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Zhang S, Ma Z. trans-Interacting Plasma Membrane Proteins and Binding Partner Identification. J Proteome Res 2024; 23:3322-3331. [PMID: 38937710 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.4c00289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/29/2024]
Abstract
Plasma membrane proteins (PMPs) play critical roles in a myriad of physiological and disease conditions. A unique subset of PMPs functions through interacting with each other in trans at the interface between two contacting cells. These trans-interacting PMPs (tiPMPs) include adhesion molecules and ligands/receptors that facilitate cell-cell contact and direct communication between cells. Among the tiPMPs, a significant number have apparent extracellular binding domains but remain orphans with no known binding partners. Identification of their potential binding partners is therefore important for the understanding of processes such as organismal development and immune cell activation. While a number of methods have been developed for the identification of protein binding partners in general, very few are applicable to tiPMPs, which interact in a two-dimensional fashion with low intrinsic binding affinities. In this review, we present the significance of tiPMP interactions, the challenges of identifying binding partners for tiPMPs, and the landscape of method development. We describe current avidity-based screening approaches for identifying novel tiPMP binding partners and discuss their advantages and limitations. We conclude by highlighting the importance of developing novel methods of identifying new tiPMP interactions for deciphering the complex protein interactome and developing targeted therapeutics for diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shenyu Zhang
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States
| | - Zhengyu Ma
- Nemours Children's Hospital, Wilmington, Delaware 19803, United States
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2
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Schoufour TA, van der Plas - van Duijn A, Derksen I, Melgers M, van Veenendaal JM, Lensen C, Heemskerk MH, Neefjes J, Wijdeven RH, Scheeren FA. CRISPR-Cas9 screening reveals a distinct class of MHC-I binders with precise HLA-peptide recognition. iScience 2024; 27:110120. [PMID: 38939106 PMCID: PMC11209011 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.110120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2024] [Revised: 04/10/2024] [Accepted: 05/24/2024] [Indexed: 06/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class-I molecules present fragments of the cellular proteome to the T cell receptor (TCR) of cytotoxic T cells to control infectious diseases and cancer. The large number of combinations of HLA class-I allotypes and peptides allows for highly specific and dedicated low-affinity interactions to a diverse array of TCRs and natural killer (NK) cell receptors. Whether the divergent HLA class-I peptide complex is exclusive for interactions with these proteins is unknown. Using genome-wide CRISPR-Cas9 activation and knockout screens, we identified peptide-specific HLA-C∗07 combinations that can interact with the surface molecules CD55 and heparan sulfate. These interactions closely resemble the HLA class-I interaction with the TCR regarding both the affinity range and the specificity of the peptide and HLA allele. These findings indicate that various proteins can specifically bind HLA class-I peptide complexes due to their polymorphic nature, which suggests there are more interactions like the ones we describe here.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tom A.W. Schoufour
- Department of Cell and Chemical Biology, Oncode Institute, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA Leiden, Zuid-Holland, the Netherlands
| | - Anneloes van der Plas - van Duijn
- Department of Medical Oncology, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA Leiden, Zuid-Holland, the Netherlands
- Department of Dermatology, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA Leiden, Zuid-Holland, the Netherlands
| | - Ian Derksen
- Department of Dermatology, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA Leiden, Zuid-Holland, the Netherlands
| | - Marije Melgers
- Department of Cell and Chemical Biology, Oncode Institute, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA Leiden, Zuid-Holland, the Netherlands
| | | | - Claire Lensen
- Department of Medical Oncology, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA Leiden, Zuid-Holland, the Netherlands
| | - Mirjam H.M. Heemskerk
- Department of Hematology, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA Leiden, Zuid-Holland, the Netherlands
| | - Jacques Neefjes
- Department of Cell and Chemical Biology, Oncode Institute, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA Leiden, Zuid-Holland, the Netherlands
| | - Ruud H.M. Wijdeven
- Department of Cell and Chemical Biology, Oncode Institute, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA Leiden, Zuid-Holland, the Netherlands
- Department of Functional Genomics, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research (CNCR), Vrije Universiteit Medical Center, 1007 MB Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, the Netherlands
| | - Ferenc A. Scheeren
- Department of Dermatology, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA Leiden, Zuid-Holland, the Netherlands
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3
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Edmans MD, Connelley TK, Morgan S, Pediongco TJ, Jayaraman S, Juno JA, Meehan BS, Dewar PM, Maze EA, Roos EO, Paudyal B, Mak JYW, Liu L, Fairlie DP, Wang H, Corbett AJ, McCluskey J, Benedictus L, Tchilian E, Klenerman P, Eckle SBG. MAIT cell-MR1 reactivity is highly conserved across multiple divergent species. J Biol Chem 2024; 300:107338. [PMID: 38705391 PMCID: PMC11190491 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2024.107338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2023] [Revised: 04/03/2024] [Accepted: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 05/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells are a subset of unconventional T cells that recognize small molecule metabolites presented by major histocompatibility complex class I related protein 1 (MR1), via an αβ T cell receptor (TCR). MAIT TCRs feature an essentially invariant TCR α-chain, which is highly conserved between mammals. Similarly, MR1 is the most highly conserved major histocompatibility complex-I-like molecule. This extreme conservation, including the mode of interaction between the MAIT TCR and MR1, has been shown to allow for species-mismatched reactivities unique in T cell biology, thereby allowing the use of selected species-mismatched MR1-antigen (MR1-Ag) tetramers in comparative immunology studies. However, the pattern of cross-reactivity of species-mismatched MR1-Ag tetramers in identifying MAIT cells in diverse species has not been formally assessed. We developed novel cattle and pig MR1-Ag tetramers and utilized these alongside previously developed human, mouse, and pig-tailed macaque MR1-Ag tetramers to characterize cross-species tetramer reactivities. MR1-Ag tetramers from each species identified T cell populations in distantly related species with specificity that was comparable to species-matched MR1-Ag tetramers. However, there were subtle differences in staining characteristics with practical implications for the accurate identification of MAIT cells. Pig MR1 is sufficiently conserved across species that pig MR1-Ag tetramers identified MAIT cells from the other species. However, MAIT cells in pigs were at the limits of phenotypic detection. In the absence of sheep MR1-Ag tetramers, a MAIT cell population in sheep blood was identified phenotypically, utilizing species-mismatched MR1-Ag tetramers. Collectively, our results validate the use and define the limitations of species-mismatched MR1-Ag tetramers in comparative immunology studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew D Edmans
- Department of Enhanced Host Responses, The Pirbright Institute, Pirbright, United Kingdom; Peter Medawar Building for Pathogen Research, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
| | - Timothy K Connelley
- Division of Infection and Immunity, The Roslin Institute, The University of Edinburgh, Roslin, United Kingdom
| | - Sophie Morgan
- Department of Enhanced Host Responses, The Pirbright Institute, Pirbright, United Kingdom
| | - Troi J Pediongco
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Siddharth Jayaraman
- Division of Infection and Immunity, The Roslin Institute, The University of Edinburgh, Roslin, United Kingdom
| | - Jennifer A Juno
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Bronwyn S Meehan
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Phoebe M Dewar
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Emmanuel A Maze
- Department of Enhanced Host Responses, The Pirbright Institute, Pirbright, United Kingdom
| | - Eduard O Roos
- Department of Enhanced Host Responses, The Pirbright Institute, Pirbright, United Kingdom
| | - Basudev Paudyal
- Department of Enhanced Host Responses, The Pirbright Institute, Pirbright, United Kingdom
| | - Jeffrey Y W Mak
- Centre for Chemistry and Drug Discovery, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia; Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Ligong Liu
- Centre for Chemistry and Drug Discovery, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - David P Fairlie
- Centre for Chemistry and Drug Discovery, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia; Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Huimeng Wang
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Disease, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Alexandra J Corbett
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - James McCluskey
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Lindert Benedictus
- Division of Infection and Immunity, The Roslin Institute, The University of Edinburgh, Roslin, United Kingdom; Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Population Health Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Elma Tchilian
- Department of Enhanced Host Responses, The Pirbright Institute, Pirbright, United Kingdom
| | - Paul Klenerman
- Peter Medawar Building for Pathogen Research, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Sidonia B G Eckle
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
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McMaster B, Thorpe C, Ogg G, Deane CM, Koohy H. Can AlphaFold's breakthrough in protein structure help decode the fundamental principles of adaptive cellular immunity? Nat Methods 2024; 21:766-776. [PMID: 38654083 DOI: 10.1038/s41592-024-02240-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2023] [Accepted: 03/08/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
T cells are essential immune cells responsible for identifying and eliminating pathogens. Through interactions between their T-cell antigen receptors (TCRs) and antigens presented by major histocompatibility complex molecules (MHCs) or MHC-like molecules, T cells discriminate foreign and self peptides. Determining the fundamental principles that govern these interactions has important implications in numerous medical contexts. However, reconstructing a map between T cells and their antagonist antigens remains an open challenge for the field of immunology, and success of in silico reconstructions of this relationship has remained incremental. In this Perspective, we discuss the role that new state-of-the-art deep-learning models for predicting protein structure may play in resolving some of the unanswered questions the field faces linking TCR and peptide-MHC properties to T-cell specificity. We provide a comprehensive overview of structural databases and the evolution of predictive models, and highlight the breakthrough AlphaFold provided the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin McMaster
- MRC Translational Immune Discovery Unit, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Department of Statistics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Christopher Thorpe
- Open Targets, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, UK
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, UK
| | - Graham Ogg
- MRC Translational Immune Discovery Unit, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Oxford Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | | | - Hashem Koohy
- MRC Translational Immune Discovery Unit, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
- Alan Turning Fellow in Health and Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
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5
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Hiscox MJ, Wasmuth A, Williams CL, Foot JN, Wiedermann GE, Fadda V, Boiani S, Cornforth TV, Wikiert KA, Bruton S, Cartwright N, Anderson VE, Barnes CS, Vieira JV, Birch-Machin I, Gerry AB, Miller K, Pumphrey NJ. Selection, engineering, and in vivo testing of a human leukocyte antigen-independent T-cell receptor recognizing human mesothelin. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0301175. [PMID: 38574067 PMCID: PMC10994368 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0301175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2023] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Canonical α/β T-cell receptors (TCRs) bind to human leukocyte antigen (HLA) displaying antigenic peptides to elicit T cell-mediated cytotoxicity. TCR-engineered T-cell immunotherapies targeting cancer-specific peptide-HLA complexes (pHLA) are generating exciting clinical responses, but owing to HLA restriction they are only able to target a subset of antigen-positive patients. More recently, evidence has been published indicating that naturally occurring α/β TCRs can target cell surface proteins other than pHLA, which would address the challenges of HLA restriction. In this proof-of-concept study, we sought to identify and engineer so-called HLA-independent TCRs (HiTs) against the tumor-associated antigen mesothelin. METHODS Using phage display, we identified a HiT that bound well to mesothelin, which when expressed in primary T cells, caused activation and cytotoxicity. We subsequently engineered this HiT to modulate the T-cell response to varying levels of mesothelin on the cell surface. RESULTS The isolated HiT shows cytotoxic activity and demonstrates killing of both mesothelin-expressing cell lines and patient-derived xenograft models. Additionally, we demonstrated that HiT-transduced T cells do not require CD4 or CD8 co-receptors and, unlike a TCR fusion construct, are not inhibited by soluble mesothelin. Finally, we showed that HiT-transduced T cells are highly efficacious in vivo, completely eradicating xenografted human solid tumors. CONCLUSION HiTs can be isolated from fully human TCR-displaying phage libraries against cell surface-expressed antigens. HiTs are able to fully activate primary T cells both in vivo and in vitro. HiTs may enable the efficacy seen with pHLA-targeting TCRs in solid tumors to be translated to cell surface antigens.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Jaelle N. Foot
- Research, Adaptimmune, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
| | | | - Valeria Fadda
- Research, Adaptimmune, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
| | - Sara Boiani
- Research, Adaptimmune, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
| | | | | | - Shaun Bruton
- Research, Adaptimmune, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
| | - Neil Cartwright
- Research, Adaptimmune, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
| | | | | | - Joao V. Vieira
- Research, Adaptimmune, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
| | | | - Andrew B. Gerry
- Research, Adaptimmune, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
| | - Karen Miller
- Research, Adaptimmune, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
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6
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García-Álvarez MA, Chaves-Pozo E, Cuesta A. Cytotoxic activity and gene expression during in vitro adaptive cell-mediated cytotoxicity of head-kidney cells from betanodavirus-infected European sea bass. DEVELOPMENTAL AND COMPARATIVE IMMUNOLOGY 2024; 152:105124. [PMID: 38145864 DOI: 10.1016/j.dci.2023.105124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2023] [Revised: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 12/27/2023]
Abstract
Cell-mediated cytotoxicity (CMC) is essential in eradicating virus-infected cells, involving CD8+ T lymphocytes (CTLs) and natural killer (NK) cells, through the activation of different pathways. This immune response is well-studied in mammals but scarcely in teleost fish. Our aim was to investigate the adaptive CMC using head-kidney (HK) cells from European sea bass infected at different times with nodavirus (NNV), as effector cells, and the European sea bass brain cell line (DLB-1) infected with different NNV genotypes, as target cells. Results showed low and unaltered innate cytotoxic activity through the infection time. However, adaptive CMC against RGNNV and SJNNV/RGNNV-infected target cells increased from 7 to 30 days post-infection, peaking at 15 days, demonstrating the specificity of the cytotoxic activity and suggesting the involvement of CTLs. At transcriptomic level, we observed up-regulation of genes related to T cell activation, perforin/granzyme and Fas/FasL effector pathways as well as apoptotic cell death. Further studies are necessary to understand the adaptive role of European sea bass CTLs in the elimination of NNV-infected cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel A García-Álvarez
- Immunobiology for Aquaculture Group, Department of Cell Biology and Histology, Faculty of Biology, University of Murcia, 30100, Murcia, Spain
| | - Elena Chaves-Pozo
- Physiology and Welfare of Marine Species Group (PHYSIS), Centro Oceanográfico de Murcia (COMU-IEO), CSIC, Carretera de la Azohía s/n, Puerto de Mazarrón, 30860, Murcia, Spain
| | - Alberto Cuesta
- Immunobiology for Aquaculture Group, Department of Cell Biology and Histology, Faculty of Biology, University of Murcia, 30100, Murcia, Spain.
