1
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Martire S, Wang X, McElvain M, Suryawanshi V, Gill T, DiAndreth B, Lee W, Riley TP, Xu H, Netirojjanakul C, Kamb A. High-throughput screen to identify and optimize NOT gate receptors for cell therapy. Cytometry A 2024. [PMID: 39152710 DOI: 10.1002/cyto.a.24893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2024] [Revised: 07/04/2024] [Accepted: 07/26/2024] [Indexed: 08/19/2024]
Abstract
Logic-gated engineered cells are an emerging therapeutic modality that can take advantage of molecular profiles to focus medical interventions on specific tissues in the body. However, the increased complexity of these engineered systems may pose a challenge for prediction and optimization of their behavior. Here we describe the design and testing of a flow cytometry-based screening system to rapidly select functional inhibitory receptors from a pooled library of candidate constructs. In proof-of-concept experiments, this approach identifies inhibitory receptors that can operate as NOT gates when paired with activating receptors. The method may be used to generate large datasets to train machine learning models to better predict and optimize the function of logic-gated cell therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Martire
- A2 Biotherapeutics, Agoura Hills, California, USA
| | - X Wang
- A2 Biotherapeutics, Agoura Hills, California, USA
| | - M McElvain
- A2 Biotherapeutics, Agoura Hills, California, USA
| | | | - T Gill
- A2 Biotherapeutics, Agoura Hills, California, USA
| | - B DiAndreth
- A2 Biotherapeutics, Agoura Hills, California, USA
| | - W Lee
- A2 Biotherapeutics, Agoura Hills, California, USA
| | - T P Riley
- A2 Biotherapeutics, Agoura Hills, California, USA
| | - H Xu
- Port Therapeutics, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | | | - A Kamb
- A2 Biotherapeutics, Agoura Hills, California, USA
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2
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Álvarez Freile J, Qi Y, Jacob L, Lobo MF, Lourens HJ, Huls G, Bremer E. A luminescence-based method to assess antigen presentation and antigen-specific T cell responses for in vitro screening of immunomodulatory checkpoints and therapeutics. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1233113. [PMID: 37559730 PMCID: PMC10407562 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1233113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Investigations into the strength of antigen-specific responses in vitro is becoming increasingly relevant for decision making in early-phase research of novel immunotherapeutic approaches, including adoptive cell but also immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI)-based therapies. In the latter, antigen-specific rapid and high throughput tools to investigate MHC/antigen-specific T cell receptor (TCR) activation haven't been implemented yet. Here, we present a simple and rapid luminescence-based approach using the human papillomavirus 16 (HPV16) E711-20 peptide as model antigen and E7-TCR transgenic Jurkat.NFAT-luciferase reporter cells. Upon E7 peptide pulsing of HLA-A2+ cell lines and macrophages, an effector to target ratio dependent increase in luminescence compared to non-pulsed cells was observed after co-incubation with E7-TCR expressing Jurkat, but not with parental cells. Analogous experiments with cells expressing full-length HPV16 identified that E7-specific activation of Jurkat cells enabled detection of endogenous antigen processing and MHC-I presentation. As proof of concept, overexpression of established checkpoints/inhibitory molecules (e.g., PD-L1 or HLA-G) significantly reduced the E7-specific TCR-induced luminescence, an effect that could be restored after treatment with corresponding targeting antagonistic antibodies. Altogether, the luminescence-based method described here represents an alternative approach for the rapid evaluation of MHC-dependent antigen-specific T cell responses in vitro. It can be used as a rapid tool to evaluate the impact of the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment or novel ICI in triggering effective T cell responses, as well as speeding up the development of novel therapeutics within the immune-oncology field.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Edwin Bremer
- Department of Hematology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
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3
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Watanabe Y, Tsukahara T, Murata K, Hamada S, Kubo T, Kanaseki T, Hirohashi Y, Emori M, Teramoto A, Nakatsugawa M, Yamashita T, Torigoe T. Development of CAR-T cells specifically targeting cancer stem cell antigen DNAJB8 against solid tumours. Br J Cancer 2023; 128:886-895. [PMID: 36526673 PMCID: PMC9977765 DOI: 10.1038/s41416-022-02100-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2022] [Revised: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND As therapy for solid tumours, various tumour antigens have been selected as targets, but CAR-T cells targeting these antigens have shown limited efficacy, in contrast to the effectiveness of CAR-T cells targeting haematological malignancies. In a previous report, we identified a cancer-testis antigen, DNAJB8. DNAJB8 plays a major role in tumorigenicity in cancer stem-like cells/cancer-initiating cells (CSCs/CICs). Here, we report a DNAJB8-reactive CAR yielding anti-tumour effects against renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and osteosarcoma. METHODS We constructed a second-generation chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) against HLA-A*24:02/DNAJB8-derived peptide (DNAJB_143) complex (B10 CAR). The reactivity of B10-CAR T cells against T2-A24 cells pulsed with the cognate peptide and an RCC and osteosarcoma cell lines were quantified. The effects of adoptive cell transfer (ACT) therapy were assessed using in vivo xenografted mice models. RESULTS B10 CAR-T cells recognised DNAJB8_143-pulsed T2-A24 cells and HLA-A*24:02(+)/DNAJB8(+) renal cell carcinoma and osteosarcoma cell lines. Moreover, ACT using B10 CAR-T cells showed anti-tumour effects against RCC and osteosarcoma cells. CONCLUSION B10 CAR-T cells could show specific cytotoxicity against RCC and osteosarcoma cells in vitro and in vivo. B10 CAR-T cells targeting the CSC/CIC antigen DNAJB8 might be a candidate immunotherapy for carcinoma and sarcoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuto Watanabe
- Department of Pathology, Sapporo Medical University, School of Medicine, South-1, West-17, Chuo-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-8556, Japan
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, South-1, West-16, Chuo-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-8543, Japan
| | - Tomohide Tsukahara
- Department of Pathology, Sapporo Medical University, School of Medicine, South-1, West-17, Chuo-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-8556, Japan.
| | - Kenji Murata
- Department of Pathology, Sapporo Medical University, School of Medicine, South-1, West-17, Chuo-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-8556, Japan
| | - Shuto Hamada
- Department of Pathology, Sapporo Medical University, School of Medicine, South-1, West-17, Chuo-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-8556, Japan
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, South-1, West-16, Chuo-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-8543, Japan
| | - Terufumi Kubo
- Department of Pathology, Sapporo Medical University, School of Medicine, South-1, West-17, Chuo-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-8556, Japan
| | - Takayuki Kanaseki
- Department of Pathology, Sapporo Medical University, School of Medicine, South-1, West-17, Chuo-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-8556, Japan
| | - Yoshihiko Hirohashi
- Department of Pathology, Sapporo Medical University, School of Medicine, South-1, West-17, Chuo-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-8556, Japan
| | - Makoto Emori
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, South-1, West-16, Chuo-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-8543, Japan
| | - Atsushi Teramoto
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, South-1, West-16, Chuo-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-8543, Japan
| | - Munehide Nakatsugawa
- Department of Diagnostic Pathology, Tokyo Medical University Hachioji Medical Center, 1163 Tatemachi, Hachioji, Tokyo, 193-0998, Japan
| | - Toshihiko Yamashita
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, South-1, West-16, Chuo-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-8543, Japan
| | - Toshihiko Torigoe
- Department of Pathology, Sapporo Medical University, School of Medicine, South-1, West-17, Chuo-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-8556, Japan
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4
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Jahan F, Koski J, Schenkwein D, Ylä-Herttuala S, Göös H, Huuskonen S, Varjosalo M, Maliniemi P, Leitner J, Steinberger P, Bühring HJ, Vettenranta K, Korhonen M. Using the Jurkat reporter T cell line for evaluating the functionality of novel chimeric antigen receptors. FRONTIERS IN MOLECULAR MEDICINE 2023; 3:1070384. [PMID: 39086686 PMCID: PMC11285682 DOI: 10.3389/fmmed.2023.1070384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2022] [Accepted: 01/17/2023] [Indexed: 08/02/2024]
Abstract
Background: T cells that are genetically modified with chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) hold promise for immunotherapy of cancer. Currently, there are intense efforts to improve the safety and efficacy of CAR T cell therapies against liquid and solid tumors. Earlier we designed a novel CAR backbone (FiCAR) where the spacer is derived from immunoglobulin (Ig) -like domains of the signal-regulatory protein alpha (SIRPα). However, the analysis of novel CAR using primary T cells is slow and laborious. Methods: To explore the versatility of the CAR backbone, we designed a set of variant FiCARs with different spacer lengths and targeting antigens. To expedite the analysis of the novel CARs, we transduced the FiCAR genes using lentiviruses into Jurkat reporter T cells carrying fluorescent reporter genes. The expression of fluorescent markers in response to FiCAR engagement with targets was analyzed by flow cytometry, and cytotoxicity was evaluated using killing assays. Furthermore, the killing mechanisms that are employed by FiCAR-equipped Jurkat T cells were investigated by flow cytometry, and the intracellular pathways involved in signaling by FiCAR were analyzed by phosphoproteomic analysis using mass spectrometry. Results: Seven different CARs were designed and transduced into Jurkat reporter cells. We show that the SIRPα derived FiCARs can be detected by flow cytometry using the SE12B6A4 antibody recognizing SIRPα. Furthermore, FiCAR engagement leads to robust activation of NFκβ and NFAT signaling, as demonstrated by the expression of the fluorescent reporter genes. Interestingly, the Jurkat reporter system also revealed tonic signaling by a HER-2 targeting FiCAR. FiCAR-equipped Jurkat T cells were cytotoxic in cocultures with target cells and target cell engagement lead to an upregulation of CD107a on the Jurkat reporter T cell surface. Phosphoproteomic analyses confirmed signal transduction via the intracellular CD28/CD3ζ sequences upon the interaction of the FiCAR1 with its antigen. In addition, downstream signaling of CD3ζ/ZAP70- SLP-76-PLCγ, PI3K-AKT-NFκB pathways and activation of NFAT and AP-1 were observed. Conclusion: We conclude that the FiCAR backbone can be shortened and lengthened at will by engineering it with one to three SIRPα derived Ig-like domains, and the FiCARs are functional when equipped with different single chain variable fragment target binding domains. The Jurkat reporter system expedites the analysis of novel CARs as to their expression, signaling function, evaluation of tonic signaling issues and cytotoxic activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farhana Jahan
