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<p>An immunological mechanism to account for the regulation of peripheral self-reactive T cells, which escape central tolerance in the thymus, during the primary activation of naïve, foreign antigen-specific T cells remains to be established. Contemporary models of primary T cell activation that attempt to describe how this occurs differ significantly in the cellular interactions necessary for naïve CD4+ T helper cell activation. It is generally accepted that most CD8+ T cells are dependent upon CD4+ T helper cells for their activation. </p><p>The Infectious Non-Self and Danger Models of CD4+ T cell activation propose that interaction of a naïve T cell with an appropriately armed dendritic cell is sufficient, whereas the Two-step, Two-signal Model proposes additional cellular interactions are necessary. The major goal of this thesis was to establish and utilize an in vitro experimental system that would allow one to begin to delineate which model most validly describes the cellular interactions required for generation of primary immune responses from naïve T cells. Employing a population of naïve T cells uncontaminated with any partially or fully activated cells is essential for such a study.</p><p>The results presented in this thesis show, that when thymocytes are employed as a source of responding naïve T cells, cellular interactions, in addition to interaction with bone marrow derived dendritic cells, are required for the activation of naïve thymic T cells. The primary activation of thymic T cells to generate CD4+ IL-2 producing cells, and CD8+ IFN-g producing cells and cytotoxic T cells upon stimulation with splenic allogeneic stimulator cells is critically dependent upon the presence of a syngeneic population of radiation resistant, CD4+ T cells found in the spleen of normal mice. Additionally, when such cells are present as a source of help for thymocytes, allogeneic bone marrow derived dendritic cells fail to stimulate the generation of optimal cytotoxic and cytokine responses from naïve thymic T cells. However, they do stimulate thymocytes to cycle and up regulate the ligand for the costimulatory molecule CD40, CD40L.</p><p>The results presented within also show that the optimal activation of naïve thymic T cells to generate CD4+ IL-2 producing cells, and CD8+ IFN-g producing cells and cytotoxic T cells, requires the presence of allo-MHC bearing Ig+ B220+ B cells. The removal of B220+ cells by magnetic cell sorting from the allogeneic spleen reveals that the generation of CD8+ cytotoxic T cells and IFN-g producing cells from thymocytes is markedly reduced compared to unsorted allogeneic spleen cells. However, IL-2 and IL-4 cytokine producing cells are still detectable. Potential reasons for the generation of the latter cytokine producing cells are discussed. The results presented in this thesis have revealed insights into the cellular interactions involved in the activation of naïve thymic T cells.

<p>An immunological mechanism to account for the regulation of peripheral self-reactive T cells, which escape central tolerance in the thymus, during the primary activation of naïve, foreign antigen-specific T cells remains to be established. Contemporary models of primary T cell activation that attempt to describe how this occurs differ significantly in the cellular interactions necessary for naïve CD4+ T helper cell activation. It is generally accepted that most CD8+ T cells are dependent upon CD4+ T helper cells for their activation. </p><p>The Infectious Non-Self and Danger Models of CD4+ T cell activation propose that interaction of a naïve T cell with an appropriately armed dendritic cell is sufficient, whereas the Two-step, Two-signal Model proposes additional cellular interactions are necessary. The major goal of this thesis was to establish and utilize an in vitro experimental system that would allow one to begin to delineate which model most validly describes the cellular interactions required for generation of primary immune responses from naïve T cells. Employing a population of naïve T cells uncontaminated with any partially or fully activated cells is essential for such a study.</p><p>The results presented in this thesis show, that when thymocytes are employed as a source of responding naïve T cells, cellular interactions, in addition to interaction with bone marrow derived dendritic cells, are required for the activation of naïve thymic T cells. The primary activation of thymic T cells to generate CD4+ IL-2 producing cells, and CD8+ IFN-g producing cells and cytotoxic T cells upon stimulation with splenic allogeneic stimulator cells is critically dependent upon the presence of a syngeneic population of radiation resistant, CD4+ T cells found in the spleen of normal mice. Additionally, when such cells are present as a source of help for thymocytes, allogeneic bone marrow derived dendritic cells fail to stimulate the generation of optimal cytotoxic and cytokine responses from naïve thymic T cells. However, they do stimulate thymocytes to cycle and up regulate the ligand for the costimulatory molecule CD40, CD40L.</p><p>The results presented within also show that the optimal activation of naïve thymic T cells to generate CD4+ IL-2 producing cells, and CD8+ IFN-g producing cells and cytotoxic T cells, requires the presence of allo-MHC bearing Ig+ B220+ B cells. The removal of B220+ cells by magnetic cell sorting from the allogeneic spleen reveals that the generation of CD8+ cytotoxic T cells and IFN-g producing cells from thymocytes is markedly reduced compared to unsorted allogeneic spleen cells. However, IL-2 and IL-4 cytokine producing cells are still detectable. Potential reasons for the generation of the latter cytokine producing cells are discussed. The results presented in this thesis have revealed insights into the cellular interactions involved in the activation of naïve thymic T cells.

