Eomesodermin+ CD4+ T cells are critical for curative immunotherapy outcomes

Abstract

Interleukin 10 (IL-10)-producing CD4+ type-1 regulatory T cells (Tr1) promote immune tolerance during chronic infection, autoimmunity, and transplantation. However, specific Eomesodermin (Eomes)-dependent stages of Tr1 differentiation and function remain unclear. Using preclinical models of bone marrow transplantation (BMT), we demonstrated a Tr1 differentiation trajectory in vivo from Eomes+IL-10− to Eomes+IL-10+ subsets with the acquisition of cytokine, cytolytic, and exhaustion features. The Eomes+CD4+ fraction represented the dominant cytotoxic subset after BMT, mediating graft-versus-leukemia effects while limiting inflammation. In CD19-targeted chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell immunotherapy, Eomes drove the same CD4+ Tr1 phenotype that controlled cytolysis, while mitigating immune toxicity and promoting persistence. In individuals with high-grade B cell lymphomas that had long-term disease control after receiving commercial CD19-targeted CAR T cells, Eomes+ Tr1 cells represented a stable population comprising 40%–80% of the CD4+ CAR T cell population. Hence, Eomes controls both regulatory and cytotoxic programs in CD4+ T cells, essential for curative immunotherapy outcomes.