- R&D, Finnish Red Cross Blood Service, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Jan Koski
- R&D, Finnish Red Cross Blood Service, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Diana Schenkwein
- A.I Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Seppo Ylä-Herttuala
- A.I Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
- Gene Therapy Unit, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Helka Göös
- R&D, Finnish Red Cross Blood Service, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Sini Huuskonen
- Institute of Biotechnology, HiLIFE, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Markku Varjosalo
- Institute of Biotechnology, HiLIFE, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | | | - Judith Leitner
- Division of Immune Receptors and T Cell Activation, Institute of Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Peter Steinberger
- Division of Immune Receptors and T Cell Activation, Institute of Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Hans-Jörg Bühring
- Department of Internal Medicine II, University Clinic of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Kim Vettenranta
- R&D, Finnish Red Cross Blood Service, Helsinki, Finland
- University of Helsinki and the Children’s Hospital, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
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5
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Hong CH, Pyo HS, Baek IC, Kim TG. Rapid identification of CMV-specific TCRs via reverse TCR cloning system based on bulk TCR repertoire data. Front Immunol 2022; 13:1021067. [PMID: 36466875 PMCID: PMC9716090 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1021067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 08/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Advances in next-generation sequencing (NGS) have improved the resolution of T-cell receptor (TCR) repertoire analysis, and recent single-cell sequencing has made it possible to obtain information about TCR pairs. In our previous study, cytomegalovirus (CMV) pp65-specific T-cell response restricted by a single human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I allotype was observed in an individual. Therefore, to effectively clone an antigen-specific TCR from these T cells, we developed a TCR cloning system that does not require a single cell level. First, we established the improved Jurkat reporter cell line, which was TCRαβ double knock-out and expressed CD8αβ molecules. Furthermore, functional TCRs were directly obtained by reverse TCR cloning using unique CDR3-specific PCR primers after bulk TCR sequencing of activation marker-positive CD8 T cells by NGS. A total of 15 TCRα and 14 TCRβ strands were successfully amplified by PCR from cDNA of 4-1BB-positive CD8 T cells restricted by HLA-A*02:01, HLA-A*02:06, HLA-B*07:02, and HLA-B*40:06. The panels with combinations of TCRα and TCRβ genes were investigated using Jurkat reporter cell line and artificial antigen-presenting cells (APCs). In two TCR pairs restricted by HLA-A*02:01, one TCR pair by HLA-A*02:06, four TCR pairs by HLA-B*07:02, and one TCR pair by HLA-B*40:06, their specificity and affinity were confirmed. The TCR pair of A*02:01/1-1 showed alloreactivity to HLA-A*02:06. The one TCR pair showed a higher response to the naturally processed antigen than that of the peptide pool. This reverse TCR cloning system will not only provide functional information to TCR repertoire analysis by NGS but also help in the development of TCR-T therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheol-Hwa Hong
- Department of Biomedicine and Health Sciences, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, South Korea
- Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, South Korea
- Catholic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Bank, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Hong-Seon Pyo
- Department of Biomedicine and Health Sciences, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, South Korea
- Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, South Korea
| | - In-Cheol Baek
- Catholic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Bank, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Tai-Gyu Kim
- Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, South Korea
- Catholic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Bank, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, South Korea
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6
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Mock JY, Winters A, Riley TP, Bruno R, Naradikian MS, Sharma S, Jette CA, Elshimali R, Gahrs C, Toledo-Warshaviak D, West AP, Kamb A, Hamburger AE. HLA-A∗02-gated safety switch for cancer therapy has exquisite specificity for its allelic target antigen. Mol Ther Oncolytics 2022; 27:157-166. [PMID: 36381658 PMCID: PMC9619369 DOI: 10.1016/j.omto.2022.09.010] [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] [Received: 05/26/2022] [Accepted: 09/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Innovative cell-based therapies are important new weapons in the fight against difficult-to-treat cancers. One promising strategy involves cell therapies equipped with multiple receptors to integrate signals from more than one antigen. We developed a specific embodiment of this approach called Tmod, a two-receptor system that combines activating and inhibitory inputs to distinguish between tumor and normal cells. The selectivity of Tmod is enforced by the inhibitory receptor (blocker) that recognizes an antigen, such as an HLA allele, whose expression is absent from tumors because of loss of heterozygosity. Although unwanted cross-reactivity of the blocker likely reduces efficacy rather than safety, it is important to verify the blocker's specificity. We have tested an A∗02-directed blocker derived from the PA2.1 mouse antibody as a safety mechanism paired with a mesothelin-specific activating CAR in our Tmod construct. We solved the crystal structure of humanized PA2.1 Fab in complex with HLA-A∗02 to determine its binding epitope, which was used to bioinformatically select specific class I HLA alleles to test the blocker's functional specificity in vitro. We found that this A∗02-directed blocker is highly specific for its cognate antigen, with only one cross-reactive allele (A∗69) capable of triggering comparable function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jee-Young Mock
- A2 Biotherapeutics, 30301 Agoura Road, Agoura Hills, CA 91301, USA
| | - Aaron Winters
- A2 Biotherapeutics, 30301 Agoura Road, Agoura Hills, CA 91301, USA
| | - Timothy P. Riley
- A2 Biotherapeutics, 30301 Agoura Road, Agoura Hills, CA 91301, USA
| | - Richele Bruno
- A2 Biotherapeutics, 30301 Agoura Road, Agoura Hills, CA 91301, USA
| | | | - Shruti Sharma
- A2 Biotherapeutics, 30301 Agoura Road, Agoura Hills, CA 91301, USA
| | - Claudia A. Jette
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Ryan Elshimali
- A2 Biotherapeutics, 30301 Agoura Road, Agoura Hills, CA 91301, USA
| | - Casey Gahrs
- A2 Biotherapeutics, 30301 Agoura Road, Agoura Hills, CA 91301, USA
| | | | - Anthony P. West
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Alexander Kamb
- A2 Biotherapeutics, 30301 Agoura Road, Agoura Hills, CA 91301, USA,Corresponding author Alexander Kamb, PhD, A2 Biotherapeutics, 30301 Agoura Road, Agoura Hills, CA 91301, USA.
| | - Agnes E. Hamburger
- A2 Biotherapeutics, 30301 Agoura Road, Agoura Hills, CA 91301, USA,Corresponding author Agnes E. Hamburger, A2 Biotherapeutics, 30301 Agoura Road, Agoura Hills, CA 91301, USA.
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7
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Manry D, Bolanos K, DiAndreth B, Mock JY, Kamb A. Robust In Vitro Pharmacology of Tmod, a Synthetic Dual-Signal Integrator for Cancer Cell Therapy. Front Immunol 2022; 13:826747. [PMID: 35359952 PMCID: PMC8960424 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.826747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2021] [Accepted: 02/18/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Progress toward improved solid-tumor treatment has long been hindered by the lack of truly tumor-specific targets. We have developed an approach to T cell therapy based on a dual-receptor system called Tmod™ that addresses this problem. The Tmod system exploits one of the few common genetic differences between tumor and normal cells: loss of heterozygosity (LOH). It utilizes the basic mechanistic logic that evolved in early vertebrates to mediate self vs. non-self discrimination, where an activation stimulus is blocked by self-ligands. Tmod constructs employ a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) or T cell receptor (TCR) as activator component and a modified LIR-1 inhibitory receptor (blocker) to achieve high selectivity based on expression of the blocker antigen (Ag). Here we explore the in vitro pharmacology of a blocker directed at the HLA-A*02 Ag paired with either a mesothelin CAR or an HLA-A*11-restricted KRAS peptide TCR. While more sensitive to receptor expression changes on effector cells, we show that Tmod response is well-buffered against variations in Ag levels on target cells. In addition, the data reveal at least two distinguishable pharmacologic mechanisms of Tmod blocker function: (1) reducing activator sensitivity and (2) decreasing activation magnitude.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diane Manry
- A2 Biotherapeutics, Inc., Agoura Hills, CA, United States
| | | | | | - Jee-Young Mock
- A2 Biotherapeutics, Inc., Agoura Hills, CA, United States
| | - Alexander Kamb
- A2 Biotherapeutics, Inc., Agoura Hills, CA, United States
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8
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Sandberg ML, Wang X, Martin AD, Nampe DP, Gabrelow GB, Li CZ, McElvain ME, Lee WH, Shafaattalab S, Martire S, Fisher FA, Ando Y, Liu E, Ju D, Wong LM, Xu H, Kamb A. A carcinoembryonic antigen-specific cell therapy selectively targets tumor cells with HLA loss of heterozygosity in vitro and in vivo. Sci Transl Med 2022; 14:eabm0306. [PMID: 35235342 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.abm0306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The CEACAM5 gene product [carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA)] is an attractive target for colorectal cancer because of its high expression in virtually all colorectal tumors and limited expression in most healthy adult tissues. However, highly active CEA-directed investigational therapeutics have been reported to be toxic, causing severe colitis because CEA is expressed on normal gut epithelial cells. Here, we developed a strategy to address this toxicity problem: the Tmod dual-signal integrator. CEA Tmod cells use two receptors: a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) activated by CEA and a leukocyte Ig-like receptor 1 (LIR-1)-based inhibitory receptor triggered by human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-A*02. CEA Tmod cells exploit instances of HLA heterozygous gene loss in tumors to protect the patient from on-target, off-tumor toxicity. CEA Tmod cells potently killed CEA-expressing tumor cells in vitro and in vivo. But in contrast to a traditional CEA-specific T cell receptor transgenic T cell, Tmod cells were highly selective for tumor cells even when mixed with HLA-A*02-expressing cells. These data support further development of the CEA Tmod construct as a therapeutic candidate for colorectal cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark L Sandberg
