1
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Klebansky B, Backer M, Gorbatyuk V, Vinogradova O, Backer J. In Search of Better Peptide-(Derived from PD-L2)-Based Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors. Biomolecules 2024; 14:597. [PMID: 38786004 PMCID: PMC11118832 DOI: 10.3390/biom14050597] [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: 04/11/2024] [Revised: 05/10/2024] [Accepted: 05/16/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Current anti-cancer immune checkpoint therapy relies on antibodies that primarily target the PD-1/PD-L1(-L2) negative regulatory pathway. Although very successful in some cases for certain cancers, these antibodies do not help most patients who, presumably, should benefit from this type of therapy. Therefore, an unmet clinical need for novel, more effective drugs targeting immune checkpoints remains. We have developed a series of high-potency peptide inhibitors interfering with PD-1/PD-L1(-L2) protein-protein interaction. Our best peptide inhibitors are 12 and 14 amino acids long and show sub-micromolar IC50 inhibitory activity in the in vitro assay. The positioning of the peptides within the PD-1 binding site is explored by extensive modeling. It is further supported by 2D NMR studies of PD-1/peptide complexes. These results reflect substantial progress in the development of immune checkpoint inhibitors using peptidomimetics.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Marina Backer
- SibTech Inc., 115A Commerce Drive, Brookfield, CT 06804, USA
| | - Vitaliy Gorbatyuk
- Center for Open Research Resources & Equipment, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269-3060, USA
| | - Olga Vinogradova
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269-3092, USA
| | - Joseph Backer
- SibTech Inc., 115A Commerce Drive, Brookfield, CT 06804, USA
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2
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Yang Y, Yan X, Bai X, Yang J, Song J. Programmed cell death-ligand 2: new insights in cancer. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1359532. [PMID: 38605944 PMCID: PMC11006960 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1359532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapy has revolutionized cancer treatment, with the anti-PD-1/PD-L1 axis therapy demonstrating significant clinical efficacy across various tumor types. However, it should be noted that this therapy is not universally effective for all PD-L1-positive patients, highlighting the need to expedite research on the second ligand of PD-1, known as Programmed Cell Death Receptor Ligand 2 (PD-L2). As an immune checkpoint molecule, PD-L2 was reported to be associated with patient's prognosis and plays a pivotal role in cancer cell immune escape. An in-depth understanding of the regulatory process of PD-L2 expression may stratify patients to benefit from anti-PD-1 immunotherapy. Our review focuses on exploring PD-L2 expression in different tumors, its correlation with prognosis, regulatory factors, and the interplay between PD-L2 and tumor treatment, which may provide a notable avenue in developing immune combination therapy and improving the clinical efficacy of anti-PD-1 therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yukang Yang
- Third Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Shanxi Bethune Hospital, Shanxi Academy of Medical Sciences Tongji Shanxi Hospital, Taiyuan, China
| | - Xia Yan
- Cancer Center, Shanxi Bethune Hospital, Shanxi Academy of Medical Sciences, Tongji Shanxi Hospital, Third Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China
| | - Xueqi Bai
- Cancer Center, Shanxi Bethune Hospital, Shanxi Academy of Medical Sciences, Tongji Shanxi Hospital, Third Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China
| | - Jiayang Yang
- Cancer Center, Shanxi Bethune Hospital, Shanxi Academy of Medical Sciences, Tongji Shanxi Hospital, Third Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China
| | - Jianbo Song
- Third Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Shanxi Bethune Hospital, Shanxi Academy of Medical Sciences Tongji Shanxi Hospital, Taiyuan, China
- Cancer Center, Shanxi Bethune Hospital, Shanxi Academy of Medical Sciences, Tongji Shanxi Hospital, Third Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China
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3
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Paloja K, Weiden J, Hellmeier J, Eklund AS, Reinhardt SCM, Parish IA, Jungmann R, Bastings MMC. Balancing the Nanoscale Organization in Multivalent Materials for Functional Inhibition of the Programmed Death-1 Immune Checkpoint. ACS NANO 2024; 18:1381-1395. [PMID: 38126310 PMCID: PMC10795474 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.3c06552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2023] [Revised: 12/12/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
Dendritic cells (DCs) regulate immune priming by expressing programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) and PD-L2, which interact with the inhibitory receptor PD-1 on activated T cells. PD-1 signaling regulates T cell effector functions and limits autoimmunity. Tumor cells can hijack this pathway by overexpressing PD-L1 to suppress antitumor T cell responses. Blocking this inhibitory pathway has been beneficial for the treatment of various cancer types, although only a subset of patients responds. A deepened understanding of the spatial organization and molecular interplay between PD-1 and its ligands may inform the design of more efficacious nanotherapeutics. We visualized the natural molecular PD-L1 organization on DCs by DNA-PAINT microscopy and created a template to engineer DNA-based nanoclusters presenting PD-1 at defined valencies, distances, and patterns. These multivalent nanomaterials were examined for their cellular binding and blocking ability. Our data show that PD-1 nano-organization has profound effects on ligand interaction and that the valency of PD-1 molecules modulates the effectiveness in restoring T cell function. This work highlights the power of spatially controlled functional materials to unravel the importance of multivalent patterns in the PD-1 pathway and presents alternative design strategies for immune-engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaltrina Paloja
- Programmable
Biomaterials Laboratory, Institute of Materials, School of Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale
de Lausanne, Lausanne 1015, Switzerland
| | - Jorieke Weiden
- Programmable
Biomaterials Laboratory, Institute of Materials, School of Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale
de Lausanne, Lausanne 1015, Switzerland
| | | | | | - Susanne C. M. Reinhardt
- Max
Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Planegg 82152, Germany
- Faculty
of Physics and Center for Nanoscience, Ludwig
Maximilian University, Munich 80539, Germany
| | - Ian A. Parish
- Peter
MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
- Sir
Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3128, Australia
| | - Ralf Jungmann
- Max
Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Planegg 82152, Germany
- Faculty
of Physics and Center for Nanoscience, Ludwig
Maximilian University, Munich 80539, Germany
| | - Maartje M. C. Bastings
- Programmable
Biomaterials Laboratory, Institute of Materials, School of Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale
de Lausanne, Lausanne 1015, Switzerland
- Interfaculty
Bioengineering Institute, School of Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne 1015, Switzerland
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4
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Chou CY, Li ZQ, Huang HC, Hung CH, Weng SL, Tzou SC. Development of an Albumin-Masked mutPD-1Ig as a Tumor Lesion-Selective Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor. ACS OMEGA 2023; 8:40911-40920. [PMID: 37929112 PMCID: PMC10621011 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.3c06216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 11/07/2023]
Abstract
The antitumor effects elicited by immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have transformed cancer treatments. However, severe immune-related adverse events (irAEs) resulting from these treatments have restricted the application of ICIs. To overcome the adverse events, we developed a tumor lesion-selective pro-PD-1Ig that is activated by proteases overexpressed in tumors. We genetically linked albumin to the N-terminus of a modified PD-1Ig (termed mutPD-1Ig hereafter) via an MMP substrate sequence to form Alb-hinge-mutPD-1Ig. We demonstrate that the binding activity of nondigested Alb-hinge-mutPD-1Ig is approximately 11-folds lower than mutPD-1Ig. However, digestion by type IV collagenase restored the binding activity of Alb-hinge-mutPD-1Ig to a level comparable to that of native mutPD-1Ig. In order to enhance the masking efficiency of Alb-mutPD-1Ig, we simulated the effects of diverse MMP substrate linkers for connecting albumin and PD-1 at various starting positions by bioinformatics tools. Our validation experiments indicate Alb-hinge-mutPD-1Ig displayed the best masking efficiency among all simulated constructs. Our study suggests that albumin may be best applicable to mask a target protein whose binding motif is centralized and in the proximity of the N-terminus of the protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chien-Yu Chou
- Institute
of Molecular Medicine and Bioengineering, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, 75 Bo-Ai Street, Hsin-Chu 300, Taiwan, Republic Of China
| | - Zhi-Qin Li
- Department
of Biological Science and Technology, National
Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsin-Chu 300, Taiwan, Republic Of China
| | - Hsiao-Chen Huang
- Department
of Biological Science and Technology, National
Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsin-Chu 300, Taiwan, Republic Of China
| | - Chung-Heng Hung
- Institute
of Molecular Medicine and Bioengineering, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, 75 Bo-Ai Street, Hsin-Chu 300, Taiwan, Republic Of China
| | - Shun-Long Weng
- Department
of Medicine, MacKay Medical College, New Taipei City 207, Taiwan, Republic
Of China
- MacKay
Junior College of Medicine, Nursing and
Management, Taipei City 100-116, Taiwan, Republic Of China
- Department
of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hsinchu MacKay
Memorial Hospital, 690
Section 2, Guan-Fu Road, Hsinchu City 300, Taiwan, Republic Of China
| | - Shey-Cherng Tzou
- Institute
of Molecular Medicine and Bioengineering, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, 75 Bo-Ai Street, Hsin-Chu 300, Taiwan, Republic Of China
- Department
of Biological Science and Technology, National
Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsin-Chu 300, Taiwan, Republic Of China
- Drug Development
and Value Creation Research Center, and Department of Biomedical Science
and Environmental Biology, Kaohsiung Medical
University, Kaohsiung 800-852, Taiwan, Republic Of China
- Center
for Intelligent Drug Systems and Smart Bio-devices (IDS2B), National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsin-Chu 300, Taiwan, Republic
Of China
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5
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Sullivan KMC, Vilalta M, Ertl LS, Wang Y, Dunlap C, Ebsworth K, Zhao BN, Li S, Zeng Y, Miao Z, Fan P, Mali V, Lange C, McMurtrie D, Yang J, Lui R, Scamp R, Chhina V, Kumamoto A, Yau S, Dang T, Easterday A, Liu S, Miao S, Charo I, Schall TJ, Zhang P. CCX559 is a potent, orally-administered small molecule PD-L1 inhibitor that induces anti-tumor immunity. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0286724. [PMID: 37285333 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0286724] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2023] [Accepted: 05/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The interaction of PD-L1 with PD-1 is a major immune checkpoint that limits effector T cell function against cancer cells; monoclonal antibodies that block this pathway have been approved in multiple tumor indications. As a next generation therapy, small molecule inhibitors of PD-L1 have inherent drug properties that may be advantageous for certain patient populations compared to antibody therapies. In this report we present the pharmacology of the orally-available, small molecule PD-L1 inhibitor CCX559 for cancer immunotherapy. CCX559 potently and selectively inhibited PD-L1 binding to PD-1 and CD80 in vitro, and increased activation of primary human T cells in a T cell receptor-dependent fashion. Oral administration of CCX559 demonstrated anti-tumor activity similar to an anti-human PD-L1 antibody in two murine tumor models. Treatment of cells with CCX559 induced PD-L1 dimer formation and internalization, which prevented interaction with PD-1. Cell surface PD-L1 expression recovered in MC38 tumors upon CCX559 clearance post dosing. In a cynomolgus monkey pharmacodynamic study, CCX559 increased plasma levels of soluble PD-L1. These results support the clinical development of CCX559 for solid tumors; CCX559 is currently in a Phase 1, first in patient, multicenter, open-label, dose-escalation study (ACTRN12621001342808).
