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Immunology |
1 Graduate Institute of Immunology and 2 Graduate Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan; 3 Department of Pediatrics, China Medical College Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan; and 4 Institute of Biomedical Sciences, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan
| ABSTRACT |
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| INTRODUCTION |
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The neoplastic cells [i.e., Hodgkins Reed-Sternberg (H-RS) cells] in HD are characterized by abundant expression of a type I membrane protein, CD30, a member of the tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily (2 , 3) . CD30 is rarely expressed by tumor cells from most T- or B-cell lymphomas and by most normal tissues (4) . The restricted expression profile of CD30 explains why it is being used as a disease marker for HD, and it suggests the possible involvement of CD30 in a yet undefined mechanism leading to the growth and survival of H-RS cells.
CD30 was originally thought to be a receptor that carried out its function through engagement with its respective ligand, CD30L (CD153; Ref. 5
), expressed as a type II membrane glycoprotein in activated T cells, B cells, activated macrophages, resting neutrophils, and eosinophils (5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
. However, recent studies have shown a bidirectional instead of unidirectional signal transduction after the CD30
CD153 engagement in T and B cells (9, 10, 11)
. The cytoplasmic domain of CD153 is highly conserved across species and appears to be capable of transmitting intracellular signals. This so-called reverse signal has been shown in different members of the tumor necrosis factor ligand family, including a growing list of CD40L, CD27L, OX40L, FasL, and others (9
, 12
, 13)
. CD153 cross-linking by an immobilized agonistic monoclonal antibody or a human CD30-Fc IgG1 chimeric protein has been shown to induce gene expression and metabolic activity in human T cells and neutrophils (9)
. CD30 is, however, able to inhibit the in vivo clonal expansion of CD8+ cytotoxic T cells (14)
. Engagement of CD153 by CD30 on T cells inhibits class switching, immunoglobulin secretion, and plasmacytoid differentiation in B cells by interfering with recruitment of tumor necrosis factor-receptor-associated-factors to CD40 cytoplasmic tail and with activation of nuclear factor
B (10
, 11)
.
H-RS cells are known to produce factors that could explain the characteristic inflammatory infiltrate in the affected tissues of HD (15) . The various chemokines and cytokines that are produced lead to a preferential influx of Th2-type T cells and suppress Th1-type immune responses (16) . As such, these inflammatory infiltrates do not support a cytotoxic antitumor response. The production and induction of various cytokines may also explain the differences among the histological subtypes (15) . However, virtually all cytokines detected in H-RS cells are also secreted by cells in other types of lymphoma (15) . Hence, we believe that a factor or factors other than cytokines may contribute to a greater extent to the immunosuppressive state associated with HD (17) . In this study, we addressed whether membranous CD30 on H-RS cells or a CD30 chimeric protein might help to limit the proliferative potential and activation of T cells. We found that H-RS cells, via CD30, can inhibit T-cell proliferation as well as interleukin (IL)-2 production and expression of CD25 and CD26 by T cells.
| MATERIALS AND METHODS |
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Construction of CD30 Expression Plasmids.
CD30 cDNA was generated by PCR from a cDNA pool of L428, a Hodgkins lymphoma cell line, by use of the sense oligonucleotides 5'-TTAAGCTTGGATGCGCGTCC-TCCTCG and the antisense oligonucleotides 5'-TTGGAATCCTCACTTTCCAGAGG-CAGC. The resulting product was cloned between the HindIII and BamHI sites of the plasmid pcDNA3 (Invitrogen, San Diego, CA) to create the plasmid pcDNA3-CD30. Enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) fusion constructs were created by use of the pEGFP-N1 vector (Clontech Laboratories, Palo Alto, CA) and the CD30 gene to create pEGFP-CD30. The cDNAs generated to fuse with EGFP lacked a STOP codon and were cloned between the HindIII and BamHI sites of the plasmid, upstream of and in frame with the EGFP open reading frame. The sequences of all DNA constructs were confirmed by sequencing in both directions by use of an ABI 377 automated sequencer and the ABI Prism Dye Terminator cycle sequencing system (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA) according to the manufacturers recommended procedure. Sequences were analyzed with Sequencer 3.1.1 software (Gene Codes, Ann Arbor, MI).