- Discovery Research, A2 Biotherapeutics, Inc., 30301 Agoura Road, Agoura Hills, CA 91301, USA
| | - Xueyin Wang
- Discovery Research, A2 Biotherapeutics, Inc., 30301 Agoura Road, Agoura Hills, CA 91301, USA
| | - Aaron D Martin
- Discovery Research, A2 Biotherapeutics, Inc., 30301 Agoura Road, Agoura Hills, CA 91301, USA
| | - Daniel P Nampe
- Process Development, A2 Biotherapeutics, Inc., 30301 Agoura Road, Agoura Hills, CA 91301, USA
| | - Grant B Gabrelow
- Discovery Research, A2 Biotherapeutics, Inc., 30301 Agoura Road, Agoura Hills, CA 91301, USA
| | - Chuck Z Li
- Discovery Research, A2 Biotherapeutics, Inc., 30301 Agoura Road, Agoura Hills, CA 91301, USA
| | - Michele E McElvain
- Discovery Research, A2 Biotherapeutics, Inc., 30301 Agoura Road, Agoura Hills, CA 91301, USA
| | - Wen-Hua Lee
- Discovery Research, A2 Biotherapeutics, Inc., 30301 Agoura Road, Agoura Hills, CA 91301, USA
| | - Sanam Shafaattalab
- Discovery Research, A2 Biotherapeutics, Inc., 30301 Agoura Road, Agoura Hills, CA 91301, USA
| | | | - Fernando A Fisher
- Discovery Research, A2 Biotherapeutics, Inc., 30301 Agoura Road, Agoura Hills, CA 91301, USA
| | - Yuta Ando
- Discovery Research, A2 Biotherapeutics, Inc., 30301 Agoura Road, Agoura Hills, CA 91301, USA
| | - Edwin Liu
- Process Development, A2 Biotherapeutics, Inc., 30301 Agoura Road, Agoura Hills, CA 91301, USA
| | - David Ju
- Process Development, A2 Biotherapeutics, Inc., 30301 Agoura Road, Agoura Hills, CA 91301, USA
| | - Lu Min Wong
- Discovery Research, A2 Biotherapeutics, Inc., 30301 Agoura Road, Agoura Hills, CA 91301, USA
| | - Han Xu
- Discovery Research, A2 Biotherapeutics, Inc., 30301 Agoura Road, Agoura Hills, CA 91301, USA
| | - Alexander Kamb
- Discovery Research, A2 Biotherapeutics, Inc., 30301 Agoura Road, Agoura Hills, CA 91301, USA
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9
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Lantz O, Teyton L. Identification of T cell antigens in the 21st century, as difficult as ever. Semin Immunol 2022; 60:101659. [PMID: 36183497 PMCID: PMC10332289 DOI: 10.1016/j.smim.2022.101659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Identifying antigens recognized by T cells is still challenging, particularly for innate like T cells that do not recognize peptides but small metabolites or lipids in the context of MHC-like molecules or see non-MHC restricted antigens. The fundamental reason for this situation is the low affinity of T cell receptors for their ligands coupled with a level of degeneracy that makes them bind to similar surfaces on antigen presenting cells. Herein we will describe non-exhaustively some of the methods that were used to identify peptide antigens and briefly mention the high throughput methods more recently proposed for that purpose. We will then present how the molecules recognized by innate like T cells (NKT, MAIT and γδ T cells) were discovered. We will show that serendipity was instrumental in many cases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivier Lantz
- INSERM U932, PSL University, Institut Curie, 75005 Paris, France; Laboratoire d'Immunologie Clinique, Institut Curie, Paris 75005, France; Centre d'investigation Clinique en Biothérapie Gustave-Roussy Institut Curie (CIC-BT1428) Institut Curie, Paris 75005, France
| | - Luc Teyton
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
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10
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Wang X, Wong LM, McElvain ME, Martire S, Lee WH, Li CZ, Fisher FA, Maheshwari RL, Wu ML, Imun MC, Murad R, Warshaviak DT, Yin J, Kamb A, Xu H. A rational approach to assess off-target reactivity of a dual-signal integrator for T cell therapy. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 2022; 437:115894. [DOI: 10.1016/j.taap.2022.115894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2021] [Revised: 01/15/2022] [Accepted: 01/19/2022] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
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11
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Characterization and modulation of anti-αβTCR antibodies and their respective binding sites at the βTCR chain to enrich engineered T cells. MOLECULAR THERAPY-METHODS & CLINICAL DEVELOPMENT 2021; 22:388-400. [PMID: 34514030 PMCID: PMC8411211 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtm.2021.06.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2020] [Accepted: 06/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
T cell engineering strategies offer cures to patients and have entered clinical practice with chimeric antibody-based receptors; αβT cell receptor (αβTCR)-based strategies are, however, lagging behind. To allow a more rapid and successful translation to successful concepts also using αβTCRs for engineering, incorporating a method for the purification of genetically modified T cells, as well as engineered T cell deletion after transfer into patients, could be beneficial. This would allow increased efficacy, reduced potential side effects, and improved safety of newly to-be-tested lead structures. By characterizing the antigen-binding interface of a good manufacturing process (GMP)-grade anti-αβTCR antibody, usually used for depletion of αβT cells from stem cell transplantation products, we developed a strategy that allows for the purification of untouched αβTCR-engineered immune cells by changing 2 amino acids only in the TCRβ chain constant domain of introduced TCR chains. Alternatively, we engineered an antibody that targets an extended mutated interface of 9 amino acids in the TCRβ chain constant domain and provides the opportunity to further develop depletion strategies of engineered immune cells.
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12
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Parras D, Solé P, Delong T, Santamaría P, Serra P. Recognition of Multiple Hybrid Insulin Peptides by a Single Highly Diabetogenic T-Cell Receptor. Front Immunol 2021; 12:737428. [PMID: 34527002 PMCID: PMC8435627 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.737428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2021] [Accepted: 08/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The mechanisms underlying the major histocompatibility complex class II (MHCII) type 1 diabetes (T1D) association remain incompletely understood. We have previously shown that thymocytes expressing the highly diabetogenic, I-Ag7-restricted 4.1-T-cell receptor (TCR) are MHCII-promiscuous, and that, in MHCII-heterozygous mice, they sequentially undergo positive and negative selection/Treg deviation by recognizing pro- and anti-diabetogenic MHCII molecules on cortical thymic epithelial cells and medullary hematopoietic antigen-presenting cells (APCs), respectively. Here, we use a novel autoantigen discovery approach to define the antigenic specificity of this TCR in the context of I-Ag7. This was done by screening the ability of random epitope-GS linker-I- A β g 7 chain fusion pools to form agonistic peptide-MHCII complexes on the surface of I- A α d chain-transgenic artificial APCs. Pool deconvolution, I-Ag7-binding register-fixing, TCR contact residue mapping, and alanine scanning mutagenesis resulted in the identification of a 4.1-TCR recognition motif XL(G/A)XEXE(D/E)X that was shared by seven agonistic hybrid insulin peptides (HIPs) resulting from the fusion of several different chromogranin A and/or insulin C fragments, including post-translationally modified variants. These data validate a novel, highly sensitive MHCII-restricted epitope discovery approach for orphan TCRs and suggest thymic selection of autoantigen-promiscuous TCRs as a mechanism for the murine T1D-I-Ag7-association.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Autoantigens/genetics
- Autoantigens/immunology
- Autoantigens/metabolism
- CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes/immunology
- CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes/metabolism
- CHO Cells
- Coculture Techniques
- Cricetulus
- DNA-Binding Proteins/genetics
- DNA-Binding Proteins/metabolism
- Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1/genetics
- Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1/immunology
- Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1/metabolism
- Epitopes
- HEK293 Cells
- Histocompatibility Antigens Class II/genetics
- Histocompatibility Antigens Class II/immunology
- Histocompatibility Antigens Class II/metabolism
- Humans
- Insulin/genetics
- Insulin/immunology
- Insulin/metabolism
- Jurkat Cells
- Mice, Inbred NOD
- Mice, Knockout
- Peptide Fragments/genetics
- Peptide Fragments/immunology
- Peptide Fragments/metabolism
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/genetics
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/immunology
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/metabolism
- Mice
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Parras
- Institut D’Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Patricia Solé
- Institut D’Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Thomas Delong
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (SSPPS), Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO, United States
| | - Pere Santamaría
- Institut D’Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer, Barcelona, Spain
- Julia McFarlane Diabetes Research Centre (JMDRC) and Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Pau Serra
- Institut D’Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer, Barcelona, Spain
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13
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Martin AD, Wang X, Sandberg ML, Negri KR, Wu ML, Toledo Warshaviak D, Gabrelow GB, McElvain ME, Lee B, Daris ME, Xu H, Kamb A. Re-examination of MAGE-A3 as a T-cell Therapeutic Target. J Immunother 2021; 44:95-105. [PMID: 33284140 PMCID: PMC7946352 DOI: 10.1097/cji.0000000000000348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2020] [Accepted: 10/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
In 2013, an innovative MAGE-A3-directed cancer therapeutic of great potential value was terminated in the clinic because of neurotoxicity. The safety problems were hypothesized to originate from off-target T-cell receptor activity against a closely related MAGE-A12 peptide. A combination of published and new data led us to test this hypothesis with current technology. Our results call into question MAGE-A12 as the source of the neurotoxicity. Rather, the data imply that an alternative related peptide from EPS8L2 may be responsible. Given the qualities of MAGE-A3 as an onco-testis antigen widely expressed in tumors and largely absent from normal adult tissues, these findings suggest that MAGE-A3 may deserve further consideration as a cancer target. As a step in this direction, the authors isolated 2 MAGE-A3 peptide-major histocompatibility complex-directed chimeric antigen receptors, 1 targeting the same peptide as the clinical T-cell receptor. Both chimeric antigen receptors have improved selectivity over the EPS8L2 peptide that represents a significant risk for MAGE-A3-targeted therapeutics, showing that there may be other options for MAGE-A3 cell therapy.
