A recent extensive analysis encompassing data on more than 2000 patients with PID in French natio... more A recent extensive analysis encompassing data on more than 2000 patients with PID in French national register revealed that about a quarter of those patients suffer from at least one autoimmune and inflammatory (A/I) conditions. The manifestations spanned through all known A/I symptoms with autoimmune cytopenia being the most frequent one, followed in frequency by gastrointestinal disorders, skin ailments, and rheumatic conditions. About a third of the affected patients did experience more than one A/I manifestation. The relative risk of developing A/I manifestation was 3- to 14-fold higher in patients with PIDs compared to the normal population. The A/I manifestations occurred throughout the life; by the age of 50 years, 40% of the patients were affected.
B lymphocytes have long been, and still are, known to play a crucial role in orchestrating the hu... more B lymphocytes have long been, and still are, known to play a crucial role in orchestrating the humoral immune responses. This concept arises from their ability to take advantage of interactions with the other immune cells to become antibody-producing plasma cells or memory B cells. This chapter focuses on the mechanisms by which B cells encounter, manage, and present antigens to T cells, to finally integrate both humoral and cellular immune responses. The intrinsic ability of B cells to actively interact with the other immune cells makes them the leading units of the immune system.
Components of the intraflagellar transport (IFT) system that regulates the assembly of the primar... more Components of the intraflagellar transport (IFT) system that regulates the assembly of the primary cilium are co-opted by the non-ciliated T cell to orchestrate polarized endosome recycling and to sustain signaling during immune synapse formation. Here, we investigated the potential role of Bardet–Biedl syndrome 1 protein (BBS1), an essential core component of the BBS complex that cooperates with the IFT system in ciliary protein trafficking, in the assembly of the T cell synapse. We demonstrated that BBS1 allows for centrosome polarization towards the immune synapse. This function is achieved through the clearance of centrosomal F-actin and its positive regulator WASH1 (also known as WASHC1), a process that we demonstrated to be dependent on the proteasome. We show that BBS1 regulates this process by coupling the 19S proteasome regulatory subunit to the microtubule motor dynein for its transport to the centrosome. Our data identify the ciliopathy-related protein BBS1 as a new playe...
Similar to Janus, the two-faced god of Roman mythology, the tumor microenvironment operates two o... more Similar to Janus, the two-faced god of Roman mythology, the tumor microenvironment operates two opposing and often conflicting activities, on the one hand fighting against tumor cells, while on the other hand, favoring their proliferation, survival and migration to other sites to establish metastases. In the tumor microenvironment, cytotoxic T cells—the specialized tumor-cell killers—also show this dual nature, operating their tumor-cell directed killing activities until they become exhausted and dysfunctional, a process promoted by cancer cells themselves. Here, we discuss the opposing activities of immune cells populating the tumor microenvironment in both cancer progression and anti-cancer responses, with a focus on cytotoxic T cells and on the molecular mechanisms responsible for the efficient suppression of their killing activities as a paradigm of the power of cancer cells to shape the microenvironment for their own survival and expansion.
Shc (Src homology 2 domain containing) adaptors are ubiquitous components of the signaling pathwa... more Shc (Src homology 2 domain containing) adaptors are ubiquitous components of the signaling pathways triggered by tyrosine kinase-coupled receptors. In lymphocytes, similar to other cell types, the p52 and p66 isoforms of ShcA/Shc participate in a self-limiting loop where p52Shc acts as a positive regulator of antigen receptor signaling by promoting Ras activation, whereas p66Shc limits this activity by competitively inhibiting p52Shc. Based on the fact that many signaling mediators are shared by antigen and chemokine receptors, including p52Shc, we have assessed the potential implication of p66Shc in the regulation of B-cell responses to chemokines, focusing on the homing receptors CXCR4 (C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4) and CXCR5 (C-X-C chemokine receptor type 5). The results identify p66Shc as a negative regulator of the chemotactic responses triggered by these receptors, including adhesion, polarization and migration. We also provide evidence that this function is dependent on th...
Lymphocyte trafficking is orchestrated by chemokine and sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) receptors t... more Lymphocyte trafficking is orchestrated by chemokine and sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) receptors that enable homing and egress from secondary lymphoid organs (SLO). These receptors undergo rapid internalization and plasma membrane recycling to calibrate cellular responses to local chemoattractants. Circulating chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cells display an abnormal increase in the surface levels of the homing receptors CCR7 and CXCR4 concomitant with low S1P receptor 1 (S1P1) expression. In this study, we investigated the role of receptor recycling on CXCR4/CCR7 surface levels in CLL cells and addressed the impact of quantitative alterations of these receptors and S1P1 on the ability of leukemic cells to accumulate in SLOs. We show that recycling accounts, to a major extent, for the high levels of surface CXCR4/CCR7 on CLL cells. Additionally, increased expression of these receptors, together with S1P1 deficiency, is detectable not only in circulating leukemic cells, but also in SLOs of CLL patients with lymphoadenopathy. We further provide evidence that ibrutinib, a Btk inhibitor that promotes mobilization of leukemic cells from SLOs, normalizes the imbalance between CXCR4/CCR7 and S1P1. Taken together, our results highlight the relevance of chemokine and S1P receptor recycling in CLL pathogenesis and clinical outcome.
International journal of immunopathology and pharmacology
Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) is a primary immune disorder characterized by impaired an... more Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) is a primary immune disorder characterized by impaired antibody production, which is in many instances secondary to defective T cell function (T-CVID). We previously identified a subset of T-CVID patients characterized by defective expression of Vav1, a guanine nucleotide exchanger which couples the T-cell antigen receptor to reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton. Here we have addressed the possibility that an intrinsic defect in the Vav1 gene might underlie the reduction in Vav protein observed in T cells from these patients. We report the identification in one T-CVID patient of a heterozygous deletion in Vav1. The gene deletion, spanning exons 2-27, accounts for the reduction in Vav1 mRNA and protein in T cells from this patient. The disease-related pedigree of this patient suggests a de novo origin of the Vav1 deletion. The findings highlights Vav1 as an autosomal dominant disease gene associated with CVID with defective T-cell function.
B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (B-CLL) is the most common lymphoid malignancy in the Wester... more B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (B-CLL) is the most common lymphoid malignancy in the Western world, characterized by clonal growth and accumulation of monoclonal CD5+ B-cells in peripheral blood, bone marrow and peripheral lymphoid organs. Although the clinical course in B-CLL patients is highly variable, the most conserved feature is the prolonged survival of malignant B-cells, which has been associated to defects in the apoptotic machinery. The apoptosis defects are mainly determined by a defective balance among pro- and anti-apoptotic members of the Bcl-2 family, often related to resistance of CLL B-cells to chemotherapy. Purine nucleoside analogs or alkylating agents, alone or in combination, are the first-line treatment for B-CLL patients. Alternative, more specifically tailored therapeutics have been developed in recent years, including humanized monoclonal antibodies and kinase inhibitors. Here we shall review the drugs which are commonly used or are currently being assessed in clinical trials on B-CLL patients, their chemical structure, mechanisms of action, pharmacological properties, molecular targets, clinical efficacy and side effects, with a focus on drugs designed to promote apoptosis of malignant B-cells by targeting the Bcl-2 family.
