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Islet-autoreactive CD4+ T cells are linked with response to alefacept in type 1 diabetes
Elisa Balmas, Janice Chen, Alex K. Hu, Hannah A. DeBerg, Mario G. Rosasco, Vivian H. Gersuk, Elisavet Serti, Cate Speake, Carla J. Greenbaum, Gerald T. Nepom, Peter S. Linsley, Karen Cerosaletti
Elisa Balmas, Janice Chen, Alex K. Hu, Hannah A. DeBerg, Mario G. Rosasco, Vivian H. Gersuk, Elisavet Serti, Cate Speake, Carla J. Greenbaum, Gerald T. Nepom, Peter S. Linsley, Karen Cerosaletti
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Research Article

Islet-autoreactive CD4+ T cells are linked with response to alefacept in type 1 diabetes

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Abstract

Variation in the preservation of β cell function in clinical trials in type 1 diabetes (T1D) has emphasized the need to define biomarkers to predict treatment response. The T1DAL trial targeted T cells with alefacept (LFA-3–Ig) and demonstrated C-peptide preservation in approximately 30% of new-onset T1D individuals. We analyzed islet antigen–reactive (IAR) CD4+ T cells in PBMC samples collected prior to treatment from alefacept- and placebo-treated individuals using flow cytometry and single-cell RNA sequencing. IAR CD4+ T cells at baseline had heterogeneous phenotypes. Transcript profiles formed phenotypic clusters of cells along a trajectory based on increasing maturation and activation, and T cell receptor (TCR) chains showed clonal expansion. Notably, the frequency of IAR CD4+ T cells with a memory phenotype and a unique transcript profile (cluster 3) were inversely correlated with C-peptide preservation in alefacept-treated, but not placebo-treated, individuals. Cluster 3 cells had a proinflammatory phenotype characterized by expression of the transcription factor BHLHE40 and the cytokines GM-CSF and TNF-α, and shared TCR chains with effector memory–like clusters. Our results suggest IAR CD4+ T cells as a potential baseline biomarker of response to therapies targeting the CD2 pathway and warrant investigation for other T cell–related therapies.

Authors

Elisa Balmas, Janice Chen, Alex K. Hu, Hannah A. DeBerg, Mario G. Rosasco, Vivian H. Gersuk, Elisavet Serti, Cate Speake, Carla J. Greenbaum, Gerald T. Nepom, Peter S. Linsley, Karen Cerosaletti

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Figure 1

IAR CD4+ T cells have heterogeneous phenotypes and correlate with alefacept response.

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IAR CD4+ T cells have heterogeneous phenotypes and correlate with alefac...
(A) Antigen-reactive CD4+ T cells were gated as CD154+CD69+ based on the DMSO vehicle control (participant T1DAL-243767). (B and C) The frequency of naive and memory populations in IAR and viral antigen–reactive CD4+ T cells in baseline PBMC samples from the treated and placebo groups (n = 18). Enriched antigen-reactive cells were compared with total CD4+ T cell populations from the pre-enrichment samples of the same cultures. Stem cell memory (TSCM), central memory (TCM), and effector memory (TEM) are shown as the percentage of antigen-reactive or of total CD4+ T cells; each symbol represents a unique individual. (D) The mean frequency of each population from B and C. Asterisks indicate significant differences between IAR and viral antigen–reactive populations. (E and F) The frequencies of enriched IAR and virus-reactive memory CD4+ T cells with the indicated T helper phenotypes versus CD4+ T cells from the pre-enrichment samples of the same cultures (n = 18). Th1 (CXCR3+CCR4–CCR6–), Th2 (CCR4+CCR6–), Th17 (CCR6+CCR4+), and Th1/17 (CXCR3+CCR6+CCR4–) are expressed as the frequency of memory antigen-reactive CD4+ T cells or total memory CD4+ T cells. (G) The mean frequency of each Th subset from E and F. Asterisks indicate significant differences between IAR and viral antigen–reactive populations. Significant differences in B–G were determined using Wilcoxon’s matched-pairs signed-rank test with Benjamini-Hochberg adjustment. *P < 0.05; **P < 0.01; ***P < 0.001; ****P < 0.0001. (H and I) Spearman’s correlation between the frequency of IAR CD4+ TCM cells (H) or virus-reactive TCM cells (I) per participant with the rate of C-peptide change in alefacept- and placebo-treated participants. The linear regression line is shown with 95% confidence intervals in dotted lines.

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