Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Correspondence: Dr. David Hoskin, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Dalhousie University, Sir Charles Tupper Medical Building, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3H 4H7. E-mail: dwhoskin{at}is.dal.ca
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) and type 2 (IL-4, IL-6, IL-10) cytokines, as well as
diminished expression of granzyme B (Gzm B) and reduced cytotoxic
effector function. Cytolytic activity in T-cell cultures that were
activated in the presence of anti-CD86-blocking mAb alone or in
combination with anti-CD80 mAb could be restored by the addition of
exogenous IL-12 at initiation of culture. The ability of IL-12 to
substitute for CD28-costimulatory signaling during CTL development was
found to be dependent on the presence of IL-2 rather than
interferon-
. IL-2 is required for IL-12Rß2 expression by T cells
activated in the presence of anti-CD86 mAb. Moreover, IL-12Rß2
expression by T cells activated in the presence of anti-CD86 mAb is
enhanced by IL-12. We, therefore, conclude that the ability of IL-12 to
substitute for CD28-costimulatory signaling during CTL development is a
result of the interaction of IL-12 with IL-12Rß2 induced by low
levels of IL-2 synthesized by T cells activated in a CD28-independent
manner.
Key Words: CTL gene induction cytotoxicity costimulatory signaling cytokines
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IL-12 is a cytokine, which, through its ability to upregulate Gzm B and
perforin mRNA expression, plays an important role in the development of
CTL with optimal cytotoxic activity [10
]. For example,
the cytotoxicity of human CD8+ T cells collected from
peripheral blood is increased ten- to 20-fold when these cells are
activated with anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody (mAb) in the presence of
IL-12 [11
]. IL-12 is secreted by a wide variety of
professional and nonprofessional antigen-presenting cells, including B
cells [12
], monocytes/macrophages [13
],
dendritic cells [14
], Langerhans cells
[15
], and keratinocytes [16
].
Macrophages, however, appear to be the major source of IL-12
[13
]. IL-12 production by antigen-presenting cells is
induced via CD40-CD40L interaction with activated T cells
[17
]. Bioactive IL-12 is a heterodimeric molecule
composed of p40 and p35 chains [12
]. Dimerized p40,
although not bioactive, is able to bind to the IL-12 receptor (IL-12R)
also and prevent the productive binding of the bioactive p70
heterodimer [18
]. The IL-12R, composed of IL-12Rß1 and
IL-12Rß2 subunits, is expressed on CD4+ and
CD8+ T cells, as well as on natural killer (NK) cells
[19
]. In addition to upregulating the cytotoxic activity
of CTL and NK cells, IL-12 induces interferon (IFN)-
production by T
cells and NK cells [20
, 21
]. IL-12
signaling and CD28 costimulation have a synergistic-enhancing effect on
T-cell proliferative responses and cytokine production
[22
]. In fact, costimulation with CD80, IL-6, and IL-12
is sufficient to induce tumor-specific mouse CTL in vitro
[23
]. Moreover, compared with tumor cells transfected
with CD80 alone, transfection of tumor cells with IL-12 and CD80
enhances dramatically the ability of mice implanted with the
transfected tumor cells to develop effective antitumor immunity
[24
].
In the present investigation, we have determined the effect of IL-12 on the development of MHC-unrestricted cytotoxicity in mouse T-cell cultures stimulated with anti-CD3 mAb in the presence of anti-CD86 mAb to block CD28-CD86 interaction and subsequent CD28-costimulatory signaling. We have shown previously that CD86 rather than CD80 is the principal costimulatory ligand for CD28 during anti-CD3-induced CTL induction [25 ]. Because CD86 blockade resulted in a dramatic reduction in cytokine synthesis, as well as a profound decrease in the cytotoxic activity of anti-CD3-induced CTL, we reasoned that CTL function in anti-CD86-treated T-cell cultures might be restored by the addition of IL-12, which has known cytotoxicity-promoting activity [10 , 11 ]. Here, we describe the novel finding that IL-12 can substitute effectively for CD28 costimulation, leading to the generation of potent CTL with high levels of Gzm B expression and activity.
