title: TCR transgenic CD8+ T cells activated in the presence of TGFbeta express FoxP3 and mediate linked suppression of primary immune responses and cardiac allograft rejection.
abstract: Although CD4+CD25+FoxP3+ regulatory T cells play a role in allograft tolerance, the role of CD8+ cells with immunosuppressive function is less clear. To address this issue, spleen cells from Rag-1-deficient TCR transgenic (Tg) mice expressing a receptor for ovalbumin (OVA) in the context of MHC class I (OT1) were activated with OVA expressing antigen-presenting cell (APC) in the presence or absence of exogenous transforming growth factor beta (TGFbeta). TGFbeta inhibited the expression of IFN-gamma, granzyme B and the lytic activity of the OT1 T cells while inducing FoxP3 expression in 5-15% of the cells. By contrast, FoxP3 expression was not detected in naive OT-1 T cells or OT-1 T cells activated without exogenous TGFbeta. TGFbeta-activated OT1 cells inhibited the activation of Kd-specific CD8+ CTL responses by normal B6 T cells and the proliferation by Kd-specific CD4+ TCR Tg T cells, but only if the OVA epitope was co-expressed by Kd+ APC. This antigen-specific inhibitory activity, referred to as linked suppression, was neither mediated by residual lytic activity within the activated OT1 T cells nor did it depend upon IL-10 or TGFbeta. Suppression correlated with inhibition of CD86 expression on CD11c+ APC. TGFbeta-activated OT1 T cells also delayed the rejection of heterotopic, vascularized cardiac allografts mediated by anti-Kd-specific CD4+ TCR Tg T cells, but only if the cardiac allograft expressed both OVA and Kd as transgenes. Prolonged survival of allografts was associated with rapid migration of the FoxP3+ OT1 T cells into the donor heart raising the possibility that suppression may be mediated within the allograft. These data show that TGFbeta-activated CD8+ T cells mediate antigen-specific, APC-focused patterns of suppression in vitro and in vivo.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Spain Wallace Building, 619 South 19th Street, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35233-7331, USA. jkapp@uab.edu
authors.forename: Judith A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Kapp
authors.forename: Kazuhito
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Honjo
authors.forename: Linda M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Kapp
authors.forename: Xiao yan
authors.initials: Xy
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Alana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cozier
authors.forename: R Pat
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Bucy
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000938:Antigen-Presenting Cells / Q000276:immunology; D051940:B7-2 Antigen / Q000378:metabolism; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000276:immunology*; D016027:Heart Transplantation / Q000276:immunology; D007108:Immune Tolerance / Q000187:drug effects; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000235:genetics*; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology*; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D051940:B7-2 Antigen; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors; C498833:Foxp3 protein, mouse; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta