Biology subjects

Maurice, N. J.

Publications and source records attributed to Maurice, N. J..

4 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2024

Steady-state, therapeutic, and helminth-induced IL-4 compromise protective CD8 T cell bystander activation

Memory CD8 T cells (Tmem) can be activated into innate-like killers by cytokines like IL-12, IL-15, and/or IL-18; but mechanisms regulating this phenomenon (termed bystander activation) are not fully resolved. We found strain-intrinsic deficiencies in bystander activation using specific pathogen-free mice, whereby basal IL-4 signals antagonize IL-18 sensing. We show that therapeutic and helminth-induced IL-4 impairs protective bystander-mediated responses against pathogens. However, this IL-4/IL-18 axis does not completely abolish bystander activation but rather tunes the expression of direct versus indirect mediators of cytotoxicity (granzymes and interferon-{gamma}, respectively). We show that antigen-experience overrides strain-specific deficiencies in bystander activation, leading to uniform IL-18 receptor expression and enhanced capacity for bystander activation/cytotoxicity. Our data highlight that bystander activation is not a binary process but tuned/deregulated by other cytokines that are elevated by contemporaneous infections. Further, our findings underscore the importance of antigen-experienced Tmem to dissect the contributions of bystander Tmem in health and disease.

immunology↗

bioRxiv2024

Converging cytokine and metabolite networks shape asymmetric T cell fate at the term human maternal-fetal interface

Placentation presents immune conflict between mother and fetus, yet in normal pregnancy maternal immunity against infection is maintained without expense to fetal tolerance. This is believed to result from adaptations at the maternal-fetal interface (MFI) which affect T cell programming, but the identities (i.e., memory subsets and antigenic specificities) of T cells and the signals that mediate T cell fates and functions at the MFI remain poorly understood. We found intact recruitment programs as well as pro-inflammatory cytokine networks that can act on maternal T cells in an antigen-independent manner. These inflammatory signals elicit T cell expression of co-stimulatory receptors necessary for tissue retention, which can be engaged by local macrophages. Although pro-inflammatory molecules elicit T cell effector functions, we show that additional cytokine (TGF-{beta}1) and metabolite (kynurenine) networks may converge to tune T cell function to those of sentinels. Together, we demonstrate an additional facet of fetal tolerance, wherein T cells are broadly recruited and restrained in an antigen-independent, cytokine/metabolite-dependent manner. These mechanisms provide insight into antigen-nonspecific T cell regulation, especially in tissue microenvironments where they are enriched.

immunology↗

bioRxiv2024

Collaboration between IL-7 and IL-15 enables adaptation of tissue-resident and circulating memory CD8+ T cells

Interleukin-7 (IL-7) is considered a critical regulator of memory CD8+ T cell homeostasis, but this is primarily based on analysis of circulating and not tissue-resident memory (TRM) subsets. Furthermore, the cell-intrinsic requirement for IL-7 signaling during memory homeostasis has not been directly tested. Using inducible deletion, we found that Il7ra loss had only a modest effect on persistence of circulating memory and TRM subsets and that IL-7R was primarily required for normal basal proliferation. Loss of IL-15 signaling imposed heightened IL-7R dependence on memory CD8+ T cells, including TRM populations previously described as IL-15-independent. In the absence of IL-15 signaling, IL-7R was upregulated, and loss of IL-7R signaling reduced proliferation in response to IL-15, suggesting cross-regulation in memory CD8+ T cells. Thus, across subsets and tissues, IL-7 and IL-15 act in concert to support memory CD8+ T cells, conferring resilience to altered availability of either cytokine. HighlightsTissue-resident and circulating memory CD8+ T cells modestly decline after loss of IL-7R IL-7R is required for normal self-renewal of memory CD8+ T cells Combined loss of IL-7 and IL-15 causes a profound defect across memory CD8+ T cell subsets Cross-regulation of IL-7 and IL-15 signaling occurs in memory CD8+ T cells O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=70 SRC="FIGDIR/small/596695v1_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (17K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@8e439corg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1f8e42forg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@14cfceforg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@171e4eb_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG

immunology↗

bioRxiv2021

Inflammatory signals are sufficient to elicit TOX expression in mouse and human CD8 T cells

T cell receptor (TCR) stimulation leads to expression of the transcription factor TOX. Prolonged TCR signaling, such as encountered during chronic infections or in tumors, leads to sustained TOX expression, which induces a state of exhaustion or dysfunction. While CD8 memory T cells (Tmem) in specific pathogen-free laboratory mice typically do not express TOX, functional human Tmem show heterogeneous TOX expression levels. Whether TCR-independent mechanisms can alter TOX expression in human and murine Tmem has not been defined. We report that human and mouse Tmem increase TOX expression following stimulation with inflammatory cytokines IL-12, IL-15, and IL-18. TOX and PD-1 expression patterns often appear to be directly correlated, however, we found that TOX is not necessary for cytokine-driven expression of PD-1. Together, these observations highlight that inflammation is sufficient to alter TOX and PD-1 expression and that the signals regulating TOX expression appear well conserved in human and murine Tmem.

immunology↗