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Marta Vilalta
- ChemoCentryx, Inc., San Carlos, California, United States of America
| | - Linda S Ertl
- ChemoCentryx, Inc., San Carlos, California, United States of America
| | - Yu Wang
- ChemoCentryx, Inc., San Carlos, California, United States of America
| | - Carolyn Dunlap
- ChemoCentryx, Inc., San Carlos, California, United States of America
| | - Karen Ebsworth
- ChemoCentryx, Inc., San Carlos, California, United States of America
| | - Bin N Zhao
- ChemoCentryx, Inc., San Carlos, California, United States of America
| | - Shijie Li
- ChemoCentryx, Inc., San Carlos, California, United States of America
| | - Yibin Zeng
- ChemoCentryx, Inc., San Carlos, California, United States of America
| | - Zhenhua Miao
- ChemoCentryx, Inc., San Carlos, California, United States of America
| | - Pingchen Fan
- ChemoCentryx, Inc., San Carlos, California, United States of America
| | - Venkat Mali
- ChemoCentryx, Inc., San Carlos, California, United States of America
| | - Christopher Lange
- ChemoCentryx, Inc., San Carlos, California, United States of America
| | - Darren McMurtrie
- ChemoCentryx, Inc., San Carlos, California, United States of America
| | - Ju Yang
- ChemoCentryx, Inc., San Carlos, California, United States of America
| | - Rebecca Lui
- ChemoCentryx, Inc., San Carlos, California, United States of America
| | - Ryan Scamp
- ChemoCentryx, Inc., San Carlos, California, United States of America
| | - Vicky Chhina
- ChemoCentryx, Inc., San Carlos, California, United States of America
| | - Alice Kumamoto
- ChemoCentryx, Inc., San Carlos, California, United States of America
| | - Simon Yau
- ChemoCentryx, Inc., San Carlos, California, United States of America
| | - Ton Dang
- ChemoCentryx, Inc., San Carlos, California, United States of America
| | - Ashton Easterday
- ChemoCentryx, Inc., San Carlos, California, United States of America
| | - Shirley Liu
- ChemoCentryx, Inc., San Carlos, California, United States of America
| | - Shichang Miao
- ChemoCentryx, Inc., San Carlos, California, United States of America
| | - Israel Charo
- ChemoCentryx, Inc., San Carlos, California, United States of America
| | - Thomas J Schall
- ChemoCentryx, Inc., San Carlos, California, United States of America
| | - Penglie Zhang
- ChemoCentryx, Inc., San Carlos, California, United States of America
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6
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Chen RY, Zhu Y, Shen YY, Xu QY, Tang HY, Cui NX, Jiang L, Dai XM, Chen WQ, Lin Q, Li XZ. The role of PD-1 signaling in health and immune-related diseases. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1163633. [PMID: 37261359 PMCID: PMC10228652 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1163633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2023] [Accepted: 05/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Programmed cell death 1 receptor (PD-1) and its ligands constitute an inhibitory pathway to mediate the mechanism of immune tolerance and provide immune homeostasis. Significantly, the binding partners of PD-1 and its associated ligands are diverse, which facilitates immunosuppression in cooperation with other immune checkpoint proteins. Accumulating evidence has demonstrated the important immunosuppressive role of the PD-1 axis in the tumor microenvironment and in autoimmune diseases. In addition, PD-1 blockades have been approved to treat various cancers, including solid tumors and hematological malignancies. Here, we provide a comprehensive review of the PD-1 pathway, focusing on the structure and expression of PD-1, programmed cell death 1 ligand 1 (PD-L1), and programmed cell death 1 ligand 2 (PD-L2); the diverse biological functions of PD-1 signaling in health and immune-related diseases (including tumor immunity, autoimmunity, infectious immunity, transplantation immunity, allergy and immune privilege); and immune-related adverse events related to PD-1 and PD-L1 inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Qiang Lin
- *Correspondence: Qiang Lin, ; Xiao-Zhong Li,
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7
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Lv J, Jiang Z, Yuan J, Zhuang M, Guan X, Liu H, Yin Y, Ma Y, Liu Z, Wang H, Wang X. Pan-cancer analysis identifies PD-L2 as a tumor promotor in the tumor microenvironment. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1093716. [PMID: 37006239 PMCID: PMC10060638 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1093716] [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: 11/09/2022] [Accepted: 01/19/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) receptor has two ligands,programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) and PD-L2. When compared with PD-L1, PD-L2 has not received much attention, and its role remains unclear. METHODS The expression profiles of pdcd1lg2 (PD-L2-encoding gene) mRNA and PD-L2 protein were analyzed using TCGA, ICGC, and HPA databases. Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses were used to assess the prognostic significance of PD-L2. We used GSEA, Spearman's correlation analysis and PPI network to explore the biological functions of PD-L2. PD-L2-associated immune cell infiltration was evaluated using the ESTIMATE algorithm and TIMER 2.0. The expressions of PD-L2 in tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) in human colon cancer samples, and in mice in an immunocompetent syngeneic setting were verified using scRNA-seq datasets, multiplex immunofluorescence staining, and flow cytometry. After fluorescence-activated cell sorting, flow cytometry and qRT-PCR and transwell and colony formation assays were used to evaluate the phenotype and functions of PD-L2+TAMs. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) therapy prediction analysis was performed using TIDE and TISMO. Last, a series of targeted small-molecule drugs with promising therapeutic effects were predicted using the GSCA platform. RESULTS PD-L2 was expressed in all the common human cancer types and deteriorated outcomes in multiple cancers. PPI network and Spearman's correlation analysis revealed that PD-L2 was closely associated with many immune molecules. Moreover, both GSEA results of KEGG pathways and GSEA results for Reactome analysis indicated that PD-L2 expression played an important role in cancer immune response. Further analysis showed that PD-L2 expression was strongly associated with the infiltration of immune cells in tumor tissue in almost all cancer types, among which macrophages were the most positively associated with PD-L2 in colon cancer. According to the results mentioned above, we verified the expression of PD-L2 in TAMs in colon cancer and found that PD-L2+TAMs population was not static. Additionally, PD-L2+TAMs exhibited protumor M2 phenotype and increased the migration, invasion, and proliferative capacity of colon cancer cells. Furthermore, PD-L2 had a substantial predictive value for ICIs therapy cohorts. CONCLUSION PD-L2 in the TME, especially expressed on TAMs, could be applied as a potential therapeutic target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingfang Lv
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Zheng Jiang
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Junhu Yuan
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, National Cancer Center/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Meng Zhuang
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Xu Guan
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Hengchang Liu
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Yefeng Yin
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Yiming Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, National Cancer Center/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Zheng Liu
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Hongying Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, National Cancer Center/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Xishan Wang
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
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8
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Huang KCY, Lai CY, Hung WZ, Chang HY, Lin PC, Chiang SF, Ke TW, Liang JA, Shiau AC, Yang PC, Chen WTL, Chao KSC. A Novel Engineered AAV-Based Neoantigen Vaccine in Combination with Radiotherapy Eradicates Tumors. Cancer Immunol Res 2023; 11:123-136. [PMID: 36315960 DOI: 10.1158/2326-6066.cir-22-0318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2022] [Revised: 08/15/2022] [Accepted: 10/26/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
The potency of tumor-specific antigen (TSA) vaccines, such as neoantigen (neoAg)-based cancer vaccines, can be compromised by host immune checkpoint inhibitory mechanisms, such as programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1)/programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1), that attenuate neoAg presentation on dendritic cells (DC) and hinder T cell-mediated cytotoxicity. To overcome PD-1/PD-L1 inhibition in DCs, we developed a novel adeno-associated virus (meAAV) neoAg vaccine, modified with TLR9 inhibitory fragments, PD-1 trap, and PD-L1 miRNA, which extend the persistence of meAAV and activate neoAg-specific T-cell responses in immune-competent colorectal and breast cancer murine models. Moreover, we found that in combination with radiotherapy, the meAAV-based neoAg cancer vaccine not only elicited higher antigen presentation ability, but also maintained neoAg-specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) responses. These functional PD-1 traps and PD-L1 miRNAs overcome host PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitory mechanisms and boost the therapeutic efficacy of radiotherapy. More importantly, combined radiotherapy and meAAV neoAg cancer vaccines significantly enhanced neoAg-specific CTL responses, increased CTL infiltration in tumor microenvironment, and decreased tumor-associated immunosuppression. This process led to the complete elimination of colorectal cancer and delayed tumor growth of breast cancer in tumor-bearing mice. Taken together, our results demonstrated a novel strategy that combines neoAg cancer vaccine and radiotherapy to increase the therapeutic efficacy against colorectal and breast cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin Chih-Yang Huang
- Department of Biomedical Imaging and Radiological Science, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.,Translation Research Core, China Medical University Hospital, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Chia-Ying Lai
- Center of Proton Therapy and Science, China Medical University Hospital, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Wei-Ze Hung
- Center of Proton Therapy and Science, China Medical University Hospital, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Hsin-Yu Chang
- Center of Proton Therapy and Science, China Medical University Hospital, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Pei-Chun Lin
- Center of Proton Therapy and Science, China Medical University Hospital, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Shu-Fen Chiang
- Lab of Precision Medicine, Feng-Yuan Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Tao-Wei Ke
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, China Medical University Hospital, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.,School of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Ji-An Liang
- Department of Radiation Oncology, China Medical University Hospital, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.,School of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - An-Cheng Shiau
- Department of Biomedical Imaging and Radiological Science, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.,Department of Radiation Oncology, China Medical University Hospital, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Pei-Chen Yang
- Center of Proton Therapy and Science, China Medical University Hospital, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - William Tzu-Liang Chen
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, China Medical University Hospital, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.,Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.,Department of Colorectal Surgery, China Medical University HsinChu Hospital, China Medical University, HsinChu, Taiwan
| | - K S Clifford Chao
- Center of Proton Therapy and Science, China Medical University Hospital, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.,Department of Radiation Oncology, China Medical University Hospital, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.,School of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
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9
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Rush-Kittle J, Gámez-Díaz L, Grimbacher B. Inborn errors of immunity associated with defects of self-tolerance checkpoints: The CD28 family. Pediatr Allergy Immunol 2022; 33:e13886. [PMID: 36564875 DOI: 10.1111/pai.13886] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2022] [Revised: 10/31/2022] [Accepted: 11/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
One of the causes of inborn errors of immunity is immune dysregulation. The inability of the immune system to regulate the extent of its activity has several deleterious effects, including autoimmunity, recurrent infections, and malignancy. In recent years, many proteins in the CD28 family - CD28, ICOS, CTLA-4, PD-1, and BTLA - have come into the focus of several research areas for their consequential role in the upregulation or downregulation of the immune response. In this review, we will discuss the structure and function of these proteins, as well as provide an overview of the clinical picture of patients with genetic defects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorrell Rush-Kittle
- Center for Chronic Immunodeficiency, University Medical Center Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Laura Gámez-Díaz
- Center for Chronic Immunodeficiency, University Medical Center Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Bodo Grimbacher
- Center for Chronic Immunodeficiency, University Medical Center Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
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10
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Urban VA, Nazarenko PS, Perepechko SA, Veresov VG. Using PD-L1 full-length structure, enhanced induced fit docking and molecular dynamics simulations for structural insights into inhibition of PD-1/PD-L1 interaction by small-molecule ligands. MOLECULAR SIMULATION 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/08927022.2022.2080824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Viktor A. Urban