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7
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Shah RK, Cygan E, Kozlik T, Colina A, Zamora AE. Utilizing immunogenomic approaches to prioritize targetable neoantigens for personalized cancer immunotherapy. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1301100. [PMID: 38149253 PMCID: PMC10749952 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1301100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 12/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Advancements in sequencing technologies and bioinformatics algorithms have expanded our ability to identify tumor-specific somatic mutation-derived antigens (neoantigens). While recent studies have shown neoantigens to be compelling targets for cancer immunotherapy due to their foreign nature and high immunogenicity, the need for increasingly accurate and cost-effective approaches to rapidly identify neoantigens remains a challenging task, but essential for successful cancer immunotherapy. Currently, gene expression analysis and algorithms for variant calling can be used to generate lists of mutational profiles across patients, but more care is needed to curate these lists and prioritize the candidate neoantigens most capable of inducing an immune response. A growing amount of evidence suggests that only a handful of somatic mutations predicted by mutational profiling approaches act as immunogenic neoantigens. Hence, unbiased screening of all candidate neoantigens predicted by Whole Genome Sequencing/Whole Exome Sequencing may be necessary to more comprehensively access the full spectrum of immunogenic neoepitopes. Once putative cancer neoantigens are identified, one of the largest bottlenecks in translating these neoantigens into actionable targets for cell-based therapies is identifying the cognate T cell receptors (TCRs) capable of recognizing these neoantigens. While many TCR-directed screening and validation assays have utilized bulk samples in the past, there has been a recent surge in the number of single-cell assays that provide a more granular understanding of the factors governing TCR-pMHC interactions. The goal of this review is to provide an overview of existing strategies to identify candidate neoantigens using genomics-based approaches and methods for assessing neoantigen immunogenicity. Additionally, applications, prospects, and limitations of some of the current single-cell technologies will be discussed. Finally, we will briefly summarize some of the recent models that have been used to predict TCR antigen specificity and analyze the TCR receptor repertoire.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ravi K. Shah
- Department of Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
| | - Erin Cygan
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
| | - Tanya Kozlik
- Department of Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
| | - Alfredo Colina
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
| | - Anthony E. Zamora
- Department of Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States
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8
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Zhou Y, Jadlowsky J, Baiduc C, Klattenhoff AW, Chen Z, Bennett AD, Pumphrey NJ, Jakobsen BK, Riley JL. Chimeric antigen receptors enable superior control of HIV replication by rapidly killing infected cells. PLoS Pathog 2023; 19:e1011853. [PMID: 38100526 PMCID: PMC10773964 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1011853] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2023] [Revised: 01/08/2024] [Accepted: 11/21/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Engineered T cells hold great promise to become part of an effective HIV cure strategy, but it is currently unclear how best to redirect T cells to target HIV. To gain insight, we generated engineered T cells using lentiviral vectors encoding one of three distinct HIV-specific T cell receptors (TCRs) or a previously optimized HIV-targeting chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) and compared their functional capabilities. All engineered T cells had robust, antigen-specific polyfunctional cytokine profiles when mixed with artificial antigen-presenting cells. However, only the CAR T cells could potently control HIV replication. TCR affinity enhancement did not augment HIV control but did allow TCR T cells to recognize common HIV escape variants. Interestingly, either altering Nef activity or adding additional target epitopes into the HIV genome bolstered TCR T cell anti-HIV activity, but CAR T cells remained superior in their ability to control HIV replication. To better understand why CAR T cells control HIV replication better than TCR T cells, we performed a time course to determine when HIV-specific T cells were first able to activate Caspase 3 in HIV-infected targets. We demonstrated that CAR T cells recognized and killed HIV-infected targets more rapidly than TCR T cells, which correlates with their ability to control HIV replication. These studies suggest that the speed of target recognition and killing is a key determinant of whether engineered T cell therapies will be effective against infectious diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuqi Zhou
- Department of Microbiology and Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Julie Jadlowsky
- Department of Microbiology and Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Caitlin Baiduc
- Department of Microbiology and Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Alex W. Klattenhoff
- Department of Microbiology and Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Zhilin Chen
- Department of Microbiology and Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | | | | | - Bent K. Jakobsen
- Adaptimmune Ltd, Abingdon, United Kingdom
- Immunocore Ltd., Abingdon, United Kingdom
| | - James L. Riley
- Department of Microbiology and Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
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9
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Lu D, Chen Y, Jiang M, Wang J, Li Y, Ma K, Sun W, Zheng X, Qi J, Jin W, Chen Y, Chai Y, Zhang CWH, Liang H, Tan S, Gao GF. KRAS G12V neoantigen specific T cell receptor for adoptive T cell therapy against tumors. Nat Commun 2023; 14:6389. [PMID: 37828002 PMCID: PMC10570350 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42010-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 10/14/2023] Open
Abstract
KRAS mutations are broadly recognized as promising targets for tumor therapy. T cell receptors (TCRs) can specifically recognize KRAS mutant neoantigens presented by human lymphocyte antigen (HLA) and mediate T cell responses to eliminate tumor cells. In the present study, we identify two TCRs specific for the 9-mer KRAS-G12V mutant neoantigen in the context of HLA-A*11:01. The TCR-T cells are constructed and display cytokine secretion and cytotoxicity upon co-culturing with varied tumor cells expressing the KRAS-G12V mutation. Moreover, 1-2C TCR-T cells show anti-tumor activity in preclinical models in female mice. The 9-mer KRAS-G12V mutant peptide exhibits a distinct conformation from the 9-mer wildtype peptide and its 10-mer counterparts. Specific recognition of the G12V mutant by TCR depends both on distinct conformation from wildtype peptide and on direct interaction with residues from TCRs. Our study reveals the mechanisms of presentation and TCR recognition of KRAS-G12V mutant peptide and describes TCRs with therapeutic potency for tumor immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan Lu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Savaid Medical School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Immunology, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, National Centre for Children's Health, Beijing, China
| | - Yuan Chen
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Savaid Medical School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Collaborative Innovation Centre of Regenerative Medicine and Medical BioResource Development and Application Co-constructed by the Province and Ministry, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi, China
| | - Min Jiang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Savaid Medical School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jie Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Savaid Medical School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yiting Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Savaid Medical School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Keke Ma
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Savaid Medical School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Shenzhen Children's Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Wenqiao Sun
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xing Zheng
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jianxun Qi
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Wenjing Jin
- YKimmu (Beijing) Biotechnology Co., Ltd, Beijing, China
| | - Yu Chen
- YKimmu (Beijing) Biotechnology Co., Ltd, Beijing, China
| | - Yan Chai
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | | | - Hao Liang
- Collaborative Innovation Centre of Regenerative Medicine and Medical BioResource Development and Application Co-constructed by the Province and Ministry, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi, China
| | - Shuguang Tan
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
- Savaid Medical School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
- Shenzhen Children's Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.
- Beijing Life Science Academy, Beijing, China.
| | - George F Gao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
- Savaid Medical School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
- Beijing Life Science Academy, Beijing, China.
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10
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Dolton G, Rius C, Wall A, Szomolay B, Bianchi V, Galloway SAE, Hasan MS, Morin T, Caillaud ME, Thomas HL, Theaker S, Tan LR, Fuller A, Topley K, Legut M, Attaf M, Hopkins JR, Behiry E, Zabkiewicz J, Alvares C, Lloyd A, Rogers A, Henley P, Fegan C, Ottmann O, Man S, Crowther MD, Donia M, Svane IM, Cole DK, Brown PE, Rizkallah P, Sewell AK. Targeting of multiple tumor-associated antigens by individual T cell receptors during successful cancer immunotherapy. Cell 2023; 186:3333-3349.e27. [PMID: 37490916 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2023.06.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2022] [Revised: 04/20/2023] [Accepted: 06/24/2023] [Indexed: 07/27/2023]
Abstract
The T cells of the immune system can target tumors and clear solid cancers following tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy. We used combinatorial peptide libraries and a proteomic database to reveal the antigen specificities of persistent cancer-specific T cell receptors (TCRs) following successful TIL therapy for stage IV malignant melanoma. Remarkably, individual TCRs could target multiple different tumor types via the HLA A∗02:01-restricted epitopes EAAGIGILTV, LLLGIGILVL, and NLSALGIFST from Melan A, BST2, and IMP2, respectively. Atomic structures of a TCR bound to all three antigens revealed the importance of the shared x-x-x-A/G-I/L-G-I-x-x-x recognition motif. Multi-epitope targeting allows individual T cells to attack cancer in several ways simultaneously. Such "multipronged" T cells exhibited superior recognition of cancer cells compared with conventional T cell recognition of individual epitopes, making them attractive candidates for the development of future immunotherapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Garry Dolton
- Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, Wales CF14 4XN, UK
| | - Cristina Rius
- Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, Wales CF14 4XN, UK
| | - Aaron Wall
- Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, Wales CF14 4XN, UK
| | - Barbara Szomolay
- Systems Immunology Research Institute, Cardiff, Wales CF14 4XN, UK
| | - Valentina Bianchi
- Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, Wales CF14 4XN, UK
| | - Sarah A E Galloway
- Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, Wales CF14 4XN, UK
| | - Md Samiul Hasan
- Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, Wales CF14 4XN, UK
| | - Théo Morin
- Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, Wales CF14 4XN, UK
| | - Marine E Caillaud
- Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, Wales CF14 4XN, UK
| | - Hannah L Thomas
- Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, Wales CF14 4XN, UK
| | - Sarah Theaker
- Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, Wales CF14 4XN, UK
| | - Li Rong Tan
- Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, Wales CF14 4XN, UK
| | - Anna Fuller
- Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, Wales CF14 4XN, UK
| | - Katie Topley
- Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, Wales CF14 4XN, UK
| | - Mateusz Legut
- Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, Wales CF14 4XN, UK
| | - Meriem Attaf
- Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, Wales CF14 4XN, UK
| | - Jade R Hopkins
- Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, Wales CF14 4XN, UK
| | - Enas Behiry
- Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, Wales CF14 4XN, UK
| | - Joanna Zabkiewicz
- Division of Cancer and Genetics, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, Wales CF14 4XN, UK
| | - Caroline Alvares
- Division of Cancer and Genetics, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, Wales CF14 4XN, UK
| | - Angharad Lloyd
- Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, Wales CF14 4XN, UK
| | - Amber Rogers
- Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, Wales CF14 4XN, UK
| | - Peter Henley
- Division of Cancer and Genetics, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, Wales CF14 4XN, UK
| | - Christopher Fegan
- Division of Cancer and Genetics, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, Wales CF14 4XN, UK
| | - Oliver Ottmann
- Division of Cancer and Genetics, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, Wales CF14 4XN, UK
| | - Stephen Man
- Division of Cancer and Genetics, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, Wales CF14 4XN, UK
| | - Michael D Crowther
- Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, Wales CF14 4XN, UK; National Center for Cancer Immune Therapy, Department of Oncology, Copenhagen University Hospital, Herlev, Denmark
| | - Marco Donia
- National Center for Cancer Immune Therapy, Department of Oncology, Copenhagen University Hospital, Herlev, Denmark
| | - Inge Marie Svane
- National Center for Cancer Immune Therapy, Department of Oncology, Copenhagen University Hospital, Herlev, Denmark
| | - David K Cole
- Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, Wales CF14 4XN, UK
| | - Paul E Brown
- The Zeeman Institute, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK
| | - Pierre Rizkallah
- Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, Wales CF14 4XN, UK
| | - Andrew K Sewell
- Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, Wales CF14 4XN, UK; Systems Immunology Research Institute, Cardiff, Wales CF14 4XN, UK.
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11
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Knezevic L, Wachsmann TLA, Francis O, Dockree T, Bridgeman JS, Wouters A, de Wet B, Cole DK, Clement M, McLaren JE, Gostick E, Ladell K, Llewellyn-Lacey S, Price DA, van den Berg HA, Tabi Z, Sessions RB, Heemskerk MHM, Wooldridge L. High-affinity CD8 variants enhance the sensitivity of pMHCI antigen recognition via low-affinity TCRs. J Biol Chem 2023; 299:104981. [PMID: 37390984 PMCID: PMC10432799 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2023.104981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2023] [Revised: 06/01/2023] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 07/02/2023] Open
Abstract
CD8+ T cell-mediated recognition of peptide-major histocompatibility complex class I (pMHCI) molecules involves cooperative binding of the T cell receptor (TCR), which confers antigen specificity, and the CD8 coreceptor, which stabilizes the TCR/pMHCI complex. Earlier work has shown that the sensitivity of antigen recognition can be regulated in vitro by altering the strength of the pMHCI/CD8 interaction. Here, we characterized two CD8 variants with moderately enhanced affinities for pMHCI, aiming to boost antigen sensitivity without inducing non-specific activation. Expression of these CD8 variants in model systems preferentially enhanced pMHCI antigen recognition in the context of low-affinity TCRs. A similar effect was observed using primary CD4+ T cells transduced with cancer-targeting TCRs. The introduction of high-affinity CD8 variants also enhanced the functional sensitivity of primary CD8+ T cells expressing cancer-targeting TCRs, but comparable results were obtained using exogenous wild-type CD8. Specificity was retained in every case, with no evidence of reactivity in the absence of cognate antigen. Collectively, these findings highlight a generically applicable mechanism to enhance the sensitivity of low-affinity pMHCI antigen recognition, which could augment the therapeutic efficacy of clinically relevant TCRs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lea Knezevic
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK; Department of Haematology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
| | - Tassilo L A Wachsmann
- Department of Haematology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Ore Francis
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Tamsin Dockree
- Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, UK
| | | | - Anne Wouters
- Department of Haematology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | | | - David K Cole
- Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, UK; Immunocore, Abingdon, UK
| | - Mathew Clement
- Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, UK; Systems Immunity Research Institute, Cardiff University School of Medicine, University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, UK
| | - James E McLaren
- Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, UK
| | - Emma Gostick
- Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, UK
| | - Kristin Ladell
- Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, UK
| | - Sian Llewellyn-Lacey
- Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, UK
| | - David A Price
- Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, UK; Systems Immunity Research Institute, Cardiff University School of Medicine, University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, UK
| | | | - Zsuzsanna Tabi
- Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, UK
| | | | - Mirjam H M Heemskerk
- Department of Haematology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
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12
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Zhao Z, Xie Y, Bai B, Luo C, Zhou J, Li W, Meng Y, Li L, Li D, Li X, Li X, Wang X, Sun J, Xu Z, Sun Y, Zhang W, Fan Z, Zhao X, Wu L, Ma J, Li OY, Shang G, Chai Y, Liu K, Wang P, Gao GF, Qi J. Structural basis for receptor binding and broader interspecies receptor recognition of currently circulating Omicron sub-variants. Nat Commun 2023; 14:4405. [PMID: 37479708 PMCID: PMC10362042 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-39942-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 06/29/2023] [Indexed: 07/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Multiple SARS-CoV-2 Omicron sub-variants, such as BA.2, BA.2.12.1, BA.4, and BA.5, emerge one after another. BA.5 has become the dominant strain worldwide. Additionally, BA.2.75 is significantly increasing in some countries. Exploring their receptor binding and interspecies transmission risk is urgently needed. Herein, we examine the binding capacities of human and other 28 animal ACE2 orthologs covering nine orders towards S proteins of these sub-variants. The binding affinities between hACE2 and these sub-variants remain in the range as that of previous variants of concerns (VOCs) or interests (VOIs). Notably, R493Q reverse mutation enhances the bindings towards ACE2s from humans and many animals closely related to human life, suggesting an increased risk of cross-species transmission. Structures of S/hACE2 or RBD/hACE2 complexes for these sub-variants and BA.2 S binding to ACE2 of mouse, rat or golden hamster are determined to reveal the molecular basis for receptor binding and broader interspecies recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhennan Zhao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yufeng Xie
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Bin Bai
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Chunliang Luo
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Shanxi Agricultural University, Jinzhong, China
| | - Jingya Zhou
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Research Network of Immunity and Health (RNIH), Beijing Institutes of Life Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Weiwei Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yumin Meng
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Linjie Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Dedong Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaomei Li
- Shanxi Academy of Advanced Research and Innovation, Taiyuan, China
| | - Xiaoxiong Li
- Shanxi Academy of Advanced Research and Innovation, Taiyuan, China
| | - Xiaoyun Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Junqing Sun
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Shanxi Agricultural University, Jinzhong, China
| | - Zepeng Xu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Macau, China
| | - Yeping Sun
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Wei Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Zheng Fan
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xin Zhao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Linhuan Wu
- Chinese National Microbiology Data Center (NMDC), Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Juncai Ma
- Chinese National Microbiology Data Center (NMDC), Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Odel Y Li
- NHC Key Laboratory of Parasite and Vector Biology, National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shanghai, China
| | - Guijun Shang
- Shanxi Academy of Advanced Research and Innovation, Taiyuan, China
| | - Yan Chai
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Kefang Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
| | - Peiyi Wang
- Cryo-EM Center, Department of Biology, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China.
| | - George F Gao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
- Research Network of Immunity and Health (RNIH), Beijing Institutes of Life Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
| | - Jianxun Qi
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
- Beijing Life Science Academy, Beijing, China.