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14
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Li Y, Gao Q, Liu H, Lin S, Chen H, Ding R, Gu Y, Chao CC, Dong X. The Targeting Effect of Cetuximab Combined with PD-L1 Blockade against EGFR-Expressing Tumors in a Tailored CD16-CAR T-Cell Reporter System. Cancer Invest 2021; 39:285-296. [PMID: 33646061 DOI: 10.1080/07357907.2021.1894570] [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] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
The switchable chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) have shown many advantages in CAR T-cell therapy. However, human primary T-cells are required to evaluate antigen-specific adaptors by IFN-γ assay or FACS analysis, which limits the throughput of adaptor screening. A sensitive and robust CD16-CAR Jurkat NFAT-eGFP reporter system has been developed to assess the therapeutic efficacy of antibody-targeted CAR-T-cell by effectively evaluating the T-cell activation by various tumor cells and the impact of immune checkpoint inhibitor antibodies. This reporter system facilitates the screening of targeted antibodies in a high throughput manner for the development of improved T-cell immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yijian Li
- BGI Education Center, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China.,BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Ying Gu
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China
| | | | - Xuan Dong
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China.,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Human Disease Genomics, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Genomics, Shenzhen, China
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15
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Abstract
Advances in reading, writing, and editing DNA are providing unprecedented insights into the complexity of immunological systems. This combination of systems and synthetic biology methods is enabling the quantitative and precise understanding of molecular recognition in adaptive immunity, thus providing a framework for reprogramming immune responses for translational medicine. In this review, we will highlight state-of-the-art methods such as immune repertoire sequencing, immunoinformatics, and immunogenomic engineering and their application toward adaptive immunity. We showcase novel and interdisciplinary approaches that have the promise of transforming the design and breadth of molecular and cellular immunotherapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucia Csepregi
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Roy A. Ehling
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Bastian Wagner
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Sai T. Reddy
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
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16
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Xu H, Hamburger AE, Mock JY, Wang X, Martin AD, Tokatlian T, Oh J, Daris ME, Negri KR, Gabrelow GB, Wu ML, Nampe DP, Asuelime GE, McElvain ME, Sandberg ML, Kamb A. Structure-function relationships of chimeric antigen receptors in acute T cell responses to antigen. Mol Immunol 2020; 126:56-64. [PMID: 32768859 DOI: 10.1016/j.molimm.2020.07.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2020] [Accepted: 07/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) and their parent signaling molecule, the T cell receptor (TCR), are fascinating proteins of increasing relevance to disease therapy. Here we use a collection of 1221 pMHC-directed CAR constructs representing 10 pMHC targets to study aspects of CAR structure-activity relationships (SAR), with particular focus on the extracellular and transmembrane structural components. These experiments that involve pMHC targets whose number/cell can be manipulated by peptide dosing in vitro enable systematic analysis of the SAR of CARs in carefully controlled experimental situations (Harris and Kranz, 2016). We find that CARs tolerate a wide range of structural variation, with the ligand-binding domains (LBDs) dominating the SAR of CAR antigen sensitivity. Notwithstanding the critical role of the LBD, CAR antigen-binding on the cell surface, measured by pMHC tetramer staining, is not an effective predictor of functional sensitivity. These results have important implications for the design and testing of CARs aimed toward the clinic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han Xu
- A2 Biotherapeutics, 30301 Agoura Rd., Agoura Hills, CA, 91301, United States
| | - Agnes E Hamburger
- A2 Biotherapeutics, 30301 Agoura Rd., Agoura Hills, CA, 91301, United States
| | - Jee-Young Mock
- A2 Biotherapeutics, 30301 Agoura Rd., Agoura Hills, CA, 91301, United States
| | - Xueyin Wang
- A2 Biotherapeutics, 30301 Agoura Rd., Agoura Hills, CA, 91301, United States
| | - Aaron D Martin
- A2 Biotherapeutics, 30301 Agoura Rd., Agoura Hills, CA, 91301, United States
| | - Talar Tokatlian
- A2 Biotherapeutics, 30301 Agoura Rd., Agoura Hills, CA, 91301, United States
| | - Julyun Oh
- A2 Biotherapeutics, 30301 Agoura Rd., Agoura Hills, CA, 91301, United States
| | - Mark E Daris
- A2 Biotherapeutics, 30301 Agoura Rd., Agoura Hills, CA, 91301, United States
| | - Kathleen R Negri
- A2 Biotherapeutics, 30301 Agoura Rd., Agoura Hills, CA, 91301, United States
| | - Grant B Gabrelow
- A2 Biotherapeutics, 30301 Agoura Rd., Agoura Hills, CA, 91301, United States
| | - Ming Lun Wu
- A2 Biotherapeutics, 30301 Agoura Rd., Agoura Hills, CA, 91301, United States
| | - Daniel P Nampe
- A2 Biotherapeutics, 30301 Agoura Rd., Agoura Hills, CA, 91301, United States
| | - Grace E Asuelime
- A2 Biotherapeutics, 30301 Agoura Rd., Agoura Hills, CA, 91301, United States
| | - Michele E McElvain
- A2 Biotherapeutics, 30301 Agoura Rd., Agoura Hills, CA, 91301, United States
| | - Mark L Sandberg
- A2 Biotherapeutics, 30301 Agoura Rd., Agoura Hills, CA, 91301, United States
| | - Alexander Kamb
- A2 Biotherapeutics, 30301 Agoura Rd., Agoura Hills, CA, 91301, United States.
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17
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Zong S, Mi T, Flores LG, Alpert A, Olivares S, Patel K, Maiti S, Mcnamara G, Cooper LJN, Torikai H. Very rapid cloning, expression and identifying specificity of T-cell receptors for T-cell engineering. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0228112. [PMID: 32040512 PMCID: PMC7010234 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0228112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2019] [Accepted: 01/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Neoantigens can be predicted and in some cases identified using the data obtained from the whole exome sequencing and transcriptome sequencing of tumor cells. These sequencing data can be coupled with single-cell RNA sequencing for the direct interrogation of the transcriptome, surfaceome, and pairing of αβ T-cell receptors (TCRαβ) from hundreds of single T cells. Using these 2 large datasets, we established a platform for identifying antigens recognized by TCRαβs obtained from single T cells. Our approach is based on the rapid expression of cloned TCRαβ genes as Sleeping Beauty transposons and the determination of the introduced TCRαβs’ antigen specificity and avidity using a reporter cell line. The platform enables the very rapid identification of tumor-reactive TCRs for the bioengineering of T cells with redirected specificity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shan Zong
- Division of Pediatrics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Tiejuan Mi
- Division of Pediatrics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Leo G. Flores
- Division of Pediatrics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Amir Alpert
- Division of Pediatrics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Simon Olivares
- Division of Pediatrics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Krina Patel
- Department of Lymphoma and Myeloma, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Sourindra Maiti
- Division of Pediatrics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - George Mcnamara
- Division of Pediatrics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Laurence J. N. Cooper
- Division of Pediatrics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, United States of America
- Ziopharm Oncology, Inc., Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Hiroki Torikai
- Division of Pediatrics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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18
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He Q, Jiang X, Zhou X, Weng J. Targeting cancers through TCR-peptide/MHC interactions. J Hematol Oncol 2019; 12:139. [PMID: 31852498 PMCID: PMC6921533 DOI: 10.1186/s13045-019-0812-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2019] [Accepted: 10/27/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Adoptive T cell therapy has achieved dramatic success in a clinic, and the Food and Drug Administration approved two chimeric antigen receptor-engineered T cell (CAR-T) therapies that target hematological cancers in 2018. A significant issue faced by CAR-T therapies is the lack of tumor-specific biomarkers on the surfaces of solid tumor cells, which hampers the application of CAR-T therapies to solid tumors. Intracellular tumor-related antigens can be presented as peptides in the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) on the cell surface, which interact with the T cell receptors (TCR) on antigen-specific T cells to stimulate an anti-tumor response. Multiple immunotherapy strategies have been developed to eradicate tumor cells through targeting the TCR-peptide/MHC interactions. Here, we summarize the current status of TCR-based immunotherapy strategies, with particular focus on the TCR structure, activated signaling pathways, the effects and toxicity associated with TCR-based therapies in clinical trials, preclinical studies examining immune-mobilizing monoclonal TCRs against cancer (ImmTACs), and TCR-fusion molecules. We propose several TCR-based therapeutic strategies to achieve optimal clinical responses without the induction of autoimmune diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qinghua He
- Department of Center Laboratory, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, 621 Gangwan Rd, Huangpu Qu, Guangzhou, 510700, China
| | - Xianhan Jiang
- Department of General Surgery, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 510700, China
| | - Xinke Zhou
- Department of Center Laboratory, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, 621 Gangwan Rd, Huangpu Qu, Guangzhou, 510700, China. .,Department of General Surgery, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 510700, China.
| | - Jinsheng Weng
- Department of Lymphoma and Myeloma, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1414 Holcombe Boulevard, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
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19
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Segaliny AI, Li G, Kong L, Ren C, Chen X, Wang JK, Baltimore D, Wu G, Zhao W. Functional TCR T cell screening using single-cell droplet microfluidics. LAB ON A CHIP 2018; 18:3733-3749. [PMID: 30397689 PMCID: PMC6279597 DOI: 10.1039/c8lc00818c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 106] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Adoptive T cell transfer, in particular TCR T cell therapy, holds great promise for cancer immunotherapy with encouraging clinical results. However, finding the right TCR T cell clone is a tedious, time-consuming, and costly process. Thus, there is a critical need for single cell technologies to conduct fast and multiplexed functional analyses followed by recovery of the clone of interest. Here, we use droplet microfluidics for functional screening and real-time monitoring of single TCR T cell activation upon recognition of target tumor cells. Notably, our platform includes a tracking system for each clone as well as a sorting procedure with 100% specificity validated by downstream single cell reverse-transcription PCR and sequencing of TCR chains. Our TCR screening prototype will facilitate immunotherapeutic screening and development of T cell therapies.