- Department of Immunology and Cell Biophysics, Institute of Biophysics and Cell Engineering of NAS of Belarus, Minsk, Belarus
| | | | | | - Valery G. Veresov
- Department of Immunology and Cell Biophysics, Institute of Biophysics and Cell Engineering of NAS of Belarus, Minsk, Belarus
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11
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Jiao J, Ji L, Li X, Gao Z, Wang G, Qin J, Wang Y, Wang Y. Dynamic proteomic change of tumor and immune organs in an immune-competent hepatocellular carcinoma mouse model. Am J Cancer Res 2022; 12:1621-1634. [PMID: 35530287 PMCID: PMC9077077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2022] [Accepted: 03/15/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Subcutaneous implantation of a human cancer cell line in immune-deficient mice (CDX) is a commonly used tool in preclinical studies for the assessment of potential anti-cancer drugs. As immunotherapy is transforming cancer treatment, tumor models in immunocompetent mice are necessary for us to understand the immune aspects of tumor biology. However, the systemic immune response to the implantation of cancer cells at proteome level is unclear. In this study, we characterized the dynamic proteomic changes of subcutaneous tumors and 5 immune organs (draining lymph node, mesenteric lymph node, spleen, thymus and marrow) at six time points after implantation using a Hepa1-6 derived allograft mouse model. Our data suggest that interaction of the implanted tumor cells with mouse immune system followed the trajectory of "tumor rejection" to "immune evasion" in that the tumor gained the ability to evade the immune system for growth. Furthermore, anti-PDL2 antibody was validated here as an optional immunotherapy strategy to inhibit the growth of Hepa1-6 subcutaneous tumors. These findings from our study provided valuable information for the understanding of tumor and immune interaction and shed light on the rational design for clinical cancer treatment and other preclinical experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiaqi Jiao
- State Key Laboratory of Proteomics, Beijing Proteome Research Center, National Center for Protein Sciences (Beijing), Beijing Institute of LifeomicsBeijing 102206, China
| | - Linlin Ji
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Baodi Clinical College, Tianjin Medical UniversityTianjin 300000, China
| | - Xianju Li
- State Key Laboratory of Proteomics, Beijing Proteome Research Center, National Center for Protein Sciences (Beijing), Beijing Institute of LifeomicsBeijing 102206, China
| | - Zhan Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Proteomics, Beijing Proteome Research Center, National Center for Protein Sciences (Beijing), Beijing Institute of LifeomicsBeijing 102206, China
| | - Guangshun Wang
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Baodi Clinical College, Tianjin Medical UniversityTianjin 300000, China
| | - Jun Qin
- State Key Laboratory of Proteomics, Beijing Proteome Research Center, National Center for Protein Sciences (Beijing), Beijing Institute of LifeomicsBeijing 102206, China
| | - Yini Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Proteomics, Beijing Proteome Research Center, National Center for Protein Sciences (Beijing), Beijing Institute of LifeomicsBeijing 102206, China
| | - Yi Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Proteomics, Beijing Proteome Research Center, National Center for Protein Sciences (Beijing), Beijing Institute of LifeomicsBeijing 102206, China
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12
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Mishra A, Majid D, Kandikattu HK, Yadavalli CS, Upparahalli Venkateshaiah S. Role of IL-18-transformed CD274-expressing eosinophils in promoting airway obstruction in experimental asthma. Allergy 2022; 77:1165-1179. [PMID: 34800294 DOI: 10.1111/all.15180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2021] [Revised: 09/30/2021] [Accepted: 10/18/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND IL-5-dependent residential and IL-18-transformed pathogenic eosinophils have been reported; however, the role of IL-18-transformed CD274-expressing pathogenic eosinophils compared to IL-5-generated eosinophils in promoting airway obstruction in asthma has not yet been examined. METHODS Eosinophils are detected by tissue anti-MBP and anti-EPX immunostaining, CD274 expression by flow cytometry, and airway resistance using the Buxco FinePointe RC system. RESULTS We show that A. fumigatus-challenged wild-type mice, and different gene-deficient mice including naïve CC10-IL-18-transgenic mice, accumulate mostly peribronchial and perivascular CD274-expressing eosinophils except naïve CD2-IL-5-transgenic mice. Additionally, we show that CD2-IL-5 transgenic mice following rIL-18 treatment accumulate high number of CD274-expressing perivascular and peribronchial eosinophils with induced collagen, goblet cell hyperplasia and airway resistance compared to saline-challenged CD2-IL5 transgenic mice. Furthermore, we also show that even A. fumigatus-challenged IL-5 -/- mice and rIL-18 given ΔdblGATA mice accumulate CD274-expressing eosinophil-associated asthma pathogenesis including airway obstruction. Most importantly, we provide evidence that neutralization of CD274 and IL-18 in A. fumigatus-challenged mice ameliorate experimental asthma. Taken together, the data presented are clinically significant in establishing that anti-IL-18 neutralization is a novel immunotherapy to restrict asthma pathogenesis. CONCLUSIONS We demonstrate that IL-18 is critical for inducing asthma pathogenesis, and neutralization of CD274 is a potential immunotherapeutic strategy for asthma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anil Mishra
- John W. Deming Department of Medicine Tulane Eosinophilic Disorders Center (TEDC) Section of Pulmonary Diseases Tulane University School of Medicine New Orleans Louisina USA
| | - Dewan Majid
- John W. Deming Department of Medicine Tulane Eosinophilic Disorders Center (TEDC) Section of Pulmonary Diseases Tulane University School of Medicine New Orleans Louisina USA
| | - Hemanth Kumar Kandikattu
- John W. Deming Department of Medicine Tulane Eosinophilic Disorders Center (TEDC) Section of Pulmonary Diseases Tulane University School of Medicine New Orleans Louisina USA
| | - Chandra Sekhar Yadavalli
- John W. Deming Department of Medicine Tulane Eosinophilic Disorders Center (TEDC) Section of Pulmonary Diseases Tulane University School of Medicine New Orleans Louisina USA
| | - Sathisha Upparahalli Venkateshaiah
- John W. Deming Department of Medicine Tulane Eosinophilic Disorders Center (TEDC) Section of Pulmonary Diseases Tulane University School of Medicine New Orleans Louisina USA
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13
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IL-10 Signaling Elicited by Nivolumab-Induced Activation of the MAP Kinase Pathway Does Not Fully Contribute to Nivolumab-Modulated Heterogeneous T Cell Responses. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms222111848. [PMID: 34769278 PMCID: PMC8584131 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222111848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2021] [Revised: 10/18/2021] [Accepted: 10/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy has revolutionized anti-cancer treatment for many late-stage cancer patients. However, ICI therapy has thus far demonstrated limited efficacy for most patients, and it remains unclear why this is so. Interleukin 10 (IL-10) is a cytokine that has been recognized as a central player in cancer biology with its ability to inhibit anti-tumor T cell responses. Recent studies suggest that IL-10 might also exert some intrinsic anti-tumor T cell responses, and clinical studies using recombinant IL-10 alone or in combination with ICI are underway. This paradoxical effect of IL-10 and its underlying mechanisms impacting ICI-modulated T cell responses remain poorly understood. In this study, using an in vitro mixed lymphocyte reaction assay, we found that treatment with ICIs such as the anti-programmed cell death receptor-1 (PD-1) mAb nivolumab elicits a strong expression of IL-10. While neutralization of IL-10 signaling with an anti-IL-10 specific mAb significantly decreases the production of IFN-γ by T cells in a cohort of donor cells, the opposite effect was observed in other donor cells. Similarly, neutralization of IL-10 signaling significantly decreases the expression of T cell activation markers Ki67 and CD25, as well as the production of Granzyme B in a cohort of donor cells, whereas the opposite effect was observed in others. Furthermore, we found that nivolumab and IL-10 differentially modulate the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) and AKT serine–threonine kinase pathways. Finally, we found that nivolumab activates the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway, which in turn is responsible for the observed induction of IL-10 production by nivolumab. These findings provide new insights into the mechanisms underlying anti-PD-1-modulated T cell responses by IL-10, which could lead to the discovery of novel combination treatments that target IL-10 and immune checkpoint molecules.
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14
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A structural perspective on the design of decoy immune modulators. Pharmacol Res 2021; 170:105735. [PMID: 34146695 DOI: 10.1016/j.phrs.2021.105735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2021] [Revised: 05/23/2021] [Accepted: 06/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Therapeutic mAbs have dominated the class of immunotherapeutics in general and immune checkpoint inhibitors in particular. The high specificity of mAbs to the target molecule as well as their extended half-life and (or) the effector functions raised by the Fc part are some of the important aspects that contribute to the success of this class of therapeutics. Equally potential candidates are decoys and their fusions that can address some of the inherent limitations of mAbs, like immunogenicity, resistance development, low bio-availability and so on, besides maintaining the advantages of mAbs. The decoys are molecules that trap the ligands and prevent them from interacting with the signaling receptors. Although a few FDA-approved decoy immune modulators are very successful, the potential of this class of drugs is yet to be fully realized. Here, we review various strategies employed in fusion protein therapeutics with a focus on the design of decoy immunomodulators from the structural perspective and discuss how the information on protein structure and function can strategically guide the development of next-generation immune modulators.
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15
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Kim GB, Sung HD, Nam GH, Kim W, Kim S, Kang D, Lee EJ, Kim IS. Design of PD-1-decorated nanocages targeting tumor-draining lymph node for promoting T cell activation. J Control Release 2021; 333:328-338. [PMID: 33794271 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2021.03.038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2020] [Revised: 03/10/2021] [Accepted: 03/27/2021] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Targeted delivery of immunomodulatory molecules to the lymph nodes is an attractive means of improving the efficacy of anti-cancer immunotherapy. In this study, to improve the efficacy of PD-1 blockade-based therapy, nanocages were designed by surface engineering to decorate a programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) that is capable of binding against programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) and -ligand 2 (PD-L2). This nanocage-mediated multivalent interaction remarkably increases the binding affinity and improves the antagonistic activity compared to free soluble PD-1. In addition, with the desirable nanocage size for optimal tumor-draining lymph node (TDLN) targeting (approximately 20 nm), rapid draining and increased accumulation into the TDLNs were observed. Moreover, the interference of the PD-1/PD-L axis with ultra-high affinity in the tumor microenvironment (effector phase) and the TDLNs (cognitive phase) significantly enhances the dendritic cell-mediated tumor-specific T cell activation. This characteristic successfully inhibited tumor growth and induced complete tumor eradication in some mice. Thus, the delivery of immunomodulatory molecules with nanocages can be a highly efficient strategy to achieve stronger anti-tumor immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gi Beom Kim
- KU-KIST Graduate School of Converging Science and Technology, Korea University, 145 Anam-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea; Center for Theragnosis, Biomedical Research Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, 5 Hwarang-ro 14-gil, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02792, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyo-Dong Sung
- Department of Chemical Engineering, School of Applied Chemical Engineering, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Republic of Korea
| | - Gi-Hoon Nam
- KU-KIST Graduate School of Converging Science and Technology, Korea University, 145 Anam-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea; Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Wonjun Kim
- Department of Chemical Engineering, School of Applied Chemical Engineering, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Republic of Korea
| | - Seohyun Kim
- KU-KIST Graduate School of Converging Science and Technology, Korea University, 145 Anam-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea; Center for Theragnosis, Biomedical Research Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, 5 Hwarang-ro 14-gil, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02792, Republic of Korea
| | - Dayeon Kang
- Department of Chemical Engineering, School of Applied Chemical Engineering, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Republic of Korea
| | - Eun Jung Lee
- Department of Chemical Engineering, School of Applied Chemical Engineering, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Republic of Korea.
| | - In-San Kim
- KU-KIST Graduate School of Converging Science and Technology, Korea University, 145 Anam-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea; Center for Theragnosis, Biomedical Research Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, 5 Hwarang-ro 14-gil, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02792, Republic of Korea.
