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Mo G, Lu X, Wu S, Zhu W. Strategies and rules for tuning TCR-derived therapy. Expert Rev Mol Med 2023; 26:e4. [PMID: 38095091 PMCID: PMC11062142 DOI: 10.1017/erm.2023.27] [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: 04/26/2023] [Revised: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Manipulation of T cells has revolutionized cancer immunotherapy. Notably, the use of T cells carrying engineered T cell receptors (TCR-T) offers a favourable therapeutic pathway, particularly in the treatment of solid tumours. However, major challenges such as limited clinical response efficacy, off-target effects and tumour immunosuppressive microenvironment have hindered the clinical translation of this approach. In this review, we mainly want to guide TCR-T investigators on several major issues they face in the treatment of solid tumours after obtaining specific TCR sequences: (1) whether we have to undergo affinity maturation or not, and what parameter we should use as a criterion for being more effective. (2) What modifications can be added to counteract the tumour inhibitory microenvironment to make our specific T cells to be more effective and what is the safety profile of such modifications? (3) What are the new forms and possibilities for TCR-T cell therapy in the future?
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Affiliation(s)
- Guoheng Mo
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xinyu Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Sha Wu
- Department of Immunology/Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Proteomics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, People's Republic of China
| | - Wei Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Organ Failure Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Viral Hepatitis Research, Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
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2
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Klebanoff CA, Chandran SS, Baker BM, Quezada SA, Ribas A. T cell receptor therapeutics: immunological targeting of the intracellular cancer proteome. Nat Rev Drug Discov 2023; 22:996-1017. [PMID: 37891435 PMCID: PMC10947610 DOI: 10.1038/s41573-023-00809-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023]
Abstract
The T cell receptor (TCR) complex is a naturally occurring antigen sensor that detects, amplifies and coordinates cellular immune responses to epitopes derived from cell surface and intracellular proteins. Thus, TCRs enable the targeting of proteins selectively expressed by cancer cells, including neoantigens, cancer germline antigens and viral oncoproteins. As such, TCRs have provided the basis for an emerging class of oncology therapeutics. Herein, we review the current cancer treatment landscape using TCRs and TCR-like molecules. This includes adoptive cell transfer of T cells expressing endogenous or engineered TCRs, TCR bispecific engagers and antibodies specific for human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-bound peptides (TCR mimics). We discuss the unique complexities associated with the clinical development of these therapeutics, such as HLA restriction, TCR retrieval, potency assessment and the potential for cross-reactivity. In addition, we highlight emerging clinical data that establish the antitumour potential of TCR-based therapies, including tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes, for the treatment of diverse human malignancies. Finally, we explore the future of TCR therapeutics, including emerging genome editing methods to safely enhance potency and strategies to streamline patient identification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher A Klebanoff
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Smita S Chandran
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, New York, NY, USA
- Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, New York, NY, USA
- Weill Cornell Medical College, Cornell University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Brian M Baker
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, ID, USA
- The Harper Cancer Research Institute, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, ID, USA
| | - Sergio A Quezada
- Cancer Immunology Unit, Research Department of Haematology, University College London Cancer Institute, London, UK
- Cancer Research UK Lung Cancer Centre of Excellence, University College London Cancer Institute, London, UK
- Achilles Therapeutics, London, UK
| | - Antoni Ribas
- Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, USA
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3
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Faust MA, Rasé VJ, Lamb TJ, Evavold BD. What's the Catch? The Significance of Catch Bonds in T Cell Activation. JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY (BALTIMORE, MD. : 1950) 2023; 211:333-342. [PMID: 37459191 PMCID: PMC10732538 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.2300141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2023] [Accepted: 04/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023]
Abstract
One of the main goals in T cell biology has been to investigate how TCR recognition of peptide:MHC (pMHC) determines T cell phenotype and fate. Ag recognition is required to facilitate survival, expansion, and effector function of T cells. Historically, TCR affinity for pMHC has been used as a predictor for T cell fate and responsiveness, but there have now been several examples of nonfunctional high-affinity clones and low-affinity highly functional clones. Recently, more attention has been paid to the TCR being a mechanoreceptor where the key biophysical determinant is TCR bond lifetime under force. As outlined in this review, the fundamental parameters between the TCR and pMHC that control Ag recognition and T cell triggering are affinity, bond lifetime, and the amount of force at which the peak lifetime occurs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael A Faust
- Division of Microbiology and Immunology, Department of Pathology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
| | - Viva J Rasé
- Division of Microbiology and Immunology, Department of Pathology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
| | - Tracey J Lamb
- Division of Microbiology and Immunology, Department of Pathology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
| | - Brian D Evavold
- Division of Microbiology and Immunology, Department of Pathology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
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4
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Rosado AM, Zhang Y, Choi HK, Chen Y, Ehrlich SM, Jin F, Grakoui A, Evavold BD, Zhu C. Memory in repetitive protein–protein interaction series. APL Bioeng 2023. [DOI: 10.1063/5.0130805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Interactions between proteins coordinate biological processes in an organism and may impact its responses to changing environments and diseases through feedback systems. Feedback systems function by using changes in the past to influence behaviors in the future, which we refer to here as memory. Here, we summarized several observations made, ideas conceptualized, and mathematical models developed for quantitatively analyzing memory effects in repetitive protein–protein interactions (PPIs). Specifically, we consider how proteins on the cell or in isolation retain information about prior interactions to impact current interactions. The micropipette, biomembrane force probe, and atomic force microscopic techniques were used to repeatedly assay PPIs. The resulting time series were analyzed by a previous and two new models to extract three memory indices of short (seconds), intermediate (minutes), and long (hours) timescales. We found that interactions of cell membrane, but not soluble, T cell receptor (TCR) with peptide-major histocompatibility complex (pMHC) exhibits short-term memory that impacts on-rate, but not off-rate of the binding kinetics. Peptide dissociation from MHC resulted in intermediate- and long-term memories in TCR–pMHC interactions. However, we observed no changes in kinetic parameters by repetitive measurements on living cells over intermediate timescales using stable pMHCs. Parameters quantifying memory effects in PPIs could provide additional information regarding biological mechanisms. The methods developed herein also provide tools for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron M. Rosado
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA
- Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA
- Medical Scientist Training Program, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA
| | - Yan Zhang
- Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA
- Georgia W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA
| | - Hyun-Kyu Choi
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA
- Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA
| | - Yunfeng Chen
- Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA
- Georgia W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA
| | - Samuel M. Ehrlich
- Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA
- Georgia W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA
| | - Fengzhi Jin
- Emory Vaccine Center, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA
| | - Arash Grakoui
- Emory Vaccine Center, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA
| | - Brian D. Evavold
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia 30332 USA
| | - Cheng Zhu
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA
- Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA
- Georgia W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA
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5
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Li L, Ji J, Song F, Hu J. Intercellular Receptor-ligand Binding: Effect of Protein-membrane Interaction. J Mol Biol 2023; 435:167787. [PMID: 35952805 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2022.167787] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2022] [Revised: 08/03/2022] [Accepted: 08/04/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Gaining insights into the intercellular receptor-ligand binding is of great importance for understanding numerous physiological and pathological processes, and stimulating new strategies in drug design and discovery. In contrast to the in vitro protein interaction in solution, the anchored receptor and ligand molecules interact with membrane in situ, which affects the intercellular receptor-ligand binding. Here, we review theoretical, simulation and experimental works regarding the regulatory effects of protein-membrane interactions on intercellular receptor-ligand binding mainly from the following aspects: membrane fluctuations, membrane curvature, glycocalyx, and lipid raft. In addition, we discuss biomedical significances and possible research directions to advance the field and highlight the importance of understanding of coupling effects of these factors in pharmaceutical development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Long Li
- Kuang Yaming Honors School and Institute for Brain Sciences, Nanjing University, 210023 Nanjing, China; State Key Laboratory of Nonlinear Mechanics and Beijing Key Laboratory of Engineered Construction and Mechanobiology, Institute of Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100190 Beijing, China
| | - Jing Ji
- Key Laboratory of Biomechanics and Mechanobiology (Beihang University), Ministry of Education Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100083, China.
| | - Fan Song
- State Key Laboratory of Nonlinear Mechanics and Beijing Key Laboratory of Engineered Construction and Mechanobiology, Institute of Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100190 Beijing, China; School of Engineering Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049 Beijing, China
| | - Jinglei Hu
- Kuang Yaming Honors School and Institute for Brain Sciences, Nanjing University, 210023 Nanjing, China.
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6
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Rushdi MN, Pan V, Li K, Choi HK, Travaglino S, Hong J, Griffitts F, Agnihotri P, Mariuzza RA, Ke Y, Zhu C. Cooperative binding of T cell receptor and CD4 to peptide-MHC enhances antigen sensitivity. Nat Commun 2022; 13:7055. [PMID: 36396644 PMCID: PMC9671906 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-34587-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2021] [Accepted: 10/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Antigen recognition by the T cell receptor (TCR) of CD4+ T cells can be greatly enhanced by the coreceptor CD4. Yet, understanding of the molecular mechanism is hindered by the ultra-low affinity of CD4 binding to class-II peptide-major histocompatibility complexes (pMHC). Here we show, using two-dimensional (2D) mechanical-based assays, that the affinity of CD4-pMHC interaction is 3-4 logs lower than that of cognate TCR-pMHC interactions, and it is more susceptible to increased dissociation by forces (slip bond). In contrast, CD4 binds TCR-pre-bound pMHC at 3-6 logs higher affinity, forming TCR-pMHC-CD4 tri-molecular bonds that are prolonged by force (catch bond), and modulated by protein mobility on the cell membrane, indicating profound TCR-CD4 cooperativity. Consistent with a tri-crystal structure, using DNA origami as a molecular ruler to titrate spacing between TCR and CD4 we show that 7-nm proximity optimizes TCR-pMHC-CD4 tri-molecular bond formation with pMHC. Our results thus provide deep mechanistic insight into CD4 enhancement of TCR antigen recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muaz Nik Rushdi
- grid.213917.f0000 0001 2097 4943Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, GA USA ,grid.213917.f0000 0001 2097 4943Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA USA ,grid.419673.e0000 0000 9545 2456Present Address: Medtronic CO., Minneapolis, MN USA
| | - Victor Pan
- grid.213917.f0000 0001 2097 4943Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, GA USA ,grid.213917.f0000 0001 2097 4943Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA USA ,grid.510306.10000 0004 5907 6472Present Address: Intellia Therapeutics, Cambridge, MA USA
| | - Kaitao Li
- grid.213917.f0000 0001 2097 4943Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, GA USA ,grid.213917.f0000 0001 2097 4943Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA USA
| | - Hyun-Kyu Choi
- grid.213917.f0000 0001 2097 4943Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, GA USA ,grid.213917.f0000 0001 2097 4943Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA USA
| | - Stefano Travaglino
- grid.213917.f0000 0001 2097 4943Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, GA USA ,grid.213917.f0000 0001 2097 4943Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA USA
| | - Jinsung Hong
- grid.213917.f0000 0001 2097 4943Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, GA USA ,grid.213917.f0000 0001 2097 4943Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA USA ,grid.417587.80000 0001 2243 3366Present Address: Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD USA
| | - Fletcher Griffitts
- grid.213917.f0000 0001 2097 4943Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA USA ,grid.213917.f0000 0001 2097 4943Georgia W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA USA
| | - Pragati Agnihotri
- grid.440664.40000 0001 0313 4029W. M. Keck Laboratory for Structural Biology, Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, University of Maryland, Rockville, MD USA ,grid.164295.d0000 0001 0941 7177Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD USA ,grid.281126.e0000 0004 0612 4549Present Address: Advanced Bioscience Laboratories, Rockville, MD USA
| | - Roy A. Mariuzza
- grid.440664.40000 0001 0313 4029W. M. Keck Laboratory for Structural Biology, Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, University of Maryland, Rockville, MD USA ,grid.164295.d0000 0001 0941 7177Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD USA
| | - Yonggang Ke
- grid.213917.f0000 0001 2097 4943Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, GA USA ,grid.189967.80000 0001 0941 6502Medical Scientist Training Program, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA USA
| | - Cheng Zhu
- grid.213917.f0000 0001 2097 4943Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, GA USA ,grid.213917.f0000 0001 2097 4943Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA USA ,grid.213917.f0000 0001 2097 4943Georgia W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA USA
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7
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Egan JR, Abu-Shah E, Dushek O, Elliott T, MacArthur BD. Fluctuations in T cell receptor and pMHC interactions regulate T cell activation. J R Soc Interface 2022; 19:20210589. [PMID: 35135295 PMCID: PMC8833104 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2021.0589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Adaptive immune responses depend on interactions between T cell receptors (TCRs) and peptide major histocompatibility complex (pMHC) ligands located on the surface of T cells and antigen presenting cells (APCs), respectively. As TCRs and pMHCs are often only present at low copy numbers their interactions are inherently stochastic, yet the role of stochastic fluctuations on T cell function is unclear. Here, we introduce a minimal stochastic model of T cell activation that accounts for serial TCR-pMHC engagement, reversible TCR conformational change and TCR aggregation. Analysis of this model indicates that it is not the strength of binding between the T cell and the APC cell per se that elicits an immune response, but rather the information imparted to the T cell from the encounter, as assessed by the entropy rate of the TCR-pMHC binding dynamics. This view provides an information-theoretic interpretation of T cell activation that explains a range of experimental observations. Based on this analysis, we propose that effective T cell therapeutics may be enhanced by optimizing the inherent stochasticity of TCR-pMHC binding dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph R Egan
- Mathematical Sciences, Stem Cells and Regeneration, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK.,Institute for Life Sciences, Stem Cells and Regeneration, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK.,Centre for Cancer Immunology, University Hospital Southampton, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK.,Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3RE, UK
| | - Enas Abu-Shah
- Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3RE, UK.,Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7FY, UK
| | - Omer Dushek
- Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3RE, UK
| | - Tim Elliott
- Institute for Life Sciences, Stem Cells and Regeneration, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK.,Centre for Cancer Immunology, University Hospital Southampton, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK.,Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7BN, UK
| | - Ben D MacArthur
- Mathematical Sciences, Stem Cells and Regeneration, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK.,Institute for Life Sciences, Stem Cells and Regeneration, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK.,Centre for Human Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK.,Alan Turing Institute, London NW1 2DB, UK
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8
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Motz CT, Kabat V, Saxena T, Bellamkonda RV, Zhu C. Neuromechanobiology: An Expanding Field Driven by the Force of Greater Focus. Adv Healthc Mater 2021; 10:e2100102. [PMID: 34342167 PMCID: PMC8497434 DOI: 10.1002/adhm.202100102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2021] [Revised: 07/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The brain processes information by transmitting signals through highly connected and dynamic networks of neurons. Neurons use specific cellular structures, including axons, dendrites and synapses, and specific molecules, including cell adhesion molecules, ion channels and chemical receptors to form, maintain and communicate among cells in the networks. These cellular and molecular processes take place in environments rich of mechanical cues, thus offering ample opportunities for mechanical regulation of neural development and function. Recent studies have suggested the importance of mechanical cues and their potential regulatory roles in the development and maintenance of these neuronal structures. Also suggested are the importance of mechanical cues and their potential regulatory roles in the interaction and function of molecules mediating the interneuronal communications. In this review, the current understanding is integrated and promising future directions of neuromechanobiology are suggested at the cellular and molecular levels. Several neuronal processes where mechanics likely plays a role are examined and how forces affect ligand binding, conformational change, and signal induction of molecules key to these neuronal processes are indicated, especially at the synapse. The disease relevance of neuromechanobiology as well as therapies and engineering solutions to neurological disorders stemmed from this emergent field of study are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cara T Motz
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332-0363, USA
- Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332-0363, USA
| | - Victoria Kabat
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332-0363, USA
| | - Tarun Saxena
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27709, USA
| | - Ravi V Bellamkonda
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Pratt School of Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
| | - Cheng Zhu
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332-0363, USA
- Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332-0363, USA
- George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, 30332-0363, USA
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9
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Zhou F, Zhang F, Zarnitsyna VI, Doudy L, Yuan Z, Li K, McEver RP, Lu H, Zhu C. The kinetics of E-selectin- and P-selectin-induced intermediate activation of integrin αLβ2 on neutrophils. J Cell Sci 2021; 134:271954. [PMID: 34435628 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.258046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2020] [Accepted: 08/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Selectins and integrins are key players in the adhesion and signaling cascade that recruits leukocytes to inflamed tissues. Selectin binding induces β2 integrin binding to slow leukocyte rolling. Here, a micropipette was used to characterize neutrophil adhesion to E-selectin and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) at room temperature. The time-dependent adhesion frequency displayed two-stage kinetics, with an E-selectin-mediated fast increase to a low plateau followed by a slow increase to a high plateau mediated by intermediate-affinity binding of integrin αLβ2 to ICAM-1. The αLβ2 activation required more than 5 s contact to E-selectin and spleen tyrosine kinase (Syk) activity. A multi-zone channel was used to analyze αLβ2 activation by P-selectin in separate zones of receptors or antibodies, finding an inverse relationship between the rolling velocity on ICAM-1 and P-selectin dose, and a P-selectin dose-dependent change from bent to extended conformations with a closed headpiece that was faster at 37°C than at room temperature. Activation of αLβ2 exhibited different levels of cooperativity and persistent times depending on the strength and duration of selectin stimulation. These results define the precise timing and kinetics of intermediate activation of αLβ2 by E- and P-selectins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fangyuan Zhou
- Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332-0363, USA
| | - Fang Zhang
- Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332-0363, USA
| | - Veronika I Zarnitsyna
- Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332-0363, USA
| | - Larissa Doudy
- Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332-0363, USA
| | - Zhou Yuan
- Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332-0363, USA
| | - Kaitao Li
- Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332-0363, USA
| | - Rodger P McEver
- Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA
| | - Hang Lu
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
| | - Cheng Zhu
- Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332-0363, USA
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10
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Distinct roles of ICOS and CD40L in human T-B cell adhesion and antibody production. Cell Immunol 2021; 368:104420. [PMID: 34418679 DOI: 10.1016/j.cellimm.2021.104420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2021] [Revised: 07/22/2021] [Accepted: 07/31/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
CD40-CD40L and inducible co-stimulatory molecule (ICOS)-ICOSL ligations are demonstrated to play critical roles in CD4+T-B interaction for B cell activation and differentiation in mouse models. Herein, by using a micropipette adhesion assay and an in vitro CD4+T-B cell coculture system simultaneously, we intended to dissect their roles in human CD4+T-B adhesion and IgG/IgM production. With the upregulation of CD40L and ICOS expressions on CD4+ T cells upon TCR/CD28 stimulation in vitro, activated CD4+ T cells exhibited enhanced adhesion with autologous B cells at a single cell level when compared to the resting counterparts. Blockade of ICOS dramatically damped the adhesion between CD4+ T and B cells whereas less effect of CD40L blockade was observed. On the contrary, blockade of CD40L led to the dramatic decrease in IgG/IgM production when B cells were cocultured with activated CD4+ T cells together with the decrease in the induction of CD19hi B cells. However, ICOS blockade displayed less attenuation on IgG/IgM production. Distinct roles of CD40-CD40L and ICOS-ICOSL in cell adhesion and IgG/IgM production were also observed in CD4+T-B cell interaction in system lupus erythematosus patients. The blockade of CD40L, rather than ICOS, led to the dramatic decrease in the phosphorylation of Pyk2 in CD19hi B cells and total B cells. Our study thus provides the evidence that CD40L and ICOS on activated CD4+ T cells either upon in vitro activation or at the pathogenic state function diversely during CD4+T-B cell interactions. While ICOS-ICOSL ligation is more likely to be engaged in cell adhesion, CD40-CD40L provides indispensable signal for B cell differentiation and IgG/IgM production. Our results are thus indicative for the segregating costimulation of CD40-CD40L and ICOS-ICOSL on CD4+ T cells for B cell activation and differentiation, which might be helpful for the dissection of SLE pathogenesis.
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11
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Abstract
T cell activation is a critical event in the adaptive immune response, indispensable for cell-mediated and humoral immunity as well as for immune regulation. Recent years have witnessed an emerging trend emphasizing the essential role that physical force and mechanical properties play at the T cell interface. In this review, we integrate current knowledge of T cell antigen recognition and the different models of T cell activation from the perspective of mechanobiology, focusing on the interaction between the T cell receptor (TCR) and the peptide-major histocompatibility complex (pMHC) antigen. We address the shortcomings of TCR affinity alone in explaining T cell functional outcomes and the rising status of force-regulated TCR bond lifetimes, most notably the TCR catch bond. Ultimately, T cell activation and the ensuing physiological responses result from mechanical interaction between TCRs and the pMHC. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Cell and Developmental Biology, Volume 37 is October 2021. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baoyu Liu
- Department of Pathology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, USA; , ,
| | - Elizabeth M Kolawole
- Department of Pathology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, USA; , ,
| | - Brian D Evavold
- Department of Pathology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, USA; , ,
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12
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PD-1 suppresses TCR-CD8 cooperativity during T-cell antigen recognition. Nat Commun 2021; 12:2746. [PMID: 33980853 PMCID: PMC8115078 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-22965-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2020] [Accepted: 04/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite the clinical success of blocking its interactions, how PD-1 inhibits T-cell activation is incompletely understood, as exemplified by its potency far exceeding what might be predicted from its affinity for PD-1 ligand-1 (PD-L1). This may be partially attributed to PD-1's targeting the proximal signaling of the T-cell receptor (TCR) and co-stimulatory receptor CD28 via activating Src homology region 2 domain-containing phosphatases (SHPs). Here, we report PD-1 signaling regulates the initial TCR antigen recognition manifested in a smaller spreading area, fewer molecular bonds formed, and shorter bond lifetime of T cell interaction with peptide-major histocompatibility complex (pMHC) in the presence than absence of PD-L1 in a manner dependent on SHPs and Leukocyte C-terminal Src kinase. Our results identify a PD-1 inhibitory mechanism that disrupts the cooperative TCR-pMHC-CD8 trimolecular interaction, which prevents CD8 from augmenting antigen recognition, explaining PD-1's potent inhibitory function and its value as a target for clinical intervention.
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13
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Gunasinghe SD, Peres NG, Goyette J, Gaus K. Biomechanics of T Cell Dysfunctions in Chronic Diseases. Front Immunol 2021; 12:600829. [PMID: 33717081 PMCID: PMC7948521 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.600829] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2020] [Accepted: 01/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the mechanisms behind T cell dysfunctions during chronic diseases is critical in developing effective immunotherapies. As demonstrated by several animal models and human studies, T cell dysfunctions are induced during chronic diseases, spanning from infections to cancer. Although factors governing the onset and the extent of the functional impairment of T cells can differ during infections and cancer, most dysfunctional phenotypes share common phenotypic traits in their immune receptor and biophysical landscape. Through the latest developments in biophysical techniques applied to explore cell membrane and receptor-ligand dynamics, we are able to dissect and gain further insights into the driving mechanisms behind T cell dysfunctions. These insights may prove useful in developing immunotherapies aimed at reinvigorating our immune system to fight off infections and malignancies more effectively. The recent success with checkpoint inhibitors in treating cancer opens new avenues to develop more effective, targeted immunotherapies. Here, we highlight the studies focused on the transformation of the biophysical landscape during infections and cancer, and how T cell biomechanics shaped the immunopathology associated with chronic diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sachith D Gunasinghe
- EMBL Australia Node in Single Molecule Science, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,ARC Centre of Excellence in Advanced Molecular Imaging, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Newton G Peres
- EMBL Australia Node in Single Molecule Science, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,ARC Centre of Excellence in Advanced Molecular Imaging, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Jesse Goyette
- EMBL Australia Node in Single Molecule Science, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,ARC Centre of Excellence in Advanced Molecular Imaging, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Katharina Gaus
- EMBL Australia Node in Single Molecule Science, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.,ARC Centre of Excellence in Advanced Molecular Imaging, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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14
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Mørch AM, Bálint Š, Santos AM, Davis SJ, Dustin ML. Coreceptors and TCR Signaling - the Strong and the Weak of It. Front Cell Dev Biol 2020; 8:597627. [PMID: 33178706 PMCID: PMC7596257 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2020.597627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2020] [Accepted: 09/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
The T-cell coreceptors CD4 and CD8 have well-characterized and essential roles in thymic development, but how they contribute to immune responses in the periphery is unclear. Coreceptors strengthen T-cell responses by many orders of magnitude - beyond a million-fold according to some estimates - but the mechanisms underlying these effects are still debated. T-cell receptor (TCR) triggering is initiated by the binding of the TCR to peptide-loaded major histocompatibility complex (pMHC) molecules on the surfaces of other cells. CD4 and CD8 are the only T-cell proteins that bind to the same pMHC ligand as the TCR, and can directly associate with the TCR-phosphorylating kinase Lck. At least three mechanisms have been proposed to explain how coreceptors so profoundly amplify TCR signaling: (1) the Lck recruitment model and (2) the pseudodimer model, both invoked to explain receptor triggering per se, and (3) two-step coreceptor recruitment to partially triggered TCRs leading to signal amplification. More recently it has been suggested that, in addition to initiating or augmenting TCR signaling, coreceptors effect antigen discrimination. But how can any of this be reconciled with TCR signaling occurring in the absence of CD4 or CD8, and with their interactions with pMHC being among the weakest specific protein-protein interactions ever described? Here, we review each theory of coreceptor function in light of the latest structural, biochemical, and functional data. We conclude that the oldest ideas are probably still the best, i.e., that their weak binding to MHC proteins and efficient association with Lck allow coreceptors to amplify weak incipient triggering of the TCR, without comprising TCR specificity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander M. Mørch
- The Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Radcliffe Department of Medicine, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- MRC Human Immunology Unit, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Štefan Bálint
- The Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Ana Mafalda Santos
- Radcliffe Department of Medicine, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- MRC Human Immunology Unit, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Simon J. Davis
- Radcliffe Department of Medicine, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- MRC Human Immunology Unit, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Michael L. Dustin
- The Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
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15
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Hoffmann MM, Slansky JE. T-cell receptor affinity in the age of cancer immunotherapy. Mol Carcinog 2020; 59:862-870. [PMID: 32386086 DOI: 10.1002/mc.23212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2020] [Revised: 04/30/2020] [Accepted: 04/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The strength of the interaction between T-cell receptors (TCRs) and their ligands, peptide/major histocompatibility complex complexes (pMHCs), is one of the most frequently discussed and investigated features of T cells in immuno-oncology today. Although there are many molecules on the surface of T cells that interact with ligands on other cells, the TCR/pMHC is the only receptor-ligand pair that offers antigen specificity and dictates the functional response of the T cell. The strength of the TCR/pMHC interaction, along with the environment in which this interaction takes place, is key to how the T cell will respond. The TCR repertoire of T cells that interact with tumor-associated antigens is vast, although typically of low affinity. Here, we focus on the low-affinity interactions between TCRs from CD8+ T cells and different models used in immuno-oncology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michele M Hoffmann
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado
| | - Jill E Slansky
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado
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16
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Affiliation(s)
- Pirooz Zareie
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Australia
| | - Carine Farenc
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Australia
| | - Nicole L. La Gruta
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Australia
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17
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Liu B, Hood JD, Kolawole EM, Woodruff DM, Vignali DA, Bettini M, Evavold BD. A Hybrid Insulin Epitope Maintains High 2D Affinity for Diabetogenic T Cells in the Periphery. Diabetes 2020; 69:381-391. [PMID: 31806623 PMCID: PMC7034185 DOI: 10.2337/db19-0399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2019] [Accepted: 11/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
β-Cell antigen recognition by autoreactive T cells is essential in type 1 diabetes (T1D) pathogenesis. Recently, insulin hybrid peptides (HIPs) were identified as strong agonists for CD4 diabetogenic T cells. Here, using BDC2.5 transgenic and NOD mice, we investigated T-cell recognition of the HIP2.5 epitope, which is a fusion of insulin C-peptide and chromogranin A (ChgA) fragments, and compared it with the WE14 and ChgA29 -42 epitopes. We measured in situ two-dimensional affinity on individual live T cells from thymus, spleen, pancreatic lymph nodes, and islets before and after diabetes. Although preselection BDC2.5 thymocytes possess higher affinity than splenic BDC2.5 T cells for all three epitopes, peripheral splenic T cells maintained high affinity only to the HIP2.5 epitope. In polyclonal NOD mice, a high frequency (∼40%) of HIP2.5-specific islet T cells were identified at both prediabetic and diabetic stages comprising two distinct high- and low-affinity populations that differed in affinity by 100-fold. This high frequency of high- and low-affinity HIP2.5 T cells in the islets potentially represents a major risk factor in diabetes pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baoyu Liu
- Division of Microbiology and Immunology, Department of Pathology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
| | - Jennifer D Hood
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA
| | - Elizabeth M Kolawole
- Division of Microbiology and Immunology, Department of Pathology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
| | | | - Dario A Vignali
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Maria Bettini
- Department of Pediatric Diabetes and Endocrinology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
| | - Brian D Evavold
- Division of Microbiology and Immunology, Department of Pathology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
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18
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Xu X, Li H, Xu C. Structural understanding of T cell receptor triggering. Cell Mol Immunol 2020; 17:193-202. [PMID: 32047259 PMCID: PMC7052162 DOI: 10.1038/s41423-020-0367-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2019] [Accepted: 01/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The T cell receptor (TCR) is one of the most complicated receptors in mammalian cells, and its triggering mechanism remains mysterious. As an octamer complex, TCR comprises an antigen-binding subunit (TCRαβ) and three CD3 signaling subunits (CD3ζζ, CD3δε, and CD3γε). Engagement of TCRαβ with an antigen peptide presented on the MHC leads to tyrosine phosphorylation of the immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motif (ITAM) in CD3 cytoplasmic domains (CDs), thus translating extracellular binding kinetics to intracellular signaling events. Whether conformational change plays an important role in the transmembrane signal transduction of TCR is under debate. Attracted by the complexity and functional importance of TCR, many groups have been studying TCR structure and triggering for decades using diverse biochemical and biophysical tools. Here, we synthesize these structural studies and discuss the relevance of the conformational change model in TCR triggering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyi Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Shanghai Science Research Center, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 320 Yueyang Road, 200031, Shanghai, China
| | - Hua Li
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Shanghai Science Research Center, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 320 Yueyang Road, 200031, Shanghai, China
| | - Chenqi Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Shanghai Science Research Center, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 320 Yueyang Road, 200031, Shanghai, China.
