1
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Graham LV, Khakoo SI, Blunt MD. NK Cells in the Lymph Nodes and Their Role in Anti-Tumour Immunity. Biomedicines 2024; 12:1667. [PMID: 39200132 PMCID: PMC11351147 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines12081667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2024] [Revised: 07/18/2024] [Accepted: 07/24/2024] [Indexed: 09/01/2024] Open
Abstract
The lymph nodes are vital to enable adaptive immune responses to infection. Natural killer (NK) cells are cytotoxic lymphocytes that directly kill cancer cells and modulate the activation of other immune cells during anti-tumour immune response. NK cells in the lymph nodes are involved in the regulation of T-cell and B-cell populations and the clearance of viral infections. In solid tumours, lymph nodes are a frequent site of metastasis and immune cell priming, whilst in haematological malignancies, tumour cells can proliferate in the lymph nodes. Thus, lymph nodes are an important site in anti-tumour immunity and therapy resistance. It is therefore crucial to identify strategies to increase recruitment and overcome suppression of NK cells in the lymph node microenvironment to improve tumour clearance. In this review, we summarise the literature interrogating NK cell phenotype and function in the lymph nodes in the context of infection and cancer and evaluate both current and potential strategies to mobilise and activate NK cells within the lymph nodes of cancer patients.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Matthew D. Blunt
- School of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK
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2
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Paterson RL, La Manna MP, Arena De Souza V, Walker A, Gibbs-Howe D, Kulkarni R, Fergusson JR, Mulakkal NC, Monteiro M, Bunjobpol W, Dembek M, Martin-Urdiroz M, Grant T, Barber C, Garay-Baquero DJ, Tezera LB, Lowne D, Britton-Rivet C, Pengelly R, Chepisiuk N, Singh PK, Woon AP, Powlesland AS, McCully ML, Caccamo N, Salio M, Badami GD, Dorrell L, Knox A, Robinson R, Elkington P, Dieli F, Lepore M, Leonard S, Godinho LF. An HLA-E-targeted TCR bispecific molecule redirects T cell immunity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2318003121. [PMID: 38691588 PMCID: PMC11087797 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2318003121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2023] [Accepted: 03/08/2024] [Indexed: 05/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Peptides presented by HLA-E, a molecule with very limited polymorphism, represent attractive targets for T cell receptor (TCR)-based immunotherapies to circumvent the limitations imposed by the high polymorphism of classical HLA genes in the human population. Here, we describe a TCR-based bispecific molecule that potently and selectively binds HLA-E in complex with a peptide encoded by the inhA gene of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the causative agent of tuberculosis in humans. We reveal the biophysical and structural bases underpinning the potency and specificity of this molecule and demonstrate its ability to redirect polyclonal T cells to target HLA-E-expressing cells transduced with mycobacterial inhA as well as primary cells infected with virulent Mtb. Additionally, we demonstrate elimination of Mtb-infected cells and reduction of intracellular Mtb growth. Our study suggests an approach to enhance host T cell immunity against Mtb and provides proof of principle for an innovative TCR-based therapeutic strategy overcoming HLA polymorphism and therefore applicable to a broader patient population.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Marco P. La Manna
- Department of Biomedicine, Neurosciences and Advanced Diagnostic, University of Palermo, Palermo90127, Italy
- Central Laboratory of Advanced Diagnosis and Biomedical Research, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Policlinico Paolo Giaccone, University of Palermo, Palermo90127, Italy
| | | | - Andrew Walker
- Immunocore Ltd., Abingdon, OxfordshireOX14 4RY, United Kingdom
| | - Dawn Gibbs-Howe
- Immunocore Ltd., Abingdon, OxfordshireOX14 4RY, United Kingdom
| | - Rakesh Kulkarni
- Immunocore Ltd., Abingdon, OxfordshireOX14 4RY, United Kingdom
| | | | | | - Mauro Monteiro
- Immunocore Ltd., Abingdon, OxfordshireOX14 4RY, United Kingdom
| | | | - Marcin Dembek
- Immunocore Ltd., Abingdon, OxfordshireOX14 4RY, United Kingdom
| | | | - Tressan Grant