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13
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Li X, Singh NK, Collins DR, Ng R, Zhang A, Lamothe-Molina PA, Shahinian P, Xu S, Tan K, Piechocka-Trocha A, Urbach JM, Weber JK, Gaiha GD, Takou Mbah OC, Huynh T, Cheever S, Chen J, Birnbaum M, Zhou R, Walker BD, Wang JH. Molecular basis of differential HLA class I-restricted T cell recognition of a highly networked HIV peptide. Nat Commun 2023; 14:2929. [PMID: 37217466 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38573-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2022] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 05/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Cytotoxic-T-lymphocyte (CTL) mediated control of HIV-1 is enhanced by targeting highly networked epitopes in complex with human-leukocyte-antigen-class-I (HLA-I). However, the extent to which the presenting HLA allele contributes to this process is unknown. Here we examine the CTL response to QW9, a highly networked epitope presented by the disease-protective HLA-B57 and disease-neutral HLA-B53. Despite robust targeting of QW9 in persons expressing either allele, T cell receptor (TCR) cross-recognition of the naturally occurring variant QW9_S3T is consistently reduced when presented by HLA-B53 but not by HLA-B57. Crystal structures show substantial conformational changes from QW9-HLA to QW9_S3T-HLA by both alleles. The TCR-QW9-B53 ternary complex structure manifests how the QW9-B53 can elicit effective CTLs and suggests sterically hindered cross-recognition by QW9_S3T-B53. We observe populations of cross-reactive TCRs for B57, but not B53 and also find greater peptide-HLA stability for B57 in comparison to B53. These data demonstrate differential impacts of HLAs on TCR cross-recognition and antigen presentation of a naturally arising variant, with important implications for vaccine design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaolong Li
- School of Life Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230027, China.
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA.
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02215, USA.
| | - Nishant Kumar Singh
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT, Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, 20815, USA
| | - David R Collins
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, 20815, USA
| | - Robert Ng
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Angela Zhang
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | | | - Peter Shahinian
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Shutong Xu
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Kemin Tan
- Structural Biology Center, X-ray Science Division, Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL, 60439, USA
| | - Alicja Piechocka-Trocha
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, 20815, USA
| | | | - Jeffrey K Weber
- IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center, Computational Biology Center, Yorktown Heights, NY, 10598, USA
| | - Gaurav D Gaiha
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
- Division of Gastroenterology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | | | - Tien Huynh
- IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center, Computational Biology Center, Yorktown Heights, NY, 10598, USA
| | - Sophia Cheever
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - James Chen
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Michael Birnbaum
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT, Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA
| | - Ruhong Zhou
- IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center, Computational Biology Center, Yorktown Heights, NY, 10598, USA
- Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10025, USA
- Institute of Quantitative Biology, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310058, China
| | - Bruce D Walker
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA.
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, 20815, USA.
- Institute for Medical Engineering and Science and Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA.
| | - Jia-Huai Wang
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02215, USA.
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02215, USA.
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02215, USA.
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14
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Tippalagama R, Chihab LY, Kearns K, Lewis S, Panda S, Willemsen L, Burel JG, Lindestam Arlehamn CS. Antigen-specificity measurements are the key to understanding T cell responses. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1127470. [PMID: 37122719 PMCID: PMC10140422 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1127470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2022] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 05/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Antigen-specific T cells play a central role in the adaptive immune response and come in a wide range of phenotypes. T cell receptors (TCRs) mediate the antigen-specificities found in T cells. Importantly, high-throughput TCR sequencing provides a fingerprint which allows tracking of specific T cells and their clonal expansion in response to particular antigens. As a result, many studies have leveraged TCR sequencing in an attempt to elucidate the role of antigen-specific T cells in various contexts. Here, we discuss the published approaches to studying antigen-specific T cells and their specific TCR repertoire. Further, we discuss how these methods have been applied to study the TCR repertoire in various diseases in order to characterize the antigen-specific T cells involved in the immune control of disease.
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15
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Pettmann J, Awada L, Różycki B, Huhn A, Faour S, Kutuzov M, Limozin L, Weikl TR, van der Merwe PA, Robert P, Dushek O. Mechanical forces impair antigen discrimination by reducing differences in T-cell receptor/peptide-MHC off-rates. EMBO J 2023; 42:e111841. [PMID: 36484367 PMCID: PMC10068313 DOI: 10.15252/embj.2022111841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2022] [Revised: 11/08/2022] [Accepted: 11/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
T cells use their T-cell receptors (TCRs) to discriminate between lower-affinity self and higher-affinity foreign peptide major-histocompatibility-complexes (pMHCs) based on the TCR/pMHC off-rate. It is now appreciated that T cells generate mechanical forces during this process but how force impacts the TCR/pMHC off-rate remains debated. Here, we measured the effect of mechanical force on the off-rate of multiple TCR/pMHC interactions. Unexpectedly, we found that lower-affinity TCR/pMHCs with faster solution off-rates were more resistant to mechanical force (weak slip or catch bonds) than higher-affinity interactions (strong slip bonds). This was confirmed by molecular dynamics simulations. Consistent with these findings, we show that the best-characterized catch bond, involving the OT-I TCR, has a low affinity and an exceptionally fast solution off-rate. Our findings imply that reducing forces on the TCR/pMHC interaction improves antigen discrimination, and we suggest a role for the adhesion receptors CD2 and LFA-1 in force-shielding the TCR/pMHC interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lama Awada
- Laboratoire Adhesion et InflammationAix Marseille University UM 61, INSERM UMRS 1067, CNRS UMR 7333MarseilleFrance
| | | | - Anna Huhn
- Sir William Dunn School of PathologyUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
| | - Sara Faour
- Laboratoire Adhesion et InflammationAix Marseille University UM 61, INSERM UMRS 1067, CNRS UMR 7333MarseilleFrance
| | - Mikhail Kutuzov
- Sir William Dunn School of PathologyUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
| | - Laurent Limozin
- Laboratoire Adhesion et InflammationAix Marseille University UM 61, INSERM UMRS 1067, CNRS UMR 7333MarseilleFrance
| | - Thomas R Weikl
- Max Planck Institute of Colloids and InterfacesPotsdamGermany
| | | | - Philippe Robert
- Laboratoire Adhesion et InflammationAix Marseille University UM 61, INSERM UMRS 1067, CNRS UMR 7333MarseilleFrance
- Assistance Publique‐Hôpitaux de MarseilleMarseilleFrance
| | - Omer Dushek
- Sir William Dunn School of PathologyUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
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16
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Yang X, Garner LI, Zvyagin IV, Paley MA, Komech EA, Jude KM, Zhao X, Fernandes RA, Hassman LM, Paley GL, Savvides CS, Brackenridge S, Quastel MN, Chudakov DM, Bowness P, Yokoyama WM, McMichael AJ, Gillespie GM, Garcia KC. Autoimmunity-associated T cell receptors recognize HLA-B*27-bound peptides. Nature 2022; 612:771-777. [PMID: 36477533 PMCID: PMC10511244 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05501-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2021] [Accepted: 11/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Human leucocyte antigen B*27 (HLA-B*27) is strongly associated with inflammatory diseases of the spine and pelvis (for example, ankylosing spondylitis (AS)) and the eye (that is, acute anterior uveitis (AAU))1. How HLA-B*27 facilitates disease remains unknown, but one possible mechanism could involve presentation of pathogenic peptides to CD8+ T cells. Here we isolated orphan T cell receptors (TCRs) expressing a disease-associated public β-chain variable region-complementary-determining region 3β (BV9-CDR3β) motif2-4 from blood and synovial fluid T cells from individuals with AS and from the eye in individuals with AAU. These TCRs showed consistent α-chain variable region (AV21) chain pairing and were clonally expanded in the joint and eye. We used HLA-B*27:05 yeast display peptide libraries to identify shared self-peptides and microbial peptides that activated the AS- and AAU-derived TCRs. Structural analysis revealed that TCR cross-reactivity for peptide-MHC was rooted in a shared binding motif present in both self-antigens and microbial antigens that engages the BV9-CDR3β TCRs. These findings support the hypothesis that microbial antigens and self-antigens could play a pathogenic role in HLA-B*27-associated disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinbo Yang
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Structural Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Lee I Garner
- NDM Research Building, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Centre for Immuno-oncology, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Ivan V Zvyagin
- Center for Precision Genome Editing and Genetic Technologies for Biomedicine, Institute of Translational Medicine, Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, Moscow, Russian Federation
- Genomics of Adaptive Immunity Department, Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Michael A Paley
- Rheumatology Division, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Ekaterina A Komech
- Center for Precision Genome Editing and Genetic Technologies for Biomedicine, Institute of Translational Medicine, Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, Moscow, Russian Federation
- Genomics of Adaptive Immunity Department, Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Kevin M Jude
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Structural Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Xiang Zhao
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Structural Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Ricardo A Fernandes
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Structural Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Lynn M Hassman
- Department of Ophthalmology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Grace L Paley
- Department of Ophthalmology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Christina S Savvides
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Structural Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Simon Brackenridge
- NDM Research Building, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Centre for Immuno-oncology, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Max N Quastel
- NDM Research Building, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Centre for Immuno-oncology, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Dmitriy M Chudakov
- Center for Precision Genome Editing and Genetic Technologies for Biomedicine, Institute of Translational Medicine, Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, Moscow, Russian Federation
- Genomics of Adaptive Immunity Department, Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Paul Bowness
- Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics Rheumatology and Muscuoskeletal Science (NDORMS), Botnar Research Center, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Wayne M Yokoyama
- Rheumatology Division, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA.
- Bursky Center for Human Immunology and Immunotherapy Programs, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA.