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, 100 Haike Road, 201210, Shanghai, China.
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19
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Kaitao L, William R, Zhou Y, Cheng Z. Single-molecule investigations of T-cell activation. CURRENT OPINION IN BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING 2019; 12:102-110. [PMID: 32296738 PMCID: PMC7158867 DOI: 10.1016/j.cobme.2019.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
T-cell activation is the central event governing its development, differentiation, and effector functions. T-cell activation is initiated by the direct physical interaction of the T cell antigen receptor (TCR) with cognate peptide presented by the major histocompatibility complex (pMHC) molecule expressed on the antigen presenting cell (APC) surface. Since the identification of TCR as the only receptor for antigen on T cells three decades ago, studies have elucidated the major molecular players and signaling events responding to TCR stimulation. However, the question of how the physical event of pMHC binding is converted across the membrane into chemical events to initiate signal transduction remains elusive. Here we review recent investigations of T-cell activation using single-molecule force and fluorescence techniques that shed new light on this key question.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Kaitao
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering
- Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332
| | - Rittase William
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering
- Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332
| | - Yuan Zhou
- George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering
- Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332
| | - Zhu Cheng
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering
- George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering
- Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332
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20
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Spear TT, Evavold BD, Baker BM, Nishimura MI. Understanding TCR affinity, antigen specificity, and cross-reactivity to improve TCR gene-modified T cells for cancer immunotherapy. Cancer Immunol Immunother 2019; 68:1881-1889. [PMID: 31595324 PMCID: PMC11028285 DOI: 10.1007/s00262-019-02401-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2019] [Accepted: 09/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Adoptive cell transfer (ACT) using T cell receptor (TCR) gene-modified T cells is an exciting and rapidly evolving field. Numerous preclinical and clinical studies have demonstrated various levels of feasibility, safety, and efficacy using TCR-engineered T cells to treat cancer and viral infections. Although evidence suggests their use can be effective, to what extent and how to improve these therapeutics are still matters of investigation. As TCR affinity has been generally accepted as the central role in defining T cell specificity and sensitivity, selection for and generation of high affinity TCRs has remained a fundamental approach to design more potent T cells. However, traditional methods for affinity-enhancement by random mutagenesis can induce undesirable cross-reactivity causing on- and off-target adverse events, generate exhausted effectors by overstimulation, and ignore other kinetic and cellular parameters that have been shown to impact antigen specificity. In this Focussed Research Review, we comment on the preclinical and clinical potential of TCR gene-modified T cells, summarize our contributions challenging the role TCR affinity plays in antigen recognition, and explore how structure-guided design can be used to manipulate antigen specificity and TCR cross-reactivity to improve the safety and efficacy of TCR gene-modified T cells used in ACT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy T Spear
- Department of Surgery, Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center, Loyola University Chicago, 2160 S. 1st Ave, Bldg 112, Room 308, Maywood, IL, 60153, USA.
| | - Brian D Evavold
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA
| | - Brian M Baker
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Harper Cancer Research Institute, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, 46530, USA
| | - Michael I Nishimura
- Department of Surgery, Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center, Loyola University Chicago, 2160 S. 1st Ave, Bldg 112, Room 308, Maywood, IL, 60153, USA
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21
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Abstract
The immune response is orchestrated by a variety of immune cells. The function of each cell is determined by the collective signals from various immunoreceptors, whose expression and activity depend on the developmental stages of the cell and its environmental context. Recent studies have highlighted the presence of mechanical force on several immunoreceptor-ligand pairs and the important role of force in regulating their interaction and function. In this Perspective, we use the T cell antigen receptor as an example with which to review the current understanding of the mechanosensing properties of immunoreceptors. We discuss the types of forces that immunoreceptors may encounter and the effects of force on ligand bonding, conformational change and the triggering of immunoreceptors, as well as the effects of force on the downstream signal transduction, cell-fate decisions and effector function of immune cells.
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22
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Wu SW, Li L, Wang Y, Xiao Z. CTL-Derived Exosomes Enhance the Activation of CTLs Stimulated by Low-Affinity Peptides. Front Immunol 2019; 10:1274. [PMID: 31275303 PMCID: PMC6593274 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.01274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2018] [Accepted: 05/20/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Cytotoxic T cells (CTLs) bind to peptides presented by MHC I (pMHC) through T cell receptors of various affinities. Low-affinity CTLs are important for the control of intracellular pathogens and cancers; however, the mechanisms by which these lower affinity CTLs are activated and maintained are not well understood. We recently discovered that fully activated CTLs stimulated by strong-affinity peptides in the presence of IL-12 are able to secrete exosomes that, in turn, stimulate bystander CTLs without requiring the presence of antigen. We hypothesized that exosomes secreted by high-affinity CTLs could strengthen the activation of low-affinity CTLs. Naive OT-I CD8+ cells were stimulated with altered N4 peptides of different affinities in the presence or absence of Exo. The presence of Exo preferentially increased cell proliferation and enhanced the production of IFNγ in CTLs stimulated by low-affinity peptides. The expression of granzyme B (GZB) was augmented in all affinities, with higher GZB production in low-affinity stimulated CTLs than in high-affinity stimulated ones. Exosomes promoted the rapid activation of low-affinity CTLs, which remained responsive to exosomes for a prolonged duration. Unexpectedly, exosomes could be induced quickly (24 h) following CTL activation and at a higher quantity per cell than later (72 h). While exosome protein profiles vary significantly between early exosomes and their later-derived counterparts, both appear to have similar downstream functions. These results reveal a potential mechanism for fully activated CTLs in activating lower-affinity CTLs that may have important implications in boosting the function of low-affinity CTLs in immunotherapy for cancers and chronic viral infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shu-Wei Wu
- Department of Animal and Avian Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States
| | - Lei Li
- Department of Animal and Avian Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States
| | - Yan Wang
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States
| | - Zhengguo Xiao
- Department of Animal and Avian Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States
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23
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Li L, Hu J, Li L, Song F. Binding constant of membrane-anchored receptors and ligands that induce membrane curvatures. SOFT MATTER 2019; 15:3507-3514. [PMID: 30912540 DOI: 10.1039/c8sm02504e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Cell adhesion is crucial for immune response, tissue formation, and cell locomotion. The adhesion process is mediated by the specific binding of membrane-anchored receptor and ligand proteins. These adhesion proteins are in contact with the membranes and may generate curvature, which has been shown for a number of membrane proteins to play an important role in membrane remodeling. An important question remains of whether the local membrane curvatures induced by the adhesion proteins affect their binding. We've performed Monte Carlo simulations of a mesoscopic model for membrane adhesion via the specific binding of curvature-inducing receptors and ligands. We find that the curvatures induced by the adhesion proteins do affect their binding equilibrium constant. We presented a theory that takes into account the membrane deformations and protein-protein interactions due to the induced curvatures, and agrees quantitatively with our simulation results. Our study suggests that the ability to induce membrane curvatures represents a molecular property of the adhesion proteins and should be carefully considered in experimental characterization of the binding affinity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Long Li
- State Key Laboratory of Nonlinear Mechanics (LNM) and Beijing Key Laboratory of Engineered Construction and Mechanobiology, Institute of Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China.