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Medium and reagents
RPMI 1640 medium (ICN Biomedicals Canada Ltd., Mississauga,
Ontario), hereafter referred to as complete RPMI 1640 medium, was
supplemented with 10 mM L-glutamine, 100 µg/ml
streptomycin, 100 U/ml penicillin (all from ICN Biomedicals Canada), 5
mM HEPES buffer (Sigma Chemical Co., St. Louis, MO), pH 7.4, and 5%
heat-inactivated (at 56°C for 30 min) fetal calf serum (Life
Technologies Ltd., Burlington, Ontario, Canada). Human recombinant IL-2
(active in the murine system) was obtained from Collaborative
Biomedical Products (Becton Dickinson Labware, Bedford, MA). Specific
activity is expressed as U/ml, where 1 U is defined as the reciprocal
of the dilution required to cause 50% stimulation of mouse CTLL-2
cells. Mouse recombinant IFN-
was purchased from Genzyme Diagnostics
(Cambridge, MA). Specific activity is expressed as Genzyme U/ml. Mouse
recombinant IL-12 was generously provided by Dr. J. Marshall (Dalhousie
University, Halifax, Nova Scotia). The hybridoma (clone 145-2C11),
which produces hamster anti-mouse CD3
mAb [26
], was
kindly provided by Dr. J. Bluestone (University of Chicago, Chicago,
IL). The hybridoma (clone GL1), which produces rat anti-mouse CD86 mAb
[27
], was a generous gift from Dr. K. Hathcock (National
Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD). The hybridoma (clone 16-10A1), which
produces hamster anti-mouse CD80 mAb, was obtained from American Type
Culture Collection (ATCC; Manassas, VA). Rat anti-mouse
IL-2-neutralizing mAb was from Genzyme Diagnostics, and rat anti-mouse
CD4 mAb, rat anti-mouse CD28 mAb, and rat anti-mouse CD25 mAb
[fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-conjugated and unconjugated]
were from Cedarlane Laboratories (Hornby, Ontario, Canada). Rat
anti-mouse IFN-
R
chain mAb and rat anti-mouse CD80 mAb (clone
1G10) were from PharMingen Canada (Mississauga, Ontario), and rat
anti-mouse IFN-
-neutralizing mAb was from Upstate Biotechnology Inc.
(Lake Placid, NY). Purified rat immunoglobulin G (IgG) was purchased
from Jackson ImmunoResearch Laboratories (West Grove, PA). All
cytokines and mAb were aliquoted and stored at -70°C. P815 murine
(H-2d) mastocytoma cells were obtained from ATCC and
maintained by in vitro passage in complete RPMI 1640 medium.
Generation of anti-CD3-activated CTL
C57BL/6 spleen-cell preparations were depleted of erythrocytes
by osmotic shock and passaged once through nylon-wool columns (Cellular
Products, Inc., Buffalo, NY) to remove most B cells and macrophages
[28
]. Nylon-wool nonadherent spleen cells were depleted
of NK cells by treatment with anti-asialoGM1 rabbit polyclonal
antiserum (Wako Chemicals, Richmond, VA) plus rabbit complement
(Cedarlane Laboratories). The resulting T-cell-enriched preparation
(typically
90% CD3+ and <0.1% NK1.1+)
[29
] was adjusted to a concentration of 4 x
106 cells/ml in complete RPMI 1640 medium and seeded into
wells of a 24-well, flat-bottom, tissue-culture plate. In some
experiments, CD8+ T cells (prepared by anti-CD4 mAb plus
complement treatment) were used instead of unfractionated T cells. CTLs
were induced as previously described [25
] by stimulating
T cells with soluble anti-CD3 mAb (1:20 dilution of hybridoma
supernatant) in the presence or absence of additional mAb and/or
cytokines. Cultures were maintained for 48 h at 37°C and 5%
CO2 in a 95% humidified atmosphere. Anti-CD3-activated CTL
were then collected for use.
51Cr-release assay
MHC-unrestricted CTLs induced with anti-CD3 mAb were washed
extensively with phosphate-buffered saline, pH 7.2, resuspended in
complete RPMI 1640 medium, and seeded into wells of a 96-well,
V-bottom, microtitre plate in graded dilutions to obtain the desired
effector:target (E:T) ratios. P815 mastocytoma cells were labeled with
100 µCi Na2 51CrO4 (ICN
Biomedicals Canada) for 1 h at 37°C, washed three times,
resuspended in complete RPMI 1640 medium, and added to the microtitre
plate at a concentration of 5 x 103 cells/well. The
microtitre plate was then incubated for 4 h at 37°C and 5%
CO2 in a 95% humidified atmosphere. Following
centrifugation of the microtitre plate, 100 µL supernatant was
collected from each well, and 51Cr release (in cpm) was
determined by
-counting. Percent lysis was determined by the
following equation: % lysis = (E-S)/(M-S) x 100, where E
is the release from experimental samples, S is the spontaneous release,
and M is the maximum release upon lysis with 10% sodium dodecyl
sulfate (SDS).
Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)
Cytokine levels in supernatants from 24 or 48 h cultures of
anti-CD3-activated T cells were measured by sandwich ELISA using paired
mAb, recombinant cytokines, and protocols supplied by PharMingen Canada
(with the exception of the capture mAb for the IL-12 ELISA). The
capture mAb for the IL-12 ELISA was hamster anti-mouse IL-12 p35 mAb
(Genzyme Diagnostics), which recognizes mouse IL-12 p35 and p70 but not
the p40 monomer or p40 homodimer.
Semiquantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction
(RT-PCR)
Total RNA was isolated from CTL using TRIzol reagent as
recommended by the manufacturer (Life Technologies). To determine Gzm B
mRNA expression, RNA was reverse-transcribed and amplified in a
one-step reaction using RT-PCR beads (Pharmacia Biotech Inc., Baie
DUrfé, Quebec, Canada). The reaction was carried out in a 50
µL vol pyrogen-free water containing 1 µg random hexanucleotide
primers, 0.5 µM each PCR primer, and 0.5 µg RNA. Each reaction
mixture was overlaid with 100 µL mineral oil, and synthesis of cDNA
was facilitated by sequential incubation at 42°C for 30 min and
95°C for 5 min. Gzm B mRNA expression was then determined by PCR (28
cycles) using the following amplification protocol: denaturation at
92°C for 30 sec, annealing at 57°C for 30 sec, and primer extension
at 72°C for 2 min. To determine IL-2, IL-12Rß2, and glyceraldehyde
3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) mRNA expression, cDNA was synthesized
by reverse transcription of
1 µg RNA with 200 U Moloney murine
leukemia virus in the presence of 1 µg random hexanucleotide primers
and 0.5 mM dNTPs. Following incubation of the reaction mixture for
1 h at 37°C and for 10 min at 95°C, the vol was adjusted to
0.2 ml with pyrogen-free water. Each PCR used a 50 µL vol cDNA, 2.5 U
Taq DNA polymerase (Life Technologies), 0.2 mM dNTPs, and 50 mM each
primer pair in a 1:10 dilution of PCR buffer [2 M KCl, 1 M Tris-HCl,
pH 8.4, 1 M MgCl2, 1 mg/ml bovine serum albumin (BSA)].
PCR mixtures were overlaid with 100 µL mineral oil. The amplification
protocol for GAPDH, IL-12Rß2 (both 28 cycles), and IL-2 (32 cycles)
was as follows: denaturation at 92°C (GAPDH and IL-12Rß2) or 94°C
(IL-2) for 30 sec, annealing at 57°C (IL-2 and GAPDH) or 59°C
(IL-12Rß2) for 30 sec, and primer extension at 72°C for 1 min
(IL-2) or 1.5 min (GAPDH and IL-12Rß2). The number of PCR cycles used
was determined previously to generate PCR product during the
exponential phase of amplification. All primers were designed to bind
intron-bridging exons of the respective gene. GAPDH (F)
5'-ACTCACGGCAAATTCAACGGC-3'; GAPDH (R) 5'-ATCACAAACATGGGGGCATCG-3'
(product size: 247 bp); IL-12Rß2 (F) 5'- GCACAGACTGTTAGAGAATGC-3';
IL-12Rß2 (R) 5'-CCTTCCTGGACACATGATATG-3' (product size: 443 bp); Gzm
B (F) 5'-GCCCACAACATCAAAGAACAG-3'; GzmB (R)
5'-GAGAACACATCAGCAACTTGGG-3' (product size: 889 bp); IL-2 (F)
5'-TGATGGACCTACAGGAGCTCCTGAG-3'; IL-2 (R)
5'-GAGTCAAATCCAGAACATGCCGCAG-3' (product size: 170 bp). PCR products
were visualized by electrophoresis across an ethidium bromide-stained
1.5% agarose gel. The quantity of RNA employed in the one-step RT-PCR
reaction was electrophoresed also, and bands of 18S and 28S ribosomal
RNA were used as a visual control for equal template loading.