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MESH Headings
- Antigens, Neoplasm/chemistry
- Antigens, Neoplasm/metabolism
- Cell Line, Tumor
- Equipment Design
- Humans
- Immunotherapy, Adoptive
- Microfluidic Analytical Techniques/instrumentation
- Neoplasms/therapy
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/analysis
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/chemistry
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/metabolism
- Single-Cell Analysis/instrumentation
- Single-Cell Analysis/methods
- T-Lymphocytes/chemistry
- T-Lymphocytes/cytology
- T-Lymphocytes/metabolism
- T-Lymphocytes/transplantation
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Affiliation(s)
- Aude I. Segaliny
- Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, U.S.A
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, U.S.A
- Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, U.S.A
- Edwards Life Sciences Center for Advanced Cardiovascular Technology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, U.S.A
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, U.S.A
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, U.S.A
| | - Guideng Li
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, U.S.A
- Center of Systems Medicine, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100005, China
- Suzhou Institute of Systems Medicine, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Lingshun Kong
- Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, U.S.A
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, U.S.A
- Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, U.S.A
- Edwards Life Sciences Center for Advanced Cardiovascular Technology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, U.S.A
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, U.S.A
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, U.S.A
| | - Ci Ren
- Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, U.S.A
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, U.S.A
- Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, U.S.A
- Edwards Life Sciences Center for Advanced Cardiovascular Technology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, U.S.A
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, U.S.A
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, U.S.A
| | - Xiaoming Chen
- Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, U.S.A
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, U.S.A
- Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, U.S.A
- Edwards Life Sciences Center for Advanced Cardiovascular Technology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, U.S.A
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, U.S.A
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, U.S.A
| | - Jessica K. Wang
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, U.S.A
| | - David Baltimore
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, U.S.A
| | - Guikai Wu
- Amberstone Biosciences LLC, Irvine, CA 92617, U.S.A
| | - Weian Zhao
- Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, U.S.A
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, U.S.A
- Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, U.S.A
- Edwards Life Sciences Center for Advanced Cardiovascular Technology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, U.S.A
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, U.S.A
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, U.S.A
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20
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Watanabe K, Tsukahara T, Toji S, Saitoh S, Hirohashi Y, Nakatsugawa M, Kubo T, Kanaseki T, Kameshima H, Terui T, Sato N, Torigoe T. Development of a T-cell receptor multimer with high avidity for detecting a naturally presented tumor-associated antigen on osteosarcoma cells. Cancer Sci 2018; 110:40-51. [PMID: 30375705 PMCID: PMC6317924 DOI: 10.1111/cas.13854] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2018] [Revised: 10/25/2018] [Accepted: 10/26/2018] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
For efficacy of peptide vaccination immunotherapy for patients with cancer, endogenous expression of the target peptide/human leukocyte antigen (HLA) on cancer cells is required. However, it is difficult to evaluate the expression status of a peptide/HLA complex because of the lack of a soluble T‐cell receptor (TCR) that reacts with tumor‐associated antigen (TAA) with high avidity. In the present study, we developed two soluble TCR‐multimers that were each directed to TAA, survivin‐2B (SVN‐2B) and PBF in the context of HLA‐A24 (SVN‐2B TCR‐multimer and PBF TCR‐multimer, respectively), from CTL clones that were established from peptide‐vaccinated patients. Both TCR multimers could recognize cognate peptide‐pulsed antigen‐presenting cells, C1R‐A24 cells, in a CD8‐independent method. Moreover, the PBF TCR‐multimer successfully recognized a PBF peptide naturally presented on HLA‐A24+PBF+ osteosarcoma cells. Taken together, the results indicated that a TCR‐multimer might be useful for detection of a TAA‐derived peptide presented by HLA in patients receiving immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazue Watanabe
- Department of Cancer Immunology, Medical and Biological Laboratories Co., Ltd, Ina, Japan.,Department of Pathology, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Tomohide Tsukahara
- Department of Pathology, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Shingo Toji
- Department of Cancer Immunology, Medical and Biological Laboratories Co., Ltd, Ina, Japan
| | - Shogo Saitoh
- Department of Cancer Immunology, Medical and Biological Laboratories Co., Ltd, Ina, Japan
| | - Yoshihiko Hirohashi
- Department of Pathology, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Munehide Nakatsugawa
- Department of Pathology, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Terufumi Kubo
- Department of Pathology, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Takayuki Kanaseki
- Department of Pathology, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan
| | | | | | - Noriyuki Sato
- Department of Pathology, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan.,Higashi-Sapporo Hospital, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Toshihiko Torigoe
- Department of Pathology, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan
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21
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Rosskopf S, Leitner J, Paster W, Morton LT, Hagedoorn RS, Steinberger P, Heemskerk MHM. A Jurkat 76 based triple parameter reporter system to evaluate TCR functions and adoptive T cell strategies. Oncotarget 2018; 9:17608-17619. [PMID: 29707134 PMCID: PMC5915142 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.24807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2017] [Accepted: 02/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Adoptive T cell therapy using TCR transgenic autologous T cells has shown great potential for the treatment of tumor patients. Thorough characterization of genetically reprogrammed T cells is necessary to optimize treatment success. Here, we describe the generation of triple parameter reporter T cells based on the Jurkat 76 T cell line for the evaluation of TCR and chimeric antigen receptor functions as well as adoptive T cell strategies. This Jurkat subline is devoid of endogenous TCR alpha and TCR beta chains, thereby circumventing the problem of TCR miss-pairing and unexpected specificities. The resultant reporter cells allow simultaneous determination of the activity of the transcription factors NF-κB, NFAT and AP-1 that play key roles in T cell activation. Human TCRs directed against tumor and virus antigens were introduced and reporter responses were determined using tumor cell lines endogenously expressing the antigens of interest or via addition of antigenic peptides. Finally, we demonstrate that coexpression of adhesion molecules like CD2 and CD226 as well as CD28 chimeric receptors represents an effective strategy to augment the response of TCR-transgenic reporters to cells presenting cognate antigens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Rosskopf
- Institute of Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Judith Leitner
- Institute of Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Wolfgang Paster
- Institute of Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Laura T Morton
- Department of Hematology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Renate S Hagedoorn
- Department of Hematology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Peter Steinberger
- Institute of Immunology, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Mirjam H M Heemskerk
- Department of Hematology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
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22
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Hamana H, Shitaoka K, Kishi H, Ozawa T, Muraguchi A. A novel, rapid and efficient method of cloning functional antigen-specific T-cell receptors from single human and mouse T-cells. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2016; 474:709-714. [PMID: 27155153 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2016.05.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2016] [Accepted: 05/03/2016] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
T-cell receptor (TCR) gene therapy is a promising approach for the treatment of infectious diseases and cancers. However, the paired cloning and functional assays of antigen-specific TCRα and TCRβ is time-consuming and laborious. In this study, we developed a novel, rapid and efficient antigen-specific TCR-cloning system by combining three technologies: multiplex one-step RT-PCR, transcriptionally active PCR (TAP) and luciferase reporter assays. Multiplex one-step RT-PCR with leader primers designed from leader peptide sequences of TCRs enabled us to amplify cDNAs of TCRα and β pairs from single T-cells with remarkably high efficiency. The combination of TAP fragments and HEK293T-based NFAT-luciferase reporter cells allowed for a rapid functional assay without the need to construct expression vectors. Using this system, we cloned human TCRs specific for Epstein-Barr virus BRLF-1-derived peptide as well as mouse TCRs specific for melanoma-associated antigen tyrosinase-related protein 2 (TRP-2) within four days. These results suggest that our system provides rapid and efficient cloning of functional antigen-specific human and mouse TCRs and contributes to TCR-based immunotherapy for cancers and infectious diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroshi Hamana
- Department of Immunology, Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toyama, Toyama, 930-0194, Japan
| | - Kiyomi Shitaoka
- Department of Immunology, Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toyama, Toyama, 930-0194, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Kishi
- Department of Immunology, Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toyama, Toyama, 930-0194, Japan.
| | - Tatsuhiko Ozawa
- Department of Immunology, Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toyama, Toyama, 930-0194, Japan
| | - Atsushi Muraguchi
- Department of Immunology, Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toyama, Toyama, 930-0194, Japan
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23
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Stoehr LC, Endes C, Radauer-Preiml I, Boyles MSP, Casals E, Balog S, Pesch M, Petri-Fink A, Rothen-Rutishauser B, Himly M, Clift MJD, Duschl A. Assessment of a panel of interleukin-8 reporter lung epithelial cell lines to monitor the pro-inflammatory response following zinc oxide nanoparticle exposure under different cell culture conditions. Part Fibre Toxicol 2015; 12:29. [PMID: 26415698 PMCID: PMC4587722 DOI: 10.1186/s12989-015-0104-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2015] [Accepted: 09/18/2015] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Stably transfected lung epithelial reporter cell lines pose an advantageous alternative to replace complex experimental techniques to monitor the pro-inflammatory response following nanoparticle (NP) exposure. Previously, reporter cell lines have been used under submerged culture conditions, however, their potential usefulness in combination with air-liquid interface (ALI) exposures is currently unknown. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to compare a panel of interleukin-8 promoter (pIL8)-reporter cell lines (i.e. green or red fluorescent protein (GFP, RFP), and luciferase (Luc)), originating from A549 lung epithelial type II-like cells cells, following NPs exposure under both submerged and ALI conditions. METHODS All cell lines were exposed to zinc oxide (ZnO) NPs at 0.6 and 6.2 μg/cm(2) for 3 and 16 hours under both submerged and ALI conditions. Following physicochemical characterization, the cytotoxic profile of the ZnO-NPs was determined for each exposure scenario. Expression of IL-8 from all cell types was analyzed at the promoter level and compared to the mRNA (qRT-PCR) and protein level (ELISA). RESULTS In summary, each reporter cell line detected acute pro-inflammatory effects following ZnO exposure under each condition tested. The pIL8-Luc cell line was the most sensitive in terms of reporter signal strength and onset velocity following TNF-α treatment. Both pIL8-GFP and pIL8-RFP also showed a marked signal induction in response to TNF-α, although only after 16 hrs. In terms of ZnO-NP-induced cytotoxicity pIL8-RFP cells were the most affected, whilst the pIL8-Luc were found the least responsive. CONCLUSIONS In conclusion, the use of fluorescence-based reporter cell lines can provide a useful tool in screening the pro-inflammatory response following NP exposure in both submerged and ALI cell cultures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linda C Stoehr
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunnerstrasse 34, 5020, Salzburg, Austria. .,Grimm Aerosol Technik GmbH & Co. KG, Ainring, Germany.
| | - Carola Endes
- BioNanomaterials, Adolphe Merkle Institute, Université de Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland.
| | - Isabella Radauer-Preiml
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunnerstrasse 34, 5020, Salzburg, Austria.
| | - Matthew S P Boyles
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunnerstrasse 34, 5020, Salzburg, Austria.
| | - Eudald Casals
- Institut Català de Nanotecnologia (ICN), Bellaterra, Spain.
| | - Sandor Balog
- Soft Matter Scattering, Adolphe Merkle Institute, Université de Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland.
| | - Markus Pesch
- Grimm Aerosol Technik GmbH & Co. KG, Ainring, Germany.
| | - Alke Petri-Fink
- BioNanomaterials, Adolphe Merkle Institute, Université de Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland.
| | | | - Martin Himly
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunnerstrasse 34, 5020, Salzburg, Austria.
| | - Martin J D Clift
- BioNanomaterials, Adolphe Merkle Institute, Université de Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland.
| | - Albert Duschl
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunnerstrasse 34, 5020, Salzburg, Austria.
