Inhibition of altered peptide ligand-mediated antagonism of human GAD65-responsive CD4+ T cells by non-antagonizable T cells

Altered peptide ligands derived from T cell-reactive self antigens have been shown to be protective therapeutic agents in animal models of autoimmunity. In this study we identified several altered peptide ligands derived from the type 1 diabetes-associated autoantigen human glutamic acid decarboxylase 65 (hGAD65) epitope that were capable of antagonizing a subset of a panel of human CD4(+) GAD65 (555-567)-responsive T cell clones derived from a diabetic individual. While no altered peptide ligand was able to antagonize all six clones in the T cell panel, a single-substituted peptide of isoleucine to methionine at position 561, which resides at the TCR contact p5 position, was able to antagonize five out of the six hGAD65-responsive clones. In a mixed T cell culture system we observed that altered peptide ligand-mediated antagonism is inhibited in a dose-dependent manner by the presence of nonantagonizable hGAD65 (555-567)-responsive T cells. From an analysis of the cytokines present in the mixed T cell cultures, interleukin-2 was sufficient to inhibit altered peptide ligand-induced antagonism. The inhibition of altered peptide ligand-mediated antagonism of self-antigen-responsive T cells by non-antagonizable T cells has implications in altered peptide ligand therapy where T cell antagonism is the goal.