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16
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Pauken KE, Torchia JA, Chaudhri A, Sharpe AH, Freeman GJ. Emerging concepts in PD-1 checkpoint biology. Semin Immunol 2021; 52:101480. [PMID: 34006473 PMCID: PMC8545711 DOI: 10.1016/j.smim.2021.101480] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 30.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2021] [Accepted: 05/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The PD-1 pathway is a cornerstone in immune regulation. While the PD-1 pathway has received considerable attention for its role in contributing to the maintenance of T cell exhaustion in chronic infection and cancer, the PD-1 pathway plays diverse roles in regulating host immunity beyond T cell exhaustion. Here, we discuss emerging concepts in the PD-1 pathway, including (1) the impact of PD-1 inhibitors on diverse T cell differentiation states including effector and memory T cell development during acute infection, as well as T cell exhaustion during chronic infection and cancer, (2) the role of PD-1 in regulating Treg cells, NK cells, and ILCs, and (3) the functions of PD-L1/B7-1 and PD-L2/RGMb/neogenin interactions. We then discuss the emerging use of neoadjuvant PD-1 blockade in the treatment of early-stage cancers and how the timing of PD-1 blockade may improve clinical outcomes. The diverse binding partners of PD-1 and its associated ligands, broad expression patterns of the receptors and ligands, differential impact of PD-1 modulation on cells depending on location and state of differentiation, and timing of PD-1 blockade add additional layers of complexity to the PD-1 pathway, and are important considerations for improving the efficacy and safety of PD-1 pathway therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristen E Pauken
- Department of Immunology, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA; Evergrande Center for Immunologic Diseases, Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - James A Torchia
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Apoorvi Chaudhri
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02215, USA; Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 77030, USA; The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Arlene H Sharpe
- Department of Immunology, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA; Evergrande Center for Immunologic Diseases, Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, 02115, USA; Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, 02142, USA; Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Gordon J Freeman
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02215, USA.
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17
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Nandi D, Pathak S, Verma T, Singh M, Chattopadhyay A, Thakur S, Raghavan A, Gokhroo A, Vijayamahantesh. T cell costimulation, checkpoint inhibitors and anti-tumor therapy. J Biosci 2021. [PMID: 32345776 DOI: 10.1007/s12038-020-0020-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The hallmarks of the adaptive immune response are specificity and memory. The cellular response is mediated by T cells which express cell surface T cell receptors (TCRs) that recognize peptide antigens in complex with major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules on antigen presenting cells (APCs). However, binding of cognate TCRs with MHC-peptide complexes alone (signal 1) does not trigger optimal T cell activation. In addition to signal 1, the binding of positive and negative costimulatory receptors to their ligands modulates T cell activation. This complex signaling network prevents aberrant activation of T cells. CD28 is the main positive costimulatory receptor on naı¨ve T cells; upon activation, CTLA4 is induced but reduces T cell activation. Further studies led to the identification of additional negative costimulatory receptors known as checkpoints, e.g. PD1. This review chronicles the basic studies in T cell costimulation that led to the discovery of checkpoint inhibitors, i.e. antibodies to negative costimulatory receptors (e.g. CTLA4 and PD1) which reduce tumor growth. This discovery has been recognized with the award of the 2018 Nobel prize in Physiology/Medicine. This review highlights the structural and functional roles of costimulatory receptors, the mechanisms by which checkpoint inhibitors work, the challenges encountered and future prospects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dipankar Nandi
- Department of Biochemistry, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru 560 012, India
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18
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Mittal L, Srivastava M, Kumari A, Tonk RK, Awasthi A, Asthana S. Interplay among Structural Stability, Plasticity, and Energetics Determined by Conformational Attuning of Flexible Loops in PD-1. J Chem Inf Model 2021; 61:358-384. [PMID: 33433201 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.0c01080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The dynamics and plasticity of the PD-1/PD-L1 axis are the bottlenecks for the discovery of small-molecule antagonists to perturb this interaction interface significantly. Understanding the process of this protein-protein interaction (PPI) is of fundamental biological interest in structure-based drug designing. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are the first-in-class with distinct binding modes to access this axis clinically; however, their mechanistic aspects remain elusive. Here, we have unveiled the interactive interfaces with PD-L1 and mAbs to investigate the native plasticity of PD-1 at global (structural and dynamical) and local (residue side-chain orientations) levels. We found that the structural stability and coordinated Cα movements are increased in the presence of PD-1's binding partners. The rigorous analysis of these PPIs using computational biophysical approaches revealed PD-1's intrinsic plasticity, its concerted loops' movement (BC, FG, and CC'), distal side-chain motions, and the thermodynamic landscape, which are perturbed remarkably from its unbound to bound states. Based on intra-/inter-residues' contact networks and energetics, the hot-spots have been identified that were found to be essential to arrest the dynamical motions of PD-1 significantly for the rational design of therapeutic agents by mimicking the mAbs mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lovika Mittal
- NCR Biotech Science Cluster, Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI), 3rd Milestone, Faridabad-Gurugram Expressway, Faridabad, Haryana 121001, India.,Delhi Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research University (DPSRU), Delhi 110017, India
| | - Mitul Srivastava
- NCR Biotech Science Cluster, Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI), 3rd Milestone, Faridabad-Gurugram Expressway, Faridabad, Haryana 121001, India
| | - Anita Kumari
- NCR Biotech Science Cluster, Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI), 3rd Milestone, Faridabad-Gurugram Expressway, Faridabad, Haryana 121001, India
| | - Rajiv K Tonk
- Delhi Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research University (DPSRU), Delhi 110017, India
| | - Amit Awasthi
- NCR Biotech Science Cluster, Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI), 3rd Milestone, Faridabad-Gurugram Expressway, Faridabad, Haryana 121001, India
| | - Shailendra Asthana
- NCR Biotech Science Cluster, Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI), 3rd Milestone, Faridabad-Gurugram Expressway, Faridabad, Haryana 121001, India
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19
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Su Z, Wang B, Almo SC, Wu Y. Understanding the Targeting Mechanisms of Multi-Specific Biologics in Immunotherapy with Multiscale Modeling. iScience 2020; 23:101835. [PMID: 33305190 PMCID: PMC7710644 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2020.101835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2020] [Revised: 09/29/2020] [Accepted: 11/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapeutics are frequently associated with adverse side effects due to the elicitation of global immune modulation. To lower the risk of these side effects, recombinant DNA technology is employed to enhance the selectivity of cell targeting by genetically fusing different biomolecules, yielding new species referred to as multi-specific biologics. The design of new multi-specific biologics is a central challenge for the realization of new immunotherapies. To understand the molecular determinants responsible for regulating the binding between multi-specific biologics and surface-bound membrane receptors, we developed a multiscale computational framework that integrates various simulation approaches covering different timescales and spatial resolutions. Our model system of multi-specific biologics contains two natural ligands of immune receptors, which are covalently tethered by a peptide linker. Using this method, a number of interesting features of multi-specific biologics were identified. Our study therefore provides an important strategy to design the next-generation biologics for immunotherapy. Two proteins are connected by different linkers as a model of bispecific biologics Conformational dynamics of biologics are captured by microsecond MD simulations Coarse-grained simulations are used to test binding between biologics and receptors Biologics with long and flexible linkers are more efficient in targeting receptors
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhaoqian Su
- Department of Systems and Computational Biology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
| | - Bo Wang
- Department of Systems and Computational Biology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
| | - Steven C Almo
- Department of Biochemistry, Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx, NY 10461, USA.,Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
| | - Yinghao Wu
- Department of Systems and Computational Biology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
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20
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Chen H, Xie J, Jin P. Assessment of hazard immune-related genes and tumor immune infiltrations in renal cell carcinoma. Am J Transl Res 2020; 12:7096-7113. [PMID: 33312353 PMCID: PMC7724327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2020] [Accepted: 09/23/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The present study aimed to explore and validate a prognostic immune signature, to formulate a prognosis for ccRCC patients combined with immune-infiltration analysis. METHODS Public datasets were used as our source of multi-omics data. Differential analysis was performed via the edgeR package. A prognostic immune signature was identified by univariate Cox analysis, and we constructed an integrative tumor-associated immune genes (TAIG) model from the multivariate Cox results. In order to interrogate and identify the related crosstalk, functional analysis was deployed. Significantly, we implemented the CIBERSORT algorithm to estimate the immune cell fractions in the ccRCC samples, and analyzed the differential abundance of tumor-infiltrating immune cells in two TAIG groups, using a Wilcoxon rank-sum test. The prognostic role of differential immune cells was further assessed via a Kaplan-Meier analysis. In addition, we investigated the associations of a single immune signature with specific immune cells. RESULTS A total of 628 ccRCC patients were comprised in our integrative analysis, including 537 ccRCC patients in the discovery group and 91 patients in the validation group. Fourteen key immune signatures were subsequently identified. A figure of 0.802 was registered for AUC, and worse prognosis was evinced for those patients with a higher TAIG. Correlation analysis indicated that TAIG correlated closely with both clinical variables and TMB. Moreover, functional analysis implicated the immune-related GO items or crosstalk. Hence, we were able to identify the relationships obtaining between tumor-infiltrating immune cells and TAIG. The differential abundance of immune cells showed a significant prognostic difference and consisted of memory-activated CD4+ T cells, T follicular helper cells, T regulatory cells, and so on. Moreover, we also characterized the associations between identified signatures and specific immune cells. Finally, the five-year AUC in the ICGC cohort was 0.72, suggesting the robustness of the TAIG that we constructed. CONCLUSIONS Overall, our team characterized the tumor-associated immune signature in ccRCC, and further identified the prognostic tumor-infiltrating immune cells related to TAIG. This in turn provided a solid foundation for investigating individualized immunotherapy, as well as other relevant mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongxi Chen
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Hunan Provincial People’s Hospital (The First Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University)Changsha 410005, Hunan Province, China
| | - Jinliang Xie
- Organ Transplant Center, Xiangya Hospital, Central South UniversityChangsha 410008, Hunan Province, China
| | - Peng Jin
- Organ Transplant Center, Xiangya Hospital, Central South UniversityChangsha 410008, Hunan Province, China
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Lung J, Hung MS, Lin YC, Hung CH, Chen CC, Lee KD, Tsai YH. Virtual Screening and In Vitro Evaluation of PD-1 Dimer Stabilizers for Uncoupling PD-1/PD-L1 Interaction from Natural Products. Molecules 2020; 25:E5293. [PMID: 33202823 PMCID: PMC7696397 DOI: 10.3390/molecules25225293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2020] [Revised: 11/05/2020] [Accepted: 11/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Genetic mutations accumulated overtime could generate many growth and survival advantages for cancer cells, but these mutations also mark cancer cells as targets to be eliminated by the immune system. To evade immune surveillance, cancer cells adopted different intrinsic molecules to suppress immune response. PD-L1 is frequently overexpressed in many cancer cells, and its engagement with PD-1 on T cells diminishes the extent of cytotoxicity from the immune system. To resume immunity for fighting cancer, several therapeutic antibodies disrupting the PD-1/PD-L1 interaction have been introduced in clinical practice. However, their immunogenicity, low tissue penetrance, and high production costs rendered these antibodies beneficial to only a limited number of patients. PD-L1 dimer formation shields the interaction interface for PD-1 binding; hence, screening for small molecule compounds stabilizing the PD-L1 dimer may make immune therapy more effective and widely affordable. In the current study, 111 candidates were selected from over 180,000 natural compound structures through virtual screening, contact fingerprint analysis, and pharmacological property prediction. Twenty-two representative candidates were further evaluated in vitro. Two compounds were found capable of inhibiting the PD-1/PD-L1 interaction and promoting PD-L1 dimer formation. Further structure optimization and clinical development of these lead inhibitors will eventually lead to more effective and affordable immunotherapeutic drugs for cancer patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jrhau Lung
- Department of Medical Research and Development, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chiayi Branch 613, Taiwan
| | - Ming-Szu Hung
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chiayi Branch 613, Taiwan; (M.-S.H.); (Y.-C.L.)
- Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan
- Department of Respiratory Care, Chiayi Campus, Chang Gung University of Science and Technology, Chiayi 613, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Ching Lin
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chiayi Branch 613, Taiwan; (M.-S.H.); (Y.-C.L.)
- Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan
- Department of Respiratory Care, Chiayi Campus, Chang Gung University of Science and Technology, Chiayi 613, Taiwan
| | - Chien-Hui Hung
- Graduate Institute of Clinical Medical Sciences, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan;
| | - Chih-Cheng Chen
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chiayi Branch 613, Taiwan;
| | - Kuan-Der Lee
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei 110, Taiwan;
| | - Ying Huang Tsai
- Department of Respiratory Care, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan;
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou Branch 333, Taiwan
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Immune Checkpoint Blockade in Cancer Immunotherapy: Mechanisms, Clinical Outcomes, and Safety Profiles of PD-1/PD-L1 Inhibitors. Arch Immunol Ther Exp (Warsz) 2020; 68:36. [DOI: 10.1007/s00005-020-00601-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2019] [Accepted: 10/31/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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Patsoukis N, Wang Q, Strauss L, Boussiotis VA. Revisiting the PD-1 pathway. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2020; 6:6/38/eabd2712. [PMID: 32948597 PMCID: PMC7500922 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abd2712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 278] [Impact Index Per Article: 69.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2020] [Accepted: 07/31/2020] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Programmed Death-1 (PD-1; CD279) is an inhibitory receptor induced in activated T cells. PD-1 engagement by its ligands, PD-L1 and PD-L2, maintains peripheral tolerance but also compromises anti-tumor immunity. Blocking antibodies against PD-1 or its ligands have revolutionized cancer immunotherapy. However, only a fraction of patients develop durable antitumor responses. Clinical outcomes have reached a plateau without substantial advances by combinatorial approaches. Thus, great interest has recently emerged to investigate, in depth, the mechanisms by which the PD-1 pathway transmits inhibitory signals with the goal to identify molecular targets for improvement of the therapeutic success. These efforts have revealed unpredictable dimensions of the pathway and uncovered novel mechanisms involved in PD-1 and PD-L1 regulation and function. Here, we provide an overview of the recent advances on the mechanistic aspects of the PD-1 pathway and discuss the implications of these new discoveries and the gaps that remain to be filled.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikolaos Patsoukis
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Qi Wang
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Laura Strauss
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Vassiliki A Boussiotis
- Division of Hematology-Oncology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
- Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
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Okurut S, Boulware DR, Olobo J, Meya DB. Landmark clinical observations and immunopathogenesis pathways linked to HIV and Cryptococcus fatal central nervous system co-infection. Mycoses 2020; 63:840-853. [PMID: 32472727 PMCID: PMC7416908 DOI: 10.1111/myc.13122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2020] [Revised: 05/21/2020] [Accepted: 05/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Cryptococcal meningitis remains one of the leading causes of death among HIV-infected adults in the fourth decade of HIV era in sub-Saharan Africa, contributing to 10%-20% of global HIV-related deaths. Despite widespread use and early induction of ART among HIV-infected adults, incidence of cryptococcosis remains significant in those with advanced HIV disease. Cryptococcus species that causes fatal infection follows systemic spread from initial environmental acquired infection in lungs to antigenaemia and fungaemia in circulation prior to establishment of often fatal disease, cryptococcal meningitis in the CNS. Cryptococcus person-to-person transmission is uncommon, and deaths related to blood infection without CNS involvement are rare. Keen to the persistent high mortality associated with HIV-cryptococcal meningitis, seizures are common among a third of the patients, altered mental status is frequent, anaemia is prevalent with ensuing brain hypoxia and at autopsy, brain fibrosis and infarction are evident. In addition, fungal burden is 3-to-4-fold higher in those with seizures. And high immune activation together with exacerbated inflammation and elevated PD-1/PD-L immune checkpoint expression is immunomodulated phenotypes elevated in CSF relative to blood. Lastly, though multiple Cryptococcus species cause disease in this setting, observations are mostly generalised to cryptococcal infection/meningitis or regional dominant species (C neoformans or gattii complex) that may limit our understanding of interspecies differences in infection, progression, treatment or recovery outcome. Together, these factors and underlying mechanisms are hypotheses generating for research to find targets to prevent infection or adequate therapy to prevent persistent high mortality with current optimal therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel Okurut
- Research DepartmentInfectious Diseases InstituteMakerere UniversityKampalaUganda
- Department of MicrobiologySchool of Biomedical SciencesCollege of Health SciencesMakerere UniversityKampalaUganda
| | - David R. Boulware
- Division of Infectious Diseases and International MedicineDepartment of MedicineUniversity of MinnesotaMinneapolisMinnesota
| | - Joseph Olobo
- Department of Immunology and Molecular BiologySchool of Biomedical SciencesCollege of Health SciencesMakerere UniversityKampalaUganda
| | - David B. Meya
- Research DepartmentInfectious Diseases InstituteMakerere UniversityKampalaUganda
- Division of Infectious Diseases and International MedicineDepartment of MedicineUniversity of MinnesotaMinneapolisMinnesota
- Department of MedicineSchool of MedicineCollege of Health SciencesMakerere UniversityKampalaUganda
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Developing Covalent Protein Drugs via Proximity-Enabled Reactive Therapeutics. Cell 2020; 182:85-97.e16. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2020.05.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2020] [Revised: 04/20/2020] [Accepted: 05/15/2020] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
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Preparation of Biphenyl-Conjugated Bromotyrosine for Inhibition of PD-1/PD-L1 Immune Checkpoint Interactions. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21103639. [PMID: 32455628 PMCID: PMC7279355 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21103639] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2020] [Revised: 05/14/2020] [Accepted: 05/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer immunotherapy has been revolutionized by the development of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) that inhibit interactions between immune checkpoint molecules, such as programmed cell-death 1 (PD-1), and its ligand PD-L1. However, mAb-based drugs have some drawbacks, including poor tumor penetration and high production costs, which could potentially be overcome by small molecule drugs. BMS-8, one of the potent small molecule drugs, induces homodimerization of PD-L1, thereby inhibiting its binding to PD-1. Our assay system revealed that BMS-8 inhibited the PD-1/PD-L1 interaction with IC50 of 7.2 μM. To improve the IC50 value, we designed and synthesized a small molecule based on the molecular structure of BMS-8 by in silico simulation. As a result, we successfully prepared a biphenyl-conjugated bromotyrosine (X) with IC50 of 1.5 μM, which was about five times improved from BMS-8. We further prepared amino acid conjugates of X (amino-X), to elucidate a correlation between the docking modes of the amino-Xs and IC50 values. The results suggested that the displacement of amino-Xs from the BMS-8 in the pocket of PD-L1 homodimer correlated with IC50 values. This observation provides us a further insight how to derivatize X for better inhibitory effect.
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Xu Y, Xiao Y, Luo C, Liu Q, Wei A, Yang Y, Zhao L, Wang Y. Blocking PD-1/PD-L1 by an ADCC enhanced anti-B7-H3/PD-1 fusion protein engages immune activation and cytotoxicity. Int Immunopharmacol 2020; 84:106584. [PMID: 32422527 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2020.106584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2020] [Revised: 04/28/2020] [Accepted: 05/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Antibody therapy based on PD-1/PD-L1 blocking or ADCC effector has produced significant clinical benefit for cancer patients. We generated a novel anti-B7-H3 antibody (07B) and engineered the Fc fragment to enhance ADCC. To improve efficacy and tumor selectivity, we developed anti-B7-H3/PD-1 bispecific fusion proteins that simultaneously engaged tumor associate marker B7-H3 and immune suppressing ligand PD-L1 as well as enhanced ADCC to promote potent and highly selective tumor killing. Fusion proteins were designed by fusing human PD-1 extra domain to 07B in four different formats and showed good binding capacity to both targets. Indeed, the affinity of fusion proteins to B7-H3 is over 10,000 fold higher compared to that of the analogous PD-L1 and the blocking of fusion proteins to PD-L1 was worse but it greatly enhanced when bound to B7-H3, thus achieving directly PD-L1-blockade to B7-H3-expressing tumor cells. Importantly, IL-2 production was enhanced by fusion proteins from staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) stimulated PBMC. Similarly, cytokines induced by fusion proteins was enhanced when co-cultured with stimulated CD8+ T cells and B7-H3/PD-L1 transfected raji cells. Additionally, fusion proteins improved activation to CD16a by Fc modification and delivered selective cytotoxicity to B7-H3 expressing tumor cells. In conclusion, fusion proteins blocked the PD-1/PD-L1 signal pathway and significantly increased potency of ADCC in a B7-H3-directed manner, thereby selectively activating CD8+ T cells and enhancing natural killing towards tumor. This novel fusion protein with its unique targeting preference may be useful to enhance efficacy and safety of immunotherapy for B7-H3-overexpressing malignancies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yao Xu
- Sanhome-CPU Joint Laboratory, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, PR China; Sanhome R&D Centre, Nanjing Sanhome Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Nanjing 221116, PR China; Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21231, USA
| | - Yang Xiao
- Sanhome R&D Centre, Nanjing Sanhome Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Nanjing 221116, PR China
| | - Cheng Luo
- Sanhome R&D Centre, Nanjing Sanhome Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Nanjing 221116, PR China
| | - Qingxia Liu
- Sanhome-CPU Joint Laboratory, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, PR China; Sanhome R&D Centre, Nanjing Sanhome Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Nanjing 221116, PR China
| | - Aiqi Wei
- Sanhome R&D Centre, Nanjing Sanhome Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Nanjing 221116, PR China
| | - Yang Yang
- Sanhome R&D Centre, Nanjing Sanhome Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Nanjing 221116, PR China
| | - Liwen Zhao
- Sanhome R&D Centre, Nanjing Sanhome Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Nanjing 221116, PR China
| | - Yong Wang
- Sanhome-CPU Joint Laboratory, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, PR China; Sanhome R&D Centre, Nanjing Sanhome Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Nanjing 221116, PR China.
