Survival and signaling changes in antigen presenting cell subsets after radiation

Radiation therapy is a widely used cancer treatment that has the potential to influence anti-tumor immune responses. Both myeloablative and non-myeloablative radiation are often used as part of preparatory regimens for hematopoetic stem cell transplantation, in combination with other chemotherapy or immuno-modulatory (e.g. Anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG)) therapies for both cytotoxic and immune modulatory purposes. However, the mechanisms responsible for the effect of radiation on antigen presenting cell (APC) responsiveness and radioresistance are poorly understood.;The first studies described in this thesis were designed to identify and characterize early radiation-induced signaling changes in antigen presenting cells and to determine the effects of these signaling changes on APC receptor expression and function. The NFkappaB pathway in antigen presenting cells was chosen for study because it is activated by radiation in a wide range of other cell types and plays a vital role in the maintenance and regulation of the immune system. The effects of therapeutically relevant doses radiation (2 and 20 Gy) were compared at various timepoints in the human monocytic cell line (U937) using phospho-flow cytometry staining methods and cytometric analysis. These studies demonstrated that radiation-induced changes in the phosphorylation state of NFkappaB family members that were p53 independent. However, these changes were dependent upon activation of ATM in response to single or double-stranded breaks in DNA, as shown in experiments using an inhibitor of ATM and ATM siRNA knockdown U937 cells. In addition, studies examining the effect of radiation on co-stimulatory receptors with and without inhibition of the NFkappaB pathway via phospho-flow cytometry revealed that radiation-induced phosphorylation of NEMO promoted the activation and functional maturation of U937 cells. Furthermore, functional studies using both phospho-flow cytometry and/or mixed lymphocyte reactions to examine co-stimulatory receptor activation, pro-inflammatory cytokine release, and T cell proliferation with and without radiation and inhibition of the NFkappaB pathway, demonstrated that NEMO is necessary for the activation, maturation, and enhanced responsiveness of human subsets of antigen presenting cells that occur after radiation. These findings provided insight into the mechanism of action of radiation-enhanced promotion of the antigen presenting cell responses. The methods of analysis employed can be used for monitoring immune changes that impact immune modulation in transplantation and tumor vaccines studies. Furthermore, NFkappaB pathway proteins have the potential to serve as biomarkers for optimal antitumor responses. The NBD peptide may also have usefulness as a therapeutic agent for inhibition of graft versus host disease (GVHD) in patients who have undergone transplantation.;While the first set of experiments focused on antigen presenting cell responsiveness, the second set of experiments were designed to enhance our understanding of why antigen presenting cells, specifically monocytes and dendritic cells, are more radioresistant than conventional T cells. Flow cytometric analysis of various surface markers and intracellular signaling markers were used to examine the mechanisms behind the radioresistance of antigen presenting cells. The experiments described here showed a hierarchy of radiosensitivity among T cells, with naive CD8 T cells being the most radiosensitive and CD4 memory T cells being the most radioresistant. Antigen presenting cells were found to be significantly more radioresistant than T cell subsets (<10 fold decrease after radiation), and among APC, monocytes were more radiosensitive than either total or conventional dendritic cells. Furthermore APC expressed lower levels of Bax after radiation than T cells, and APC subsets that expressed high levels were also more sensitive to radiation induced cell death. These results demonstrate that T cell and APC subsets are dying by apoptosis after radiation, and that the differential level of Bax expression is an important determinant of the relative radiosensitivity of these immune cell subsets. Again, these findings are clinically relevant to transplant patients and patients with tumors receiving radiation therapy since APC survival may have importance for the generation of anti-tumor immunity and post-transplantation immune sequelae such as GVHD. In addition, elucidation of the mechanism of death of APC and T cell subsets, as described in chapter 3, provides potential markers of cell death that can be correlated to good graft versus tumor (GVT) effects versus bad (tumor recurrence and persistence) GVT effects. Thus, understanding the mechanistic basis for radiation-induced changes in APC and the effect of these changes on survival and function is essential for optimizing the use of radiation in transplantation and tumor vaccine treatment protocols.