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24
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A robust and scalable TCR-based reporter cell assay to measure HIV-1 Nef-mediated T cell immune evasion. J Immunol Methods 2015; 426:104-13. [PMID: 26319395 DOI: 10.1016/j.jim.2015.08.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2015] [Revised: 08/20/2015] [Accepted: 08/20/2015] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
HIV-1 evades cytotoxic T cell responses through Nef-mediated downregulation of HLA class I molecules from the infected cell surface. Methods to quantify the impact of Nef on T cell recognition typically employ patient-derived T cell clones; however, these assays are limited by the cost and effort required to isolate and maintain primary cell lines. The variable activity of different T cell clones and the limited number of cells generated by re-stimulation can also hinder assay reproducibility and scalability. Here, we describe a heterologous T cell receptor reporter assay and use it to study immune evasion by Nef. Induction of NFAT-driven luciferase following co-culture with peptide-pulsed or virus-infected target cells serves as a rapid, quantitative and antigen-specific measure of T cell recognition of its cognate peptide/HLA complex. We demonstrate that Nef-mediated downregulation of HLA on target cells correlates inversely with T cell receptor-dependent luminescent signal generated by effector cells. This method provides a robust, flexible and scalable platform that is suitable for studies to measure Nef function in the context of different viral peptide/HLA antigens, to assess the function of patient-derived Nef alleles, or to screen small molecule libraries to identify novel Nef inhibitors.
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25
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Daniel-Meshulam I, Ya'akobi S, Ankri C, Cohen CJ. How (specific) would like your T-cells today? Generating T-cell therapeutic function through TCR-gene transfer. Front Immunol 2012; 3:186. [PMID: 22783259 PMCID: PMC3390604 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2012.00186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2012] [Accepted: 06/15/2012] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
T-cells are central players in the immune response against both pathogens and cancer. Their specificity is solely dictated by the T-cell receptor (TCR) they clonally express. As such, the genetic modification of T lymphocytes using pathogen- or cancer-specific TCRs represents an appealing strategy to generate a desired immune response from peripheral blood lymphocytes. Moreover, notable objective clinical responses were observed in terminally ill cancer patients treated with TCR-gene modified cells in several clinical trials conducted recently. Nevertheless, several key aspects of this approach are the object of intensive research aimed at improving the reliability and efficacy of this strategy. Herein, we will survey recent studies in the field of TCR-gene transfer dealing with the improvement of this approach and its application for the treatment of malignant, autoimmune, and infectious diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inbal Daniel-Meshulam
- Laboratory of Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy, The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences , Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
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26
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Wälchli S, Løset GÅ, Kumari S, Nergård Johansen J, Yang W, Sandlie I, Olweus J. A practical approach to T-cell receptor cloning and expression. PLoS One 2011; 6:e27930. [PMID: 22132171 PMCID: PMC3221687 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0027930] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2011] [Accepted: 10/27/2011] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Although cloning and expression of T-cell Receptors (TcRs) has been performed for almost two decades, these procedures are still challenging. For example, the use of T-cell clones that have undergone limited expansion as starting material to limit the loss of interesting TcRs, must be weighed against the introduction of mutations by excess PCR cycles. The recent interest in using specific TcRs for cancer immunotherapy has, however, increased the demand for practical and robust methods to rapidly clone and express TcRs. Two main technologies for TcR cloning have emerged; the use of a set of primers specifically annealing to all known TcR variable domains, and 5′-RACE amplification. We here present an improved 5′-RACE protocol that represents a fast and reliable way to identify a TcR from 105 cells only, making TcR cloning feasible without a priori knowledge of the variable domain sequence. We further present a detailed procedure for the subcloning of TcRα and β chains into an expression system. We show that a recombination-based cloning protocol facilitates simple and rapid transfer of the TcR transgene into different expression systems. The presented comprehensive method can be performed in any laboratory with standard equipment and with a limited amount of starting material. We finally exemplify the straightforwardness and reliability of our procedure by cloning and expressing several MART-1-specific TcRs and demonstrating their functionality.
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MESH Headings
- Cloning, Molecular/methods
- Electroporation
- Genetic Vectors/genetics
- Humans
- Jurkat Cells
- MART-1 Antigen/genetics
- MART-1 Antigen/metabolism
- RNA, Messenger/genetics
- RNA, Messenger/metabolism
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/genetics
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/metabolism
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta/genetics
- Recombination, Genetic/genetics
- Reproducibility of Results
- Retroviridae/genetics
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Affiliation(s)
- Sébastien Wälchli
- Department of Immunology, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital Radiumhospitalet, Oslo, Norway
- * E-mail: (SW); (JO)
| | - Geir Åge Løset
- Department of Molecular Biosciences and Centre for Immune Regulation, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Immunology, Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet and University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Shraddha Kumari
- Department of Immunology, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital Radiumhospitalet, Oslo, Norway
| | - Jorunn Nergård Johansen
- Department of Immunology, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital Radiumhospitalet, Oslo, Norway
| | - Weiwen Yang
- Department of Immunology, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital Radiumhospitalet, Oslo, Norway
| | - Inger Sandlie
- Department of Molecular Biosciences and Centre for Immune Regulation, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Immunology, Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet and University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Johanna Olweus
- Department of Immunology, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital Radiumhospitalet, Oslo, Norway
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- * E-mail: (SW); (JO)
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27
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Haggerty TJ, Dunn IS, Rose LB, Newton EE, Kurnick JT. A screening assay to identify agents that enhance T-cell recognition of human melanomas. Assay Drug Dev Technol 2011; 10:187-201. [PMID: 22085019 DOI: 10.1089/adt.2011.0379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Although a series of melanoma differentiation antigens for immunotherapeutic targeting has been described, heterogeneous expression of antigens such as Melan-A/MART-1 and gp100 results from a loss of antigenic expression in many late stage tumors. Antigen loss can represent a means for tumor escape from immune recognition, and a barrier to immunotherapy. However, since antigen-negative tumor phenotypes frequently result from reversible gene regulatory events, antigen enhancement represents a potential therapeutic opportunity. Accordingly, we have developed a cell-based assay to screen for compounds with the ability to enhance T-cell recognition of melanoma cells. This assay is dependent on augmentation of MelanA/MART-1 antigen presentation by a melanoma cell line (MU89). T-cell recognition is detected as interleukin-2 production by a Jurkat T cell transduced to express a T-cell receptor specific for an HLA-A2 restricted epitope of the Melan-A/MART-1 protein. This cellular assay was used to perform a pilot screen by using 480 compounds of known biological activity. From the initial proof-of-principle primary screen, eight compounds were identified as positive hits. A panel of secondary screens, including orthogonal assays, was used to validate the primary hits and eliminate false positives, and also to measure the comparative efficacy of the identified compounds. This cell-based assay, thus, yields consistent results applicable to the screening of larger libraries of compounds that can potentially reveal novel molecules which allow better recognition of treated tumors by T cells.
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28
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Scholten KBJ, Turksma AW, Ruizendaal JJ, van den Hende M, van der Burg SH, Heemskerk MHM, Meijer CJLM, Hooijberg E. Generating HPV specific T helper cells for the treatment of HPV induced malignancies using TCR gene transfer. J Transl Med 2011; 9:147. [PMID: 21892941 PMCID: PMC3176193 DOI: 10.1186/1479-5876-9-147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2011] [Accepted: 09/05/2011] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Infection with high risk Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) is associated with cancer of the cervix, vagina, penis, vulva, anus and some cases of head and neck carcinomas. The HPV derived oncoproteins E6 and E7 are constitutively expressed in tumor cells and therefore potential targets for T cell mediated adoptive immunotherapy. Effective immunotherapy is dependent on the presence of both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. However, low precursor frequencies of HPV16 specific T cells in patients and healthy donors hampers routine isolation of these cells for adoptive transfer purposes. An alternative to generate HPV specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cells is TCR gene transfer. Methods HPV specific CD4+ T cells were generated using either a MHC class I or MHC class II restricted TCR (from clones A9 and 24.101 respectively) directed against HPV16 antigens. Functional analysis was performed by interferon-γ secretion, proliferation and cytokine production assays. Results Introduction of HPV16 specific TCRs into blood derived CD4+ recipient T cells resulted in recognition of the relevant HPV16 epitope as determined by IFN-γ secretion. Importantly, we also show recognition of the endogenously processed and HLA-DP1 presented HPV16E6 epitope by 24.101 TCR transgenic CD4+ T cells and recognition of the HLA-A2 presented HPV16E7 epitope by A9 TCR transgenic CD4+ T cells. Conclusion Our data indicate that TCR transfer is feasible as an alternative strategy to generate human HPV16 specific CD4+ T helper cells for the treatment of patients suffering from cervical cancer and other HPV16 induced malignancies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirsten B J Scholten
- Department of Pathology, VU University Medical Center, de Boelelaan 1117, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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29
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Schroten C, Kraaij R, Veldhoven JL, Berrevoets CA, den Bakker MA, Ma Q, Sadelain M, Bangma CH, Willemsen RA, Debets R. T cell activation upon exposure to patient-derived tumor tissue: A functional assay to select patients for adoptive T cell therapy. J Immunol Methods 2010; 359:11-20. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jim.2010.04.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2009] [Revised: 04/26/2010] [Accepted: 04/29/2010] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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30
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Birkholz K, Hofmann C, Hoyer S, Schulz B, Harrer T, Kämpgen E, Schuler G, Dörrie J, Schaft N. A fast and robust method to clone and functionally validate T-cell receptors. J Immunol Methods 2009; 346:45-54. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jim.2009.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2009] [Revised: 04/03/2009] [Accepted: 05/04/2009] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
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31
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Engels B, Uckert W. Redirecting T lymphocyte specificity by T cell receptor gene transfer – A new era for immunotherapy. Mol Aspects Med 2007; 28:115-42. [PMID: 17307249 DOI: 10.1016/j.mam.2006.12.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2006] [Accepted: 12/18/2006] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The therapeutic efficacy of adoptively transferred cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) has been demonstrated in clinical trials for the treatment of chronic myelogenous leukemia, cytomegalovirus-mediated disease, and Epstein-Barr virus-positive B cell lymphomas. It is however limited by the difficulty of generating sufficient amounts of CTLs in vitro, especially for the treatment of solid tumors. Recent gene therapy approaches, including two clinical trials, successfully apply genetic engineering of T cell specificity by T cell receptor (TCR) gene transfer. In this review we want to elucidate several principles of the redirection of T cell specificity. We cover basic aspects of retroviral gene transfer, regarding transduction efficacy and transgene expression levels. It was demonstrated that the number of TCR molecules on a T cell is important for its function. Therefore, an efficient transfer system that yields high transduction efficiency and strong and stable transgene expression is a prerequisite to achieve effector function by redirected T cells. Furthermore, we consider more recent aspects of T cell specificity engineering. These include the possibility of co-transferring coreceptors to create for example functional T helper cells by engrafting CD4(+) T cells with a MHC class I restricted TCR and the CD8 coreceptor and vice versa. Also, risks related to the adoptive transfer of TCR gene-modified T cells and possible safety mechanisms are discussed. Finally, we summarize recent findings describing transferred TCRs capable of displacing endogenous TCRs from the cell surface.