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Yang Y, Wang X, Bai Y, Feng D, Li A, Tang Y, Wei X, Han P. Programmed death-ligand 2 (PD-L2) expression in bladder cancer. Urol Oncol 2020; 38:603.e9-603.e15. [PMID: 32151519 DOI: 10.1016/j.urolonc.2020.01.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2019] [Revised: 01/05/2020] [Accepted: 01/08/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Immune checkpoint blockade is an optional and effective therapy for bladder cancer. The present study was aimed to investigate the expression of programmed death ligand-2 (PD-L2) in patients with bladder cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS Paraffin-embedded tissues of 92 patients with bladder cancer were obtained. Then immunohistochemistry of PD-L2 was performed. The expression intensity of PD-L2 was defined with score 0, 1, 2 and 3, in compliance with negative, weak, moderate, and strong, respectively. The association of PD-L2 expression with clinical characteristics was analyzed. A P < 0.05 was considered as significantly different. RESULTS By defining the expression intensity of PD-L2 with score 0 to 3, 73.9% of patients (68/92) had a positive expression of PD-L2, and 43.5% (40/92) had a mediate or strong expression. Furthermore, high expression PD-L2 (mediate or strong expression) was more common among patients ≤ 70 y (P = 0.038) and those with smoke history (P = 0.045). The univariate Kaplan-Meier analysis indicated that high expression of PD-L2 was associated with both shorter overall survival (OS) (78.3 vs. 60.3 months; P = 0.037) and shorter disease-free survival (44.3 vs. 22.5 months; P = 0.004). The multivariate COX regression model showed that high expression of PD-L2 was a poor factor of disease-free survival (hazard ratio = 0.537, 95%CI 0.322-0.898; P = 0.018), but not OS (hazard ratio = 0.565, 95%CI 0.253-1.262; P = 0.164). CONCLUSION Bladder cancer had a high expression of PD-L2. And high expression of PD-L2 may indicate worse prognosis. It may be a potential immunotherapeutic target of immune checkpoint blockade for bladder cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yubo Yang
- Department of Urology/Institute of Urology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Xiaoming Wang
- Department of Urology/Institute of Urology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Yunjin Bai
- Department of Urology/Institute of Urology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Dechao Feng
- Department of Urology/Institute of Urology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Ao Li
- Department of Urology/Institute of Urology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Yin Tang
- Department of Urology/Institute of Urology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
| | - Xin Wei
- Department of Urology/Institute of Urology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China.
| | - Ping Han
- Department of Urology/Institute of Urology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China.
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Klyukin K, Alexandrov V. Kinetics of pH-dependent interactions between PD-1 and PD-L1 immune checkpoint proteins from molecular dynamics. Proteins 2020; 88:1162-1168. [PMID: 32105362 DOI: 10.1002/prot.25885] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2019] [Revised: 02/05/2020] [Accepted: 02/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Immune checkpoint blockade of signaling pathways such as PD-1/PD-L1 has recently opened up a new avenue for highly efficient immunotherapeutic strategies to treat cancer. Since tumor microenvironments are characterized by lower pH (5.5-7.0), pH-dependent protein-ligand interactions can be exploited as efficient means to regulate drug affinity and specificity for a variety of malignancies. In this article, we investigate the mechanism and kinetics of pH-dependent binding and unbinding processes for the PD-1/PD-L1 checkpoint pair employing classical molecular dynamics simulations. Two representative pH levels corresponding to circumneutral physiological conditions of blood (pH 7.4) and acidic tumor microenvironment (pH 5.5) are considered. Our calculations demonstrate that pH plays a key role in protein-ligand interactions with small pH changes leading to several orders of magnitude increase in binding affinity. By identifying the binding pocket in the PD-1/PD-L1 complex, we show a pivotal role of the His68 protonation state of PD-1in the complex stabilization at low pH. The results on the reaction rate constants are in qualitative agreement with available experimental data. The obtained molecular details are important for further engineering of binding/unbinding kinetics to formulate more efficient immune checkpoint blockade strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Konstantin Klyukin
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska
| | - Vitaly Alexandrov
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska.,Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska
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Lyu N, Wang K, Zhang F, Qin H, Zhao Y, Wu R, Si Y, Wang L. Recognition of PDL1/L2 by different induced-fit mechanisms of PD1: a comparative study of molecular dynamics simulations. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2020; 22:1276-1287. [DOI: 10.1039/c9cp05531b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
The different binding mechanism for PD1/PDL1 and PD1/PDL2 complexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nan Lyu
- School of Pharmacy
- Guangdong Pharmaceutical University
- Guangzhou 510006
- P. R. China
| | - Kai Wang
- School of Agriculture and Biology
- Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering
- Guangzhou 510000
- P. R. China
| | - Fan Zhang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences
- Sun Yat-sen University
- Guangzhou 510006
- P. R. China
| | - Haimei Qin
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces
- Fujian Provincial Key Lab of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, and Department of Chemistry
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
- Xiamen University
- Xiamen 361005
| | - Yi Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces
- Fujian Provincial Key Lab of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, and Department of Chemistry
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
- Xiamen University
- Xiamen 361005
| | - Ruibo Wu
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences
- Sun Yat-sen University
- Guangzhou 510006
- P. R. China
| | - Yubing Si
- College of Chemistry
- Zhengzhou University
- Zhengzhou 450001
- P. R. China
| | - Laiyou Wang
- School of Pharmacy
- Guangdong Pharmaceutical University
- Guangzhou 510006
- P. R. China
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Kundapura SV, Ramagopal UA. The CC' loop of IgV domains of the immune checkpoint receptors, plays a key role in receptor:ligand affinity modulation. Sci Rep 2019; 9:19191. [PMID: 31844079 PMCID: PMC6914781 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-54623-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2019] [Accepted: 10/31/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Antibodies targeting negative regulators of immune checkpoints have shown unprecedented and durable response against variety of malignancies. While the concept of blocking the negative regulators of the immune checkpoints using mAbs appears to be an outstanding approach, their limited effect and several drawbacks, calls for the rational design of next generation of therapeutics. Soluble isoforms of the negative regulators of immune checkpoint pathways are expressed naturally and regulate immune responses. This suggests, affinity-modified versions of these self-molecules could be effective lead molecules for immunotherapy. To obtain better insights on the hotspot regions for modification, we have analysed structures of 18 immune receptor:ligand complexes containing the IgV domain. Interestingly, this analysis reveals that the CC' loop of IgV domain, a loop which is distinct from CDRs of antibodies, plays a pivotal role in affinity modulation, which was previously not highlighted. It is noteworthy that a ~5-residue long CC' loop in a ~120 residue protein makes significant number of hydrophobic and polar interactions with its cognate ligand. The post-interaction movement of CC' loop to accommodate the incoming ligands, seems to provide additional affinity to the interactions. In silico replacement of the CC' loop of TIGIT with that of Nectin-2 and PVR followed by protein docking trials suggests a key role of the CC' loop in affinity modulation in the TIGIT/Nectin pathway. The CC' loop appears to be a hotspot for the affinity modification without affecting the specificity to their cognate receptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shankar V Kundapura
- Division of Biological Sciences, Poornaprajna Institute of Scientific Research, #4, 16th Cross, Sadashivnagar, Bangalore, 560080, India.,Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, 576104, India
| | - Udupi A Ramagopal
- Division of Biological Sciences, Poornaprajna Institute of Scientific Research, #4, 16th Cross, Sadashivnagar, Bangalore, 560080, India.
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Mohammadzadeh S, Khanahmad H, Esmaeil N, Eskandari N, Rahimmanesh I, Rezaei A, Andalib A. Producing Soluble Human Programmed Cell Death Protein-1: A Natural Supporter for CD4+T Cell Cytotoxicity and Tumor Cells Apoptosis. IRANIAN JOURNAL OF BIOTECHNOLOGY 2019; 17:e2104. [PMID: 32671122 PMCID: PMC7357696 DOI: 10.30498/ijb.2019.85180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1)/PD-L1 pathway is one of the immune checkpoint pathways involved in the regulation of the immune responses and the suppression of anti-tumor defense. PD-1/PD-L1 blocking antibodies improve immune responses such as cytotoxic activity of CD8+/CD4+T cells and increase mortality of tumor cells as well; however, their use is accompanied by adverse side effects. OBJECTIVES We aimed to produce a native blocker of human PD-1/PD-L1, for developing T cells cytotoxicity and tumor cells apoptosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS We designed and cloned soluble human PD-1-GFP-pcDNA3.1/hygro construct in Escherichia coli strain TOP10 cells and then transfected this construct into the HEK cells. The concentration of the secreted shPD-1 in the supernatant was measured and the supernatant was used for blocking PD-L1 on the MDA-MB-231 cells. The cytotoxicity of CD8+/CD4+T cells and the apoptosis of MDA-MB-231 cells, under the influence of shPD-1 in the co-culture of T cells with the MDA-MB-231 cells, were evaluated using flow cytometry technique. RESULTS The GFP expression in the transfected cells illustrated the successful designing, transfection, and production of shPD-1. Soluble human PD-1 concentration in the supernatant of the transfected HEK cells was significantly higher than the untransfected cells. In addition, shPD-1 significantly blocked PD-L1 on the MDA- MB-231 cells, improved the cytotoxicity of CD4+T cells, and increased the apoptosis of MDA-MB-231 cells. CONCLUSION Overall, increased CD4+T cell cytotoxicity and tumor cells apoptosis under the influence of shPD-1, confirmed the effectiveness of shPD-1 as a natural blocker of PD-L1and as an augmenter of the anti-tumorimmune responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samane Mohammadzadeh
- Immunology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Hossein Khanahmad
- Genetics and Molecular Biology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Nafiseh Esmaeil
- Immunology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Nahid Eskandari
- Immunology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Ilnaz Rahimmanesh
- Genetics and Molecular Biology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Abbas Rezaei
- Immunology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Alireza Andalib
- Immunology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
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A high-affinity human PD-1/PD-L2 complex informs avenues for small-molecule immune checkpoint drug discovery. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:24500-24506. [PMID: 31727844 PMCID: PMC6900541 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1916916116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Immune checkpoint blockade of programmed death-1 (PD-1) by monoclonal antibody drugs has transformed the treatment of cancer. Small-molecule PD-1 drugs have the potential to offer increased efficacy, safety, and global access. Despite substantial efforts, such small-molecule drugs have been out of reach. We identify a prominent pocket on the ligand-binding surface of human PD-1 that appears to be an attractive small-molecule drug target. The pocket forms when PD-1 is bound to one of its ligands, PD-L2. Our high-resolution crystal structure of the human PD-1/PD-L2 complex facilitates virtual drug-screening efforts and opens additional avenues for the design and discovery of small-molecule PD-1 inhibitors. Our work provides a strategy that may enable discovery of small-molecule inhibitors of other “undruggable” protein–protein interactions. Immune checkpoint blockade of programmed death-1 (PD-1) by monoclonal antibody drugs has delivered breakthroughs in the treatment of cancer. Nonetheless, small-molecule PD-1 inhibitors could lead to increases in treatment efficacy, safety, and global access. While the ligand-binding surface of apo-PD-1 is relatively flat, it harbors a striking pocket in the murine PD-1/PD-L2 structure. An analogous pocket in human PD-1 may serve as a small-molecule drug target, but the structure of the human complex is unknown. Because the CC′ and FG loops in murine PD-1 adopt new conformations upon binding PD-L2, we hypothesized that mutations in these two loops could be coupled to pocket formation and alter PD-1’s affinity for PD-L2. Here, we conducted deep mutational scanning in these loops and used yeast surface display to select for enhanced PD-L2 binding. A PD-1 variant with three substitutions binds PD-L2 with an affinity two orders of magnitude higher than that of the wild-type protein, permitting crystallization of the complex. We determined the X-ray crystal structures of the human triple-mutant PD-1/PD-L2 complex and the apo triple-mutant PD-1 variant at 2.0 Å and 1.2 Å resolution, respectively. Binding of PD-L2 is accompanied by formation of a prominent pocket in human PD-1, as well as substantial conformational changes in the CC′ and FG loops. The structure of the apo triple-mutant PD-1 shows that the CC′ loop adopts the ligand-bound conformation, providing support for allostery between the loop and pocket. This human PD-1/PD-L2 structure provide critical insights for the design and discovery of small-molecule PD-1 inhibitors.