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24
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Soler M, Li X, John-Herpin A, Schmidt J, Coukos G, Altug H. Two-Dimensional Label-Free Affinity Analysis of Tumor-Specific CD8 T Cells with a Biomimetic Plasmonic Sensor. ACS Sens 2018; 3:2286-2295. [PMID: 30339020 DOI: 10.1021/acssensors.8b00523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
The screening and analysis of T cells functional avidity for specific tumor-associated antigens is crucial for the development of personalized immunotherapies against cancer. The affinity and kinetics of a T cell receptor (TCR) binding to the peptide-major histocompatibility complex (pMHC), expressed on tumor or antigen-presenting cells, have shown major implications in T cell activation and effector functions. We introduce an innovative methodology for the two-dimensional affinity analysis of TCR-pMHC in a label-free configuration by employing a multiparametric Surface Plasmon Resonance biosensor (MP-SPR) functionalized with artificial cell membranes. The biomimetic scaffold created with planar lipid bilayers is able to efficiently capture the specific and intact tumor-specific T cells and monitor the formation of the immunological synapse in situ. We have achieved excellent limits of detection for in-flow cell capturing, up to 2 orders of magnitude below the current state-of-the-art for plasmonic sensing. We demonstrate the accuracy and selectivity of our sensor for the analysis of CD8+ T cells bioengineered with TCR of incremental affinities specific for the HLA-A0201/NY-ESO-I157-165 pMHC complex. The study confirmed the significance of providing a biomimetic microenvironment, compared to the traditional molecular analysis, and showed fine agreement with previous results employing flow cytometry. Our methodology is reliable and versatile; thus, it can be applied to more sophisticated photonic and nanoplasmonic technologies for the screening of multiple cell types and boost the development of novel treatments for cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Soler
- Institute of Bioengineering, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Xiaokang Li
- Institute of Bioengineering, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Aurelian John-Herpin
- Institute of Bioengineering, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Julien Schmidt
- Lausanne Branch - Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, and Department of Oncology, University of Lausanne (UNIL), CH-1007 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - George Coukos
- Lausanne Branch - Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, and Department of Oncology, University of Lausanne (UNIL), CH-1007 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Hatice Altug
- Institute of Bioengineering, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
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25
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Kolawole EM, Andargachew R, Liu B, Jacobs JR, Evavold BD. 2D Kinetic Analysis of TCR and CD8 Coreceptor for LCMV GP33 Epitopes. Front Immunol 2018; 9:2348. [PMID: 30374353 PMCID: PMC6197077 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.02348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2018] [Accepted: 09/21/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The LCMV GP33 CD8 epitope has long been one of the most widely used antigens in viral immunology. Of note, almost all of the in vitro analyses of CD8 T cell responses to this epitope make use of an altered peptide ligand (APL) in which the cysteine from the original 9-mer peptide (KAVYNFATC) is substituted by a methionine at position 41 (KAVYNFATM). In addition, it is possible that the antigen processed during natural LCMV infection is an 11-mer peptide (KAVYNFATCGI) rather than the widely used 9-mer. Although previous affinity measurements using purified proteins for these antigen variants revealed minimal differences, we applied highly sensitive two dimensional (2D) biophysical based techniques to further dissect TCR interaction with these closely related GP33 variants. The kinetic analyses of affinity provided by the 2D micropipette adhesion frequency assay (2D-MP) and bond lifetime under force analyzed using a biomembrane force probe (BFP) revealed significant differences between 41M, 41C and the 11-mer 41CGI antigen. We found a hierarchy in 2D affinity as 41M peptide displayed augmented TCR 2D affinity compared to 41C and 41CGI. These differences were also maintained in the presence of CD8 coreceptor and when analysis of total TCR:pMHC and CD8:pMHC bonds were considered. Moreover, the three ligands displayed dramatic differences in the bond lifetimes generated under force, in particular the 41CGI variant with the lowest 2D affinity demonstrated a 15-fold synergistic contribution of the CD8 coreceptor to overall bond lifetime. Our analyses emphasize the sensitivity of single cell and single bond 2D kinetic measurements in distinguishing between related agonist peptides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth M Kolawole
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States
| | - Rakieb Andargachew
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Baoyu Liu
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States
| | - Jesica R Jacobs
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States
| | - Brian D Evavold
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States
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26
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Li L, Hu J, Xu G, Song F. Binding constant of cell adhesion receptors and substrate-immobilized ligands depends on the distribution of ligands. Phys Rev E 2018; 97:012405. [PMID: 29448355 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.97.012405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Cell-cell adhesion and the adhesion of cells to tissues and extracellular matrix, which are pivotal for immune response, tissue development, and cell locomotion, depend sensitively on the binding constant of receptor and ligand molecules anchored on the apposing surfaces. An important question remains of whether the immobilization of ligands affects the affinity of binding with cell adhesion receptors. We have investigated the adhesion of multicomponent membranes to a flat substrate coated with immobile ligands using Monte Carlo simulations of a statistical mesoscopic model with biologically relevant parameters. We find that the binding of the adhesion receptors to ligands immobilized on the substrate is strongly affected by the ligand distribution. In the case of ligand clusters, the receptor-ligand binding constant can be significantly enhanced due to the less translational entropy loss of lipid-raft domains in the model cell membranes upon the formation of additional complexes. For ligands randomly or uniformly immobilized on the substrate, the binding constant is rather decreased since the receptors localized in lipid-raft domains have to pay an energetic penalty in order to bind ligands. Our findings help to understand why cell-substrate adhesion experiments for measuring the impact of lipid rafts on the receptor-ligand interactions led to contradictory results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Long Li
- State Key Laboratory of Nonlinear Mechanics (LNM) and Beijing Key Laboratory of Engineered Construction and Mechanobiology, Institute of Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Jinglei Hu
- Kuang Yaming Honors School, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China.,Shenzhen Institute of Research, Nanjing University, Shenzhen 518057, China
| | - Guangkui Xu
- School of Aerospace, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China
| | - Fan Song
- State Key Laboratory of Nonlinear Mechanics (LNM) and Beijing Key Laboratory of Engineered Construction and Mechanobiology, Institute of Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.,School of Engineering Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
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28
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Allard M, Hebeisen M, Rufer N. Assessing T Cell Receptor Affinity and Avidity Against Tumor Antigens. Oncoimmunology 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-62431-0_40] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022] Open
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29
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Schmitt TM, Aggen DH, Ishida-Tsubota K, Ochsenreither S, Kranz DM, Greenberg PD. Generation of higher affinity T cell receptors by antigen-driven differentiation of progenitor T cells in vitro. Nat Biotechnol 2017; 35:1188-1195. [PMID: 29106410 PMCID: PMC5722674 DOI: 10.1038/nbt.4004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2017] [Accepted: 10/13/2017] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Many promising targets for T-cell-based cancer immunotherapies are self-antigens. During thymic selection, T cells bearing T cell receptors (TCRs) with high affinity for self-antigen are eliminated. The affinity of the remaining low-avidity TCRs can be improved to increase their antitumor efficacy, but conventional saturation mutagenesis approaches are labor intensive, and the resulting TCRs may be cross-reactive. Here we describe the in vitro maturation and selection of mouse and human T cells on antigen-expressing feeder cells to develop higher-affinity TCRs. The approach takes advantage of natural Tcrb gene rearrangement to generate diversity in the length and composition of CDR3β. In vitro differentiation of progenitors transduced with a known Tcra gene in the presence of antigen drives differentiation of cells with a distinct agonist-selected phenotype. We purified these cells to generate TCRβ chain libraries pre-enriched for target antigen specificity. Several TCRβ chains paired with a transgenic TCRα chain to produce a TCR with higher affinity than the parental TCR for target antigen, without evidence of cross-reactivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas M Schmitt
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - David H Aggen
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | | | - Sebastian Ochsenreither
- Department of Hematology, Oncology, and Tumor Immunology, Charité Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Germany
| | - David M Kranz
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - Philip D Greenberg
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, USA
- Departments of Immunology and Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
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30
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Ju L, Chen Y, Li K, Yuan Z, Liu B, Jackson SP, Zhu C. Dual Biomembrane Force Probe enables single-cell mechanical analysis of signal crosstalk between multiple molecular species. Sci Rep 2017; 7:14185. [PMID: 29079742 PMCID: PMC5660210 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-13793-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2017] [Accepted: 10/02/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Conventional approaches for studying receptor-mediated cell signaling, such as the western blot and flow cytometry, are limited in three aspects: 1) The perturbing preparation procedures often alter the molecules from their native state on the cell; 2) Long processing time before the final readout makes it difficult to capture transient signaling events (<1 min); 3) The experimental environments are force-free, therefore unable to visualize mechanical signals in real time. In contrast to these methods in biochemistry and cell biology that are usually population-averaged and non-real-time, here we introduce a novel single-cell based nanotool termed dual biomembrane force probe (dBFP). The dBFP provides precise controls and quantitative readouts in both mechanical and chemical terms, which is particularly suited for juxtacrine signaling and mechanosensing studies. Specifically, the dBFP allows us to analyze dual receptor crosstalk by quantifying the spatiotemporal requirements and functional consequences of the up- and down-stream signaling events. In this work, the utility and power of the dBFP has been demonstrated in four important dual receptor systems that play key roles in immunological synapse formation, shear-dependent thrombus formation, and agonist-driven blood clotting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lining Ju
- Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, 30332, GA, United States.
- Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, 30332, GA, USA.
- Heart Research Institute, Newtown, 2050, NSW, Australia.
- Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, 2006, NSW, Australia.
| | - Yunfeng Chen
- Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, 30332, GA, USA
- Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, 30332, GA, USA
- Department of Molecular Medicine, MERU-Roon Research Center on Vascular Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, 92037, CA, USA
| | - Kaitao Li
- Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, 30332, GA, United States
- Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, 30332, GA, USA
| | - Zhou Yuan
- Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, 30332, GA, USA
- Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, 30332, GA, USA
| | - Baoyu Liu
- Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, 30332, GA, United States
- Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, 30332, GA, USA
| | - Shaun P Jackson
- Heart Research Institute, Newtown, 2050, NSW, Australia
- Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, 2006, NSW, Australia
| | - Cheng Zhu
- Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, 30332, GA, United States.
- Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, 30332, GA, USA.
- Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, 30332, GA, USA.