Transfection and Selection of CD30-Expressing Stable Clones.
CHO cells were grown in DMEM containing 10% fetal bovine serum and transfected with 0.6 µg DNA/106 cells by use of the Effectene transfection reagent (Qiagen, Valencia, CA), according to the manufacturers instruction. CHO cells were selected with 1 mg/ml Geneticin and analyzed after transient and stable transfection. Selected clones with strong green fluorescence were amplified first and stained with phycoerythrin-conjugated anti-CD30 to be selected further with fluorescence-activated cell sorting. To test whether EGFP induced artifactual phenotypes, we conducted experiments with cells transfected with pEGFP only. The stable clones were generally more than 99% EGFP positive and more than 90% CD30 positive, as assayed by confocal microscopy or FACScan.
Construction and Purification of CD30-Fc Fusion Protein.
The gene segment for the extracellular domain of CD30 was generated by PCR from pcDNA-CD30 by use of the sense oligonucleotides 5'-AAGAATTCTTCCCACAGGATC-GAC and the antisense oligonucleotides 5'-TTGTTAACCTTCCCCGTGGAGGAGAG and ligated to the gene for the Fc portion of human IgG1 (a gift from Dr. S. L. Hsieh, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan). The hinge region in the IgG gene was included in the construct. The gene segment for the CD30-Fc fusion protein was further transferred to the MIB vector (Invitrogen) for transfection into the insect cells High Five (Invitrogen). High producers were selected with ELISA kits for the human immunoglobulin Fc portion. Purification was done with protein A columns (Amersham Biosciences, Uppsala, Sweden). Bound antibodies were eluted with buffer containing 0.1 mol/liter glycine and 0.15 mol/liter NaCl (pH 2.4) and brought to neutral pH with 0.5 mol/liter sodium phosphate (pH 8.0). Purified proteins were dialyzed extensively with PBS and sterilized by filtration. The concentrations of proteins were determined by a bicinchoninic acid-based protein assay (Pierce, Rockford, IL).
Western Blotting.
To confirm the expression of CD30-EGFP fusion proteins by the stable clones, we isolated the whole-cell lysates for immunoblotting. The cell pellets of CD30+ CHO cells and CD30- CHO cells were suspended in lysis buffer containing 50 mM Tris-HCl (pH 8.0), 150 mM NaCl, 0.6 mM phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, 0.1% SDS, and 1% Triton X-100. The samples were incubated at 4°C for 30 min and then centrifuged at 14,000 x g for 30 min. The supernatant was collected, and total protein was quantified. Thirty micrograms of lysate or 100 ng of fusion protein were separated by 7% SDS-PAGE and transferred to a polyvinylidene difluoride membrane blocked with 5% nonfat dry milk. Immunostaining was performed with goat polyclonal primary antibodies specific for human CD30 (R&D, Minneapolis, MN), followed by incubation with rabbit polyclonal antigoat IgG antibody conjugated to horseradish peroxidase (Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Santa Cruz, CA). Immunoreactive bands were visualized with enhanced chemiluminescence reagents (New England Nuclear Life Science, Boston, MA).
Purification of T Cells and Preparation of Accessory Cells.
Total peripheral blood mononuclear cells were separated on Ficoll-Hypaque (Amersham Biosciences). CD3+ T cells in peripheral blood mononuclear cells were affinity-purified by use of the Pan-T MACS isolation kit (Miltenyi Biotech, Bergisch Gladbach, Germany) with a negative selection method. The resulting purified cells were more than 95% positive for CD3. The cells retained in the column were eluted outside the magnetic field, treated with 2% paraformaldehyde (J.T. Baker, Phillipsburg, NJ) for 2 h, and washed extensively with PBS. These cells were used as accessory cells in the T-cell proliferation assay.
Effect of H-RS Cells on T-Cell Proliferation.
