Site-selective enzymatic chemistry for polymer conjugation to protein lysine residues: PEGylation of G-CSF at lysine-41

Microbial transglutaminase (mTGase) is an enzyme that catalyzes site-specific protein derivatization at specific glutamines and lysines.

Prospective and clinical validation of ALK immunohistochemistry: results from the phase I/II study of alectinib for ALK-positive lung cancer (AF-001JP study)

BACKGROUND

Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) fusions need to be accurately and efficiently detected for ALK inhibitor therapy. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) remains the reference test. Although increasing data are supporting that ALK immunohistochemistry (IHC) is highly concordant with FISH, IHC screening needed to be clinically and prospectively validated.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

In the AF-001JP trial for alectinib, 436 patients were screened for ALK fusions through IHC (n = 384) confirmed with FISH (n = 181), multiplex RT-PCR (n = 68), or both (n = 16). IHC results were scored with iScore.

RESULT

ALK fusion was positive in 137 patients and negative in 250 patients. Since the presence of cancer cells in the samples for RT-PCR was not confirmed, ALK fusion negativity could not be ascertained in 49 patients. IHC interpreted with iScore showed a 99.4% (173/174) concordance with FISH. All 41 patients who had iScore 3 and were enrolled in phase II showed at least 30% tumor reduction with 92.7% overall response rate. Two IHC-positive patients with an atypical FISH pattern responded to ALK inhibitor therapy. The reduction rate was not correlated with IHC staining intensity.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study showed (i) that when sufficiently sensitive and appropriately interpreted, IHC can be a stand-alone diagnostic for ALK inhibitor therapies; (ii) that when atypical FISH patterns are accompanied by IHC positivity, the patients should be considered as candidates for ALK inhibitor therapies, and (iii) that the expression level of ALK fusion is not related to the level of response to ALK inhibitors and is thus not required for patient selection.

REGISTRATION NUMBER

JapicCTI-101264 (This study is registered with the Japan Pharmaceutical Information Center).

Molecular Characterization of LjABCG1, an ATP-Binding Cassette Protein in Lotus japonicus

LjABCG1, a full-size ABCG subfamily of ATP-binding cassette proteins of a model legume, Lotus japonicus, was reported as a gene highly expressed during the early stages of nodulation, but have not been characterized in detail. In this study we showed that the induction of LjABCG1 expression was remarkable by methyl jasmonate treatment, and reporter gene experiments indicated that LjABCG1 was strongly expressed in the nodule parenchyma and cell layers adjacent to the root vascular tissue toward the nodule. LjABCG1 was suggested to be localized at the plasma membrane based on the fractionation of microsomal membranes as well as separation via aqueous two-phase partitioning. The physiological functions of LjABCG1 in symbiosis and pathogenesis were analyzed in homologous and heterologous systems. LjABCG1 knock-down L. japonicus plants did not show clear phenotypic differences in nodule formation, and not in defense against Pseudomonas syringae, either. In contrast, when LjABCG1 was expressed in the Arabidopsis pdr8-1 mutant, the penetration frequency of Phytophthora infestans, a potato late blight pathogen, was significantly reduced in LjABCG1/pdr8-1 than in pdr8-1 plants. This finding indicated that LjABCG1, at least partially, complemented the phenotype of pdr8 in Arabidopsis, suggesting the multiple roles of this protein in plant-microbe interactions.

WRKY Transcription Factors Phosphorylated by MAPK Regulate a Plant Immune NADPH Oxidase in Nicotiana benthamiana