CD8 T lymphocytes are a crucial component of the adaptive immune system and mediate control of infections and malignancy, but also autoimmunity and allograft rejection. Given their central role in the immune system, CD8 T cell responses are tightly regulated by costimulatory signals and cytokines. Strategies targeting signals that are critical for T cell activation have been employed in a transplantation setting to impede alloreactive T cell responses and prevent graft rejection. The goal of my thesis is to understand how costimulatory signals and inflammation regulate alloreactive CD8 T cell responses and how to target these pathways to develop more effective tools to prevent graft rejection. Costimulation blockade is an effective approach to prolong allograft survival in murine and non-human primate models of transplantation and is an attractive alternative to immunosuppressants. I describe a novel murine anti-CD40 monoclonal antibody that prolongs skin allograft survival across major histocompatibility barriers and attenuates alloreactive CD8 T cell responses. I find that the pro-apoptotic proteins Fas and Bim function concurrently to regulate peripheral tolerance induction to allografts. Activation of the innate immune system by endogenous moIecules released during surgery or infections in transplant recipients can modulate T cell responses. However, the direct impact of inflammation on alloreactive CD8 T cell responses is not clear. Using a T cell receptor (TCR) transgenic mouse modeI, I demonstrate that inflammatory stimuli bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and the viral dsRNA mimetic poly(I:C) differentially regulate donor-reactive CD8 T cell responses by generating distinct cytokine milieus. Finally I demonstrate the role of pro-inflammatory cytokines stem cell factor (SCF), granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and interleukin-3 (IL-3) in improving human B cell development in humanized NOD-scid IL2Rγnull (NSG) mice.

CD46 is a ubiquitously expressed transmembrane protein in humans with a role in immune homeostasis. Originally identified as a complement regulator, CD46 has since been regarded a receptor for several pathogens and most recently, described as a T cell costimulatory molecule. Its coligation with CD3 and consequent cleavage from the T cell surface serves as a costimulatory stimulus for T cell activation. In addition, in the presence of IL-2, CD46 induces Tr1 cell differentiation which is characterised by low IFN-γ and high IL-10 secretion. CD3/CD46-induced Tr1 differentiation is defective in patients with MS, rheumatoid arthritis and asthma, highlighting the need to investigate the mechanisms involved in the regulation of the CD46 pathway. CD46 is a highly glycosylated protein with three N-glycosylation sites in the short consensus repeats and multiple O-glycosylation sites in the STP region. Previous data from the lab have shown that CD3 activation causes a change in CD46 glycosylation. Herein, I convey that this change is more pronounced in memory than naive CD4+ T cells and is mainly due to changes in CD46 O-glycosylation. Furthermore, these changes are required for the T cell responses triggered by CD46 costimulation including T cell activation and Tr1 differentiation. Interestingly, CD46 is recruited to the immunological synapse formed between a T cell and an antigen presenting cell and I illustrate that the STP region is needed for this also. These data suggest that the glycosylation status of CD46 regulates its function. In MS, vitamin D deficiency is considered to be a significant risk factor and many patients take vitamin D supplement to help manage their condition. Herein, I report that treatment of healthy and MS CD4+ T cells with vitamin D does not prevent T cell activation but it decreases adhesion molecule expression. Moreover, vitamin D supplementation in MS enhances CD46 cleavage. Therefore, vitamin D also plays a role in the regulation of the CD46 pathway and it would be interesting to investigate whether vitamin D affects CD46 glycosylation. During my MSc, I showed that a recombinant protein derived from adenovirus serotype 35 (which naturally binds CD46) known as Ad35K++ controls the CD46 pathway in CD4+ T cells. Lymphoma cells treated with Ad35K++ in combination with monoclonal antibody therapy rituximab have demonstrated increased sensitivity to rituximab and prove that virus-derived recombinant proteins that target CD46 have therapeutic potential. Considering the key role of CD46 as a T cell costimulatory molecule, I have investigated the effects of Ad35K++ on the CD46 pathway following its use in vivo and confirm CD46 is still cleaved from the cell surface and the cells still become activated. Overall these results provide insight into the mechanisms involved in the regulation of the CD46 pathway and highlight how it can be manipulated for therapeutic use.

