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Zdinak PM, Trivedi N, Grebinoski S, Torrey J, Martinez EZ, Martinez S, Hicks L, Ranjan R, Makani VKK, Roland MM, Kublo L, Arshad S, Anderson MS, Vignali DAA, Joglekar AV. De novo identification of CD4 + T cell epitopes. Nat Methods 2024; 21:846-856. [PMID: 38658646 PMCID: PMC11093748 DOI: 10.1038/s41592-024-02255-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2022] [Accepted: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
CD4+ T cells recognize peptide antigens presented on class II major histocompatibility complex (MHC-II) molecules to carry out their function. The remarkable diversity of T cell receptor sequences and lack of antigen discovery approaches for MHC-II make profiling the specificities of CD4+ T cells challenging. We have expanded our platform of signaling and antigen-presenting bifunctional receptors to encode MHC-II molecules presenting covalently linked peptides (SABR-IIs) for CD4+ T cell antigen discovery. SABR-IIs can present epitopes to CD4+ T cells and induce signaling upon their recognition, allowing a readable output. Furthermore, the SABR-II design is modular in signaling and deployment to T cells and B cells. Here, we demonstrate that SABR-IIs libraries presenting endogenous and non-contiguous epitopes can be used for antigen discovery in the context of type 1 diabetes. SABR-II libraries provide a rapid, flexible, scalable and versatile approach for de novo identification of CD4+ T cell ligands from single-cell RNA sequencing data using experimental and computational approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul M Zdinak
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Center for Systems Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Program in Microbiology and Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Nishtha Trivedi
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Center for Systems Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Stephanie Grebinoski
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Program in Microbiology and Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Jessica Torrey
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Center for Systems Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Eduardo Zarate Martinez
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Center for Systems Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Microbiology and Immunology Diversity Scholars Program, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Salome Martinez
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Center for Systems Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Louise Hicks
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Center for Systems Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Rashi Ranjan
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Center for Systems Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Venkata Krishna Kanth Makani
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Center for Systems Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Mary Melissa Roland
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Center for Systems Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Lyubov Kublo
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Center for Systems Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Sanya Arshad
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Center for Systems Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Mark S Anderson
- Diabetes Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Dario A A Vignali
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Tumor Microenvironment Center, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Program, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Alok V Joglekar
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
- Center for Systems Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
- Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Program, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
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Bugada LF, Smith MR, Wen F. Rapid Identification of MHCII-Binding Peptides Through Microsphere-Assisted Peptide Screening (MAPS). Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2574:233-250. [PMID: 36087205 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2712-9_11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
CD4+ T cells play a vital role in the immune response, and their function requires T cell receptor (TCR) recognition of peptide epitopes presented in complex with MHC class II (MHCII) molecules. Consequently, rapidly identifying peptides that bind MHCII is critical to understanding and treating infectious disease, cancer, autoimmunity, allergy, and transplant rejection. Computational methods provide a fast, ultrahigh-throughput approach to predict MHCII-binding peptides but lack the accuracy of experimental methods. In contrast, experimental methods offer accurate, quantitative results at the expense of speed. To address the gap between these two approaches, we developed a high-throughput, semiquantitative experimental screening strategy termed microsphere-assisted peptide screening (MAPS). Here, we use the Zika virus envelope protein as an example to demonstrate the rapid identification of MHCII-binding peptides from a single pathogenic protein using MAPS. This process involves several key steps including peptide library design, peptide exchange into MHCII, peptide-MHCII loading onto microspheres, flow cytometry screening, and data analysis to identify peptides that bind to one or more MHCII alleles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luke F Bugada
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Mason R Smith
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Fei Wen
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
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Abstract
T cells respond to threats in an antigen-specific manner using T cell receptors (TCRs) that recognize short peptide antigens presented on major histocompatibility complex (MHC) proteins. The TCR-peptide-MHC interaction mediated between a T cell and its target cell dictates its function and thereby influences its role in disease. A lack of approaches for antigen discovery has limited the fundamental understanding of the antigenic landscape of the overall T cell response. Recent advances in high-throughput sequencing, mass cytometry, microfluidics and computational biology have led to a surge in approaches to address the challenge of T cell antigen discovery. Here, we summarize the scope of this challenge, discuss in depth the recent exciting work and highlight the outstanding questions and remaining technical hurdles in this field.
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Smith MR, Bugada LF, Wen F. Rapid microsphere-assisted peptide screening (MAPS) of promiscuous MHCII-binding peptides in Zika virus envelope protein. AIChE J 2020; 66:e16697. [PMID: 33343002 PMCID: PMC7747769 DOI: 10.1002/aic.16697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2019] [Accepted: 06/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Despite promising developments in computational tools, peptide-class II MHC (MHCII) binding predictors continue to lag behind their peptide-class I MHC counterparts. Consequently, peptide-MHCII binding is often evaluated experimentally using competitive binding assays, which tend to sacrifice throughput for quantitative binding detail. Here, we developed a high-throughput semiquantitative peptide-MHCII screening strategy termed microsphere-assisted peptide screening (MAPS) that aims to balance the accuracy of competitive binding assays with the throughput of computational tools. Using MAPS, we screened a peptide library from Zika virus envelope (E) protein for binding to four common MHCII alleles (DR1, DR4, DR7, DR15). Interestingly, MAPS revealed a significant overlap between peptides that promiscuously bind multiple MHCII alleles and antibody neutralization sites. This overlap was also observed for rotavirus outer capsid glycoprotein VP7, suggesting a deeper relationship between B cell and CD4+ T cell specificity which can facilitate the design of broadly protective vaccines to Zika and other viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mason R. Smith
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Luke F. Bugada
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
- Catalysis Science and Technology Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Fei Wen
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
- Catalysis Science and Technology Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
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Smith MR, Tolbert SV, Wen F. Protein-Scaffold Directed Nanoscale Assembly of T Cell Ligands: Artificial Antigen Presentation with Defined Valency, Density, and Ratio. ACS Synth Biol 2018; 7:1629-1639. [PMID: 29733631 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.8b00119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Tuning antigen presentation to T cells is a critical step in investigating key aspects of T cell activation. However, existing technologies have a limited ability to control the spatial and stoichiometric organization of T cell ligands on 3D surfaces. Here, we developed an artificial antigen presentation platform based on protein scaffold-directed assembly that allows fine control over the spatial and stoichiometric organization of T cell ligands on a 3D yeast cell surface. Using this system, we observed that the T cell activation threshold on a 3D surface is independent of peptide-major histocompatibility complex (pMHC) valency but instead is determined by the overall pMHC surface density. When intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) was coassembled with pMHC, it enhanced antigen recognition sensitivity by 6-fold. Further, T cells responded with different magnitudes to varying ratios of pMHC and ICAM-1 and exhibited a maximum response at a ratio of 15% pMHC and 85% ICAM-1, introducing an additional parameter for tuning T cell activation. This protein scaffold-directed assembly technology is readily transferrable to acellular surfaces for translational research as well as large-scale T-cell manufacturing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mason R. Smith
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Stephanie V. Tolbert
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Fei Wen
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
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