- Immunocore Ltd., Abingdon, OxfordshireOX14 4RY, United Kingdom
| | - Claire Barber
- Immunocore Ltd., Abingdon, OxfordshireOX14 4RY, United Kingdom
| | - Diana J. Garay-Baquero
- National Institute for Health and Care Research, Biomedical Research Centre and Institute for Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, SouthamptonSO16 6YD, United Kingdom
| | - Liku Bekele Tezera
- Department of Biomedicine, Neurosciences and Advanced Diagnostic, University of Palermo, Palermo90127, Italy
| | - David Lowne
- Immunocore Ltd., Abingdon, OxfordshireOX14 4RY, United Kingdom
| | | | - Robert Pengelly
- Immunocore Ltd., Abingdon, OxfordshireOX14 4RY, United Kingdom
| | | | | | - Amanda P. Woon
- Immunocore Ltd., Abingdon, OxfordshireOX14 4RY, United Kingdom
| | | | | | - Nadia Caccamo
- Department of Biomedicine, Neurosciences and Advanced Diagnostic, University of Palermo, Palermo90127, Italy
- Central Laboratory of Advanced Diagnosis and Biomedical Research, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Policlinico Paolo Giaccone, University of Palermo, Palermo90127, Italy
| | - Mariolina Salio
- Immunocore Ltd., Abingdon, OxfordshireOX14 4RY, United Kingdom
| | - Giusto Davide Badami
- Department of Biomedicine, Neurosciences and Advanced Diagnostic, University of Palermo, Palermo90127, Italy
- Central Laboratory of Advanced Diagnosis and Biomedical Research, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Policlinico Paolo Giaccone, University of Palermo, Palermo90127, Italy
| | - Lucy Dorrell
- Immunocore Ltd., Abingdon, OxfordshireOX14 4RY, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew Knox
- Immunocore Ltd., Abingdon, OxfordshireOX14 4RY, United Kingdom
| | - Ross Robinson
- Immunocore Ltd., Abingdon, OxfordshireOX14 4RY, United Kingdom
| | - Paul Elkington
- National Institute for Health and Care Research, Biomedical Research Centre and Institute for Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, SouthamptonSO16 6YD, United Kingdom
| | - Francesco Dieli
- Department of Biomedicine, Neurosciences and Advanced Diagnostic, University of Palermo, Palermo90127, Italy
- Central Laboratory of Advanced Diagnosis and Biomedical Research, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Policlinico Paolo Giaccone, University of Palermo, Palermo90127, Italy
| | - Marco Lepore
- Immunocore Ltd., Abingdon, OxfordshireOX14 4RY, United Kingdom
| | - Sarah Leonard
- Immunocore Ltd., Abingdon, OxfordshireOX14 4RY, United Kingdom
| | - Luis F. Godinho
- Immunocore Ltd., Abingdon, OxfordshireOX14 4RY, United Kingdom
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3
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Wallace Z, Heunis T, Paterson RL, Suckling RJ, Grant T, Dembek M, Donoso J, Brener J, Long J, Bunjobpol W, Gibbs-Howe D, Kay DP, Leneghan DB, Godinho LF, Walker A, Singh PK, Knox A, Leonard S, Dorrell L. Instability of the HLA-E peptidome of HIV presents a major barrier to therapeutic targeting. Mol Ther 2024; 32:678-688. [PMID: 38219014 PMCID: PMC10928138 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2024.01.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2023] [Revised: 11/14/2023] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 01/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Naturally occurring T cells that recognize microbial peptides via HLA-E, a nonpolymorphic HLA class Ib molecule, could provide the foundation for new universal immunotherapeutics. However, confidence in the biological relevance of putative ligands is crucial, given that the mechanisms by which pathogen-derived peptides can access the HLA-E presentation pathway are poorly understood. We systematically interrogated the HIV proteome using immunopeptidomic and bioinformatic approaches, coupled with biochemical and cellular assays. No HIV HLA-E peptides were identified by tandem mass spectrometry analysis of HIV-infected cells. In addition, all bioinformatically predicted HIV peptide ligands (>80) were characterized by poor complex stability. Furthermore, infected cell elimination assays using an affinity-enhanced T cell receptor bispecific targeted to a previously reported HIV Gag HLA-E epitope demonstrated inconsistent presentation of the peptide, despite normal HLA-E expression on HIV-infected cells. This work highlights the instability of the HIV HLA-E peptidome as a major challenge for drug development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zoë Wallace
- Immunocore Ltd., Abingdon, Oxfordshire OX14 4RY, UK.
