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Zeyn Y, Hobernik D, Wilk U, Pöhmerer J, Hieber C, Medina-Montano C, Röhrig N, Strähle CF, Thoma-Kress AK, Wagner E, Bros M, Berger S. Transcriptional Targeting of Dendritic Cells Using an Optimized Human Fascin1 Gene Promoter. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:16938. [PMID: 38069260 PMCID: PMC10706967 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242316938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2023] [Revised: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 11/23/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Deeper knowledge about the role of the tumor microenvironment (TME) in cancer development and progression has resulted in new strategies such as gene-based cancer immunotherapy. Whereas some approaches focus on the expression of tumoricidal genes within the TME, DNA-based vaccines are intended to be expressed in antigen-presenting cells (e.g., dendritic cells, DCs) in secondary lymphoid organs, which in turn induce anti-tumor T cell responses. Besides effective delivery systems and the requirement of appropriate adjuvants, DNA vaccines themselves need to be optimized regarding efficacy and selectivity. In this work, the concept of DC-focused transcriptional targeting was tested by applying a plasmid encoding for the luciferase reporter gene under the control of a derivative of the human fascin1 gene promoter (pFscnLuc), comprising the proximal core promoter fused to the normally more distantly located DC enhancer region. DC-focused activity of this reporter construct was confirmed in cell culture in comparison to a standard reporter vector encoding for luciferase under the control of the strong ubiquitously active cytomegalovirus promoter and enhancer (pCMVLuc). Both plasmids were also compared upon intravenous administration in mice. The organ- and cell type-specific expression profile of pFscnLuc versus pCMVLuc demonstrated favorable activity especially in the spleen as a central immune organ and within the spleen in DCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanira Zeyn
- Department of Dermatology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University (JGU) Mainz, 55131 Mainz, Germany; (Y.Z.); (D.H.); (C.H.); (C.M.-M.); (N.R.)
| | - Dominika Hobernik
- Department of Dermatology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University (JGU) Mainz, 55131 Mainz, Germany; (Y.Z.); (D.H.); (C.H.); (C.M.-M.); (N.R.)
| | - Ulrich Wilk
- Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Department of Pharmacy, Center for NanoScience, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany; (U.W.); (J.P.); (E.W.)
| | - Jana Pöhmerer
- Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Department of Pharmacy, Center for NanoScience, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany; (U.W.); (J.P.); (E.W.)
| | - Christoph Hieber
- Department of Dermatology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University (JGU) Mainz, 55131 Mainz, Germany; (Y.Z.); (D.H.); (C.H.); (C.M.-M.); (N.R.)
| | - Carolina Medina-Montano
- Department of Dermatology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University (JGU) Mainz, 55131 Mainz, Germany; (Y.Z.); (D.H.); (C.H.); (C.M.-M.); (N.R.)
| | - Nadine Röhrig
- Department of Dermatology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University (JGU) Mainz, 55131 Mainz, Germany; (Y.Z.); (D.H.); (C.H.); (C.M.-M.); (N.R.)
| | - Caroline F. Strähle
- Institute of Clinical and Molecular Virology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität (FAU) Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91054 Erlangen, Germany; (C.F.S.); (A.K.T.-K.)
| | - Andrea K. Thoma-Kress
- Institute of Clinical and Molecular Virology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität (FAU) Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91054 Erlangen, Germany; (C.F.S.); (A.K.T.-K.)
| | - Ernst Wagner
- Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Department of Pharmacy, Center for NanoScience, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany; (U.W.); (J.P.); (E.W.)
| | - Matthias Bros
- Department of Dermatology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University (JGU) Mainz, 55131 Mainz, Germany; (Y.Z.); (D.H.); (C.H.); (C.M.-M.); (N.R.)
| | - Simone Berger
- Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Department of Pharmacy, Center for NanoScience, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany; (U.W.); (J.P.); (E.W.)
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Inhibition of antigen-specific immune responses by co-application of an indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO)-encoding vector requires antigen transgene expression focused on dendritic cells. Amino Acids 2020; 52:411-424. [PMID: 32008091 DOI: 10.1007/s00726-020-02817-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2019] [Accepted: 01/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
We have previously shown that particle-mediated epidermal delivery (PMED) of plasmids encoding β-galactosidase (βGal) under control of the fascin-1 promoter (pFascin-βGal) yielded selective production of the protein in skin dendritic cells (DCs), and suppressed Th2 responses in a mouse model of type I allergy by inducing Th1/Tc1 cells. However, intranasal challenge of mice immunized with pFascin-βGal induced airway hyperreactivity (AHR) and neutrophilic inflammation in the lung. The tryptophan-catabolizing enzyme indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) has been implicated in immune suppression and tolerance induction. Here we investigated the consequences of co-application of an IDO-encoding vector on the modulatory effect of DNA vaccination by PMED using pFascin-βGal in models of eosinophilic allergic and non-eosinophilic intrinsic airway inflammation. IDO-encoding plasmids and pFascin-βGal or pCMV-βGal were co-applied to abdominal skin of BALB/c mice without, before or after sensitization with βGal protein. Immune responses in the lung were analysed after intranasal provocation and airway reactivity was determined by whole body plethysmography. Co-application of pCMV-IDO with pFascin-βGal, but not pCMV-βGal inhibited the Th1/Tc1 immune response after PMED. Moreover, AHR in those mice was attenuated following intranasal challenge. Therapeutic vaccination of βGal-sensitized mice with pFascin-βGal plus pCMV-IDO slightly suppressed airway inflammation and AHR after provocation with βGal protein, while prophylactic vaccination was not effective. Altogether, our data suggest that only the combination of DC-restricted antigen and ubiquitous IDO expression attenuated asthma responses in mice, most probably by forming a tryptophan-depleted and kynurenine-enriched micromilieu known to affect neutrophils and T cells.