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Affiliation(s)
- Boris Engels
- Humboldt-University Berlin, Institute of Biology, Department of Molecular Cell Biology and Gene Therapy, Robert-Rössle-Strasse 10, D-13092 Berlin, Germany
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32
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Alajez NM, Eghtesad S, Finn OJ. Cloning and expression of human membrane-bound and soluble engineered T cell receptors for immunotherapy. J Biomed Biotechnol 2006; 2006:68091. [PMID: 16883054 PMCID: PMC1510948 DOI: 10.1155/jbb/2006/68091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
We report here the design and construction of several gene vectors for expression in mammalian cells of membrane-bound and soluble human T cell receptors (TR). We designed a vector (TR-ALPHA-IRES-TR-BETA pEF4) that encodes high-level expression of the full-length TR on the surface of T cells. Furthermore, we engineered TR that does not require the presence of endogenous CD3 molecules for surface expression and thus expression is not limited to T cells. We also constructed a vector encoding a single-chain TR (scTR) as a fusion protein of V-ALPHA-V-BETA-C-BETA with CD3Z. Since it is encoded and expressed as a single molecule, this scTR is well suited for gene therapy. Lastly, we successfully used a mammalian expression vector for generation of soluble human TR. The approaches we used here for manipulation of a human tumor-specific TR can be useful for other investigators interested in TR-based immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nehad M Alajez
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
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33
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Viatte S, Alves PM, Romero P. Reverse immunology approach for the identification of CD8 T-cell-defined antigens: advantages and hurdles. Immunol Cell Biol 2006; 84:318-30. [PMID: 16681829 DOI: 10.1111/j.1440-1711.2006.01447.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
One of the challenges of tumour immunology remains the identification of strongly immunogenic tumour antigens for vaccination. Reverse immunology, that is, the procedure to predict and identify immunogenic peptides from the sequence of a gene product of interest, has been postulated to be a particularly efficient, high-throughput approach for tumour antigen discovery. Over one decade after this concept was born, we discuss the reverse immunology approach in terms of costs and efficacy: data mining with bioinformatic algorithms, molecular methods to identify tumour-specific transcripts, prediction and determination of proteasomal cleavage sites, peptide-binding prediction to HLA molecules and experimental validation, assessment of the in vitro and in vivo immunogenic potential of selected peptide antigens, isolation of specific cytolytic T lymphocyte clones and final validation in functional assays of tumour cell recognition. We conclude that the overall low sensitivity and yield of every prediction step often requires a compensatory up-scaling of the initial number of candidate sequences to be screened, rendering reverse immunology an unexpectedly complex approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastien Viatte
- Division of Clinical Onco-Immunology, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Lausanne branch, University Hospital, CHUV, and National Center for Competence in Research, NCCR, Molecular Oncology, Lausanne, Switzerland
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34
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Ivanov R, Hol S, Aarts TI, Hagenbeek A, Ebeling SB. T cell receptor-transgenic primary T cells as a tool for discovery of leukaemia-associated antigens. Clin Exp Immunol 2006; 143:78-84. [PMID: 16367937 PMCID: PMC1809573 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2249.2005.02967.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Identification of a broad array of leukaemia-associated antigens is a crucial step towards immunotherapy of haematological malignancies. However, it is frequently hampered by the decrease of proliferative potential and functional activity of T cell clones used for screening procedures. Transfer of the genes encoding the T cell receptor (TCR) alpha and beta chains of leukaemia-specific clones into primary T cells may help to circumvent this obstacle. In this study, transfer of two minor histocompatibility antigen (minor H antigen)-specific TCRs was performed and the feasibility of the use of TCR-transgenic T cells for identification of minor H antigens through cDNA library screening was investigated. We found that TCR-transgenic cells acquired the specificity of the original clones and matched their sensitivity. Moreover, the higher scale of cytokine-production by TCR-transgenic T cells permits the detection of either small amounts of antigen-positive cells or cells expressing low amounts of an antigen. When applied in equal numbers, TCR-transgenic T cells and the original T cell clones produced similar results in the screening of a cDNA library. However, the use of increased numbers of TCR-transgenic T cells allowed detection of minute amounts of antigen, barely discernible by the T cell clone. In conclusion, TCR-transfer generates a large amount of functional antigen-specific cells suitable for screening of cDNA expression libraries for identification of cognate antigens.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Ivanov
- Jordan Laboratory for Hemato-Oncology, Department of Hematology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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35
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Buchli R, VanGundy RS, Hickman-Miller HD, Giberson CF, Bardet W, Hildebrand WH. Development and validation of a fluorescence polarization-based competitive peptide-binding assay for HLA-A*0201--a new tool for epitope discovery. Biochemistry 2005; 44:12491-507. [PMID: 16156661 DOI: 10.1021/bi050255v] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Various approaches are currently proposed to successfully develop therapies for the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases and cancer. One of the most promising approaches is the development of vaccines that elicit cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) responses. Consequently, identification and exact definition of molecular parameters involved in peptide-MHC class-I interactions of putative CTL epitopes are of prime importance for the development of immunomodulating compounds. To better facilitate epitope discovery, we developed and validated a novel state-of-the-art biochemical HLA-A0201 assay, which is comprised of technologically advanced cutting edge reagents. The technique is based on competition and uses a FITC-labeled reference peptide and highly purified soluble HLA-A0201 molecules to quantitatively measure the binding capacity of nonlabeled peptide candidates. Detection by fluorescence polarization allows real-time measurement of binding ratios without separation steps. During standardization, the problem of assay parameter variation is discussed, showing the dramatic influence of HLA and reference peptide concentrations as well as the choice of the reference peptide itself on IC(50) determinations. For validation, a panel of 15 well-defined HLA-A0201 ligands from various sources covering a broad range of binding affinities was tested. Binding data were used to compare against pre-existing quantitative assay systems. The results obtained demonstrated significant correlation among assay procedures, suggesting that the application of fluorescence polarization in combination with recombinant sHLA molecules is highly advantageous for the accurate assessment of peptide binding. Furthermore, the assay also features high-throughput screening capacity, providing uniquely efficient means of identifying and evaluating immune target molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rico Buchli
- Pure Protein L.L.C., Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73104-3698, USA.
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36
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McKee MD, Roszkowski JJ, Nishimura MI. T cell avidity and tumor recognition: implications and therapeutic strategies. J Transl Med 2005; 3:35. [PMID: 16174302 PMCID: PMC1262785 DOI: 10.1186/1479-5876-3-35] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2005] [Accepted: 09/20/2005] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
In the last two decades, great advances have been made studying the immune response to human tumors. The identification of protein antigens from cancer cells and better techniques for eliciting antigen specific T cell responses in vitro and in vivo have led to improved understanding of tumor recognition by T cells. Yet, much remains to be learned about the intricate details of T cell – tumor cell interactions. Though the strength of interaction between T cell and target is thought to be a key factor influencing the T cell response, investigations of T cell avidity, T cell receptor (TCR) affinity for peptide-MHC complex, and the recognition of peptide on antigen presenting targets or tumor cells reveal complex relationships. Coincident with these investigations, therapeutic strategies have been developed to enhance tumor recognition using antigens with altered peptide structures and T cells modified by the introduction of new antigen binding receptor molecules. The profound effects of these strategies on T cell – tumor interactions and the clinical implications of these effects are of interest to both scientists and clinicians. In recent years, the focus of much of our work has been the avidity and effector characteristics of tumor reactive T cells. Here we review concepts and current results in the field, and the implications of therapeutic strategies using altered antigens and altered effector T cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark D McKee
- Department of Surgery, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
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37
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Scholten KBJ, Schreurs MWJ, Ruizendaal JJ, Kueter EWM, Kramer D, Veenbergen S, Meijer CJLM, Hooijberg E. Preservation and redirection of HPV16E7-specific T cell receptors for immunotherapy of cervical cancer. Clin Immunol 2005; 114:119-29. [PMID: 15639645 DOI: 10.1016/j.clim.2004.11.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2004] [Accepted: 11/13/2004] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Human papilloma virus (HPV) type 16 infections of the genital tract are associated with the development of cervical cancer (CxCa) in women. HPV16-derived oncoproteins E6 and E7 are expressed constitutively in these lesions and might therefore be attractive candidates for T-cell-mediated adoptive immunotherapy. However, the low precursor frequency of HPV16E7-specific T cells in patients and healthy donors hampers routine isolation of these cells for adoptive transfer. To overcome this problem, we have isolated T cell receptor (TCR) genes from four different HPV16E7-specific healthy donor and patient-derived human cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) clones. We examined whether genetic engineering of peripheral blood-derived CD8+ T cells in order to express HPV16E711-20-specific TCRs is feasible for adoptive transfer purposes. Reporter cells (Jurkat/MA) carrying a transgenic TCR were shown to bind relevant but not irrelevant tetramers. Moreover, these TCR-transgenic Jurkat/MA cells showed reactivity towards relevant target cells, indicating proper functional activity of the TCRs isolated from already available T cell clones. We next introduced an HPV16E711-20-specific TCR into blood-derived, CD8+ recipient T cells. Transgenic CTL clones stained positive for tetramers presenting the relevant HPV16E711-20 epitope and biological activity of the TCR in transduced CTL was confirmed by lytic activity and by interferon (IFN)-gamma secretion upon antigen-specific stimulation. Importantly, we show recognition of the endogenously processed and HLA-A2 presented HPV16E711-20 CTL epitope by A9-TCR-transgenic T cells. Collectively, our data indicate that HPV16E7 TCR gene transfer is feasible as an alternative strategy to generate human HPV16E7-specific T cells for the treatment of patients suffering from cervical cancer and other HPV16-induced malignancies.
