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Ravindranath MH, Ravindranath NM, Amato-Menker CJ, Hilali FE, Filippone EJ. Conformational Alterations of the Cell Surface of Monomeric and Dimeric β2m-Free HLA-I (Proto-HLA) May Enable Novel Immune Functions in Health and Disease. Curr Issues Mol Biol 2024; 46:6961-6985. [PMID: 39057057 PMCID: PMC11276036 DOI: 10.3390/cimb46070416] [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: 04/09/2024] [Revised: 06/21/2024] [Accepted: 06/28/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Human leukocyte antigens (HLAs) are polymorphic glycoproteins expressed on the cell surface of nucleated cells and consist of two classes, HLA class I and HLA class II. In contrast, in mice, these molecules, known as H-2, are expressed on both nucleated cells and erythrocytes. HLA-I molecules (Face-1) are heterodimers consisting of a polypeptide heavy chain (HC) and a light chain, B2-microglobulin (B2m). The heterodimers bind to antigenic peptides and present them to the T-cell receptors of CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes. The HCs can also independently emerge on the cell surface as B2m-free HC monomers without peptides (Face-2). Early investigators suggested that the occurrence of B2m-free HCs on the cell surface resulted from the dissociation of B2m from Face-1. However, others documented the independent emergence of B2m-free HCs (Face-2) from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to the cell surface. The clustering of such HC molecules on either the cell surface or on exosomes resulted in the dimerization of B2m-free HCs to form homodimers (if the same allele, designated as Face-3) or heterodimers (if different alleles, designated as Face-4). Face-2 occurs at low levels on the cell surface of several normal cells but is upregulated on immune cells upon activation by proinflammatory cytokines and other agents such as anti-CD3 antibodies, phytohemagglutinin, and phorbol myristate acetate. Their density on the cell surface remains high as long as the cells remain activated. After activation-induced upregulation, Face-2 molecules undergo homo- and heterodimerization (Face-3 and Face-4). Observations made on the structural patterns of HCs and their dimerization in sharks, fishes, and tetrapod species suggest that the formation of B2m-free HC monomers and dimers is a recapitalization of a phylogenetically conserved event, befitting the term Proto-HLA for the B2m-free HCs. Spontaneous arthritis occurs in HLA-B27+ mice lacking B2m (HLA-B27+ B2m-/-) but not in HLA-B27+ B2m+/+ mice. Anti-HC-specific monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) delay disease development. Some HLA-I polyreactive mAbs (MEM series) used for immunostaining confirm the existence of B2m-free variants in several cancer cells. The conformational alterations that occur in the B2m-free HCs enable them to interact with several inhibitory and activating receptors of cellular components of the innate (natural killer (NK) cells) and adaptive (T and B cells) immune systems. The NK cells express killer immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs), whereas leukocytes (T and B lymphocytes, monocytes/macrophages, and dendritic cells) express leukocyte immunoglobulin-like receptors (LILRs). The KIRs and LILRs include activating and inhibitory members within their respective groups. This review focuses on the interaction of KIRs and LILRs with B2m-free HC monomers and dimers in patients with spondylarthritis. Several investigations reveal that the conformational alterations occurring in the alpha-1 and alpha-2 domains of B2m-free HCs may facilitate immunomodulation by their interaction with KIR and LILR receptors. This opens new avenues to immunotherapy of autoimmune diseases and even human cancers that express B2m-free HCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mepur H. Ravindranath
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Children’s Hospital, Los Angeles, CA 90027, USA
- Terasaki Foundation Laboratory, Santa Monica, CA 90064, USA
| | - Narendranath M. Ravindranath
- Norris Dental Science Center, Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA;
| | - Carly J. Amato-Menker
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA;
| | - Fatiha El Hilali
- Medico-Surgical, Biomedicine and Infectiology Research Laboratory, The Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of Laayoune & Agadir, Ibnou Zohr University, Agadir 80000, Morocco;
| | - Edward J. Filippone
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA 19145, USA;
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Wang D, Dou L, Sui L, Xue Y, Xu S. Natural killer cells in cancer immunotherapy. MedComm (Beijing) 2024; 5:e626. [PMID: 38882209 PMCID: PMC11179524 DOI: 10.1002/mco2.626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2023] [Revised: 05/30/2024] [Accepted: 05/30/2024] [Indexed: 06/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells, as innate lymphocytes, possess cytotoxic capabilities and engage target cells through a repertoire of activating and inhibitory receptors. Particularly, natural killer group 2, member D (NKG2D) receptor on NK cells recognizes stress-induced ligands-the MHC class I chain-related molecules A and B (MICA/B) presented on tumor cells and is key to trigger the cytolytic response of NK cells. However, tumors have developed sophisticated strategies to evade NK cell surveillance, which lead to failure of tumor immunotherapy. In this paper, we summarized these immune escaping strategies, including the downregulation of ligands for activating receptors, upregulation of ligands for inhibitory receptors, secretion of immunosuppressive compounds, and the development of apoptosis resistance. Then, we focus on recent advancements in NK cell immune therapies, which include engaging activating NK cell receptors, upregulating NKG2D ligand MICA/B expression, blocking inhibitory NK cell receptors, adoptive NK cell therapy, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-engineered NK cells (CAR-NK), and NKG2D CAR-T cells, especially several vaccines targeting MICA/B. This review will inspire the research in NK cell biology in tumor and provide significant hope for improving cancer treatment outcomes by harnessing the potent cytotoxic activity of NK cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- DanRu Wang
- National Key Lab of Immunity and Inflammation and Institute of Immunology Naval Medical University Shanghai China
| | - LingYun Dou
- National Key Lab of Immunity and Inflammation and Institute of Immunology Naval Medical University Shanghai China
| | - LiHao Sui
- National Key Lab of Immunity and Inflammation and Institute of Immunology Naval Medical University Shanghai China
| | - Yiquan Xue
- National Key Lab of Immunity and Inflammation and Institute of Immunology Naval Medical University Shanghai China
| | - Sheng Xu
- National Key Lab of Immunity and Inflammation and Institute of Immunology Naval Medical University Shanghai China
- Shanghai Institute of Stem Cell Research and Clinical Translation Dongfang Hospital Shanghai China
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Iyer RF, Verweij MC, Nair SS, Morrow D, Mansouri M, Chakravarty D, Beechwood T, Meyer C, Uebelhoer L, Lauron EJ, Selseth A, John N, Thin TH, Dzedzik S, Havenar-Daughton C, Axthelm MK, Douglas J, Korman A, Bhardwaj N, Tewari AK, Hansen S, Malouli D, Picker LJ, Früh K. CD8 + T cell targeting of tumor antigens presented by HLA-E. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eadm7515. [PMID: 38728394 PMCID: PMC11086602 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adm7515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2023] [Accepted: 04/08/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024]
Abstract
The nonpolymorphic major histocompatibility complex E (MHC-E) molecule is up-regulated on many cancer cells, thus contributing to immune evasion by engaging inhibitory NKG2A/CD94 receptors on NK cells and tumor-infiltrating T cells. To investigate whether MHC-E expression by cancer cells can be targeted for MHC-E-restricted T cell control, we immunized rhesus macaques (RM) with rhesus cytomegalovirus (RhCMV) vectors genetically programmed to elicit MHC-E-restricted CD8+ T cells and to express established tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) including prostatic acidic phosphatase (PAP), Wilms tumor-1 protein, or Mesothelin. T cell responses to all three tumor antigens were comparable to viral antigen-specific responses with respect to frequency, duration, phenotype, epitope density, and MHC restriction. Thus, CMV-vectored cancer vaccines can bypass central tolerance by eliciting T cells to noncanonical epitopes. We further demonstrate that PAP-specific, MHC-E-restricted CD8+ T cells from RhCMV/PAP-immunized RM respond to PAP-expressing HLA-E+ prostate cancer cells, suggesting that the HLA-E/NKG2A immune checkpoint can be exploited for CD8+ T cell-based immunotherapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ravi F. Iyer
- Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute and Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health and Science University, Beaverton, OR 97006, USA
| | - Marieke C. Verweij
- Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute and Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health and Science University, Beaverton, OR 97006, USA
| | - Sujit S. Nair
- Department of Urology and Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mt Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - David Morrow
- Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute and Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health and Science University, Beaverton, OR 97006, USA
| | - Mandana Mansouri
- Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute and Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health and Science University, Beaverton, OR 97006, USA
| | - Dimple Chakravarty
- Department of Urology and Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mt Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Teresa Beechwood
- Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute and Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health and Science University, Beaverton, OR 97006, USA
| | | | - Luke Uebelhoer
- Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute and Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health and Science University, Beaverton, OR 97006, USA
| | | | - Andrea Selseth
- Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute and Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health and Science University, Beaverton, OR 97006, USA
| | - Nessy John
- Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute and Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health and Science University, Beaverton, OR 97006, USA
| | - Tin Htwe Thin
- Department of Pathology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Siarhei Dzedzik
- Department of Pathology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | | | - Michael K. Axthelm
- Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute and Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health and Science University, Beaverton, OR 97006, USA
| | | | - Alan Korman
- Vir Biotechnology, San Francisco, CA 14158, USA
| | - Nina Bhardwaj
- Department of Urology and Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mt Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
- Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Ashutosh K. Tewari
- Department of Urology and Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mt Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Scott Hansen
- Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute and Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health and Science University, Beaverton, OR 97006, USA
| | - Daniel Malouli
- Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute and Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health and Science University, Beaverton, OR 97006, USA
| | - Louis J. Picker
- Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute and Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health and Science University, Beaverton, OR 97006, USA
| | - Klaus Früh
- Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute and Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health and Science University, Beaverton, OR 97006, USA
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Sverchkova A, Burkholz S, Rubsamen R, Stratford R, Clancy T. Integrative HLA typing of tumor and adjacent normal tissue can reveal insights into the tumor immune response. BMC Med Genomics 2024; 17:37. [PMID: 38281021 PMCID: PMC10821267 DOI: 10.1186/s12920-024-01808-8] [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: 07/05/2023] [Accepted: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 01/29/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The HLA complex is the most polymorphic region of the human genome, and its improved characterization can help us understand the genetics of human disease as well as the interplay between cancer and the immune system. The main function of HLA genes is to recognize "non-self" antigens and to present them on the cell surface to T cells, which instigate an immune response toward infected or transformed cells. While sequence variation in the antigen-binding groove of HLA may modulate the repertoire of immunogenic antigens presented to T cells, alterations in HLA expression can significantly influence the immune response to pathogens and cancer. METHODS RNA sequencing was used here to accurately genotype the HLA region and quantify and compare the level of allele-specific HLA expression in tumors and patient-matched adjacent normal tissue. The computational approach utilized in the study types classical and non-classical Class I and Class II HLA alleles from RNA-seq while simultaneously quantifying allele-specific or personalized HLA expression. The strategy also uses RNA-seq data to infer immune cell infiltration into tumors and the corresponding immune cell composition of matched normal tissue, to reveal potential insights related to T cell and NK cell interactions with tumor HLA alleles. RESULTS The genotyping method outperforms existing RNA-seq-based HLA typing tools for Class II HLA genotyping. Further, we demonstrate its potential for studying tumor-immune interactions by applying the method to tumor samples from two different subtypes of breast cancer and their matched normal breast tissue controls. CONCLUSIONS The integrative RNA-seq-based HLA typing approach described in the study, coupled with HLA expression analysis, neoantigen prediction and immune cell infiltration, may help increase our understanding of the interplay between a patient's tumor and immune system; and provide further insights into the immune mechanisms that determine a positive or negative outcome following treatment with immunotherapy such as checkpoint blockade.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angelina Sverchkova
- NEC OncoImmunity, Oslo Cancer Cluster, Innovation Park, Oslo, Norway
- Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Scott Burkholz
- Flow Pharma, Inc, Warrensville Heights, Galaxy Parkway, OH, 4829, USA
| | - Reid Rubsamen
- Flow Pharma, Inc, Warrensville Heights, Galaxy Parkway, OH, 4829, USA
- University Hospitals, Cleveland Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, USA
- Case Western Reserve School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Richard Stratford
- NEC OncoImmunity, Oslo Cancer Cluster, Innovation Park, Oslo, Norway
| | - Trevor Clancy
- NEC OncoImmunity, Oslo Cancer Cluster, Innovation Park, Oslo, Norway.
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5
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Ulvmoen A, Greiff V, Bechensteen AG, Inngjerdingen M. NKG2A discriminates natural killer cells with a suppressed phenotype in pediatric acute leukemia. J Leukoc Biol 2024; 115:334-343. [PMID: 37738462 DOI: 10.1093/jleuko/qiad112] [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] [Received: 07/01/2023] [Revised: 08/09/2023] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 09/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells are important for early tumor immune surveillance. In patients with hematological cancers, NK cells are generally functional deficient and display dysregulations in their receptor repertoires. Acute leukemia is the most common cancer in children, and we here performed a comparative phenotypic profiling of NK cells from B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BCP-ALL) patients to identify aberrant NK cell phenotypes. NK cell phenotypes, maturation, and function were analyzed in matched bone marrow and blood NK cells from BCP-ALL patients at diagnosis, during treatment, and at end of treatment and compared with age-matched pediatric control subjects. Expression of several markers were skewed in patients, but with large interindividual variations. Undertaking a multiparameter approach, we found that high expression levels of NKG2A was the single predominant marker distinguishing NK cells in BCP-ALL patients compared with healthy control subjects. Moreover, naïve CD57-NKG2A NK cells dominated in BCP-ALL patients at diagnosis. Further, we found dysregulated expression of the activating receptor DNAM-1 in resident bone marrow CXCR6+ NK cells. CXCR6+ NK cells lacking DNAM-1 expressed NKG2A and had a tendency for lower degranulation activity. In conclusion, high expression of NKG2A dominates NK cell phenotypes from pediatric BCP-ALL patients, indicating that NKG2A could be targeted in therapies for this patient group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aina Ulvmoen
- Department of Pediatrics, Oslo University Hospital, Sognsvannsveien 20, Oslo 0372, Norway
| | - Victor Greiff
- Department of Immunology, Oslo University Hospital and University of Oslo, Sognsvannsveien 20, Oslo 0372, Norway
| | - Anne G Bechensteen
- Department of Pediatrics, Oslo University Hospital, Sognsvannsveien 20, Oslo 0372, Norway
| | - Marit Inngjerdingen
- Department of Pharmacology, Oslo University Hospital and University of Oslo, Sognsvannsveien 20, Oslo 0372, Norway
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6
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Sullivan MR, White RP, Dashnamoorthy Ravi, Kanetkar N, Fridman IB, Ekenseair A, Evens AM, Konry T. Characterizing influence of rCHOP treatment on diffuse large B-cell lymphoma microenvironment through in vitro microfluidic spheroid model. Cell Death Dis 2024; 15:18. [PMID: 38195589 PMCID: PMC10776622 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-023-06299-6] [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: 05/25/2023] [Revised: 10/11/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2024]
Abstract
For over two decades, Rituximab and CHOP combination treatment (rCHOP) has remained the standard treatment approach for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Despite numerous clinical trials exploring treatment alternatives, few options have shown any promise at further improving patient survival and recovery rates. A wave of new therapeutic approaches have recently been in development with the rise of immunotherapy for cancer, however, the cost of clinical trials is prohibitive of testing all promising approaches. Improved methods of early drug screening are essential for expediting the development of the therapeutic approaches most likely to help patients. Microfluidic devices provide a powerful tool for drug testing with enhanced biological relevance, along with multi-parameter data outputs. Here, we describe a hydrogel spheroid-based microfluidic model for screening lymphoma treatments. We utilized primary patient DLBCL cells in combination with NK cells and rCHOP treatment to determine the biological relevance of this approach. We observed cellular viability in response to treatment, rheological properties, and cell surface marker expression levels correlated well with expected in vivo characteristics. In addition, we explored secretory and transcriptomic changes in response to treatment. Our results showed complex changes in phenotype and transcriptomic response to treatment stimuli, including numerous metabolic and immunogenic changes. These findings support this model as an optimal platform for the comparative screening of novel treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew R Sullivan
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Rachel P White
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Ninad Kanetkar
- Chemical Engineering Department, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ilana Berger Fridman
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
- Avram and Stella Goldstein-Goren Department of Biotechnology and Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Center, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Adam Ekenseair
- Chemical Engineering Department, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Tania Konry
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA.
