Chemical Biology of αGalCer: a Chemist’s Toolbox for the Stimulation of Invariant Natural Killer T (iNKT) Cells

Chemical synthesis and immunological evaluation of cancer vaccines based on ganglioside antigens and α-galactosylceramide

iNKT cells - often referred as the "Swiss Army knife" of the immune system - have emerged as central players in cancer vaccine therapies. Glycolipids activating iNKT cells, such as α-galactosylceramide (αGalCer), can enhance the immune response against co-delivered cancer antigens and have been applied in the design of self-adjuvanting anti-tumor vaccines. In this context, this work focuses on the chemical synthesis of ganglioside tumor-associated carbohydrate antigens (TACAs), namely GM3 and (Neu5Gc)GM3 antigens, their conjugation to αGalCer, and their formulation into liposomes as an efficient platform for their in vivo delivery. Liposomes containing GM3-αGalCer, (Neu5Gc)GM3-αGalCer, and equimolar amounts of the two conjugates have been fully characterized and their ability to activate iNKT cell has been confirmed ex vivo in mouse and human cell assays. The candidates were tested in in vivo immunization studies, demonstrating an ability to induce both TH1 and TH2 cytokines leading to the production of all subclasses of IgG antibodies. Notably, the study also demonstrated that serum antibodies raised against the two TACAs, alone and in combination, were cross-reactive. This finding has consequences for future vaccine designs - even if a highly tumor-selective antigen is chosen, the resulting antibody response may be broader than anticipated.

Rationally Designed Highly Potent NKT Cell Agonists with Different Cytokine Selectivity through Hydrogen-Bond Interaction

Synthetic α-galactosylceramide (αGalCer) and its analogues as powerful agonists for natural killer T (NKT) cell manipulation have received significant attention in immunotherapy and adjuvant development. However, identifying new potent NKT cell agonists, especially those with Th1 selectivity that promote anticancer effects, remains a challenging task. In this work, we introduced a sulfonamide group into the acyl chain of αGalCer to form additional hydrogen bonds to intensify the glycolipid/CD1d interaction. Two compounds GCS-11 and GCS-12 demonstrated remarkable potency while exhibiting different cytokine induction patterns. Compared to αGalCer, the Th1-biased GCS-11 exhibited a 6-fold increase in IFN-γ but not IL-4, while the Th1/2-balanced GCS-12 elicited 7- and 5-fold increase in IFN-γ and IL-4, respectively, in vivo. These findings place them among the most potent NKT cell agonists, with superior antitumor effects. Therefore, hydrogen-bond-involved derivatization could be a powerful strategy to develop potent and polarized NKT cell agonists for various immunotherapies.

A Humanized Mouse Model Coupled with Computational Analysis Identifies Potent Glycolipid Agonist of Invariant NKT Cells

Invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells play an important role in many innate and adaptive immune responses, with potential applications in cancer immunotherapy. The glycolipid KRN7000, an α-galactosylceramide, potently activates iNKT cells but has shown limited anticancer effects in human clinical trials conducted so far. In spite of almost three decades of structure-activity relationship studies, no alternative glycolipid has yet emerged as a superior clinical candidate. One reason for the slow progress in this area is that standard mouse models do not accurately reflect the specific ligand recognition by human iNKT cells and their requirements for activation. Here we evaluated a series of KRN7000 analogues using a recently developed humanized mouse model that expresses a human αTCR chain sequence and human CD1d. In this process, a more stimulatory, previously reported but largely overlooked glycolipid was identified, and its activity was probed and rationalized via molecular simulations.

