Chronic beryllium disease (CBD) is a fibrotic lung disorder caused by beryllium (Be) exposure and is characterized by granulomatous inflammation and the accumulation of Be-responsive CD4 + T cells in the lung. Genetic susceptibility to CBD has been associated with certain alleles of the MHCII molecule HLA-DP, especially HLA-DPB1*0201 and other alleles that contain a glutamic acid residue at position 69 of the β-chain (βGlu69). The HLA-DP alleles that can present Be to T cells match those implicated in the genetic susceptibility, suggesting that the HLA contribution to disease is based on the ability of those molecules to bind and present Be to T cells. The structure of HLA-DP2 and its interaction with Be are unknown. Here, we present the HLA-DP2 structure with its antigen-binding groove occupied by a self-peptide derived from the HLA-DR α-chain. The most striking feature of the structure is an unusual solvent exposed acidic pocket formed between the peptide backbone and the HLA-DP2 β-chain α-helix and containing three glutamic acids from the β-chain, including βGlu69. In the crystal packing, this pocket has been filled with the guanidinium group of an arginine from a neighboring molecule. This positively charged moiety forms an extensive H-bond/salt bridge network with the three glutamic acids, offering a plausible model for how Be-containing complexes might occupy this site. This idea is strengthened by the demonstration that mutation of any of the three glutamic acids in this pocket results in loss of the ability of DP2 to present Be to T cells.

SUMMARY T cell-mediated hypersensitivity to metal cations is common in humans. How the T cell antigen receptor (TCR) recognizes these cations bound to a major histocompatibility complex (MHC) protein and self-peptide is unknown. Individuals carrying the MHCII allele, HLA-DP2, are at risk for chronic beryllium disease (CBD), a debilitating inflammatory lung condition caused by the reaction of CD4 T cells to inhaled beryllium. We show here that the T cell ligand is created when a Be2+ cation becomes buried in an HLA-DP2/peptide complex, where it is coordinated by both MHC and peptide acidic amino acids. Surprisingly, the TCR does not interact with the Be2+ itself, but rather with surface changes induced by the firmly bound Be2+ and an accompanying Na+ cation. Thus, CBD, by creating a new antigen by indirectly modifying the structure of pre-existing self MHC-peptide complex, lies on the border between allergic hypersensitivity and autoimmunity.

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Identification of peptides that form complexes with beryllium and class II HLA molecules and are recognized by CD4+ T cells from patients with chronic beryllium disease.

Considerable evidence indicates that CD4 ؉ T cells are important in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but the antigens recognized by these T cells in the joints of patients remain unclear. Previous studies have suggested that type II collagen (CII) and human cartilage gp39 (HCgp39) are among the most likely synovial antigens to be involved in T cell stimulation in RA. Furthermore, experiments have defined dominant peptide determinants of these antigens when presented by HLA-DR4, the most important RA-associated HLA type. We used fluorescent, soluble peptide-DR4 complexes (tetramers) to detect synovial CD4 ؉ T cells reactive with CII and HCgp39 in DR4 ؉ patients. The CII-DR4 complex bound in a specific manner to CII peptide-reactive T cell hybridomas, but did not stain a detectable fraction of synovial CD4 ؉ cells. A background percentage of positive cells (<0.2%) was not greater in DR4 (DRB1*0401) patients compared with those without this diseaseassociated allele. Similar results were obtained with the gp39-DR4 complex for nearly all RA patients. In a small subset of DR4 ؉ patients, however, the percentage of synovial CD4 ؉ cells binding this complex was above background and could not be attributed to nonspecific binding. These studies demonstrate the potential for peptide-MHC class II tetramers to be used to track antigen-specific T cells in human autoimmune diseases. Together, the results also suggest that the major oligoclonal CD4 ؉ T cell expansions present in RA joints are not specific for the dominant CII and HCgp39 determinants.

Background & Aims: Biliary atresia is an inflammatory, fibrosclerosing neonatal cholangiopathy, characterized by a periductal infiltrate composed of CD4 + and CD8 + T cells. The pathogenesis of this disease has been proposed to involve a virus-induced, subsequent autoreactive T cell-mediated bile duct injury. Antigen-specific T-cell immunity involves clonal expansion of T cells expressing similar T-cell receptor (TCR) variable regions of the β-chain (Vβ). We hypothesized that the T cells in biliary atresia tissue expressed related TCRs, suggesting that the expansion was in direct response to antigenic stimulation.

As of January 2022, at least 60 million individuals are estimated to develop post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 (PASC) after infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). While elevated levels of SARS-CoV-2-specific T cells have been observed in non-specific PASC, little is known about their impact on pulmonary function which is compromised in the majority of these individuals. This study compares frequencies of SARS-CoV-2-specific T cells and inflammatory markers with lung function in participants with pulmonary PASC and resolved COVID-19 (RC). Compared to RC, participants with respiratory PASC had between 6- and 105-fold higher frequencies of IFN-γ- and TNF-α-producing SARS-CoV-2-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in peripheral blood, and elevated levels of plasma CRP and IL-6. Importantly, in PASC participants the frequency of TNF-α-producing SARS-CoV-2-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, which exhibited the highest levels of Ki67 indicating they were activity dividing, correlated positively with plasma IL-6 and negatively with measures of lung function, including forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), while increased frequencies of IFN-γ-producing SARS-CoV-2-specific T cells associated with prolonged dyspnea. Statistical analyses stratified by age, number of comorbidities and hospitalization status demonstrated that none of these factors affect differences in the frequency of SARS-CoV-2 T cells and plasma IL-6 levels measured between PASC and RC cohorts. Taken together, these findings demonstrate elevated frequencies of SARS-CoV-2-specific T cells in individuals with pulmonary PASC are associated with increased systemic inflammation and decreased lung function, suggesting that SARS-CoV-2-specific T cells contribute to lingering pulmonary symptoms. These findings also provide mechanistic insight on the pathophysiology of PASC that can inform development of potential treatments to reduce symptom burden.

Susceptibility to chronic beryllium disease (CBD) is linked to certain HLA-DP molecules, including HLA-DP2. To elucidate the molecular basis of this association, we exposed mice transgenic (Tg) for HLA-DP2 to beryllium oxide (BeO) via oropharyngeal aspiration. As opposed to WT mice, BeO-exposed HLA-DP2 Tg mice developed mononuclear infiltrates in a peribronchovascular distribution that were composed of CD4 + T cells and included regulatory T (T reg ) cells. Beryllium-responsive, HLA-DP2-restricted CD4 + T cells expressing IFN-γ and IL-2 were present in BeO-exposed HLA-DP2 Tg mice and not in WT mice. Using Be-loaded HLA-DP2-peptide tetramers, we identified Be-specific CD4 + T cells in the mouse lung that recognize identical ligands as CD4 + T cells derived from the human lung. Importantly, a subset of HLA-DP2 tetramer-binding CD4 + T cells expressed forkhead box P3, consistent with the expansion of antigen-specific T reg cells. Depletion of T reg cells in BeO-exposed HLA-DP2 Tg mice exacerbated lung inflammation and enhanced granuloma formation. These findings document, for the first time to our knowledge, the development of a Be-specific adaptive immune response in mice expressing HLA-DP2 and the ability of T reg cells to modulate the beryllium-induced granulomatous immune response.metal hypersensitivity | MHC presentation | genetic susceptibility