Differential requirement for IFN-gamma in CTL maturation in acute murine graft-versus-host disease.
Although IFN-gamma is the archetypal Th1 cytokine, its role in CTL maturation is uncertain. We used an in vivo mouse model of CTL development, parent-into-F(1) acute graft-vs-host disease (AGVHD), to evaluate this issue. In AGVHD, transfer of naive parental T cells into F(1) hosts stimulates the development of allospecific CTL effectors that eliminate host lymphocytes, particularly B cells. Complete elimination of IFN-gamma, using IFN-gamma-deficient donors and administering anti-IFN-gamma mAb, suppressed B cell elimination, down-regulated TNF-alpha production, and enhanced Th2 cytokine production, but did not allow the B cell expansion characteristic of chronic GVHD (CGVHD). Because complete CTL inhibition results in full-blown CGVHD that is IFN-gamma independent, these observations indicate that IFN-gamma elimination only partially blocks CTL development. IFN-gamma elimination did not inhibit donor T cell engraftment or activation in the AGVHD model, but almost completely blocked Fas/Fas ligand (FasL) gene expression, protein up-regulation, and Fas/FasL-mediated CTL killing. In contrast, IFN-gamma elimination only partially inhibited perforin gene expression and perforin-mediated CTL activity. The contributions of IFN-gamma to CTL development were indirect, because IFN-gamma receptor-deficient donor cells differentiated normally into allospecific CTLs. Consistent with the view that the Fas/FasL and perforin pathways each mediate CTL killing in AGVHD, the absence of both perforin and IFN-gamma (perforin knockout donor cells and anti-IFN-gamma mAb) converted AGVHD to CGVHD. Thus, both IFN-gamma-dependent induction of Fas/FasL and IFN-gamma-independent induction of perforin contribute to CTL-mediated elimination of host B cells in AGVHD. Suppression of both pathways is required for typical CGVHD development.
Puliaev
Roman
R
Research Service, Baltimore Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.
Nguyen
Phuong
P
Finkelman
Fred D
FD
Via
Charles S
CS
D000208:Acute Disease; D000818:Animals; D002908:Chronic Disease; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism; D053222:Fas Ligand Protein; D006086:Graft vs Host Disease / Q000378:metabolism*; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000378:metabolism*; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000378:metabolism*; D015854:Up-Regulation; D019014:fas Receptor / Q000378:metabolism
D016207:Cytokines; D053222:Fas Ligand Protein; C505658:Fasl protein, mouse; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D019014:fas Receptor; D007371:Interferon-gamma