Chemoenzymatic synthesis and immunological evaluation of sialyl-Thomsen-Friedenreich (sTF) antigen conjugate to CRM197

sTF (sialyl-Thomsen-Friedenreich) is a type of tumor-associated carbohydrate antigens (TACAs) and is highly expressed in various human malignancies. To validate if sTF could be a valuable molecular target for future cancer vaccine development, in this work the sTF antigen was prepared by adopting a strategy combining chemical and enzymatic methods, and then was covalently conjugated to a carrier protein, CRM197. The preliminary immunological evaluation, performed on BALB/c mice, revealed that the sTF-CRM197 conjugate elicited high titers of specific IgG antibodies. FACS experiments showed that the antisera induced by sTF-CRM197 conjugate could specifically recognize and bind to sTF-positive cancer cells T-47D. Furthermore, the conjugate mediated effective and specific antibody-mediated complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC).

Diversification of a Novel α-Galactosyl Ceramide Hotspot Boosts the Adjuvant Properties in Parenteral and Mucosal Vaccines

The development of potent adjuvants is an important step for improving the performance of subunit vaccines. CD1d agonists, such as the prototypical α-galactosyl ceramide (α-GalCer), are of special interest due to their ability to activate iNKT cells and trigger rapid dendritic cell maturation and B-cell activation. Herein, we introduce a novel derivatization hotspot at the α-GalCer skeleton, namely the N-substituent at the amide bond. The multicomponent diversification of this previously unexplored glycolipid chemotype space permitted the introduction of a variety of extra functionalities that can either potentiate the adjuvant properties or serve as handles for further conjugation to antigens toward the development of self-adjuvanting vaccines. This strategy led to the discovery of compounds eliciting enhanced antigen-specific T cell stimulation and a higher antibody response when delivered by either the parenteral or the mucosal route, as compared to a known potent CD1d agonist. Notably, various functionalized α-GalCer analogues showed a more potent adjuvant effect after intranasal immunization than a PEGylated α-GalCer analogue previously optimized for this purpose. Ultimately, this work could open multiple avenues of opportunity for the use of mucosal vaccines against microbial infections.

Conformationally Restricted Analogues of α-Galactosylceramide as Adjuvant in COVID-19 Subunit Vaccine

iNKT cells are a type of T lymphocyte that recognizes glycolipid antigens presented by CD1d protein. αGC is an agonistic glycolipid that activates iNKT cells and triggers immune modulatory cytokine responses, making it a promising vaccine adjuvant. To find more potent immunostimulating glycolipids, we prepared 4,6-O-galactosyl conformationally restricted analogues of αGC. Mice vaccinated with the SARS-CoV-2 RBD-Fc vaccine adjuvanted with these newly developed glycolipids produced robust anti-RBD antibody responses, comparable to those achieved with αGC. Importantly, we also found that omitting αGC, α-C-GalCer (Th1-type agonist), or C20:2 (Th2-type agonist) from the booster vaccine had negligible impact on antibody and cellular responses, potentially reducing the frequency of adjuvant use required to maintain potent immune responses.

A New iNKT-Cell Agonist-Adjuvanted SARS-CoV-2 Subunit Vaccine Elicits Robust Neutralizing Antibody Responses

Adjuvants are essential components of vaccines. Invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells are a distinct subset of T cells that function to bridge the innate and adaptive immunities and are capable of mediating strong and rapid responses to a range of diseases, including cancer and infectious disease. An increasing amount of evidence suggests that iNKT cells can help fight viral infection. In particular, iNKT-secreting IL-4 is a key mediator of humoral immunity and has a positive correlation with the levels of neutralizing antibodies. As iNKT cell agonists, αGC glycolipid (α-galactosylceramide, or KRN7000) and its analogues as vaccine adjuvants have begun to provide vaccinologists with a new toolset. Herein we found that a new iNKT-cell agonist αGC-CPOEt elicited a strong cytokine response with increased IL-4 production. Remarkably, after three immunizations, SARS-CoV-2 RBD-Fc adjuvanted by αGC-CPOEt evoked robust neutralizing antibody responses that were about 5.5-fold more than those induced by αGC/RBD-Fc and 25-fold greater than those induced by unadjuvanted RBD-Fc. These findings imply that αGC-CPOEt could be investigated further as a new COVID-19 vaccine adjuvant to prevent current and future infectious disease outbreaks.