Intrinsic apoptosis defects underlie to a large extent the extended survival of malignant B cells... more Intrinsic apoptosis defects underlie to a large extent the extended survival of malignant B cells in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Here, we show that the Shc family adapter p66Shc uncouples the B-cell receptor (BCR) from the Erk- and Akt-dependent survival pathways, thereby enhancing B-cell apoptosis. p66Shc expression was found to be profoundly impaired in CLL B cells compared with normal peripheral B cells. Moreover, significant differences in p66Shc expression were observed in patients with favorable or unfavorable prognosis, based on the mutational status of IGHV genes, with the lowest expression in the unfavorable prognosis group. Analysis of the expression of genes implicated in apoptosis defects of CLL showed an alteration in the balance of proapoptotic and antiapoptotic members of the Bcl-2 family in patients with CLL. Reconstitution experiments in CLL B cells, together with data obtained on B cells from p66Shc(-/-) mice, showed that p66Shc expression correlates with a bias in the Bcl-2 family toward proapoptotic members. The data identify p66Shc as a novel regulator of B-cell apoptosis which attenuates BCR-dependent survival signals and modulates Bcl-2 family expression. They moreover provide evidence that the p66Shc expression defect in CLL B cells may be causal to the imbalance toward the antiapoptotic Bcl-2 family members in these cells.
Although intrinsic apoptosis defects are causal to the extended survival of chronic lymphocytic l... more Although intrinsic apoptosis defects are causal to the extended survival of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) B cells, several lines of evidence support a contribution of the peripheral lymphoid organs and BM microenvironment to the extended lifespan of leukemic B cells. Lymphocyte trafficking is controlled by homing signals provided by stromal cell-derived chemokines and egress signals provided by sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P). In the present study, we show that expression of S1P1, the S1P receptor responsible for lymphocyte egress, is selectively reduced in CLL B cells with unmutated IGHV. Expression of S1P2, which controls B-cell homeostasis, is also impaired in CLL B cells but independently of the IGHV mutational status. We provide evidence herein that p66Shc, a Shc adaptor family member the deficiency of which is implicated in the apoptosis defects of CLL B cells, controls S1P1 expression through its pro-oxidant activity. p66Shc also controls the expression of the homing receptor CCR7, which opposes S1P1 by promoting lymphocyte retention in peripheral lymphoid organs. The results of the present study provide insights into the regulation of S1P1 expression in B cells and suggest that defective egress caused by impaired S1P1 expression contributes to the extended survival of CLL B cells by prolonging their residency in the prosurvival niche of peripheral lymphoid organs.
A recent extensive analysis encompassing data on more than 2000 patients with PID in French natio... more A recent extensive analysis encompassing data on more than 2000 patients with PID in French national register revealed that about a quarter of those patients suffer from at least one autoimmune and inflammatory (A/I) conditions. The manifestations spanned through all known A/I symptoms with autoimmune cytopenia being the most frequent one, followed in frequency by gastrointestinal disorders, skin ailments, and rheumatic conditions. About a third of the affected patients did experience more than one A/I manifestation. The relative risk of developing A/I manifestation was 3- to 14-fold higher in patients with PIDs compared to the normal population. The A/I manifestations occurred throughout the life; by the age of 50 years, 40% of the patients were affected.
B lymphocytes have long been, and still are, known to play a crucial role in orchestrating the hu... more B lymphocytes have long been, and still are, known to play a crucial role in orchestrating the humoral immune responses. This concept arises from their ability to take advantage of interactions with the other immune cells to become antibody-producing plasma cells or memory B cells. This chapter focuses on the mechanisms by which B cells encounter, manage, and present antigens to T cells, to finally integrate both humoral and cellular immune responses. The intrinsic ability of B cells to actively interact with the other immune cells makes them the leading units of the immune system.
Components of the intraflagellar transport (IFT) system that regulates the assembly of the primar... more Components of the intraflagellar transport (IFT) system that regulates the assembly of the primary cilium are co-opted by the non-ciliated T cell to orchestrate polarized endosome recycling and to sustain signaling during immune synapse formation. Here, we investigated the potential role of Bardet–Biedl syndrome 1 protein (BBS1), an essential core component of the BBS complex that cooperates with the IFT system in ciliary protein trafficking, in the assembly of the T cell synapse. We demonstrated that BBS1 allows for centrosome polarization towards the immune synapse. This function is achieved through the clearance of centrosomal F-actin and its positive regulator WASH1 (also known as WASHC1), a process that we demonstrated to be dependent on the proteasome. We show that BBS1 regulates this process by coupling the 19S proteasome regulatory subunit to the microtubule motor dynein for its transport to the centrosome. Our data identify the ciliopathy-related protein BBS1 as a new playe...