Binding of the antigen receptor on T cells initiates a rapid series of signaling events leading to an immune response. To fully understand T cell mediated immunity, underlying regulatory properties of the receptor network must be understood. Monitoring dynamic protein signaling events allows for network analysis. Unfortunately, dynamic data acquisition is often extremely time-consuming and expensive with conventional methods; the number of proteins monitored at the same time on the same sample is limited. Furthermore, with conventional, multi-well plate assays it is difficult to achieve adequate resolution at sub-minute timescales. Microfluidics is a capable alternative, providing uniformity in sample handling to reduce error between experiments and precision in timing, an important factor in monitoring phosphorylation events that occur within minutes of stimulation. We used a two-module microfluidic platform for simultaneous multi-time point stimulation and lysis of T cells to investigate early signaling events with a resolution down to 20 seconds using only small amounts of cells and reagents. The device did not elicit adverse cellular stress in Jurkat cells. The activation of 6 important proteins in the signaling cascade upon stimulation with a soluble form of α-CD3 in the device was quantified and compared under a variety of conditions. First, in comparison to manual pipetting, the microdevice exhibits significantly less error between experiments. Secondly, a comparison between Jurkat cells and primary T cells shows similar dynamic trends across the 6 proteins. Finally, we have used the device to compare properties of long-term vs, short-term cultured primary T cells. As expected, older cells present a much weakened response to antigenic cues, as measured with TCR response markers. This modular microdevice provides a flexible format for investigating cell signaling properties through the use of soluble cue stimuli.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Introduction: Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are known for their role in extracellular matrix remodeling, but their role in regulating intracellular immune cell function is unknown. We reported that MMP inhibition down regulated T cell proliferation in response to alloantigens and autoantigens; but the direct role of MMP involvement in T cell activation has not been reported. Methods: MMP deficient or MMP sufficient wild-type CD4+ or CD8+ T cells from C57BL/6 mice were treated with SB-3CT, a specific inhibitor of MMP2 and MMP9, stimulated with anti-CD3 Ab, alone, or with IL-2 or CD28. Cellular activation and cytokine profiles were examined. A mouse model of antigen specific T cell mediated lung injury was used to examine MMP inhibition in antigen-specific T cell mediated lung injury. Results: SB-3CT (1-25μM) induced dose-dependent reductions in anti-CD3 Ab-induced proliferation (p<0.0001). Compared to wild-type, MMP9-/- CD4+ and CD8+ T cells proliferated 80-85% less (p<0.001) in response to anti-CD3 Ab. Compared to untreated or wild-type cells, anti-CD3 Ab-induced calcium flux was enhanced in SB-3CT-treated or MMP9-/- CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. Cytokine transcripts for IL-2, TNF-α and IFN-γ were reduced in both CD4+ and CD8+ MMP9-/- T cells, as well as in SB3CT treated CD4+ T cells. MMP inhibition dampened antigen-specific T cell mediated lung injury. Conclusions: Although known to be functional extracellularly, the current data suggest that MMPs function inside the cell to regulate intracellular signaling events involved in T cell activation. T cell targeted MMP inhibition may provide a novel approach of immune regulation in the treatment of T cell-mediated diseases. - David S. Wilkes, M.D., Chair.