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31
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Chen Y, Ju L, Rushdi M, Ge C, Zhu C. Receptor-mediated cell mechanosensing. Mol Biol Cell 2017; 28:3134-3155. [PMID: 28954860 PMCID: PMC5687017 DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e17-04-0228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 124] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2017] [Revised: 09/06/2017] [Accepted: 09/19/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Mechanosensing depicts the ability of a cell to sense mechanical cues, which under some circumstances is mediated by the surface receptors. In this review, a four-step model is described for receptor-mediated mechanosensing. Platelet GPIb, T-cell receptor, and integrins are used as examples to illustrate the key concepts and players in this process. Mechanosensing describes the ability of a cell to sense mechanical cues of its microenvironment, including not only all components of force, stress, and strain but also substrate rigidity, topology, and adhesiveness. This ability is crucial for the cell to respond to the surrounding mechanical cues and adapt to the changing environment. Examples of responses and adaptation include (de)activation, proliferation/apoptosis, and (de)differentiation. Receptor-mediated cell mechanosensing is a multistep process that is initiated by binding of cell surface receptors to their ligands on the extracellular matrix or the surface of adjacent cells. Mechanical cues are presented by the ligand and received by the receptor at the binding interface; but their transmission over space and time and their conversion into biochemical signals may involve other domains and additional molecules. In this review, a four-step model is described for the receptor-mediated cell mechanosensing process. Platelet glycoprotein Ib, T-cell receptor, and integrins are used as examples to illustrate the key concepts and players in this process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunfeng Chen
- Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332.,Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332
| | - Lining Ju
- Charles Perkins Centre and Heart Research Institute, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Muaz Rushdi
- Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332.,Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332
| | - Chenghao Ge
- Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332.,Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332
| | - Cheng Zhu
- Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332 .,Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332.,Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332
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32
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Williams CM, Schonnesen AA, Zhang SQ, Ma KY, He C, Yamamoto T, Eckhardt SG, Klebanoff CA, Jiang N. Normalized Synergy Predicts That CD8 Co-Receptor Contribution to T Cell Receptor (TCR) and pMHC Binding Decreases As TCR Affinity Increases in Human Viral-Specific T Cells. Front Immunol 2017; 8:894. [PMID: 28804489 PMCID: PMC5532383 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2017.00894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2017] [Accepted: 07/12/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The discovery of naturally occurring T cell receptors (TCRs) that confer specific, high-affinity recognition of pathogen and cancer-associated antigens remains a major goal in cellular immunotherapies. The contribution of the CD8 co-receptor to the interaction between the TCR and peptide-bound major histocompatibility complex (pMHC) has previously been correlated with the activation and responsiveness of CD8+ T cells. However, these studies have been limited to model systems of genetically engineered hybridoma TCRs or transgenic mouse TCRs against either a single epitope or an array of altered peptide ligands. CD8 contribution in a native human antigen-specific T cell response remains elusive. Here, using Hepatitis C Virus-specific precursor CTLs spanning a large range of TCR affinities, we discovered that the functional responsiveness of any given TCR correlated with the contribution of CD8 to TCR/pMHC binding. Furthermore, we found that CD8 contribution to TCR/pMHC binding in the two-dimensional (2D) system was more accurately reflected by normalized synergy (CD8 cooperation normalized by total TCR/pMHC bonds) rather than synergy (total CD8 cooperation) alone. While synergy showed an increasing trend with TCR affinity, normalized synergy was demonstrated to decrease with the increase of TCR affinity. Critically, normalized synergy was shown to correlate with CTL functionality and peptide sensitivity, corroborating three-dimensional (3D) analysis of CD8 contribution with respect to TCR affinity. In addition, we identified TCRs that were independent of CD8 for TCR/pMHC binding. Our results resolve the current discrepancy between 2D and 3D analysis on CD8 contribution to TCR/pMHC binding, and demonstrate that naturally occurring high-affinity TCRs are more capable of CD8-independent interactions that yield greater functional responsiveness even with CD8 blocking. Taken together, our data suggest that addition of the normalized synergy parameter to our previously established TCR discovery platform using 2D TCR affinity and sequence test would allow for selection of TCRs specific to any given antigen with the desirable attributes of high TCR affinity, CD8 co-receptor independence and functional superiority. Utilizing TCRs with less CD8 contribution could be beneficial for adoptive cell transfer immunotherapies using naturally occurring or genetically engineered T cells against viral or cancer-associated antigens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chad M Williams
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States
| | - Alexandra A Schonnesen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States
| | - Shu-Qi Zhang
- McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States
| | - Ke-Yue Ma
- Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States
| | - Chenfeng He
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States
| | - Tori Yamamoto
- Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States.,Immunology Graduate Group, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - S Gail Eckhardt
- LIVESTRONG Cancer Institutes, Dell Medical School, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States
| | - Christopher A Klebanoff
- Center for Cell Engineering, Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), New York, NY, United States.,Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, MSKCC, New York, NY, United States
| | - Ning Jiang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States.,Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States
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33
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Li K, Cheng X, Tilevik A, Davis SJ, Zhu C. In situ and in silico kinetic analyses of programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) receptor, programmed cell death ligands, and B7-1 protein interaction network. J Biol Chem 2017; 292:6799-6809. [PMID: 28270509 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m116.763888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2016] [Revised: 03/06/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) is an inhibitory receptor with an essential role in maintaining peripheral tolerance and is among the most promising immunotherapeutic targets for treating cancer, autoimmunity, and infectious diseases. A complete understanding of the consequences of PD-1 engagement by its ligands, PD-L1 and PD-L2, and of PD-L1 binding to B7-1 requires quantitative analysis of their interactions at the cell surface. We present here the first complete in situ kinetic analysis of the PD-1/PD-ligands/B7-1 system. Consistent with previous solution measurements, we observed higher in situ affinities for human (h) than murine (m) PD-1 interactions, stronger binding of hPD-1 to hPD-L2 than hPD-L1, and comparable binding of mPD-1 to both ligands. However, in contrast to the relatively weak solution affinities, the in situ affinities of PD-1 are as high as those of the T cell receptor for agonist pMHC and of LFA-1 (lymphocyte function-associated antigen 1) for ICAM-1 (intercellular adhesion molecule 1) but significantly lower than that of the B7-1/CTLA-4 interaction, suggesting a distinct basis for PD-1- versus CTLA-4-mediated inhibition. Notably, the in situ interactions of PD-1 are much stronger than that of B7-1 with PD-L1. Overall, the in situ affinity ranking greatly depends on the on-rate instead of the off-rate. In silico simulations predict that PD-1/PD-L1 interactions dominate at interfaces between activated T cells and mature dendritic cells and that these interactions will be highly sensitive to the dynamics of PD-L1 and PD-L2 expression. Our results provide a kinetic framework for better understanding inhibitory PD-1 activity in health and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaitao Li
- From the Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta 30332-0535, Georgia
| | - Xiaoxiao Cheng
- the Radcliffe Department of Medicine and Medical Research Council Human Immunology Unit, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Headington, Oxford OX3 9DU, United Kingdom
| | - Andreas Tilevik
- the Systems Biology Research Centre, School of Bioscience, University of Skövde, Box 408, Skövde, Sweden, and
| | - Simon J Davis
- the Radcliffe Department of Medicine and Medical Research Council Human Immunology Unit, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Headington, Oxford OX3 9DU, United Kingdom
| | - Cheng Zhu
- the Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, the Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, and the Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta 30332-0535, Georgia
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34
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Abstract
Upon engagement with a specific ligand, a cell surface receptor transduces intracellular signals to activate various cellular functions. This chapter describes a set of biomechanical methods for analyzing the characteristics of cross-junctional receptor-ligand interactions at the surface of living cells. These methods combine the characterization of kinetics of receptor-ligand binding with real-time imaging of intracellular calcium fluxes, which allow researchers to assess how the signal initiated from single receptor-ligand engagement is transduced across the cell membrane. A major application of these methods is the analysis of antigen recognition by triggering of the T cell receptor (TCR). Three related methods are described in this chapter: (1) the micropipette adhesion assay, (2) the biomembrane force probe (BFP) assay, and (3) combining BFP with fluorescence microscopy (fBFP). In all cases, an ultrasoft human red blood cell (RBC) is used as an ultrasensitive mechanical force probe. The micropipette assay detects binding events visually. The BFP uses a high-speed camera and real-time image tracking techniques to measure mechanical variables on a single molecular bond with up to ~1 pN (10-12 Newton), ~3 nm (10-9 m), and ~0.5 ms (10-3 s) in force, spatial, and temporal resolution, respectively. As an upgrade to the BFP, the fBFP simultaneously images binding-triggered intracellular calcium signals on a single live cell. These technologies can be widely used to study other membrane receptor-ligand interactions and signaling under mechanical regulation.
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35
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Seo YJ, Jothikumar P, Suthar MS, Zhu C, Grakoui A. Local Cellular and Cytokine Cues in the Spleen Regulate In Situ T Cell Receptor Affinity, Function, and Fate of CD8 + T Cells. Immunity 2016; 45:988-998. [PMID: 27851926 PMCID: PMC5131716 DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2016.10.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2015] [Revised: 05/06/2016] [Accepted: 08/23/2016] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
T cells rapidly undergo contraction upon viral clearance, but how T cell function and fate are determined during this phase is unclear. During the contraction phase of an acute infection with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus, we found that virus-specific CD8+ T cells within the splenic red pulp (RP) had higher two-dimensional (2D) effective affinity than those within the white pulp (WP). This increased antigen recognition of RP-derived CD8+ T cells correlated with more efficient target cell killing and improved control of viremia. FoxP3+ regulatory T cells and cytokine TGF-β limited the 2D-affinity in the WP during the contraction phase. Anatomical location drove gene expression patterns in CD8+ T cells that led to preferential differentiation of memory precursor WP T cells into long-term memory cells. These results highlight that intricate regulation of T cell function and fate is determined by anatomic compartmentalization during the early immune contraction phase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Young-Jin Seo
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA; Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory Vaccine Center, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
| | - Prithiviraj Jothikumar
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
| | - Mehul S Suthar
- Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory Vaccine Center, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA; Department of Pediatrics and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
| | - Cheng Zhu
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA.
| | - Arash Grakoui
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA; Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory Vaccine Center, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA.