Alternatively, steady-state expression of GAPDH mRNA was used to
control for equal product loading.
Colorimetric Gzm B assay
Gzm B activity in the cytosolic fraction of CTL was measured by
colorimetric-enzyme assay as previously described [29
]
using the Gzm B-specific synthetic substrate Boc-Ala-Asp thiobenzyl
ester (Enzyme Systems Products, Dublin, CA). Gzm B-specific esterolytic
activity correlates with absorbance at 405 nM.
Flow cytometric analysis
The percentage of CD25-, CD80-, and CD86-positive cells in
48 h cultures of anti-CD3- activated T cells was determined by
flow cytometric analysis using a standard protocol [29
].
Statistical analysis
Statistical comparisons of data by Students t-test
were performed using the Instat statistics program (GraphPad Software,
Inc., San Diego, CA). Values of p < 0.05 were
considered to be statistically significant.
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[9
], which are important cytokines in CTL development
[30
], we wished to determine the effect of CD86 blockade
on cytokine production in anti-CD3-stimulated T-cell cultures. T
lymphocytes from C57BL/6 mice were cultured for 48 h in the
presence of anti-CD3 mAb in combination with a saturating concentration
of anti-CD86 mAb (
4 µg/ml) or an equivalent concentration of an
irrelevant rat IgG. Culture supernatants were then collected, and
cytokine levels were determined by cytokine-specific sandwich ELISA
assays. As shown in Table 1 , anti-CD3-activated T-cell cultures treated with anti-CD86 mAb
contained reduced levels of IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, and IL-10, and IFN-
synthesis was virtually ablated. In contrast, tumor necrosis factor
(TNF-
) production was not diminished by anti-CD86 mAb treatment.
Interestingly, the IL-12 p70 heterodimer was not detectable in T
lymphocyte cultures activated with anti-CD3 mAb. |
View this table: [in a new window] |
Table 1. Differential Effects of CD86 Blockade on Anti-CD3-Induced Cytokine
Synthesis by T Cells
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production
in anti-CD3-activated T-cell cultures (Table 1)
. Given the importance
of IFN-
in promoting the development of anti- CD3-induced CTL
[29
], we felt that diminished IFN-
levels might be
the cause of reduced cytotoxicity in anti-CD3-activated T-cell cultures
performed in the presence of anti-CD86 mAb. IL-12 is a potent inducer
of IFN-
synthesis by T lymphocytes [20
] and also
enhances the development of cytotoxic-effector cells
[31
]. We, therefore, determined whether addition of
IL-12 might be able to substitute for CD28-dependent costimulation in
anti-CD3-activated T-cell cultures performed in the presence of
anti-CD86 mAb. Recombinant IL-12 (25 ng/ml) was added at the start of
culture to T-cell cultures containing anti-CD3 mAb alone or in
combination with anti-CD86 mAb, and cytotoxic activity against P815
mastocytoma cells was measured after 48 h of culture by standard
51Cr-release assay. Previous studies have established that
mouse T cells activated with anti-CD3 mAb acquire potent
MHC-unrestricted cytotoxic activity against a range of tumor target
cells, including P815 mastocytoma cells, which peaks at 48 h of
culture [32
]. Figure 1A
shows that cytotoxicity was diminished greatly in
anti-CD3-activated T-cell cultures containing anti-CD86 mAb alone but
was restored to control levels in cultures that contained IL-12 also.
Furthermore, the ability of IL-12 to compensate for a lack of CD28-CD86
interaction during CTL development did not involve the ligation of CD28
by CD80 (expressed at a minimal level in these cultures)
[25
], because IL-12 was equally effective in restoring
cytotoxicity when CTLs were induced in the presence of optimal blocking
concentations of anti-CD80 and anti-CD86 mAb (Fig. 1B)
. Although
anti-CD3-activated T-cell cultures contain CD4+ and
CD8+ T cells, similar results were obtained when IL-12 was
added to anti-CD3- activated CD8+ T-cell cultures
containing anti-CD80 and anti-CD86 mAb (Table 2 ), indicating that IL-12 is able to act directly on precursor CTL.
Consistent with an earlier study [31
], IL-12 alone did
not elicit substantial cytotoxicity in mouse T-cell cultures
(unpublished results).
