Cellular senescence is a plausible mediator of inflammation-related tissue dysfunction. In the aged brain, senescent cell identities and the mechanisms by which they exert adverse influence are unclear. Here we used high-dimensional molecular profiling, coupled with mechanistic experiments, to study the properties of senescent cells in the aged mouse brain. We show that senescence and inflammatory expression profiles increase with age and are brain region- and sex-specific. p16-positive myeloid cells exhibiting senescent and disease-associated activation signatures, including upregulation of chemoattractant factors, accumulate in the aged mouse brain. Senescent brain myeloid cells promote peripheral immune cell chemotaxis in vitro. Activated resident and infiltrating immune cells increase in the aged brain and are partially restored to youthful levels through p16-positive senescent cell clearance in female p16-InkAttac mice, which is associated with preservation of cognitive function. Our study reveals dynamic remodeling of the brain immune cell landscape in aging and suggests senescent cell targeting as a strategy to counter inflammatory changes and cognitive decline.

Clinical immunotherapy approaches are lacking efficacy in the treatment of glioblastoma (GBM). In this study, we sought to reverse local and systemic GBM-induced immunosuppression using the Helicobacter pylori neutrophil-activating protein (NAP), a potent TLR2 agonist, as an immunostimulatory transgene expressed in an oncolytic measles virus (MV) platform, retargeted to allow viral entry through the urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR). While single-agent murine anti-PD1 treatment or repeat in situ immunization with MV-s-NAP-uPA provided modest survival benefit in MV-resistant syngeneic GBM models, the combination treatment led to synergy with a cure rate of 80% in mice bearing intracranial GL261 tumors and 72% in mice with CT-2A tumors. Combination NAP-immunovirotherapy induced massive influx of lymphoid cells in mouse brain, with CD8⁺ T cell predominance; therapeutic efficacy was CD8⁺ T cell dependent. Inhibition of the IFN response pathway using the JAK1/JAK2 inhibitor ruxolitinib decreased PD-L1 expression on myeloid-derived suppressor cells in the brain and further potentiated the therapeutic effect of MV-s-NAP-uPA and anti-PD1. Our findings support the notion that MV strains armed with bacterial immunostimulatory antigens represent an effective strategy to overcome the limited efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitor–based therapies in GBM, creating a promising translational strategy for this lethal brain tumor.

Background: Myeloid cells comprise up to 50% of the total tumor mass in glioblastoma (GBM) and have been implicated in promoting tumor progression and immunosuppression. Modulating the response of myeloid cells to the tumor has emerged as a promising new approach for cancer treatment. In this regard, we focus on the Triggering Receptor Expressed on Myeloid Cells 2 (TREM2), which has recently emerged as a novel immune modulator in peripheral tumors. Methods: We studied the TREM2 expression profile in various patient tumor samples and conducted single-cell transcriptomic analysis in both GBM patients and the GL261 mouse glioma model. We utilized multiple mouse glioma models and employed state-of-the-art techniques such as invivo 2-photon imaging, spectrum flow cytometry, and in vitro co-culture assays to study TREM2 function in myeloid cell-mediated phagocytosis of tumor cells, antigen presentation, and response of CD4+ T cells within the tumor hemispheres. Results: Our research revealed significantly elevated levels of TREM2 expression in brain tumors compared to other types of tumors in patients. TREM2 was predominantly localized in tumor-associated myeloid cells and was highly expressed in nearly all microglia, as well as various subtypes of macrophages. Surprisingly, in preclinical glioma models, TREM2 deficiency did not confer a beneficial effect; instead, it accelerated glioma progression. Through detailed investigations, we determined that TREM2 deficiency impaired the ability of tumor-myeloid cells to phagocytose tumor cells and led to reduced expression of MHCII. This deficiency further significantly decreased the presence of CD4+ T cells within the tumor hemispheres. Conclusions: Our study unveiled a previously unrecognized protective role of tumor-myeloid TREM2. Specifically, we found that TREM2 enhances the phagocytosis of tumor cells and promotes an immune response by facilitating MHCII-associated CD4+ T-cell responses against gliomas.

Cerebral malaria is the deadliest complication that can arise from Plasmodium infection. CD8 T cell engagement of brain vasculature is a putative mechanism of neuropathology in cerebral malaria. To define contributions of brain endothelial cell MHC class I antigen-presentation to CD8 T cells in establishing cerebral malaria pathology, we developed novel H-2K^b LoxP and H-2D^b LoxP mice crossed with Cdh5-Cre mice to achieve targeted deletion of discrete class I molecules, specifically from brain endothelium. This strategy allowed us to avoid off-target effects on iron homeostasis and class-I-like molecules which are known to perturb Plasmodium infection. This is the first endothelial-specific ablation of individual class-I molecules enabling us to interrogate these molecular interactions. In these studies we interrogate human and mouse transcriptomics data to compare antigen presentation capacity during cerebral malaria. Using the Plasmodium berghei ANKA model of experimental cerebral malaria (ECM), we observe that H-2K^b and H-2D^b class I molecules regulate distinct patterns of disease onset, CD8 T cell infiltration, targeted cell death, and regional blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption. Strikingly, ablation of either molecule from brain endothelial cells resulted in reduced CD8 T cell activation, attenuated T cell interaction with brain vasculature, lessened targeted cell death, preserved BBB integrity, and prevented ECM and the death of the animal. We were able to show that these events were brain specific through the use of parabiosis and created the novel technique of dual small animal MRI to simultaneously scan conjoined parabionts during infection. These data demonstrate that interactions of CD8 T cells with discrete MHC class I molecules on brain endothelium differentially regulate development of ECM neuropathology. Therefore, targeting MHC class I interactions therapeutically may hold potential for treatment of cases of severe malaria.

The efficacy of T cell–activating therapies against glioma is limited by an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment and tumor-induced T cell sequestration. We investigated whether peripherally infused nonantigen specific autologous lymphocytes could accumulate in intracranial tumors. We observed that nonspecific autologous CD8 ⁺ ALT cells can indeed accumulate in this context, despite endogenous T cell sequestration in bone marrow. Rates of intratumoral accumulation were markedly increased when expanding lymphocytes with IL-7 compared with IL-2. Pretreatment with IL-7 ALT also enhanced the efficacy of multiple tumor-specific and nontumor-specific T cell–dependent immunotherapies against orthotopic murine and human xenograft gliomas. Mechanistically, we detected increased VLA-4 on mouse and human CD8 ⁺ T cells following IL-7 expansion, with increased transcription of genes associated with migratory integrin expression ( CD9 ). We also observed that IL-7 increases S1PR1 transcription in human CD8 ⁺ T cells, which we have shown to be protective against tumor-induced T cell sequestration. These observations demonstrate that expansion with IL-7 enhances the capacity of ALT to accumulate within intracranial tumors and that pretreatment with IL-7 ALT can boost the efficacy of subsequent T cell–activating therapies against glioma. Our findings will inform the development of future clinical trials where ALT pretreatment can be combined with T cell–activating therapies.