Pathogen attack sequentially confers pattern-triggered immunity (PTI) and effector-triggered immunity (ETI) after sensing of pathogen patterns and effectors by plant immune receptors, respectively. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play pivotal roles in PTI and ETI as signaling molecules. Nicotiana benthamiana RBOHB, an NADPH oxidase, is responsible for both the transient PTI ROS burst and the robust ETI ROS burst. Here, we show that RBOHB transactivation mediated by MAPK contributes to R3a/AVR3a-triggered ETI (AVR3a-ETI) ROS burst. RBOHB is markedly induced during the ETI and INF1-triggered PTI (INF1-PTI), but not flg22-tiggered PTI (flg22-PTI). We found that the RBOHB promoter contains a functional W-box in the R3a/AVR3a and INF1 signal-responsive cis-element. Ectopic expression of four phospho-mimicking mutants of WRKY transcription factors, which are MAPK substrates, induced RBOHB, and yeast one-hybrid analysis indicated that these mutants bind to the cis-element. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays indicated direct binding of the WRKY to the cis-element in plants. Silencing of multiple WRKY genes compromised the upregulation of RBOHB, resulting in impairment of AVR3a-ETI and INF1-PTI ROS bursts, but not the flg22-PTI ROS burst. These results suggest that the MAPK-WRKY pathway is required for AVR3a-ETI and INF1-PTI ROS bursts by activation of RBOHB.

A receptor pair with an integrated decoy converts pathogen disabling of transcription factors to immunity

Microbial pathogens infect host cells by delivering virulence factors (effectors) that interfere with defenses. In plants, intracellular nucleotide-binding/leucine-rich repeat receptors (NLRs) detect specific effector interference and trigger immunity by an unknown mechanism. The Arabidopsis-interacting NLR pair, RRS1-R with RPS4, confers resistance to different pathogens, including Ralstonia solanacearum bacteria expressing the acetyltransferase effector PopP2. We show that PopP2 directly acetylates a key lysine within an additional C-terminal WRKY transcription factor domain of RRS1-R that binds DNA. This disrupts RRS1-R DNA association and activates RPS4-dependent immunity. PopP2 uses the same lysine acetylation strategy to target multiple defense-promoting WRKY transcription factors, causing loss of WRKY-DNA binding and transactivating functions needed for defense gene expression and disease resistance. Thus, RRS1-R integrates an effector target with an NLR complex at the DNA to switch a potent bacterial virulence activity into defense gene activation.

Cell death-inducing stresses are required for defense activation in DS1-phosphatidic acid phosphatase-silenced Nicotiana benthamiana

We previously identified DS1 plants that showed resistance to compatible Ralstonia solanacearum with accelerated defense responses. Here, we describe activation mechanisms of defense responses in DS1 plants. After inoculation with incompatible R. solanacearum 8107, DS1 plants showed hyperinduction of hypersensitive response (HR) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. Transient expression of PopP1 and AvrA induced hyperinduction of HR and ROS generation. Furthermore, Pseudomonas cichorii (Pc) and a type III secretion system (TTSS)-deficient mutant of P. cichorii showed accelerated induction of HR and ROS generation. Chitin and flg22 did not induce either HR or ROS hyperaccumulation; however, INF1 accelerated HR and ROS in DS1 plants. Activation of these defense responses was closely associated with increased phosphatidic acid (PA) content. Our results show that DS1 plants exhibit PA-mediated sensitization of plant defenses and that cell death-inducing stress is required to achieve full activation of defense responses.

Adoptive Transfer of MAGE-A4 T-cell Receptor Gene-Transduced Lymphocytes in Patients with Recurrent Esophageal Cancer

PURPOSE

Preparative lymphodepletion, the temporal ablation of the immune system, has been reported to promote persistence of transferred cells along with increased rates of tumor regression in patients treated with adoptive T-cell therapy. However, it remains unclear whether lymphodepletion is indispensable for immunotherapy with T-cell receptor (TCR) gene-engineered T cells.

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN

We conducted a first-in-man clinical trial of TCR gene-transduced T-cell transfer in patients with recurrent MAGE-A4-expressing esophageal cancer. The patients were given sequential MAGE-A4 peptide vaccinations. The regimen included neither lymphocyte-depleting conditioning nor administration of IL2. Ten patients, divided into 3 dose cohorts, received T-cell transfer.

RESULTS

TCR-transduced cells were detected in the peripheral blood for 1 month at levels proportional to the dose administered, and in 5 patients they persisted for more than 5 months. The persisting cells maintained ex vivo antigen-specific tumor reactivity. Despite the long persistence of the transferred T cells, 7 patients exhibited tumor progression within 2 months after the treatment. Three patients who had minimal tumor lesions at baseline survived for more than 27 months.

