A Near-Infrared Cell Tracker Reagent for Multiscopic In Vivo Imaging and Quantification of Leukocyte Immune Responses

The complexity of the tumor microenvironment necessitates that cell behavior is studied in a broad, multi-scale context. Although tomographic and microscopy-based far and near infrared fluorescence (NIRF, >650 nm) imaging methods offer high resolution, sensitivity, and depth penetration, there has been a lack of optimized NIRF agents to label and track cells in their native environments at different scales. In this study we labeled mammalian leukocytes with VivoTag 680 (VT680), an amine reactive N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) ester of a (benz) indolium-derived far red fluorescent probe. We show that VT680 diffuses into leukocytes within minutes, covalently binds to cellular components, remains internalized for days in vitro and in vivo, and does not transfer fluorescence to adjacent cells. It is biocompatible, keeps cells fully functional, and fluoresces at high intensities. In a tumor model of cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) immunotherapy, we track and quantify VT680-labeled cells longitudinally at the whole-body level with fluorescence-mediated molecular tomography (FMT), within tissues at single cell resolutions by multiphoton and confocal intravital microscopy, and ex vivo by flow cytometry. Thus, this approach is suitable to monitor cells at multiple resolutions in real time in their native environments by NIR-based fluorescence imaging

Imaging interactions between the immune and cardiovascular systems in vivo by multiphoton microscopy

Several recent studies in immunology have used multiphoton laser-scanning microscopy to visualise the induction of an immune response in real time in vivo. These experiments are illuminating the cellular and molecular interactions involved in the induction, maintenance and regulation of immune responses. Similar approaches are being applied in cardiovascular research where there is an increasing body of evidence to support a significant role for the adaptive immune system in vascular disease. As such, we have begun to dissect the role of T lymphocytes in atherosclerosis in real time in vivo. Here, we provide step-by-step guides to the various stages involved in visualising the migration of T cells within a lymph node and their infiltration into inflamed tissues such as atherosclerotic arteries. These methods provide an insight into the mechanisms involved in the activation and function of immune cells in vivo

Spatial heterogeneity and peptide availability determine CTL killing efficiency in vivo

The rate at which a cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) can survey for infected cells is a key ingredient of models of vertebrate immune responses to intracellular pathogens. Estimates have been obtained using in vivo cytotoxicity assays in which peptide-pulsed splenocytes are killed by CTL in the spleens of immunised mice. However the spleen is a heterogeneous environment and splenocytes comprise multiple cell types. Are some cell types intrinsically more susceptible to lysis than others? Quantitatively, what impacts are made by the spatial distribution of targets and effectors, and the level of peptide-MHC on the target cell surface? To address these questions we revisited the splenocyte killing assay, using CTL specific for an epitope of influenza virus. We found that at the cell population level T cell targets were killed more rapidly than B cells. Using modeling, quantitative imaging and in vitro killing assays we conclude that this difference in vivo likely reflects different migratory patterns of targets within the spleen and a heterogeneous distribution of CTL, with no detectable difference in the intrinsic susceptibilities of the two populations to lysis. Modeling of the stages involved in the detection and killing of peptide-pulsed targets in vitro revealed that peptide dose influenced the ability of CTL to form conjugates with targets but had no detectable effect on the probability that conjugation resulted in lysis, and that T cell targets took longer to lyse than B cells. We also infer that incomplete killing in vivo of cells pulsed with low doses of peptide may be due to a combination of heterogeneity in peptide uptake and the dissociation, but not internalisation, of peptide-MHC complexes. Our analyses demonstrate how population-averaged parameters in models of immune responses can be dissected to account for both spatial and cellular heterogeneity

In vivo imaging and quantitative analysis of leukocyte directional migration and polarization in inflamed tissue