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7
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Zheng H, Guan X, Meng X, Tong Y, Wang Y, Xie S, Guo L, Lu R. IFN-γ in ovarian tumor microenvironment upregulates HLA-E expression and predicts a poor prognosis. J Ovarian Res 2023; 16:229. [PMID: 38007483 PMCID: PMC10675946 DOI: 10.1186/s13048-023-01286-z] [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: 09/23/2022] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 11/27/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Inflammation and immunity are two main characteristics of tumor microenvironment (TME). Interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) is generally considered as a pro-inflammatory cytokine which mediates anti-tumor immune response. Recently, IFN-γ was also reported to play a protumorigenic role. However, the mechanisms of tumor-promoting effect induced by IFN-γ remain unclear. METHODS The expression of leukocyte antigen-E (HLA-E), IFN-γ, CD3 and CD56 in clinical samples of ovarian cancer was detected by mutiplexed immunohistochemistry. The mechanism to induce HLA-E overexpression by IFN-γ was explored using human ovarian cancer cell lines through western blot and flow cytometry. We further clarify the role of overexpressed-HLA-E on natural killer (NK)-mediated cell lysis. RESULTS We found that IFN-γ could upregulate HLA-E protein expression through activating of JAK/STAT1 signaling pathway, and increase cell surface HLA-E level through enhancing proteasome activity. We also observed that only high levels of membrane HLA-E expression contributed to the inhibition of NK-mediated cytotoxicity. We showed that progression-free survival (PFS) of ovarian cancer patients was negatively correlated with IFN-γ expression in their tumor tissues, due to more tumor infiltrating NK cells compared with T lymphocytes. CONCLUSIONS Our study revealed the protumorigenic role of IFN-γ by upregulation of HLA-E expression and rendering tumors less susceptible to immune attack. We also provided a novel insight into the relationship between tumor microenvironment and immune evasion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Zheng
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Xiaolin Guan
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
- Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Xin Meng
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Ying Tong
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Yanchun Wang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Suhong Xie
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Lin Guo
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, 200032, China.
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China.
| | - Renquan Lu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, 200032, China.
- Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China.
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8
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He W, Gea-Mallorquí E, Colin-York H, Fritzsche M, Gillespie GM, Brackenridge S, Borrow P, McMichael AJ. Intracellular trafficking of HLA-E and its regulation. J Exp Med 2023; 220:214089. [PMID: 37140910 PMCID: PMC10165540 DOI: 10.1084/jem.20221941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2022] [Revised: 03/13/2023] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Interest in MHC-E-restricted CD8+ T cell responses has been aroused by the discovery of their efficacy in controlling simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection in a vaccine model. The development of vaccines and immunotherapies utilizing human MHC-E (HLA-E)-restricted CD8+ T cell response requires an understanding of the pathway(s) of HLA-E transport and antigen presentation, which have not been clearly defined previously. We show here that, unlike classical HLA class I, which rapidly exits the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) after synthesis, HLA-E is largely retained because of a limited supply of high-affinity peptides, with further fine-tuning by its cytoplasmic tail. Once at the cell surface, HLA-E is unstable and is rapidly internalized. The cytoplasmic tail plays a crucial role in facilitating HLA-E internalization, which results in its enrichment in late and recycling endosomes. Our data reveal distinctive transport patterns and delicate regulatory mechanisms of HLA-E, which help to explain its unusual immunological functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wanlin He
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, Center for Immuno-Oncology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Ester Gea-Mallorquí
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, Center for Immuno-Oncology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Huw Colin-York
- Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, University of Oxford , Oxford, UK
| | - Marco Fritzsche
- Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, University of Oxford , Oxford, UK
| | - Geraldine M Gillespie
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, Center for Immuno-Oncology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Simon Brackenridge
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, Center for Immuno-Oncology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Persephone Borrow
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, Center for Immuno-Oncology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Andrew J McMichael
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, Center for Immuno-Oncology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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9
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Bertol BC, Massaro JD, Debortoli G, Santos ALP, de Araújo JNG, Giorgenon TMV, Costa e Silva M, de Figueiredo-Feitosa NL, Collares CVA, de Freitas LCC, Soares EG, Neder L, Silbiger VN, Calado RT, Maciel LMZ, Donadi EA. BRAF, TERT and HLA-G Status in the Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma: A Clinicopathological Association Study. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:12459. [PMID: 37569841 PMCID: PMC10419559 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241512459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2023] [Revised: 08/01/2023] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023] Open
Abstract
As BRAF, TERT, HLA-G, and microRNAs have been individually associated with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), we aimed to evaluate the individual and collaborative role of these markers in PTC in the same patient cohort. HLA-G and BRAF tumor expression was evaluated by immunohistochemistry. Using molecular methods, BRAFV600E and TERT promoter mutations were evaluated in thyroid fine needle aspirates. MicroRNA tumor profiling was investigated using massively parallel sequencing. We observed strong HLA-G (67.96%) while BRAF (62.43%) staining was observed in PTC specimens. BRAF overexpression was associated with poor response to therapy. The BRAFV600E (52.9%) and TERTC228T (13%) mutations were associated with extrathyroidal extension, advanced-age, and advanced-stage cancer. The TERT rs2853669 CC+TC genotypes (38%) were overrepresented in metastatic tumors. Nine modulated microRNAs targeting the BRAF, TERT, and/or HLA-G genes were observed in PTC and involved with cancer-related signaling pathways. The markers were individually associated with PTC features, emphasizing the synergistic effect of BRAFV600E and TERTC228T; however, their collaborative role on PTC outcome was not fully demonstrated. The differentially expressed miRNAs targeting the BRAF and/or HLA-G genes may explain their increased expression in the tumor milieu.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruna C. Bertol
- Postgraduate Program of Basic and Applied Immunology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto 14049-900, Brazil
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON M5G 2M9, Canada
| | - Juliana D. Massaro
- Division of Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto 14049-900, Brazil; (J.D.M.); (M.C.e.S.); (C.V.A.C.)
| | - Guilherme Debortoli
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto, Mississauga, ON L5L 1C6, Canada;
| | - André L. P. Santos
- Department of Medical Imaging, Hematology, and Clinical Oncology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto 14049-900, Brazil; (A.L.P.S.); (R.T.C.)
| | - Jéssica N. G. de Araújo
- Department of Clinical Analysis and Toxicology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal 59012-570, Brazil; (J.N.G.d.A.); (V.N.S.)
| | - Tatiana M. V. Giorgenon
- Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto 14049-900, Brazil; (T.M.V.G.); (N.L.d.F.-F.); (L.M.Z.M.)
| | - Matheus Costa e Silva
- Division of Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto 14049-900, Brazil; (J.D.M.); (M.C.e.S.); (C.V.A.C.)
| | - Nathalie L. de Figueiredo-Feitosa
- Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto 14049-900, Brazil; (T.M.V.G.); (N.L.d.F.-F.); (L.M.Z.M.)
| | - Cristhianna V. A. Collares
- Division of Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto 14049-900, Brazil; (J.D.M.); (M.C.e.S.); (C.V.A.C.)
| | - Luiz Carlos C. de Freitas
- Department of Ophthalmology, Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto 14049-900, Brazil;
| | - Edson G. Soares
- Department of Pathology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto 14049-900, Brazil; (E.G.S.); (L.N.)
| | - Luciano Neder
- Department of Pathology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto 14049-900, Brazil; (E.G.S.); (L.N.)
| | - Vivian N. Silbiger
- Department of Clinical Analysis and Toxicology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal 59012-570, Brazil; (J.N.G.d.A.); (V.N.S.)
| | - Rodrigo T. Calado
- Department of Medical Imaging, Hematology, and Clinical Oncology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto 14049-900, Brazil; (A.L.P.S.); (R.T.C.)
| | - Léa M. Z. Maciel
- Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto 14049-900, Brazil; (T.M.V.G.); (N.L.d.F.-F.); (L.M.Z.M.)
| | - Eduardo A. Donadi
- Postgraduate Program of Basic and Applied Immunology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto 14049-900, Brazil
- Division of Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto 14049-900, Brazil; (J.D.M.); (M.C.e.S.); (C.V.A.C.)
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10
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De Re V, Tornesello ML, Racanelli V, Prete M, Steffan A. Non-Classical HLA Class 1b and Hepatocellular Carcinoma. Biomedicines 2023; 11:1672. [PMID: 37371767 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11061672] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2023] [Revised: 06/02/2023] [Accepted: 06/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
A number of studies are underway to gain a better understanding of the role of immunity in the pathogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma and to identify subgroups of individuals who may benefit the most from systemic therapy according to the etiology of their tumor. Human leukocyte antigens play a key role in antigen presentation to T cells. This is fundamental to the host's defense against pathogens and tumor cells. In addition, HLA-specific interactions with innate lymphoid cell receptors, such those present on natural killer cells and innate lymphoid cell type 2, have been shown to be important activators of immune function in the context of several liver diseases. More recent studies have highlighted the key role of members of the non-classical HLA-Ib and the transcript adjacent to the HLA-F locus, FAT10, in hepatocarcinoma. The present review analyzes the major contribution of these molecules to hepatic viral infection and hepatocellular prognosis. Particular attention has been paid to the association of natural killer and Vδ2 T-cell activation, mediated by specific HLA class Ib molecules, with risk assessment and novel treatment strategies to improve immunotherapy in HCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valli De Re
- Immunopathology and Cancer Biomarkers Unit, Centro di Riferimento Oncologico di Aviano (CRO), Istituti di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS), 33081 Aviano, Italy
| | - Maria Lina Tornesello
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS "Fondazione G. Pascale", 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Vito Racanelli
- Department of Interdisciplinary Medicine, School of Medicine, 'Aldo Moro' University of Bari, 70124 Bari, Italy
| | - Marcella Prete
- Department of Interdisciplinary Medicine, School of Medicine, 'Aldo Moro' University of Bari, 70124 Bari, Italy
| | - Agostino Steffan
- Immunopathology and Cancer Biomarkers Unit, Centro di Riferimento Oncologico di Aviano (CRO), Istituti di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS), 33081 Aviano, Italy
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11
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Siemaszko J, Marzec-Przyszlak A, Bogunia-Kubik K. Activating NKG2C Receptor: Functional Characteristics and Current Strategies in Clinical Applications. Arch Immunol Ther Exp (Warsz) 2023; 71:9. [PMID: 36899273 PMCID: PMC10004456 DOI: 10.1007/s00005-023-00674-z] [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: 11/16/2022] [Accepted: 02/01/2023] [Indexed: 03/12/2023]
Abstract
The interest in NK cells and their cytotoxic activity against tumour, infected or transformed cells continuously increases as they become a new efficient and off-the-shelf agents in immunotherapies. Their actions are balanced by a wide set of activating and inhibitory receptors, recognizing their complementary ligands on target cells. One of the most studied receptors is the activating CD94/NKG2C molecule, which is a member of the C-type lectin-like family. This review is intended to summarise latest research findings on the clinical relevance of NKG2C receptor and to examine its contribution to current and potential therapeutic strategies. It outlines functional characteristics and molecular features of CD94/NKG2C, its interactions with HLA-E molecule and presented antigens, pointing out a key role of this receptor in immunosurveillance, especially in the human cytomegalovirus infection. Additionally, the authors attempt to shed some light on receptor's unique interaction with its ligand which is shared with another receptor (CD94/NKG2A) with rather opposite properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jagoda Siemaszko
- Laboratory of Clinical Immunogenetics and Pharmacogenetics, Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Aleksandra Marzec-Przyszlak
- Department of Biosensors and Processing of Biomedical Signals, Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Silesian University of Technology, Zabrze, Poland
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Communication, Brno University of Technology, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Katarzyna Bogunia-Kubik
- Laboratory of Clinical Immunogenetics and Pharmacogenetics, Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wroclaw, Poland.
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12
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NKG2A Immune Checkpoint in Vδ2 T Cells: Emerging Application in Cancer Immunotherapy. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:cancers15041264. [PMID: 36831606 PMCID: PMC9954046 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15041264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2022] [Revised: 01/30/2023] [Accepted: 02/11/2023] [Indexed: 02/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Immune regulation has revolutionized cancer treatment with the introduction of T-cell-targeted immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). This successful immunotherapy has led to a more complete view of cancer that now considers not only the cancer cells to be targeted and destroyed but also the immune environment of the cancer cells. Current challenges associated with the enhancement of ICI effects are increasing the fraction of responding patients through personalized combinations of multiple ICIs and overcoming acquired resistance. This requires a complete overview of the anti-tumor immune response, which depends on a complex interplay between innate and adaptive immune cells with the tumor microenvironment. The NKG2A was revealed to be a key immune checkpoint for both Natural Killer (NK) cells and T cells. Monalizumab, a humanized anti-NKG2A antibody, enhances NK cell activity against various tumor cells and rescues CD8 αβ T cell function in combination with PD-1/PD-L1 blockade. In this review, we discuss the potential for targeting NKG2A expressed on tumor-sensing human γδ T cells, mostly on the specific Vδ2 T cell subset, in order to emphasize its importance and potential in the development of new ICI-based therapeutic approaches.
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13
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Dutta S, Ganguly A, Chatterjee K, Spada S, Mukherjee S. Targets of Immune Escape Mechanisms in Cancer: Basis for Development and Evolution of Cancer Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors. BIOLOGY 2023; 12:biology12020218. [PMID: 36829496 PMCID: PMC9952779 DOI: 10.3390/biology12020218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 39.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2022] [Revised: 01/22/2023] [Accepted: 01/27/2023] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) has emerged as a novel therapeutic tool for cancer therapy in the last decade. Unfortunately, a small number of patients benefit from approved immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). Therefore, multiple studies are being conducted to find new ICIs and combination strategies to improve the current ICIs. In this review, we discuss some approved immune checkpoints, such as PD-L1, PD-1, and CTLA-4, and also highlight newer emerging ICIs. For instance, HLA-E, overexpressed by tumor cells, represents an immune-suppressive feature by binding CD94/NKG2A, on NK and T cells. NKG2A blockade recruits CD8+ T cells and activates NK cells to decrease the tumor burden. NKG2D acts as an NK cell activating receptor that can also be a potential ICI. The adenosine A2A and A2B receptors, CD47-SIRPα, TIM-3, LAG-3, TIGIT, and VISTA are targets that also contribute to cancer immunoresistance and have been considered for clinical trials. Their antitumor immunosuppressive functions can be used to develop blocking antibodies. PARPs, mARTs, and B7-H3 are also other potential targets for immunosuppression. Additionally, miRNA, mRNA, and CRISPR-Cas9-mediated immunotherapeutic approaches are being investigated with great interest. Pre-clinical and clinical studies project these targets as potential immunotherapeutic candidates in different cancer types for their robust antitumor modulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shovan Dutta
- The Center for Immunotherapy & Precision Immuno-Oncology (CITI), Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA
| | - Anirban Ganguly
- Department of Biochemistry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Deoghar 814152, India
| | | | - Sheila Spada
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
- Correspondence: (S.S.); (S.M.)
| | - Sumit Mukherjee
- Department of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
- Correspondence: (S.S.); (S.M.)