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MESH Headings
- Amino Acid Sequence
- Base Sequence
- Cloning, Molecular
- Female
- Flow Cytometry
- Humans
- Immunotherapy, Adoptive/methods
- Jurkat Cells
- Molecular Sequence Data
- Oncogene Proteins, Viral/immunology
- Papillomaviridae/immunology
- Papillomavirus E7 Proteins
- Papillomavirus Infections/immunology
- Papillomavirus Infections/virology
- RNA, Viral/chemistry
- RNA, Viral/genetics
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/genetics
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/immunology
- Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
- T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic/immunology
- T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic/virology
- Transduction, Genetic
- Uterine Cervical Neoplasms/immunology
- Uterine Cervical Neoplasms/therapy
- Uterine Cervical Neoplasms/virology
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirsten B J Scholten
- Department of Pathology, VU University Medical Center, de Boelelaan 1117, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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38
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Slager EH, van der Minne CE, Krüse M, Krueger DD, Griffioen M, Osanto S. Identification of Multiple HLA-DR-Restricted Epitopes of the Tumor-Associated Antigen CAMEL by CD4+Th1/Th2 Lymphocytes. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2004; 172:5095-102. [PMID: 15067093 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.172.8.5095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
CD4(+) Th cells play an important role in the induction and maintenance of adequate CD8(+) T cell-mediated antitumor responses. Therefore, identification of MHC class II-restricted tumor antigenic epitopes is of major importance for the development of effective immunotherapies with synthetic peptides. CAMEL and NY-ESO-ORF2 are tumor Ags translated in an alternative open reading frame from the highly homologous LAGE-1 and NY-ESO-1 genes, respectively. In this study, we investigated whether CD4(+) T cell responses could be induced in vitro by autologous, mature dendritic cells pulsed with recombinant CAMEL protein. The data show efficient induction of CAMEL-specific CD4(+) T cells with mixed Th1/Th2 phenotype in two healthy donors. Isolation of CD4(+) T cell clones from the T cell cultures of both donors led to the identification of four naturally processed HLA-DR-binding CAMEL epitopes: CAMEL(1-20), CAMEL(14-33), CAMEL(46-65), and CAMEL(81-102). Two peptides (CAMEL(1-20) and CAMEL(14-33)) also contain previously identified HLA class I-binding CD8(+) T cell epitopes shared by CAMEL and NY-ESO-ORF2 and are therefore interesting tools to explore for immunotherapy. Furthermore, two CD4(+) T cell clones that recognized the CAMEL(14-33) peptide with similar affinities were shown to differ in recognition of tumor cells. These CD4(+) T cell clones recognized the same minimal epitope and expressed similar levels of adhesion, costimulatory, and inhibitory molecules. TCR analysis demonstrated that these clones expressed identical TCR beta-chains, but different complementarity-determining region 3 loops of the TCR alpha-chains. Introduction of the TCRs into proper recipient cells should reveal whether the different complementarity-determining region 3 alpha loops are important for tumor cell recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabeth H Slager
- Department of Clinical Oncology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
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39
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Zhang T, He X, Tsang TC, Harris DT. SING: a novel strategy for identifying tumor-specific, CTL-recognized tumor antigens. FASEB J 2004; 18:600-2. [PMID: 14734636 DOI: 10.1096/fj.03-0881fje] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Traditional methods for identifying T cell-recognized tumor antigens (Ags) are laborious and time-consuming. In an attempt to simplify the procedure, a novel strategy, SING (SIgnal transduction molecule-mediated, NFAT-controlled, GFP expression) was established as a direct approach for cloning T cell-recognized tumor Ags. In the SING system, a mouse T cell line (BW5147) was transduced with a chimeric H-2Kb construct containing T cell-signaling domains and a green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter gene under the transcriptional control of nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT). The resultant BW5147 cells were named BS cells. This cell line could "sense" TCR stimulation through the T cell-signaling domains after coculture with Ag-specific T cells and then become fluorescent (expressing green fluorescence protein, GFP+) in the presence of Ag peptides. The interaction between BS cells and Ag-specific T cells could be enhanced by addition of costimulatory signals. Currently, BS cells have been optimized to "sense" TCR stimulation after being pulsed with the relevant peptides at concentrations as low as 10(-9) M. Endogenous Ag-expressing BS cells could also become fluorescent after coculture with Ag-specific T cells. Our results provide a proof of principle for using the SING system to directly isolate Ag-expressing BS cells from BS cell repertoires, which are retrovirally transduced with tumor-derived cDNA libraries. Once tumor Ag-marked BS cells are identified, the sequences encoding tumor Ags could be easily retrieved by PCR amplification of the genomic DNA using vector-specific primers.
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MESH Headings
- 3T3 Cells
- Animals
- Antigen Presentation/drug effects
- Antigens, Neoplasm/genetics
- Antigens, Neoplasm/immunology
- Antigens, Neoplasm/isolation & purification
- Cell Line, Tumor
- Cloning, Molecular/methods
- Coculture Techniques
- DNA-Binding Proteins/metabolism
- Egg Proteins/immunology
- Exocytosis/drug effects
- Genes, Reporter
- Genetic Vectors/genetics
- Green Fluorescent Proteins
- H-2 Antigens/immunology
- Hybridomas/pathology
- Ionomycin/pharmacology
- Luminescent Proteins/biosynthesis
- Luminescent Proteins/genetics
- Lymphoma, T-Cell/pathology
- Macrolides/pharmacology
- Mice
- NFATC Transcription Factors
- Nuclear Proteins
- Ovalbumin/immunology
- Peptide Fragments
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/immunology
- Recombinant Fusion Proteins/biosynthesis
- Recombinant Fusion Proteins/genetics
- Signal Transduction
- T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic/immunology
- Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate/pharmacology
- Transcription Factors/metabolism
- Transcription, Genetic
- Transduction, Genetic
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Affiliation(s)
- Tong Zhang
- Gene Therapy Group, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, USA
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40
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Schaft N, Lankiewicz B, Gratama JW, Bolhuis RLH, Debets R. Flexible and sensitive method to functionally validate tumor-specific receptors via activation of NFAT. J Immunol Methods 2003; 280:13-24. [PMID: 12972184 DOI: 10.1016/s0022-1759(03)00067-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Tumor-specific receptors may provide effective tools for anti-tumor immunogene therapy. However, the functional analysis of primary human T cells engrafted with tumor-specific receptors is laborious and emphasizes the need for a fast and sensitive method to validate such receptors. To this end, we have set up a Jurkat T cell-based reporter gene assay, and tested receptors with various formats, i.e., receptors based on either a monoclonal antibody (mAb), a full-length T cell receptor (fl-TCR)alphabeta or a chimeric (ch-)TCRalphabeta, and various antigen specificities for their ability to mediate tumor-specific activation of nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT). The mAb-based receptor specifically mediates NFAT activation after stimulation with tumor antigen-positive target cells. The observed receptor-mediated NFAT responses were validated by the use of ligand- and receptor-specific mAbs, as well as cyclosporin A (CsA) and a dominant negative mutant of NFAT. Furthermore, anti-TCR mAbs, peptide-loaded tumor cells and antigen-positive tumor cells all resulted in specific NFAT activation in TCR/CD8 co-transduced Jurkat T cells, irrespective of the TCR format used. Importantly, receptor-mediated NFAT responses parallel tumor-specific cytolysis and TNFalpha production of receptor-transduced primary human T lymphocytes. In fact, inhibition of NFAT activation compromises the immune responses of primary human T lymphocytes, pointing to a central involvement of NFAT in anti-tumor T cell responses. Taken together, receptor-mediated activation of NFAT constitutes a representative measure of anti-tumor T cell responses, and the genetically modified Jurkat T cells provide a flexible and sensitive tool with which to select rapidly tumor-specific (chimeric) receptors for immunogene therapy.
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MESH Headings
- Antibodies, Monoclonal/genetics
- Antibodies, Monoclonal/metabolism
- Cytotoxicity, Immunologic
- DNA-Binding Proteins/genetics
- DNA-Binding Proteins/metabolism
- Genes, Reporter
- Genetic Techniques/statistics & numerical data
- Humans
- Jurkat Cells
- NFATC Transcription Factors
- Neoplasms/genetics
- Neoplasms/metabolism
- Nuclear Proteins
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta/genetics
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta/metabolism
- Recombinant Fusion Proteins/genetics
- Recombinant Fusion Proteins/metabolism
- Sensitivity and Specificity
- T-Lymphocytes/immunology
- T-Lymphocytes/metabolism
- Transcription Factors/genetics
- Transcription Factors/metabolism
- Transduction, Genetic
- Tumor Cells, Cultured
- Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/biosynthesis
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Affiliation(s)
- Niels Schaft
- Department of Medical Oncology, Laboratory of Medical and Tumor Immunology, Erasmus MC-Daniel den Hoed, Groene Hilledijk 301, 3075 EA Rotterdam, The Netherlands
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