| | - Tiaan Heunis
- Immunocore Ltd., Abingdon, Oxfordshire OX14 4RY, UK
| | | | | | | | | | - Jose Donoso
- Immunocore Ltd., Abingdon, Oxfordshire OX14 4RY, UK
| | | | - Joshua Long
- Immunocore Ltd., Abingdon, Oxfordshire OX14 4RY, UK
| | | | | | - Daniel P Kay
- Immunocore Ltd., Abingdon, Oxfordshire OX14 4RY, UK
| | | | | | | | | | - Andrew Knox
- Immunocore Ltd., Abingdon, Oxfordshire OX14 4RY, UK
| | | | - Lucy Dorrell
- Immunocore Ltd., Abingdon, Oxfordshire OX14 4RY, UK
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4
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Jost S, Lucar O, Lee E, Yoder T, Kroll K, Sugawara S, Smith S, Jones R, Tweet G, Werner A, Tomezsko PJ, Dugan HL, Ghofrani J, Rascle P, Altfeld M, Müller-Trutwin M, Goepfert P, Reeves RK. Antigen-specific memory NK cell responses against HIV and influenza use the NKG2/HLA-E axis. Sci Immunol 2023; 8:eadi3974. [PMID: 38064568 PMCID: PMC11104516 DOI: 10.1126/sciimmunol.adi3974] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2023] [Accepted: 11/02/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023]
Abstract
Multiple studies have broadened the roles of natural killer (NK) cells functioning as purely innate lymphocytes by demonstrating that they are capable of putative antigen-specific immunological memory against multiple infectious agents including HIV-1 and influenza. However, the mechanisms underlying antigen specificity remain unknown. Here, we demonstrate that antigen-specific human NK cell memory develops upon exposure to both HIV and influenza, unified by a conserved and epitope-specific targetable mechanism largely dependent on the activating CD94/NKG2C receptor and its ligand HLA-E. We validated the permanent acquisition of antigen specificity by individual memory NK cells by single-cell cloning. We identified elevated expression of KLRG1, α4β7, and NKG2C as biomarkers of antigen-specific NK cell memory through complex immunophenotyping. Last, we uncovered individual HLA-E-restricted peptides that may constitute the dominant NK cell response in HIV-1- and influenza-infected persons in vivo. Our findings clarify the mechanisms contributing to antigen-specific memory NK cell responses and suggest that they could be potentially targeted therapeutically for vaccines or other therapeutic interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Jost
- Center for Virology and Vaccine Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Division of Innate and Comparative Immunology, Center for Human Systems Immunology, Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27703, USA
| | - Olivier Lucar
- Center for Virology and Vaccine Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Esther Lee
- Center for Virology and Vaccine Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Division of Innate and Comparative Immunology, Center for Human Systems Immunology, Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27703, USA
| | - Taylor Yoder
- Center for Virology and Vaccine Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Kyle Kroll
- Center for Virology and Vaccine Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Division of Innate and Comparative Immunology, Center for Human Systems Immunology, Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27703, USA
| | - Sho Sugawara
- Center for Virology and Vaccine Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Division of Innate and Comparative Immunology, Center for Human Systems Immunology, Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27703, USA
| | - Scott Smith
- Center for Virology and Vaccine Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Rhianna Jones
- Center for Virology and Vaccine Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Division of Innate and Comparative Immunology, Center for Human Systems Immunology, Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27703, USA
| | - George Tweet
- Center for Virology and Vaccine Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Alexandra Werner
- Center for Virology and Vaccine Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Phillip J. Tomezsko
- Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital, MIT, and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Haley L. Dugan
- Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital, MIT, and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Joshua Ghofrani
- Center for Virology and Vaccine Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Philippe Rascle
- Center for Virology and Vaccine Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Division of Innate and Comparative Immunology, Center for Human Systems Immunology, Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27703, USA
| | | | - Michaela Müller-Trutwin
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris-Cité, HIV, Inflammation and Persistence Unit, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Paul Goepfert
- University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
| | - R. Keith Reeves
- Center for Virology and Vaccine Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Division of Innate and Comparative Immunology, Center for Human Systems Immunology, Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27703, USA
- Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital, MIT, and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
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5
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Huang G, Tang X, Zheng P. DeepHLAPred: a deep learning-based method for non-classical HLA binder prediction. BMC Genomics 2023; 24:706. [PMID: 37993812 PMCID: PMC10666343 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-023-09796-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 11/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) is closely involved in regulating the human immune system. Despite great advance in detecting classical HLA Class I binders, there are few methods or toolkits for recognizing non-classical HLA Class I binders. To fill in this gap, we have developed a deep learning-based tool called DeepHLAPred. The DeepHLAPred used electron-ion interaction pseudo potential, integer numerical mapping and accumulated amino acid frequency as initial representation of non-classical HLA binder sequence. The deep learning module was used to further refine high-level representations. The deep learning module comprised two parallel convolutional neural networks, each followed by maximum pooling layer, dropout layer, and bi-directional long short-term memory network. The experimental results showed that the DeepHLAPred reached the state-of-the-art performanceson the cross-validation test and the independent test. The extensive test demonstrated the rationality of the DeepHLAPred. We further analyzed sequence pattern of non-classical HLA class I binders by information entropy. The information entropy of non-classical HLA binder sequence implied sequence pattern to a certain extent. In addition, we have developed a user-friendly webserver for convenient use, which is available at http://www.biolscience.cn/DeepHLApred/ . The tool and the analysis is helpful to detect non-classical HLA Class I binder. The source code and data is available at https://github.com/tangxingyu0/DeepHLApred .