H-RS cells (KM-H2, HDLM, and L428) and U937 cells were first treated with mitomycin C (Kyowa, Tokyo, Japan) at 50 µg/ml for 2 h and washed extensively with PBS. A standard coculture system consisted of T cells and accessory cells (each 1 x 105 cells/well) and H-RS cells or U937 cells at different ratios to T cells in triplicate in U-bottomed 96-well plates. Anti-CD3 (HIT3a; BD PharMingen, San Diego, CA) at 0.5 µg/ml was added, and the plates were incubated at 37°C/5% CO2 for 3 days. During the last 6 h of incubation, cultures were pulsed with 0.5 µCi/well [3H]thymidine. Cells were then harvested with a Packard Cell Harvester onto unifilter plates. Cell-associated radioactivity was measured by scintillation counting (Topcount scintillation counter).
To rule out the effect of cytokines secreted from viable H-RS cells, we treated H-RS cells with 2% paraformaldehyde overnight at 4°C and washed them extensively with PBS. U937 cells received the same treatment. All of the fixed cells were positively stained by trypan blue. The coculture system and the procedures used were the same as above. As an additional control, H-RS cells were treated with anti-CD30 (BerH2; DAKO, Glostrup, Denmark) or anti-CD40 (BD Phar-Mingen) at 50 µg/ml for 2 h and washed with PBS twice before use.
Effect of CD30+ CHO Cells on T-Cell Proliferation.
We also used CD30+ CHO cells instead of H-RS cells for studying the effect of CD30 on T-cell proliferation. CHO cells with stable expression of CD30-EGFP fusion protein or EGFP were cultured on 96-well plates until confluency. The nonviable cells were gently washed away. Plates were then treated with mitomycin C at 50 µg/ml for 2 h and washed extensively with PBS before use. As an additional control, CD30+ CHO cells were treated with anti-CD30 or anti-CD40 at 50 µg/ml for 2 h and washed with PBS twice before use. Anti-CD3-treated T cells and accessory cells were cocultured in triplicate in U-bottomed 96-well plates containing CHO cells, which expressed either CD30-EGFP or EGFP. Cells were pulsed, and the cell-associated radioactivity was measured with a scintillation counter, as described above.
Effect of CD30-Fc Fusion Protein on Proliferation of Anti-CD3-Treated T Cells.
To study the effect of the CD30-Fc fusion protein on T-cell proliferation, we used the plate-bound CD30-Fc fusion protein. CD30-Fc chimeric protein or human IgG (Cappel, Aurora, OH) was coated at 1, 5, 10, or 30 µg/ml (50 µl/well) in carbonate-bicarbonate buffer [0.05 M (pH 9.6)] in 96-well U-bottomed tissue culture plates (Falcon; BD Biosciences, Mountain View, CA) and stored at 4°C overnight. The plates were washed with PBS before use for removal of unbound protein. Anti-CD3-treated T cells and accessory cells were added, and the plates were incubated at 37°C/5% CO2 for 3 days. Next, cells were subjected to thymidine uptake assay, as described above.
We also used soluble CD153 to compete the interaction between plate-bound CD30 and CD153 on T cells. The experimental design was the same as above, except that for different concentrations of either human (h) CD153-mouse (m) CD8 or hCD154-mCD8 chimeric protein (ID Labs Inc., Ontario, Canada) was added.
IL-2 Measurement.
T cells, accessory cells, and KM-H2 cells in different ratios were cocultured as described above. As an additional control, KM-H2 cells were treated with anti-CD30 at 50 µg/ml for 2 h and washed with PBS twice before use. Plates were incubated at 37°C/5% CO2 for 3 days. The supernatant was collected, and levels of IL-2 production were measured with an IL-2 ELISA kit (Diaclone, Besancon, France) according to the manufacturers protocol. In other studies, different concentrations of the plate-bound CD30-Fc chimeric protein were substituted for KM-H2 cells.
Effect of IL-2 on Proliferation of T Cells Cocultured with H-RS Cells or CD30-Fc Chimeric Protein.