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14
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Israr M, Lam F, DeVoti J, Mace EM, Papayannakos C, Abramson A, Steinberg BM, Bonagura VR. PGE 2 expression by HPV6/11-induced respiratory papillomas blocks NK cell activation in patients with recurrent respiratory papillomatosis. Eur J Immunol 2023; 53:e2250036. [PMID: 36608264 DOI: 10.1002/eji.202250036] [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: 06/13/2022] [Revised: 12/12/2022] [Accepted: 01/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP), a rare chronic disease caused primarily by human papillomavirus types 6 and 11, consists of repeated growth of premalignant papillomas in the airway. RRP is characterized by multiple abnormalities in innate and adaptive immunity. Natural killer (NK) cells play important roles in immune surveillance and are part of the innate immune responses that help prevent tumor growth. We identified that papillomas lack classical class I MHC and retain nonclassical class I MHC expression. Moreover, in this study, we have identified and characterized the mechanism that blocks NK cell targeting of papilloma cells. Here, we show for the first time that the PGE2 secreted by papilloma cells directly inhibits NK cells activation/degranulation principally through the PGE2 receptor EP2, and to a lesser extent through EP4 signaling. Thus, papilloma cells have a potent mechanism to block NK cell function that likely supports papilloma cell growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohd Israr
- The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell Health, Manhasset, NY, USA
| | - Fung Lam
- The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell Health, Manhasset, NY, USA
| | - James DeVoti
- The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell Health, Manhasset, NY, USA
| | - Emily M Mace
- Department of Pediatrics, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia Medical Center, NY, USA
| | | | - Allan Abramson
- The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell Health, Manhasset, NY, USA
| | - Bettie M Steinberg
- The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell Health, Manhasset, NY, USA
| | - Vincent R Bonagura
- The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell Health, Manhasset, NY, USA
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15
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Hansen SG, Hancock MH, Malouli D, Marshall EE, Hughes CM, Randall KT, Morrow D, Ford JC, Gilbride RM, Selseth AN, Trethewy RE, Bishop LM, Oswald K, Shoemaker R, Berkemeier B, Bosche WJ, Hull M, Silipino L, Nekorchuk M, Busman-Sahay K, Estes JD, Axthelm MK, Smedley J, Shao D, Edlefsen PT, Lifson JD, Früh K, Nelson JA, Picker LJ. Myeloid cell tropism enables MHC-E-restricted CD8 + T cell priming and vaccine efficacy by the RhCMV/SIV vaccine. Sci Immunol 2022; 7:eabn9301. [PMID: 35714200 PMCID: PMC9387538 DOI: 10.1126/sciimmunol.abn9301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
The strain 68-1 rhesus cytomegalovirus (RhCMV)-based vaccine for simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) can stringently protect rhesus macaques (RMs) from SIV challenge by arresting viral replication early in primary infection. This vaccine elicits unconventional SIV-specific CD8+ T cells that recognize epitopes presented by major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-II and MHC-E instead of MHC-Ia. Although RhCMV/SIV vaccines based on strains that only elicit MHC-II- and/or MHC-Ia-restricted CD8+ T cells do not protect against SIV, it remains unclear whether MHC-E-restricted T cells are directly responsible for protection and whether these responses can be separated from the MHC-II-restricted component. Using host microRNA (miR)-mediated vector tropism restriction, we show that the priming of MHC-II and MHC-E epitope-targeted responses depended on vector infection of different nonoverlapping cell types in RMs. Selective inhibition of RhCMV infection in myeloid cells with miR-142-mediated tropism restriction eliminated MHC-E epitope-targeted CD8+ T cell priming, yielding an exclusively MHC-II epitope-targeted response. Inhibition with the endothelial cell-selective miR-126 eliminated MHC-II epitope-targeted CD8+ T cell priming, yielding an exclusively MHC-E epitope-targeted response. Dual miR-142 + miR-126-mediated tropism restriction reverted CD8+ T cell responses back to conventional MHC-Ia epitope targeting. Although the magnitude and differentiation state of these CD8+ T cell responses were generally similar, only the vectors programmed to elicit MHC-E-restricted CD8+ T cell responses provided protection against SIV challenge, directly demonstrating the essential role of these responses in RhCMV/SIV vaccine efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott G. Hansen
- Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute and Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, Oregon, 97006, USA
| | - Meaghan H. Hancock
- Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute and Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, Oregon, 97006, USA
| | - Daniel Malouli
- Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute and Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, Oregon, 97006, USA
| | - Emily E. Marshall
- Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute and Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, Oregon, 97006, USA
| | - Colette M. Hughes
- Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute and Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, Oregon, 97006, USA
| | - Kurt T. Randall
- Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute and Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, Oregon, 97006, USA
| | - David Morrow
- Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute and Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, Oregon, 97006, USA
| | - Julia C. Ford
- Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute and Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, Oregon, 97006, USA
| | - Roxanne M. Gilbride
- Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute and Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, Oregon, 97006, USA
| | - Andrea N. Selseth
- Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute and Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, Oregon, 97006, USA
| | - Renee Espinosa Trethewy
- Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute and Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, Oregon, 97006, USA
| | - Lindsey M Bishop
- Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute and Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, Oregon, 97006, USA
| | - Kelli Oswald
- AIDS and Cancer Virus Program, Frederick National Laboratory, Frederick, MD 21702
| | - Rebecca Shoemaker
- AIDS and Cancer Virus Program, Frederick National Laboratory, Frederick, MD 21702
| | - Brian Berkemeier
- AIDS and Cancer Virus Program, Frederick National Laboratory, Frederick, MD 21702
| | - William J. Bosche
- AIDS and Cancer Virus Program, Frederick National Laboratory, Frederick, MD 21702
| | - Michael Hull
- AIDS and Cancer Virus Program, Frederick National Laboratory, Frederick, MD 21702
| | - Lorna Silipino
- AIDS and Cancer Virus Program, Frederick National Laboratory, Frederick, MD 21702
| | - Michael Nekorchuk
- Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute and Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, Oregon, 97006, USA
| | - Kathleen Busman-Sahay
- Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute and Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, Oregon, 97006, USA
| | - Jacob D. Estes
- Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute and Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, Oregon, 97006, USA
| | - Michael K. Axthelm
- Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute and Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, Oregon, 97006, USA
| | - Jeremy Smedley
- Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute and Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, Oregon, 97006, USA
| | - Danica Shao
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109
| | - Paul T. Edlefsen
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109
| | - Jeffrey D. Lifson
- AIDS and Cancer Virus Program, Frederick National Laboratory, Frederick, MD 21702
| | - Klaus Früh
- Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute and Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, Oregon, 97006, USA
| | - Jay A. Nelson
- Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute and Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, Oregon, 97006, USA
| | - Louis J. Picker
- Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute and Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, Oregon, 97006, USA
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16
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Li D, Brackenridge S, Walters LC, Swanson O, Harlos K, Rozbesky D, Cain DW, Wiehe K, Scearce RM, Barr M, Mu Z, Parks R, Quastel M, Edwards RJ, Wang Y, Rountree W, Saunders KO, Ferrari G, Borrow P, Jones EY, Alam SM, Azoitei ML, Gillespie GM, McMichael AJ, Haynes BF. Mouse and human antibodies bind HLA-E-leader peptide complexes and enhance NK cell cytotoxicity. Commun Biol 2022; 5:271. [PMID: 35347236 PMCID: PMC8960791 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-03183-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2021] [Accepted: 02/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The non-classical class Ib molecule human leukocyte antigen E (HLA-E) has limited polymorphism and can bind HLA class Ia leader peptides (VL9). HLA-E-VL9 complexes interact with the natural killer (NK) cell receptors NKG2A-C/CD94 and regulate NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity. Here we report the isolation of 3H4, a murine HLA-E-VL9-specific IgM antibody that enhances killing of HLA-E-VL9-expressing cells by an NKG2A+ NK cell line. Structural analysis reveal that 3H4 acts by preventing CD94/NKG2A docking on HLA-E-VL9. Upon in vitro maturation, an affinity-optimized IgG form of 3H4 showes enhanced NK killing of HLA-E-VL9-expressing cells. HLA-E-VL9-specific IgM antibodies similar in function to 3H4 are also isolated from naïve B cells of cytomegalovirus (CMV)-negative, healthy humans. Thus, HLA-E-VL9-targeting mouse and human antibodies isolated from the naïve B cell antibody pool have the capacity to enhance NK cell cytotoxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dapeng Li
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
- Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
| | - Simon Brackenridge
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 7FZ, UK
| | - Lucy C Walters
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 7FZ, UK
| | - Olivia Swanson
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
| | - Karl Harlos
- Division of Structural Biology, Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 7BN, UK
| | - Daniel Rozbesky
- Division of Structural Biology, Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 7BN, UK
- Department of Cell Biology, Charles University, Prague, 12800, Czech Republic
| | - Derek W Cain
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
- Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
| | - Kevin Wiehe
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
- Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
| | - Richard M Scearce
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
| | - Maggie Barr
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
| | - Zekun Mu
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
| | - Robert Parks
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
| | - Max Quastel
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 7FZ, UK
| | - Robert J Edwards
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
- Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
| | - Yunfei Wang
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
- Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
| | - Wes Rountree
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
- Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
| | - Kevin O Saunders
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
- Department of Immunology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
- Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
| | - Guido Ferrari
- Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
| | - Persephone Borrow
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 7FZ, UK
| | - E Yvonne Jones
- Division of Structural Biology, Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 7BN, UK
| | - S Munir Alam
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
- Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
| | - Mihai L Azoitei
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA.
- Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA.
| | - Geraldine M Gillespie
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 7FZ, UK.
| | - Andrew J McMichael
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 7FZ, UK.
| | - Barton F Haynes
- Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA.
- Department of Immunology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, 27710, USA.
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17
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Hrbac T, Kopkova A, Siegl F, Vecera M, Ruckova M, Kazda T, Jancalek R, Hendrych M, Hermanova M, Vybihal V, Fadrus P, Smrcka M, Sokol F, Kubes V, Lipina R, Slaby O, Kren L, Sana J. HLA-E and HLA-F Are Overexpressed in Glioblastoma and HLA-E Increased After Exposure to Ionizing Radiation. Cancer Genomics Proteomics 2022; 19:151-162. [PMID: 35181585 PMCID: PMC8865046 DOI: 10.21873/cgp.20311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2021] [Revised: 12/08/2021] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND/AIM Glioblastoma (GBM) is one of the deadliest human cancers responding very poorly to therapy. Although the central nervous system has been traditionally considered an immunologically privileged site with an enhanced immune response, GBM appears to benefit from this immunosuppressive milieu. Immunomodulatory molecules play an important role in immune tumor-host interactions. Non-classical human leukocyte antigens (HLA) class Ib molecules HLA-E, HLA-F, and HLA-G have been previously described to be involved in protecting semi-allogeneic fetal allografts from the maternal immune response and in transplant tolerance as well as tumoral immune escape. Unfortunately, their role in GBM remains poorly understood. Our study, therefore, aimed to characterize the relationship between the expression of these molecules in GBM on the transcriptional level and clinicopathological and molecular features of GBM as well as the effect of ionizing radiation. MATERIALS AND METHODS We performed the analysis of HLA-E, HLA-F, and HLA-G mRNA expression in 69 GBM tissue samples and 21 non-tumor brain tissue samples (controls) by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Furthermore, two primary GBM cell cultures had been irradiated to identify the effect of ionizing radiation on the expression of non-classical HLA molecules. RESULTS Analyses revealed that both HLA-E and HLA-F are significantly up-regulated in GBM samples. Subsequent survival analysis showed a significant association between low expression of HLA-E and shorter survival of GBM patients. The dysregulated expression of both molecules was also observed between patients with methylated and unmethylated O-6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) promoter. Finally, we showed that ionizing radiation increased HLA-E expression level in GBM cells in vitro. CONCLUSION HLA-E and HLA-F play an important role in GBM biology and could be used as diagnostic biomarkers, and in the case of HLA-E also as a prognostic biomarker.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomas Hrbac
- Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Ostrava, Ostrava, Czech Republic
| | - Alena Kopkova
- Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Frantisek Siegl
- Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Marek Vecera
- Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Michaela Ruckova
- Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Tomas Kazda
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute and Faculty of Medicine of Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Radim Jancalek
- Department of Neurosurgery, St. Anne's University Hospital and Faculty of Medicine of Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Michal Hendrych
- First Department of Pathology, St. Anne's University Hospital and Faculty of Medicine of Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Marketa Hermanova
- First Department of Pathology, St. Anne's University Hospital and Faculty of Medicine of Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Vaclav Vybihal
- Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Pavel Fadrus
- Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Martin Smrcka
- Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Filip Sokol
- Department of Pathology, University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Vaclav Kubes
- Department of Pathology, University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Radim Lipina
- Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Ostrava, Ostrava, Czech Republic
| | - Ondrej Slaby
- Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Medicine of Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
- Department of Comprehensive Cancer Care, Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Leos Kren
- Department of Pathology, University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czech Republic;
| | - Jiri Sana
- Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic;
- Department of Comprehensive Cancer Care, Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute, Brno, Czech Republic
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18
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Ravindranath MH, Ravindranath NM, Selvan SR, Filippone EJ, Amato-Menker CJ, El Hilali F. Four Faces of Cell-Surface HLA Class-I: Their Antigenic and Immunogenic Divergence Generating Novel Targets for Vaccines. Vaccines (Basel) 2022; 10:vaccines10020339. [PMID: 35214796 PMCID: PMC8878457 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines10020339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2021] [Revised: 02/07/2022] [Accepted: 02/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Leukocyte cell-surface HLA-I molecules, involved in antigen presentation of peptides to CD8+ T-cells, consist of a heavy chain (HC) non-covalently linked to β2-microglobulin (β2m) (Face-1). The HC amino acid composition varies across all six isoforms of HLA-I, while that of β2m remains the same. Each HLA-allele differs in one or more amino acid sequences on the HC α1 and α2 helices, while several sequences among the three helices are conserved. HCs without β2m (Face-2) are also observed on human cells activated by malignancy, viral transformation, and cytokine or chemokine-mediated inflammation. In the absence of β2m, the monomeric Face-2 exposes immunogenic cryptic sequences on these cells as confirmed by HLA-I monoclonal antibodies (LA45, L31, TFL-006, and TFL-007). Furthermore, such exposure enables dimerization between two Face-2 molecules by SH-linkage, salt linkage, H-bonding, and van der Waal forces. In HLA-B27, the linkage between two heavy chains with cysteines at position of 67 of the amino acid residues was documented. Similarly, several alleles of HLA-A, B, C, E, F and G express cysteine at 67, 101, and 164, and additionally, HLA-G expresses cysteine at position 42. Thus, the monomeric HC (Face-2) can dimerize with another HC of its own allele, as homodimers (Face-3), or with a different HC-allele, as heterodimers (Face-4). The presence of Face-4 is well documented in HLA-F. The post-translational HLA-variants devoid of β2m may expose several cryptic linear and non-linear conformationally altered sequences to generate novel epitopes. The objective of this review, while unequivocally confirming the post-translational variants of HLA-I, is to highlight the scientific and clinical importance of the four faces of HLA and to prompt further research to elucidate their functions and their interaction with non-HLA molecules during inflammation, infection, malignancy and transplantation. Indeed, these HLA faces may constitute novel targets for passive and active specific immunotherapy and vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mepur H. Ravindranath
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Children’s Hospital, Los Angeles, CA 90027, USA
- Emeritus Research Scientist at Terasaki Foundation Laboratory, Santa Monica, CA 90064, USA
- Correspondence:
| | - Narendranath M. Ravindranath
- Norris Dental Science Center, Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA;
| | | | - Edward J. Filippone
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA 19145, USA;
| | - Carly J. Amato-Menker
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA;
| | - Fatiha El Hilali
- The Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of Laayoune, Ibn Zohr University, Agadir 70000, Morocco;
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19
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Hombach A, Barden M, Hannappel L, Chmielewski M, Rappl G, Sachinidis A, Abken H. IL12 integrated into the CAR exodomain converts CD8 + T cells to poly-functional NK-like cells with superior killing of antigen-loss tumors. Mol Ther 2022; 30:593-605. [PMID: 34678512 PMCID: PMC8821972 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2021.10.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2020] [Revised: 08/30/2021] [Accepted: 10/10/2021] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-redirected T cell therapy often fails to control tumors in the long term due to selecting cancer cells that downregulated or lost CAR targeted antigen. To reprogram the functional capacities specifically of engineered CAR T cells, we inserted IL12 into the extracellular moiety of a CD28-ζ CAR; both the CAR endodomain and IL12 were functionally active, as indicated by antigen-redirected effector functions and STAT4 phosphorylation, respectively. The IL12-CAR reprogrammed CD8+ T cells toward a so far not recognized natural killer (NK) cell-like signature and a CD94+CD56+CD62Lhigh phenotype closely similar, but not identical, to NK and cytokine induced killer (CIK) cells. In contrast to conventional CAR T cells, IL12-CAR T cells acquired antigen-independent, human leukocyte antigen E (HLA-E) restricted cytotoxic capacities eliminating antigen-negative cancer cells in addition to eliminating cancer cells with CAR cognate antigen. Simultaneous signaling through both the CAR endodomain and IL12 were required for inducing maximal NK-like cytotoxicity; adding IL12 to conventional CAR T cells was not sufficient. Antigen-negative tumors were attacked by IL12-CAR T cells, but not by conventional CAR T cells. Overall, we present a prototype of a new family of CARs that augments tumor recognition and elimination through expanded functional capacities by an appropriate cytokine integrated into the CAR exodomain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Hombach
- Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany,Department I Internal Medicine, University Hospital Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany
| | - Markus Barden
- RCI, Regensburg Center for Interventional Immunology, Department Genetic Immunotherapy, and University Hospital Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
| | - Lisa Hannappel
- Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany
| | - Markus Chmielewski
- Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany,Department I Internal Medicine, University Hospital Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany
| | - Gunter Rappl
- Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany
| | - Agapios Sachinidis
- Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne (CMMC), University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany,University of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine and Center for Physiology, University Hospital Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany
| | - Hinrich Abken
- RCI, Regensburg Center for Interventional Immunology, Department Genetic Immunotherapy, and University Hospital Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany,Corresponding author: Hinrich Abken, RCI, Regensburg Center for Interventional Immunology, Department Genetic Immunotherapy, and University Hospital Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.
