Nonapoptotic and extracellular activity of granzyme B mediates resistance to regulatory T cell (Treg) suppression by HLA-DR-CD25hiCD127lo Tregs in multiple sclerosis and in response to IL-6.

In autoimmune patients, regulatory T cells (Tregs) are increasingly found to be unable to suppress patient-derived T cells, an outcome referred to as Treg resistance. In this study, we show that CD4 T cells from patients with multiple sclerosis resist suppression by patient-derived or healthy donor-derived ex vivo Tregs. Importantly, we report that granzyme B (GzmB) contributes to this Treg resistance via a novel, apoptosis-independent mechanism. We show that memory CD4(+)CD127(lo)FOXP3(+) Treg subsets do not express GzmB, whereas activated, nonregulatory CD4 T cells isolated from patients with multiple sclerosis express higher levels of GzmB than do cells from healthy donors. In contrast to the intracellular GzmB that mediates apoptosis, GzmB can be found in extracellular fluids where it is hypothesized to regulate other cellular processes. In this study, we show that providing extracellular GzmB strongly inhibits Treg suppression, without altering Treg viability. However, when GzmB and GzmB-specific inhibitor are both provided to the cocultures, Treg suppression occurs. Thus, these data suggest that a novel activity of extracellular GzmB is to regulate Treg suppression. Additionally, we find that the suppression-abrogating cytokine IL-6 augments GzmB expression by human CD4 T cells, and it inhibits Treg suppression via this nonapoptotic GzmB-mediated mechanism. Lastly, in examining the mechanism whereby GzmB inhibits Treg function, we show that extracellular GzmB reduces Treg expression of CD39 and programmed death ligand 1. Collectively, these data indicate that extracellular GzmB plays an unexpected, nonapoptotic role in regulating Treg suppression and suggest that inactivation of specifically the extracellular activity of GzmB may be an efficacious therapeutic in autoimmunity.