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Korell F, Olson ML, Salas-Benito D, Leick MB, Larson RC, Bouffard A, Silva H, Gasparetto A, Berger TR, Kann MC, Mergen M, Kienka T, Wehrli M, Haradhvala NJ, Bailey SR, Letai A, Maus MV. Comparative analysis of Bcl-2 family protein overexpression in CAR T cells alone and in combination with BH3 mimetics. Sci Transl Med 2024; 16:eadk7640. [PMID: 38838132 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.adk7640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2023] [Accepted: 05/07/2024] [Indexed: 06/07/2024]
Abstract
Approximately 50% of patients with hematologic malignancies relapse after chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell treatment; mechanisms of failure include loss of CAR T persistence and tumor resistance to apoptosis. We hypothesized that both of these challenges could potentially be overcome by overexpressing one or more of the Bcl-2 family proteins in CAR T cells to reduce their susceptibility to apoptosis, both alone and in the presence of BH3 mimetics, which can be used to activate apoptotic machinery in malignant cells. We comprehensively investigated overexpression of different Bcl-2 family proteins in CAR T cells with different signaling domains as well as in different tumor types. We found that Bcl-xL and Bcl-2 overexpression in CAR T cells bearing a 4-1BB costimulatory domain resulted in increased expansion and antitumor activity, reduced exhaustion, and decreased apoptotic priming. In addition, CAR T cells expressing either Bcl-xL or a venetoclax-resistant Bcl-2 variant led to enhanced antitumor efficacy and survival in murine xenograft models of lymphoma and leukemia in the presence or absence of the BH3 mimetic venetoclax, a clinically approved BH3 mimetic. In this setting, Bcl-xL overexpression had stronger effects than overexpression of Bcl-2 or the Bcl-2(G101V) variant. These findings suggest that CAR T cells could be optimally engineered by overexpressing Bcl-xL to enhance their persistence while opening a therapeutic window for combination with BH3 mimetics to prime tumors for apoptosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felix Korell
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Broad Institute of Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Michael L Olson
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Diego Salas-Benito
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Mark B Leick
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Rebecca C Larson
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Broad Institute of Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Amanda Bouffard
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Harrison Silva
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Alessandro Gasparetto
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Trisha R Berger
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Michael C Kann
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Markus Mergen
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Tamina Kienka
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Broad Institute of Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Marc Wehrli
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Nicholas J Haradhvala
- Broad Institute of Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Stefanie R Bailey
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Anthony Letai
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Marcela V Maus
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Broad Institute of Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
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Liccardo F, Śniegocka M, Tito C, Iaiza A, Ottone T, Divona M, Travaglini S, Mattei M, Cicconi R, Miglietta S, Familiari G, Nottola SA, Petrozza V, Tamagnone L, Voso MT, Masciarelli S, Fazi F. Retinoic acid and proteotoxic stress induce AML cell death overcoming stromal cell protection. J Exp Clin Cancer Res 2023; 42:223. [PMID: 37653435 PMCID: PMC10469880 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-023-02793-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2023] [Accepted: 08/10/2023] [Indexed: 09/02/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients bearing the ITD mutation in the tyrosine kinase receptor FLT3 (FLT3-ITD) present a poor prognosis and a high risk of relapse. FLT3-ITD is retained in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and generates intrinsic proteotoxic stress. We devised a strategy based on proteotoxic stress, generated by the combination of low doses of the differentiating agent retinoic acid (R), the proteasome inhibitor bortezomib (B), and the oxidative stress inducer arsenic trioxide (A). METHODS We treated FLT3-ITD+ AML cells with low doses of the aforementioned drugs, used alone or in combinations and we investigated the induction of ER and oxidative stress. We then performed the same experiments in an in vitro co-culture system of FLT3-ITD+ AML cells and bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) to assess the protective role of the niche on AML blasts. Eventually, we tested the combination of drugs in an orthotopic murine model of human AML. RESULTS The combination RBA exerts strong cytotoxic activity on FLT3-ITD+ AML cell lines and primary blasts isolated from patients, due to ER homeostasis imbalance and generation of oxidative stress. AML cells become completely resistant to the combination RBA when treated in co-culture with BMSCs. Nonetheless, we could overcome such protective effects by using high doses of ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) as an adjuvant. Importantly, the combination RBA plus ascorbic acid significantly prolongs the life span of a murine model of human FLT3-ITD+ AML without toxic effects. Furthermore, we show for the first time that the cross-talk between AML and BMSCs upon treatment involves disruption of the actin cytoskeleton and the actin cap, increased thickness of the nuclei, and relocalization of the transcriptional co-regulator YAP in the cytosol of the BMSCs. CONCLUSIONS Our findings strengthen our previous work indicating induction of proteotoxic stress as a possible strategy in FLT3-ITD+ AML therapy and open to the possibility of identifying new therapeutic targets in the crosstalk between AML and BMSCs, involving mechanotransduction and YAP signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Liccardo
- Department of Anatomical, Histological, Forensic Medicine and Orthopedic Sciences, Section of Histology and Medical Embryology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Martyna Śniegocka
- Department of Anatomical, Histological, Forensic Medicine and Orthopedic Sciences, Section of Histology and Medical Embryology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Claudia Tito
- Department of Anatomical, Histological, Forensic Medicine and Orthopedic Sciences, Section of Histology and Medical Embryology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Alessia Iaiza
- Department of Anatomical, Histological, Forensic Medicine and Orthopedic Sciences, Section of Histology and Medical Embryology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Tiziana Ottone
- Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, University of Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
- Santa Lucia Foundation, I.R.C.C.S., Neuro-Oncohematology, Rome, Italy
| | - Mariadomenica Divona
- Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, University of Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
| | - Serena Travaglini
- Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, University of Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
| | - Maurizio Mattei
- Department of Biology, University of Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
- Centro Interdipartimentale-CIMETA, University of Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
| | - Rosella Cicconi
- Centro Interdipartimentale-CIMETA, University of Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
| | - Selenia Miglietta
- Department of Anatomical, Histological, Forensic Medicine and Orthopedics Sciences, Section of Human Anatomy, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Familiari
- Department of Anatomical, Histological, Forensic Medicine and Orthopedics Sciences, Section of Human Anatomy, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Stefania Annarita Nottola
- Department of Anatomical, Histological, Forensic Medicine and Orthopedics Sciences, Section of Human Anatomy, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Petrozza
- Department of Medico-Surgical Sciences & Biotechnologies, Center for Biophotonics, Sapienza University of Rome, Latina, Italy
| | - Luca Tamagnone
- Department of Life Sciences and Public Health, Histology and Embryology Unit, Catholic University of the Sacred Hearth, Rome, Italy
- Fondazione Policlinico Universitario "A. Gemelli", IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Maria Teresa Voso
- Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, University of Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
- Santa Lucia Foundation, I.R.C.C.S., Neuro-Oncohematology, Rome, Italy
| | - Silvia Masciarelli
- Department of Anatomical, Histological, Forensic Medicine and Orthopedic Sciences, Section of Histology and Medical Embryology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
| | - Francesco Fazi
- Department of Anatomical, Histological, Forensic Medicine and Orthopedic Sciences, Section of Histology and Medical Embryology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
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Munoz JL, Wang Y, Jain P, Wang M. BTK Inhibitors and CAR T-Cell Therapy in Treating Mantle Cell Lymphoma-Finding a Dancing Partner. Curr Oncol Rep 2022; 24:1299-1311. [PMID: 35596920 PMCID: PMC9474429 DOI: 10.1007/s11912-022-01286-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW This review focuses on the feasibility of combining Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitors (BTKis) with chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy in patients with relapsed or refractory (R/R) mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). Potential scenarios for combination treatment with these agents are presented. RECENT FINDINGS BTKis and CAR T-cell therapy have revolutionized the treatment paradigm for R/R MCL. Ibrutinib, acalabrutinib, and zanubrutinib are covalent irreversible BTKis approved for R/R MCL. Brexucabtagene autoleucel was the first CAR T-cell therapy approved for R/R MCL based on findings from the ZUMA-2 trial. There is evidence to suggest that combination treatment with BTKis and CAR T-cell therapy may improve CAR T-cell efficacy. As BTKis and CAR T-cell therapy become mainstays in R/R MCL therapy, combination treatment strategies should be evaluated for their potential benefit in R/R MCL.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Preetesh Jain
- Department of Lymphoma-Myeloma, Division of Cancer Medicine, MD Anderson Cancer Center, University of Texas, Houston, TX, USA.
| | - Michael Wang
- Department of Lymphoma-Myeloma, Division of Cancer Medicine, MD Anderson Cancer Center, University of Texas, Houston, TX, USA
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