Directional migration of transmigrated leukocytes to the site of injury is a central event in the inflammatory response. Here, we present an in vivo chemotaxis assay enabling the visualization and quantitative analysis of subtype-specific directional motility and polarization of leukocytes in their natural 3D microenvironment. Our technique comprises the combination of i) semi-automated in situ microinjection of chemoattractants or bacteria as local chemotactic stimulus, ii) in vivo near-infrared reflected-light oblique transillumination (RLOT) microscopy for the visualization of leukocyte motility and morphology, and iii) in vivo fluorescence microscopy for the visualization of different leukocyte subpopulations or fluorescence-labeled bacteria. Leukocyte motility parameters are quantified off-line in digitized video sequences using computer-assisted single cell tracking. Here, we show that perivenular microinjection of chemoattractants [macrophage inflammatory protein-1alpha (MIP-1alpha/Ccl3), platelet-activating factor (PAF)] or E. coli into the murine cremaster muscle induces target-oriented intravascular adhesion and transmigration as well as polarization and directional interstitial migration of leukocytes towards the locally administered stimuli. Moreover, we describe a crucial role of Rho kinase for the regulation of directional motility and polarization of transmigrated leukocytes in vivo. Finally, combining in vivo RLOT and fluorescence microscopy in Cx3CR1(gfp/gfp) mice (mice exhibiting green fluorescent protein-labeled monocytes), we are able to demonstrate differences in the migratory behavior of monocytes and neutrophils.Taken together, we propose a novel approach for investigating the mechanisms and spatiotemporal dynamics of subtype-specific motility and polarization of leukocytes during their directional interstitial migration in vivo

A Role for the Immediate Early Gene Product c-fos in Imprinting T Cells with Short-Term Memory for Signal Summation

T cells often make sequential contacts with multiple DCs in the lymph nodes and are likely to be equipped with mechanisms that allow them to sum up the successive signals received. We found that a period of stimulation as short as two hours could imprint on a T cell a “biochemical memory” of that activation signal that persisted for several hours. This was evidenced by more rapid induction of activation markers and earlier commitment to proliferation upon subsequent stimulation, even when that secondary stimulation occurred hours later. Upregulation of the immediate early gene product c-fos, a component of the AP-1 transcription factor, was maximal by 1–2 hours of stimulation, and protein levels remained elevated for several hours after stimulus withdrawal. Moreover, phosphorylated forms of c-fos that are stable and transcriptionally active persisted for a least a day. Upon brief antigenic stimulation in vivo, we also observed a rapid upregulation of c-fos that could be boosted by subsequent stimulation. Accumulation of phosphorylated c-fos may therefore serve as a biochemical fingerprint of previous suboptimal stimulation, leaving the T cell poised to rapidly resume its activation program upon its next encounter with an antigen-bearing DC

HIV-infected T cells are migratory vehicles for viral dissemination

After host entry through mucosal surfaces, HIV-1 disseminates to lymphoid tissues to establish a generalized infection of the immune system. The mechanisms by which this virus spreads among permissive target cells locally during early stages of transmission, and systemically during subsequent dissemination are not known1. In vitro studies suggest that formation of virological synapses (VSs) during stable contacts between infected and uninfected T cells greatly increases the efficiency of viral transfer2. It is unclear, however, if T cell contacts are sufficiently stable in vivo to allow for functional synapse formation under the conditions of perpetual cell motility in epithelial3 and lymphoid tissues4. Here, using multiphoton intravital microscopy (MP-IVM), we examined the dynamic behavior of HIV-infected T cells in lymph nodes (LNs) of humanized mice. We found that most productively infected T cells migrated robustly, resulting in their even distribution throughout the LN cortex. A subset of infected cells formed multinucleated syncytia through HIV envelope (Env)-dependent cell fusion. Both uncoordinated motility of syncytia as well as adhesion to CD4+ LN cells led to the formation of long membrane tethers, increasing cell lengths to up to 10 times that of migrating uninfected T cells. Blocking the egress of migratory T cells from LNs into efferent lymph, and thus interrupting T cell recirculation, limited HIV dissemination and strongly reduced plasma viremia. Thus, we have found that HIV-infected T cells are motile, form syncytia, and establish tethering interactions that may facilitate cell-to-cell transmission through VSs. While their migration in LNs spreads infection locally, T cell recirculation through tissues is important for efficient systemic viral spread, suggesting new molecular targets to antagonize HIV infection

