PD-1+ memory phenotype CD4+ T cells expressing C/EBPα underlie T cell immunodepression in senescence and leukemia

Although altered T cell function plays a part in immunosenescence, the mechanisms remain uncertain. Here we identify a bona fide age-dependent PD-1⁺ memory phenotype (MP) CD4⁺ T cell subpopulation that hardly proliferates in response to T cell receptor (TCR) stimulation and produces abundant osteopontin at the cost of typical T cell lymphokines. These T cells demonstrate impaired repopulation in Rag2^−/− mice, but a homeostatic proliferation in γ-ray-irradiated mice. These T cells also reveal a unique molecular signature, including a strong expression of C/EBPα normally expressed in myeloid-lineage cells, with diminished c-Myc and cyclin D1. Transduction of Cebpa in regular CD4⁺ T cells inhibited the TCR-mediated proliferation with c-Myc and cyclin D1 repression and caused a striking activation of Spp1 encoding osteopontin along with concomitant repression of T cell lymphokine genes. Although these T cells gradually increase in number with age and become predominant at the senescent stage in normal mice, the generation is robustly accelerated during leukemia. In both conditions, their predominance is associated with the diminution of specific CD4⁺ T cell response. The results suggest that global T cell immunodepression in senescence and leukemia is attributable to the increase in PD-1⁺ MP CD4⁺ T cells expressing C/EBPα.