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20
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Cazzetta V, Bruni E, Terzoli S, Carenza C, Franzese S, Piazza R, Marzano P, Donadon M, Torzilli G, Cimino M, Simonelli M, Bello L, Villa A, Tan L, Ravens S, Prinz I, Supino D, Colombo FS, Lugli E, Marcenaro E, Vivier E, Della Bella S, Mikulak J, Mavilio D. NKG2A expression identifies a subset of human Vδ2 T cells exerting the highest antitumor effector functions. Cell Rep 2021; 37:109871. [PMID: 34686325 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2021] [Revised: 08/13/2021] [Accepted: 09/29/2021] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Human Vδ2 cells are innate-like γδ T effectors performing potent immune surveillance against tumors. The constitutive expression of NKG2A identifies a subset of Vδ2 T cells licensed with an intrinsic hyper-responsiveness against cancer. Indeed, the transcriptomic profiles of NKG2A+ and NKG2A- cells characterize two distinct "intralineages" of Vδ2 T lymphocytes that appear early during development, keep their phenotypes, and show self-renewal capabilities in adult life. The hyper-responsiveness of NKG2A+ Vδ2 T cells is counterbalanced by the inhibitory signaling delivered by human leukocyte antigen E (HLA-E) expressed on malignant cells as a tumor-escape mechanism. However, either masking or knocking out NKG2A restores the capacity of Vδ2 T cells to exert the highest effector functions even against HLA-E+ tumors. This is highly relevant in the clinic, as the different degrees of engagement of the NKG2A-HLA-E checkpoint in hepatocellular carcinoma, glioblastoma, and non-small cell lung cancer directly impact patients' overall survival. These findings open avenues for developing combined cellular and immunologic anticancer therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Cazzetta
- Laboratory of Clinical and Experimental Immunology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, 20089 Rozzano, Milan, Italy; Department of Medical Biotechnologies and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Elena Bruni
- Laboratory of Clinical and Experimental Immunology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, 20089 Rozzano, Milan, Italy; Department of Medical Biotechnologies and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Sara Terzoli
- Laboratory of Clinical and Experimental Immunology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, 20089 Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | - Claudia Carenza
- Laboratory of Clinical and Experimental Immunology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, 20089 Rozzano, Milan, Italy; Department of Medical Biotechnologies and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Sara Franzese
- Laboratory of Clinical and Experimental Immunology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, 20089 Rozzano, Milan, Italy; Department of Medical Biotechnologies and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Rocco Piazza
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milan-Bicocca, Monza, Italy
| | - Paolo Marzano
- Laboratory of Clinical and Experimental Immunology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, 20089 Rozzano, Milan, Italy; Department of Medical Biotechnologies and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Matteo Donadon
- Department of Biomedical Science, Humanitas University, 20090 Pieve Emanuele, Milan, Italy; Department of Hepatobiliary and General Surgery, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, 20089 Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | - Guido Torzilli
- Department of Biomedical Science, Humanitas University, 20090 Pieve Emanuele, Milan, Italy; Department of Hepatobiliary and General Surgery, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, 20089 Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | - Matteo Cimino
- Department of Hepatobiliary and General Surgery, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, 20089 Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | - Matteo Simonelli
- Department of Biomedical Science, Humanitas University, 20090 Pieve Emanuele, Milan, Italy; Department of Medical Oncology and Hematology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, 20089 Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Bello
- U.O. Neurochirurgia Oncologica, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Galeazzi, Milan, Italy; Department of Oncology and Hemato-Oncology, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Anna Villa
- Division of Regenerative, Medicine, Stem Cells and Gene Therapy, San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy; Institute of Genetic and Biomedical Research, UOS Milan, National Research Council, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | - Likai Tan
- Institute of Immunology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Sarina Ravens
- Institute of Immunology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Immo Prinz
- Institute of Immunology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Domenico Supino
- Department of Biomedical Science of Clinical and Experimental Immunology, Humanitas University, 20090 Pieve Emanuele, Milan, Italy
| | - Federico S Colombo
- Humanitas Flow Cytometry Core, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, 20089 Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | - Enrico Lugli
- Humanitas Flow Cytometry Core, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, 20089 Rozzano, Milan, Italy; Laboratory of Translational Immunology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, 20089 Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | - Emanuela Marcenaro
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Center of Excellence for Biomedical Research, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | - Eric Vivier
- Aix Marseille University, CNRS, INSERM, CIML, Marseille, France; Research Laboratories, Innate Pharma, Marseille, France; Service d'Immunologie, Hôpital de la Timone, APHM, Marseille-Immunopôle, Marseille, France
| | - Silvia Della Bella
- Laboratory of Clinical and Experimental Immunology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, 20089 Rozzano, Milan, Italy; Department of Medical Biotechnologies and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Joanna Mikulak
- Laboratory of Clinical and Experimental Immunology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, 20089 Rozzano, Milan, Italy; Department of Medical Biotechnologies and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Domenico Mavilio
- Laboratory of Clinical and Experimental Immunology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, 20089 Rozzano, Milan, Italy; Department of Medical Biotechnologies and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
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21
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Vaurs J, Douchin G, Echasserieau K, Oger R, Jouand N, Fortun A, Hesnard L, Croyal M, Pecorari F, Gervois N, Bernardeau K. A novel and efficient approach to high-throughput production of HLA-E/peptide monomer for T-cell epitope screening. Sci Rep 2021; 11:17234. [PMID: 34446788 PMCID: PMC8390762 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-96560-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2021] [Accepted: 08/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Over the past two decades, there has been a great interest in the study of HLA-E-restricted αβ T cells during bacterial and viral infections, including recently SARS-CoV-2 infection. Phenotyping of these specific HLA-E-restricted T cells requires new tools such as tetramers for rapid cell staining or sorting, as well as for the identification of new peptides capable to bind to the HLA-E pocket. To this aim, we have developed an optimal photosensitive peptide to generate stable HLA-E/pUV complexes allowing high-throughput production of new HLA-E/peptide complexes by peptide exchange. We characterized the UV exchange by ELISA and improved the peptide exchange readout using size exclusion chromatography. This novel approach for complex quantification is indeed very important to perform tetramerization of MHC/peptide complexes with the high quality required for detection of specific T cells. Our approach allows the rapid screening of peptides capable of binding to the non-classical human HLA-E allele, paving the way for the development of new therapeutic approaches based on the detection of HLA-E-restricted T cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliette Vaurs
- P2R "Production de Protéines Recombinantes", Université de Nantes, CRCINA, SFR-Santé, INSERM, CNRS, CHU Nantes, Nantes, France
| | - Gaël Douchin
- P2R "Production de Protéines Recombinantes", Université de Nantes, CRCINA, SFR-Santé, INSERM, CNRS, CHU Nantes, Nantes, France
| | - Klara Echasserieau
- P2R "Production de Protéines Recombinantes", Université de Nantes, CRCINA, SFR-Santé, INSERM, CNRS, CHU Nantes, Nantes, France
- Université de Nantes, Inserm, CRCINA, 44000, Nantes, France
| | - Romain Oger
- Université de Nantes, Inserm, CRCINA, 44000, Nantes, France
- LabEx IGO «Immunotherapy, Graft, Oncology», Nantes, France
| | - Nicolas Jouand
- Université de Nantes, Inserm, CRCINA, 44000, Nantes, France
- Université de Nantes, CHU Nantes, Inserm, CNRS, SFR Santé, Inserm UMS 016, CNRS UMS 3556, 44000, Nantes, France
| | - Agnès Fortun
- P2R "Production de Protéines Recombinantes", Université de Nantes, CRCINA, SFR-Santé, INSERM, CNRS, CHU Nantes, Nantes, France
- Université de Nantes, CHU de Nantes, Cibles et médicaments des infections et du cancer, IICiMed, EA 1155, 44000, Nantes, France
| | - Leslie Hesnard
- Université de Nantes, Inserm, CRCINA, 44000, Nantes, France
| | - Mikaël Croyal
- Université de Nantes, CHU Nantes, Inserm, CNRS, SFR Santé, Inserm UMS 016, CNRS UMS 3556, 44000, Nantes, France
- Université de Nantes, CHU Nantes, CNRS, INSERM, l'institut du thorax, 44000, Nantes, France
- CRNH-Ouest Mass Spectrometry Core Facility, 44000, Nantes, France
| | - Frédéric Pecorari
- P2R "Production de Protéines Recombinantes", Université de Nantes, CRCINA, SFR-Santé, INSERM, CNRS, CHU Nantes, Nantes, France
- Université de Nantes, Inserm, CRCINA, 44000, Nantes, France
| | - Nadine Gervois
- Université de Nantes, Inserm, CRCINA, 44000, Nantes, France.
- LabEx IGO «Immunotherapy, Graft, Oncology», Nantes, France.
| | - Karine Bernardeau
- P2R "Production de Protéines Recombinantes", Université de Nantes, CRCINA, SFR-Santé, INSERM, CNRS, CHU Nantes, Nantes, France.
- Université de Nantes, Inserm, CRCINA, 44000, Nantes, France.
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22
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Nikoloudis A, Wagner H, Machherndl-Spandl S, Buxhofer-Ausch V, Strassl I, Stiefel O, Wipplinger D, Milanov R, Kaynak E, Hasengruber P, Binder M, Weltermann A, Petzer A, Wolf D, Nachbaur D, Clausen J. Relapse Protection Following Early Cytomegalovirus Reactivation after Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Is Limited to HLA-C Killer Cell Immunoglobulin-Like Receptor Ligand Homozygous Recipients. Transplant Cell Ther 2021; 27:686.e1-686.e9. [PMID: 33991724 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtct.2021.04.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2021] [Revised: 04/23/2021] [Accepted: 04/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Although the risk for nonrelapse mortality (NRM) associated with early cytomegalovirus (CMV) reactivation (CMVR) after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is well established, debate is ongoing on whether CMVR may reduce the risk of primary disease relapse. The aim of this study was to evaluate relapse protection following early CMV reactivation after HSCT in the context of the recipient HLA-C killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor ligands (KIRLs). In this retrospective bicentric study, 406 matched related or unrelated donor transplantations for acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) or myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) were stratified by HLA-C KIRL group (homozygous versus heterozygous) and analyzed separately for the impact of early CMVR on the cumulative incidences of relapse, NRM, and acute and chronic graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD) using landmark and multistate analyses. By landmark analysis of patients alive and relapse-free at 45 days post-HSCT, HLA-C KIRL homozygous recipients (C1/1 or C2/2) had a lower risk of subsequent relapse if CMVR occurred before this landmark (subhazard ratio [sHR], 0.36; P = .002). In contrast, in HLA-C KIRL heterozygous (C1/2) recipients, early CMVR had no impact on subsequent relapse (sHR, 0.88; P = .63). NRM (sHR, 3.31; P < .001) and grade III-IV acute GVHD (sHR, 2.60; P = .04) were significantly increased after early CMVR in the homozygous cohort, but not in the heterozygous cohort (NRM: sHR, 1.23; P = .53; grade III-IV acute GVHD: sHR, 1.40; P = .50). Multivariable landmark analyses and a multistate model confirmed the limitation of the relapse-protective effect of early CMVR to the homozygous cohort. Chronic GVHD and overall survival were not influenced in neither cohort. An antileukemic effect of early CMVR after HSCT for AML/MDS was significant but strictly limited to recipients homozygous for HLA-C KIRL. However, particularly in this cohort, CMVR had an adverse impact on aGVHD and NRM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Nikoloudis
- Department of Internal Medicine I: Hematology with Stem Cell Transplantation, Hemostaseology and Medical Oncology, Ordensklinikum Linz Elisabethinen, Linz, Austria; Medical Faculty, Johannes Kepler University, Linz, Austria.
| | - Helga Wagner
- Department of Applied Statistics: Medical Statistics and Biometry and Competence Center for Clinical Studies, Johannes Kepler University, Linz, Austria
| | - Sigrid Machherndl-Spandl
- Department of Internal Medicine I: Hematology with Stem Cell Transplantation, Hemostaseology and Medical Oncology, Ordensklinikum Linz Elisabethinen, Linz, Austria; Medical Faculty, Johannes Kepler University, Linz, Austria
| | - Veronika Buxhofer-Ausch
- Department of Internal Medicine I: Hematology with Stem Cell Transplantation, Hemostaseology and Medical Oncology, Ordensklinikum Linz Elisabethinen, Linz, Austria; Medical Faculty, Johannes Kepler University, Linz, Austria
| | - Irene Strassl
- Department of Internal Medicine I: Hematology with Stem Cell Transplantation, Hemostaseology and Medical Oncology, Ordensklinikum Linz Elisabethinen, Linz, Austria
| | - Olga Stiefel
- Department of Internal Medicine I: Hematology with Stem Cell Transplantation, Hemostaseology and Medical Oncology, Ordensklinikum Linz Elisabethinen, Linz, Austria
| | - Dagmar Wipplinger
- Department of Internal Medicine I: Hematology with Stem Cell Transplantation, Hemostaseology and Medical Oncology, Ordensklinikum Linz Elisabethinen, Linz, Austria
| | - Robert Milanov
- Department of Internal Medicine I: Hematology with Stem Cell Transplantation, Hemostaseology and Medical Oncology, Ordensklinikum Linz Elisabethinen, Linz, Austria
| | - Emine Kaynak
- Department of Internal Medicine I: Hematology with Stem Cell Transplantation, Hemostaseology and Medical Oncology, Ordensklinikum Linz Elisabethinen, Linz, Austria
| | - Petra Hasengruber
- Department of Internal Medicine I: Hematology with Stem Cell Transplantation, Hemostaseology and Medical Oncology, Ordensklinikum Linz Elisabethinen, Linz, Austria
| | - Michaela Binder
- Department of Internal Medicine I: Hematology with Stem Cell Transplantation, Hemostaseology and Medical Oncology, Ordensklinikum Linz Elisabethinen, Linz, Austria
| | - Ansgar Weltermann
- Department of Internal Medicine I: Hematology with Stem Cell Transplantation, Hemostaseology and Medical Oncology, Ordensklinikum Linz Elisabethinen, Linz, Austria; Medical Faculty, Johannes Kepler University, Linz, Austria
| | - Andreas Petzer
- Department of Internal Medicine I: Hematology with Stem Cell Transplantation, Hemostaseology and Medical Oncology, Ordensklinikum Linz Elisabethinen, Linz, Austria
| | - Dominik Wolf
- University Hospital of Internal Medicine V, Hematology & Oncology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - David Nachbaur
- University Hospital of Internal Medicine V, Hematology & Oncology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Johannes Clausen
- Department of Internal Medicine I: Hematology with Stem Cell Transplantation, Hemostaseology and Medical Oncology, Ordensklinikum Linz Elisabethinen, Linz, Austria; Medical Faculty, Johannes Kepler University, Linz, Austria
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23
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Generation of hypoimmunogenic T cells from genetically engineered allogeneic human induced pluripotent stem cells. Nat Biomed Eng 2021; 5:429-440. [PMID: 34002062 DOI: 10.1038/s41551-021-00730-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2019] [Accepted: 04/13/2021] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Avoiding the immune rejection of transplanted T cells is central to the success of allogeneic cancer immunotherapies. One solution to protecting T-cell grafts from immune rejection involves the deletion of allogeneic factors and of factors that activate cytotoxic immune cells. Here we report the generation of hypoimmunogenic cancer-antigen-specific T cells derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) lacking β2-microglobulin, the class-II major histocompatibility complex (MHC) transactivator and the natural killer (NK) cell-ligand poliovirus receptor CD155, and expressing single-chain MHC class-I antigen E. In mouse models of CD20-expressing leukaemia or lymphoma, differentiated T cells expressing a CD20 chimeric antigen receptor largely escaped recognition by NKG2A+ and DNAM-1+ NK cells and by CD8 and CD4 T cells in the allogeneic recipients while maintaining anti-tumour potency. Hypoimmunogenic iPSC-derived T cells may contribute to the creation of off-the-shelf T cell immunotherapies.