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Affiliation(s)
- Guohua Huang
- School of Information Technology and Administration, Hunan University of Finance and Economics, Changsha, Hunan, 410215, China.
- College of Information Science and Engineering, Shaoyang University, Shaoyang, Hunan, 422000, China.
| | - Xingyu Tang
- College of Information Science and Engineering, Shaoyang University, Shaoyang, Hunan, 422000, China
| | - Peijie Zheng
- College of Information Science and Engineering, Shaoyang University, Shaoyang, Hunan, 422000, China
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6
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He W, Gea-Mallorquí E, Colin-York H, Fritzsche M, Gillespie GM, Brackenridge S, Borrow P, McMichael AJ. Intracellular trafficking of HLA-E and its regulation. J Exp Med 2023; 220:214089. [PMID: 37140910 PMCID: PMC10165540 DOI: 10.1084/jem.20221941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2022] [Revised: 03/13/2023] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Interest in MHC-E-restricted CD8+ T cell responses has been aroused by the discovery of their efficacy in controlling simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection in a vaccine model. The development of vaccines and immunotherapies utilizing human MHC-E (HLA-E)-restricted CD8+ T cell response requires an understanding of the pathway(s) of HLA-E transport and antigen presentation, which have not been clearly defined previously. We show here that, unlike classical HLA class I, which rapidly exits the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) after synthesis, HLA-E is largely retained because of a limited supply of high-affinity peptides, with further fine-tuning by its cytoplasmic tail. Once at the cell surface, HLA-E is unstable and is rapidly internalized. The cytoplasmic tail plays a crucial role in facilitating HLA-E internalization, which results in its enrichment in late and recycling endosomes. Our data reveal distinctive transport patterns and delicate regulatory mechanisms of HLA-E, which help to explain its unusual immunological functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wanlin He
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, Center for Immuno-Oncology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Ester Gea-Mallorquí
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, Center for Immuno-Oncology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Huw Colin-York
- Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, University of Oxford , Oxford, UK
| | - Marco Fritzsche
- Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, University of Oxford , Oxford, UK
| | - Geraldine M Gillespie
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, Center for Immuno-Oncology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Simon Brackenridge
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, Center for Immuno-Oncology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Persephone Borrow
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, Center for Immuno-Oncology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Andrew J McMichael
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, Center for Immuno-Oncology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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7
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Fisher JG, Doyle ADP, Graham LV, Khakoo SI, Blunt MD. Disruption of the NKG2A:HLA-E Immune Checkpoint Axis to Enhance NK Cell Activation against Cancer. Vaccines (Basel) 2022; 10:1993. [PMID: 36560403 PMCID: PMC9783329 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines10121993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2022] [Revised: 11/21/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Ligation of the inhibitory receptor NKG2A by its ligand HLA-E negatively regulates the activation of natural killer (NK) cells, as well as subsets of CD8+ T cells and innate T cell populations. NKG2A has recently become a novel immune checkpoint target for the treatment of cancer and direct antibody mediated blockade of NKG2A function is currently under assessment in two phase 3 clinical trials. In addition to direct targeting, the NKG2A:HLA-E axis can also be disrupted indirectly via multiple different targeted cancer agents that were not previously recognised to possess immunomodulatory properties. Increased understanding of immune cell modulation by targeted cancer therapies will allow for the design of rational and more efficacious drug combination strategies to improve cancer patient outcomes. In this review, we summarise and discuss the various strategies currently in development which either directly or indirectly disrupt the NKG2A:HLA-E interaction to enhance NK cell activation against cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Matthew D. Blunt
- School of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton SO16 6YD, UK
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8