| | - Andrew J McMichael
- NDM Research Building, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
- Centre for Immuno-oncology, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
| | - Geraldine M Gillespie
- NDM Research Building, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
- Centre for Immuno-oncology, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
| | - K Christopher Garcia
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
- Department of Structural Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
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17
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Sahoo A, Mukherjee D, Mahata D, Mukherjee G. Peptide–MHC complexes: dressing up to manipulate T cells against autoimmunity and cancer. Immunotherapy 2022; 14:337-350. [PMID: 35152723 DOI: 10.2217/imt-2021-0230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Antigen-specificity of T cells provides important clues to the pathogenesis of T cell-mediated autoimmune diseases and immune-evasion strategies of tumors. Identification of T cell clones involved in autoimmunity or cancer is achieved with soluble peptide–MHC (pMHC) complex multimers. Importantly, these complexes can also be used to manipulate disease-relevant T cells to restore homeostasis of T cell-mediated immune response. While auto-antigen-specific T cells can be deleted or anergized by T cell receptor engagement with cognate pMHC complexes in the absence of costimulation, integration of these complexes in artificial antigen-presenting systems can activate tumor antigen-specific T cells. Here the authors discuss the advancements in pMHC-complex-mediated immunotherapeutic strategies in autoimmunity and cancer and identify the lacunae in these strategies that need to be addressed to facilitate clinical implementation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arpita Sahoo
- School of Medical Science & Technology, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, West Bengal, 721302, India
- Department of Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, West Bengal, 721302, India
| | - Debangshu Mukherjee
- School of Medical Science & Technology, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, West Bengal, 721302, India
| | - Dhrubajyoti Mahata
- School of Medical Science & Technology, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, West Bengal, 721302, India
- School of Bioscience, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, West Bengal, 721302, India
| | - Gayatri Mukherjee
- School of Medical Science & Technology, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, West Bengal, 721302, India
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18
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Patel S, Ramnoruth N, Wehr P, Rossjohn J, Reid HH, Campbell K, Nel HJ, Thomas R. Evaluation of a fit-for-purpose assay to monitor antigen-specific functional CD4+ T-cell subpopulations in rheumatoid arthritis using flow cytometry-based peptide-MHC class-II tetramer staining. Clin Exp Immunol 2022; 207:72-83. [PMID: 35020859 PMCID: PMC8802177 DOI: 10.1093/cei/uxab008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2021] [Revised: 09/13/2021] [Accepted: 12/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Antigen-specific T cells can serve as a response biomarker in non-clinical or clinical immunotherapy studies in autoimmune disease. There are protocols with optimized multimer staining methods to detect peptide (p)MHCII+ CD4+ T cells, and some qualified and validated protocols for pMHCI+ CD8+ T cells. However, no protocol is fully or partially qualified to enumerate and characterize antigen-specific pMHCII+ CD4+ T cells from patient samples. Implementing such an assay requires a desired level of specificity and precision, in terms of assay repeatability and reproducibility. In transgenic type II collagen (CII)-immunized HLA-DR1/DR4 humanized mouse models of collagen-induced arthritis (CIA), CII259-273-specific T cells dominantly expand. Therefore antigen-specific T cells recognizing this epitope presented by rheumatoid arthritis (RA)-associated risk HLA-DR allomorphs are of interest to understand disease progression and responses to immunotherapy in RA patients. Using HLA-DRB1∗04:01 or ∗01:01-collagen type II (CII)259-273 tetramers, we evaluated parameters influencing precision and reproducibility of an optimized flow cytometry-based method for antigen-specific CD4+ T cells and eight specific subpopulations with and without tetramer positivity. We evaluated specificity, precision, and reproducibility for research environments and non-regulated laboratories. The assay has excellent overall precision with %CV<25% for intra-assay repeatability, inter-analyst precision, and inter-assay reproducibility. The precision of the assay correlated negatively with the cell viability after thawing, indicating that post-thaw viability is a critical parameter for reproducibility. This assay is suitable for longitudinal analysis of treatment response and disease activity outcome in RA patients, and adaptable for translational or immunotherapy clinical trial settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Swati Patel
- The University of Queensland Diamantina Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Nishta Ramnoruth
- The University of Queensland Diamantina Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Pascale Wehr
- The University of Queensland Diamantina Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Jamie Rossjohn
- Infection and Immunity Program and The Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Advanced Molecular Imaging, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
- Institute of Infection and Immunity, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
| | - Hugh H Reid
- Infection and Immunity Program and The Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Advanced Molecular Imaging, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | - Kim Campbell
- Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Spring House, PA, USA
- Janssen Research & Development, LLC, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Hendrik J Nel
- The University of Queensland Diamantina Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Ranjeny Thomas
- The University of Queensland Diamantina Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
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19
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Nakayama M, Michels AW. Using the T Cell Receptor as a Biomarker in Type 1 Diabetes. Front Immunol 2021; 12:777788. [PMID: 34868047 PMCID: PMC8635517 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.777788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2021] [Accepted: 10/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
T cell receptors (TCRs) are unique markers that define antigen specificity for a given T cell. With the evolution of sequencing and computational analysis technologies, TCRs are now prime candidates for the development of next-generation non-cell based T cell biomarkers, which provide a surrogate measure to assess the presence of antigen-specific T cells. Type 1 diabetes (T1D), the immune-mediated form of diabetes, is a prototypical organ specific autoimmune disease in which T cells play a pivotal role in targeting pancreatic insulin-producing beta cells. While the disease is now predictable by measuring autoantibodies in the peripheral blood directed to beta cell proteins, there is an urgent need to develop T cell markers that recapitulate T cell activity in the pancreas and can be a measure of disease activity. This review focuses on the potential and challenges of developing TCR biomarkers for T1D. We summarize current knowledge about TCR repertoires and clonotypes specific for T1D and discuss challenges that are unique for autoimmune diabetes. Ultimately, the integration of large TCR datasets produced from individuals with and without T1D along with computational 'big data' analysis will facilitate the development of TCRs as potentially powerful biomarkers in the development of T1D.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maki Nakayama
- Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, United States.,Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, United States.,Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, United States
| | - Aaron W Michels
- Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, United States.,Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, United States.,Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, United States.,Department of Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, United States
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20
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Robinson RA, McMurran C, McCully ML, Cole DK. Engineering soluble T-cell receptors for therapy. FEBS J 2021; 288:6159-6173. [PMID: 33624424 PMCID: PMC8596704 DOI: 10.1111/febs.15780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2020] [Revised: 02/11/2021] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Immunotherapy approaches that target peptide-human leukocyte antigen (pHLA) complexes are becoming highly attractive because of their potential to access virtually all foreign and cellular proteins. For this reason, there has been considerable interest in the development of the natural ligand for pHLA, the T-cell receptor (TCR), as a soluble drug to target disease-associated pHLA presented at the cell surface. However, native TCR stability is suboptimal for soluble drug development, and natural TCRs generally have weak affinities for pHLAs, limiting their potential to reach efficacious receptor occupancy levels as soluble drugs. To overcome these limitations and make full use of the TCR as a soluble drug platform, several protein engineering solutions have been applied to TCRs to enhance both their stability and affinity, with a focus on retaining target specificity and selectivity. Here, we review these advances and look to the future for the next generation of soluble TCR-based therapies that can target monomorphic HLA-like proteins presenting both peptide and nonpeptide antigens.
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21
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Tan E, Gakhar N, Kirtane K. TCR gene-engineered cell therapy for solid tumors. Best Pract Res Clin Haematol 2021; 34:101285. [PMID: 34625228 DOI: 10.1016/j.beha.2021.101285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2021] [Accepted: 07/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
The engineering of immune cells to target cancer cells (cellular immunotherapy) has been an exciting area of development in recent years. One type of cellular therapy, T cell receptor (TCR) gene engineered therapy, has shown particular promise in solid tumors. Through use of a heterodimer to recognize intracellular tumor antigens presented through the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), TCR T cells are able to evoke a cytotoxic response as well as a clinical response. In this review, we discuss the potential of TCR-based cellular therapies in solid tumors. While various challenges exist with this therapy, multiple clinical trials are ongoing, in attempt to mitigate these limitations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elaine Tan
- Moffitt Cancer Center, 12902 USF Magnolia Drive, Tampa, FL, 33612, USA.
| | - Neel Gakhar
- Saint Joseph Hospital, 1375 E 19th Avenue, Denver, CO, 80218, USA.
| | - Kedar Kirtane
- Moffitt Cancer Center, 12902 USF Magnolia Drive, Tampa, FL, 33612, USA.
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22
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McDaid WJ, Lissin N, Pollheimer E, Greene M, Leach A, Smyth P, Bossi G, Longley D, Cole DK, Scott CJ. Enhanced target-specific delivery of docetaxel-loaded nanoparticles using engineered T cell receptors. NANOSCALE 2021; 13:15010-15020. [PMID: 34533174 PMCID: PMC8447836 DOI: 10.1039/d1nr04001d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2021] [Accepted: 08/18/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
For effective targeted therapy of cancer with chemotherapy-loaded nanoparticles (NPs), antigens that are selective for cancer cells should be targeted to minimise off-tumour toxicity. Human leukocyte antigens (HLAs) are attractive cancer targets as they can present peptides from tumour-selective proteins on the cell surface, which can be recognised by T cells via T cell receptors (TCRs). In this study, docetaxel-loaded polymeric NPs were conjugated to recombinant affinity-enhanced TCRs to target breast cancer cells presenting a tumour-selective peptide-HLA complex. The TCR-conjugated nanoparticles enabled enhanced delivery of docetaxel and induced cell death through tumour-specific peptide-HLA targeting. These in vitro data demonstrate the potential of targeting tumour-restricted peptide-HLA epitopes using high affinity TCR-conjugated nanoparticles, representing a novel treatment strategy to deliver therapeutic drugs specifically to cancer cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- William J McDaid
- The Patrick G Johnston Centre for Cancer Research, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK, BT9 7AE.
- Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute, Alderley Park, Congleton Rd, Alderley Edge, Macclesfield, UK, SK10 4TG
| | - Nikolai Lissin
- Immunocore Ltd, 101 Park Dr, Milton, Abingdon, United Kingdom OX14 4RY
| | - Ellen Pollheimer
- The Patrick G Johnston Centre for Cancer Research, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK, BT9 7AE.
| | - Michelle Greene
- The Patrick G Johnston Centre for Cancer Research, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK, BT9 7AE.
| | - Adam Leach
- The Patrick G Johnston Centre for Cancer Research, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK, BT9 7AE.
- Institute of Cancer Research, 15 Cotswold Rd, Sutton, London, SM2 5NG, UK
| | - Peter Smyth
- The Patrick G Johnston Centre for Cancer Research, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK, BT9 7AE.
| | - Giovanna Bossi
- Immunocore Ltd, 101 Park Dr, Milton, Abingdon, United Kingdom OX14 4RY
| | - Daniel Longley
- The Patrick G Johnston Centre for Cancer Research, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK, BT9 7AE.
| | - David K Cole
- Immunocore Ltd, 101 Park Dr, Milton, Abingdon, United Kingdom OX14 4RY
| | - Christopher J Scott
- The Patrick G Johnston Centre for Cancer Research, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK, BT9 7AE.
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23
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Chasov V, Zaripov M, Mirgayazova R, Khadiullina R, Zmievskaya E, Ganeeva I, Valiullina A, Rizvanov A, Bulatov E. Promising New Tools for Targeting p53 Mutant Cancers: Humoral and Cell-Based Immunotherapies. Front Immunol 2021; 12:707734. [PMID: 34484205 PMCID: PMC8411701 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.707734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2021] [Accepted: 07/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Transcription factor and oncosuppressor protein p53 is considered as one of the most promising molecular targets that remains a high-hanging fruit in cancer therapy. TP53 gene encoding the p53 protein is known to be the most frequently mutated gene in human cancers. The loss of transcriptional functions caused by mutations in p53 protein leads to deactivation of intrinsic tumor suppressive responses associated with wild-type (WT) p53 and acquisition of new pro-oncogenic properties such as enhanced cell proliferation, metastasis and chemoresistance. Hotspot mutations of p53 are often immunogenic and elicit intratumoral T cell responses to mutant p53 neoantigens, thus suggesting this protein as an attractive candidate for targeted anti-cancer immunotherapies. In this review we discuss the possible use of p53 antigens as molecular targets in immunotherapy, including the application of T cell receptor mimic (TCRm) monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) as a novel powerful approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vitaly Chasov
- Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology, Kazan Federal University, Kazan, Russia
| | - Mikhail Zaripov
- Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Biophysics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Pushchino, Russia
| | - Regina Mirgayazova
- Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology, Kazan Federal University, Kazan, Russia
| | - Raniya Khadiullina
- Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology, Kazan Federal University, Kazan, Russia
| | - Ekaterina Zmievskaya
- Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology, Kazan Federal University, Kazan, Russia
| | - Irina Ganeeva
- Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology, Kazan Federal University, Kazan, Russia
| | - Aigul Valiullina
- Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology, Kazan Federal University, Kazan, Russia
| | - Albert Rizvanov
- Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology, Kazan Federal University, Kazan, Russia
| | - Emil Bulatov
- Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology, Kazan Federal University, Kazan, Russia.,Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
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24
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Lanz AL, Masi G, Porciello N, Cohnen A, Cipria D, Prakaash D, Bálint Š, Raggiaschi R, Galgano D, Cole DK, Lepore M, Dushek O, Dustin ML, Sansom MSP, Kalli AC, Acuto O. Allosteric activation of T cell antigen receptor signaling by quaternary structure relaxation. Cell Rep 2021; 36:109375. [PMID: 34260912 PMCID: PMC8293630 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2020] [Revised: 05/05/2021] [Accepted: 06/18/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The mechanism of T cell antigen receptor (TCR-CD3) signaling remains elusive. Here, we identify mutations in the transmembrane region of TCRβ or CD3ζ that augment peptide T cell antigen receptor (pMHC)-induced signaling not explicable by enhanced ligand binding, lateral diffusion, clustering, or co-receptor function. Using a biochemical assay and molecular dynamics simulation, we demonstrate that the gain-of-function mutations loosen the interaction between TCRαβ and CD3ζ. Similar to the activating mutations, pMHC binding reduces TCRαβ cohesion with CD3ζ. This event occurs prior to CD3ζ phosphorylation and at 0°C. Moreover, we demonstrate that soluble monovalent pMHC alone induces signaling and reduces TCRαβ cohesion with CD3ζ in membrane-bound or solubilised TCR-CD3. Our data provide compelling evidence that pMHC binding suffices to activate allosteric changes propagating from TCRαβ to the CD3 subunits, reconfiguring interchain transmembrane region interactions. These dynamic modifications could change the arrangement of TCR-CD3 boundary lipids to license CD3ζ phosphorylation and initiate signal propagation. Mutations in TCRβ and CD3ζ TMRs that reduce their interaction augment signaling pMHC and anti-CD3 binding to TCR-CD3 induce similar quaternary structure relaxation Soluble monovalent pMHC alone signals and reduces TCRαβ cohesion with CD3ζ Allosteric changes in TCR-CD3 dynamics instigate T cell activation
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna-Lisa Lanz
- T-cell signalling laboratory, Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3RE, UK
| | - Giulia Masi
- T-cell signalling laboratory, Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3RE, UK
| | - Nicla Porciello
- T-cell signalling laboratory, Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3RE, UK
| | - André Cohnen
- T-cell signalling laboratory, Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3RE, UK
| | - Deborah Cipria
- T-cell signalling laboratory, Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3RE, UK
| | - Dheeraj Prakaash
- Leeds Institute of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Medicine, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Štefan Bálint
- Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7FY, UK
| | - Roberto Raggiaschi
- T-cell signalling laboratory, Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3RE, UK
| | - Donatella Galgano
- T-cell signalling laboratory, Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3RE, UK
| | - David K Cole
- Division Infection & Immunity, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF14 4XN, UK; Immunocore Ltd., Abingdon OX14 4RY, UK
| | | | - Omer Dushek
- Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3RE, UK
| | - Michael L Dustin
- Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7FY, UK
| | - Mark S P Sansom
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK.
| | - Antreas C Kalli
- Leeds Institute of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Medicine, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK; Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK.
| | - Oreste Acuto
- T-cell signalling laboratory, Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3RE, UK.