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest that TCR-engineered T cells created by relatively short-duration in vitro culture of polyclonal lymphocytes in peripheral blood retained the capacity to survive in a host. The discordance between T-cell survival and tumor regression suggests that multiple mechanisms underlie the benefits of preparative lymphodepletion in adoptive T-cell therapy.

Kinase-mediated orchestration of NADPH oxidase in plant immunity

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are important signalling molecules, which participate in multiple physiological processes including immune response, development, cell elongation and hormonal signalling in plants. Plant NADPH oxidase, termed respiratory burst oxidase homologue (RBOH), is frequently studied as a main player for pathogen-responsive ROS burst. Our understanding of the activation mechanism of RBOH after pathogen recognition has increased in recent years. In this review, we focus on kinase-mediated regulatory mechanisms of RBOHs. Calcium-dependent protein kinases (CDPKs) are well known to activate RBOHs by direct phosphorylation. In addition to functions of CDPKs in plants, we also describe the involvement of receptor-like cytoplasmic kinases (RLCKs) and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) in fine-tuning RBOH activity at the post-translational and transcriptional levels, respectively.

Abstract CT212: Adoptive transfer of wild-type TCR gene transduced T lymphocytes targeting MAGE-A4 antigen to patients with refractory esophageal cancer

Introduction:

Engineering an antigen receptor gene in patients' lymphocytes is one promising strategy to create antigen-specific lymphocytes without senescent phenotypes. The strategy provides an opportunity to extend the application of adoptive T cell therapy for cancer patients. However, this concept has not been tested in epithelial cancer patients.

Material and methods:

MAGE-A4-specific TCR α and β chains were isolated from a human T cell clone that recognizes MAGE-A4 143-151 peptide in an HLA-A*24:02 restricted manner. This T cell clone did not show any cross reactivity to the peptides with a homology to the MAGE-A4 epitope. A retroviral vector that encodes these TCR chains without any artificial modification was constructed; the lymphocytes transduced with the retroviral vector killed the MAGE-A4 expressing tumor in vitro and inhibited the tumor growth in the NOG immmunodeficient mice.

Patients were eligible if they had previously-treated recurrent MAGE-A4-expressing esophageal cancer, and were positive for HLA-A*24;02. Lymphocytes harvested from the patients were infected with the retroviral vector. The TCR-gene transduced T lymphocytes were once transferred to the patients without lymphocyte-depleting treatment, and MAGE-A4 peptide was given 2 and 4 weeks after. The cell doses were divided into 3 cohorts of 2x108 1x109 and 5x109, with a dose-escalating design, by evaluating the safety.

Results:

10 patients received the TCR-gene transduced T lymphocytes. No adverse events related to the cell transfer were observed. The TCR-gene transduced lymphocytes were detected in their peripheral blood in all 10 patients, which showed a dose-dependent appearance during the first 14 days, reaching peak and plateau levels from 3 to 7 days, and declined within 14 days. The cells persisted at 0.5% to 1% level in the peripheral mononuclear cells from day 14 to 63 after the cell transfer. In 6 patients whose blood samples had been collected for over 6 months, 3 patients maintained stable levels as long as 16 months, maintaining the immune reactivity to MAGE-A4-expressing tumor cells. In one patient, whose esophageal tumor was biopsied after the transfer, the TCR-gene transduced cells were detected in the tumor site.

7 patients developed tumor progressions within 2 months after the transfer. Their overall survivals were ranged from 3 to 18+ months, with a median of 10. 3 patients who had minimal tumor lesions at baseline have been free from disease-progression for 12, 15, and 19 months, respectively.

Conclusion:

Wild-type TCR-gene transduced lymphocytes targeting MAGE-A4 antigen were safely given to refractory esophageal cancer patients. The cells persisted in their peripheral blood in a dose-dependent manner in the early phase, and they have been stably persisting over 6 months. Three patients are free from disease progression more than a year. These results encourage us to proceed to further phase trials.