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Castor T, Yogev N, Blank T, Barwig C, Prinz M, Waisman A, Bros M, Reske-Kunz AB. Inhibition of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis by tolerance-promoting DNA vaccination focused to dendritic cells. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0191927. [PMID: 29408931 PMCID: PMC5800700 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0191927] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2017] [Accepted: 12/14/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In this study we analysed the effects of prophylactic biolistic DNA vaccination with plasmids encoding the encephalitogenic protein myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) on the severity of a subsequently MOGp35-55-induced EAE and on the underlying immune response. We compared the outcome of vaccination with MOG-encoding plasmids alone or in combination with vectors encoding the regulatory cytokines IL-10 and TGF-ß1, respectively. MOG expression was restricted to skin dendritic cells (DCs) by the use of the DC-specific promoter of the fascin1 gene (pFscn-MOG). For comparison, the strong and ubiquitously active CMV promoter was employed (pCMV-MOG), which allows MOG expression in all transfected cells. Expression of IL-10 and TGF-ß1 was controlled by the CMV promoter to yield maximal synthesis (pCMV-IL10, pCMV-TGFß). Co-application of pFscn-MOG and pCMV-IL10 significantly ameliorated EAE pathology, while vaccination with pCMV-MOG plus pCMV-IL10 did not affect EAE outcome. In contrast, vaccination with either of the two MOG-encoding plasmids in combination with pCMV-TGFß significantly attenuated the clinical EAE symptoms. Mechanistically, we observed diminished infiltration of Th17 and Th1 cells as well as macrophages/DCs into the CNS, which correlated with decreased MOGp35-55-specific production of IL-17 and IFN-ϫ by spleen cells and reduced peptide-specific T cell proliferation. Our findings suggest deletion of or anergy induction in MOG-specific CD4+ T cells by the suppressive vaccination platform employed. MOG expression driven by the DC-specific fascin1 promoter yielded similar inhibitory effects on EAE progression as the ubiquitously active viral CMV promoter, when coapplying pCMV-TGFß. Our finding that pCMV-IL10 promoted tolerogenic effects only, when coapplied with pFscn-MOG, but not pCMV-MOG suggests that IL-10 affected only directly transfected DCs (pFscn-MOG), but not neighbouring DCs that engulfed MOG-containing vesicles derived from transfected keratinocytes (pCMV-MOG). Thus, due to its DC-restricted expression, the fascin1 promoter might be an interesting alternative to ubiquitously expressed promoters for vaccination strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timo Castor
- Department of Dermatology University Medical Center, Mainz, Germany
| | - Nir Yogev
- Institute for Molecular Medicine, University Medical Center, Mainz, Germany
| | - Thomas Blank
- Institute of Neuropathology, Medical Faculty, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Christina Barwig
- Department of Dermatology University Medical Center, Mainz, Germany
| | - Marco Prinz
- Institute of Neuropathology, Medical Faculty, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- BIOSS Centre for Biological Signalling Studies, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Ari Waisman
- Institute for Molecular Medicine, University Medical Center, Mainz, Germany
| | - Matthias Bros
- Department of Dermatology University Medical Center, Mainz, Germany
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Beck S, Schultze J, Räder HJ, Holm R, Schinnerer M, Barz M, Koynov K, Zentel R. Site-Specific DBCO Modification of DEC205 Antibody for Polymer Conjugation. Polymers (Basel) 2018; 10:E141. [PMID: 30966177 PMCID: PMC6414842 DOI: 10.3390/polym10020141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2018] [Revised: 01/29/2018] [Accepted: 01/30/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The design of multifunctional polymer-based vectors, forming pDNA vaccines, offers great potential in cancer immune therapy. The transfection of dendritic immune cells (DCs) with tumour antigen-encoding pDNA leads to an activation of the immune system to combat tumour cells. In this work, we investigated the chemical attachment of DEC205 antibodies (aDEC205) as DC-targeting structures to polyplexes of P(Lys)-b-P(HPMA). The conjugation of a synthetic block copolymer and a biomacromolecule with various functionalities (aDEC205) requires bioorthogonal techniques to avoid side reactions. Click chemistry and in particular the strain-promoted alkyne-azide cycloaddition (SPAAC) can provide the required bioorthogonality. With regard to a SPAAC of both components, we firstly synthesized two different azide-containing block copolymers, P(Lys)-b-P(HPMA)-N₃(stat) and P(Lys)-b-P(HPMA)-N₃(end), for pDNA complexation. In addition, the site-specific incorporation of ring-strained dibenzocyclooctyne (DBCO) moieties to the DEC205 antibody was achieved by an enzymatic strategy using bacterial transglutaminase (BTG). The chemical accessibility of DBCO molecules within aDEC205 as well as the accessibility of azide-functionalities on the polyplex' surface were investigated by various SPAAC experiments and characterized by fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS).