![]() View larger version (25K): [in a new window] |
Figure 1. Restorative effect of exogenous IL-12 on CTL induction in the absence
of (A) CD28- CD86 or (B) CD28-CD80/CD86 interaction. T cells were
stimulated with anti-CD3 mAb in the presence of rat IgG or
optimal-blocking concentrations of anti-CD86 mAb ( 4 µg/ml) plus or
minus anti-CD80 mAb ( 0.2 µg/ml), with or without exogenous IL-12
(25 ng/ml). Following 48 h of culture, cytotoxicity against P815
target cells at E:T ratios of 50:1 and 25:1 was determined by
51Cr-release assay. Results are expressed as mean percent
lysis (±SD) and are representative of three independent
experiments. Asterisks denote a statistically significant (as
determined by Students t-test) change in cytotoxic
activity compared with the untreated control.
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View this table: [in a new window] |
Table 2. IL-12 Causes CD8+ T Cells to Develop Cytotoxic Activity in
the Absence of CD28-Costimulatory Signaling
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-independent mechanism
-dependent
mechanism. To neutralize completely the bioactivity of any IL-12-
induced IFN-
in anti-CD3-activated T-cell cultures treated with
anti-CD86 mAb plus rIL-12, we added anti-IFN-
-neutralizing mAb in
combination with anti-IFN-
R-blocking mAb at initiation of culture.
Surprisingly, cytotoxicity in 48 h cultures of T cells activated
in the presence of anti-CD86 mAb was largely restored to control levels
upon addition of rIL-12, despite neutralization of IFN-
bioactivity
in these cultures (Fig. 2A
). Furthermore, the addition of exogenous IFN-
(100 U/ml) at
initiation of culture failed to reverse the inhibitory effect of CD86
blockade on CTL induction (Fig. 2B)
. Taken together, these data
indicate that the ability of IL-12 to compensate for a lack of
CD28-CD86 interaction in anti-CD3-activated T-cell cultures containing
anti-CD86 mAb does not involve IFN-
.
![]() View larger version (26K): [in a new window] |
Figure 2. IL-12 substitutes for CD86-dependent costimulation of CTL via an
IFN- -independent mechanism. (A) T cells were stimulated with
anti-CD3 mAb in the presence of rat IgG or anti-CD86 mAb ( 4 µg/ml
final concentration) with or without IL-12 (10 ng/ml), anti-IFN-
plus anti- IFN- R mAb (both at 10 µg/ml), or IL-12 in combination
with anti-IFN- plus anti-IFN- R mAb. (B) T cells were stimulated
with anti-CD3 mAb in the presence of rat IgG or anti-CD86 mAb ( 4
µg/ml final concentration) with or without IFN- (100 µ/ml).
Following 48 h of culture, cytotoxicity against P815 target cells
at the indicated E:T ratios was determined by 51Cr-release
assay. Results are expressed as mean percent lysis (±SD)
and are representative of at least two independent experiments. A
single asterisk denotes a statistically significant (as determined by
Students t-test) reduction in cytotoxic activity compared
with the control, and a double asterisk denotes a statistically
significant difference compared with anti-CD86-treated cells.
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![]() View larger version (30K): [in a new window] |
Figure 3. IL-12 substitutes for CD86-dependent costimulation of CTL via an
IL-2-dependent mechanism. T cells were stimulated with anti-CD3 mAb in
the presence of rat IgG or anti-CD86 mAb ( 4 µg/ml final
concentration) with or without IL-12 (10 ng/ml), anti-IL-2 plus
anti-CD25 mAb (both at 10 µg/ml), or IL-12 in combination with
anti-IL-2 plus anti-CD25 mAb. Following 48 h of culture,
cytotoxicity against P815 target cells at the indicated E:T ratios was
determined by 51Cr-release assay. Results are expressed as
mean percent lysis (±SD) and are representative of three
independent experiments. Asterisk denotes a statistically significant
reduction in cytotoxic activity compared with the control, as
determined by Students t-test.