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Romero-Martín L, Duran-Castells C, Olivella M, Rosás-Umbert M, Ruiz-Riol M, Sanchez J, Hartigan-O Connor D, Mothe B, Olvera À, Brander C. Disruption of the HLA-E/NKG2X axis is associated with uncontrolled HIV infections. Front Immunol 2022; 13:1027855. [PMID: 36466823 PMCID: PMC9716355 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1027855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2022] [Accepted: 10/18/2022] [Indexed: 09/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The contribution of the HLA-E/NKG2X axis in NK-mediated control of HIV infection remains unclear. We have studied the relationship between HLA-E expression and phenotypical as well as functional characteristics of NK cells, in the context of chronic HIV infection and in an in vitro model of acute infection. High viremia in HIV+ individuals was related to increased HLA-E expression, and changes in NK subpopulations, especially a reduction of the CD56bright as well as an increase in adaptive NK subpopulation. Uncontrolled HIV infection was also characterized by a reversion of the NKG2A/NKG2C expression ratio and a loss of positive and negative regulation of NK mediated by HLA-E. This was reflected in a lower cytotoxic, degranulation and cytokine production capacity, especially in CD56bright and adaptive NK. In line with these results, HLA-E expression showed a positive correlation with viral growth inhibition in an in vitro model of acute infection at day 7, which was lost after 14 days of culture. Using HLA-E expressing K562 cells, we determined that only one out of 11 described HIV-derived HLA-E epitopes increased HLA-E surface stability. In spite of that, eight of the 11 epitopes were capable of increasing degranulation and three drove differences in NK-cell mediated cell lysis or cytokine secretion. In conclusion, our results indicate that HLA-E molecules presenting HIV-derived epitopes may sensitize target cells for NK lysis in early HIV infection. However, prolonged exposure to elevated HLA-E expression levels in vivo may lead to NK cell dysfunction and reduced viral control In chronic infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis Romero-Martín
- IrsiCaixa AIDS Research Institute, Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol, Institute for Health Science Research Germans Trias i Pujol (IGTP), Badalona, Spain
- Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona (UAB), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Clara Duran-Castells
- IrsiCaixa AIDS Research Institute, Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol, Institute for Health Science Research Germans Trias i Pujol (IGTP), Badalona, Spain
- Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona (UAB), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Mireia Olivella
- University of Vic-Central University of Catalonia (UVic-UCC), Vic, Spain
| | - Míriam Rosás-Umbert
- IrsiCaixa AIDS Research Institute, Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol, Institute for Health Science Research Germans Trias i Pujol (IGTP), Badalona, Spain
| | - Marta Ruiz-Riol
- IrsiCaixa AIDS Research Institute, Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol, Institute for Health Science Research Germans Trias i Pujol (IGTP), Badalona, Spain
- CIBERINFEC, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Dennis Hartigan-O Connor
- California National Primate Research Center and Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
- Division of Experimental Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Beatriz Mothe
- IrsiCaixa AIDS Research Institute, Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol, Institute for Health Science Research Germans Trias i Pujol (IGTP), Badalona, Spain
- University of Vic-Central University of Catalonia (UVic-UCC), Vic, Spain
- Fundació Lluita contra la Sida, Infectious Disease Department, Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol, Badalona, Spain
| | - Àlex Olvera
- IrsiCaixa AIDS Research Institute, Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol, Institute for Health Science Research Germans Trias i Pujol (IGTP), Badalona, Spain
- University of Vic-Central University of Catalonia (UVic-UCC), Vic, Spain
- CIBERINFEC, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Christian Brander
- IrsiCaixa AIDS Research Institute, Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol, Institute for Health Science Research Germans Trias i Pujol (IGTP), Badalona, Spain
- University of Vic-Central University of Catalonia (UVic-UCC), Vic, Spain
- CIBERINFEC, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
- ICREA, Barcelona, Spain
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9
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Ruibal P, Franken KLMC, van Meijgaarden KE, van Wolfswinkel M, Derksen I, Scheeren FA, Janssen GMC, van Veelen PA, Sarfas C, White AD, Sharpe SA, Palmieri F, Petrone L, Goletti D, Abeel T, Ottenhoff THM, Joosten SA. Identification of HLA-E Binding Mycobacterium tuberculosis-Derived Epitopes through Improved Prediction Models. JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY (BALTIMORE, MD. : 1950) 2022; 209:1555-1565. [PMID: 36096642 PMCID: PMC9536328 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.2200122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2022] [Accepted: 08/03/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Tuberculosis (TB) remains one of the deadliest infectious diseases worldwide, posing great social and economic burden to affected countries. Novel vaccine approaches are needed to increase protective immunity against the causative agent Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) and to reduce the development of active TB disease in latently infected individuals. Donor-unrestricted T cell responses represent such novel potential vaccine targets. HLA-E-restricted T cell responses have been shown to play an important role in protection against TB and other infections, and recent studies have demonstrated that these cells can be primed in vitro. However, the identification of novel pathogen-derived HLA-E binding peptides presented by infected target cells has been limited by the lack of accurate prediction algorithms for HLA-E binding. In this study, we developed an improved HLA-E binding peptide prediction algorithm and implemented it to identify (to our knowledge) novel Mtb-derived peptides with capacity to induce CD8+ T cell activation and that were recognized by specific HLA-E-restricted T cells in Mycobacterium-exposed humans. Altogether, we present a novel algorithm for the identification of pathogen- or self-derived HLA-E-presented peptides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula Ruibal
