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Immunomodulatory Functions of α-GalCer and a Derivative, α-Carba-GalCer. Methods Mol Biol 2023; 2613:1-11. [PMID: 36587066 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2910-9_1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Certain glycolipids have immunomodulatory potential by activating natural killer T (NKT) cells, a unique T cell subset. Invariant NKT (iNKT) cells recognize α-galactosylceramide (α-GalCer) and synthetic derivatives presented by CD1d molecules and secrete large amounts of cytokines that modulate immune functions. Some iNKT cell ligands induce distinct reactions biased toward either Th1 or Th2 immune responses, while others show mixed responses. We describe the methods for activating iNKT cells by the ligands as represented by α-GalCer using in vitro assays, such as cell-free or co-culture with antigen-presenting cells. In addition, α-GalCer/CD1d multimer can be used to specifically detect iNKT cells using flow cytometry. α-GalCer is also utilized to activate systemic iNKT cells in vivo, which leads to the production of high levels of cytokines in sera. Collectively, α-GalCer and its derivatives activate iNKT cells that modulate immune balance, and we need to understand the characteristics of these ligands for developing their utility.
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2
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Li YQ, Yan C, Wang XF, Xian MY, Zou GQ, Gao XF, Luo R, Liu Z. A New iNKT-Cell Agonist-Adjuvanted SARS-CoV-2 Subunit Vaccine Elicits Robust Neutralizing Antibody Responses. ACS Infect Dis 2022; 8:2161-2170. [PMID: 36043698 DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.2c00296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Adjuvants are essential components of vaccines. Invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells are a distinct subset of T cells that function to bridge the innate and adaptive immunities and are capable of mediating strong and rapid responses to a range of diseases, including cancer and infectious disease. An increasing amount of evidence suggests that iNKT cells can help fight viral infection. In particular, iNKT-secreting IL-4 is a key mediator of humoral immunity and has a positive correlation with the levels of neutralizing antibodies. As iNKT cell agonists, αGC glycolipid (α-galactosylceramide, or KRN7000) and its analogues as vaccine adjuvants have begun to provide vaccinologists with a new toolset. Herein we found that a new iNKT-cell agonist αGC-CPOEt elicited a strong cytokine response with increased IL-4 production. Remarkably, after three immunizations, SARS-CoV-2 RBD-Fc adjuvanted by αGC-CPOEt evoked robust neutralizing antibody responses that were about 5.5-fold more than those induced by αGC/RBD-Fc and 25-fold greater than those induced by unadjuvanted RBD-Fc. These findings imply that αGC-CPOEt could be investigated further as a new COVID-19 vaccine adjuvant to prevent current and future infectious disease outbreaks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ya-Qian Li
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, PR China
| | - Cheng Yan
- Key Laboratory of Pesticide & Chemical Biology of Ministry of Education, Hubei International Scientific and Technological Cooperation Base of Pesticide and Green Synthesis, International Joint Research Center for Intelligent Biosensing Technology and Health, College of Chemistry, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, Hubei 430079, PR China
| | - Xi-Feng Wang
- Key Laboratory of Pesticide & Chemical Biology of Ministry of Education, Hubei International Scientific and Technological Cooperation Base of Pesticide and Green Synthesis, International Joint Research Center for Intelligent Biosensing Technology and Health, College of Chemistry, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, Hubei 430079, PR China
| | - Mao-Ying Xian
- Key Laboratory of Pesticide & Chemical Biology of Ministry of Education, Hubei International Scientific and Technological Cooperation Base of Pesticide and Green Synthesis, International Joint Research Center for Intelligent Biosensing Technology and Health, College of Chemistry, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, Hubei 430079, PR China
| | - Guo-Qing Zou
- Key Laboratory of Pesticide & Chemical Biology of Ministry of Education, Hubei International Scientific and Technological Cooperation Base of Pesticide and Green Synthesis, International Joint Research Center for Intelligent Biosensing Technology and Health, College of Chemistry, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, Hubei 430079, PR China
| | - Xiao-Fei Gao
- Jiangxi Key Laboratory for Mass Spectrometry and Instrumentation, East China University of Technology, Nanchang, Jiangxi 330013, PR China
| | - Rui Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, PR China
| | - Zheng Liu