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View this table: [in a new window] |
Table 3. IL-12 Fails to Induce IL-2 Synthesis by T Cells Activated in the
Presence of Anti-CD86 mAb
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Table 4. IL-12 Fails to Enhance IL-2R (CD25) Expression by T Cells Activated in
the Presence of Anti-CD86 mAb
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50% inhibition of IL-2 synthesis in anti-CD3-activated
T-cell cultures (Table 1)
. IL-2 has been shown to synergize with IL-12
during CTL activation [31
] through a mechanism that most
likely involves IL-2-induced expression of the IL-12Rß2 subunit,
which is critical for T-cell responsiveness to IL-12
[33
]. We, therefore, employed semiquantitative RT-PCR to
examine the effect of IL-2 and IL-12 on IL-12Rß2 expression by T
cells in our model system (Fig. 4
). Unstimulated T cells failed to express detectable IL-12Rß2
mRNA. T cells activated with anti-CD3 mAb in the presence of
anti-CD86-blocking mAb exhibited decreased IL-12Rß2 expression
relative to control cells activated in the presence of rat IgG.
Elimination of IL-2 bioactivity in anti-CD86-treated activated T-cell
cultures by the addition of anti-IL-2 plus anti-IL2R (anti-CD25) mAb
ablated IL-12Rß2 expression virtually, indicating that IL-2 is
required for T-cell expression of IL-12Rß2, as well as strongly
suggesting that reduced IL-12Rß2 expression in the presence of
anti-CD86 mAb is the result of diminished IL-2 synthesis (Table 1)
. T
cells stimulated with anti-CD3 mAb in the presence of IL-12 displayed
dramatically increased IL-12Rß2 mRNA expression, indicating that
IL-12 upregulates expression of the IL-12Rß2 subunit. Furthermore, T
cells activated in the presence of anti-CD86-blocking mAb plus IL-12
exhibited close-to-control levels of IL-12Rß2 expression. Taken
together, these data suggest the requirement that IL-2 be present for
IL-12Rß2 expression by T cells, and subsequent IL-12 responsiveness
accounts for the IL-2-dependent nature of the compensatory effect of
IL-12 on anti-CD3-activated CTLs, which develop in the absence of
CD28-costimulatory signaling.
![]() View larger version (41K): [in a new window] |
Figure 4. T-cell expression of IL-12Rß2 is IL-2-dependent and is upregulated by
IL-12 in the presence of anti-CD86 mAb. T cells were cultured alone or
stimulated with anti-CD3 mAb in the presence of rat IgG, anti-CD86 mAb
( 4 µg/ml final concentration), anti-CD86 with anti-IL-2 plus
anti-CD25 mAb (both at 10 µg/ml), IL-12 (10 ng/ml), or anti-CD86 mAb
plus IL-12. Total RNA was isolated following 24 h of culture and
reverse-transcribed, and semiquantitative PCR with exon-binding,
intron-bridging primers for IL-12Rß2 was performed. GAPDH mRNA levels
were determined by RT-PCR also. Amplicons were resolved by gel
electrophoresis and visualized by ethidium-bromide staining. The images
were scanned and inverted, and IL-12Rß2 expression was quantified by
densitometric analysis relative to the steady-state expression of
GAPDH. Data are from one experiment representative of two independent
experiments.
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![]() View larger version (38K): [in a new window] |
Figure 5. IL-12 restores Gzm B mRNA expression by CTL induced in the absence of
CD28-CD86 interaction. T cells were stimulated with anti-CD3 mAb in the
presence of rat IgG or anti-CD86 mAb ( 4 µg/ml final concentration)
with or without IL-12 (10 ng/ml). Total RNA was isolated following
48 h of culture, and one-step RT-PCR beads were used to
reverse-transcribe single-stranded cDNA from 0.5 µg RNA with random
hexamers. Amplicons generated by PCR reaction with exon-binding,
intron-bridging primers specific for GzmB were resolved by gel
electrophoresis and ethidium-bromide staining. Densitometric analysis
was performed to quantitate GzmB mRNA expression. Equal RNA-template
loading is shown by electrophoresis of the same vol of RNA used in the
one-step RT-PCR procedure. Data are from one experiment representative
of two independent experiments.
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![]() View larger version (13K): [in a new window] |
Figure 6. IL-12 rescues Gzm B enzymatic activity of CTL induced in the absence of
CD28-CD86 interaction. T cells were stimulated with anti-CD3 mAb in the
presence of rat IgG or anti-CD86 mAb ( 4 µg/ml final concentration)
with or without IL-12 (25 ng/ml). Following 48 h of culture,
postnuclear lysates were prepared from equal numbers of T cells and
added to a colorimetric reaction mixture containing synthetic Gzm B
substrate. Absorbance at 405 nM (mean±SD of quadruplicate
samples) indicates the esterolytic activity/106 cells. Data
are representative of two independent experiments. The asterisk denotes
a statistically significant reduction in enzymatic activity compared
with control, as determined by Students t-test.