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Kees L M C Franken
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | | | | | - Ian Derksen
- Department of Cell and Chemical Biology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Ferenc A Scheeren
- Department of Dermatology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - George M C Janssen
- Center for Proteomics and Metabolomics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Peter A van Veelen
- Center for Proteomics and Metabolomics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Charlotte Sarfas
- Research and Development Department, UK Health Security Agency, Salisbury, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew D White
- Research and Development Department, UK Health Security Agency, Salisbury, United Kingdom
| | - Sally A Sharpe
- Research and Development Department, UK Health Security Agency, Salisbury, United Kingdom
| | - Fabrizio Palmieri
- National Institute for Infectious Diseases Lazzaro Spallanzani Scientific Institute for Research, Hospitalization and Healthcare, Rome, Italy
| | - Linda Petrone
- National Institute for Infectious Diseases Lazzaro Spallanzani Scientific Institute for Research, Hospitalization and Healthcare, Rome, Italy
| | - Delia Goletti
- National Institute for Infectious Diseases Lazzaro Spallanzani Scientific Institute for Research, Hospitalization and Healthcare, Rome, Italy
| | - Thomas Abeel
- Delft Bioinformatics Lab, Delft University of Technology, Delft, the Netherlands; and
- Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA
| | - Tom H M Ottenhoff
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Simone A Joosten
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands;
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10
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Hosseini E, Sarraf Kazerooni E, Azarkeivan A, Sharifi Z, Shahabi M, Ghasemzadeh M. HLA-E*01:01 allele is associated with better response to anti-HCV therapy while homozygous status for HLA-E*01:03 allele increases the resistance to anti-HCV treatments in frequently transfused thalassemia patients. Hum Immunol 2022; 83:556-563. [PMID: 35570067 DOI: 10.1016/j.humimm.2022.04.010] [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: 12/28/2021] [Revised: 04/23/2022] [Accepted: 04/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND HLA-E binding to NKG2A/CD94 induces inhibitory signals that modulate NK cells cytotoxicity against infected targets. HCV-derived peptides stabilize HLA-E molecule that favours its higher expression. However, HLA-E stability and expression vary in different genotypes where the presence of HLA-E*01:03 allele is associated with higher HLA-E expression on targets that enhances NK cells inhibition and increases the chance of virus to escape from innate immune system. Here, we aimed to investigate whether HLA-E polymorphism affects HCV infection status or its treatment in major thalassemia patients who are more vulnerable to hepatitis C. METHODS AND MATERIALS Study included 89 cases of major thalassemia positive for HCV-antibody; of those 17 patients were negative for HCV-PCR (spontaneously cleared) and 72 patients were HCV-PCR positive (persistent hepatitis under different anti-viral treatment). 16 major thalassemia patients without hepatitis, negative for HCV-antibody were also considered as patients control group. Genomic DNAs extracted from whole bloods were genotyped for HLA-E locus using a sequence specific primer-PCR strategy. RESULTS In thalassemia patients, HLA-E*01:03 allele increased susceptibility to HCV infection [p = 0.02; 4.74(1.418-15.85)]. In addition, HLA-E*01:03/*01:03 genotype predicted more resistance to HCV treatment compared to other genotypes [p = 0.037; 3.5(1.1-11.4)]. In other words, we found that the presence of HLA-E*01:01 allele favors better response to anti-HCV therapy [p = 0.037; 3.5(1.1-11.4)]. CONCLUSION From a mechanistic point of view, the associations between HLA-E polymorphisms and susceptibility to HCV infection or its therapeutic resistance in thalassemia patients may suggest potential roles for the innate and adaptive immune responses to this infection, which are manifested by the acts of HLA-E - NKG2A/CD94 axis in the modulation of NK cell inhibitory function as well as HLA-E associated CD8+ T cell cytolytic activity against HCV, respectively. Notably, from a clinical point of view, paying attention to these associations may not only be useful in increasing the effectiveness of current anti-HCV regimens comprising direct acting antivirals (DAAs) in more complicated patients, but may also suggest antiviral prophylaxis for patients more vulnerable to HCV infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ehteramolsadat Hosseini
- Blood Transfusion Research Center, High Institute for Research and Education in Transfusion Medicine, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ehsan Sarraf Kazerooni
- Blood Transfusion Research Center, High Institute for Research and Education in Transfusion Medicine, Tehran, Iran
| | - Azita Azarkeivan
- Blood Transfusion Research Center, High Institute for Research and Education in Transfusion Medicine, Tehran, Iran; Iranian Blood Transfusion Organization, Thalassemia Clinic, Tehran, Iran
| | - Zohreh Sharifi
- Blood Transfusion Research Center, High Institute for Research and Education in Transfusion Medicine, Tehran, Iran
| | - Majid Shahabi
- Blood Transfusion Research Center, High Institute for Research and Education in Transfusion Medicine, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mehran Ghasemzadeh
- Blood Transfusion Research Center, High Institute for Research and Education in Transfusion Medicine, Tehran, Iran.