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25
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Rockinger GA, Guillaume P, Cachot A, Saillard M, Speiser DE, Coukos G, Harari A, Romero PJ, Schmidt J, Jandus C. Optimized combinatorial pMHC class II multimer labeling for precision immune monitoring of tumor-specific CD4 T cells in patients. J Immunother Cancer 2021; 8:jitc-2019-000435. [PMID: 32448802 PMCID: PMC7253008 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2019-000435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND With immunotherapy gaining increasing approval for treatment of different tumor types, scientists rely on cutting edge methods for the monitoring of immune responses and biomarker development in patients. Due to the lack of tools to efficiently detect rare circulating human tumor-specific CD4 T cells, their characterization in patients still remains very limited. METHODS We have used combinatorial staining strategies with peptide major histocompatibility complex class II (pMHCII) multimer constructs of different alleles to establish an optimized staining procedure for in vitro and direct ex-vivo visualization of tumor-specific CD4 T cells, in patient samples. Furthermore, we have generated reversible multimers to achieve optimal cell staining and yet disassemble prior to in vitro cell expansion, thus preventing activation induced cell death. RESULTS We observed a vastly improved detection of tumor-specific, viral-specific and bacterial-specific cells with our optimization methods compared with the non-optimized staining procedure. By increasing the variety of fluorochromes used to label the pMHCII multimers, we were also able to increase the parallel detection of different specificities within one sample, including antigen-specific CD8 T cells. A decrease in cell viability was observed when using the full optimization method, but this was mitigated by the removal of neuraminidase and the use of reversible multimers. CONCLUSION This new optimized staining procedure represents an advance toward better detection and analysis of antigen-specific CD4 T cells. It should facilitate state-of-the art precision monitoring of tumor-specific CD4 T cells and contribute to accelerate the use and the targeting of these cells in cancer immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georg Alexander Rockinger
- Department of Oncology UNIL CHUV, University of Lausanne, Epalinges, Switzerland.,Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Lausanne Branch of Immunology, Epalinges, Switzerland
| | - Philippe Guillaume
- Department of Oncology UNIL CHUV, University of Lausanne, Epalinges, Switzerland.,Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Lausanne Branch of Immunology, Epalinges, Switzerland
| | - Amélie Cachot
- Department of Oncology UNIL CHUV, University of Lausanne, Epalinges, Switzerland.,Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Lausanne Branch of Immunology, Epalinges, Switzerland
| | - Margaux Saillard
- Department of Oncology UNIL CHUV, University of Lausanne, Epalinges, Switzerland.,Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Lausanne Branch of Immunology, Epalinges, Switzerland
| | - Daniel E Speiser
- Department of Oncology UNIL CHUV, University of Lausanne, Epalinges, Switzerland
| | - Georges Coukos
- Department of Oncology UNIL CHUV, University of Lausanne, Epalinges, Switzerland.,Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Lausanne Branch of Immunology, Epalinges, Switzerland
| | - Alexandre Harari
- Department of Oncology UNIL CHUV, University of Lausanne, Epalinges, Switzerland.,Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Lausanne Branch of Immunology, Epalinges, Switzerland
| | - Pedro J Romero
- Department of Oncology UNIL CHUV, University of Lausanne, Epalinges, Switzerland
| | - Julien Schmidt
- Department of Oncology UNIL CHUV, University of Lausanne, Epalinges, Switzerland.,Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Lausanne Branch of Immunology, Epalinges, Switzerland
| | - Camilla Jandus
- Department of Oncology UNIL CHUV, University of Lausanne, Epalinges, Switzerland .,Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Lausanne Branch of Immunology, Epalinges, Switzerland
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26
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Steininger J, Gellrich FF, Schulz A, Westphal D, Beissert S, Meier F. Systemic Therapy of Metastatic Melanoma: On the Road to Cure. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:1430. [PMID: 33804800 PMCID: PMC8003858 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13061430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2021] [Revised: 03/11/2021] [Accepted: 03/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
This decade has brought significant survival improvement in patients with metastatic melanoma with targeted therapies and immunotherapies. As our understanding of the mechanisms of action of these therapeutics evolves, even more impressive therapeutic success is being achieved through various combination strategies, including combinations of different immunotherapies as well as with other modalities. This review summarizes prospectively and retrospectively generated clinical evidence on modern melanoma therapy, focusing on immunotherapy and targeted therapy with BRAF kinase inhibitors and MEK kinase inhibitors (BRAF/MEK inhibitors), including recent data presented at major conference meetings. The combination of the anti-PD-1 directed monoclonal antibody nivolumab and of the CTLA-4 antagonist ipilimumab achieves unprecedented 5-year overall survival (OS) rates above 50%; however, toxicity is high. For PD-1 monotherapy (nivolumab or pembrolizumab), toxicities are in general well manageable. Today, novel combinations of such immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are under investigation, for example with cytokines and oncolytic viruses (i.e., pegylated interleukin-2, talimogene laherparepvec). Furthermore, current studies investigate the combined or sequential use of ICIs plus BRAF/MEK inhibitors. Several studies focus particularly on poor prognosis patients, as e.g., on anti-PD-1 refractory melanoma, patients with brain metastases, or uveal melanoma. It is hoped, on the road to cure, that these new approaches further improve long term survival in patients with advanced or metastatic melanoma.
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27
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Jaime-Sanchez P, Uranga-Murillo I, Aguilo N, Khouili SC, Arias MA, Sancho D, Pardo J. Cell death induced by cytotoxic CD8 + T cells is immunogenic and primes caspase-3-dependent spread immunity against endogenous tumor antigens. J Immunother Cancer 2021; 8:jitc-2020-000528. [PMID: 32241808 PMCID: PMC7174069 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2020-000528] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Elimination of cancer cells by some stimuli like chemotherapy and radiotherapy activates anticancer immunity after the generation of damage‐associated molecular patterns, a process recently named immunogenic cell death (ICD). Despite the recent advances in cancer immunotherapy, very little is known about the immunological consequences of cell death activated by cytotoxic CD8+ T (Tc) cells on cancer cells, that is, if Tc cells induce ICD on cancer cells and the molecular mechanisms involved. Methods ICD induced by Tc cells on EL4 cells was analyzed in tumor by vaccinating mice with EL4 cells killed in vitro or in vivo by Ag-specific Tc cells. EL4 cells and mutants thereof overexpressing Bcl-XL or a dominant negative mutant of caspase-3 and wild-type mice, as well as mice depleted of Tc cells and mice deficient in perforin, TLR4 and BATF3 were used. Ex vivo cytotoxicity of spleen cells from immunized mice was analyzed by flow cytometry. Expression of ICD signals (calreticulin, HMGB1 and interleukin (IL)-1β) was analyzed by flow cytometry and ELISA. Results Mice immunized with EL4.gp33 cells killed in vitro or in vivo by gp33-specific Tc cells were protected from parental EL4 tumor development. This result was confirmed in vivo by using ovalbumin (OVA) as another surrogate antigen. Perforin and TLR4 and BATF3-dependent type 1 conventional dendritic cells (cDC1s) were required for protection against tumor development, indicating cross-priming of Tc cells against endogenous EL4 tumor antigens. Tc cells induced ICD signals in EL4 cells. Notably, ICD of EL4 cells was dependent on caspase-3 activity, with reduced antitumor immunity generated by caspase-3–deficient EL4 cells. In contrast, overexpression of Bcl-XL in EL4 cells had no effect on induction of Tc cell antitumor response and protection. Conclusions Elimination of tumor cells by Ag-specific Tc cells is immunogenic and protects against tumor development by generating new Tc cells against EL4 endogenous antigens. This finding helps to explain the enhanced efficacy of T cell-dependent immunotherapy and provide a molecular basis to explain the epitope spread phenomenon observed during vaccination and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy. In addition, they suggest that caspase-3 activity in the tumor may be used as a biomarker to predict cancer recurrence during T cell-dependent immunotherapies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Nacho Aguilo
- CIBA, Instituto de Investigacion Sanitaria Aragon, Zaragoza, Spain.,Microbiology, Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Medicine Faculty, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain.,CIBER Respiratory Diseases, Madrid, Spain
| | - Sofia C Khouili
- Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares Carlos III (CNIC), Madrid, Spain
| | | | - David Sancho
- Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares Carlos III (CNIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Julian Pardo
- Fundacion ARAID / IIS Aragon / CIBA, Universidad de Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain .,CIBER-BBN, Madrid, Spain
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28
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Holland CJ, Crean RM, Pentier JM, de Wet B, Lloyd A, Srikannathasan V, Lissin N, Lloyd KA, Blicher TH, Conroy PJ, Hock M, Pengelly RJ, Spinner TE, Cameron B, Potter EA, Jeyanthan A, Molloy PE, Sami M, Aleksic M, Liddy N, Robinson RA, Harper S, Lepore M, Pudney CR, van der Kamp MW, Rizkallah PJ, Jakobsen BK, Vuidepot A, Cole DK. Specificity of bispecific T cell receptors and antibodies targeting peptide-HLA. J Clin Invest 2021; 130:2673-2688. [PMID: 32310221 DOI: 10.1172/jci130562] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2019] [Accepted: 02/11/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Tumor-associated peptide-human leukocyte antigen complexes (pHLAs) represent the largest pool of cell surface-expressed cancer-specific epitopes, making them attractive targets for cancer therapies. Soluble bispecific molecules that incorporate an anti-CD3 effector function are being developed to redirect T cells against these targets using 2 different approaches. The first achieves pHLA recognition via affinity-enhanced versions of natural TCRs (e.g., immune-mobilizing monoclonal T cell receptors against cancer [ImmTAC] molecules), whereas the second harnesses an antibody-based format (TCR-mimic antibodies). For both classes of reagent, target specificity is vital, considering the vast universe of potential pHLA molecules that can be presented on healthy cells. Here, we made use of structural, biochemical, and computational approaches to investigate the molecular rules underpinning the reactivity patterns of pHLA-targeting bispecifics. We demonstrate that affinity-enhanced TCRs engage pHLA using a comparatively broad and balanced energetic footprint, with interactions distributed over several HLA and peptide side chains. As ImmTAC molecules, these TCRs also retained a greater degree of pHLA selectivity, with less off-target activity in cellular assays. Conversely, TCR-mimic antibodies tended to exhibit binding modes focused more toward hot spots on the HLA surface and exhibited a greater degree of crossreactivity. Our findings extend our understanding of the basic principles that underpin pHLA selectivity and exemplify a number of molecular approaches that can be used to probe the specificity of pHLA-targeting molecules, aiding the development of future reagents.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Rory M Crean
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry and.,Doctoral Training Centre in Sustainable Chemical Technologies, University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom
| | | | - Ben de Wet
- Immunocore Ltd., Milton Park, Abingdon, United Kingdom
| | | | | | | | - Katy A Lloyd
- Immunocore Ltd., Milton Park, Abingdon, United Kingdom
| | | | - Paul J Conroy
- Immunocore Ltd., Milton Park, Abingdon, United Kingdom
| | - Miriam Hock
- Immunocore Ltd., Milton Park, Abingdon, United Kingdom
| | | | | | - Brian Cameron
- Immunocore Ltd., Milton Park, Abingdon, United Kingdom
| | | | | | | | - Malkit Sami
- Immunocore Ltd., Milton Park, Abingdon, United Kingdom
| | - Milos Aleksic
- Immunocore Ltd., Milton Park, Abingdon, United Kingdom
| | | | | | | | - Marco Lepore
- Immunocore Ltd., Milton Park, Abingdon, United Kingdom
| | | | | | - Pierre J Rizkallah
- Cardiff University School of Medicine, Heath Park, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | | | | | - David K Cole
- Immunocore Ltd., Milton Park, Abingdon, United Kingdom.,Cardiff University School of Medicine, Heath Park, Cardiff, United Kingdom
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29
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MacLachlan BJ, Mason GH, Greenshields‐Watson A, Triebel F, Gallimore A, Cole DK, Godkin A. Molecular characterization of HLA class II binding to the LAG-3 T cell co-inhibitory receptor. Eur J Immunol 2021; 51:331-341. [PMID: 32920841 PMCID: PMC8101287 DOI: 10.1002/eji.202048753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2020] [Revised: 07/24/2020] [Accepted: 09/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Immune checkpoint inhibitors (antibodies that block the T cell co-inhibitory receptors PD-1/PD-L1 or CTLA-4) have revolutionized the treatment of some forms of cancer. Importantly, combination approaches using drugs that target both pathways have been shown to boost the efficacy of such treatments. Subsequently, several other T cell inhibitory receptors have been identified for the development of novel immune checkpoint inhibitors. Included in this list is the co-inhibitory receptor lymphocyte activation gene-3 (LAG-3), which is upregulated on T cells extracted from tumor sites that have suppressive or exhausted phenotypes. However, the molecular rules that govern the function of LAG-3 are still not understood. Using surface plasmon resonance combined with a novel bead-based assay (AlphaScreenTM ), we demonstrate that LAG-3 can directly and specifically interact with intact human leukocyte antigen class II (HLA-II) heterodimers. Unlike the homologue CD4, which has an immeasurably weak affinity using these biophysical approaches, LAG-3 binds with low micromolar affinity. We further validated the interaction at the cell surface by staining LAG-3+ cells with pHLA-II-multimers. These data provide new insights into the mechanism by which LAG-3 initiates T cell inhibition.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Awen Gallimore
- Division of Infection & ImmunityCardiff UniversityCardiffUK
| | - David K. Cole
- Division of Infection & ImmunityCardiff UniversityCardiffUK
| | - Andrew Godkin
- Division of Infection & ImmunityCardiff UniversityCardiffUK
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30
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How the T cell signaling network processes information to discriminate between self and agonist ligands. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:26020-26030. [PMID: 33020303 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2008303117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
T cells exhibit remarkable sensitivity and selectivity in detecting and responding to agonist peptides (p) bound to MHC molecules in a sea of self pMHC molecules. Despite much work, understanding of the underlying mechanisms of distinguishing such ligands remains incomplete. Here, we quantify T cell discriminatory capacity using channel capacity, a direct measure of the signaling network's ability to discriminate between antigen-presenting cells (APCs) displaying either self ligands or a mixture of self and agonist ligands. This metric shows how differences in information content between these two types of peptidomes are decoded by the topology and rates of kinetic proofreading signaling steps inside T cells. Using channel capacity, we constructed numerically substantiated hypotheses to explain the discriminatory role of a recently identified slow LAT Y132 phosphorylation step. Our results revealed that in addition to the number and kinetics of sequential signaling steps, a key determinant of discriminatory capability is spatial localization of a minimum number of these steps to the engaged TCR. Biochemical and imaging experiments support these findings. Our results also reveal the discriminatory role of early negative feedback and necessary amplification conferred by late positive feedback.