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24
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Selection, Expansion, and Unique Pretreatment of Allogeneic Human Natural Killer Cells with Anti-CD38 Monoclonal Antibody for Efficient Multiple Myeloma Treatment. Cells 2021; 10:cells10050967. [PMID: 33919155 PMCID: PMC8143171 DOI: 10.3390/cells10050967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2021] [Revised: 04/12/2021] [Accepted: 04/19/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Cellular immunotherapy is becoming a new pillar in cancer treatment after recent striking results in different clinical trials with chimeric antigen receptor T cells. However, this innovative therapy is not exempt from challenges such as off-tumor toxicity, tumor recurrence in heterogeneous tumors, and affordability. To surpass these limitations, we exploit the unique anti-tumor characteristics of natural killer (NK) cells. In this study, we aimed to obtain a clinically relevant number of allogeneic NK cells derived from peripheral blood (median of 14,050 million cells from a single donor) to target a broad spectrum of solid and liquid tumor types. To boost their anti-tumor activity, we combined allogeneic NK cells with the approved anti-cluster of differentiation 38 (CD-38) monoclonal antibody Daratumumab to obtain a synergistic therapeutic effect against incurable multiple myeloma. The combination therapy was refined with CD16 polymorphism donor selection and uncomplicated novel in vitro pretreatment to avoid undesired fratricide, increasing the in vitro therapeutic effect against the CD-38 positive multiple myeloma cell line by more than 20%. Time-lapse imaging of mice with established human multiple myeloma xenografts revealed that combination therapy of selected and pretreated NK cells with Daratumumab presented tumor volumes 43-fold smaller than control ones. Combination therapy with an allogeneic source of fully functional NK cells could be beneficial in future clinical settings to circumvent monoclonal antibodies' low therapeutic efficiency due to NK cell dysfunctionality in MM patients.
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25
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Mantesso S, Geerts D, Spanholtz J, Kučerová L. Genetic Engineering of Natural Killer Cells for Enhanced Antitumor Function. Front Immunol 2020; 11:607131. [PMID: 33391277 PMCID: PMC7772419 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.607131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2020] [Accepted: 11/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Natural Killer (NK) cells are unique immune cells capable of efficient killing of infected and transformed cells. Indeed, NK cell-based therapies induced response against hematological malignancies in the absence of adverse toxicity in clinical trials. Nevertheless, adoptive NK cell therapies are reported to have exhibited poor outcome against many solid tumors. This can be mainly attributed to limited infiltration of NK cells into solid tumors, downregulation of target antigens on the tumor cells, or suppression by the chemokines and secreted factors present within the tumor microenvironment. Several methods for genetic engineering of NK cells were established and consistently improved over the last decade, leading to the generation of novel NK cell products with enhanced anti-tumor activity and improved tumor homing. New generations of engineered NK cells are developed to better target refractory tumors and/or to overcome inhibitory tumor microenvironment. This review summarizes recent improvements in approaches to NK cell genetic engineering and strategies implemented to enhance NK cell effector functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone Mantesso
- Research and Development, Glycostem Therapeutics, Oss, Netherlands
| | - Dirk Geerts
- Research and Development, Glycostem Therapeutics, Oss, Netherlands
| | - Jan Spanholtz
- Research and Development, Glycostem Therapeutics, Oss, Netherlands
| | - Lucia Kučerová
- Research and Development, Glycostem Therapeutics, Oss, Netherlands
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Genetic Variants of the NKG2C/HLA-E Receptor-Ligand Axis Are Determinants of Progression-Free Survival and Therapy Outcome in Aggressive B-Cell Lymphoma. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:cancers12113429. [PMID: 33218185 PMCID: PMC7699209 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12113429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2020] [Revised: 11/14/2020] [Accepted: 11/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary NKG2C and its ligand HLA-E represent key molecules for NK cell-mediated immune responsiveness. However, the impact of genetic variants in NKG2C and HLA-E on clinical outcomes of aggressive B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma patients (B-NHL) has not been clarified. In this study, we analyzed the distribution of NKG2C deletion status and HLA-E variants in 441 patients and 192 healthy individuals. Homozygous deletion of NKG2C (NKG2C−/−) was more often found in high-risk patients compared to patients with a lower risk and consequently was associated with reduced 2-year progression-free survival. The HLA-E*01:01 allele frequency was increased in B-NHL patients and was strongly related with complete remission. Our results show that absence of NKG2C and HLA-E allelic variations is predictive for B-NHL outcome; while carriers of HLA-E*01:01 are characterized by high, complete remission rates, NKG2C−/− was rare, but associated with poorer outcome. Prospective validation of our results identifies patients that may benefit from risk-adapted therapy. Abstract Aggressive B-cell lymphomas account for the majority of non-Hodgkin lymphomas (B-NHL). NK cells govern the responses to anti-CD20 monoclonal antibodies and have emerged as attractive targets for immunotherapy in subtypes of B-NHL. NKG2C and its cognate ligand HLA-E represent key molecules for fine-tuning of NK cell-mediated immune responses. Here, we investigated the impact of genetic variants of NKG2C and HLA-E on clinical outcomes of 441 B-NHL patients. Homozygous deletion of NKG2C (NKG2C−/−) was three-fold increased in patients compared to 192 healthy controls. Among studied patients, NKG2C−/− was more abundant in International Prognostic Index (IPI) high-risk patients compared to patients with a lower IPI (p = 0.013). Strikingly, NKG2C−/− was associated with a significantly reduced 2-year PFS (progression-free survival) (p = 0.0062) and represented an independent risk factor for 2-year PFS in multivariate analysis (p = 0.005). For HLA-E, the cognate ligand of NKG2C, the HLA-E*01:01 allele frequency was increased in B-NHL patients compared to controls (p = 0.033) and was associated with complete remission in univariate (p = 0.034) and multivariate (p = 0.018) analysis. Our data suggest that NKG2C and HLA-E genotyping is a promising tool for both defining risk groups of aggressive B-NHL and predicting response to immune therapeutic approaches.
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Alfarra H, Weir J, Grieve S, Reiman T. Targeting NK Cell Inhibitory Receptors for Precision Multiple Myeloma Immunotherapy. Front Immunol 2020; 11:575609. [PMID: 33304346 PMCID: PMC7693637 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.575609] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2020] [Accepted: 10/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Innate immune surveillance of cancer involves multiple types of immune cells including the innate lymphoid cells (ILCs). Natural killer (NK) cells are considered the most active ILC subset for tumor elimination because of their ability to target infected and malignant cells without prior sensitization. NK cells are equipped with an array of activating and inhibitory receptors (IRs); hence NK cell activity is controlled by balanced signals between the activating and IRs. Multiple myeloma (MM) is a hematological malignancy that is known for its altered immune landscape. Despite improvements in therapeutic options for MM, this disease remains incurable. An emerging trend to improve clinical outcomes in MM involves harnessing the inherent ability of NK cells to kill malignant cells by recruiting NK cells and enhancing their cytotoxicity toward the malignant MM cells. Following the clinical success of blocking T cell IRs in multiple cancers, targeting NK cell IRs is drawing increasing attention. Relevant NK cell IRs that are attractive candidates for checkpoint blockades include KIRs, NKG2A, LAG-3, TIGIT, PD-1, and TIM-3 receptors. Investigating these NK cell IRs as pathogenic agents and therapeutic targets could lead to promising applications in MM therapy. This review describes the critical role of enhancing NK cell activity in MM and discusses the potential of blocking NK cell IRs as a future MM therapy.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Antineoplastic Agents, Immunological/adverse effects
- Antineoplastic Agents, Immunological/therapeutic use
- Cytotoxicity, Immunologic/drug effects
- Humans
- Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors/adverse effects
- Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors/therapeutic use
- Immunotherapy, Adoptive/adverse effects
- Killer Cells, Natural/drug effects
- Killer Cells, Natural/immunology
- Killer Cells, Natural/metabolism
- Killer Cells, Natural/transplantation
- Molecular Targeted Therapy
- Multiple Myeloma/drug therapy
- Multiple Myeloma/immunology
- Multiple Myeloma/metabolism
- Multiple Myeloma/pathology
- Receptors, Natural Killer Cell/antagonists & inhibitors
- Receptors, Natural Killer Cell/metabolism
- Signal Transduction
- Tumor Escape
- Tumor Microenvironment
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Affiliation(s)
- Helmi Alfarra
- Department of Biology, University of New Brunswick, Saint John, NB, Canada
| | - Jackson Weir
- Department of Biology, University of New Brunswick, Saint John, NB, Canada
| | - Stacy Grieve
- Department of Biology, University of New Brunswick, Saint John, NB, Canada
| | - Tony Reiman
- Department of Biology, University of New Brunswick, Saint John, NB, Canada
- Department of Oncology, Saint John Regional Hospital, Saint John, NB, Canada
- Department of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Saint John, NB, Canada
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28
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Noh JY, Seo H, Lee J, Jung H. Immunotherapy in Hematologic Malignancies: Emerging Therapies and Novel Approaches. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:E8000. [PMID: 33121189 PMCID: PMC7663624 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21218000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2020] [Revised: 10/21/2020] [Accepted: 10/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapy is extensively investigated for almost all types of hematologic tumors, from preleukemic to relapse/refractory malignancies. Due to the emergence of technologies for target cell characterization, antibody design and manufacturing, as well as genome editing, immunotherapies including gene and cell therapies are becoming increasingly elaborate and diversified. Understanding the tumor immune microenvironment of the target disease is critical, as is reducing toxicity. Although there have been many successes and newly FDA-approved immunotherapies for hematologic malignancies, we have learned that insufficient efficacy due to disease relapse following treatment is one of the key obstacles for developing successful therapeutic regimens. Thus, combination therapies are also being explored. In this review, immunotherapies for each type of hematologic malignancy will be introduced, and novel targets that are under investigation will be described.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ji-Yoon Noh
- Immunotherapy Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), 125 Gwahak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34141, Korea;
| | - Huiyun Seo
- Center for Genome Engineering, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), 55 Expo-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34126, Korea;
| | - Jungwoon Lee
- Environmental Disease Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34141, Korea
| | - Haiyoung Jung
- Immunotherapy Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), 125 Gwahak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34141, Korea;
- Department of Functional Genomics, Korea University of Science and Technology (UST), 113 Gwahak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34113, Korea
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29
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Morgan MA, Büning H, Sauer M, Schambach A. Use of Cell and Genome Modification Technologies to Generate Improved "Off-the-Shelf" CAR T and CAR NK Cells. Front Immunol 2020; 11:1965. [PMID: 32903482 PMCID: PMC7438733 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.01965] [Citation(s) in RCA: 92] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2020] [Accepted: 07/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The broad success of adoptive immunotherapy to treat human cancer has resulted in a paradigm shift in modern medicine. Modification of autologous and allogenic immune cells with chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) designed to target specific antigens on tumor cells has led to production of CAR T and CAR NK cell therapies, which are ever more commonly introduced into cancer patient treatment protocols. While allogenic T cells may offer advantages such as improved anti-tumor activity, they also carry the risk of adverse reactions like graft-versus-host disease. This risk can be mitigated by use of autologous immune cells, however, the time needed for T and/or NK cell isolation, modification and expansion may be too long for some patients. Thus, there is an urgent need for strategies to robustly produce “off-the-shelf” CAR T and CAR NK cells, which could be used as a bridging therapy between cancer diagnosis or relapse and allogeneic transplantation. Advances in genome modification technologies have accelerated the generation of designer cell therapy products, including development of “off-the-shelf” CAR T cells for cancer immunotherapy. The feasibility and safety of such approaches is currently tested in clinical trials. This review will describe cell sources for CAR-based therapies, provide background of current genome editing techniques and the applicability of these approaches for generation of universal “off-the-shelf” CAR T and NK cell therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael A Morgan
- Institute of Experimental Hematology, Hannover Medical School, Hanover, Germany.,REBIRTH Research Center for Translational Regenerative Medicine, Hannover Medical School, Hanover, Germany
| | - Hildegard Büning
- Institute of Experimental Hematology, Hannover Medical School, Hanover, Germany.,REBIRTH Research Center for Translational Regenerative Medicine, Hannover Medical School, Hanover, Germany
| | - Martin Sauer
- Department of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology, and Blood Stem Cell Transplantation, Hannover Medical School, Hanover, Germany
| | - Axel Schambach
- Institute of Experimental Hematology, Hannover Medical School, Hanover, Germany.,REBIRTH Research Center for Translational Regenerative Medicine, Hannover Medical School, Hanover, Germany.,Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
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30
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de Miranda BLM, Gelmini GF, Risti M, Hauer V, da Silva JS, Roxo VMMS, Bicalho MDG, Malheiros D. HLA-E genotyping and its relevance in kidney transplantation outcome. HLA 2020; 95:457-464. [PMID: 31950670 DOI: 10.1111/tan.13806] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2019] [Revised: 11/29/2019] [Accepted: 01/14/2020] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
HLA-E, a class I nonclassical HLA molecule, is expressed in all tissues and is involved in the regulation of both innate (by interaction with the CD94/NKG2 receptor expressed mainly in NK cells) and adaptive immunity (by interaction with T CD8+ cells), suggesting a possible role in the solid organ transplantation context. Transplanted patients with chronic kidney disease and their respective donors (N = 107 pairs) were genotyped for exons 2 and 3 of the HLA-E locus by sequence-based typing (SBT). Groups' genotype frequencies were compared regarding episodes of clinical rejection by global G test, and binary logistic regression was made to demonstrate the contribution of genetic variables vs epidemiological variables. Comparisons of donors' genotype frequencies showed significant differences (P = .0230), revealing a protective profile of E*01:01/*01:01 compared to the other genotypes (P = .0099; OR = 0.3088; CI [95%] = 0.1333-0.7157). The same happened when the aforementioned genotype was combined with the E*01:01/*01:01 recipients' genotype (P = .0065; OR = 0.1760; CI [95%] = 0.0517-0.5987). A binary logistic regression analysis was performed, and, of all variables considered, only two were included in the resulting model (P = .007; R2 Cox and Snell = 0.243; R2 Nagelkerke = 0.328)- "End-Stage Renal Disease" and "HLA class II Mismatches." A protective profile (E*01:01/*01:01) was observed between the recipients and donors, suggesting a possible impact of the HLA-E genotype in rejection episodes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruna L M de Miranda
- Laboratório de Imunogenética e Histocompatibilidade do Departamento de Genética da Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR), Curitiba, Brazil
| | - Geórgia F Gelmini
- Laboratório de Imunogenética e Histocompatibilidade do Departamento de Genética da Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR), Curitiba, Brazil
| | - Matilde Risti
- Laboratório de Imunogenética e Histocompatibilidade do Departamento de Genética da Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR), Curitiba, Brazil
| | - Vanessa Hauer
- Laboratório de Imunogenética e Histocompatibilidade do Departamento de Genética da Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR), Curitiba, Brazil
| | - José Samuel da Silva
- Laboratório de Imunogenética e Histocompatibilidade do Departamento de Genética da Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR), Curitiba, Brazil
| | - Valéria M M S Roxo
- Laboratório de Imunogenética e Histocompatibilidade do Departamento de Genética da Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR), Curitiba, Brazil
| | - Maria da Graça Bicalho
- Laboratório de Imunogenética e Histocompatibilidade do Departamento de Genética da Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR), Curitiba, Brazil
| | - Danielle Malheiros
- Laboratório de Genética Molecular Humana do Departamento de Genética da Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil
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31