- Key Laboratory of Pesticide & Chemical Biology of Ministry of Education, Hubei International Scientific and Technological Cooperation Base of Pesticide and Green Synthesis, International Joint Research Center for Intelligent Biosensing Technology and Health, College of Chemistry, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, Hubei 430079, PR China
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3
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Romanò C, Clausen MH. Chemical Biology of αGalCer: a Chemist’s Toolbox for the Stimulation of Invariant Natural Killer T (iNKT) Cells. European J Org Chem 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/ejoc.202200246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Cecilia Romanò
- Technical University of Denmark: Danmarks Tekniske Universitet Department of Chemisty Kemitorvet 207 2800 Kgs. Lyngby DENMARK
| | - Mads Hartvig Clausen
- Technical University of Denmark Department of Chemistry Kemitorvet, Building 201 2800 Kgs. Lyngby DENMARK
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4
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iNKT cell agonists as vaccine adjuvants to combat infectious diseases. Carbohydr Res 2022; 513:108527. [DOI: 10.1016/j.carres.2022.108527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2021] [Revised: 02/14/2022] [Accepted: 02/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
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5
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Inuki S, Hirata N, Kashiwabara E, Kishi J, Aiba T, Teratani T, Nakamura W, Kojima Y, Maruyama T, Kanai T, Fujimoto Y. Polar functional group-containing glycolipid CD1d ligands modulate cytokine-biasing responses and prevent experimental colitis. Sci Rep 2020; 10:15766. [PMID: 32978421 PMCID: PMC7519074 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-72280-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2020] [Accepted: 08/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The MHC class I-like molecule CD1d is a nonpolymorphic antigen-presenting glycoprotein, and its ligands include glycolipids, such as α-GalCer. The complexes between CD1d and ligands activate natural killer T cells by T cell receptor recognition, leading to the secretion of various cytokines (IFN-γ, IL-4, IL-17A, etc.). Herein, we report structure-activity relationship studies of α-GalCer derivatives containing various functional groups in their lipid acyl chains. Several derivatives have been identified as potent CD1d ligands displaying higher cytokine induction levels and/or unique cytokine polarization. The studies also indicated that flexibility of the lipid moiety can affect the binding affinity, the total cytokine production level and/or cytokine biasing. Based on our immunological evaluation and investigation of physicochemical properties, we chose bisamide- and Bz amide-containing derivatives 2 and 3, and evaluated their in vivo efficacy in a DSS-induced model of ulcerative colitis. The derivative 3 that exhibits Th2- and Th17-biasing responses, demonstrated significant protective effects against intestinal inflammation in the DSS-induced model, after a single intraperitoneal injection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shinsuke Inuki
- Graduate School of Science and Technology, Keio University, Hiyoshi, Kohoku-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 223-8522, Japan.,Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyoto University, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan
| | - Natsumi Hirata
- Graduate School of Science and Technology, Keio University, Hiyoshi, Kohoku-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 223-8522, Japan
| | - Emi Kashiwabara
- Graduate School of Science and Technology, Keio University, Hiyoshi, Kohoku-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 223-8522, Japan
| | - Junichiro Kishi
- Graduate School of Science and Technology, Keio University, Hiyoshi, Kohoku-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 223-8522, Japan
| | - Toshihiko Aiba
- Graduate School of Science and Technology, Keio University, Hiyoshi, Kohoku-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 223-8522, Japan.,Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, Machikaneyama-cho, Toyonaka, Osaka, 560-0043, Japan
| | - Toshiaki Teratani
- School of Medicine, Keio University, Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 160-8582, Japan
| | - Wataru Nakamura
- Discovery and Research, ONO Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Sakurai, Shimamoto, Mishima, Osaka, 618-8585, Japan
| | - Yoshimi Kojima
- Discovery and Research, ONO Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Sakurai, Shimamoto, Mishima, Osaka, 618-8585, Japan
| | - Toru Maruyama
- Discovery and Research, ONO Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Sakurai, Shimamoto, Mishima, Osaka, 618-8585, Japan
| | - Takanori Kanai
- School of Medicine, Keio University, Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 160-8582, Japan
| | - Yukari Fujimoto
- Graduate School of Science and Technology, Keio University, Hiyoshi, Kohoku-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 223-8522, Japan.
