Critical residue combinations dictate peptide presentation by MHC class II molecules

A Single L/D-Substitution at Q4 of the mInsA2-10 Epitope Prevents Type 1 Diabetes in Humanized NOD Mice

Autoreactive CD8⁺ T cells play an indispensable key role in the destruction of pancreatic islet β-cells and the initiation of type 1 diabetes (T1D). Insulin is an essential β-cell autoantigen in T1D. An HLA-A*0201-restricted epitope of insulin A chain (mInsA_2-10) is an immunodominant ligand for autoreactive CD8⁺ T cells in NOD.β2m^null .HHD mice. Altered peptide ligands (APLs) carrying amino acid substitutions at T cell receptor (TCR) contact positions within an epitope are potential to modulate autoimmune responses via triggering altered TCR signaling. Here, we used a molecular simulation strategy to guide the generation of APL candidates by substitution of L-amino acids with D-amino acids at potential TCR contact residues (positions 4 and 6) of mInsA_2-10, named mInsA_2-10DQ4 and mInsA_2-10DC6, respectively. We found that administration of mInsA_2-10DQ4, but not DC6, significantly suppressed the development of T1D in NOD.β2m^null .HHD mice. Mechanistically, treatment with mInsA_2-10DQ4 not only notably eliminated mInsA_2-10 autoreactive CD8⁺ T cell responses but also prevented the infiltration of CD4⁺ T and CD8⁺ T cells, as well as the inflammatory responses in the pancreas of NOD.β2m^null.HHD mice. This study provides a new strategy for the development of APL vaccines for T1D prevention.

Immunotherapy of cancer by active vaccination: does allogeneic bone marrow transplantation after non-myeloablative conditioning provide a new option?

The critical role of antigen-specific T cells in cancer immunotherapy has been amply demonstrated in many model systems. Though success of clinical trials still remains far behind expectation, the continuous improvement in our understanding of the biology of the immune response will provide the basis of optimized cancer vaccines and allow for new modalities of cancer treatment. This review focuses on the current status of active therapeutic vaccination and future prospects. The latter will mainly be concerned with allogeneic bone marrow cell transplantation after non-myeloablative conditioning, because it is my belief that this approach could provide a major breakthrough in cancer immunotherapy. Concerning active vaccination protocols the following aspects will be addressed: i) the targets of immunotherapeutic approaches; ii) the response elements needed for raising a therapeutically successful immune reaction; iii) ways to achieve an optimal confrontation of the immune system with the tumor and iv) supportive regimen of immunomodulation. Hazards which one is most frequently confronted with in trials to attack tumors with the inherent weapon of immune defense will only be briefly mentioned. Many question remain to be answered in the field of allogeneic bone marrow transplantation after non-myeloablative conditioning to optimize the therapeutic setting for this likely very powerful tool of cancer therapy. Current considerations to improve engraftment and to reduce graft versus host disease while strengthening graft versus tumor reactivity will be briefly reviewed. Finally, I will discuss whether tumor-reactive T cells can be "naturally" maintained during the process of T cell maturation in the allogeneic host. Provided this hypothesis can be substantiated, a T cell vaccine will meet a pool of virgin T cells in the allogeneically reconstituted host, which are tolerant towards the host, but not anergised towards tumor antigens presented by MHC molecules of the host.

Specific immunotherapy of cancer in elderly patients

The concept of immunotherapy of cancer is more than a century old, but only recently have molecularly defined therapeutic approaches been developed. In this review, we focus on the most promising approach, active therapeutic vaccination. The identification of tumour antigens can now be accelerated by methods allowing the amplification of gene products selectively or preferentially transcribed in the tumour. However, determining the potential immunogenicity of such gene products remains a demanding task, since major histocompatibility complex (MHC) restriction of T cells implies that for any newly defined antigen, immunogenicity will have to be defined for any individual MHC haplotype. Tumour-derived peptides eluted from MHC molecules of tumour tissue are also a promising source of antigen. Tumour antigens are mostly of weak immunogenicity, because the vast majority are tumour-associated differentiation antigens already 'seen' by the patient's immune system. Effective therapeutic vaccination will thus require adjuvant support, possibly by new approaches to immunomodulation such as bispecific antibodies or antibody-cytokine fusion proteins. Tumour-specific antigens, which could be a more potent target for immunotherapy, mostly arise by point mutations and have the disadvantage of being not only tumour-specific, but also individual-specific. Therapeutic vaccination will probably focus on defined antigens offered as protein, peptide or nucleic acid. Irrespective of the form in which the antigen is applied, emphasis will be given to the activation of dendritic cells as professional antigen presenters. Dendritic cells may be loaded in vitro with antigen, or, alternatively, initiation of an immune response may be approached in vivo by vaccination with RNA or DNA, given as such or packed into attenuated bacteria. The importance of activation of T helper cells has only recently been taken into account in cancer vaccination. Activation of cytotoxic T cells is facilitated by the provision of T helper cell-derived cytokines. T helper cell-dependent recruitment of elements of non-adaptive defence, such as leucocytes, natural killer cells and monocytes, is of particular importance when the tumour has lost MHC class I expression. Barriers to successful therapeutic vaccination include: (i) the escape mechanisms developed by tumour cells in response to immune attack; (ii) tolerance or anergy of the evoked immune response; (iii) the theoretical possibility of provoking an autoimmune reaction by vaccination against tumour-associated antigens; and (iv) the advanced age of many patients, implying reduced responsiveness of the senescent immune system.

