RESUMO
In clinical situations, peripheral blood accessible CD3+CD4+CXCR5+ T-follicular helper (TFH) cells may have to serve as a surrogate indicator for dysregulated germinal center responses in tissues. To determine the heterogeneity of TFH cells in peripheral blood versus tonsils, CD3+CD4+CD45RA-CXCR5+ cells of both origins were sorted. Transcriptomes, TCR repertoires and cell-surface protein expression were analysed by single-cell RNA sequencing, flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry. Reassuringly, all blood-circulating CD3+CD4+CXCR5+ T-cell subpopulations also appear in tonsils, there with some supplementary TFH characteristics, while peripheral blood-derived TFH cells display markers of proliferation and migration. Three further subsets of TFH cells, however, with bona fide T-follicular gene expression patterns, are exclusively found in tonsils. One additional, distinct and oligoclonal CD4+CXCR5+ subpopulation presents pronounced cytotoxic properties. Those 'killer TFH (TFK) cells' can be discovered in peripheral blood as well as among tonsillar cells but are located predominantly outside of germinal centers. They appear terminally differentiated and can be distinguished from all other TFH subsets by expression of NKG7 (TIA-1), granzymes, perforin, CCL5, CCR5, EOMES, CRTAM and CX3CR1. All in all, this study provides data for detailed CD4+CXCR5+ T-cell assessment of clinically available blood samples and extrapolation possibilities to their tonsil counterparts.
Assuntos
Tonsila Palatina , Receptores CXCR5 , Humanos , Tonsila Palatina/imunologia , Tonsila Palatina/metabolismo , Tonsila Palatina/citologia , Receptores CXCR5/metabolismo , Receptores CXCR5/genética , Fenótipo , Linfócitos T CD4-Positivos/imunologia , Linfócitos T CD4-Positivos/metabolismo , Masculino , Feminino , AdultoRESUMO
Cohesin shapes the chromatin architecture, including enhancer-promoter interactions. Its components, especially STAG2, but not its paralog STAG1, are frequently mutated in myeloid malignancies. To elucidate the underlying mechanisms of leukemogenesis, we comprehensively characterized genetic, transcriptional, and chromatin conformational changes in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patient samples. Specific loci displayed altered cohesin occupancy, gene expression, and local chromatin activation, which were not compensated by the remaining STAG1-cohesin. These changes could be linked to disrupted spatial chromatin looping in cohesin-mutated AMLs. Complementary depletion of STAG2 or STAG1 in primary human hematopoietic progenitors (HSPCs) revealed effects resembling STAG2-mutant AML-specific changes following STAG2 knockdown, not invoked by the depletion of STAG1. STAG2-deficient HSPCs displayed impaired differentiation capacity and maintained HSPC-like gene expression. This work establishes STAG2 as a key regulator of chromatin contacts, gene expression, and differentiation in the hematopoietic system and identifies candidate target genes that may be implicated in human leukemogenesis.
Assuntos
Proteínas de Ciclo Celular , Cromatina , Proteínas Cromossômicas não Histona , Coesinas , Leucemia Mieloide Aguda , Mutação , Humanos , Leucemia Mieloide Aguda/genética , Leucemia Mieloide Aguda/patologia , Leucemia Mieloide Aguda/metabolismo , Proteínas de Ciclo Celular/metabolismo , Proteínas de Ciclo Celular/genética , Cromatina/metabolismo , Proteínas Cromossômicas não Histona/metabolismo , Proteínas Cromossômicas não Histona/genética , Mutação/genética , Células-Tronco Hematopoéticas/metabolismo , Diferenciação Celular/genética , Regulação Leucêmica da Expressão Gênica , Antígenos Nucleares/metabolismo , Antígenos Nucleares/genética , Proteínas NuclearesRESUMO
Leukemias with ambiguous lineage comprise several loosely defined entities, often without a clear mechanistic basis. Here, we extensively profile the epigenome and transcriptome of a subgroup of such leukemias with CpG Island Methylator Phenotype. These leukemias exhibit comparable hybrid myeloid/lymphoid epigenetic landscapes, yet heterogeneous genetic alterations, suggesting they are defined by their shared epigenetic profile rather than common genetic lesions. Gene expression enrichment reveals similarity with early T-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia and a lymphoid progenitor cell of origin. In line with this, integration of differential DNA methylation and gene expression shows widespread silencing of myeloid transcription factors. Moreover, binding sites for hematopoietic transcription factors, including CEBPA, SPI1 and LEF1, are uniquely inaccessible in these leukemias. Hypermethylation also results in loss of CTCF binding, accompanied by changes in chromatin interactions involving key transcription factors. In conclusion, epigenetic dysregulation, and not genetic lesions, explains the mixed phenotype of this group of leukemias with ambiguous lineage. The data collected here constitute a useful and comprehensive epigenomic reference for subsequent studies of acute myeloid leukemias, T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemias and mixed-phenotype leukemias.