Similar to Janus, the two-faced god of Roman mythology, the tumor microenvironment operates two o... more Similar to Janus, the two-faced god of Roman mythology, the tumor microenvironment operates two opposing and often conflicting activities, on the one hand fighting against tumor cells, while on the other hand, favoring their proliferation, survival and migration to other sites to establish metastases. In the tumor microenvironment, cytotoxic T cells—the specialized tumor-cell killers—also show this dual nature, operating their tumor-cell directed killing activities until they become exhausted and dysfunctional, a process promoted by cancer cells themselves. Here, we discuss the opposing activities of immune cells populating the tumor microenvironment in both cancer progression and anti-cancer responses, with a focus on cytotoxic T cells and on the molecular mechanisms responsible for the efficient suppression of their killing activities as a paradigm of the power of cancer cells to shape the microenvironment for their own survival and expansion.
Shc (Src homology 2 domain containing) adaptors are ubiquitous components of the signaling pathwa... more Shc (Src homology 2 domain containing) adaptors are ubiquitous components of the signaling pathways triggered by tyrosine kinase-coupled receptors. In lymphocytes, similar to other cell types, the p52 and p66 isoforms of ShcA/Shc participate in a self-limiting loop where p52Shc acts as a positive regulator of antigen receptor signaling by promoting Ras activation, whereas p66Shc limits this activity by competitively inhibiting p52Shc. Based on the fact that many signaling mediators are shared by antigen and chemokine receptors, including p52Shc, we have assessed the potential implication of p66Shc in the regulation of B-cell responses to chemokines, focusing on the homing receptors CXCR4 (C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4) and CXCR5 (C-X-C chemokine receptor type 5). The results identify p66Shc as a negative regulator of the chemotactic responses triggered by these receptors, including adhesion, polarization and migration. We also provide evidence that this function is dependent on th...
Lymphocyte trafficking is orchestrated by chemokine and sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) receptors t... more Lymphocyte trafficking is orchestrated by chemokine and sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) receptors that enable homing and egress from secondary lymphoid organs (SLO). These receptors undergo rapid internalization and plasma membrane recycling to calibrate cellular responses to local chemoattractants. Circulating chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cells display an abnormal increase in the surface levels of the homing receptors CCR7 and CXCR4 concomitant with low S1P receptor 1 (S1P1) expression. In this study, we investigated the role of receptor recycling on CXCR4/CCR7 surface levels in CLL cells and addressed the impact of quantitative alterations of these receptors and S1P1 on the ability of leukemic cells to accumulate in SLOs. We show that recycling accounts, to a major extent, for the high levels of surface CXCR4/CCR7 on CLL cells. Additionally, increased expression of these receptors, together with S1P1 deficiency, is detectable not only in circulating leukemic cells, but also in SLOs of CLL patients with lymphoadenopathy. We further provide evidence that ibrutinib, a Btk inhibitor that promotes mobilization of leukemic cells from SLOs, normalizes the imbalance between CXCR4/CCR7 and S1P1. Taken together, our results highlight the relevance of chemokine and S1P receptor recycling in CLL pathogenesis and clinical outcome.
International journal of immunopathology and pharmacology
Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) is a primary immune disorder characterized by impaired an... more Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) is a primary immune disorder characterized by impaired antibody production, which is in many instances secondary to defective T cell function (T-CVID). We previously identified a subset of T-CVID patients characterized by defective expression of Vav1, a guanine nucleotide exchanger which couples the T-cell antigen receptor to reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton. Here we have addressed the possibility that an intrinsic defect in the Vav1 gene might underlie the reduction in Vav protein observed in T cells from these patients. We report the identification in one T-CVID patient of a heterozygous deletion in Vav1. The gene deletion, spanning exons 2-27, accounts for the reduction in Vav1 mRNA and protein in T cells from this patient. The disease-related pedigree of this patient suggests a de novo origin of the Vav1 deletion. The findings highlights Vav1 as an autosomal dominant disease gene associated with CVID with defective T-cell function.
