally, we describe a technique for establishing whether the transfer of a molecule of interest to a target cell is exosomally mediated. In so doing, we highlight the approach's utility in assessing the functional impact of circulating exosomes and in identifying their targets. In conclusion, we set out a new methodological approach by which small extracellular vesicle subsets, exosomes in particular, can be conveniently and comprehensively investigated, thereby offering novel phenotypic and functional insights.

Cellular therapies with CD4+ T regulatory cells (Tregs) hold promise of efficacious treatment for the variety of autoimmune and allergic diseases as well as posttransplant complications. Nevertheless, current manufacturing of Tregs as a cellular medicinal product varies between different laboratories, which in turn hampers precise comparisons of the results between the studies performed. While the number of clinical trials testing Tregs is already substantial, it seems to be crucial to provide some standardized characteristics of Treg products in order to minimize the problem. We have previously developed reporting guidelines called minimum information about tolerogenic antigen-presenting cells, which allows the comparison between different preparations of tolerance-inducing antigen-presenting cells. Having this experience, here we describe another minimum information about Tregs (MITREG). It is important to note that MITREG does not dictate how investigators should generate or characterize Tregs, but it does require investigators to report their Treg data in a consistent and transparent manner. We hope this will, therefore, be a useful tool facilitating standardized reporting on the manufacturing of Tregs, either for research purposes or for clinical application. This way MITREG might also be an important step toward more standardized and reproducible testing of the Tregs preparations in clinical applications.

CD4 + CD25 + FOXP3 + Tregs constitute a heterogeneous lymphocyte subpopulation essential for curtailing effector T cells and establishing peripheral tolerance. Calcineurin inhibitors (CNIs) are among the most effective agents in controlling effector T-cell responses in humans. However, CNIs also reduce the size of the Treg pool. The functional consequences of this negative effect and the mechanisms responsible remain to be elucidated. We report here that CNIs compromise the overall Treg immunoregulatory capacity to a greater extent than would be predicted by the reduction in the size of the Treg compartment, given that they selectively promote the apoptosis of the resting and activated Treg subsets that are known to display the most powerful suppressive function. These effects are caused by reduced access to IL-2, because Tregs remain capable of translocating NFAT even in the presence of high CNI levels. Exogenous IL-2 restores the phenotypic changes and overall gene-expression effects exerted by CNIs and can even promote Treg expansion by enhancing antiapoptotic Bcl-2 expression. In a skin transplant model, the addition of IL-2 synergizes with CNIs treatment, promoting intragraft accumulation of Tregs and prolonged allograft survival. Hence, the combination of IL-2 and CNIs constitutes an optimal immunomodulatory regimen that enhances the pool of suppressive Treg subsets while effectively controlling cytopathic T cells., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Competing Interests: Disclosure The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

Background: Sustained virological response rates (SVRs) to directly acting antiviral (DAA) therapy for hepatitis C virus (HCV) are lower in decompensated cirrhosis. Markers of innate immunity predict nonresponse to interferon-based HCV treatment; however, whether they are associated with the response to DAAs in patients with decompensation is not known., Methods: Information on demographics, adherence, viral kinetics, and resistance were gathered prospectively from a cohort with decompensated cirrhosis treated with 12 weeks of DAAs. C-X-C motif chemokine-10 (CXCL-10) level and T-cell and natural killer (NK) cell phenotype were analyzed pretreatment and at 4 and 12 weeks of treatment., Results: Of 32 patients, 24 of 32 (75%) achieved SVR (responders). Eight of 32 (25%) experienced relapse after the end of treatment (nonresponders). There were no differences in demographics or adherence between groups. Nonresponders had higher CXCL-10; 320 pg/mL (179461) vs 109 pg/mL (88170) in responders ( P < .001) and differential CXCL-10 dynamics. Nonresponders had lower NK cell frequency, higher expression of activation receptor NKp30, and lower frequency of the NK subset CD56 - CD16 + ., Conclusions: Nonresponders to DAAs displayed a different NK phenotype and CXCL-10 profile to responders. Nonresponders did not have poorer adherence or baseline virological resistance, and this shows that immunological parameters are associated with treatment response to interferon-free treatment for HCV in individuals with decompensated cirrhosis., (© The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Infectious Diseases Society of America.)

Idiopathic aplastic anemia (AA) is an immune-mediated and serious form of bone marrow failure. Akin to other autoimmune diseases, we have previously shown that in AA regulatory T cells (Tregs) are reduced in number and function. The aim of this study was to further characterize Treg subpopulations in AA and investigate the potential correlation between specific Treg subsets and response to immunosuppressive therapy (IST) as well as their in vitro expandability for potential clinical use. Using mass cytometry and an unbiased multidimensional analytical approach, we identified 2 specific human Treg subpopulations (Treg A and Treg B) with distinct phenotypes, gene expression, expandability, and function. Treg B predominates in IST responder patients, has a memory/activated phenotype (with higher expression of CD95, CCR4, and CD45RO within FOXP3(hi), CD127(lo) Tregs), expresses the interleukin-2 (IL-2)/STAT5 pathway and cell-cycle commitment genes. Furthermore, in vitro-expanded Tregs become functional and take on the characteristics of Treg B. Collectively, this study identifies human Treg subpopulations that can be used as predictive biomarkers for response to IST in AA and potentially other autoimmune diseases. We also show that Tregs from AA patients are IL-2-sensitive and expandable in vitro, suggesting novel therapeutic approaches such as low-dose IL-2 therapy and/or expanded autologous Tregs and meriting further exploration.