Assuntos
Ilhas de CpG , Metilação de DNA , Epigênese Genética , Redes Reguladoras de Genes , Humanos , Metilação de DNA/genética , Ilhas de CpG/genética , Proteínas Estimuladoras de Ligação a CCAAT/genética , Proteínas Estimuladoras de Ligação a CCAAT/metabolismo , Fator 1 de Ligação ao Facilitador Linfoide/genética , Fator 1 de Ligação ao Facilitador Linfoide/metabolismo , Fator de Ligação a CCCTC/metabolismo , Fator de Ligação a CCCTC/genética , Regulação Leucêmica da Expressão Gênica , Fatores de Transcrição/genética , Fatores de Transcrição/metabolismo , Cromatina/metabolismo , Cromatina/genética , Masculino , Leucemia-Linfoma Linfoblástico de Células T Precursoras/genética , Leucemia-Linfoma Linfoblástico de Células T Precursoras/metabolismo , Leucemia-Linfoma Linfoblástico de Células T Precursoras/patologia , Feminino , Hematopoese/genética , Criança , Transcriptoma , Proteínas Proto-Oncogênicas , TransativadoresRESUMO
The adoptive transfer of regulatory T cells is a promising strategy to prevent graft-versus-host disease after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. Here, we use a major histocompatibility complex-mismatched mouse model to follow the fate of in vitro expanded donor regulatory T cells upon migration to target organs. Employing comprehensive gene expression and repertoire profiling, we show that they retain their suppressive function and plasticity after transfer. Upon entering non-lymphoid tissues, donor regulatory T cells acquire organ-specific gene expression profiles resembling tissue-resident cells and activate hallmark suppressive and cytotoxic pathways, most evidently in the colon, when co-transplanted with graft-versus-host disease-inducing conventional T cells. Dominant T cell receptor clonotypes overlap between organs and across recipients and their relative abundance correlates with protection efficacy. Thus, this study reveals donor regulatory T cell selection and adaptation mechanisms in target organs and highlights protective features of Treg to guide the development of improved graft-versus-host disease prevention strategies.
Assuntos
Doença Enxerto-Hospedeiro , Linfócitos T Reguladores , Camundongos , Animais , Linfócitos T Reguladores/transplante , Transplante Homólogo , Transplante de Medula Óssea , Doença Enxerto-Hospedeiro/prevenção & controle , Camundongos Endogâmicos C57BLRESUMO
Cohesin is a major structural component of mammalian genomes and is required to maintain loop structures. While acute depletion in short-term culture models suggests a limited importance of cohesin for steady-state transcriptional circuits, long-term studies are hampered by essential functions of cohesin during replication. Here, we study genome architecture in a postmitotic differentiation setting, the differentiation of human blood monocytes (MO). We profile and compare epigenetic, transcriptome and 3D conformation landscapes during MO differentiation (either into dendritic cells or macrophages) across the genome and detect numerous architectural changes, ranging from higher level compartments down to chromatin loops. Changes in loop structures correlate with cohesin-binding, as well as epigenetic and transcriptional changes during differentiation. Functional studies show that the siRNA-mediated depletion of cohesin (and to a lesser extent also CTCF) markedly disturbs loop structures and dysregulates genes and enhancers that are primarily regulated during normal MO differentiation. In addition, gene activation programs in cohesin-depleted MO-derived macrophages are disturbed. Our findings implicate an essential function of cohesin in controlling long-term, differentiation- and activation-associated gene expression programs.