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Franciosi JR, Gelmini GF, Roxo VS, de Carvalho NS, Bicalho MDG. Is there a role played by HLA-E, if any, in HPV immune evasion? Scand J Immunol 2020; 91:e12850. [PMID: 31733115 DOI: 10.1111/sji.12850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2019] [Revised: 10/19/2019] [Accepted: 11/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Cervical cancer incidence worldwide exceeds half a million new cases per year. The human papillomavirus (HPV) being the major causative agent of CC uses a variety of strategies to evade immune surveillance, where the immune status varies amongst individuals. This immune evasion altered by HPV is reflected in persistent infections, causing the evolution of cervical neoplasia. The role of the immune system in viral recognition and elimination is of extreme relevance in the development of CC. The interactions of the HLA-E ligand in the target cell along with CD94/NKG2 receptors, which are expressed predominantly, but not exclusively, on NK cells' surface, are responsible for activating or inhibiting cytotoxic activity according to their function. The engagement between HLA-E and CD94/NKG2 molecules is one of the fundamental surveillance mechanisms in patients with CIN I, II and III, where HLA-E expression increases significantly, especially in HPV 16 and 18 infections. Higher HLA-E expression was observed in most histopathological types of CC, and at the same time was correlated to best survival of the patient. This review aims to summarize and discuss the immunological role of HLA-E in the context of HPV infection and immune system evasion, and the oncogenic process of cervical cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jackline Rachel Franciosi
- Departamento de Tocoginecologia, Hospital de Clínicas, Universidade Federal do Parana (UFPR), Curitiba, Brazil
| | - Georgia Fernanda Gelmini
- Laboratório de Imunogenética e Histocompatibilidade, Departamento de Genética, Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR), Curitiba, Brazil
| | - Valeria Sperandio Roxo
- Laboratório de Imunogenética e Histocompatibilidade, Departamento de Genética, Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR), Curitiba, Brazil
| | - Newton Sergio de Carvalho
- Departamento de Tocoginecologia, Hospital de Clínicas, Universidade Federal do Parana (UFPR), Curitiba, Brazil
| | - Maria da Graça Bicalho
- Departamento de Tocoginecologia, Hospital de Clínicas, Universidade Federal do Parana (UFPR), Curitiba, Brazil
- Laboratório de Imunogenética e Histocompatibilidade, Departamento de Genética, Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR), Curitiba, Brazil
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32
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Anjitha R, Antony A, Shilpa O, Anupama KP, Mallikarjunaiah S, Gurushankara HP. Malathion induced cancer-linked gene expression in human lymphocytes. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2020; 182:109131. [PMID: 32069766 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2020.109131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2019] [Revised: 01/08/2020] [Accepted: 01/09/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Malathion is the most widely used organophosphate pesticide in agriculture. Increasing cancer incidence in agricultural workers and their children links to the exposure of malathion. Identification of genes involved in the process of carcinogenesis is essential for exploring the role of malathion. The alteration in gene expression by malathion in human lymphocytes has not been explored yet, although hematological malignancies are rampant in humans. OBJECTIVE This study investigates the malathion induced expression of cancer associated genes in human lymphocytes. METHODS Human lymphocyte viability and colony-forming ability were analyzed in malathion treated and control groups. Gene expression profile in control and malathion treated human lymphocytes were performed using a microarray platform. The genes which have significant functions and those involved in different pathways were analyzed using the DAVID database. Differential gene expression upon malathion exposure was validated by quantitative real-time (qRT)-PCR. RESULTS Malathion caused a concentration-dependent reduction in human lymphocyte viability. At low concentration (50 μg/mL) of malathion treatment, human lymphocytes were viable indicating that low concentration of malathion is not cytotoxic and induces the colony formation. Total of 659 genes (15%) were up regulated and 3729 genes (85%) were down regulated in malathion treated human lymphocytes. About 57 cancer associated genes related to the growth and differentiation of B and T cells, immunoglobulin production, haematopoiesis, tumor suppression, oncogenes and signal transduction pathways like MAPK and RAS were induced by malathion. CONCLUSION This study evidences the carcinogenic nature of malathion. Low concentration of this pesticide is not cytotoxic and induces differentially regulated genes in human lymphocytes, which are involved in the initiation, progression, and pathogenesis of cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramakrishnan Anjitha
- Department of Zoology, School of Biological Sciences, Central University of Kerala, Periya, 671 320, Kasaragod, Kerala, India
| | - Anet Antony
- Department of Zoology, School of Biological Sciences, Central University of Kerala, Periya, 671 320, Kasaragod, Kerala, India
| | - Olakkaran Shilpa
- Department of Zoology, School of Biological Sciences, Central University of Kerala, Periya, 671 320, Kasaragod, Kerala, India
| | - Kizhakke P Anupama
- Department of Zoology, School of Biological Sciences, Central University of Kerala, Periya, 671 320, Kasaragod, Kerala, India
| | - Shanthala Mallikarjunaiah
- Center for Applied Genetics, Department of Studies in Zoology, Bangalore University, Jnanabharathi, Bengaluru, 560 056, Karnataka, India
| | - Hunasanahally P Gurushankara
- Department of Zoology, School of Biological Sciences, Central University of Kerala, Periya, 671 320, Kasaragod, Kerala, India.
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van Hall T, André P, Horowitz A, Ruan DF, Borst L, Zerbib R, Narni-Mancinelli E, van der Burg SH, Vivier E. Monalizumab: inhibiting the novel immune checkpoint NKG2A. J Immunother Cancer 2019; 7:263. [PMID: 31623687 PMCID: PMC6798508 DOI: 10.1186/s40425-019-0761-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 166] [Impact Index Per Article: 33.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2019] [Accepted: 09/26/2019] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The implementation of immune checkpoint inhibitors to the oncology clinic signified a new era in cancer treatment. After the first indication of melanoma, an increasing list of additional cancer types are now treated with immune system targeting antibodies to PD-1, PD-L1 and CTLA-4, alleviating inhibition signals on T cells. Recently, we published proof-of-concept results on a novel checkpoint inhibitor, NKG2A. This receptor is expressed on cytotoxic lymphocytes, including NK cells and subsets of activated CD8+ T cells. Blocking antibodies to NKG2A unleashed the reactivity of these effector cells resulting in tumor control in multiple mouse models and an early clinical trial. Monalizumab is inhibiting this checkpoint in human beings and future clinical trials will have to reveal its potency in combination with other cancer treatment options.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized/pharmacology
- Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized/therapeutic use
- Antineoplastic Agents, Immunological/pharmacology
- Antineoplastic Agents, Immunological/therapeutic use
- Disease Models, Animal
- Histocompatibility Antigens Class I/immunology
- Histocompatibility Antigens Class I/metabolism
- Humans
- Killer Cells, Natural/drug effects
- Killer Cells, Natural/immunology
- Killer Cells, Natural/metabolism
- Mice
- NK Cell Lectin-Like Receptor Subfamily C/antagonists & inhibitors
- NK Cell Lectin-Like Receptor Subfamily C/immunology
- NK Cell Lectin-Like Receptor Subfamily C/metabolism
- Neoplasms/drug therapy
- Neoplasms/immunology
- T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic/immunology
- T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic/metabolism
- HLA-E Antigens
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Affiliation(s)
- Thorbald van Hall
- Department of Medical Oncology, Oncode Institute, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333, ZA, Leiden, the Netherlands.
| | - Pascale André
- Innate Pharma Research Labs, Innate Pharma, Marseille, France
| | - Amir Horowitz
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Precision Immunology Institute, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Dan Fu Ruan
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Precision Immunology Institute, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Linda Borst
- Department of Medical Oncology, Oncode Institute, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333, ZA, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Robert Zerbib
- Innate Pharma Research Labs, Innate Pharma, Marseille, France
| | - Emilie Narni-Mancinelli
- Aix Marseille Université, INSERM, CNRS, Centre d'Immunologie de Marseille-Luminy, Marseille, France
| | - Sjoerd H van der Burg
- Department of Medical Oncology, Oncode Institute, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333, ZA, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Eric Vivier
- Innate Pharma Research Labs, Innate Pharma, Marseille, France.
- Aix Marseille Université, INSERM, CNRS, Centre d'Immunologie de Marseille-Luminy, Marseille, France.
- Service d'Immunologie, Marseille Immunopole, Hôpital de la Timone, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Marseille, Marseille, France.
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Toni Ho GG, Heinen F, Stieglitz F, Blasczyk R, Bade-Döding C. Dynamic Interaction between Immune Escape Mechanism and HLA-Ib Regulation. Immunogenetics 2019. [DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.80731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
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35
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Kamiya T, Seow SV, Wong D, Robinson M, Campana D. Blocking expression of inhibitory receptor NKG2A overcomes tumor resistance to NK cells. J Clin Invest 2019; 129:2094-2106. [PMID: 30860984 PMCID: PMC6486333 DOI: 10.1172/jci123955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 220] [Impact Index Per Article: 44.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2018] [Accepted: 02/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
A key mechanism of tumor resistance to immune cells is mediated by expression of peptide-loaded HLA-E in tumor cells, which suppresses natural killer (NK) cell activity via ligation of the NK inhibitory receptor CD94/NKG2A. Gene expression data from approximately 10,000 tumor samples showed widespread HLAE expression, with levels correlating with those of KLRC1 (NKG2A) and KLRD1 (CD94). To bypass HLA-E inhibition, we developed a way to generate highly functional NK cells lacking NKG2A. Constructs containing a single-chain variable fragment derived from an anti-NKG2A antibody were linked to endoplasmic reticulum-retention domains. After retroviral transduction in human peripheral blood NK cells, these NKG2A Protein Expression Blockers (PEBLs) abrogated NKG2A expression. The resulting NKG2Anull NK cells had higher cytotoxicity against HLA-E-expressing tumor cells. Transduction of anti-NKG2A PEBL produced more potent cytotoxicity than interference with an anti-NKG2A antibody and prevented de novo NKG2A expression, without affecting NK cell proliferation. In immunodeficient mice, NKG2Anull NK cells were significantly more powerful than NKG2A+ NK cells against HLA-E-expressing tumors. Thus, NKG2A downregulation evades the HLA-E cancer immune-checkpoint, and increases the anti-tumor activity of NK cell infusions. Because this strategy is easily adaptable to current protocols for clinical-grade immune cell processing, its clinical testing is feasible and warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takahiro Kamiya
- Department of Pediatrics and National University Cancer Institute Singapore, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - See Voon Seow
- Department of Pediatrics and National University Cancer Institute Singapore, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Desmond Wong
- Department of Pediatrics and National University Cancer Institute Singapore, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | | | - Dario Campana
- Department of Pediatrics and National University Cancer Institute Singapore, National University of Singapore, Singapore
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36
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Ravindranath MH, Filippone EJ, Devarajan A, Asgharzadeh S. Enhancing Natural Killer and CD8 + T Cell-Mediated Anticancer Cytotoxicity and Proliferation of CD8 + T Cells with HLA-E Monospecific Monoclonal Antibodies. Monoclon Antib Immunodiagn Immunother 2019; 38:38-59. [PMID: 31009335 PMCID: PMC6634170 DOI: 10.1089/mab.2018.0043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2018] [Accepted: 01/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Cytotoxic NK/CD8+ T cells interact with MHC-I ligands on tumor cells through either activating or inhibiting receptors. One of the inhibitory receptors is CD94/NKG2A. The NK/CD8+ T cell cytotoxic capability is lost when tumor-associated human leukocyte antigen, HLA-E, binds the CD94/NKG2A receptor, resulting in tumor progression and reduced survival. Failure of cancer patients to respond to natural killer (NK) cell therapies could be due to HLA-E overexpression in tumor tissues. Preventing the inhibitory receptor-ligand interaction by either receptor- or ligand-specific monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) is an innovative passive immunotherapeutic strategy for cancer. Since receptors and ligands can be monomeric or homo- or heterodimeric proteins, the efficacy of mAbs may rely on their ability to distinguish monospecific (private) functional epitopes from nonfunctional common (public) epitopes. We developed monospecific anti-HLA-E mAbs (e.g., TFL-033) that recognize only HLA-E-specific epitopes, but not epitopes shared with other HLA class-I loci as occurs with currently available polyreactive anti-HLA-E mAbs. Interestingly the amino acid sequences in the α1 and α2 helices of HLA-E, critical for the recognition of the mAb TFL-033, are strikingly the same sequences recognized by the CD94/NKG2A inhibitory receptors on NK/CD8+ cells. Such monospecific mAbs can block the CD94/NKG2A interaction with HLA-E to restore NK cell and CD8+ anticancer cell cytotoxicity. Furthermore, the HLA-E monospecific mAbs significantly promoted the proliferation of the CD4-/CD8+ T cells. These monospecific mAbs are also invaluable for the specific demonstration of HLA-E on tumor biopsies, potentially indicating those tumors most likely to respond to such therapy. Thus, they can be used to enhance passive immunotherapy once phased preclinical studies and clinical trials are completed. On principle, we postulate that NK cell passive immunotherapy should capitalize on both of these features of monospecific HLA-E mAbs, that is, the specific determination HLA-E expression on a particular tumor and the enhancement of NK cell/CD8+ cytotoxicity if HLA-E positive.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Edward J Filippone
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Asokan Devarajan
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
| | - Shahab Asgharzadeh
- Department of Pediatrics and Pathology, Children's Hospital, Keck School of Medicine, USC, Los Angeles, California
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Zaghi E, Calvi M, Marcenaro E, Mavilio D, Di Vito C. Targeting NKG2A to elucidate natural killer cell ontogenesis and to develop novel immune-therapeutic strategies in cancer therapy. J Leukoc Biol 2019; 105:1243-1251. [PMID: 30645023 DOI: 10.1002/jlb.mr0718-300r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2018] [Revised: 12/14/2018] [Accepted: 12/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Natural Killer (NK) cells are innate immune cells with a primary role in the immune surveillance against non-self-cells. NK cell recognition of "self" relies on the surface expression on autologous cells of MHC class I (MHC-I) molecules. Either the absence or the down-modulation of MHC-I on target cells "license" NK cells to kill threatening tumor-transformed or virally infected cells. This phenomenon is controlled by a limited repertoire of activating and inhibitory NK receptors (aNKRs and iNKRs) that tunes NK cell activation and effector functions. Hence, the calibration of NK cell alloreactivity depends on the ability of iNKRs to bind MHC-I complex and these interactions are key in regulating both NK cell differentiation and effector functions. Indeed, the presence of iNKRs specific for self-MHC haplotypes (i) plays a role in the "licensing/education" process that controls the responsiveness of mature NK cells and prevents their activation against the "self" and (ii) is exploited by tumor cells to escape from NK cell cytotoxicity. Herein, we review our current knowledge on function and clinical application of NKG2A, a C-type lectin iNKR that binds specific haplotypes of human leukocyte antigens early during the NK cell maturation process, thus contributing to modulate the terminal maturation of NK cells as potent effectors against cancers cells. These NKG2A-mediated mechanisms are currently being exploited for developing promising immune-therapeutic strategies to improve the prognosis of solid and blood tumors and to ameliorate the clinical outcome of patients undergone allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation to treat high-risk hematologic malignancies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Zaghi
- Unit of Clinical and Experimental Immunology, Humanitas Clinical and Research Center, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | - Michela Calvi
- Unit of Clinical and Experimental Immunology, Humanitas Clinical and Research Center, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | - Emanuela Marcenaro
- Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale (DI.ME.S.) and Centro di Eccellenza per le Ricerche Biomediche (CEBR), Università degli Studi di Genova, Genova, Italy
| | - Domenico Mavilio
- Unit of Clinical and Experimental Immunology, Humanitas Clinical and Research Center, Rozzano, Milan, Italy.,Department of Medical Biotechnologies and Translational Medicine (BioMeTra), University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Clara Di Vito
- Unit of Clinical and Experimental Immunology, Humanitas Clinical and Research Center, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
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Abstract
In this chapter I describe Tumour Immune Escape mechanisms associated with MHC/HLA class I loss in human and experimental tumours. Different altered HLA class-I phenotypes can be observed that are produced by different molecular mechanisms. Experimental and histological evidences are summarized indicating that at the early stages of tumour development there is an enormous variety of tumour clones with different MHC class I expression patterns. This phase is followed by a strong T cell mediated immune-selection of MHC/HLA class-I negative tumour cells in the primary tumour lesion. This transition period results in a formation of a tumour composed only of HLA-class I negative cells. An updated description of this process observed in a large variety of human tumors is included. In the second section I focus on MHC/HLA class I alterations observed in mouse and human metastases, and describe the generation of different tumor cell clones with altered MHC class I phenotypes, which could be similar or different from the original tumor clone. The biological and immunological relevance of these observations is discussed. Finally, the interesting phenomenon of metastatic dormancy is analyzed in association with a particular MHC class I negative tumor phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federico Garrido