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[9
], which are known to be important for CTL
development [29
, 30
]. We have shown
previously that ligation of CD28 by CD86 and subsequent activation of
the CD28 signaling pathway of CD8+ CTL precursors directly
regulates the development and differentiation of nonspecific CTL in
response to anti-CD3 mAb [25
]. In contrast, the
contribution of CD80 as a costimulator of MHC-unrestricted cytotoxicity
in anti-CD3-activated mouse T-cell cultures is, at best, minimal.
We show here that blockade of CD28-CD86 interaction results in
diminished IL-2, -4, -6, and -10 and IFN-
production by
anti-CD3-activated mouse T cells, and TNF-
synthesis is unaffected
(Table 1)
. These results confirm that T lymphocytes activated in the
absence of CD86-dependent CD28 costimulation are prevented from
synthesizing normal levels of IL-2 and IFN-
[27
] as
well as revealing that optimal production of IL-4, IL-6, and IL-10 by T
cells is dependent on CD28 signaling also. The inhibitory effect of
CD86 blockade on the production of type 1 and 2 cytokines by
anti-CD3-activated T lymphocytes agrees well with the recent finding
that CD86 on antigen-presenting cells, in the genetically assured
absence of CD80, can prime T cells to synthesize type 1 and type 2
cytokines [35
]. It is interesting that the failure of
CD86 blockade to affect TNF-
synthesis suggests that TNF-
expression in anti-CD3-activated mouse T-cell cultures occurs
independently of CD28 signaling.
We observed that IFN-
synthesis was almost nonexistent in T-cell
cultures activated under conditions of CD86 blockade (Table 1)
. Given
that IL-12 is a potent inducer of IFN-
synthesis [20
]
and cytotoxic effector cells [29
, 31
], we
reasoned that the addition of exogenous IL-12 might override the
inhibitory effect of anti-CD86 mAb on anti-CD3-induced MHC-
unrestricted CTL development. IL-12 was, indeed, able to restore
cytotoxicity to control levels in cultures of T cells activated in the
presence of anti-CD86 mAb alone (Fig. 1A)
or in combination with
anti-CD80 mAb (Fig. 1B) to prevent any possible CD28 costimulation
because of low levels of CD80 known to be expressed in these T-cell
cultures [25
]. Moreover, pure CD8+ T cells
activated in the presence of combined anti-CD80 and anti-CD86 mAb
developed into competent effector cells if IL-12 was also present
(Table 2)
, indicating that CTL precursors are responsive to IL-12 in
the absence of CD28-costimulatory signaling. IL-12 does not exert this
effect through an increase in the available CD28 ligands, because IL-12
treatment did not increase CD80 or CD86 expression in
anti-CD3-activated T-cell cultures (unpublished results). Taken
together, these data indicate that the IL-12R provides a redundant
signal similar to CD28-costimulatory signaling for CTL activation and
are consistent with the observation that CTLs do not necessarily
require CD28 signaling to become activated [36
].
IL-12 has been shown to enhance the synthesis of IFN-
by
CD4+ T cells from wild type and CD28 knockout mice
[37
]. Because IFN-
is known to be important for CTL
generation [29
, 30
], and synthesis of this
cytokine was inhibited strongly by CD86 blockade (Table 1)
, it seemed
possible that IL-12-induced upregulation of IFN-
production might
account for the ability of anti-CD3-activated T lymphocytes to develop
cytotoxicity in the absence of CD28 costimulation. However, T cells
activated in the presence of anti-CD86 mAb plus exogenous IL-12 in
combination with neutralizing anti-IFN-
mAb and blocking
anti-IFN-
R mAb still developed high levels of cytotoxicity (Fig. 2A)
. Moreover, the addition of exogenous IFN-
to T cells activated
in the presence of anti-CD86 mAb failed to restore cytotoxicity to
control levels (Fig. 2B)
, confirming that IL-12-induced upregulation of
IFN-
synthesis in anti-CD3-activated T-cell cultures does not
account for the ability of IL-12 to substitute for CD28-costimulatory
signaling. Taken together, these data suggest that IL-12R signaling
contributes to the induction of other genes, in addition to IFN-
,
which are involved in CTL development.