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36
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Shorter SK, Schnell FJ, McMaster SR, Pinelli DF, Andargachew R, Evavold BD. Viral Escape Mutant Epitope Maintains TCR Affinity for Antigen yet Curtails CD8 T Cell Responses. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0149582. [PMID: 26915099 PMCID: PMC4767940 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0149582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2015] [Accepted: 02/01/2016] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
T cells have the remarkable ability to recognize antigen with great specificity and in turn mount an appropriate and robust immune response. Critical to this process is the initial T cell antigen recognition and subsequent signal transduction events. This antigen recognition can be modulated at the site of TCR interaction with peptide:major histocompatibility (pMHC) or peptide interaction with the MHC molecule. Both events could have a range of effects on T cell fate. Though responses to antigens that bind sub-optimally to TCR, known as altered peptide ligands (APL), have been studied extensively, the impact of disrupting antigen binding to MHC has been highlighted to a lesser extent and is usually considered to result in complete loss of epitope recognition. Here we present a model of viral evasion from CD8 T cell immuno-surveillance by a lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) escape mutant with an epitope for which TCR affinity for pMHC remains high but where the antigenic peptide binds sub optimally to MHC. Despite high TCR affinity for variant epitope, levels of interferon regulatory factor-4 (IRF4) are not sustained in response to the variant indicating differences in perceived TCR signal strength. The CD8+ T cell response to the variant epitope is characterized by early proliferation and up-regulation of activation markers. Interestingly, this response is not maintained and is characterized by a lack in IL-2 and IFNγ production, increased apoptosis and an abrogated glycolytic response. We show that disrupting the stability of peptide in MHC can effectively disrupt TCR signal strength despite unchanged affinity for TCR and can significantly impact the CD8+ T cell response to a viral escape mutant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shayla K. Shorter
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Frederick J. Schnell
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Sean R. McMaster
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - David F. Pinelli
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Rakieb Andargachew
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Brian D. Evavold
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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37
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Relative Movements of Domains in Large Molecules of the Immune System. J Immunol Res 2015; 2015:210675. [PMID: 26798660 PMCID: PMC4699016 DOI: 10.1155/2015/210675] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2015] [Accepted: 11/26/2015] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Molecular dynamics was used to simulate large molecules of the immune system (major histocompatibility complex class I, presented epitope, T-cell receptor, and a CD8 coreceptor.) To characterize the relative orientation and movements of domains local coordinate systems (based on principal component analysis) were generated and directional cosines and Euler angles were computed. As a most interesting result, we found that the presence of the coreceptor seems to influence the dynamics within the protein complex, in particular the relative movements of the two α-helices, Gα1 and Gα2.
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38
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Hebeisen M, Allard M, Gannon PO, Schmidt J, Speiser DE, Rufer N. Identifying Individual T Cell Receptors of Optimal Avidity for Tumor Antigens. Front Immunol 2015; 6:582. [PMID: 26635796 PMCID: PMC4649060 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2015.00582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2015] [Accepted: 10/30/2015] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Cytotoxic T cells recognize, via their T cell receptors (TCRs), small antigenic peptides presented by the major histocompatibility complex (pMHC) on the surface of professional antigen-presenting cells and infected or malignant cells. The efficiency of T cell triggering critically depends on TCR binding to cognate pMHC, i.e., the TCR–pMHC structural avidity. The binding and kinetic attributes of this interaction are key parameters for protective T cell-mediated immunity, with stronger TCR–pMHC interactions conferring superior T cell activation and responsiveness than weaker ones. However, high-avidity TCRs are not always available, particularly among self/tumor antigen-specific T cells, most of which are eliminated by central and peripheral deletion mechanisms. Consequently, systematic assessment of T cell avidity can greatly help distinguishing protective from non-protective T cells. Here, we review novel strategies to assess TCR–pMHC interaction kinetics, enabling the identification of the functionally most-relevant T cells. We also discuss the significance of these technologies in determining which cells within a naturally occurring polyclonal tumor-specific T cell response would offer the best clinical benefit for use in adoptive therapies, with or without T cell engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Hebeisen
- Department of Oncology, Lausanne University Hospital Center (CHUV), University of Lausanne , Epalinges , Switzerland
| | - Mathilde Allard
- Department of Oncology, Lausanne University Hospital Center (CHUV), University of Lausanne , Epalinges , Switzerland
| | - Philippe O Gannon
- Department of Oncology, Lausanne University Hospital Center (CHUV), University of Lausanne , Epalinges , Switzerland
| | - Julien Schmidt
- Ludwig Center for Cancer Research, University of Lausanne , Epalinges , Switzerland ; TCMetrix Sàrl , Epalinges , Switzerland
| | - Daniel E Speiser
- Department of Oncology, Lausanne University Hospital Center (CHUV), University of Lausanne , Epalinges , Switzerland ; Ludwig Center for Cancer Research, University of Lausanne , Epalinges , Switzerland
| | - Nathalie Rufer
- Department of Oncology, Lausanne University Hospital Center (CHUV), University of Lausanne , Epalinges , Switzerland ; Ludwig Center for Cancer Research, University of Lausanne , Epalinges , Switzerland
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39
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Martinez RJ, Evavold BD. Lower Affinity T Cells are Critical Components and Active Participants of the Immune Response. Front Immunol 2015; 6:468. [PMID: 26441973 PMCID: PMC4564719 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2015.00468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2015] [Accepted: 08/28/2015] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Kinetic and biophysical parameters of T cell receptor (TCR) and peptide:MHC (pMHC) interaction define intrinsic factors required for T cell activation and differentiation. Although receptor ligand kinetics are somewhat cumbersome to assess experimentally, TCR:pMHC affinity has been shown to predict peripheral T cell functionality and potential for forming memory. Multimeric forms of pMHC monomers have often been used to provide an indirect readout of higher affinity T cells due to their availability and ease of use while allowing simultaneous definition of other functional and phenotypic characteristics. However, multimeric pMHC reagents have introduced a bias that underestimates the lower affinity components contained in the highly diverse TCR repertoires of all polyclonal T cell responses. Advances in the identification of lower affinity cells have led to the examination of these cells and their contribution to the immune response. In this review, we discuss the identification of high- vs. low-affinity T cells as well as their attributed signaling and functional differences. Lastly, mechanisms are discussed that maintain a diverse range of low- and high-affinity T cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan J. Martinez
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Brian D. Evavold
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
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40
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Hong J, Persaud SP, Horvath S, Allen PM, Evavold BD, Zhu C. Force-Regulated In Situ TCR-Peptide-Bound MHC Class II Kinetics Determine Functions of CD4+ T Cells. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2015; 195:3557-64. [PMID: 26336148 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1501407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2015] [Accepted: 08/04/2015] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
We have recently shown that two-dimensional (2D) and force-regulated kinetics of TCR-peptide-bound MHC class I (pMHC-I) interactions predict responses of CD8(+) T cells. To test whether these findings are applicable to CD4(+) T cells, we analyzed the in situ 3.L2 TCR-pMHC-II interactions for a well-characterized panel of altered peptide ligands on the T cell surface using the adhesion frequency assay with a micropipette and the thermal fluctuation and force-clamp assays with a biomembrane force probe. We found that the 2D effective TCR-pMHC-II affinity and off-rate correlate with, but better predict the T cell response than, the corresponding measurements with the surface plasmon resonance in three dimensions. The 2D affinity of the CD4 for MHC-II was very low, approaching the detection limit, making it one to two orders of magnitude lower than the affinity of CD8 for MHC-I. In addition, the signal-dependent cooperation between TCR and coreceptor for pMHC binding previously observed for CD8 was not observed for CD4. Interestingly, force elicited TCR-pMHC-II catch-slip bonds for agonists but slip-only bonds for antagonists, thereby amplifying the power of discrimination between altered peptide ligands. These results show that the force-regulated 2D binding kinetics of the 3.L2 TCR for pMHC-II determine functions of CD4(+) T cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinsung Hong
- Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332; Petit Institute of Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332
| | - Stephen P Persaud
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110
| | - Stephen Horvath
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110
| | - Paul M Allen
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110
| | - Brian D Evavold
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30332; and
| | - Cheng Zhu
- Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332; Petit Institute of Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332; Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332
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41
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Study of protein structural deformations under external mechanical perturbations by a coarse-grained simulation method. Biomech Model Mechanobiol 2015; 15:317-29. [DOI: 10.1007/s10237-015-0690-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2014] [Accepted: 05/30/2015] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
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42
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Liu B, Chen W, Natarajan K, Li Z, Margulies DH, Zhu C. The cellular environment regulates in situ kinetics of T-cell receptor interaction with peptide major histocompatibility complex. Eur J Immunol 2015; 45:2099-110. [PMID: 25944482 DOI: 10.1002/eji.201445358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2014] [Revised: 03/17/2015] [Accepted: 04/30/2015] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
T cells recognize antigens at the two-dimensional (2D) interface with antigen-presenting cells (APCs), which trigger T-cell effector functions. T-cell functional outcomes correlate with 2D kinetics of membrane-embedded T-cell receptors (TCRs) binding to surface-tethered peptide-major histocompatibility complex molecules (pMHCs). However, most studies have measured TCR-pMHC kinetics for recombinant TCRs in 3D by surface plasmon resonance, which differs drastically from 2D measurements. Here, we compared pMHC dissociation from native TCR on the T-cell surface to recombinant TCR immobilized on glass surface or in solution. Force on TCR-pMHC bonds regulated their lifetimes differently for native than recombinant TCRs. Perturbing the cellular environment suppressed 2D on-rates but had no effect on 2D off-rate regardless of whether force was applied. In contrast, for the TCR interacting with its monoclonal antibody, the 2D on-rate was insensitive to cellular perturbations and the force-dependent off-rates were indistinguishable for native and recombinant TCRs. These data present novel features of TCR-pMHC kinetics that are regulated by the cellular environment, underscoring the limitations of 3D kinetics in predicting T-cell functions and calling for further elucidation of the underlying molecular and cellular mechanisms that regulate 2D kinetics in physiological settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baoyu Liu
- Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Wei Chen
- Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Kannan Natarajan