Strategies to prevent organ transplant rejection whilst minimizing long-term immunosuppression are currently under intense investigation with regulatory T cells (Tregs) nearing clinical application. The clinical trial, ThRIL, recently commenced at King's College London, proposes to use Treg cell therapy to induce tolerance in liver transplant recipients, the success of which has the potential to revolutionize the management of these patients and enable a future of drug-free transplants. This is the first report of the manufacture of clinical grade Tregs from prospective liver transplant recipients via a CliniMACS-based GMP isolation technique and expanded using anti-CD3/CD28 beads, IL-2 and rapamycin. We report the enrichment of a pure, stable population of Tregs (>95% CD4(+)CD25(+)FOXP3(+)), reaching adequate numbers for their clinical application. Our protocol proved successful in, influencing the expansion of superior functional Tregs, as compared to freshly isolated cells, whilst also preventing their conversion to Th17 cells under pro-inflammatory conditions. We conclude with the manufacture of the final Treg product in the clinical research facility (CRF), a prerequisite for the clinical application of these cells. The data presented in this manuscript together with the much-anticipated clinical results from ThRIL, will undoubtedly inform the improved management of the liver transplant recipient.

Unlabelled: Defective immune regulation plays a permissive role enabling effector cells to initiate and perpetuate tissue damage, eventually resulting in autoimmune disease. Numerical and functional regulatory T-cell (Treg) impairment has been previously reported in autoimmune liver disease (AILD; including autoimmune hepatitis and autoimmune sclerosing cholangitis ASC). However, in these early reports, Tregs were phenotypically defined as CD4(+) CD25(+) or CD4(+) CD25(high) cells. In the current study, we reexamined phenotypic and functional properties of Tregs by adopting a more refined definition of these cells that also includes negativity or low level of expression of CD127. We studied 43 AILD patients and 22 healthy subjects (HSs) and found that CD4(+) CD25(+) CD127(-) Tregs were decreased in the former. This decrease was more marked in patients with active disease than in those in remission. In AILD, Treg frequencies correlated inversely with parameters of disease activity and were not affected by immunosuppressive treatment. We also document, for the first time, that, in AILD, bona-fide Tregs produce less interleukin (IL)-10 and are impaired in their ability to suppress CD4(+) CD25(-) target cell proliferation, a feature that in HSs, but not in AILDs, is dependent, at least in part, on IL-10 secretion. Decreased IL-10 production by Tregs in AILD is linked to poor responsiveness to IL-2 and phospho signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 up-regulation., Conclusion: Tregs are numerically impaired in AILD, this impairment being more prominent during active disease. Notably, defective IL-10 production, resulting from low Treg responsiveness to IL-2, contributes to Treg functional impairment., (© 2015 by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.)

Hepatic expression of iron homeostasis genes and serum iron parameters predict the success of immunosuppression withdrawal following clinical liver transplantation, a phenomenon known as spontaneous operational tolerance. In experimental animal models, spontaneous liver allograft tolerance is established through a process that requires intra-hepatic lymphocyte activation and deletion. Our aim was to determine if changes in systemic iron status regulate intra-hepatic lymphocyte responses. We used a murine model of lymphocyte-mediated acute liver inflammation induced by Concanavalin A (ConA) injection employing mice fed with an iron-deficient (IrDef) or an iron-balanced diet (IrRepl). While the mild iron deficiency induced by the IrDef diet did not significantly modify the steady state immune cell repertoire and systemic cytokine levels, it significantly dampened inflammatory liver damage after ConA challenge. These findings were associated with a marked decrease in T cell and NKT cell activation following ConA injection in IrDef mice. The decreased liver injury observed in IrDef mice was independent from changes in the gut microflora, and was replicated employing an iron specific chelator that did not modify intra-hepatic hepcidin secretion. Furthermore, low-dose iron chelation markedly impaired the activation of isolated T cells in vitro. All together, these results suggest that small changes in iron homeostasis can have a major effect in the regulation of intra-hepatic lymphocyte mediated responses.

The maintenance of immunological tolerance requires the deletion of self-reactive T cells in the thymus. The expression of genes encoding tissue-specific antigens (TSAs) by thymic epithelial cells is critical for this process and depends on activity of the transcriptional regulator Aire; however, the molecular mechanisms Aire uses to target loci encoding TSAs are unknown. Here we identified two Aire-interacting proteins known to be involved in gene repression, ATF7ip and MBD1, that were required for Aire's targeting of loci encoding TSAs. Moreover, Mbd1(-/-) mice developed pathological autoimmunity and had a defect in Aire-dependent thymic expression of genes encoding TSAs, which underscores the importance of Aire's interaction with the ATF7ip-MBD1 protein complex in maintaining central tolerance.

Stable Foxp3 expression is crucial for regulatory T (Treg) cell function. We observed that antigen-driven activation and inflammation in the CNS promoted Foxp3 instability selectively in the autoreactive Treg cells that expressed high amounts of Foxp3 before experimental autoimmune encephalitis induction. Treg cells with a demethylated Treg-cell-specific demethylated region in the Foxp3 locus downregulated Foxp3 transcription in the inflamed CNS during the induction phase of the response. Stable Foxp3 expression returned at the population level with the resolution of inflammation or was rescued by IL-2-anti-IL-2 complex treatment during the antigen priming phase. Thus, a subset of fully committed self-antigen-specific Treg cells lost Foxp3 expression during an inflammatory autoimmune response and might be involved in inadequate control of autoimmunity. These results have important implications for Treg cell therapies and give insights into the dynamics of the Treg cell network during autoreactive CD4(+) T cell effector responses in vivo., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)