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Righi I, Trabattoni D, Rosso L, Vaira V, Clerici M. Immune checkpoint molecules in solid organ transplantation: A promising way to prevent rejection. Immunol Lett 2024; 267:106860. [PMID: 38677335 DOI: 10.1016/j.imlet.2024.106860] [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: 02/15/2024] [Revised: 04/16/2024] [Accepted: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 04/29/2024]
Abstract
Immune checkpoint (IC) molecules modulate immune responses upon antigen presentation; the interaction between different IC molecules will result in the stimulation or, rather, the thwarting of such responses. Tumor cells express increased amounts of inhibitory IC molecules in an attempt to evade immune responses; therapeutic agents have been developed that bind inhibitory IC molecules, restoring tumor-directed immune responses and changing the prognosis of a number of cancers. Stimulation of inhibitory IC molecules could be beneficial in preventing rejection in the setting of solid organ transplantation (SOT), and in vivo as well as in vivo results obtained in animal models show this to indeed to be the case. With the exception of belatacept, a monoclonal antibody (mAb) in which an IgG Fc fragment is linked to the extracellular domain of CTLA-4, this has not yet translated into the generation of novel therapeutic approaches to prevent SOT rejection. We provide a review of state-of-the art knowledge on the role played by IC molecules in transplantation, confident that innovative research will lead to new avenues to manage rejection in solid organ transplant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilaria Righi
- Thoracic Surgery and Lung Transplantation Unit, Department of Cardio- Thoracic - Vascular Disease, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Via Francesco Sforza 35, 20122, Milan, Italy
| | - Daria Trabattoni
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, University of Milan, Via Giovan Battista Grassi 74, 20157 Milan, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Rosso
- Thoracic Surgery and Lung Transplantation Unit, Department of Cardio- Thoracic - Vascular Disease, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Via Francesco Sforza 35, 20122, Milan, Italy; Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, University of Milan Via Francesco Sforza 12, 20122, Milan, Italy
| | - Valentina Vaira
- Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, University of Milan Via Francesco Sforza 12, 20122, Milan, Italy; Division of Pathology, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Via Francesco Sforza 35, 20122, Milan, Italy
| | - Mario Clerici
- Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, University of Milan Via Francesco Sforza 12, 20122, Milan, Italy; IRCCS Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi ONLUS, Via Capecelatro 66, 20148 Milan, Italy.
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Van Meerhaeghe T, Murakami N, Le Moine A, Brouard S, Sprangers B, Degauque N. Fine-tuning tumor- and allo-immunity: advances in the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors in kidney transplant recipients. Clin Kidney J 2024; 17:sfae061. [PMID: 38606169 PMCID: PMC11008728 DOI: 10.1093/ckj/sfae061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 04/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Cancer is a common complication after kidney transplantation. Kidney transplant recipients (KTR) have a 2- to 4-fold higher risk of developing cancer compared to the general population and post-transplant malignancy is the third most common cause of death in KTR. Moreover, it is well known that certain cancer types are overrepresented after transplantation, especially non-melanoma skin cancer. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) have revolutionized the treatment of cancer, with remarkable survival benefit in a subgroup of patients. ICI are monoclonal antibodies that block the binding of specific co-inhibitory signaling molecules. Cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen-4 (CTLA-4), programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1), and its ligand programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) are the main targets of ICI. Solid organ transplant recipients (SOTR) have been excluded from clinical trials owing to concerns about tumor response, allo-immunity, and risk of transplant rejection. Indeed, graft rejection has been estimated as high as 48% and represents an emerging problem. The underlying mechanisms of organ rejection in the context of treatment with ICI are poorly understood. The search for restricted antitumoral responses without graft rejection is of paramount importance. This review summarizes the current knowledge of the use of ICI in KTR, the potential mechanisms involved in kidney graft rejection during ICI treatment, potential biomarkers of rejection, and how to deal with rejection in clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tess Van Meerhaeghe
- Departement of Nephrology, Hôpital Erasme, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
- Nantes Université, INSERM, Center for Research in Transplantation and Translational Immunology (CR2TI), UMR 1064, Nantes, France
| | - Naoka Murakami
- Division of Renal Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA
| | - Alain Le Moine
- Departement of Nephrology, Hôpital Erasme, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Sophie Brouard
- Nantes Université, INSERM, Center for Research in Transplantation and Translational Immunology (CR2TI), UMR 1064, Nantes, France
| | - Ben Sprangers
- Biomedical Research Institute, Department of Immunology and Infection, UHasselt, Diepenbeek, Belgium
- Department of Nephrology, Ziekenhuis Oost Limburg, Genk, Belgium
| | - Nicolas Degauque
- Nantes Université, INSERM, Center for Research in Transplantation and Translational Immunology (CR2TI), UMR 1064, Nantes, France