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31
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Crean RM, MacLachlan BJ, Madura F, Whalley T, Rizkallah PJ, Holland CJ, McMurran C, Harper S, Godkin A, Sewell AK, Pudney CR, van der Kamp MW, Cole DK. Molecular Rules Underpinning Enhanced Affinity Binding of Human T Cell Receptors Engineered for Immunotherapy. Mol Ther Oncolytics 2020; 18:443-456. [PMID: 32913893 PMCID: PMC7452143 DOI: 10.1016/j.omto.2020.07.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2020] [Accepted: 07/27/2020] [Indexed: 10/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Immuno-oncology approaches that utilize T cell receptors (TCRs) are becoming highly attractive because of their potential to target virtually all cellular proteins, including cancer-specific epitopes, via the recognition of peptide-human leukocyte antigen (pHLA) complexes presented at the cell surface. However, because natural TCRs generally recognize cancer-derived pHLAs with very weak affinities, efforts have been made to enhance their binding strength, in some cases by several million-fold. In this study, we investigated the mechanisms underpinning human TCR affinity enhancement by comparing the crystal structures of engineered enhanced affinity TCRs with those of their wild-type progenitors. Additionally, we performed molecular dynamics simulations to better understand the energetic mechanisms driving the affinity enhancements. These data demonstrate that supra-physiological binding affinities can be achieved without altering native TCR-pHLA binding modes via relatively subtle modifications to the interface contacts, often driven through the addition of buried hydrophobic residues. Individual energetic components of the TCR-pHLA interaction governing affinity enhancements were distinct and highly variable for each TCR, often resulting from additive, or knock-on, effects beyond the mutated residues. This comprehensive analysis of affinity-enhanced TCRs has important implications for the future rational design of engineered TCRs as efficacious and safe drugs for cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rory M. Crean
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, Bath, BA2 7AY, UK
- Doctoral Training Centre in Sustainable Chemical Technologies, University of Bath, Bath, BA2 7AY, UK
| | | | - Florian Madura
- Division of Infection & Immunity, Cardiff University, Cardiff, CF14 4XN, UK
| | - Thomas Whalley
- Division of Infection & Immunity, Cardiff University, Cardiff, CF14 4XN, UK
| | | | | | | | | | - Andrew Godkin
- Division of Infection & Immunity, Cardiff University, Cardiff, CF14 4XN, UK
| | - Andrew K. Sewell
- Division of Infection & Immunity, Cardiff University, Cardiff, CF14 4XN, UK
| | - Christopher R. Pudney
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, Bath, BA2 7AY, UK
- Centre for Therapeutic Innovation, University of Bath, Bath, BA2 7AY, UK
| | - Marc W. van der Kamp
- School of Biochemistry, University of Bristol, Biomedical Sciences Building, University Walk, Bristol, BS8 1TD, UK
| | - David K. Cole
- Division of Infection & Immunity, Cardiff University, Cardiff, CF14 4XN, UK
- Immunocore, Ltd., Abingdon, OX14 4RY, UK
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32
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Junghans V, Chouliara M, Santos AM, Hatherley D, Petersen J, Dam T, Svensson LM, Rossjohn J, Davis SJ, Jönsson P. Effects of a local auxiliary protein on the two-dimensional affinity of a TCR-peptide MHC interaction. J Cell Sci 2020; 133:jcs245985. [PMID: 32591485 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.245985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2020] [Accepted: 06/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The affinity of T-cell receptors (TCRs) for major histocompatibility complex molecules (MHCs) presenting cognate antigens likely determines whether T cells initiate immune responses, or not. There exist few measurements of two-dimensional (2D) TCR-MHC interactions, and the effect of auxiliary proteins on binding is unexplored. Here, Jurkat T-cells expressing the MHC molecule HLA-DQ8-glia-α1 and the ligand of an adhesion protein (rat CD2) were allowed to bind supported lipid bilayers (SLBs) presenting fluorescently labelled L3-12 TCR and rat CD2, allowing measurements of binding unconfounded by cell signaling effects or co-receptor binding. The 2D Kd for L3-12 TCR binding to HLA-DQ8-glia-α1, of 14±5 molecules/μm2 (mean±s.d.), was only marginally influenced by including CD2 up to ∼200 bound molecules/μm2 but higher CD2 densities reduced the affinity up to 1.9-fold. Cell-SLB contact size increased steadily with ligand density without affecting binding for contacts at up to ∼20% of total cell area, but beyond this lamellipodia appeared, giving an apparent increase in bound receptors of up to 50%. Our findings show how parameters other than the specific protein-protein interaction can influence binding behavior at cell-cell contacts.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Manto Chouliara
- Department of Chemistry, Lund University, 221 00 Lund, Sweden
| | - Ana Mafalda Santos
- Radcliffe Department of Medicine, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford; and Medical Research Council Human Immunology Unit, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, OX3 9DS Oxford, UK
| | - Deborah Hatherley
- Radcliffe Department of Medicine, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford; and Medical Research Council Human Immunology Unit, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, OX3 9DS Oxford, UK
| | - Jan Petersen
- Infection and Immunity Program & Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Advanced Molecular Imaging, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Tommy Dam
- Department of Chemistry, Lund University, 221 00 Lund, Sweden
| | - Lena M Svensson
- Department of Experimental Medical Science, Lund University, 221 00 Lund, Sweden; and School of Medical Sciences, Örebro University, 701 82 Örebro, Sweden
| | - Jamie Rossjohn
- Infection and Immunity Program & Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Advanced Molecular Imaging, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
- Institute of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Heath Park, Cardiff CF14 4XN, UK
| | - Simon J Davis
- Radcliffe Department of Medicine, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford; and Medical Research Council Human Immunology Unit, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, OX3 9DS Oxford, UK
| | - Peter Jönsson
- Department of Chemistry, Lund University, 221 00 Lund, Sweden
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33
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Bianchi V, Harari A, Coukos G. Neoantigen-Specific Adoptive Cell Therapies for Cancer: Making T-Cell Products More Personal. Front Immunol 2020; 11:1215. [PMID: 32695101 PMCID: PMC7333784 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.01215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2020] [Accepted: 05/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Mutation-derived neoantigens are taking central stage as a determinant in eliciting effective antitumor immune responses following adoptive T-cell therapies. These mutations are patient-specific, and their targeting calls for highly personalized pipelines. The promising clinical outcomes of tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy have spurred interest in generating T-cell infusion products that have been selectively enriched in neoantigen (or autologous tumor) reactivity. The implementation of an isolation step, prior to T-cell in vitro expansion and reinfusion, may provide a way to improve the overall response rates achieved to date by adoptive T-cell therapies in metastatic cancer patients. Here we provide an overview of the main technologies [i.e., peptide major histocompatibility complex (pMHC) multimers, cytokine capture, and activation markers] to enrich infiltrating or circulating T-cells in predefined neoantigen specificities (or tumor reactivity). The unique technical and regulatory challenges faced by such highly specialized and patient-specific manufacturing T-cell platforms are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Bianchi
- Department of Oncology, Lausanne University Hospital, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.,Center of Experimental Therapeutics, Department of Oncology, University Hospital of Lausanne (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Alexandre Harari
- Department of Oncology, Lausanne University Hospital, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.,Center of Experimental Therapeutics, Department of Oncology, University Hospital of Lausanne (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - George Coukos
- Department of Oncology, Lausanne University Hospital, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
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34
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Coles CH, McMurran C, Lloyd A, Hock M, Hibbert L, Raman MCC, Hayes C, Lupardus P, Cole DK, Harper S. T cell receptor interactions with human leukocyte antigen govern indirect peptide selectivity for the cancer testis antigen MAGE-A4. J Biol Chem 2020; 295:11486-11494. [PMID: 32532817 PMCID: PMC7450119 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra120.014016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2020] [Revised: 06/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
T cell-mediated immunity is governed primarily by T cell receptor (TCR) recognition of peptide-human leukocyte antigen (pHLA) complexes and is essential for immunosurveillance and disease control. This interaction is generally stabilized by interactions between the HLA surface and TCR germline-encoded complementarity-determining region (CDR) loops 1 and 2, whereas peptide selectivity is guided by direct interactions with the TCR CDR3 loops. Here, we solved the structure of a newly identified TCR in complex with a clinically relevant peptide derived from the cancer testis antigen melanoma antigen-A4 (MAGE-A4). The TCR bound pHLA in a position shifted toward the peptide's N terminus. This enabled the TCR to achieve peptide selectivity via an indirect mechanism, whereby the TCR sensed the first residue of the peptide through HLA residue Trp-167, which acted as a tunable gateway. Amino acid substitutions at peptide position 1 predicted to alter the HLA Trp-167 side-chain conformation abrogated TCR binding, indicating that this indirect binding mechanism is essential for peptide recognition. These findings extend our understanding of the molecular rules that underpin antigen recognition by TCRs and have important implications for the development of TCR-based therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - David K Cole
- Immunocore Ltd., Abingdon, United Kingdom .,Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, United Kingdom
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35
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MHC-II alleles shape the CDR3 repertoires of conventional and regulatory naïve CD4 + T cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:13659-13669. [PMID: 32482872 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2003170117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
T cell maturation and activation depend upon T cell receptor (TCR) interactions with a wide variety of antigenic peptides displayed in a given major histocompatibility complex (MHC) context. Complementarity-determining region 3 (CDR3) is the most variable part of the TCRα and -β chains, which govern interactions with peptide-MHC complexes. However, it remains unclear how the CDR3 landscape is shaped by individual MHC context during thymic selection of naïve T cells. We established two mouse strains carrying distinct allelic variants of H2-A and analyzed thymic and peripheral production and TCR repertoires of naïve conventional CD4+ T (Tconv) and naïve regulatory CD4+ T (Treg) cells. Compared with tuberculosis-resistant C57BL/6 (H2-Ab) mice, the tuberculosis-susceptible H2-Aj mice had fewer CD4+ T cells of both subsets in the thymus. In the periphery, this deficiency was only apparent for Tconv and was compensated for by peripheral reconstitution for Treg We show that H2-Aj favors selection of a narrower and more convergent repertoire with more hydrophobic and strongly interacting amino acid residues in the middle of CDR3α and CDR3β, suggesting more stringent selection against a narrower peptide-MHC-II context. H2-Aj and H2-Ab mice have prominent reciprocal differences in CDR3α and CDR3β features, probably reflecting distinct modes of TCR fitting to MHC-II variants. These data reveal the mechanics and extent of how MHC-II shapes the naïve CD4+ T cell CDR3 landscape, which essentially defines adaptive response to infections and self-antigens.
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36
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Chandran SS, Klebanoff CA. T cell receptor-based cancer immunotherapy: Emerging efficacy and pathways of resistance. Immunol Rev 2020; 290:127-147. [PMID: 31355495 PMCID: PMC7027847 DOI: 10.1111/imr.12772] [Citation(s) in RCA: 179] [Impact Index Per Article: 44.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2019] [Accepted: 05/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Adoptive cell transfer (ACT) using chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-modified T cells can induce durable remissions in patients with refractory B-lymphoid cancers. By contrast, results applying CAR-modified T cells to solid malignancies have been comparatively modest. Alternative strategies to redirect T cell specificity and cytolytic function are therefore necessary if ACT is to serve a greater role in human cancer treatments. T cell receptors (TCRs) are antigen recognition structures physiologically expressed by all T cells that have complementary, and in some cases superior, properties to CARs. Unlike CARs, TCRs confer recognition to epitopes derived from proteins residing within any subcellular compartment, including the membrane, cytoplasm and nucleus. This enables TCRs to detect a broad universe of targets, such as neoantigens, cancer germline antigens, and viral oncoproteins. Moreover, because TCRs have evolved to efficiently detect and amplify antigenic signals, these receptors respond to epitope densities many fold smaller than required for CAR-signaling. Herein, we summarize recent clinical data demonstrating that TCR-based immunotherapies can mediate regression of solid malignancies, including immune-checkpoint inhibitor refractory cancers. These trials simultaneously highlight emerging mechanisms of TCR resistance. We conclude by discussing how TCR-based immunotherapies can achieve broader dissemination through innovations in cell manufacturing and non-viral genome integration techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Smita S Chandran
- Center for Cell Engineering and Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY.,Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, New York, NY
| | - Christopher A Klebanoff
- Center for Cell Engineering and Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY.,Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, New York, NY.,Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY
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37
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Christophersen A. Peptide-MHC class I and class II tetramers: From flow to mass cytometry. HLA 2020; 95:169-178. [PMID: 31891448 DOI: 10.1111/tan.13789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2019] [Revised: 11/26/2019] [Accepted: 12/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
To develop better vaccines and more targeted treatments for cancer and autoimmune disorders, the disease-specific T cells and their cognate antigens need to be better characterized. For more than two decades, peptide-major histocompatibility complex (pMHC) tetramers and flow cytometry have been the gold standard for detection of CD8+ and CD4+ T cells specific to antigens in the context of MHC class I and class II, respectively. Nonetheless, more recent studies combining such reagents with mass cytometry, that is, cytometry by time of flight (CyTOF), have offered far more comprehensive profiling of antigen-specific T-cell responses. In addition, mass cytometry has enabled ex vivo screening of CD8+ T-cell reactivities against hundreds of MHC class I restricted candidate epitopes. MHC class II molecules, on the other hand, have been challenging to combine with mass cytometry as they are more complex and bind with lower affinities to cognate T-cell receptors than MHC class I molecules. In this review, I discuss how techniques originally developed to improve the staining capacity of pMHC tetramers in flow cytometry led to the successful combination of such reagents with mass cytometry. Especially, I will highlight very recent advances facilitating the combination with pMHC class II tetramers. Together, these mass cytometry-based studies can help develop more targeted treatments for cancer and autoimmune disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asbjørn Christophersen
- KG Jebsen Coeliac Disease Research Centre, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.,Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway.,Department of Immunology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
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38
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Guvenel A, Jozwik A, Ascough S, Ung SK, Paterson S, Kalyan M, Gardener Z, Bergstrom E, Kar S, Habibi MS, Paras A, Zhu J, Park M, Dhariwal J, Almond M, Wong EH, Sykes A, Del Rosario J, Trujillo-Torralbo MB, Mallia P, Sidney J, Peters B, Kon OM, Sette A, Johnston SL, Openshaw PJ, Chiu C. Epitope-specific airway-resident CD4+ T cell dynamics during experimental human RSV infection. J Clin Invest 2020; 130:523-538. [PMID: 31815739 PMCID: PMC6934186 DOI: 10.1172/jci131696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2019] [Accepted: 10/08/2019] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUNDRespiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is an important cause of acute pulmonary disease and one of the last remaining major infections of childhood for which there is no vaccine. CD4+ T cells play a key role in antiviral immunity, but they have been little studied in the human lung.METHODSHealthy adult volunteers were inoculated i.n. with RSV A Memphis 37. CD4+ T cells in blood and the lower airway were analyzed by flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry. Bronchial soluble mediators were measured using quantitative PCR and MesoScale Discovery. Epitope mapping was performed by IFN-γ ELISpot screening, confirmed by in vitro MHC binding.RESULTSActivated CD4+ T cell frequencies in bronchoalveolar lavage correlated strongly with local C-X-C motif chemokine 10 levels. Thirty-nine epitopes were identified, predominantly toward the 3' end of the viral genome. Five novel MHC II tetramers were made using an immunodominant EFYQSTCSAVSKGYL (F-EFY) epitope restricted to HLA-DR4, -DR9, and -DR11 (combined allelic frequency: 15% in Europeans) and G-DDF restricted to HLA-DPA1*01:03/DPB1*02:01 and -DPA1*01:03/DPB1*04:01 (allelic frequency: 55%). Tetramer labeling revealed enrichment of resident memory CD4+ T (Trm) cells in the lower airway; these Trm cells displayed progressive differentiation, downregulation of costimulatory molecules, and elevated CXCR3 expression as infection evolved.CONCLUSIONSHuman infection challenge provides a unique opportunity to study the breadth of specificity and dynamics of RSV-specific T-cell responses in the target organ, allowing the precise investigation of Trm recognizing novel viral antigens over time. The new tools that we describe enable precise tracking of RSV-specific CD4+ cells, potentially accelerating the development of effective vaccines.TRIAL REGISTRATIONClinicalTrials.gov NCT02755948.FUNDINGMedical Research Council, Wellcome Trust, National Institute for Health Research.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Stephanie Ascough
- Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Seng Kuong Ung
- Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Suzanna Paterson
- Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Mohini Kalyan
- Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Zoe Gardener
- Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Emma Bergstrom
- Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Satwik Kar
- Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | | | | | - Jie Zhu
- National Heart and Lung Institute and
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - John Sidney
- Centre for Infectious Disease, Division of Vaccine Discovery, La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Bjoern Peters
- Centre for Infectious Disease, Division of Vaccine Discovery, La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, La Jolla, California, USA
| | | | - Alessandro Sette
- Centre for Infectious Disease, Division of Vaccine Discovery, La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, La Jolla, California, USA
- Department of Medicine, UCSD, La Jolla, California, USA
| | | | | | - Christopher Chiu
- Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
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39
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Nauman G, Borsotti C, Danzl N, Khosravi-Maharlooei M, Li HW, Chavez E, Stone S, Sykes M. Reduced positive selection of a human TCR in a swine thymus using a humanized mouse model for xenotolerance induction. Xenotransplantation 2020; 27:e12558. [PMID: 31565822 PMCID: PMC7007369 DOI: 10.1111/xen.12558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2019] [Revised: 08/27/2019] [Accepted: 09/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Tolerance-inducing approaches to xenotransplantation would be optimal and may be necessary for long-term survival of transplanted pig organs in human patients. The ideal approach would generate donor-specific unresponsiveness to the pig organ without suppressing the patient's normal immune function. Porcine thymus transplantation has shown efficacy in promoting xenotolerance in humanized mice and large animal models. However, murine studies demonstrate that T cells selected in a swine thymus are positively selected only by swine thymic epithelial cells, and therefore, cells expressing human HLA-restricted TCRs may not be selected efficiently in a transplanted pig thymus. This may lead to suboptimal patient immune function. METHODS To assess human thymocyte selection in a pig thymus, we used a TCR transgenic humanized mouse model to study positive selection of cells expressing the MART1 TCR, a well-characterized human HLA-A2-restricted TCR, in a grafted pig thymus. RESULTS Positive selection of T cells expressing the MART1 TCR was inefficient in both a non-selecting human HLA-A2- or swine thymus compared with an HLA-A2+ thymus. Additionally, CD8 MART1 TCRbright T cells were detected in the spleens of mice transplanted with HLA-A2+ thymi but were significantly reduced in the spleens of mice transplanted with swine or HLA-A2- thymi. [Correction added on October 15, 2019, after first online publication: The missing superscript values +, -, and bright have been included in the Results section.] CONCLUSIONS: Positive selection of cells expressing a human-restricted TCR in a transplanted pig thymus is inefficient, suggesting that modifications to improve positive selection of cells expressing human-restricted TCRs in a pig thymus may be necessary to support development of a protective human T-cell pool in future patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grace Nauman
- Columbia Center for Translational Immunology, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Medical Center, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Chiara Borsotti
- Columbia Center for Translational Immunology, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Nichole Danzl
- Columbia Center for Translational Immunology, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Mohsen Khosravi-Maharlooei
- Columbia Center for Translational Immunology, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Hao-Wei Li
- Columbia Center for Translational Immunology, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Estefania Chavez
- Columbia Center for Translational Immunology, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Samantha Stone
- Columbia Center for Translational Immunology, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Megan Sykes
- Columbia Center for Translational Immunology, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Medical Center, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Surgery, Columbia University Medical Center, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
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40
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Madura F, Rizkallah PJ, Legut M, Holland CJ, Fuller A, Bulek A, Schauenburg AJ, Trimby A, Hopkins JR, Wells SA, Godkin A, Miles JJ, Sami M, Li Y, Liddy N, Jakobsen BK, Loveridge EJ, Cole DK, Sewell AK. TCR-induced alteration of primary MHC peptide anchor residue. Eur J Immunol 2019; 49:1052-1066. [PMID: 31091334 PMCID: PMC6618058 DOI: 10.1002/eji.201948085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2019] [Revised: 03/21/2019] [Accepted: 05/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The HLA-A*02:01-restricted decapeptide EAAGIGILTV, derived from melanoma antigen recognized by T-cells-1 (MART-1) protein, represents one of the best-studied tumor associated T-cell epitopes, but clinical results targeting this peptide have been disappointing. This limitation may reflect the dominance of the nonapeptide, AAGIGILTV, at the melanoma cell surface. The decapeptide and nonapeptide are presented in distinct conformations by HLA-A*02:01 and TCRs from clinically relevant T-cell clones recognize the nonapeptide poorly. Here, we studied the MEL5 TCR that potently recognizes the nonapeptide. The structure of the MEL5-HLA-A*02:01-AAGIGILTV complex revealed an induced fit mechanism of antigen recognition involving altered peptide-MHC anchoring. This "flexing" at the TCR-peptide-MHC interface to accommodate the peptide antigen explains previously observed incongruences in this well-studied system and has important implications for future therapeutic approaches. Finally, this study expands upon the mechanisms by which molecular plasticity can influence antigen recognition by T cells.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Anna Fuller
- School of MedicineCardiff UniversityCardiffUK
| | - Anna Bulek
- School of MedicineCardiff UniversityCardiffUK
| | | | | | | | | | | | - John J. Miles
- School of MedicineCardiff UniversityCardiffUK
- Centre for Biodiscovery and Molecular Development of TherapeuticsAustralian Institute of Tropical Health and MedicineJames Cook UniversityCairnsQueenslandAustralia
| | | | - Yi Li
- Immunocore Ltd.AbingdonUK
| | | | | | - E. Joel Loveridge
- School of ChemistryCardiff UniversityCardiffUK
- Department of ChemistrySwansea UniversitySwanseaUK
| | - David K. Cole
- School of MedicineCardiff UniversityCardiffUK
- Immunocore Ltd.AbingdonUK
| | - Andrew K. Sewell
- School of MedicineCardiff UniversityCardiffUK
- Systems Immunity Research InstituteCardiff UniversityCardiffUK
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41
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Ouchi Y, Patil A, Tamura Y, Nishimasu H, Negishi A, Paul SK, Takemura N, Satoh T, Kimura Y, Kurachi M, Nureki O, Nakai K, Kiyono H, Uematsu S. Generation of tumor antigen-specific murine CD8+ T cells with enhanced anti-tumor activity via highly efficient CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing. Int Immunol 2019; 30:141-154. [PMID: 29617862 DOI: 10.1093/intimm/dxy006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2018] [Accepted: 02/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapies have led to the successful development of novel therapies for cancer. However, there is increasing concern regarding the adverse effects caused by non-tumor-specific immune responses. Here, we report an effective strategy to generate high-avidity tumor-antigen-specific CTLs, using Cas9/single-guide RNA (sgRNA) ribonucleoprotein (RNP) delivery. As a proof-of-principle demonstration, we selected the gp100 melanoma-associated tumor antigen, and cloned the gp100-specific high-avidity TCR from gp100-immunized mice. To enable rapid structural dissection of the TCR, we developed a 3D protein structure modeling system for the TCR/antigen-major histocompatibility complex (pMHC) interaction. Combining these technologies, we efficiently generated gp100-specific PD-1(-) CD8+ T cells, and demonstrated that the genetically engineered CD8+ T cells have high avidity against melanoma cells both in vitro and in vivo. Our methodology offers computational prediction of the TCR response, and enables efficient generation of tumor antigen-specific CD8+ T cells that can neutralize tumor-induced immune suppression leading to a potentially powerful cancer therapeutic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasuo Ouchi
- Department of Mucosal Immunology, School of Medicine, Chiba University, Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba, Japan
| | - Ashwini Patil
- Human Genome Center, The Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, Shirokanedai, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yusuke Tamura
- Division of Innate Immune Regulation, International Research and Development Center for Mucosal Vaccines, The Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, Shirokanedai, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Nishimasu
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo; JST, PRESTO, Yayoi, Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Aina Negishi
- Department of Mucosal Immunology, School of Medicine, Chiba University, Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba, Japan
| | - Sudip Kumar Paul
- Department of Mucosal Immunology, School of Medicine, Chiba University, Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba, Japan
| | - Naoki Takemura
- Department of Mucosal Immunology, School of Medicine, Chiba University, Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba, Japan.,Division of Innate Immune Regulation, International Research and Development Center for Mucosal Vaccines, The Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, Shirokanedai, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takeshi Satoh
- Division of Systems Immunology, The Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, Shirokanedai, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yasumasa Kimura
- Division of Systems Immunology, The Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, Shirokanedai, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Makoto Kurachi
- Department of Microbiology and Institute for Immunology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Osamu Nureki
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kenta Nakai
- Human Genome Center, The Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, Shirokanedai, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Kiyono
- International Research and Development Center for Mucosal Vaccines, The Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, Shirokanedai, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan.,Division of Mucosal Immunology, The Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, Shirokanedai, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan.,Department of Immunology, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba, Japan
| | - Satoshi Uematsu
- Department of Mucosal Immunology, School of Medicine, Chiba University, Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba, Japan.,Division of Innate Immune Regulation, International Research and Development Center for Mucosal Vaccines, The Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, Shirokanedai, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan
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42
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Docta RY, Ferronha T, Sanderson JP, Weissensteiner T, Pope GR, Bennett AD, Pumphrey NJ, Ferjentsik Z, Quinn LL, Wiedermann GE, Anderson VE, Saini M, Maroto M, Norry E, Gerry AB. Tuning T-Cell Receptor Affinity to Optimize Clinical Risk-Benefit When Targeting Alpha-Fetoprotein-Positive Liver Cancer. Hepatology 2019; 69:2061-2075. [PMID: 30561769 PMCID: PMC6593660 DOI: 10.1002/hep.30477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2018] [Accepted: 12/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have a poor prognosis and limited therapeutic options. Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is often expressed at high levels in HCC and is an established clinical biomarker of the disease. Expression of AFP in nonmalignant liver can occur, particularly in a subset of progenitor cells and during chronic inflammation, at levels typically lower than in HCC. This cancer-specific overexpression indicates that AFP may be a promising target for immunotherapy. We verified expression of AFP in normal and diseased tissue and generated an affinity-optimized T-cell receptor (TCR) with specificity to AFP/HLA-A*02+ tumors. Expression of AFP was investigated using database searches, by qPCR, and by immunohistochemistry (IHC) analysis of a panel of human tissue samples, including normal, diseased, and malignant liver. Using in vitro mutagenesis and screening, we generated a TCR that recognizes the HLA-A*02-restricted AFP158-166 peptide, FMNKFIYEI, with an optimum balance of potency and specificity. These properties were confirmed by an extension of the alanine scan (X-scan) and testing TCR-transduced T cells against normal and tumor cells covering a variety of tissues, cell types, and human leukocyte antigen (HLA) alleles. Conclusion: We have used a combination of physicochemical, in silico, and cell biology methods for optimizing a TCR for improved affinity and function, with properties that are expected to allow TCR-transduced T cells to differentiate between antigen levels on nonmalignant and cancer cells. T cells transduced with this TCR constitute the basis for a trial of HCC adoptive T-cell immunotherapy.
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43
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Paxman JJ, Lo AW, Sullivan MJ, Panjikar S, Kuiper M, Whitten AE, Wang G, Luan CH, Moriel DG, Tan L, Peters KM, Phan MD, Gee CL, Ulett GC, Schembri MA, Heras B. Unique structural features of a bacterial autotransporter adhesin suggest mechanisms for interaction with host macromolecules. Nat Commun 2019; 10:1967. [PMID: 31036849 PMCID: PMC6488583 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-09814-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2019] [Accepted: 03/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Autotransporters are the largest family of outer membrane and secreted proteins in Gram-negative bacteria. Most autotransporters are localised to the bacterial surface where they promote colonisation of host epithelial surfaces. Here we present the crystal structure of UpaB, an autotransporter that is known to contribute to uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) colonisation of the urinary tract. We provide evidence that UpaB can interact with glycosaminoglycans and host fibronectin. Unique modifications to its core β-helical structure create a groove on one side of the protein for interaction with glycosaminoglycans, while the opposite face can bind fibronectin. Our findings reveal far greater diversity in the autotransporter β-helix than previously thought, and suggest that this domain can interact with host macromolecules. The relevance of these interactions during infection remains unclear.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason J Paxman
- Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, 3086, VIC, Australia
| | - Alvin W Lo
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, and Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, 4072, QLD, Australia
| | - Matthew J Sullivan
- School of Medical Science, and Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, Gold Coast, 4222, QLD, Australia
| | - Santosh Panjikar
- Macromolecular Crystallography, Australian Synchrotron, Clayton, 3168, VIC, Australia
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Monash University, Melbourne, 3800, VIC, Australia
| | - Michael Kuiper
- Molecular & Materials Modelling group Data61, CSIRO, Docklands, Melbourne, 8012, VIC, Australia
| | - Andrew E Whitten
- Australian Centre for Neutron Scattering, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, Lucas Heights, 2234, NSW, Australia
| | - Geqing Wang
- Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, 3086, VIC, Australia
| | - Chi-Hao Luan
- High Throughput Analysis Laboratory and Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Chicago, 60208, IL, USA
| | - Danilo G Moriel
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, and Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, 4072, QLD, Australia
| | - Lendl Tan
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, and Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, 4072, QLD, Australia
| | - Kate M Peters
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, and Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, 4072, QLD, Australia
| | - Minh-Duy Phan
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, and Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, 4072, QLD, Australia
| | - Christine L Gee
- Macromolecular Crystallography, Australian Synchrotron, Clayton, 3168, VIC, Australia
| | - Glen C Ulett
- School of Medical Science, and Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, Gold Coast, 4222, QLD, Australia
| | - Mark A Schembri
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, and Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, 4072, QLD, Australia.
| | - Begoña Heras
- Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, 3086, VIC, Australia.
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44
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Galloway SAE, Dolton G, Attaf M, Wall A, Fuller A, Rius C, Bianchi V, Theaker S, Lloyd A, Caillaud ME, Svane IM, Donia M, Cole DK, Szomolay B, Rizkallah P, Sewell AK. Peptide Super-Agonist Enhances T-Cell Responses to Melanoma. Front Immunol 2019; 10:319. [PMID: 30930889 PMCID: PMC6425991 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.00319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2018] [Accepted: 02/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent immunotherapeutic approaches using adoptive cell therapy, or checkpoint blockade, have demonstrated the powerful anti-cancer potential of CD8 cytotoxic T-lymphocytes (CTL). While these approaches have shown great promise, they are only effective in some patients with some cancers. The potential power, and relative ease, of therapeutic vaccination against tumour associated antigens (TAA) present in different cancers has been a long sought-after approach for harnessing the discriminating sensitivity of CTL to treat cancer and has seen recent renewed interest following cancer vaccination successes using unique tumour neoantigens. Unfortunately, results with TAA-targeted “universal” cancer vaccines (UCV) have been largely disappointing. Infectious disease models have demonstrated that T-cell clonotypes that recognise the same antigen should not be viewed as being equally effective. Extrapolation of this notion to UCV would suggest that the quality of response in terms of the T-cell receptor (TCR) clonotypes induced might be more important than the quantity of the response. Unfortunately, there is little opportunity to assess the effectiveness of individual T-cell clonotypes in vivo. Here, we identified effective, persistent T-cell clonotypes in an HLA A2+ patient following successful tumour infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy. One such T-cell clone was used to generate super-agonist altered peptide ligands (APLs). Further refinement produced an APL that was capable of inducing T-cells in greater magnitude, and with improved effectiveness, from the blood of all 14 healthy donors tested. Importantly, this APL also induced T-cells from melanoma patient blood that exhibited superior recognition of the patient's own tumour compared to those induced by the natural antigen sequence. These results suggest that use of APL to skew the clonotypic quality of T-cells induced by cancer vaccination could provide a promising avenue in the hunt for the UCV “magic bullet.”