Revisiting Estimates of CTL Killing Rates In Vivo

Recent experimental advances have allowed the estimation of the in vivo rates of killing of infected target cells by cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL). We present several refinements to a method applied previously to quantify killing of targets in the spleen using a dynamical model. We reanalyse data previously used to estimate killing rates of CTL specific for two epitopes of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) in mice and show that, contrary to previous estimates the “killing rate” of effector CTL is approximately twice that of memory CTL. Further, our method allows the fits to be visualized, and reveals one potentially interesting discrepancy between fits and data. We discuss extensions to the basic CTL killing model to explain this discrepancy and propose experimental tests to distinguish between them

ITAM Signaling by Vav Family Rho Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors Regulates Interstitial Transit Rates of Neutrophils In Vivo

In response to infection, neutrophils are quickly recruited from the blood into inflamed tissues. The interstitial migration of neutrophils is crucial for the efficient capture and control of rapidly proliferating microbes before microbial growth can overwhelm the host's defenses. However, the molecular mechanisms that regulate interstitial migration are incompletely understood.Here, we use two-photon microscopy (2PM) to study discrete steps of neutrophil responses during subcutaneous infection with bacteria. Our study demonstrates that signals emanating from ITAM-containing receptors mediated by Vav family Rho GEFs control the velocity, but not the directionality, of neutrophil migration towards sites of bacterial infection.Here we show that during neutrophil migration towards sites of bacterial infection, signals emanating from ITAM-containing receptors specifically control interstitial neutrophil velocity

Killing of Targets by CD8+ T Cells in the Mouse Spleen Follows the Law of Mass Action

It has been difficult to correlate the quality of CD8 T cell responses with protection against viral infections. To investigate the relationship between efficacy and magnitude of T cell responses, we quantify the rate at which individual CD8 effector and memory T cells kill target cells in the mouse spleen. Using mathematical modeling, we analyze recent data on the loss of target cells pulsed with three different peptides from the mouse lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) in mouse spleens with varying numbers of epitope-specific CD8 T cells. We find that the killing of targets follows the law of mass-action, i.e., the death rate of individual target cells remains proportional to the frequency (or the total number) of specific CD8 T cells in the spleen despite the fact that effector cell densities and effector to target ratios vary about a 1000-fold. The killing rate of LCMV-specific CD8 T cells is largely independent of T cell specificity and differentiation stage. Our results thus allow one to calculate the critical T cell concentration at which growth of a virus with a given replication rate can be prevented from the start of infection by memory CD8 T cell response

Dynamic Imaging of CD8+ T Cells and Dendritic Cells during Infection with Toxoplasma gondii

To better understand the initiation of CD8+ T cell responses during infection, the primary response to the intracellular parasite Toxoplasma gondii was characterized using 2-photon microscopy combined with an experimental system that allowed visualization of dendritic cells (DCs) and parasite specific CD8+ T cells. Infection with T. gondii induced localization of both these populations to the sub-capsular/interfollicular region of the draining lymph node and DCs were required for the expansion of the T cells. Consistent with current models, in the presence of cognate antigen, the average velocity of CD8+ T cells decreased. Unexpectedly, infection also resulted in modulation of the behavior of non-parasite specific T cells. This TCR-independent process correlated with the re-modeling of the lymph node micro-architecture and changes in expression of CCL21 and CCL3. Infection also resulted in sustained interactions between the DCs and CD8+ T cells that were visualized only in the presence of cognate antigen and were limited to an early phase in the response. Infected DCs were rare within the lymph node during this time frame; however, DCs presenting the cognate antigen were detected. Together, these data provide novel insights into the earliest interaction between DCs and CD8+ T cells and suggest that cross presentation by bystander DCs rather than infected DCs is an important route of antigen presentation during toxoplasmosis