Anti-EOMES monoclonal antibody, clone Ebo22nbh [PE]

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease treated by therapies targeting peripheral blood cells. We previously identified that expression of two MS-risk genes, the transcription factors EOMES and TBX21 (ET), was low in blood from MS and stable over time. Here we replicated the low ET expression in a new MS cohort (p < 0.0007 for EOMES, p < 0.028 for TBX21) and demonstrate longitudinal stability (p < 10(-4)) and high heritability (h(2) = 0.48 for EOMES) for this molecular phenotype. Genes whose expression correlated with ET, especially those controlling cell migration, further defined the phenotype. CD56 + cells and other subsets expressed lower levels of Eomes or T-bet protein and/or were under-represented in MS. EOMES and TBX21 risk SNP genotypes, and serum EBNA-1 titres were not correlated with ET expression, but HLA-DRB1*1501 genotype was. ET expression was normalised to healthy control levels with natalizumab, and was highly variable for glatiramer acetate, fingolimod, interferon-beta, dimethyl fumarate. Crown Copyright (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Whether human IL-10-producing regulatory T cells ("Tr1") represent a distinct differentiation lineage or an unstable activation stage remains a key unsolved issue. Here, we report that Eomesodermin (Eomes) acted as a lineage-defining transcription factor in human IFN-gamma/IL-10 coproducing Tr1-like cells. In vivo occurring Tr1-like cells expressed Eomes, and were clearly distinct from all other CD4(+) T-cell subsets, including conventional cytotoxic CD4(+) T cells. They expressed Granzyme (Gzm) K, but had lost CD40L and IL-7R expression. Eomes antagonized the Th17 fate, and directly controlled IFN-gamma and GzmK expression. However, Eomes binding to the IL-10 promoter was not detectable in human CD4(+) T cells, presumably because critical Tbox binding sites of the mouse were not conserved. A precommitment to a Tr1-like fate, i.e. concominant induction of Eomes, GzmK, and IFN-gamma, was promoted by IL-4 and IL-12-secreting myeloid dendritic cells. Consistently, Th1 effector memory cells contained precommitted Eomes(+)GzmK(+) T cells. Stimulation with T-cell receptor (TCR) agonists and IL-27 promoted the generation of Tr1-like effector cells by inducing switching from CD40L to IL-10. Importantly, CD4(+)Eomes(+) T-cell subsets were present in lymphoid and nonlymphoid tissues, and their frequencies varied systemically in patients with inflammatory bowel disease and graft-versus-host disease. We propose that Eomes(+) Tr1-like cells are effector cells of a unique GzmK-expressing CD4(+) T-cell subset.