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11
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Barber C, De Souza VA, Paterson RL, Martin‐Urdiroz M, Mulakkal NC, Srikannathasan V, Connolly M, Phillips G, Foong‐Leong T, Pengelly R, Karuppiah V, Grant T, Dembek M, Verma A, Gibbs‐Howe D, Blicher TH, Knox A, Robinson RA, Cole DK, Leonard S. Structure-guided stabilization of pathogen-derived peptide-HLA-E complexes using non-natural amino acids conserves native TCR recognition. Eur J Immunol 2022; 52:618-632. [PMID: 35108401 PMCID: PMC9306587 DOI: 10.1002/eji.202149745] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2021] [Revised: 11/26/2021] [Accepted: 01/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
The nonpolymorphic class Ib molecule, HLA-E, primarily presents peptides from HLA class Ia leader peptides, providing an inhibitory signal to NK cells via CD94/NKG2 interactions. Although peptides of pathogenic origin can also be presented by HLA-E to T cells, the molecular basis underpinning their role in antigen surveillance is largely unknown. Here, we solved a co-complex crystal structure of a TCR with an HLA-E presented peptide (pHLA-E) from bacterial (Mycobacterium tuberculosis) origin, and the first TCR-pHLA-E complex with a noncanonically presented peptide from viral (HIV) origin. The structures provided a molecular foundation to develop a novel method to introduce cysteine traps using non-natural amino acid chemistry that stabilized pHLA-E complexes while maintaining native interface contacts between the TCRs and different pHLA-E complexes. These pHLA-E monomers could be used to isolate pHLA-E-specific T cells, with obvious utility for studying pHLA-E restricted T cells, and for the identification of putative therapeutic TCRs.
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12
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Voogd L, Ruibal P, Ottenhoff TH, Joosten SA. Antigen presentation by MHC-E: a putative target for vaccination? Trends Immunol 2022; 43:355-365. [PMID: 35370095 PMCID: PMC9058203 DOI: 10.1016/j.it.2022.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2022] [Revised: 03/03/2022] [Accepted: 03/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
The essentially monomorphic human antigen presentation molecule HLA-E is an interesting candidate target to enable vaccination irrespective of genetic diversity. Predictive HLA-E peptide-binding motifs have been refined to facilitate HLA-E peptide discovery. HLA-E can accommodate structurally divergent peptides of both self and microbial origin. Intracellular processing and presentation pathways for peptides by HLA-E for T cell receptor (TCR) recognition remain to be elucidated. Recent studies show that, unlike canonical peptides, inhibition of the transporter associated with antigen presentation (TAP) is essential to allow HLA-E antigen presentation in cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection and possibly also of other non-canonical peptides. We propose three alternative and TAP-independent MHC-E antigen-presentation pathways, including for Mycobacterium tuberculosis infections. These insights may help in designing potential HLA-E targeting vaccines against tumors and pathogens.
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13
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Vaurs J, Douchin G, Echasserieau K, Oger R, Jouand N, Fortun A, Hesnard L, Croyal M, Pecorari F, Gervois N, Bernardeau K. A novel and efficient approach to high-throughput production of HLA-E/peptide monomer for T-cell epitope screening. Sci Rep 2021; 11:17234. [PMID: 34446788 PMCID: PMC8390762 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-96560-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2021] [Accepted: 08/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Over the past two decades, there has been a great interest in the study of HLA-E-restricted αβ T cells during bacterial and viral infections, including recently SARS-CoV-2 infection. Phenotyping of these specific HLA-E-restricted T cells requires new tools such as tetramers for rapid cell staining or sorting, as well as for the identification of new peptides capable to bind to the HLA-E pocket. To this aim, we have developed an optimal photosensitive peptide to generate stable HLA-E/pUV complexes allowing high-throughput production of new HLA-E/peptide complexes by peptide exchange. We characterized the UV exchange by ELISA and improved the peptide exchange readout using size exclusion chromatography. This novel approach for complex quantification is indeed very important to perform tetramerization of MHC/peptide complexes with the high quality required for detection of specific T cells. Our approach allows the rapid screening of peptides capable of binding to the non-classical human HLA-E allele, paving the way for the development of new therapeutic approaches based on the detection of HLA-E-restricted T cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliette Vaurs
- P2R "Production de Protéines Recombinantes", Université de Nantes, CRCINA, SFR-Santé, INSERM, CNRS, CHU Nantes, Nantes, France
| | - Gaël Douchin