- Departamento de Analisis Clinicos e Inmunologia, Hospital Universitario Virgen de las Nieves, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
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Babay W, Ben Yahia H, Boujelbene N, Zidi N, Laaribi AB, Kacem D, Ben Ghorbel R, Boudabous A, Ouzari HI, Rizzo R, Rebmann V, Mrad K, Zidi I. Clinicopathologic significance of HLA-G and HLA-E molecules in Tunisian patients with ovarian carcinoma. Hum Immunol 2018; 79:463-470. [PMID: 29499226 DOI: 10.1016/j.humimm.2018.02.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2017] [Revised: 02/22/2018] [Accepted: 02/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-G and HLA-E, non classical HLA class I molecules, have been highly implicated in immune tolerance. HLA-G and HLA-E molecules were proposed as putative markers of several advanced cancers. As a step towards a better understanding of ovarian carcinoma, we evaluated the expression of both HLA-G and HLA-E molecules and explored their prognostic implication. METHODS HLA-G and HLA-E expression were studied by immunohistochemistry on ovarian carcinoma tissues. This expression was semi-quantitatively scored into four expression groups and correlated to clinicopathological parameters and patients' survival. RESULTS HLA-G and HLA-E have been found to be highly expressed in ovarian carcinoma tissues (Respectively, 72.4% and 96.8%). They are frequently co-expressed. Univariate and multivariate analysis revealed that a positive HLA-G expression status in tumor tissue is a promising candidate parameter to predict disease recurrence in addition to the disease status in Tunisian patients with ovarian carcinoma. Moreover, the elevated HLA-E expression was associated with serous ovarian carcinoma subtype as well as with advanced stages of ovarian carcinoma. CONCLUSION HLA-G and HLA-E are highly represented in ovarian carcinoma suggesting a potential association with progressive disease mechanism. HLA-G and HLA-E molecules might be new candidates' markers for ovarian carcinoma progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wafa Babay
- Laboratory Microorganisms and Active Biomolecules, Sciences Faculty of Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Hamza Ben Yahia
- Laboratory Microorganisms and Active Biomolecules, Sciences Faculty of Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Nadia Boujelbene
- Laboratory Microorganisms and Active Biomolecules, Sciences Faculty of Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia; Department of Pathology, Salah Azaïz Institute, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Nour Zidi
- Department of Radiotherapy, Salah Azaïz Institute, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Ahmed Baligh Laaribi
- Laboratory Microorganisms and Active Biomolecules, Sciences Faculty of Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Dhikra Kacem
- Department of Pathology, Salah Azaïz Institute, Tunis, Tunisia
| | | | - Abdellatif Boudabous
- Laboratory Microorganisms and Active Biomolecules, Sciences Faculty of Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Hadda-Imene Ouzari
- Laboratory Microorganisms and Active Biomolecules, Sciences Faculty of Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Roberta Rizzo
- Department of Experimental and Diagnostic Medicine, Section Microbiology, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Vera Rebmann
- Institute for Transfusion Medicine, University Hospital Essen, Virchowstr. 179, 45147 Essen, Germany
| | - Karima Mrad
- Laboratory Microorganisms and Active Biomolecules, Sciences Faculty of Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia; Department of Pathology, Salah Azaïz Institute, Tunis, Tunisia
| | - Inès Zidi
- Laboratory Microorganisms and Active Biomolecules, Sciences Faculty of Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia.
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Schürch CM. Therapeutic Antibodies for Myeloid Neoplasms-Current Developments and Future Directions. Front Oncol 2018; 8:152. [PMID: 29868474 PMCID: PMC5968093 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2018.00152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2018] [Accepted: 04/24/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) such as antibody-drug conjugates, ligand-receptor antagonists, immune checkpoint inhibitors and bispecific T cell engagers have shown impressive efficacy in the treatment of multiple human cancers. Numerous therapeutic mAbs that have been developed for myeloid neoplasms, including acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), are currently investigated in clinical trials. Because AML and MDS originate from malignantly transformed hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells-the so-called leukemic stem cells (LSCs) that are highly resistant to most standard drugs-these malignancies frequently relapse and have a high disease-specific mortality. Therefore, combining standard chemotherapy with antileukemic mAbs that specifically target malignant blasts and particularly LSCs or utilizing mAbs that reinforce antileukemic host immunity holds great promise for improving patient outcomes. This review provides an overview of therapeutic mAbs for AML and MDS. Antibody targets, the molecular mechanisms of action, the efficacy in preclinical leukemia models, and the results of clinical trials are discussed. New developments and future studies of therapeutic mAbs in myeloid neoplasms will advance our understanding of the immunobiology of these diseases and enhance current therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian M. Schürch
- Baxter Laboratory for Stem Cell Biology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States
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41
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Vangangelt KMH, van Pelt GW, Engels CC, Putter H, Liefers GJ, Smit VTHBM, Tollenaar RAEM, Kuppen PJK, Mesker WE. Prognostic value of tumor-stroma ratio combined with the immune status of tumors in invasive breast carcinoma. Breast Cancer Res Treat 2018; 168:601-612. [PMID: 29273955 PMCID: PMC5842256 DOI: 10.1007/s10549-017-4617-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2017] [Accepted: 12/07/2017] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Complex interactions occur between cancer cells and cells in the tumor microenvironment. In this study, the prognostic value of the interplay between tumor-stroma ratio (TSR) and the immune status of tumors in breast cancer patients was evaluated. METHODS A cohort of 574 breast cancer patients was analyzed. The percentage of tumor stroma was visually estimated on Hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) stained histological tumor tissue sections. Immunohistochemical staining was performed for classical human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I, HLA-E, HLA-G, markers for regulatory T (Treg) cells, natural killer (NK) cells and cytotoxic T-lymphocytes (CTLs). RESULTS TSR (P < .001) and immune status of tumors (P < .001) were both statistically significant for recurrence free period (RFP) and both independent prognosticators (P < .001) in which tumors with a high stromal content behave more aggressively as well as tumors with a low immune status. Ten years RFP for patients with a stroma-low tumor and high immune status profile was 87% compared to 17% of patients with a stroma-high tumor combined with low immune status profile (P < .001). Classical HLA class I is the most prominent immune marker in the immune status profiles. CONCLUSIONS Determination of TSR is a simple, fast and cheap method. The effect on RFP of TSR when combined with immune status of tumors or expression of classical HLA class I is even stronger. Both are promising for further prediction and achievement of tailored treatment for breast cancer patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- K M H Vangangelt
- Department of Surgery, Leiden University Medical Center, Albinusdreef 2, 2333 ZA, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - G W van Pelt
- Department of Surgery, Leiden University Medical Center, Albinusdreef 2, 2333 ZA, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - C C Engels
- Department of Surgery, Leiden University Medical Center, Albinusdreef 2, 2333 ZA, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - H Putter
- Department of Medical Statistics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - G J Liefers
- Department of Surgery, Leiden University Medical Center, Albinusdreef 2, 2333 ZA, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - V T H B M Smit
- Department of Pathology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - R A E M Tollenaar
- Department of Surgery, Leiden University Medical Center, Albinusdreef 2, 2333 ZA, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - P J K Kuppen
- Department of Surgery, Leiden University Medical Center, Albinusdreef 2, 2333 ZA, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - W E Mesker
- Department of Surgery, Leiden University Medical Center, Albinusdreef 2, 2333 ZA, Leiden, The Netherlands.
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Muta T, Yoshihiro T, Jinnouchi F, Aoki K, Kochi Y, Shima T, Takenaka K, Ogawa R, Akashi K, Oshima K. Expansion of NKG2C-expressing Natural Killer Cells after Umbilical Cord Blood Transplantation in a Patient with Peripheral T-cell Lymphoma with Cytotoxic Molecules. Intern Med 2018; 57:861-866. [PMID: 29269653 PMCID: PMC5891528 DOI: 10.2169/internalmedicine.9437-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
A 64-year-old woman presented with generalized lymphadenopathy and systemic manifestations. The examination of a biopsy specimen revealed peripheral T-cell lymphoma not otherwise specified (PTCL-NOS) expressing cytotoxic molecules. Umbilical cord blood transplantation was successful during a partial remission state after the administration of salvage chemotherapy. The donor-derived large granular lymphocytes started to increase as a result of cytomegalovirus reactivation. The fraction of natural killer (NK) cells expressing the NKG2C molecule accounted for one-third of the total lymphocytes for almost two years. We implicitly indicate the association between the persistence of donor-derived NKG2C+ NK cell-expansion and maintaining a complete remission in similar cases of aggressive PTCL-NOS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tsuyoshi Muta
- Department of Hematology/Oncology, Japan Community Health Care Organization (JCHO) Kyushu Hospital, Japan
| | | | - Fumiaki Jinnouchi
- Department of Hematology/Oncology, Kyushu University Hospital, Japan
| | - Kenichi Aoki
- Department of Hematology/Oncology, Japan Community Health Care Organization (JCHO) Kyushu Hospital, Japan
| | - Yu Kochi
- Department of Hematology/Oncology, Kyushu University Hospital, Japan
| | - Takahiro Shima
- Department of Hematology/Oncology, Kyushu University Hospital, Japan
| | - Katsuto Takenaka
- Department of Hematology/Oncology, Kyushu University Hospital, Japan
| | - Ryosuke Ogawa
- Department of Hematology/Oncology, Japan Community Health Care Organization (JCHO) Kyushu Hospital, Japan
| | - Koichi Akashi
- Department of Hematology/Oncology, Kyushu University Hospital, Japan
| | - Koichi Oshima
- Department of Pathology, Kurume University School of Medicine, Japan
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Wagner B, da Silva Nardi F, Schramm S, Kraemer T, Celik AA, Dürig J, Horn PA, Dührsen U, Nückel H, Rebmann V. HLA-E allelic genotype correlates with HLA-E plasma levels and predicts early progression in chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Cancer 2017; 123:814-823. [PMID: 27859015 DOI: 10.1002/cncr.30427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2016] [Revised: 09/05/2016] [Accepted: 10/03/2016] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Human leukocyte antigen-E (HLA-E) is a nonclassical major histocompatibility complex class I molecule that recently came into sharper focus as a putative marker of advanced tumor stages and disease progression. In solid tumors, increased HLA-E expression as well as elevated soluble HLA-E (sHLA-E) plasma levels are associated with a poor prognosis; however, a role for HLA-E in hematologic malignancies remains to be established. METHODS The authors analyzed HLA-E alleles and sHLA-E levels in a cohort of 110 individuals with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). RESULTS In patients with CLL, levels of sHLA-E increased with advanced disease stage (P = .01) and decreased after therapy (P = .01). Longitudinal follow-up revealed that both HLA-E*01:03 alleles and high levels of sHLA-E were significantly associated with a requirement for early treatment in patients with CLL (P = .027 and P = .023, respectively). In vitro, sHLA-E inhibited degranulation and interferon-γ production by natural killer (NK) cells when cocultivated with tumor cells. Moreover, sHLA-E loaded onto microspheres induced transforming growth factor-β release by NK cells. Multivariate analysis revealed that the presence of at least 1 HLA-E*01:03 allele was an independent predictor of a requirement for early treatment. CONCLUSIONS HLA-E alleles and sHLA-E levels may represent novel biomarkers for early disease progression in patients with CLL. Cancer 2017;123:814-23. © 2016 American Cancer Society.
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MESH Headings
- Aged
- Alleles
- Biomarkers, Tumor/blood
- Disease Progression
- Female
- Genotype
- Histocompatibility Antigens Class I/blood
- Histocompatibility Antigens Class I/genetics
- Humans
- Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell/blood
- Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell/genetics
- Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell/pathology
- Leukocytes/pathology
- Male
- Middle Aged
- Prognosis
- HLA-E Antigens
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Affiliation(s)
- Bettina Wagner
- Institute for Transfusion Medicine, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Fabiola da Silva Nardi
- Institute for Transfusion Medicine, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
- Coordinaton for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES) Foundation, Ministry of Education of Brazil, Brasilia, Brazil
| | - Sabine Schramm
- Institute for Transfusion Medicine, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Thomas Kraemer
- Institute for Transfusion Medicine, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Alexander A Celik
- Institute for Transfusion Medicine, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Jan Dürig
- Department of Hematology, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Peter A Horn
- Institute for Transfusion Medicine, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Ulrich Dührsen
- Department of Hematology, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Holger Nückel
- Department of Hematology, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Vera Rebmann
- Institute for Transfusion Medicine, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
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44
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Vyas M, Müller R, Pogge von Strandmann E. Antigen Loss Variants: Catching Hold of Escaping Foes. Front Immunol 2017; 8:175. [PMID: 28286501 PMCID: PMC5323381 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2017.00175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2017] [Accepted: 02/06/2017] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Since mid-1990s, the field of cancer immunotherapy has seen steady growth and selected immunotherapies are now a routine and preferred therapeutic option of certain malignancies. Both active and passive cancer immunotherapies exploit the fact that tumor cells express specific antigens on the cell surface, thereby mounting an immune response specifically against malignant cells. It is well established that cancer cells typically lose surface antigens following natural or therapy-induced selective pressure and these antigen-loss variants are often the population that causes therapy-resistant relapse. CD19 and CD20 antigen loss in acute lymphocytic leukemia and chronic lymphocytic leukemia, respectively, and lineage switching in leukemia associated with mixed lineage leukemia (MLL) gene rearrangements are well-documented evidences in this regard. Although increasing number of novel immunotherapies are being developed, majority of these do not address the control of antigen loss variants. Here, we review the occurrence of antigen loss variants in leukemia and discuss the therapeutic strategies to tackle the same. We also present an approach of dual-targeting immunoligand effectively retargeting NK cells against antigen loss variants in MLL-associated leukemia. Novel immunotherapies simultaneously targeting more than one tumor antigen certainly hold promise to completely eradicate tumor and prevent therapy-resistant relapses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maulik Vyas
- Experimental Tumor Research, Center for Tumor Biology and Immunology, Clinic for Hematology, Oncology and Immunology, Philipps University , Marburg , Germany
| | - Rolf Müller
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Tumor Research, Center for Tumor Biology and Immunology, Philipps University , Marburg , Germany
| | - Elke Pogge von Strandmann
- Experimental Tumor Research, Center for Tumor Biology and Immunology, Clinic for Hematology, Oncology and Immunology, Philipps University , Marburg , Germany
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Gallegos CE, Michelin S, Dubner D, Carosella ED. Immunomodulation of classical and non-classical HLA molecules by ionizing radiation. Cell Immunol 2016; 303:16-23. [PMID: 27113815 DOI: 10.1016/j.cellimm.2016.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2016] [Revised: 04/13/2016] [Accepted: 04/16/2016] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Radiotherapy has been employed for the treatment of oncological patients for nearly a century, and together with surgery and chemotherapy, radiation oncology constitutes one of the three pillars of cancer therapy. Ionizing radiation has complex effects on neoplastic cells and on tumor microenvironment: beyond its action as a direct cytotoxic agent, tumor irradiation triggers a series of alterations in tumoral cells, which includes the de novo synthesis of particular proteins and the up/down-regulation of cell surface molecules. Additionally, ionizing radiation may induce the release of "danger signals" which may, in turn lead to cellular and molecular responses by the immune system. This immunomodulatory action of ionizing radiation highlights the importance of the combined use (radiotherapy plus immunotherapy) for cancer healing. Major histocompatibility complex antigens (also called Human Leukocyte Antigens, HLA in humans) are one of those molecules whose expression is modulated after irradiation. This review summarizes the modulatory properties of ionizing radiation on the expression of HLA class I (classical and non-classical) and class II molecules, with special emphasis in non-classical HLA-I molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina E Gallegos
- Radiopathology Laboratory, Nuclear Regulatory Authority (ARN), Buenos Aires, Argentina; Instituto de Ciencias Biológicas y Biomédicas del Sur (INBIOSUR), Universidad Nacional del Sur (UNS), CONICET, Toxicology laboratory, Bahía Blanca, Argentina(2).