- Laboratory of Immunology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Zhenhai Li
- Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - David H Margulies
- Laboratory of Immunology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Cheng Zhu
- Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA.,Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA.,Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
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43
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Gannon PO, Wieckowski S, Baumgaertner P, Hebeisen M, Allard M, Speiser DE, Rufer N. Quantitative TCR:pMHC Dissociation Rate Assessment by NTAmers Reveals Antimelanoma T Cell Repertoires Enriched for High Functional Competence. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2015; 195:356-66. [PMID: 26002978 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1403145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2014] [Accepted: 04/28/2015] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Experimental models demonstrated that therapeutic induction of CD8 T cell responses may offer protection against tumors or infectious diseases providing that T cells have sufficiently high TCR/CD8:pMHC avidity for efficient Ag recognition and consequently strong immune functions. However, comprehensive characterization of TCR/CD8:pMHC avidity in clinically relevant situations has remained elusive. In this study, using the novel NTA-His tag-containing multimer technology, we quantified the TCR:pMHC dissociation rates (koff) of tumor-specific vaccine-induced CD8 T cell clones (n = 139) derived from seven melanoma patients vaccinated with IFA, CpG, and the native/EAA or analog/ELA Melan-A(MART-1)(26-35) peptide, binding with low or high affinity to MHC, respectively. We observed substantial correlations between koff and Ca(2+) mobilization (p = 0.016) and target cell recognition (p < 0.0001), with the latter independently of the T cell differentiation state. Our strategy was successful in demonstrating that the type of peptide impacted on TCR/CD8:pMHC avidity, as tumor-reactive T cell clones derived from patients vaccinated with the low-affinity (native) peptide expressed slower koff rates than those derived from patients vaccinated with the high-affinity (analog) peptide (p < 0.0001). Furthermore, we observed that the low-affinity peptide promoted the selective differentiation of tumor-specific T cells bearing TCRs with high TCR/CD8:pMHC avidity (p < 0.0001). Altogether, TCR:pMHC interaction kinetics correlated strongly with T cell functions. Our study demonstrates the feasibility and usefulness of TCR/CD8:pMHC avidity assessment by NTA-His tag-containing multimers of naturally occurring polyclonal T cell responses, which represents a strong asset for the development of immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philippe O Gannon
- Department of Oncology, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, CH-1011 Lausanne, Switzerland; and
| | - Sébastien Wieckowski
- Department of Oncology, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, CH-1011 Lausanne, Switzerland; and
| | - Petra Baumgaertner
- Ludwig Center for Cancer Research, University of Lausanne, CH-1011 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Michaël Hebeisen
- Department of Oncology, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, CH-1011 Lausanne, Switzerland; and
| | - Mathilde Allard
- Department of Oncology, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, CH-1011 Lausanne, Switzerland; and
| | - Daniel E Speiser
- Department of Oncology, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, CH-1011 Lausanne, Switzerland; and Ludwig Center for Cancer Research, University of Lausanne, CH-1011 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Nathalie Rufer
- Department of Oncology, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, CH-1011 Lausanne, Switzerland; and Ludwig Center for Cancer Research, University of Lausanne, CH-1011 Lausanne, Switzerland
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Hebeisen M, Schmidt J, Guillaume P, Baumgaertner P, Speiser DE, Luescher I, Rufer N. Identification of Rare High-Avidity, Tumor-Reactive CD8+ T Cells by Monomeric TCR-Ligand Off-Rates Measurements on Living Cells. Cancer Res 2015; 75:1983-91. [PMID: 25808864 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-14-3516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2014] [Accepted: 02/20/2015] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The avidity of the T-cell receptor (TCR) for antigenic peptides presented by the peptide-MHC (pMHC) on cells is a key parameter for cell-mediated immunity. Yet a fundamental feature of most tumor antigen-specific CD8(+) T cells is that this avidity is low. In this study, we addressed the need to identify and select tumor-specific CD8(+) T cells of highest avidity, which are of the greatest interest for adoptive cell therapy in patients with cancer. To identify these rare cells, we developed a peptide-MHC multimer technology, which uses reversible Ni(2+)-nitrilotriacetic acid histidine tags (NTAmers). NTAmers are highly stable but upon imidazole addition, they decay rapidly to pMHC monomers, allowing flow-cytometric-based measurements of monomeric TCR-pMHC dissociation rates of living CD8(+) T cells on a wide avidity spectrum. We documented strong correlations between NTAmer kinetic results and those obtained by surface plasmon resonance. Using NTAmers that were deficient for CD8 binding to pMHC, we found that CD8 itself stabilized the TCR-pMHC complex, prolonging the dissociation half-life several fold. Notably, our NTAmer technology accurately predicted the function of large panels of tumor-specific T cells that were isolated prospectively from patients with cancer. Overall, our results demonstrated that NTAmers are effective tools to isolate rare high-avidity cytotoxic T cells from patients for use in adoptive therapies for cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Hebeisen
- Department of Oncology, Lausanne University Hospital Center and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Julien Schmidt
- Ludwig Center for Cancer Research, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland. TCMetrix Sàrl., Epalinges, Switzerland
| | - Philippe Guillaume
- Ludwig Center for Cancer Research, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland. TCMetrix Sàrl., Epalinges, Switzerland
| | - Petra Baumgaertner
- Ludwig Center for Cancer Research, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Daniel E Speiser
- Department of Oncology, Lausanne University Hospital Center and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland. Ludwig Center for Cancer Research, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Immanuel Luescher
- Department of Oncology, Lausanne University Hospital Center and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland. Ludwig Center for Cancer Research, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland. TCMetrix Sàrl., Epalinges, Switzerland
| | - Nathalie Rufer
- Department of Oncology, Lausanne University Hospital Center and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland. Ludwig Center for Cancer Research, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
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Kersh AE, Edwards LJ, Evavold BD. Progression of relapsing-remitting demyelinating disease does not require increased TCR affinity or epitope spread. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2014; 193:4429-38. [PMID: 25267971 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1401456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
In this study, we investigate the basis of T cell recognition of myelin that governs the progression from acute symptoms into disease remission, relapse, and chronic progression in a secondary progressive model of demyelinating disease. Until now, the frequency and affinity of myelin-reactive CD4 T cells that elicit relapsing-remitting disease have not been quantified. The micropipette adhesion frequency assay was used to obtain a sensitive and physiologically relevant two-dimensional measurement of frequency and TCR affinity for myelin, as the inherent low affinity does not allow the use of specific peptide:MHC-II tetramers for this purpose. We found the highest affinity and frequency of polyclonal myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein-reactive cells infiltrate the CNS during acute disease, whereas affinities during remission, relapse, and chronic disease are not significantly different from each other. Frequency analysis revealed that the vast majority of CNS-infiltrating CD4 T cells are myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein reactive at all time points, demonstrating epitope spread is not a predominant factor for disease progression. Furthermore, time points at which mice were symptomatic were characterized by an infiltration of Th17 cells in the CNS, whereas symptom remission showed an enrichment of cells producing IFN-γ. Also, the ratio of regulatory T cells to Foxp3(-) CD4 T cells was significantly higher in the CNS at remission than during acute disease. The results of this study indicate that a high frequency of T cells specific for a single myelin Ag, rather than increased TCR affinity or epitope spread, governs the transition from acute symptoms through remission, relapse, and chronic disease states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna E Kersh
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322; and
| | - Lindsay J Edwards
- Division of Rheumatology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA 02215
| | - Brian D Evavold
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322; and
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46
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Liu B, Chen W, Evavold BD, Zhu C. Accumulation of dynamic catch bonds between TCR and agonist peptide-MHC triggers T cell signaling. Cell 2014; 157:357-368. [PMID: 24725404 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2014.02.053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 399] [Impact Index Per Article: 39.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2013] [Revised: 09/27/2013] [Accepted: 02/21/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
TCR-pMHC interactions initiate adaptive immune responses, but the mechanism of how such interactions under force induce T cell signaling is unclear. We show that force prolongs lifetimes of single TCR-pMHC bonds for agonists (catch bonds) but shortens those for antagonists (slip bonds). Both magnitude and duration of force are important, as the highest Ca(2+) responses were induced by 10 pN via both pMHC catch bonds whose lifetime peaks at this force and anti-TCR slip bonds whose maximum lifetime occurs at 0 pN. High Ca(2+) levels require early and rapid accumulation of bond lifetimes, whereas short-lived bonds that slow early accumulation of lifetimes correspond to low Ca(2+) responses. Our data support a model in which force on the TCR induces signaling events depending on its magnitude, duration, frequency, and timing, such that agonists form catch bonds that trigger the T cell digitally, whereas antagonists form slip bonds that fail to activate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baoyu Liu
- Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
| | - Wei Chen
- Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
| | - Brian D Evavold
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Cheng Zhu
- Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA; Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA; Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA.
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47
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Pryshchep S, Zarnitsyna VI, Hong J, Evavold BD, Zhu C. Accumulation of serial forces on TCR and CD8 frequently applied by agonist antigenic peptides embedded in MHC molecules triggers calcium in T cells. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2014; 193:68-76. [PMID: 24890718 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1303436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
T cell activation by Ag is one of the key events in adaptive immunity. It is triggered by interactions of the TCR and coreceptor (CD8 or CD4) with antigenic peptides embedded in MHC (pMHC) molecules expressed on APCs. The mechanism of how signal is initiated remains unclear. In this article, we complement our two-dimensional kinetic analysis of TCR-pMHC-CD8 interaction with concurrent calcium imaging to examine how ligand engagement of TCR with and without the coengagement of CD8 initiates signaling. We found that accumulation of frequently applied forces on the TCR via agonist pMHC triggered calcium, which was further enhanced by CD8 cooperative binding. Prolonging the intermission between sequential force applications impaired calcium signals. Our data support a model where rapid accumulation of serial forces on TCR-pMHC-CD8 bonds triggers calcium in T cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergey Pryshchep
- Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332
| | - Veronika I Zarnitsyna
- Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332
| | - Jinsung Hong
- Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332; and
| | - Brian D Evavold
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322
| | - Cheng Zhu
- Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332; Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332; and
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