Treg-Resistant Cytotoxic CD4+ T Cells Dictate T Helper Cells in Their Vicinity: TH17 Skewing and Modulation of Proliferation

Abstract

Cytotoxic CD4+ T cells (CD4 CTL) are terminally differentiated T helper cells that contribute to autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis. We developed a novel triple co-culture transwell assay to study mutual interactions between CD4 CTL, conventional TH cells, and regulatory T cells (Tregs) simultaneously. We show that, while CD4 CTL are resistant to suppression by Tregs in vitro, the conditioned medium of CD4 CTL accentuates the suppressive phenotype of Tregs by upregulating IL-10, Granzyme B, CTLA-4, and PD-1. We demonstrate that CD4 CTL conditioned medium skews memory TH cells to a TH17 phenotype, suggesting that the CD4 CTL induce bystander polarization. In our triple co-culture assay, the CD4 CTL secretome promotes the proliferation of TH cells, even in the presence of Tregs. However, when cell-cell contact is established between CD4 CTL and TH cells, the proliferation of TH cells is no longer increased and Treg-mediated suppression is restored. Taken together, our results suggest that when TH cells acquire cytotoxic properties, these Treg-resistant CD4 CTL affect the proliferation and phenotype of conventional TH cells in their vicinity. By creating such a pro-inflammatory microenvironment, CD4 CTL may favor their own persistence and expansion, and that of other potentially pathogenic TH cells, thereby contributing to pathogenic responses in autoimmune disorders.