SummaryB lymphocytes can suppress immunity through interleukin (IL)-10 production in infectious, autoimmune, and malignant diseases. Here, we have identified a natural plasma cell subset that distinctively expresses the inhibitory receptor LAG-3 and mediates this function in vivo. These plasma cells also express the inhibitory receptors CD200, PD-L1, and PD-L2. They develop from various B cell subsets in a B cell receptor (BCR)-dependent manner independently of microbiota in naive mice. After challenge they upregulate IL-10 expression via a Toll-like receptor-driven mechanism within hours and without proliferating. This function is associated with a unique transcriptome and epigenome, including the lowest amount of DNA methylation at the Il10 locus compared to other B cell subsets. Their augmented accumulation in naive mutant mice with increased BCR signaling correlates with the inhibition of memory T cell formation and vaccine efficacy after challenge. These natural regulatory plasma cells may be of broad relevance for disease intervention.

The innate immune response mediated by cells such as natural killer (NK) cells is critical for the rapid containment of virus replication and spread during acute infection. Here, we show that subtype 11 of the type I interferon (IFN) family greatly potentiates the antiviral activity of NK cells during retroviral infection. Treatment of mice with IFN-α11 during Friend retrovirus infection (FV) significantly reduced viral loads and resulted in long-term protection from virus-induced leukemia. The effect of IFN-α11 on NK cells was direct and signaled through the type I IFN receptor. Furthermore, IFN-α11-mediated activation of NK cells enabled cytolytic killing of FV-infected target cells via the exocytosis pathway. Depletion and adoptive transfer experiments illustrated that NK cells played a major role in successful IFN-α11 therapy. Additional experiments with Mouse Cytomegalovirus infections demonstrated that the therapeutic effect of IFN-α11 is not restricted to retroviruses. The type I IFN subtypes 2 and 5, which bind the same receptor as IFN-α11, did not elicit similar antiviral effects. These results demonstrate a unique and subtype-specific activation of NK cells by IFN-α11.

Friend virus (FV) infection of mice induces the expansion and activation of regulatory T cells (Tregs) that dampen acute immune responses and promote the establishment and maintenance of chronic infection. Adoptive transfer experiments and the expression of Neuropilin 1 indicate that these cells are predominantly natural Tregs rather than virus-specific conventional CD4+ T cells that converted into induced Tregs. Analysis of Treg TCR Vβ chain usage revealed a broadly distributed polyclonal response with a high proportionate expansion of the Vβ5+ Treg subset, which are known to be responsive to endogenous retrovirus-encoded superantigens. In contrast to the major population of Tregs, the Vβ5+ subset expressed markers of terminally differentiated effector cells, and their expansion was associated with the level of the antiviral CD8+ T cell response rather than the level of FV infection. Surprisingly, the expansion and accumulation of the Vβ5+ Tregs was IL-2 independent but dependent upon TNFα. These experiments reveal a subset-specific Treg induction by a new pathway.

Vβ5+ regulatory T cells (Tregs), which are specific for a mouse endogenous retroviral superantigen, become activated and proliferate in response to Friend retrovirus (FV) infection. We previously reported that FV-induced expansion of this Treg subset was dependent on CD8+ T cells and TNFα, but independent of IL-2. We now show that the inflammatory milieu associated with FV infection is not necessary for induction of Vβ5+ Treg expansion. Rather, it is the presence of activated CD8+ T cells that is critical for their expansion. The data indicate that the mechanism involves signaling between the membrane-bound form of TNFα (memTNFα) on activated CD8+ T cells and TNF receptor 2 (TNFR2) on Tregs. CD8+ T cells expressing memTNFα but no soluble TNFα (solTNFα) remained competent to induce strong Vβ5+ Treg expansion in vivo. In addition, Vβ5+ Tregs expressing only TNFR2 but no TNFR1 were still responsive to expansion. Finally, treatment of naïve mice with solTNFα did not induce Vβ5+ Treg expansion, but treatment with a TNFR2-specific agonist did. These results reveal a new mechanism of intercellular communication between activated CD8+ T cell effectors and Tregs that results in the activation and expansion of a Treg subset that subsequently suppresses CD8+ T cell functions.

CAR-T cell therapy targeting CD19 demonstrated strong activity against advanced B cell leukemia, however shows less efficacy against lymphoma with nodal dissemination. To target both B cell Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (B-NHLs) and follicular T helper (Tfh) cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME), we apply here a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) that recognizes human CXCR5 with high avidity. CXCR5, physiologically expressed on mature B and Tfh cells, is also highly expressed on nodal B-NHLs. Anti-CXCR5 CAR-T cells eradicate B-NHL cells and lymphoma-supportive Tfh cells more potently than CD19 CAR-T cells in vitro, and they efficiently inhibit lymphoma growth in a murine xenograft model. Administration of anti-murine CXCR5 CAR-T cells in syngeneic mice specifically depletes endogenous and malignant B and Tfh cells without unexpected on-target/off-tumor effects. Collectively, anti-CXCR5 CAR-T cells provide a promising treatment strategy for nodal B-NHLs through the simultaneous elimination of lymphoma B cells and Tfh cells of the tumor-supporting TME.