Insights Into the Cytotoxic Potential of Human CD8+ T Cells: Implications for Virologic Control of HIV
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
University of Pennsylvania ScholarlyCommons Publicly Accessible Penn Dissertations Fall 2010 Insights into the Cytotoxic Potential of Human CD8+ T Cells: Implications for Virologic Control of HIV Adam R. Hersperger University of Pennsylvania, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations Part of the Immunology of Infectious Disease Commons, and the Microbiology Commons Recommended Citation Hersperger, Adam R., "Insights into the Cytotoxic Potential of Human CD8+ T Cells: Implications for Virologic Control of HIV" (2010). Publicly Accessible Penn Dissertations. 270. https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/270 This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons. https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/270 For more information, please contact [email protected]. Insights into the Cytotoxic Potential of Human CD8+ T Cells: Implications for Virologic Control of HIV Abstract CD8+ T cells are often referred to as cytotoxic T lymphocytes because of their ability to induce the apoptosis of cells infected with an intracellular pathogen, thereby limiting the spread of an infection to previously uninfected cells. CD8+ T cells produce many proteins - including perforin, various granzymes, and granulysin - that are responsible for inducing target cell cytolysis. These cytolytic proteins are found pre-packaged into secretory granules within many resting CD8+ T cells, but their de novo synthesis can also occur after activation. In the setting of HIV infection, a rare group of HIV-positive patients, termed elite controllers (EC), naturally control HIV viremia to virtually undetectable levels without the intervention of drug therapy. Some evidence has implicated HIV-specific CD8+ T cells in achieving or maintaining this virologic control; however, the mechanism(s) to explain these findings emainsr largely undefined. In this work, we report that HIV-specific CD8+ T cells from EC demonstrated a superior ability to express perforin and granzyme B after activation compared to patients with progressive disease. Therefore, HIV-specific CD8+ T cells from EC possessed a greater cytotoxic potential by expressing higher levels of two principal cytolytic mediators, which may at least partially explain the ability of EC to suppress the replication of HIV in vivo. One critical upstream regulator of effector functionality and differentiation is the T-box transcription factor T-bet. We demonstrated a clear link between levels of T-bet and the presence of perforin and granzyme B within human CD8+ T cells. Notably, HIV-specific CD8+ T cells from EC expressed higher amounts of T-bet than progressors, suggesting that therapeutic modulation of T-bet may restore the cytolytic potential that is deficient among patients with uncontrolled viremia. Collectively, our results imply that the underlying defect(s) in effector function by HIV-specific CD8+ T cells from progressors lie not in the cytolytic proteins themselves, but rather in the elements controlling their expression, including T-bet. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Cell & Molecular Biology First Advisor Michael R. Betts Keywords HIV, Immunology, perforin, cytotoxicity, T-bet, granzyme B Subject Categories Immunology of Infectious Disease | Microbiology This dissertation is available at ScholarlyCommons: https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/270 INSIGHTS INTO THE CYTOTOXIC POTENTIAL OF HUMAN CD8+ T CELLS: IMPLICATIONS FOR VIROLOGIC CONTROL OF HIV Adam R. Hersperger A DISSERTATION in Cell and Molecular Biology Presented to the Faculties of the University of Pennsylvania in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2010 Supervisor of Dissertation: ___________________________ Michael R. Betts, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Microbiology Graduate Group Chairperson: ___________________________ Daniel S. Kessler, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology Dissertation Committee: E. John Wherry, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Microbiology David B. Weiner, Ph.D., Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine David Artis, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Pathobiology and Microbiology Guido Silvestri, M.D., Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine DEDICATION I dedicate this work to my parents, Stephen and Edna, and my wife, Chelsea, for their continuous love and support during the course of my graduate studies. I am eternally grateful for their presence in my life. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I would like to thank my thesis mentor, Mike Betts, for his guidance and support during my time in his laboratory. He has helped me to mature and grow as a young scientist and provided many opportunities to travel and present our work at international meetings. I would also like to thank my thesis committee for the helpful discussion and suggestions they provided over the last several years. Finally, I am grateful to the various members of the Betts Lab who have provided useful advice and assistance during my graduate school career. iii ABSTRACT INSIGHTS INTO THE CYTOTOXIC POTENTIAL OF HUMAN CD8+ T CELLS: IMPLICATIONS FOR VIROLOGIC CONTROL OF HIV Adam R. Hersperger Supervisor: Michael R. Betts CD8+ T cells are often referred to as cytotoxic T lymphocytes because of their ability to induce the apoptosis of cells infected with an intracellular pathogen, thereby limiting the spread of an infection to previously uninfected cells. CD8+ T cells produce many proteins - including perforin, various granzymes, and granulysin - that are responsible for inducing target cell cytolysis. These cytolytic proteins are found pre- packaged into secretory granules within many resting CD8+ T cells, but their de novo synthesis can also occur after activation. In the setting of HIV infection, a rare group of HIV-positive patients, termed elite controllers (EC), naturally control HIV viremia to virtually undetectable levels without the intervention of drug therapy. Some evidence has implicated HIV-specific CD8+ T cells in achieving or maintaining this virologic control; however, the mechanism(s) to explain these findings remains largely undefined. In this work, we report that HIV-specific CD8+ T cells from EC demonstrated a superior ability to express perforin and granzyme B after activation compared to patients with progressive disease. Therefore, HIV-specific CD8+ T cells from EC possessed a greater cytotoxic potential by expressing higher levels of two principal cytolytic mediators, which may at least partially explain the ability of EC to suppress the replication of HIV in iv vivo. One critical upstream regulator of effector functionality and differentiation is the T- box transcription factor T-bet. We demonstrated a clear link between levels of T-bet and the presence of perforin and granzyme B within human CD8+ T cells. Notably, HIV- specific CD8+ T cells from EC expressed higher amounts of T-bet than progressors, suggesting that therapeutic modulation of T-bet may restore the cytolytic potential that is deficient among patients with uncontrolled viremia. Collectively, our results imply that the underlying defect(s) in effector function by HIV-specific CD8+ T cells from progressors lie not in the cytolytic proteins themselves, but rather in the elements controlling their expression, including T-bet. v TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION.....................................................................................1 Overview..................................................................................................................1 Biology and functionality of CD8+ T cells..............................................................2 Cytotoxic granule-resident proteins and their regulation.........................................5 Biology and pathogenesis of Human Immunodeficiency Virus............................13 Current insights into HIV elite controllers.............................................................16 Measuring immune responses using multiparametric flow cytometry..................28 Conclusion and Project Aims.................................................................................32 CHAPTER 2: IDENTIFICATION AND ASSESSMENT OF DE NOVO PERFORIN PRODUCTION BY HUMAN CD8+ T CELLS USING POLYCHROMATIC FLOW CYTOMETRY..............................................................34 Summary................................................................................................................34 Introduction............................................................................................................35 Materials and Methods...........................................................................................36 Results....................................................................................................................38 Discussion..............................................................................................................48 vi CHAPTER 3: PERFORIN EXPRESSION DIRECTLY EX VIVO BY HIV-SPECIFIC CD8+ T CELLS IS A CORRELATE OF LONG-TERM VIROLOGIC CONTROL OF HIV...............................................................................51 Summary................................................................................................................51 Introduction............................................................................................................52 Materials and Methods...........................................................................................54