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone Beck
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Johannes-Gutenberg University Mainz, Duesbergweg 10-14, D-55128 Mainz, Germany; (S.B.); (R.H.); (M.B.)
- Graduate School Materials Science in Mainz, Staudingerweg 9, D-55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Jennifer Schultze
- Max-Planck-Institute for Polymer Research, Ackermannweg 10, D-55128 Mainz, Germany; (J.S.); (H.-J.R.); (K.K.)
| | - Hans-Joachim Räder
- Max-Planck-Institute for Polymer Research, Ackermannweg 10, D-55128 Mainz, Germany; (J.S.); (H.-J.R.); (K.K.)
| | - Regina Holm
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Johannes-Gutenberg University Mainz, Duesbergweg 10-14, D-55128 Mainz, Germany; (S.B.); (R.H.); (M.B.)
| | - Meike Schinnerer
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, Jakob Welder Weg 11, D-55128 Mainz, Germany;
| | - Matthias Barz
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Johannes-Gutenberg University Mainz, Duesbergweg 10-14, D-55128 Mainz, Germany; (S.B.); (R.H.); (M.B.)
| | - Kaloian Koynov
- Max-Planck-Institute for Polymer Research, Ackermannweg 10, D-55128 Mainz, Germany; (J.S.); (H.-J.R.); (K.K.)
| | - Rudolf Zentel
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Johannes-Gutenberg University Mainz, Duesbergweg 10-14, D-55128 Mainz, Germany; (S.B.); (R.H.); (M.B.)
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Son HY, Jeon YH, Chung JK, Kim CW. In vivo monitoring of transfected DNA, gene expression kinetics, and cellular immune responses in mice immunized with a human NIS gene-expressing plasmid. Int J Immunopathol Pharmacol 2016; 29:612-625. [PMID: 27612483 PMCID: PMC5806837 DOI: 10.1177/0394632016659493] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2015] [Accepted: 05/30/2016] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
In assessing the effectiveness of DNA vaccines, it is important to monitor: (1) the kinetics of target gene expression in vivo; and (2) the movement of cells that become transfected with the plasmid DNA used in the immunization of a subject. In this study, we used, as a visual imaging marker, expression of the transfected human sodium/iodide symporter (hNIS) gene, which enhances intracellular radio-pertechnetate (TcO4-) accumulation. After intradermal (i.d.) and systemic injection of mice with pcDNA-hNIS and radioactive Technetium-99m (Tc-99m), respectively, whole-body images were obtained by nuclear scintigraphy. The migration of mice cells transfected with the hNIS gene was monitored over a 2-week period by gamma-radioactivity counting of isolated cell populations and was demonstrated in peripheral lymphoid tissues, especially in the draining lymph nodes (dLNs). Beginning at 24 h after DNA inoculation and continuing for the 2-week monitoring period, hNIS-expressing cells were observed specifically in the T-cell-rich zones of the paracortical area of the dLNs. Over the same time period, high levels of INF-γ-secreting CD8 T-cells were found in the dLNs of the pcDNA-hNIS immunized mice. Tumor growth was also significantly retarded in the mice that received hNIS DNA immunization followed by inoculation with CT26 colorectal adenocarcinoma cells that had been transfected with the rat NIS gene (rNIS), which is 93% homologous to the hNIS gene. In conclusion, mouse cells transfected with hNIS DNA after i.d. immunization were found to traffic to the dLNs, and hNIS gene expression in these cells continued for at least 2 weeks post immunization. Furthermore, sequential presentation of NIS DNA to T-cells by migratory antigen presenting cells could induce NIS DNA-specific Th1 immune responses and thus retard the growth of NIS-expressing tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hye-Youn Son
- Department of Pathology, Tumor Immunity Medical Research Center and Cancer Research Institute, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Yong-Hyun Jeon
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Cancer Research Institute, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - June-Key Chung
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Cancer Research Institute, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Chul-Woo Kim
- Department of Pathology, Tumor Immunity Medical Research Center and Cancer Research Institute, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
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