SUMMARY Memory CD8+ T cells induced upon immunization exhibit improved functional features that contribute to protection of immunized hosts. Although both cognate antigen recognition and inflammation are important for memory CD8+ T cell reactivation, the relative contribution of these factors and the cell types providing these signals in vivo are poorly defined. Here, we show that Ly6C+CCR2+ inflammatory monocytes, a subset of monocytes, largely orchestrate memory CD8+ T and NK lymphocytes activation by differentiating into interleukin-18 (IL-18)- and IL-15-producing cells in an inflammasome and type I interferon-IRF3-dependent manner. Memory CD8+ T cells became potent effector cells by sensing inflammation from monocytes independently of their cognate antigen. Like NK cells, they underwent rapid mobilization, upregulated intense and sustained effector functions during bacterial, viral and parasitic infections, and contributed to innate responses and protection in vivo. Thus, inflammatory monocyte-derived IL-18 and IL-15 are critical to initiate memory CD8+ T and NK lymphocytes differentiation into antimicrobial effector cells.

Membrane rafts are thought to be sphingolipid- and cholesterol-dependent lateral assemblies involved in diverse cellular functions. Their biological roles and even their existence, however, remain controversial. Using an original fluorescence correlation spectroscopy strategy that recently enabled us to identify nanoscale membrane organizations in live cells, we report here that highly dynamic nanodomains exist in both the outer and inner leaflets of the plasma membrane. Through specific inhibition of biosynthesis, we show that sphingolipids and cholesterol are essential and act in concert for formation of nanodomains, thus corroborating their raft nature. Moreover, we find that nanodomains play a crucial role in triggering the phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase/Akt signaling pathway, by facilitating Akt recruitment and activation upon phosphatidylinositol-3,4,5-triphosphate accumulation in the plasma membrane. Thus, through direct monitoring and controlled alterations of rafts in living cells, we demonstrate that rafts are critically involved in the activation of a signaling axis that is essential for cell physiology.

SUMMARY Cells of the innate immune system are essential for host defenses against primary microbial pathogen infections, yet their involvement in effective memory responses of vaccinated individuals has been poorly investigated. Here we show that memory T cells instruct innate cells to become potent effector cells in a systemic and a mucosal model of infection. Memory T cells controlled phagocyte, dendritic cell and NK or NK T cell mobilization and induction of a strong program of differentiation, which included their expression of effector cytokines and microbicidal pathways, all of which were delayed in non-vaccinated hosts. Disruption of IFN-γ-signaling in Ly6C+ monocytes, dendritic cells and macrophages impaired these processes and the control of pathogen growth. These results reveal how memory T cells, through rapid secretion of IFN-γ, orchestrate extensive modifications of host innate immune responses that are essential for effective protection of vaccinated hosts.

We studied the effect of the immune system on two differentially aggressive melanomas developing in mice on conditional deletion of the INK4A/ARF tumor suppressor gene, with concomitant expression of oncogene H-Ras G12V and a natural cancer-germline tumor antigen (TA). "Slow progressor" melanomas contained no activated T lymphocytes (TL). In contrast, "aggressive" melanomas were infiltrated by activated TLs lacking effector molecules and expressing high levels of PD-1, indicating an exhausted phenotype. Aggressive melanomas were also infiltrated by immature myeloid cells (IMC). Infiltration was associated with local inflammation and systemic Th2/Th17-oriented chronic inflammation that seemed to impair further activation of TLs, as tumor-specific T cells adoptively transferred into mice bearing aggressive melanomas were poorly activated and failed to infiltrate the melanoma. This immunosuppression also led to the incapacity of these mice to reject inoculated TA-positive tumors, in contrast to slow-progressing melanoma-bearing mice, which were responsive. To test the role of adaptive immunity in tumor progression, we induced melanomas in immunodeficient RagKO compound mice. These mice developed aggressive but not slow-progressing melanomas at a higher frequency and with a shorter latency than immunocompetent mice. Immunodeficient mice also developed abnormal inflammation and infiltration of IMCs in a manner similar to immunocompetent mice, indicating that this phenotype was not dependent on adaptive immunity. Therefore, tumor-intrinsic factors distinguishing the two melanoma types control the initiation of inflammation, which was independent of adaptive immunity. The latter delayed development of aggressive melanomas but was overridden by inflammation. Cancer Res; 70(9); 3515-25. ©2010 AACR.