To study the effect of IL-2 on CD30-mediated T-cell inhibition, we added recombinant human IL-2 (United States Biological, Swampscott, MA) at 1 ng/ml to the coculture system described above. T cells were cultured, pulsed, and harvested as above.
Flow-Cytometric Analysis.
The expression of CD30 and CD153 in T cells or H-RS cells was analyzed with fluorescence-activated cell sorting. T cells in the cocultures with H-RS cells or CD30-Fc chimeric protein were also analyzed for the expression of CD25 or CD26. The following antibodies were used: phycoerythrin-labeled anti-CD30 or antihuman CD153 and FITC-labeled anti-CD3; -CD25; or -CD26. For negative controls, FITC- and phycoerythrin-labeled mouse IgGs were substituted. All antibodies were purchased from BD PharMingen. The histograms were gated on CD3-positive cells.
| RESULTS |
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We also used paraformaldehyde-fixed H-RS cells and obtained similar results and a dose-dependent inhibitory effect for H-RS cells on T-cell proliferation (Fig. 1D)
. In Fig. 1E
, pretreatment of KM-H2 cells with antagonistic anti-CD30 rescued the proliferation from inhibition. Together, these results suggest that H-RS cells inhibit anti-CD3-treated T-cell proliferation and that CD30 is likely to be involved in the inhibition.
CD30+ CHO Cells or CD30-Fc Fusion Protein Inhibits Anti-CD3-Induced T-Cell Proliferation, and Addition of Soluble CD153 Restores Proliferation.
We used cells stably expressing CD30 to verify the effect of CD30 on anti-CD3-induced T-cell proliferation. CHO cells with stable expression of either CD30-EGFP protein or EGFP only were selected with fluorescence-activated cell sorting. The expression and cellular distribution of CD30 in these cells were demonstrated by confocal microscopy and Western blot analysis (Fig. 2, A and B)
. As shown in Fig. 2C
, anti-CD3-induced T-cell proliferation was dramatically inhibited when the cells were cocultured with CD30+ CHO cells, either mitomycin C treated or paraformaldehyde fixed. However, the inhibition was reversed if CD30+ CHO cells were pretreated with blocking anti-CD30.
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| DISCUSSION |
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The neoplastic H-RS cells are characterized by abundant expression of CD30, which is rarely expressed by tumor cells from most T- or B-cell lymphomas. The restricted expression profile of CD30 suggests a close relationship between CD30 and HD. CD153
CD30 signaling drives nuclear factor
B activation and leads to constitutive cytokine expression, enhancing the cell proliferation and survival of H-RS cells (24)
. CD30 signals down-regulate the expression of CD28, Fas ligand, perforin, and granzyme B, and they abrogate cytotoxicity in a lymphoma cell line, suggesting that CD30 can down-modulate lymphocyte effector function and proliferation (25
, 26)
. We showed here that CD30, either as a membranous protein on H-RS cells and CHO cells or as a plate-bound CD30 chimeric protein, inhibited T-cell proliferation via a CD30
CD153 signaling pathway. When cocultured with H-RS cells, anti-CD3-treated T cells failed to reveal increased tritium uptake, failed to enhance the expression of CD25 and CD26, and failed to produce IL-2. The inhibition of T-cell proliferation was, however, reversed with addition of exogenous IL-2 or pretreatment of H-RS cells with an antagonistic antibody against CD30. The inability of T cells to express CD25 and CD26 in cocultures with H-RS cells is in accordance with the results of immunohistochemistry on disease-involved tissue (19)
.
T cells represent most of the tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes in HD. They consist predominantly of CD4+/TCR
ß+ cells and are CD45RO-/CD45RA+/CD45RBdim, indicating that they might be Th2-type memory T cells. They express the early activation markers CD38 and CD69, but little or no CD25 or CD26 (16
, 19)
, suggesting that these T cells are blocked at a later stage after activation. Loss of CD25 and/or CD26 significantly impairs the production of IL-2 and the proliferative capacity of T cells after adequate stimulation (27)
. These CD26- cells have been shown to display a Th2-like cytokine pattern, secreting IL-4 and IL-5 upon appropriate stimulation. The secretion of IL-4 by CD26- T cells and H-RS cells (28)
could lead to a preferential influx of Th2-type T cells (29)
and suppress Th1-type immune responses.