Experiments in which T cells were activated in the presence of anti-CD86 mAb in combination with anti-IL-2 mAb and blocking anti-CD25 mAb revealed the IL-2-dependent nature of the compensating effect of IL-12 on CTL induction in the absence of CD28-CD86 interaction (Fig. 3) . We considered the possibility that IL-12 might be upregulating IL-2 production or IL-2R expression in anti-CD3-activated T-cell cultures. However, results from ELISA experiments indicated that IL-12 does not increase IL-2 production in anti-CD3-activated T-cell cultures performed in the presence of anti-CD86 mAb (Table 3) . This finding, which was confirmed by semiquantitative RT-PCR analysis of IL-2 mRNA expression, is consistent with a recent study that exogenous IL-12 does not enhance IL-2 production by T cells in a mixed-tumor reaction [33 ]. Furthermore, IL-2R (CD25) expression in anti-CD3-activated T-cell cultures, although inhibited by CD86 blockade, was not enhanced by IL-12 (Table 4 ). Thus, although previous studies have shown that IL-12 can synergize with CD80 (present at low levels in anti-CD3-activated T-cell cultures) [25 ] to upregulate CD25 expression by mouse Th1 cell clones [38 ], we failed to find evidence of this effect of IL-12 on a polyclonal mouse T-cell population.
The importance of Gzm B as a CTL-effector molecule is demonstrated convincingly by the failure of Gzm B-deficient CTL to kill target cells [39 ]. We found that IL-12 restored Gzm B mRNA and protein expression in anti-CD86-treated activated T-cell cultures to near control levels (Figs. 5 and 6 , respectively). These data suggest that the IL-12-induced restoration of cytotoxic activity in anti-CD3-activated T-cell cultures performed in the absence of CD28-costimulatory signaling (Fig. 1) is likely a result of more Gzm B protein being produced. Because IL-12 independently and in synergy with IL-2 can upregulate Gzm B and perforin expression in IL-2-dependent human CTL lines [31 ], it is likely that the interaction between exogenous IL-12 and the relatively low levels of IL-2 present in mouse T-cell cultures activated through the T-cell receptor/CD3 complex in the presence of anti-CD86 mAb accounts for the ability of IL-12 to substitute for CD28-costimulatory signaling during CTL development. Indeed, we have observed that mouse T cells cultured in the presence of IL-12 in combination with IL-2 develop a higher level of cytotoxic activity than that induced by culture in IL-2 alone, and IL-12 alone fails to induce any substantial T-cell cytotoxic activity (unpublished results). We have demonstrated also that low levels of endogenous IL-2 produced by T cells activated in the absence of CD28-CD86 interaction (Table 1) are sufficient to induce IL-12Rß2 expression, which confers IL-12 responsiveness upon T cells and allows for subsequent IL-12Rß2 upregulation by exogenous IL-12. This finding is in good agreement with the recent study from Chang et al. [33 ] that IL-2 is necessary for induction of IL-12Rß2 expression and supplies a mechanistic explanation for the IL-2-dependent nature of the compensating effect of IL-12 on CTL induction in the absence of CD28-costimulatory signaling.
The finding that IL-12 can substitute for CD28-costimulatory signaling during mouse CTL induction may have important implications for the immunotherapeutic treatment of human cancers. Because most human tumors do not express CD80 or CD86 [40 ], they are unlikely to costimulate tumor-specific CTL development effectively. Moreover, tumor-infiltrating and peripheral T lymphocytes from tumor-bearing individuals are compromised frequently in their ability to synthesize IL-2 [41 ]. Based on our findings, locoregional administration of IL-12 by gene therapy, for example, would be predicted to synergize with even low levels of IL-2 present in the tumor microenvironment to induce tumor-reactive CTL.
Received February 1, 2000; revised July 12, 2000; accepted July 14, 2000.
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production and lethality in lipopolysaccharide-induced shock in mice Eur. J. Immunol. 25,672-676[Medline]
are costimulators of interferon
production by natural killer cells in severe combined immunodeficiency mice with listeriosis, and interleukin 10 is a physiologic antagonist Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 90,3725-3729
and interleukin-10 cross-regulate granzyme B expression and the induction of major histocompatibility complex-unrestricted cytotoxicity J. Interferon Cytokine Res. 16,537-546[Medline]
are two necessary lymphokines in the development of cytolytic T cells J. Immunol. 143,1210-1214[Abstract]
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