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Zhao Y, Harrison DL, Song Y, Ji J, Huang J, Hui E. Antigen-Presenting Cell-Intrinsic PD-1 Neutralizes PD-L1 in cis to Attenuate PD-1 Signaling in T Cells. Cell Rep 2019; 24:379-390.e6. [PMID: 29996099 PMCID: PMC6093302 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2018.06.054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 130] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2018] [Revised: 05/07/2018] [Accepted: 06/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The PD-1 pathway, consisting of the co-inhibitory receptor PD-1 on T cells and its ligand (PD-L1) on antigen-presenting cells (APCs), is a major mechanism of tumor immune evasion. PD-1 and PD-L1 blockade antibodies have produced remarkable clinical activities against a subset of cancers. Binding between T cell-intrinsic PD-1 and APC-intrinsic PD-L1 triggers inhibitory signaling to attenuate the T cell response. Here, we report that PD-1 is co-expressed with PD-L1 on tumor cells and tumor-infiltrating APCs. Using reconstitution and cell culture assays, we demonstrate that the co-expressed PD-1 binds to PD-L1 in cis. Such interaction inhibits the ability of PD-L1 to bind T cell-intrinsic PD-1 in trans and, in turn, represses canonical PD-L1/PD-1 inhibitory signaling. Selective blockade of tumor-intrinsic PD-1 frees up tumor-intrinsic PD-L1 to inhibit T cell signaling and cytotoxicity. Our study uncovers another dimension of PD-1 regulation, with important therapeutic implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunlong Zhao
- Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Devin L Harrison
- Institute for Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Yuran Song
- Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Jie Ji
- Institute for Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA; Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The First Clinical Medical College of Nanjing Medical University Nanjing, Jiangsu 210029, China
| | - Jun Huang
- Institute for Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Enfu Hui
- Section of Cell and Developmental Biology, Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
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35
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Ding H, Liu H. Mapping the Binding Hot Spots on Human Programmed Cell Death 1 and Its Ligand with Free-Energy Simulations. J Chem Inf Model 2019; 59:4339-4349. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.9b00337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Hanjing Ding
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Hubei University of Science and Technology, Xianning, Hubei 437100, China
| | - Hui Liu
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Agricultural Bioinformatics, College of Informatics, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China
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36
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Computational Redesign of PD-1 Interface for PD-L1 Ligand Selectivity. Structure 2019; 27:829-836.e3. [PMID: 30930066 PMCID: PMC6745709 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2019.03.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2018] [Revised: 11/16/2018] [Accepted: 03/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Chronic or persistent stimulation of the programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) pathway prevents T cells from mounting anti-tumor and anti-viral immune responses. Blockade of this inhibitory checkpoint pathway has shown therapeutic importance by rescuing T cells from their exhausted state. Cognate ligands of the PD-1 receptor include the tissue-specific PD-L1 and PD-L2 proteins. Engineering a human PD-1 interface specific for PD-L1 or PD-L2 can provide a specific reagent and therapeutic advantage for tissue-specific disruption of the PD-1 pathway. We utilized ProtLID, a computational framework, which constitutes a residue-based pharmacophore approach, to custom-design a human PD-1 interface specific to human PD-L1 without any significant affinity to PD-L2. In subsequent cell assay experiments, half of all single-point mutant designs proved to introduce a statistically significant selectivity, with nine of these maintaining a close to wild-type affinity to PD-L1. This proof-of-concept study suggests a general approach to re-engineer protein interfaces for specificity.
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37
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Tavares ABMLA, Lima Neto JX, Fulco UL, Albuquerque EL. A quantum biochemistry approach to investigate checkpoint inhibitor drugs for cancer. NEW J CHEM 2019. [DOI: 10.1039/c8nj05561k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
We investigate the coupling profiles of the receptor PD-1 in complex with its natural ligand PDL1 and two inhibitor drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - José X. Lima Neto
- Departamento de Biofísica e Farmacologia
- Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte
- Natal
- Brazil
| | - Umberto L. Fulco
- Departamento de Biofísica e Farmacologia
- Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte
- Natal
- Brazil
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38
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Englinger B, Kallus S, Senkiv J, Laemmerer A, Moser P, Gabler L, Groza D, Kowol CR, Heffeter P, Grusch M, Berger W. Lysosomal Sequestration Impairs the Activity of the Preclinical FGFR Inhibitor PD173074. Cells 2018; 7:E259. [PMID: 30544798 PMCID: PMC6315953 DOI: 10.3390/cells7120259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2018] [Revised: 12/03/2018] [Accepted: 12/04/2018] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Knowledge of intracellular pharmacokinetics of anticancer agents is imperative for understanding drug efficacy as well as intrinsic and acquired cellular resistance mechanisms. However, the factors driving subcellular drug distribution are complex and poorly understood. Here, we describe for the first time the intrinsic fluorescence properties of the fibroblast growth factor receptor inhibitor PD1703074 as well as utilization of this physicochemical feature to investigate intracellular accumulation and compartmentalization of this compound in human lung cancer cells. Cell-free PD173074 fluorescence, intracellular accumulation and distribution were investigated using analytical chemistry and molecular biology approaches. Analyses on a subcellular scale revealed selective drug accumulation in lysosomes. Coincubation with inhibitors of lysosomal acidification strongly enhanced PD173074-mediated fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) inhibition and cytotoxicity. In conclusion, intrinsic fluorescence enables analysis of molecular factors influencing intracellular pharmacokinetics of PD173074. Lysosome-alkalinizing agents might represent candidates for rational combination treatment, preventing cancer cell-intrinsic PD173074 resistance based on lysosomal trapping.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernhard Englinger
- Institute of Cancer Research and Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Medicine I, Medical University of Vienna, A-1090 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Sebastian Kallus
- Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Vienna, A-1090 Vienna, Austria.
- Research Cluster "Translational Cancer Therapy Research", A-1090 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Julia Senkiv
- Institute of Cancer Research and Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Medicine I, Medical University of Vienna, A-1090 Vienna, Austria.
- Institute of Cell Biology, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 79005 Lviv, Ukraine.
| | - Anna Laemmerer
- Institute of Cancer Research and Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Medicine I, Medical University of Vienna, A-1090 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Patrick Moser
- Institute of Cancer Research and Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Medicine I, Medical University of Vienna, A-1090 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Lisa Gabler
- Institute of Cancer Research and Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Medicine I, Medical University of Vienna, A-1090 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Diana Groza
- Institute of Cancer Research and Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Medicine I, Medical University of Vienna, A-1090 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Christian R Kowol
- Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Vienna, A-1090 Vienna, Austria.
- Research Cluster "Translational Cancer Therapy Research", A-1090 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Petra Heffeter
- Institute of Cancer Research and Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Medicine I, Medical University of Vienna, A-1090 Vienna, Austria.
- Research Cluster "Translational Cancer Therapy Research", A-1090 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Michael Grusch
- Institute of Cancer Research and Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Medicine I, Medical University of Vienna, A-1090 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Walter Berger
- Institute of Cancer Research and Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Medicine I, Medical University of Vienna, A-1090 Vienna, Austria.
- Research Cluster "Translational Cancer Therapy Research", A-1090 Vienna, Austria.
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39
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Yang J, Hu L. Immunomodulators targeting the PD-1/PD-L1 protein-protein interaction: From antibodies to small molecules. Med Res Rev 2018; 39:265-301. [PMID: 30215856 DOI: 10.1002/med.21530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 123] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2018] [Revised: 07/18/2018] [Accepted: 07/23/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Cancer immunotherapy has made great strides in the recent decade, especially in the area of immune checkpoint blockade. The outstanding efficacy, prolonged durability of effect, and rapid assimilation of anti-PD-1 and anti-PD-L1 monoclonal antibodies in clinical practice have been nothing short of a medical breakthrough in the treatment of numerous malignancies. The major advantages of these therapeutic antibodies over their small molecule counterparts have been their high binding affinity and target specificity. However, antibodies do have their flaws including immune-related toxicities, inadequate pharmacokinetics and tumor penetration, and high cost burden to manufacturers and consumers. These limitations hinder broader clinical applications of the antibodies and have heightened interests in developing the alternative small molecule platform that includes peptidomimetics and peptides to target the PD-1/PD-L1 immune checkpoint system. The progress on these small molecule alternatives has been relatively slow compared to that of the antibodies. Fortunately, recent structural studies of the interactions among PD-1, PD-L1, and their respective antibodies have revealed key hotspots on PD-1 and PD-L1 that may facilitate drug discovery efforts for small molecule immunotherapeutics. This review is intended to discuss key concepts in immuno-oncology, describe the successes and shortcomings of PD-1/PD-L1 antibody-based therapies, and to highlight the recent development of small molecule inhibitors of the PD-1/PD-L1 protein-protein interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey Yang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey
| | - Longqin Hu
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey.,Cancer Pharmacology Program, Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey
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40
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Li Y, Liang Z, Tian Y, Cai W, Weng Z, Chen L, Zhang H, Bao Y, Zheng H, Zeng S, Bei C, Li Y. High-affinity PD-1 molecules deliver improved interaction with PD-L1 and PD-L2. Cancer Sci 2018; 109:2435-2445. [PMID: 29890018 PMCID: PMC6113430 DOI: 10.1111/cas.13666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2018] [Revised: 05/27/2018] [Accepted: 05/28/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The inhibitory checkpoint molecule programmed death (PD)-1 plays a vital role in maintaining immune homeostasis upon binding to its ligands, PD-L1 and PD-L2. Several recent studies have demonstrated that soluble PD-1 (sPD-1) can block the interaction between membrane PD-1 and PD-L1 to enhance the antitumor capability of T cells. However, the affinity of natural sPD-1 binding to PD-L1 is too low to permit therapeutic applications. Here, a PD-1 variant with approximately 3000-fold and 70-fold affinity increase to bind PD-L1 and PD-L2, respectively, was generated through directed molecular evolution and phage display technology. Structural analysis showed that mutations at amino acid positions 124 and 132 of PD-1 played major roles in enhancing the affinity of PD-1 binding to its ligands. The high-affinity PD-1 mutant could compete with the binding of antibodies specific to PD-L1 or PD-L2 on cancer cells or dendritic cells, and it could enhance the proliferation and IFN-γ release of activated lymphocytes. These features potentially qualify the high-affinity PD-1 variant as a unique candidate for the development of a new class of PD-1 immune-checkpoint blockade therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanyan Li
- School of Life SciencesUniversity of Science and Technology of ChinaHefeiChina
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory DiseaseGuangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and HealthChinese Academy of SciencesGuangzhouChina
| | - Zhaoduan Liang
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory DiseaseGuangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and HealthChinese Academy of SciencesGuangzhouChina
| | - Ye Tian
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory DiseaseGuangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and HealthChinese Academy of SciencesGuangzhouChina
| | - Wenxuan Cai
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory DiseaseGuangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and HealthChinese Academy of SciencesGuangzhouChina
| | | | - Lin Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory DiseaseGuangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and HealthChinese Academy of SciencesGuangzhouChina
| | - Huanling Zhang
- School of Life SciencesUniversity of Science and Technology of ChinaHefeiChina
| | - Yifeng Bao
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory DiseaseGuangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and HealthChinese Academy of SciencesGuangzhouChina
| | | | | | | | - Yi Li
- State Key Laboratory of Respiratory DiseaseGuangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and HealthChinese Academy of SciencesGuangzhouChina
- Guangdong Xiangxue Life SciencesGuangzhouChina
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41
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Konstantinidou M, Zarganes-Tzitzikas T, Magiera-Mularz K, Holak TA, Dömling A. Immune Checkpoint PD-1/PD-L1: Is There Life Beyond Antibodies? Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2018; 57:4840-4848. [PMID: 29178534 PMCID: PMC6280658 DOI: 10.1002/anie.201710407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 99] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2017] [Revised: 11/21/2017] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
The PD-1/PD-L1 interaction has emerged as a significant target in cancer immunotherapy. Current medications include monoclonal antibodies, which have shown impressive clinical results in the treatment of several types of tumors. The cocrystal structure of human PD-1 and PD-L1 is expected to be a valuable starting point for the design of novel inhibitors, along with the recent crystal structures with monoclonal antibodies, small molecules, and macrocycles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Markella Konstantinidou
- Department of Drug Design, University of Groningen, A. Deusinglaan 1, 9713 AV, Groningen (The Netherlands)
| | - Tryfon Zarganes-Tzitzikas
- Department of Drug Design, University of Groningen, A. Deusinglaan 1, 9713 AV, Groningen (The Netherlands)
| | | | - Tad A. Holak
- Jagiellonian University Ingardena 3, 30-060 Krakow (Poland), Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry, Am Klopferspitz 18a, 82152 Martinsried (Germany)
| | - Alexander Dömling
- Department of Drug Design, University of Groningen, A. Deusinglaan 1, 9713 AV, Groningen (The Netherlands)
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42
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Zak KM, Grudnik P, Magiera K, Dömling A, Dubin G, Holak TA. Structural Biology of the Immune Checkpoint Receptor PD-1 and Its Ligands PD-L1/PD-L2. Structure 2018; 25:1163-1174. [PMID: 28768162 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2017.06.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 218] [Impact Index Per Article: 36.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2017] [Revised: 05/23/2017] [Accepted: 06/16/2017] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Cancer cells can avoid and suppress immune responses through activation of inhibitory immune checkpoint proteins, such as PD-1, PD-L1, and CTLA-4. Blocking the activities of these proteins with monoclonal antibodies, and thus restoring T cell function, has delivered breakthrough therapies against cancer. In this review, we describe the latest work on structural characterization of the checkpoint proteins, their interactions with cognate ligands and with therapeutic antibodies. Structures of the extracellular portions of these proteins reveal that they all have a similar modular structure, composed of small domains similar in topology to the domains found in antibodies. Structural basis for blocking the PD-1/PD-L1 interaction by small molecules is illustrated with the compound BMS-202 that binds to and induces dimerization of PD-L1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krzysztof M Zak
- Malopolska Centre of Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 7a, 30-387 Krakow, Poland; Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 7, 30-387 Krakow, Poland
| | - Przemyslaw Grudnik
- Malopolska Centre of Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 7a, 30-387 Krakow, Poland; Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 7, 30-387 Krakow, Poland
| | - Katarzyna Magiera
- Department of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Jagiellonian University, Ingardena 3, 30-060 Krakow, Poland
| | - Alexander Dömling
- Department for Drug Design, University of Groningen, A. Deusinglaan 9, AV 9713 Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Grzegorz Dubin
- Malopolska Centre of Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 7a, 30-387 Krakow, Poland; Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 7, 30-387 Krakow, Poland
| | - Tad A Holak
- Malopolska Centre of Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 7a, 30-387 Krakow, Poland; Department of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Jagiellonian University, Ingardena 3, 30-060 Krakow, Poland; Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry, Am Klopferspitz 18a, 82152 Martinsried, Germany.