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Abstract
Personalized cancer vaccines (PCVs) are reinvigorating vaccine strategies in cancer immunotherapy. In contrast to adoptive T-cell therapy and checkpoint blockade, the PCV strategy modulates the innate and adaptive immune systems with broader activation to redeploy antitumor immunity with individualized tumor-specific antigens (neoantigens). Following a sequential scheme of tumor biopsy, mutation analysis, and epitope prediction, the administration of neoantigens with synthetic long peptide (SLP) or mRNA formulations dramatically improves the population and activity of antigen-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. Despite the promising prospect of PCVs, there is still great potential for optimizing prevaccination procedures and vaccine potency. In particular, the arduous development of tumor-associated antigen (TAA)-based vaccines provides valuable experience and rational principles for augmenting vaccine potency which is expected to advance PCV through the design of adjuvants, delivery systems, and immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) reversion since current personalized vaccination simply admixes antigens with adjuvants. Considering the broader application of TAA-based vaccine design, these two strategies complement each other and can lead to both personalized and universal therapeutic methods. Chemical strategies provide vast opportunities for (1) exploring novel adjuvants, including synthetic molecules and materials with optimizable activity, (2) constructing efficient and precise delivery systems to avoid systemic diffusion, improve biosafety, target secondary lymphoid organs, and enhance antigen presentation, and (3) combining bioengineering methods to innovate improvements in conventional vaccination, "smartly" re-educate the TME, and modulate antitumor immunity. As chemical strategies have proven versatility, reliability, and universality in the design of T cell- and B cell-based antitumor vaccines, the union of such numerous chemical methods in vaccine construction is expected to provide new vigor and vitality in cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen-Hao Li
- Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry and Chemical Biology (Ministry of Education), Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, 100084 Beijing, China
| | - Yan-Mei Li
- Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry and Chemical Biology (Ministry of Education), Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, 100084 Beijing, China.,Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders, 100069 Beijing, China.,Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, Tsinghua University, 100084 Beijing, China
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Kanamori T, Numata T, Kuwabara S, Ishii Y, Watarai H, Yuasa H. Photo effect on the CD1d-binding ability of azobenzene-attached analogues of α-GalCer. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2020; 30:126960. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2020.126960] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2019] [Revised: 12/28/2019] [Accepted: 01/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
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Kishi J, Inuki S, Kashiwabara E, Suzuki T, Dohmae N, Fujimoto Y. Design and Discovery of Covalent α-GalCer Derivatives as Potent CD1d Ligands. ACS Chem Biol 2020; 15:353-359. [PMID: 31939653 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.9b00700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
CD1d is a nonpolymorphic antigen-presenting protein responsible for the regulation of natural killer T (NKT) cell activation. α-Galactosyl ceramide (α-GalCer, KRN7000) is the representative CD1d ligand that can bind to the CD1d protein. The resulting complex is recognized by the T cell receptors of the NKT cell, inducing various immune responses. Previous structure-activity relationship studies of α-GalCer have revealed that the ability of NKT cells to induce cytokines depends on the ligand structure, and in particular, ligands that form more stable complexes with CD1d display potent activity. We focused on the Cys residue of the large hydrophobic pockets of CD1d (A' pocket) and developed α-GalCer derivatives containing groups that can form covalent bonds. The assay results revealed that these ligands displayed higher levels of cytokine production and Th2 cell-type cytokine polarization response. Furthermore, the LC-MS/MS analysis indicated that the chloroacetylamide-containing ligand was covalently bound to Cys12 of CD1d, which suggests that the enhanced activities result from the formation of a stable CD1d-ligand complex. To our knowledge, this is the first ligand that allows covalent bond formation to CD1d under physiological conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junichiro Kishi
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Keio University, 3-14-1 Hiyoshi, Yokohama, Kanagawa 223-8522, Japan
| | - Shinsuke Inuki
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Keio University, 3-14-1 Hiyoshi, Yokohama, Kanagawa 223-8522, Japan
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyoto University, 46-29 Yoshida-Shimo-Adachi-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
| | - Emi Kashiwabara
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Keio University, 3-14-1 Hiyoshi, Yokohama, Kanagawa 223-8522, Japan
| | - Takehiro Suzuki
- Biomolecular Characterization Unit, RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, 2-1, Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama 351-0198 Japan
| | - Naoshi Dohmae
- Biomolecular Characterization Unit, RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, 2-1, Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama 351-0198 Japan
| | - Yukari Fujimoto
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Keio University, 3-14-1 Hiyoshi, Yokohama, Kanagawa 223-8522, Japan
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9
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Ma W, Bi J, Zhao C, Zhang Z, Liu T, Zhang G. Synthesis and biological activities of amino acids functionalized α-GalCer analogues. Bioorg Med Chem 2020; 28:115141. [PMID: 31786009 DOI: 10.1016/j.bmc.2019.115141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2019] [Revised: 09/20/2019] [Accepted: 09/23/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Invariant natural killer T-cells (iNKT-cells) are promising targets for manipulating the immune system, which can rapidly release a large amount of Th1 and Th2 cytokines upon the engagement of their T cell receptor with glycolipid antigens presented by CD1d. In this paper, we wish to report a novel series of α-GalCer analogues which were synthesized by incorporation of l-amino acid methyl esters in the C-6' position of glycolipid. The evaluation of these synthetic analogues for their capacities to stimulate iNKT-cells into producing Th1 and Th2 cytokines both in vitro and in vivo indicated that they were potent CD1d ligands and could stimulate murine spleen cells into a higher release of the Th1 cytokine IFN-γ in vitro. In vivo, Gly-α-GalCer (1) and Lys-α-GalCer (3) showed more Th1-biased responses than α-GalCer, especially analogue 3 showed the highest selectivity for IFN-γ production (IFN-γ/IL-4 = 5.32) compared with α-GalCer (IFN-γ/IL-4 = 2.5) in vivo. These novel α-GalCer analogues might be used as efficient X-ray crystallographic probes to reveal the relationship between glycolipids and CD1d proteins in α-GalCer/CD1d complexes and pave the way for developing new potent immunostimulating agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weiwei Ma
- Key Laboratory of Green Chemical Media and Reactions, Ministry of Education, Collaborative Innovation Center of Henan Province for Green Manufacturing of Fine Chemicals, Henan Key Laboratory of Organic Functional Molecule and Drug Innovation, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, Henan 453007, China
| | - Jingjing Bi
- Key Laboratory of Green Chemical Media and Reactions, Ministry of Education, Collaborative Innovation Center of Henan Province for Green Manufacturing of Fine Chemicals, Henan Key Laboratory of Organic Functional Molecule and Drug Innovation, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, Henan 453007, China.