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Bei KF, Moshkelgosha S, Liu BJ, Juvet S. Intragraft regulatory T cells in the modern era: what can high-dimensional methods tell us about pathways to allograft acceptance? Front Immunol 2023; 14:1291649. [PMID: 38077395 PMCID: PMC10701590 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1291649] [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: 09/09/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Replacement of diseased organs with transplanted healthy donor ones remains the best and often only treatment option for end-stage organ disease. Immunosuppressants have decreased the incidence of acute rejection, but long-term survival remains limited. The broad action of current immunosuppressive drugs results in global immune impairment, increasing the risk of cancer and infections. Hence, achievement of allograft tolerance, in which graft function is maintained in the absence of global immunosuppression, has long been the aim of transplant clinicians and scientists. Regulatory T cells (Treg) are a specialized subset of immune cells that control a diverse array of immune responses, can prevent allograft rejection in animals, and have recently been explored in early phase clinical trials as an adoptive cellular therapy in transplant recipients. It has been established that allograft residency by Tregs can promote graft acceptance, but whether intragraft Treg functional diversification and spatial organization contribute to this process is largely unknown. In this review, we will explore what is known regarding the properties of intragraft Tregs during allograft acceptance and rejection. We will summarize recent advances in understanding Treg tissue residency through spatial, transcriptomic and high-dimensional cytometric methods in both animal and human studies. Our discussion will explore properties of intragraft Tregs in mediating operational tolerance to commonly transplanted solid organs. Finally, given recent developments in Treg cellular therapy, we will review emerging knowledge of whether and how these adoptively transferred cells enter allografts in humans. An understanding of the properties of intragraft Tregs will help lay the foundation for future therapies that will promote immune tolerance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ke Fan Bei
- Latner Thoracic Research Laboratories, Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Immunology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Sajad Moshkelgosha
- Latner Thoracic Research Laboratories, Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Bo Jie Liu
- Latner Thoracic Research Laboratories, Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Immunology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Stephen Juvet
- Latner Thoracic Research Laboratories, Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Immunology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Toronto Lung Transplant Program, Ajmera Transplant Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
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Del Bello A, Treiner E. Immune Checkpoints in Solid Organ Transplantation. BIOLOGY 2023; 12:1358. [PMID: 37887068 PMCID: PMC10604300 DOI: 10.3390/biology12101358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2023] [Revised: 10/17/2023] [Accepted: 10/19/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023]
Abstract
Allogenic graft acceptance is only achieved by life-long immunosuppression, which comes at the cost of significant toxicity. Clinicians face the challenge of adapting the patients' treatments over long periods to lower the risks associated with these toxicities, permanently leveraging the risk of excessive versus insufficient immunosuppression. A major goal and challenge in the field of solid organ transplantation (SOT) is to attain a state of stable immune tolerance specifically towards the grafted organ. The immune system is equipped with a set of inhibitory co-receptors known as immune checkpoints (ICs), which physiologically regulate numerous effector functions. Insufficient regulation through these ICs can lead to autoimmunity and/or immune-mediated toxicity, while excessive expression of ICs induces stable hypo-responsiveness, especially in T cells, a state sometimes referred to as exhaustion. IC blockade has emerged in the last decade as a powerful therapeutic tool against cancer. The opposite action, i.e., subverting IC for the benefit of establishing a state of specific hypo-responsiveness against auto- or allo-antigens, is still in its infancy. In this review, we will summarize the available literature on the role of ICs in SOT and the relevance of ICs with graft acceptance. We will also discuss the possible influence of current immunosuppressive medications on IC functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arnaud Del Bello
- Department of Nephrology, University Hospital of Toulouse, 31400 Toulouse, France
- Metabolic and Cardiovascular Research Institute (I2MC), Inserm UMR1297, CEDEX 4, 31432 Toulouse, France
- Faculty of Medicine, University Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, 31062 Toulouse, France
| | - Emmanuel Treiner
- Faculty of Medicine, University Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, 31062 Toulouse, France
- Laboratory of Immunology, University Hospital of Toulouse, 31300 Toulouse, France
- Toulouse Institute for Infectious and Inflammatory Diseases (Infinity), Inserm UMR1291, 31024 Toulouse, France
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Chen RY, Zhu Y, Shen YY, Xu QY, Tang HY, Cui NX, Jiang L, Dai XM, Chen WQ, Lin Q, Li XZ. The role of PD-1 signaling in health and immune-related diseases. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1163633. [PMID: 37261359 PMCID: PMC10228652 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1163633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2023] [Accepted: 05/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Programmed cell death 1 receptor (PD-1) and its ligands constitute an inhibitory pathway to mediate the mechanism of immune tolerance and provide immune homeostasis. Significantly, the binding partners of PD-1 and its associated ligands are diverse, which facilitates immunosuppression in cooperation with other immune checkpoint proteins. Accumulating evidence has demonstrated the important immunosuppressive role of the PD-1 axis in the tumor microenvironment and in autoimmune diseases. In addition, PD-1 blockades have been approved to treat various cancers, including solid tumors and hematological malignancies. Here, we provide a comprehensive review of the PD-1 pathway, focusing on the structure and expression of PD-1, programmed cell death 1 ligand 1 (PD-L1), and programmed cell death 1 ligand 2 (PD-L2); the diverse biological functions of PD-1 signaling in health and immune-related diseases (including tumor immunity, autoimmunity, infectious immunity, transplantation immunity, allergy and immune privilege); and immune-related adverse events related to PD-1 and PD-L1 inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Qiang Lin
- *Correspondence: Qiang Lin, ; Xiao-Zhong Li,
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