Immunological memory is a hallmark of B and T lymphocytes that have undergone a previous encounter with a given antigen. It is assumed that memory cells mediate better protection of the host upon re-infection because of improved effector functions such as antibody production, cytotoxic activity and cytokine secretion. In contrast to cells of the adaptive immune system, innate immune cells are believed to exhibit a comparable functional effector response each time the same pathogen is encountered. Here, using mice infected by the intracellular bacterium Listeria monocytogenes, we show that during a recall bacterial infection, the chemokine CCL3 secreted by memory CD8+ T cells drives drastic modifications of the functional properties of several populations of phagocytes. We found that inflammatory ly6C+ monocytes and neutrophils largely mediated memory CD8+ T cell bacteriocidal activity by producing increased levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), augmenting the pH of their phagosomes and inducing antimicrobial autophagy. These events allowed an extremely rapid control of bacterial growth in vivo and accounted for protective immunity. Therefore, our results provide evidence that cytotoxic memory CD8+ T cells can license distinct antimicrobial effector mechanisms of innate cells to efficiently clear pathogens.

We compared gene expression signatures of aggressive amelanotic (Amela) melanomas with those of slowly growing pigmented melanomas (Mela), identifying pathways potentially responsible for the aggressive Amela phenotype. Both tumors develop in mice upon conditional deletion in melanocytes of Ink4a/Arf tumor suppressor genes with concomitant expression of oncogene H-RasG12V and a known tumor antigen. We previously showed that only the aggressive Amela tumors were highly infiltrated by leukocytes concomitant with local and systemic inflammation. We report that Amela tumors present a pattern of de-differentiation with reduced expression of genes involved in pigmentation. This correlates with reduced and enhanced expression, respectively, of microphthalmia-associated (Mitf) and Pou3f2/Brn-2 transcription factors. The reduced expression of Mitf-controlled melanocyte differentiation antigens also observed in some human cutaneous melanoma has important implications for immunotherapy protocols that generally target such antigens. Induced Amela tumors also express Epithelial-Mesenchymal-Transition (EMT)-like and TGFβ-pathway signatures. These are correlated with constitutive Smad3 signaling in Amela tumors and melanoma cell lines. Signatures of infiltrating leukocytes and some chemokines such as chemotactic cytokine ligand 2 (Ccl2) that contribute to leukocyte recruitment further characterize Amela tumors. Inhibition of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activation pathway in Amela tumor lines leads to reduced expression of EMT hallmark genes and inhibits both proinflammatory cytokine Ccl2 gene expression and Ccl2 production by the melanoma cells. These results indicate a link between EMT-like processes and alterations of immune functions, both being controlled by the MAPK pathway. They further suggest that targeting the MAPK pathway within tumor cells will impact tumor-intrinsic oncogenic properties as well as the nature of the tumor microenvironment.

Monocytes are blood-derived mononuclear phagocytic cells that traffic throughout the body and can provide rapid innate immune effector responses in response to microbial pathogen infections. Amongst blood monocytes, the most abundant subset in mice is represented by inflammatory Ly6C+ CCR2+ monocytes and is the functional equivalent of the CD14+ monocytes in humans. Herein we focus on published evidence describing the exquisite functional plasticity of these cells, and we extend this overview to their multiples roles in vivo during host immune defenses against microbial pathogen infections, as antigen-presenting cells, inflammatory cells or Trojan horse cells.

Following microbial pathogen invasion, one of the main challenges for the host is to rapidly control pathogen spreading to avoid vital tissue damage. Here, we report that an effector CD8+ T cell population that expresses the marker NK1.1 undergoes delayed contraction and sustains early anti-microbial protection. NK1.1+ CD8+ T cells are derived from CD8+ T cells during priming, and their differentiation is inhibited by TGF-β signaling. After their own contraction-phase, they formed a distinct pool of KLRG1 CD127 double positive memory T cells and rapidly produced both IFN-γ and granzyme B, compared to NK1.1− counterparts, providing significant pathogen-protection in an antigen-independent manner within only a few hours. Thus, by prolonging the CD8+ T cell response at the effector stage and by expressing exacerbated innate-like feature at the memory stage, NK1.1+ cells represent a distinct subset of CD8+ T cell that contributes to the early control of microbial pathogen re-infections.