T follicular helper (TFH) cells are the prototypic helper T cell subset specialized to enable B cells to form germinal centers and produce high-affinity antibodies. We found that miRNA expression by T cells was essential for TFH cell differentiation. More specifically, we show that after protein immunization the microRNA cluster miR-17~92 was critical for robust TFH cell differentiation and function in a cell-intrinsic manner that occurred regardless of changes in proliferation. In a viral infection model, miR-17~92 restrained the expression of TFH subset-inappropriate genes, including the direct target RAR-related orphan receptor alpha (Rora). Genetically removing one Rora allele partially rescued the inappropriate gene signature in miR-17~92-deficient TFH cells. Our results identify the miR-17~92 cluster as a critical regulator of T cell-dependent antibody responses, TFH cell differentiation and the fidelity of the TFH cell gene expression program.

microRNAs (miRNA) are essential for regulatory T cell (Treg) function but little is known about the functional relevance of individual miRNA loci. We identified the miR-17–92 cluster as CD28 costimulation dependent, suggesting that it may be key for Treg development and function. Although overall immune homeostasis was maintained in mice with miR-17–92–deficient Tregs, expression of the miR-17–92 miRNA cluster was critical for Treg accumulation and function during an acute organ-specific autoimmune disease in vivo. Treg-specific loss of miR-17–92 expression resulted in exacerbated experimental autoimmune encephalitis and failure to establish clinical remission. Using peptide-MHC tetramers, we demonstrate that the miR-17–92 cluster was specifically required for the accumulation of activated Ag-specific Treg and for differentiation into IL-10–producing effector Treg.

SUMMARY MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are important regulators of cell fate decisions in immune responses. They act by coordinate repression of multiple target genes, a property that we exploited to uncover regulatory networks that govern T helper-2 (Th2) cells. A functional screen of individual miRNAs in primary T cells uncovered multiple miRNAs that inhibited Th2 cell differentiation. Among these were miR-24 and miR-27, miRNAs coexpressed from two genomic clusters, which each functioned independently to limit interleukin-4 (IL-4) production. Mice lacking both clusters in T cells displayed increased Th2 cell responses and tissue pathology in a mouse model of asthma. Gene expression and pathway analyses placed miR-27 upstream of genes known to regulate Th2 cells. They also identified targets not previously associated with Th2 cell biology which regulated IL-4 production in unbiased functional testing. Thus, elucidating the biological function and target repertoire of miR-24 and miR-27 reveals regulators of Th2 cell biology.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are crucial for regulatory T cell (Treg) stability and function. We report that microRNA-10a (miR-10a) is expressed in Tregs but not in other T cells including individual thymocyte subsets. Expression profiling in inbred mouse strains demonstrated that non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice with a genetic susceptibility for autoimmune diabetes have lower Treg-specific miR-10a expression than C57BL/6J autoimmune resistant mice. Inhibition of miR-10a expression in vitro leads to reduced FoxP3 expression levels and miR-10a expression is lower in unstable “exFoxP3” T cells. Unstable in vitro TGF-ß-induced, iTregs do not express miR-10a unless cultured in the presence of retinoic acid (RA) which has been associated with increased stability of iTreg, suggesting that miR-10a might play a role in stabilizing Treg. However, genetic ablation of miR-10a neither affected the number and phenotype of natural Treg nor the capacity of conventional T cells to induce FoxP3 in response to TGFβ, RA, or a combination of the two. Thus, miR-10a is selectively expressed in Treg but inhibition by antagomiRs or genetic ablation resulted in discordant effects on FoxP3.

Host responses against metazoan parasites or an array of environmental substances elicit type 2 immunity. Despite its protective function, type 2 immunity also drives allergic diseases. The mechanisms that regulate the magnitude of the type 2 response remain largely unknown. Here, we show that genetic ablation of a receptor tyrosine kinase encoded by Tyro3 in mice or the functional neutralization of its ortholog in human dendritic cells resulted in enhanced type 2 immunity. Furthermore, the TYRO3 agonist PROS1 was induced in T cells by the quintessential type 2 cytokine, interleukin-4. T cell–specific Pros1 knockouts phenocopied the loss of Tyro3. Thus, a PROS1-mediated feedback from adaptive immunity engages a rheostat, TYRO3, on innate immune cells to limit the intensity of type 2 responses.

Type 2 immunity encompasses the mechanisms through which the immune system responds to helminths and an array of environmental substances such as allergens. In the developing world, billions of individuals are chronically infected with endemic parasitic helminths. In comparison, in the industrialized world, millions of individuals suffer from dysregulated type 2 immunity, referred to clinically as atopic diseases including asthma, allergic rhinitis and atopic dermatitis. Thus, type 2 immunity must be carefully regulated to mount protective host response yet avoid inappropriate activation and immunopathology. In this review, we describe the keys players and connections at play in type 2 responses and focus on the emerging mechanisms involved in the negative regulation of type 2 immunity.

No abstract

Naïve T cells are generally considered to be a homogeneous population, but for their unique T cell receptors (TCRs). Naïve T cells are activated within a specific cytokine milieu upon interaction with antigen-presenting cells through cognate TCR::MHC-peptide interaction and co-stimulation. Here we demonstrate that naïve T cells are transcriptionally heterogeneous, and that the relative proportions of transcriptionally distinct naïve T cell subpopulations are modified by immune responses, such as during helminth infection. Not only are cognate naïve T cells activated during an immune response, but the cytokine produced - such as IL-4 during helminth infection - changes the transcriptome of bystander naïve T cells. Such changes in gene expression and population level heterogeneity in bystander naïve T cells result in altered responses to a concurrent immune challenge, for instance, hypo-responsiveness to vaccination. Thus, naïve T cell activation is not the result of a singular temporal event, but is characterized by hysteresis. Our studies suggest that antigen-agnostic, cytokine-dependent naïve T cell conditioning and resulting hysteresis is a mechanism that integrates input signals from concurrent infections for the regulation of the overall magnitude of the immune response.