Hypoxia-inducible factors enhance the effector responses of CD8(+) T cells to persistent antigen.
Cytolytic activity by CD8(+) cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) is a powerful strategy for the elimination of intracellular pathogens and tumor cells. The destructive capacity of CTLs is progressively dampened during chronic infection, yet the environmental cues and molecular pathways that influence immunological 'exhaustion' remain unclear. Here we found that CTL immunity was regulated by the central transcriptional response to hypoxia, which is controlled in part by hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs) and the von Hippel-Lindau tumor suppressor VHL. Loss of VHL, the main negative regulator of HIFs, led to lethal CTL-mediated immunopathology during chronic infection, and VHL-deficient CTLs displayed enhanced control of persistent viral infection and neoplastic growth. We found that HIFs and oxygen influenced the expression of pivotal transcription, effector and costimulatory-inhibitory molecules of CTLs, which was relevant to strategies that promote the clearance of viruses and tumors.
Division of Biological Sciences, Molecular Biology Section, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA.
Andrew L
AL
Doedens
Anthony T
AT
Phan
Martin H
MH
Stradner
Jessica K
JK
Fujimoto
Jessica V
JV
Nguyen
Edward
E
Yang
Randall S
RS
Johnson
Ananda W
AW
Goldrath
D000818:Animals; D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins / Q000172:deficiency / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D015687:Cell Hypoxia / Q000276:immunology; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D051795:Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit / Q000172:deficiency / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D008216:Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D008217:Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus / Q000276:immunology; D008546:Melanoma, Experimental / Q000276:immunology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D010100:Oxygen / Q000494:pharmacology; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D014158:Transcription, Genetic / Q000187:drug effects; D051794:Von Hippel-Lindau Tumor Suppressor Protein / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D000099162:Endothelial PAS Domain-Containing Protein 1
D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins; D051795:Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit; D010100:Oxygen; D051794:Von Hippel-Lindau Tumor Suppressor Protein; D000099162:Endothelial PAS Domain-Containing Protein 1; C497443:Hif1a protein, mouse; C494469:VHL protein, mouse