| | - Chuanfang Zhao
- School of Chemical Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Zhiguo Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Green Chemical Media and Reactions, Ministry of Education, Collaborative Innovation Center of Henan Province for Green Manufacturing of Fine Chemicals, Henan Key Laboratory of Organic Functional Molecule and Drug Innovation, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, Henan 453007, China
| | - Tongxin Liu
- Key Laboratory of Green Chemical Media and Reactions, Ministry of Education, Collaborative Innovation Center of Henan Province for Green Manufacturing of Fine Chemicals, Henan Key Laboratory of Organic Functional Molecule and Drug Innovation, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, Henan 453007, China
| | - Guisheng Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Green Chemical Media and Reactions, Ministry of Education, Collaborative Innovation Center of Henan Province for Green Manufacturing of Fine Chemicals, Henan Key Laboratory of Organic Functional Molecule and Drug Innovation, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, Henan 453007, China.
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10
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Wang J, Guillaume J, Janssens J, Remesh SG, Ying G, Bitra A, Van Calenbergh S, Zajonc DM. A molecular switch in mouse CD1d modulates natural killer T cell activation by α-galactosylsphingamides. J Biol Chem 2019; 294:14345-14356. [PMID: 31391251 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra119.009963] [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: 06/26/2019] [Revised: 07/31/2019] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Type I natural killer T (NKT) cells are a population of innate like T lymphocytes that rapidly respond to α-GalCer presented by CD1d via the production of both pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines. While developing novel α-GalCer analogs that were meant to be utilized as potential adjuvants because of their production of pro-inflammatory cytokines (Th1 skewers), we generated α-galactosylsphingamides (αGSA). Surprisingly, αGSAs are not potent antigens in vivo despite their strong T-cell receptor (TCR)-binding affinities. Here, using surface plasmon resonance (SPR), antigen presentation assays, and X-ray crystallography (yielding crystal structures of 19 different binary (CD1d-glycolipid) or ternary (CD1d-glycolipid-TCR) complexes at resolutions between 1.67 and 2.85 Å), we characterized the biochemical and structural details of αGSA recognition by murine NKT cells. We identified a molecular switch within murine (m)CD1d that modulates NKT cell activation by αGSAs. We found that the molecular switch involves a hydrogen bond interaction between Tyr-73 of mCD1d and the amide group oxygen of αGSAs. We further established that the length of the acyl chain controls the positioning of the amide group with respect to the molecular switch and works synergistically with Tyr-73 to control NKT cell activity. In conclusion, our findings reveal important mechanistic insights into the presentation and recognition of glycolipids with polar moieties in an otherwise apolar milieu. These observations may inform the development αGSAs as specific NKT cell antagonists to modulate immune responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Wang
- Division of Immune Regulation, La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI), La Jolla, California 92037
| | - Joren Guillaume
- Laboratory for Medicinal Chemistry (FFW), Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Jonas Janssens
- Laboratory for Medicinal Chemistry (FFW), Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Soumya G Remesh
- Division of Immune Regulation, La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI), La Jolla, California 92037
| | - Ge Ying
- Division of Immune Regulation, La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI), La Jolla, California 92037
| | - Aruna Bitra
- Division of Immune Regulation, La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI), La Jolla, California 92037
| | - Serge Van Calenbergh
- Laboratory for Medicinal Chemistry (FFW), Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Dirk M Zajonc
- Division of Immune Regulation, La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI), La Jolla, California 92037 .,Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
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