Conformational restriction of the Tyr53 side-chain in the decapeptide HE

A series of conformationally restricted analogs of the hen egg lysozyme (HEL) decapeptide 52-61 in which the conformationally flexible Tyr53 residue was replaced by several more constrained tyrosine and phenylalanine analogs was prepared. Among these tyrosine and phenylalanine analogs were 1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-7-hydroxyisoquinoline-3-carboxylic acid (Htc), 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline-3-carboxylic acid (Tic), 4-amino- 1,2,4,5-tetrahydro-8-hydroxy-2-benzazepine-3-one (Hba), 4-amino-1,2,4,5-tetrahydro-2-benzazepine-3-one (Aba), 2-amino-6-hydroxytetralin-2-carboxylic acid (Hat) and 2-amino-5-hydroxyindan-2-carboxylic acid (Hai) in which the rotations around Calpha-Cbeta and Cbeta-Cgamma were restricted because of cyclization of the side-chain to the backbone. Synthesis of Pht-Hba-Gly-OH using a modification of the Flynn and de Laszlo procedure is described. Analogs of beta-methyltyrosine (beta-MeTyr) in which the side-chains were biased to particular side-chain torsional angles because of substitution at the beta-hydrogens were also prepared. These analogs of HEL[52-61] peptide were tested for their ability to bind to the major histocompatibility complex class II I-Ak molecule and to be recognized in this context by two T-cell hybridomas, specific for the parent peptide HEL[52-61]. The data showed that the conformation and also the configuration of the Tyr53 residue influenced both the binding of the peptide to I-Ak and the recognition of the peptide/I-Ak complex by a T-cell receptor.

Efficient synthesis of (S)-4-phthalimido-1,3,4,5-tetrahydro-8-(2,6-dichlorobenzyloxy)- 3-oxo-2H-2-benzazepin-2-acetic acid (PHt-Hba(2,6-Cl2-Bn)-Gly-OH)

4-Amino-2-benzazepin-3-ones have proven very useful for studying the biologically active conformations of peptides. The synthesis of Pht-Aba-Xaa-OH by reaction of the corresponding 1,3-oxazolidin-5-one with trifluoromethanesulfonic acid (TFMSA) has been reported in the literature. However, when this procedure was applied to the preparation of Pht-Hba(Bn)-Gly-OH 8, many byproducts were formed and the yield of the desired aminobenzazepinones 7 and 8 was very low. We report in this paper an efficient methodology for the synthesis of Pht-Hba(2,6-Cl2-Bn)-Gly-OH 17 starting from the commercially available tyrosine. In our procedure, the dipeptide Pht-Tyr(2,6-Cl2-Bn)-Gly-OH 15 is converted to the 1,3-oxazolidin-5-one 16 which then undergoes Friedel-Crafts cyclization in the presence of tin tetrachloride to afford the desired 4-phthalimido-1,3,4,5-tetrahydro-8-(2,6-dichlorobenzyloxy)-2-be nzazepin-3-one 17 in excellent yield.

Cancer therapy: new concepts on active immunization

There is increasing evidence that tumors express putative target molecules for a therapeutic immune reaction. Yet, tumor cells lack the prerequisites for appropriate antigen presentation and--hence--the immune system does not respond. This difficulty can probably be circumvented when tumor antigens are processed by conventional antigen presenting cells. Thus, the identification of immunogenic tumor-associated antigens may allow new modes of vaccination with the hope of adding a fourth and hopefully powerful weapon to surgery, radiation and chemotherapy in the fight against cancer.

From peptides to peptidomimetics: design of nonpeptide ligands for major histocompatibility proteins

The ever increasing data available on antigen presentation by class I or class II histocompatibility proteins have made these glycoproteins highly interesting pharmaceutical targets for either vaccination or immunosuppressive therapy of autoimmune diseases and cancers. Herewith, we review the design and biological properties of the very first nonpeptide ligands of major histocompatibility proteins as well as their potential application in vaccination, Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) blockade or T cell receptor antagonism.

An accessory peptide binding site with allosteric effect on the formation of peptide-MHC-II complexes?

MHC-II molecules bind a single peptide in their groove. Here, the authors summarise evidence that a second peptide could bind transiently to MHC-II molecules outside the groove and have an allosteric effect on peptide-MHC-II complex formation. This effect could modulate, after the antigen processing, the selection of the peptide subset presented by MHC-II molecules to the helper CD4 T cells, which regulate the specific immune response.

Probing immunogenicity of a T cell epitope by L-alanine and D-amino acid scanning

All residues of the I-Ed restricted fragment 24-36 of a snake toxin were individually changed into L-alanine and the corresponding D-enantiomer. Four analogs substituted with L-Ala at positions 25;30, 31 and 33, and nine analogs substituted with a D-residue along the stretch 25-33 lost most (position 28) or all their capacity to stimulate a toxin-specific T hybridoma. None of these analogs stimulated splenocytes from mice immunized with the peptide 24-36. Only the L-A31 and D-W29 modified analogs could prime a T cell response which, however, showed no cross-reactivity with the native peptide, demonstrating that T cell response selectivity can be deeply modified by mutation or configuration inversion of a single residue. Our data suggest that (i) the region 25-33 is the core of the T epitope that binds to I-Ed, and (ii) Y25 R30 and R33 contribute to the peptide binding by anchoring into pockets of I-Ed. In agreement with T cell priming observations, only the L-A31 and D-W29 modified analogs elicited strong antibody responses, just like the peptide 24-36, whereas nearly all other analogs were less immunogenic. All but the L-Ala30 and L-Ala33 modified analogs were recognized by a 24-36 specific antiserum as well as the native peptide. Altogether, our results show that substitution by D-amino acid in a peptide could be particularly well-suited for either minimizing the risk of hypersensitivity or designing peptidic vaccines.