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah A E Galloway
- T-Cell Modulation Group, Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Garry Dolton
- T-Cell Modulation Group, Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Meriem Attaf
- T-Cell Modulation Group, Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Aaron Wall
- T-Cell Modulation Group, Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Anna Fuller
- T-Cell Modulation Group, Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Cristina Rius
- T-Cell Modulation Group, Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Valentina Bianchi
- T-Cell Modulation Group, Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Sarah Theaker
- T-Cell Modulation Group, Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Angharad Lloyd
- T-Cell Modulation Group, Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, United Kingdom.,Immunocore LTD, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Marine E Caillaud
- T-Cell Modulation Group, Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Inge Marie Svane
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Center for Cancer Immune Therapy, Herlev Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Herlev, Denmark
| | - Marco Donia
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Center for Cancer Immune Therapy, Herlev Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Herlev, Denmark
| | - David K Cole
- T-Cell Modulation Group, Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, United Kingdom.,Immunocore LTD, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Barbara Szomolay
- Systems Immunity Research Institute, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Pierre Rizkallah
- T-Cell Modulation Group, Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew K Sewell
- T-Cell Modulation Group, Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, United Kingdom.,Systems Immunity Research Institute, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, United Kingdom
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45
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Riley TP, Baker BM. The intersection of affinity and specificity in the development and optimization of T cell receptor based therapeutics. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2018; 84:30-41. [DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2017.10.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2017] [Revised: 10/07/2017] [Accepted: 10/17/2017] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
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46
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Border EC, Sanderson JP, Weissensteiner T, Gerry AB, Pumphrey NJ. Affinity-enhanced T-cell receptors for adoptive T-cell therapy targeting MAGE-A10: strategy for selection of an optimal candidate. Oncoimmunology 2018; 8:e1532759. [PMID: 30713784 PMCID: PMC6343776 DOI: 10.1080/2162402x.2018.1532759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2018] [Revised: 08/24/2018] [Accepted: 08/30/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Circulating T-cells that have passed thymic selection generally bear T-cell receptors (TCRs) with sub-optimal affinity for cancer-associated antigens, resulting in a limited ability to detect and eliminate tumor cells. Engineering TCRs to increase their affinity for cancer targets is a promising strategy for generating T-cells with enhanced potency for adoptive immunotherapy in cancer patients. However, this manipulation also risks generating cross-reactivity to antigens expressed by normal tissue, with potentially serious consequences. Testing in animal models might not detect such cross-reactivity due to species differences in the antigenic repertoire. To mitigate the risk of off-target toxicities in future clinical trials, we therefore developed an extensive in vitro testing strategy. This approach involved systematic substitution at each position of the antigenic peptide sequence using all natural amino acids to generate a profile of peptide specificity (“X-scan”). The likelihood of off-target reactivity was investigated by searching the human proteome for sequences matching this profile, and testing against a panel of primary cell lines. Starting from a diverse panel of parental TCRs, we engineered several affinity-enhanced TCRs specific for the cancer-testis antigen MAGE-A10. Two of these TCRs had affinities and specificities which appeared to be equally optimal when tested in conventional biochemical and cellular assays. The X-scan method, however, permitted us to select the most specific and potent candidate for further pre-clinical and clinical testing.
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47
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Zhu J, Li Y, Li L, Wang J, Wang H, Hong W, Hao K, Xue Y, Chen B, Wang Z. A novel absorption spectrometric method, based on graphene nanomaterials, for detection of hepatocellular carcinoma-specific T lymphocyte cells. Int J Nanomedicine 2018; 13:5523-5536. [PMID: 30271145 PMCID: PMC6154735 DOI: 10.2147/ijn.s168574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Detection of antigen-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) is the foundation for understanding hepatocellular carcinoma immune pathology and hepatocellular carcinoma immunotherapy. However, the classical method for labeling CTLs, major histocompatibility complex (MHC)–peptide tetramer, has drawbacks and needs further improvement. Materials and methods Here, as a new detection probe, a graphene-based MHC–peptide multimer was developed for sensitively and selectively identifying hepatocellular carcinoma-specific T-cells. To assess its detection efficiency, reduced graphene oxide (RGO) was functionalized with hemin and streptavidin to prepare a functionalized HRGO–streptavidin complex. Biotinylated MHC–peptide monomer was subsequently constructed onto HRGO to generate a detection probe for CTL labeling. The number of T-cells was detected through the reaction between HRGO and tetramethylbenzidine. Results Using HRGO/MHC–peptide multimers, the number of T-cells was efficiently detected in both the induction system in vitro and in peripheral blood of patients. Conclusion HRGO/MHC-peptide multimers methodology has application prospects in the detection of antigen peptide-specific T cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianmeng Zhu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Chun'an First People's Hospital (Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital Chun'an Branch), Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China, ,
| | - Yiping Li
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Chun'an First People's Hospital (Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital Chun'an Branch), Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China, ,
| | - Lei Li
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medical Science, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Jian Wang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Chun'an First People's Hospital (Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital Chun'an Branch), Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China, ,
| | - Hongqin Wang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Chun'an First People's Hospital (Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital Chun'an Branch), Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China, ,
| | - Wenzhong Hong
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Chun'an First People's Hospital (Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital Chun'an Branch), Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China, ,
| | - Ke Hao
- Department of Blood Transfusion, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China, ,
| | - Yadan Xue
- Department of Blood Transfusion, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China, ,
| | - Bingyu Chen
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Chun'an First People's Hospital (Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital Chun'an Branch), Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China, , .,Department of Blood Transfusion, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China, ,
| | - Zhen Wang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Chun'an First People's Hospital (Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital Chun'an Branch), Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China, , .,Department of Blood Transfusion, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China, ,
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48
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Dolton G, Zervoudi E, Rius C, Wall A, Thomas HL, Fuller A, Yeo L, Legut M, Wheeler S, Attaf M, Chudakov DM, Choy E, Peakman M, Sewell AK. Optimized Peptide-MHC Multimer Protocols for Detection and Isolation of Autoimmune T-Cells. Front Immunol 2018; 9:1378. [PMID: 30008714 PMCID: PMC6034003 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.01378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2018] [Accepted: 06/04/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Peptide–MHC (pMHC) multimers have become the “gold standard” for the detection and isolation of antigen-specific T-cells but recent evidence shows that normal use of these reagents can miss fully functional T-cells that bear T-cell receptors (TCRs) with low affinity for cognate antigen. This issue is particularly pronounced for anticancer and autoimmune T-cells as self-reactive T-cell populations are enriched for low-affinity TCRs due to the removal of cells with higher affinity receptors by immune tolerance mechanisms. Here, we stained a wide variety of self-reactive human T-cells using regular pMHC staining and an optimized technique that included: (i) protein kinase inhibitor (PKI), to prevent TCR triggering and internalization, and (ii) anti-fluorochrome antibody, to reduce reagent dissociation during washing steps. Lymphocytes derived from the peripheral blood of type 1 diabetes patients were stained with pMHC multimers made with epitopes from preproinsulin (PPI), insulin-β chain, glutamic acid decarboxylase 65 (GAD65), or glucose-6-phospate catalytic subunit-related protein (IGRP) presented by disease-risk allelles HLA A*02:01 or HLA*24:02. Samples from ankylosing spondylitis patients were stained with a multimerized epitope from vasoactive intestinal polypeptide receptor 1 (VIPR1) presented by HLA B*27:05. Optimized procedures stained an average of 40.5-fold (p = 0.01, range between 1.4 and 198) more cells than could be detected without the inclusion of PKI and cross-linking anti-fluorochrome antibody. Higher order pMHC dextramers recovered more cells than pMHC tetramers in parallel assays, and standard staining protocols with pMHC tetramers routinely recovered less cells than functional assays. HLA A*02:01-restricted PPI-specific and HLA B*27:05-restricted VIPR1-specific T-cell clones generated using the optimized procedure could not be stained by standard pMHC tetramer staining. However, these clones responded well to exogenously supplied peptide and endogenously processed and presented epitopes. We also showed that anti-fluorochrome antibody-conjugated magnetic beads enhanced staining of self-reactive T-cells that could not be stained using standard protocols, thus enabling rapid ex vivo isolation of autoimmune T-cells. We, therefore, conclude that regular pMHC tetramer staining is generally unsuitable for recovering self-reactive T-cells from clinical samples and recommend the use of the optimized protocols described herein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Garry Dolton
- Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Efthalia Zervoudi
- Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Cristina Rius
- Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Aaron Wall
- Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Hannah L Thomas
- Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Anna Fuller
- Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Lorraine Yeo
- Department of Immunobiology, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King's College London, London, United Kingdom.,NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Mateusz Legut
- Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Sophie Wheeler
- Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Meriem Attaf
- Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Dmitriy M Chudakov
- Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, Moscow, Russia.,Centre for Data-Intensive Biomedicine and Biotechnology, Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Skolkovo, Russia.,Shemyakin and Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Moscow, Russia
| | - Ernest Choy
- Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, United Kingdom.,Systems Immunity Research Institute, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Mark Peakman
- Department of Immunobiology, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King's College London, London, United Kingdom.,NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew K Sewell
- Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, United Kingdom.,Systems Immunity Research Institute, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
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49
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Legut M, Sewell AK. Designer T-cells and T-cell receptors for customized cancer immunotherapies. Curr Opin Pharmacol 2018; 41:96-103. [PMID: 29852403 DOI: 10.1016/j.coph.2018.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2018] [Accepted: 05/14/2018] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Cancer immunotherapy, focused on harnessing and empowering the immune system against tumours, has transformed modern oncology. One of the most promising avenues in development involves using genetically engineered T-cells to target cancer antigens via specific T-cell receptors (TCRs). TCRs have a naturally low affinity towards cancer-associated antigens, and therefore show scope for improvement. Here we describe approaches to procure TCRs with enhanced affinity and specificity towards cancer, using protein engineering or selection of natural TCRs from unadulterated repertoires. In particular, we discuss novel methods facilitating the targeting of tumour-specific mutations. Finally, we provide a prospective outlook on the potential development of novel, off-the-shelf immunotherapies by leveraging recent advances in genome editing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mateusz Legut
- Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Henry Wellcome Building, University Hospital Wales, Cardiff CF14 4XN, Wales, UK
| | - Andrew K Sewell
- Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Henry Wellcome Building, University Hospital Wales, Cardiff CF14 4XN, Wales, UK.
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50
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Jaime-Sánchez P, Catalán E, Uranga-Murillo I, Aguiló N, Santiago L, M Lanuza P, de Miguel D, A Arias M, Pardo J. Antigen-specific primed cytotoxic T cells eliminate tumour cells in vivo and prevent tumour development, regardless of the presence of anti-apoptotic mutations conferring drug resistance. Cell Death Differ 2018; 25:1536-1548. [PMID: 29743559 DOI: 10.1038/s41418-018-0112-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2017] [Revised: 03/20/2018] [Accepted: 03/22/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Cytotoxic CD8+ T (Tc) cells are the main executors of transformed and cancer cells during cancer immunotherapy. The latest clinical results evidence a high efficacy of novel immunotherapy agents that modulate Tc cell activity against bad prognosis cancers. However, it has not been determined yet whether the efficacy of these treatments can be affected by selection of tumoural cells with mutations in the cell death machinery, known to promote drug resistance and cancer recurrence. Here, using a model of prophylactic tumour vaccination based on the LCMV-gp33 antigen and the mouse EL4 T lymphoma, we analysed the molecular mechanism employed by Tc cells to eliminate cancer cells in vivo and the impact of mutations in the apoptotic machinery on tumour development. First of all, we found that Tc cells, and perf and gzmB are required to efficiently eliminate EL4.gp33 cells after LCMV immunisation during short-term assays (1-4 h), and to prevent tumour development in the long term. Furthermore, we show that antigen-pulsed chemoresistant EL4 cells overexpressing Bcl-XL or a dominant negative form of caspase-3 are specifically eliminated from the peritoneum of infected animals, as fast as parental EL4 cells. Notably, antigen-specific Tc cells control the tumour growth of the mutated cells, as efficiently as in the case of parental cells. Altogether, expression of the anti-apoptotic mutations does not confer any advantage for tumour cells neither in the short-term survival nor in long-term tumour formation. Although the mechanism involved in the elimination of the apoptosis-resistant tumour cells is not completely elucidated, neither necroptosis nor pyroptosis seem to be involved. Our results provide the first experimental proof that chemoresistant cancer cells with mutations in the main cell death pathways are efficiently eliminated by Ag-specific Tc cells in vivo during immunotherapy and, thus, provide the molecular basis to treat chemoresistant cancer cells with CD8 Tc-based immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula Jaime-Sánchez
- Biomedical Research Centre of Aragon (CIBA), IIS Aragon/University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Elena Catalán
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Iratxe Uranga-Murillo
- Biomedical Research Centre of Aragon (CIBA), IIS Aragon/University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Nacho Aguiló
- Dept. Microbiology, Preventive Medicine and Public Health, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain.,CIBER Enfermedades Respiratorias, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Llipsy Santiago
- Biomedical Research Centre of Aragon (CIBA), IIS Aragon/University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Pilar M Lanuza
- Biomedical Research Centre of Aragon (CIBA), IIS Aragon/University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Diego de Miguel
- Centre for Cell Death, Cancer, and Inflammation (CCCI), UCL Cancer Institute, University College London, 72 Huntley Street, London, WC1E 6DD, UK
| | - Maykel A Arias
- Biomedical Research Centre of Aragon (CIBA), IIS Aragon/University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain.
| | - Julián Pardo
- Biomedical Research Centre of Aragon (CIBA), IIS Aragon/University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain. .,Dept. Microbiology, Preventive Medicine and Public Health, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain. .,Nanoscience Institute of Aragon (INA), University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain. .,Aragon I+D Foundation, Zaragoza, Spain.
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