Citation Format: Shinichi Kageyama, Hiroaki Ikeda, Naoko Imai, Mikiya Ishihara, Yoshihiro Miyahara, Shugo Ueda, Takeshi Ishikawa, Hiroaki Naota, Kohshi Ohishi, Taizo Shiraishi, Naoki Inoue, Masashige Tanabe, Tomohide Kidokoro, Hirofumi Yoshioka, Daisuke Tomura, Ikuei Nukaya, Junichi Mineno, Kazutoh Takesako, Naoyuki Katayama, Hiroshi Shiku. Adoptive transfer of wild-type TCR gene transduced T lymphocytes targeting MAGE-A4 antigen to patients with refractory esophageal cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr CT212. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-CT212

SEC14 phospholipid transfer protein is involved in lipid signaling-mediated plant immune responses in Nicotiana benthamiana

We previously identified a gene related to the SEC14-gene phospholipid transfer protein superfamily that is induced in Nicotiana benthamiana (NbSEC14) in response to infection with Ralstonia solanacearum. We here report that NbSEC14 plays a role in plant immune responses via phospholipid-turnover. NbSEC14-silencing compromised expression of defense-related PR-4 and accumulation of jasmonic acid (JA) and its derivative JA-Ile. Transient expression of NbSEC14 induced PR-4 gene expression. Activities of diacylglycerol kinase, phospholipase C and D, and the synthesis of diacylglycerol and phosphatidic acid elicited by avirulent R. solanacearum were reduced in NbSEC14-silenced plants. Accumulation of signaling lipids and activation of diacylglycerol kinase and phospholipases were enhanced by transient expression of NbSEC14. These results suggest that the NbSEC14 protein plays a role at the interface between lipid signaling-metabolism and plant innate immune responses.

Silencing of DS2 aminoacylase-like genes confirms basal resistance to Phytophthora infestans in Nicotiana benthamiana

Nicotiana benthamiana is a potential host to several plant pathogens, and immature leaves of N. benthamiana are susceptible to Phytophthora infestans. In contrast, mature leaves of N. benthamiana are weakly susceptible and show basal resistance to P. infestans. We screened a gene-silenced mature plant showing high resistance to P. infestans, designated as DS2 (Disease suppression 2). The deduced amino acid sequence of cDNA responsible for DS2 encoded a putative aminoacylase. Growth of P. infestans decreased in DS2 plants. Trypan blue staining revealed inhibited hyphae growth of P. infestans with an increased number of dead cells under the penetration site in DS2 plants. Consistent with growth inhibition of P. infestans, defense responses such as reactive oxygen generation and expression of a salicylic acid-dependent PR-1a increased markedly in DS2 plants compared with that of control plants. DS2 phenotype was compromised in NahG plants, suggesting DS2 phenotype depends on the salicylic acid signaling pathway. Accelerated defense response was observed in DS2 plants elicited by INF1 elicitin as well as by NbMEK2(DD), which is the constitutive active form of NbMEK2, and act as a downstream regulator of INF1 perception. On the other hand, INF1- and NbMEK2(DD)-induced defense responses were prevented by DS2-overexpressing transgenic tobacco. These results suggest that DS2 negatively regulates plant defense responses against P. infestans via NbMEK2 and SA-dependent signaling pathway in N. benthamiana.

In vivo phosphorylation of WRKY transcription factor by MAPK

Plants activate signaling networks in response to diverse pathogen-derived signals, facilitating transcriptional reprogramming through mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades. Identification of phosphorylation targets of MAPK and in vivo detection of the phosphorylated substrates are important processes to elucidate the signaling pathway in plant immune responses. We have identified a WRKY transcription factor, which is phosphorylated by defense-related MAPKs, SIPK and WIPK. Recent evidence demonstrated that some group I WRKY transcription factors, which contain a conserved motif in the N-terminal region, are activated by MAPK-dependent phosphorylation. In this chapter, we describe protocols for preparation of anti-phosphopeptide antibodies, detection of activated MAPKs using anti-phospho-MAPK antibody, and activated WRKY using anti-phospho-WRKY antibody, respectively.