| | - Severino Michelin
- Radiopathology Laboratory, Nuclear Regulatory Authority (ARN), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Diana Dubner
- Radiopathology Laboratory, Nuclear Regulatory Authority (ARN), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Edgardo D Carosella
- CEA, Institute of Emerging Diseases and Innovative Therapies (iMETI), Research Division in Hematology and Immunology (SRHI), Paris, France; University Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, UMR E-5 Institut Universitaire d'Hematologie, Saint-Louis Hospital, Paris, France
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Cichocki F, Cooley S, Davis Z, DeFor TE, Schlums H, Zhang B, Brunstein CG, Blazar BR, Wagner J, Diamond DJ, Verneris MR, Bryceson YT, Weisdorf DJ, Miller JS. CD56dimCD57+NKG2C+ NK cell expansion is associated with reduced leukemia relapse after reduced intensity HCT. Leukemia 2015; 30:456-63. [PMID: 26416461 PMCID: PMC4740203 DOI: 10.1038/leu.2015.260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 165] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2015] [Revised: 08/16/2015] [Accepted: 09/08/2015] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
We have recently described a specialized subset of human natural killer (NK) cells with a CD56dimCD57+NKG2C+ phenotype that expand specifically in response to cytomegalovirus (CMV) reactivation in hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) recipients and exhibit properties characteristic of adaptive immunity. We hypothesize that these cells mediate relapse protection and improve post-HCT outcomes. In 674 allogeneic HCT recipients, we found that those who reactivated CMV had lower leukemia relapse (26% [17–35%], p=0.05) and superior disease-free survival (DFS) (55% [45–65%] p=0.04) 1 year after reduced intensity conditioning (RIC) compared to CMV seronegative recipients who experienced higher relapse rates (35% [27–43%]) and lower DFS (46% [38–54%]). This protective effect was independent of age and graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) and was not observed in recipients who received myeloablative (MA) regimens. Analysis of the reconstituting NK cells demonstrated that CMV reactivation is associated with both higher frequencies and greater absolute numbers of CD56dimCD57+NKG2C+ NK cells, particularly after RIC HCT. Furthermore, expansion of these cells at 6 months post-transplant independently trended toward a lower 2-year relapse risk. Together, our data suggest that the protective effect of CMV reactivation on post-transplant relapse is in part driven by adaptive NK cell responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Cichocki
- Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - S Cooley
- Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Z Davis
- Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - T E DeFor
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - H Schlums
- Centre for Infectious Medicine, Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - B Zhang
- Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - C G Brunstein
- Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - B R Blazar
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - J Wagner
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - D J Diamond
- Department of Experimental Therapeutics, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Duarte, CA, USA
| | - M R Verneris
- Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Y T Bryceson
- Centre for Infectious Medicine, Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden.,Broeglmann Research Laboratory, Clinical Institute, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - D J Weisdorf
- Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - J S Miller
- Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
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Martín P, Krsnik I, Navarro B, Provencio M, García JF, Bellas C, Vilches C, Gomez-Lozano N. HLA Allele E*01:01 Is Associated with a Reduced Risk of EBV-Related Classical Hodgkin Lymphoma Independently of HLA-A*01/*02. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0135512. [PMID: 26261988 PMCID: PMC4532421 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0135512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2015] [Accepted: 07/22/2015] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND An inefficient immune response against Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection is related to the pathogenesis of a subgroup of classical Hodgkin lymphomas (cHL). Some EBV immune-evasion mechanisms target HLA presentation, including the non-classical HLA-E molecule. HLA-E can be recognized by T cells via the TCR, and it also regulates natural killer (NK) cell signaling through the inhibitory CD94/NKG2A receptor. Some evidences indicate that EBV-infected B-cells promote the proliferation of NK subsets bearing CD94/NKG2A, suggesting a relevant function of these cells in EBV control. Variations in CD94/NKG2A-HLA-E interactions could affect NK cell-mediated immunity and, consequently, play a role in EBV-driven transformation and lymphomagenesis. The two most common HLA-E alleles, E*01:01 and E*01:03, differ by a single amino acid change that modifies the molecule function. We hypothesized that the functional differences in these variants might participate in the pathogenicity of EBV. AIM We studied two series of cHL patients, both with EBV-positive and-negative cases, and a cohort of unrelated controls, to assess the impact of HLA-E variants on EBV-related cHL susceptibility. RESULTS We found that the genotypes with at least one copy of E*01:01 (i.e., E*01:01 homozygous and heterozygous) were underrepresented among cHL patients from both series compared to controls (72.6% and 71.6% vs 83%, p = 0.001). After stratification by EBV status, we found low rates of E*01:01-carriers mainly among EBV-positive cases (67.6%). These reduced frequencies are seen independently of other factors such as age, gender, HLA-A*01 and HLA-A*02, HLA alleles positively and negatively associated with the disease (adjusted OR = 0.4, p = 0.001). Furthermore, alleles from both HLA loci exert a cumulative effect on EBV-associated cHL susceptibility. CONCLUSIONS These results indicate that E*01:01 is a novel protective genetic factor in EBV-associated cHL and support a role for HLA-E recognition on the control of EBV infection and lymphomagenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paloma Martín
- Group of Molecular Pathology, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Puerta de Hierro (IDIPHIM), Majadahonda, Spain
| | - Isabel Krsnik
- Department of Hematology, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Puerta de Hierro (IDIPHIM), Majadahonda, Spain
| | - Belen Navarro
- Department of Hematology, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Puerta de Hierro (IDIPHIM), Majadahonda, Spain
| | - Mariano Provencio
- Department of Oncology, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Puerta de Hierro (IDIPHIM), Majadahonda, Spain
| | - Juan F. García
- Department of Pathology, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Madrid, Spain
| | - Carmen Bellas
- Group of Molecular Pathology, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Puerta de Hierro (IDIPHIM), Majadahonda, Spain
| | - Carlos Vilches
- Group of Immunogenetics and Histocompatibility, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Puerta de Hierro (IDIPHIM), Majadahonda, Spain
| | - Natalia Gomez-Lozano
- Group of Immunity and lymphoproliferative diseases, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Puerta de Hierro (IDIPHIM), Majadahonda, Spain
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Sarkar S, van Gelder M, Noort W, Xu Y, Rouschop KMA, Groen R, Schouten HC, Tilanus MGJ, Germeraad WTV, Martens ACM, Bos GMJ, Wieten L. Optimal selection of natural killer cells to kill myeloma: the role of HLA-E and NKG2A. Cancer Immunol Immunother 2015; 64:951-63. [PMID: 25920521 PMCID: PMC4506464 DOI: 10.1007/s00262-015-1694-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2014] [Accepted: 03/27/2015] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Immunotherapy with allogeneic natural killer (NK) cells offers therapeutic perspectives for multiple myeloma patients. Here, we aimed to refine NK cell therapy by evaluation of the relevance of HLA-class I and HLA-E for NK anti-myeloma reactivity. We show that HLA-class I was strongly expressed on the surface of patient-derived myeloma cells and on myeloma cell lines. HLA-E was highly expressed by primary myeloma cells but only marginally by cell lines. HLA-E(low) expression on U266 cells observed in vitro was strongly upregulated after in vivo (bone marrow) growth in RAG-2(-/-) γc(-/-) mice, suggesting that in vitro HLA-E levels poorly predict the in vivo situation. Concurrent analysis of inhibitory receptors (KIR2DL1, KIR2DL2/3, KIR3DL1 and NKG2A) and NK cell degranulation upon co-culture with myeloma cells revealed that KIR-ligand-mismatched NK cells degranulate more than matched subsets and that HLA-E abrogates degranulation of NKG2A+ subsets. Inhibition by HLA-class I and HLA-E was also observed with IL-2-activated NK cells and at low oxygen levels (0.6 %) mimicking hypoxic bone marrow niches where myeloma cells preferentially reside. Our study demonstrates that NKG2A-negative, KIR-ligand-mismatched NK cells are the most potent subset for clinical application. We envision that infusion of high numbers of this subclass will enhance clinical efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Subhashis Sarkar
- />Division of Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Center+, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Michel van Gelder
- />Division of Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Center+, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Willy Noort
- />Department of Cell Biology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- />Department of Hematology, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Yunping Xu
- />Department of Transplantation Immunology, Tissue Typing Laboratory, Maastricht University Medical Center+, PO box 5800, 6202 AZ Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Kasper M. A. Rouschop
- />Department of Radiation Oncology (Maastro Lab), GROW School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht University Medical Center+, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Richard Groen
- />Department of Cell Biology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- />Department of Hematology, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Harry C. Schouten
- />Division of Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Center+, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Marcel G. J. Tilanus
- />Department of Transplantation Immunology, Tissue Typing Laboratory, Maastricht University Medical Center+, PO box 5800, 6202 AZ Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Wilfred T. V. Germeraad
- />Division of Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Center+, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Anton C. M. Martens
- />Department of Cell Biology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- />Department of Immunology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- />Department of Hematology, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Gerard M. J. Bos
- />Division of Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Center+, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Lotte Wieten
- />Department of Transplantation Immunology, Tissue Typing Laboratory, Maastricht University Medical Center+, PO box 5800, 6202 AZ Maastricht, The Netherlands
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49
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Lauterbach N, Wieten L, Popeijus HE, Voorter CEM, Tilanus MGJ. HLA-E regulates NKG2C+ natural killer cell function through presentation of a restricted peptide repertoire. Hum Immunol 2015; 76:578-86. [PMID: 26382247 DOI: 10.1016/j.humimm.2015.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2015] [Revised: 06/09/2015] [Accepted: 09/10/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
UNLABELLED NK cells interact with the HLA-E molecule via the inhibitory receptor NKG2A and the activating receptor NKG2C. Hence, HLA-E can have a dual role in the immune response. In the present study, we aim to investigate the functional consequences of HLA-E for NKG2A and NKG2C expressing NK cell subsets by using a panel of HLA-E binding peptides derived from CMV, Hsp60 and HLA class I. PBMC derived from healthy subjects were used as targets for isolated NK cells and NK cell activation was examined by analysis of the expression of the degranulation marker CD107a. Peptide induced HLA-E expression inhibited degranulation of NKG2A+ NK cell subsets with almost all peptides, whereas NKG2A- NKG2C+ NK cell responses were enhanced only after incubation with four peptides; 1.3-fold with CMV(I), A80 and B13 and 3.2-fold with HLA-G derived peptide. In addition, the HLA-E:G peptide complex triggered NKG2C receptor internalization, as evidenced by reduction in the percentage of NKG2C+ NK cells when incubated with the peptide, which could be restored by addition of Bafilomycin. IN CONCLUSION in contrast to NKG2A, NKG2C is regulated by HLA-E only when HLA-E is in complex with a restricted peptide repertoire, especially in combination with the HLA-G leader peptide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nina Lauterbach
- Transplantation Immunology, Tissue Typing Laboratory, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Lotte Wieten
- Transplantation Immunology, Tissue Typing Laboratory, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Herman E Popeijus
- NUTRIM School for Nutrition, Toxicology and Metabolism, Department of Human Biology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Christina E M Voorter
- Transplantation Immunology, Tissue Typing Laboratory, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Marcel G J Tilanus
- Transplantation Immunology, Tissue Typing Laboratory, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
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50
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Andersson E, Poschke I, Villabona L, Carlson JW, Lundqvist A, Kiessling R, Seliger B, Masucci GV. Non-classical HLA-class I expression in serous ovarian carcinoma: Correlation with the HLA-genotype, tumor infiltrating immune cells and prognosis. Oncoimmunology 2015; 5:e1052213. [PMID: 26942060 PMCID: PMC4760332 DOI: 10.1080/2162402x.2015.1052213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2015] [Revised: 05/11/2015] [Accepted: 05/12/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
In our previous studies, we have shown that patients with serous ovarian carcinoma in advanced surgical stage disease have a particularly poor prognosis if they carry the HLA-A*02 genotype. This represent a stronger prognostic factor than loss or downregulation of the MHC class I heavy chain (HC) on tumor cells. In this study, we investigated the expression of the non-classical, immune tolerogenic HLA -G and -E on the tumor cells along with the infiltration of immune cells in the tumor microenvironment. FFPE primary tumors from 72 patients with advanced stages of serous adenocarcinoma and metastatic cells present in ascites fluid from 8 additional patients were included in this study. Both expression of HLA-G and aberrant expression of HLA-E were correlated to a significant worse prognosis in patients with HLA-A*02, but not with different HLA genotypes. Focal cell expression of HLA-G correlated to a site-specific downregulation of classical MHC class I HC products and aberrant HLA-E expression, showing a poor survival. HLA-G was more frequently expressed in metastatic cells than in primary tumor lesions and the expression of HLA-G inversely correlated with the frequency of tumor infiltrating immune cells. All these parameters can contribute together to identify and discriminate subpopulations of patients with extremely poor prognosis and can give them the opportunity to receive, and benefit of individually tailored treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emilia Andersson
- Department Oncology-Pathology; Karolinska Institutet; Karolinska University Hospital ; Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Isabel Poschke
- Department Oncology-Pathology; Karolinska Institutet; Karolinska University Hospital; Stockholm, Sweden; Division of Molecular Oncology of Gastrointestinal Tumors; German Cancer Research Center; Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Lisa Villabona
- Department Oncology-Pathology; Karolinska Institutet; Karolinska University Hospital ; Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Joseph W Carlson
- Department Oncology-Pathology; Karolinska Institutet; Karolinska University Hospital ; Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Andreas Lundqvist
- Department Oncology-Pathology; Karolinska Institutet; Karolinska University Hospital ; Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Rolf Kiessling
- Department Oncology-Pathology; Karolinska Institutet; Karolinska University Hospital ; Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Barbara Seliger
- Institute of Medical Immunology; Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg ; Halle/Saale, Germany
| | - Giuseppe V Masucci
- Department Oncology-Pathology; Karolinska Institutet; Karolinska University Hospital ; Stockholm, Sweden
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