H-RS cells are known to secrete a large number of other cytokines, including various types of ILs (e.g., IL-4 and -5) and tumor necrosis factors, colony stimulating factors, and transforming growth factors (3
, 15
, 17)
. Among these, transforming growth factor ß is a potent immunosuppressant (17)
. However, expression of transforming growth factor ß is widely expressed by many types of neoplasms, and its presence in H-RS cells may not be solely responsible for the anergic response seen in these patients. Thus, in addition to the involvement of cytokines, the CD30
CD153 interaction via cell-cell contact may contribute to a greater extent to facilitate a diversion to Th2-like and/or anergic immune responses. A recent paper (30)
on a CD30 homologue encoded by Ectromelia virus also coincides with the function of the human CD30. This Mr 12,000 secreted vCD30 protein abrogates T-cell proliferation and type I cytokine-mediated inflammation in vivo but has no effect on type II cytokine-mediated inflammation.
Increased serum levels of soluble CD30 are observed in HD patients and are a useful marker for predicting the prognosis and responses to therapy for the disease (31) . Increased levels of soluble CD30 are also observed in various conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis (32) , colorectal cancer, and viral (HIV, human T-cell lymphotrophic virus, and EBV) infection (33) , and seem also to be correlated with impaired Th1 immune responses and dominant Th2 immune responses. High serum levels of soluble CD30 have been reported better to predict the response to second-line therapy in rheumatoid arthritis patients (34) . An increased level of soluble CD30 might be a marker for identifying a patient subset in which IL-2 treatment may help to restore the impaired immune system (35) .
The role of CD30
CD153 interaction in physiological and most pathological conditions remains to be determined, however. Mice lacking a functional CD30 gene show defective negative thymocyte selection (36)
, whereas transgenic mice overexpressing CD30 in T cells have enhanced thymic negative selection (37)
, suggesting a role of CD30 in negative selection or apoptosis for thymocytes. CD30-deficient islet-specific T cells are much more autoaggressive than are wild-type cells in inducing destruction of pancreatic islets and the onset of diabetes (38)
, implying an effect of CD30 on limiting the proliferative potential of autoreactive T cells and protecting the body against autoimmune disorders. Furthermore, expression of CD30 may confer an immune privilege on a given tissue or organ. For example, CD30+ placental T cells as well as CD30+ decidual cells may contribute to inhibiting the antibody response to fetal alloantigens by maternal CD153+ B cells (39)
.
In conclusion, we established that CD30 is involved in the inhibition of T-cell proliferation, IL-2 production, and expression of CD25 and CD26 by T cells. These CD38+/CD69+/CD25-/CD26- lymphocytes surrounding the H-RS cells are consistent with anergic and/or Th2-type T cells. Therefore, these T cells in HD do not support a cytotoxic antitumor response. The outcome of CD30-related interaction is an ineffective antitumor immunity, which is clearly in favor of the growth and survival of the tumor cells.
| ACKNOWLEDGMENTS |
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| FOOTNOTES |
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The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. This article must therefore be hereby marked advertisement in accordance with 18 U.S.C. Section 1734 solely to indicate this fact.
Requests for reprints: Su-Ming Hsu, Graduate Institute of Immunology, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, 1 Jen-Ai Road, Taipei, Taiwan. Phone: 886-2-23123456, extension 5781; Fax: 886-2-23947927; E-mail: smhsu{at}ha.mc.ntu.edu.tw
Received 5/19/03. Revised 1/18/04. Accepted 1/20/04.
| REFERENCES |
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production. Br J Haematol, 118: 202-9, 2002.[CrossRef][Medline]
B activation in Hodgkin-Reed-Sternberg cells. Oncogene, 21: 2493-503, 2002.[CrossRef][Medline]
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