B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (B-CLL) is the most common lymphoid malignancy in the Wester... more B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (B-CLL) is the most common lymphoid malignancy in the Western world, characterized by clonal growth and accumulation of monoclonal CD5+ B-cells in peripheral blood, bone marrow and peripheral lymphoid organs. Although the clinical course in B-CLL patients is highly variable, the most conserved feature is the prolonged survival of malignant B-cells, which has been associated to defects in the apoptotic machinery. The apoptosis defects are mainly determined by a defective balance among pro- and anti-apoptotic members of the Bcl-2 family, often related to resistance of CLL B-cells to chemotherapy. Purine nucleoside analogs or alkylating agents, alone or in combination, are the first-line treatment for B-CLL patients. Alternative, more specifically tailored therapeutics have been developed in recent years, including humanized monoclonal antibodies and kinase inhibitors. Here we shall review the drugs which are commonly used or are currently being assessed in clinical trials on B-CLL patients, their chemical structure, mechanisms of action, pharmacological properties, molecular targets, clinical efficacy and side effects, with a focus on drugs designed to promote apoptosis of malignant B-cells by targeting the Bcl-2 family.
Intrinsic apoptosis defects underlie to a large extent the extended survival of malignant B cells... more Intrinsic apoptosis defects underlie to a large extent the extended survival of malignant B cells in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Here, we show that the Shc family adapter p66Shc uncouples the B-cell receptor (BCR) from the Erk- and Akt-dependent survival pathways, thereby enhancing B-cell apoptosis. p66Shc expression was found to be profoundly impaired in CLL B cells compared with normal peripheral B cells. Moreover, significant differences in p66Shc expression were observed in patients with favorable or unfavorable prognosis, based on the mutational status of IGHV genes, with the lowest expression in the unfavorable prognosis group. Analysis of the expression of genes implicated in apoptosis defects of CLL showed an alteration in the balance of proapoptotic and antiapoptotic members of the Bcl-2 family in patients with CLL. Reconstitution experiments in CLL B cells, together with data obtained on B cells from p66Shc(-/-) mice, showed that p66Shc expression correlates with a bias in the Bcl-2 family toward proapoptotic members. The data identify p66Shc as a novel regulator of B-cell apoptosis which attenuates BCR-dependent survival signals and modulates Bcl-2 family expression. They moreover provide evidence that the p66Shc expression defect in CLL B cells may be causal to the imbalance toward the antiapoptotic Bcl-2 family members in these cells.
Although intrinsic apoptosis defects are causal to the extended survival of chronic lymphocytic l... more Although intrinsic apoptosis defects are causal to the extended survival of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) B cells, several lines of evidence support a contribution of the peripheral lymphoid organs and BM microenvironment to the extended lifespan of leukemic B cells. Lymphocyte trafficking is controlled by homing signals provided by stromal cell-derived chemokines and egress signals provided by sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P). In the present study, we show that expression of S1P1, the S1P receptor responsible for lymphocyte egress, is selectively reduced in CLL B cells with unmutated IGHV. Expression of S1P2, which controls B-cell homeostasis, is also impaired in CLL B cells but independently of the IGHV mutational status. We provide evidence herein that p66Shc, a Shc adaptor family member the deficiency of which is implicated in the apoptosis defects of CLL B cells, controls S1P1 expression through its pro-oxidant activity. p66Shc also controls the expression of the homing receptor CCR7, which opposes S1P1 by promoting lymphocyte retention in peripheral lymphoid organs. The results of the present study provide insights into the regulation of S1P1 expression in B cells and suggest that defective egress caused by impaired S1P1 expression contributes to the extended survival of CLL B cells by prolonging their residency in the prosurvival niche of peripheral lymphoid organs.
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