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43
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Konstantinidou M, Zarganes-Tzitzikas T, Magiera-Mularz K, Holak TA, Dömling A. Der Immuncheckpoint PD-1/PD-L1: Gibt es Therapieoptionen jenseits der Antikörper? Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.201710407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Markella Konstantinidou
- Department of Drug Design; University of Groningen; A. Deusinglaan 1 9713 AV Groningen Niederlande
| | | | | | - Tad A. Holak
- Fakultät für Chemie; Jagiellonen-Universität; Ingardena 3 30-060 Krakau Polen
- Max-Planck-Institut für Biochemie; Am Klopferspitz 18a 82152 Martinsried Deutschland
| | - Alexander Dömling
- Department of Drug Design; University of Groningen; A. Deusinglaan 1 9713 AV Groningen Niederlande
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44
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Fleury M, Belkina AC, Proctor EA, Zammitti C, Simms RW, Lauffenburger DA, Snyder-Cappione JE, Lafyatis R, Dooms H. Increased Expression and Modulated Regulatory Activity of Coinhibitory Receptors PD-1, TIGIT, and TIM-3 in Lymphocytes From Patients With Systemic Sclerosis. Arthritis Rheumatol 2018; 70:566-577. [PMID: 29245183 PMCID: PMC5876093 DOI: 10.1002/art.40399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2017] [Accepted: 12/05/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Immune dysfunction is an important component of the disease process underlying systemic sclerosis (SSc), but the mechanisms contributing to altered immune cell function in SSc remain poorly defined. This study was undertaken to measure the expression and function of the coinhibitory receptors (co-IRs) programmed cell death 1 (PD-1), T cell immunoglobulin and ITIM domain (TIGIT), T cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain 3 (TIM-3), and lymphocyte activation gene 3 (LAG-3) in lymphocyte subsets from the peripheral blood of patients with SSc. METHODS Co-IR expression levels on subsets of immune cells were analyzed using a 16-color flow cytometry panel. The functional role of co-IRs was determined by measuring cytokine production after in vitro stimulation of SSc and healthy control peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in the presence of co-IR-blocking antibodies. Supernatants from cultures of stimulated PBMCs were added to SSc fibroblasts, and their impact on fibroblast gene expression was measured. Mathematical modeling was used to reveal differences between co-IR functions in SSc patients and healthy controls. RESULTS Levels of the co-IRs PD-1 and TIGIT were increased, and each was coexpressed, in distinct T cell subsets from SSc patients compared to healthy controls. Levels of TIM-3 were increased in SSc natural killer cells. PD-1, TIGIT, and TIM-3 antibody blockade revealed patient-specific roles of each of these co-IRs in modulating activation-induced T cell cytokine production. In contrast to healthy subjects, blockade of TIGIT and TIM-3, but not PD-1, failed to reverse inhibited cytokine production in SSc patients, indicating that enhanced T cell exhaustion is present in SSc. Finally, cytokines secreted in anti-TIM-3-treated PBMC cultures distinctly changed the gene expression profile in SSc fibroblasts. CONCLUSION The altered expression and regulatory capacity of co-IRs in SSc lymphocytes may contribute to disease pathophysiology by modulating the cytokine-mediated cross-talk of immune cells and fibroblasts at sites of inflammation and/or fibrosis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Anna C Belkina
- Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
| | | | | | - Robert W Simms
- Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
| | | | | | - Robert Lafyatis
- Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, and University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Hans Dooms
- Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
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45
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Tavares ABMLA, Lima Neto JX, Fulco UL, Albuquerque EL. Inhibition of the checkpoint protein PD-1 by the therapeutic antibody pembrolizumab outlined by quantum chemistry. Sci Rep 2018; 8:1840. [PMID: 29382901 PMCID: PMC5789983 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-20325-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2017] [Accepted: 01/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Much of the recent excitement in the cancer immunotherapy approach has been generated by the recognition that immune checkpoint proteins, like the receptor PD-1, can be blocked by antibody-based drugs with profound effects. Promising clinical data have already been released pointing to the efficiency of the drug pembrolizumab to block the PD-1 pathway, triggering the T-lymphocytes to destroy the cancer cells. Thus, a deep understanding of this drug/receptor complex is essential for the improvement of new drugs targeting the protein PD-1. In this context, by employing quantum chemistry methods based on the Density Functional Theory (DFT), we investigate in silico the binding energy features of the receptor PD-1 in complex with its drug inhibitor. Our computational results give a better understanding of the binding mechanisms, being also an efficient alternative towards the development of antibody-based drugs, pointing to new treatments for cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Beatriz M L A Tavares
- Departamento de Biofísica e Farmacologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, 59072-970, Natal, RN, Brazil
| | - José X Lima Neto
- Departamento de Biofísica e Farmacologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, 59072-970, Natal, RN, Brazil
| | - Umberto L Fulco
- Departamento de Biofísica e Farmacologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, 59072-970, Natal, RN, Brazil
| | - Eudenilson L Albuquerque
- Departamento de Biofísica e Farmacologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, 59072-970, Natal, RN, Brazil.
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46
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Guzik K, Zak KM, Grudnik P, Magiera K, Musielak B, Törner R, Skalniak L, Dömling A, Dubin G, Holak TA. Small-Molecule Inhibitors of the Programmed Cell Death-1/Programmed Death-Ligand 1 (PD-1/PD-L1) Interaction via Transiently Induced Protein States and Dimerization of PD-L1. J Med Chem 2017; 60:5857-5867. [PMID: 28613862 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.7b00293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 220] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Blockade of the PD-1/PD-L1 immune checkpoint pathway with monoclonal antibodies has provided significant advances in cancer treatment. The antibody-based immunotherapies carry a number of disadvantages such as the high cost of the antibodies, their limited half-life, and immunogenicity. Development of small-molecule PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors that could overcome these drawbacks is slow because of the incomplete structural information for this pathway. The first chemical PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors have been recently disclosed by Bristol-Myers Squibb. Here we present NMR and X-ray characterization for the two classes of these inhibitors. The X-ray structures of the PD-L1/inhibitor complexes reveal one inhibitor molecule located at the center of the PD-L1 homodimer, filling a deep hydrophobic channel-like pocket between two PD-L1 molecules. Derivatives of (2-methyl-3-biphenylyl)methanol exhibit the structures capped on one side of the channel, whereas the compounds based on [3-(2,3-dihydro-1,4-benzodioxin-6-yl)-2-methylphenyl]methanol induce an enlarged interaction interface that results in the open "face-back" tunnel through the PD-L1 dimer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katarzyna Guzik
- Department of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Jagiellonian University , Ingardena 3, 30-060 Krakow, Poland
| | - Krzysztof M Zak
- Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University , Gronostajowa 7, 30-387 Krakow, Poland.,Malopolska Centre of Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University , Gronostajowa 7a, 30-387 Krakow, Poland
| | - Przemyslaw Grudnik
- Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University , Gronostajowa 7, 30-387 Krakow, Poland.,Malopolska Centre of Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University , Gronostajowa 7a, 30-387 Krakow, Poland
| | - Katarzyna Magiera
- Department of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Jagiellonian University , Ingardena 3, 30-060 Krakow, Poland.,Malopolska Centre of Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University , Gronostajowa 7a, 30-387 Krakow, Poland
| | - Bogdan Musielak
- Department of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Jagiellonian University , Ingardena 3, 30-060 Krakow, Poland
| | - Ricarda Törner
- Department of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Jagiellonian University , Ingardena 3, 30-060 Krakow, Poland
| | - Lukasz Skalniak
- Department of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Jagiellonian University , Ingardena 3, 30-060 Krakow, Poland
| | - Alexander Dömling
- Department for Drug Design, University of Groningen , A. Deusinglaan 9, AV 9713 Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Grzegorz Dubin
- Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University , Gronostajowa 7, 30-387 Krakow, Poland.,Malopolska Centre of Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University , Gronostajowa 7a, 30-387 Krakow, Poland
| | - Tad A Holak
- Department of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Jagiellonian University , Ingardena 3, 30-060 Krakow, Poland.,Malopolska Centre of Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University , Gronostajowa 7a, 30-387 Krakow, Poland
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