Biology subjects

Abdel-Hakeem, M. S.

Publications and source records attributed to Abdel-Hakeem, M. S..

5 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Preexisting chronic infection skews the epigenetic landscape of subsequent memory CD8 T cell responses

Previous studies suggest that preexisting chronic disease impairs immune responses to subsequent infection and vaccination. However, the underlying epigenetic mechanisms are understudied. Here, we show that preexisting chronic infection with LCMV clone 13 (CL13) compromised the formation of central memory CD8 T cells (TCM) to subsequent Listeria monocytogenes infection, despite not profoundly impacting effector responses. This correlated with a skewed cytokine milieu. Our chromatin-accessibility profiling of Listeria-specific CD8 T cells showed significant epigenetic skewing of both TCM and effector memory (TEM) in mice with preexisting LCMV-CL13, a skewing that started in memory-precursor effector cells (MPECs) during the effector phase. Transcription-factor binding sites (TFBS) analyses highlighted the interferon regulatory factor (IRF) family as major TFs implicated in this skewing. Thus, our results suggest that preexisting persistent inflammation skews the phenotypic and epigenetic landscape of subsequent memory responses, arguing for interventions to optimize vaccine-induced memory in hosts with preexisting chronic disease.

immunology↗

bioRxiv2026

Interleukin-6 restricts pre-thymic T cell lineage commitment of progenitors driving loss of SIV control

Effective T cell reconstitution in people living with HIV is central to durable immune control and cure strategies. Sustained thymic output underpins T cell recovery and requires continuous seeding by T cell-committed progenitors originating in the bone marrow (BM). Using the SIV/rhesus macaque model, we identified a thymus-seeding progenitor (TSP; CD4-CD8-CD34CD38-CD7) in BM declining rapidly following SIV infection. This loss closely associated with reduction in T cell lineage committed differentiation of BM-derived hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs). Importantly, both the decline in TSPs and the impairment of pre-thymic T cell potential were strongly associated with early loss of viral control, independent of peripheral T cell dynamics. Plasma interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels robustly predicted the magnitude of TSP loss and the restriction of T cell-biased HSPC differentiation. Integrated transcriptomic and proteomic analyses revealed inflammatory imprinting of HSPCs characterized by activation of the IL-6-JAK-STAT axis, inflammasome engagement, and coordinated suppression of key T cell specification factors, including RUNX1, FYN, and ZAP70. In a nonanimal model of thymopoiesis, IL-6 exposure of rhesus macaque and human HSPCs inhibited their transition from DN1 (CD38-) to DN2 (CD38) TSP states, indicating an early block in T cell lineage commitment. Conversely, ex vivo IL-6 receptor blockade restored thymocyte differentiation to levels comparable to untreated controls. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that pathogenic inflammation restricts pre-thymic T cell development early after infection, directly contributing to loss of viral control. These findings have important implications for understanding the mediators of anti-viral T cell immunity and HIV cure.

immunology↗

bioRxiv2024

Longitudinal proteomic analysis of T cell differentiation in vivo reveals dynamic changes of the interactome

CD8 T cell exhaustion impedes immune responses to cancer and chronic infections, and a biochemical understanding of exhaustion is essential to improving immunotherapy. Here, we present the first longitudinal protein abundance and phosphoproteomic analysis of antigen-specific CD8 T cells undergoing differentiation in vivo during acute (LCMV-Armstrong) and chronic (LCMV-Clone 13) infection. Comparing protein abundance across the two infection conditions identified over 180 known and novel exhaustion-associated proteins, including proteins missed by transcriptional analyses. Phosphoproteomic analysis identified >900 differentially regulated phosphosites on >400 proteins, including known inhibitory phosphosites on PD1, PAG1, SHP-1/PTPN6, SLAMF1/CD150. We also calculated phosphosite conservation across mammals, to direct follow-up studies towards sites with likely essential function. Lastly, our analysis uncovers exhaustion-associated kinases with clinical-stage inhibitors, underscoring the translational utility of our dataset to guide immunotherapy development. Together, our datasets define a biochemical atlas of T cell exhaustion in vivo, shedding light on the molecular mechanisms of T cell dysfunction.

immunology↗

bioRxiv2022

Enhanced STAT5a activation rewires exhausted CD8 T cells during chronic stimulation to acquire a hybrid durable effector like state

Rewiring exhausted CD8 T cells (TEX) towards more functional states is a major goal of cancer immunotherapy but has proven challenging due to the epigenetic stability of TEX. Indeed, TEX are epigenetically programmed by the transcription factor Tox. However, epigenetic changes continue to occur as TEX transition from progenitor (TEXprog), to intermediate (TEXint) and terminal (TEXterm) subsets, suggesting potential developmental flexibility in mature TEX subsets. By examining the transition of TEXprog into TEXint cells, we discovered a reciprocally antagonistic circuit between Stat5a and Tox in TEX cells. Stat5-activity controlled TEXint development, antagonized Tox, and instigated partial effector biology. Stat5 was also essential for TEX reinvigoration by PD-1 blockade. Indeed, temporal induction of Stat5-activity in TEX using an orthogonal IL-2/IL2R{beta}-pair fostered TEXint cell accumulation and synergized with PD-L1 blockade. Constitutive Stat5a activity (STAT5CA) antagonized Tox-dependent TEX epigenetic programming to generate a durable hybrid effector/NK-like population with enhanced tumor control. Finally, enforcing Stat5-signals in established TEXprog partially rewired the TEX epigenetic landscape towards the effector/memory lineage. Together, these data highlight therapeutic opportunities of manipulating Stat5 to rewire TEX towards a durably protective hybrid program.

immunology↗

bioRxiv2022

Longitudinal single cell transcriptional and epigenetic mapping of effector, memory, and exhausted CD8 T cells reveals shared biological circuits across distinct cell fates

Naive CD8 T cells can differentiate into effector (TEFF), memory (TMEM), or exhausted (TEX) CD8 T cells. These developmental pathways are associated with distinct transcriptional and epigenetic changes that endow cells with different functional capacities and therefore therapeutic potential. The molecular circuitry underlying these developmental trajectories and the extent of heterogeneity within TEFF, TMEM, TEX populations remain poorly understood. Here, we used the lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus model of acutely-resolved and chronic infection and addressed these gaps by applying longitudinal scRNA-seq and scATAC-seq analysis. These analyses uncovered new subsets, including a subpopulation of TEX expressing NK cell-associated genes, as well as multiple distinct TCF1+ stem/progenitor-like subsets in acute and chronic infection. These data also revealed insights into the reshaping of TEX subsets following PD1 pathway blockade and identified a key role for the cell stress regulator, Btg1, in TEX differentiation. Finally, these results highlighted how the same biological circuits such as cytotoxicity or stem/progenitor pathways can be used by CD8 T cells with highly divergent underlying chromatin landscapes. Thus, this transcriptional and chromatin accessibility landscape map elucidates developmental biology and underlying mechanisms governing TEFF, TMEM, and TEX differentiation.

immunology↗