- P2R "Production de Protéines Recombinantes", Université de Nantes, CRCINA, SFR-Santé, INSERM, CNRS, CHU Nantes, Nantes, France
| | - Klara Echasserieau
- P2R "Production de Protéines Recombinantes", Université de Nantes, CRCINA, SFR-Santé, INSERM, CNRS, CHU Nantes, Nantes, France
- Université de Nantes, Inserm, CRCINA, 44000, Nantes, France
| | - Romain Oger
- Université de Nantes, Inserm, CRCINA, 44000, Nantes, France
- LabEx IGO «Immunotherapy, Graft, Oncology», Nantes, France
| | - Nicolas Jouand
- Université de Nantes, Inserm, CRCINA, 44000, Nantes, France
- Université de Nantes, CHU Nantes, Inserm, CNRS, SFR Santé, Inserm UMS 016, CNRS UMS 3556, 44000, Nantes, France
| | - Agnès Fortun
- P2R "Production de Protéines Recombinantes", Université de Nantes, CRCINA, SFR-Santé, INSERM, CNRS, CHU Nantes, Nantes, France
- Université de Nantes, CHU de Nantes, Cibles et médicaments des infections et du cancer, IICiMed, EA 1155, 44000, Nantes, France
| | - Leslie Hesnard
- Université de Nantes, Inserm, CRCINA, 44000, Nantes, France
| | - Mikaël Croyal
- Université de Nantes, CHU Nantes, Inserm, CNRS, SFR Santé, Inserm UMS 016, CNRS UMS 3556, 44000, Nantes, France
- Université de Nantes, CHU Nantes, CNRS, INSERM, l'institut du thorax, 44000, Nantes, France
- CRNH-Ouest Mass Spectrometry Core Facility, 44000, Nantes, France
| | - Frédéric Pecorari
- P2R "Production de Protéines Recombinantes", Université de Nantes, CRCINA, SFR-Santé, INSERM, CNRS, CHU Nantes, Nantes, France
- Université de Nantes, Inserm, CRCINA, 44000, Nantes, France
| | - Nadine Gervois
- Université de Nantes, Inserm, CRCINA, 44000, Nantes, France.
- LabEx IGO «Immunotherapy, Graft, Oncology», Nantes, France.
| | - Karine Bernardeau
- P2R "Production de Protéines Recombinantes", Université de Nantes, CRCINA, SFR-Santé, INSERM, CNRS, CHU Nantes, Nantes, France.
- Université de Nantes, Inserm, CRCINA, 44000, Nantes, France.
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14
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Bansal A, Gehre MN, Qin K, Sterrett S, Ali A, Dang Y, Abraham S, Costanzo MC, Venegas LA, Tang J, Manjunath N, Brockman MA, Yang OO, Kan-Mitchell J, Goepfert PA. HLA-E-restricted HIV-1-specific CD8+ T cell responses in natural infection. J Clin Invest 2021; 131:148979. [PMID: 34228645 PMCID: PMC8363272 DOI: 10.1172/jci148979] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2021] [Accepted: 07/01/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
CD8+ T cell responses restricted by MHC-E, a nonclassical MHC molecule, have been associated with protection in an SIV/rhesus macaque model. The biological relevance of HLA-E-restricted CD8+ T cell responses in HIV infection, however, remains unknown. In this study, CD8+ T cells responding to HIV-1 Gag peptides presented by HLA-E were analyzed. Using in vitro assays, we observed HLA-E-restricted T cell responses to what we believe to be a newly identified subdominant Gag-KL9 as well as a well-described immunodominant Gag-KF11 epitope in T cell lines derived from chronically HIV-infected patients and also primed from healthy donors. Blocking of the HLA-E/KF11 binding by the B7 signal peptide resulted in decreased CD8+ T cell responses. KF11 presented via HLA-E in HIV-infected cells was recognized by antigen-specific CD8+ T cells. Importantly, bulk CD8+ T cells obtained from HIV-infected individuals recognized infected cells via HLA-E presentation. Ex vivo analyses at the epitope level showed a higher responder frequency of HLA-E-restricted responses to KF11 compared with KL9. Taken together, our findings of HLA-E-restricted HIV-specific immune responses offer intriguing and possibly paradigm-shifting insights into factors that contribute to the immunodominance of CD8+ T cell responses in HIV infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anju Bansal
- Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | - Mika N. Gehre
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas, USA
| | - Kai Qin
- Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | - Sarah Sterrett
- Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | - Ayub Ali
- Department of Medicine and AIDS Institute, UCLA, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Ying Dang
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Paul L. Foster School of Medicine, El Paso, Texas, USA
| | - Sojan Abraham
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Paul L. Foster School of Medicine, El Paso, Texas, USA
| | - Margaret C. Costanzo
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas, USA
| | - Leon A. Venegas
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas, USA
| | - Jianming Tang
- Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | - N. Manjunath
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Paul L. Foster School of Medicine, El Paso, Texas, USA
| | | | - Otto O. Yang
- Department of Medicine and AIDS Institute, UCLA, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - June Kan-Mitchell
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas, USA
| | - Paul A. Goepfert
- Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
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15
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Huot N, Rascle P, Petitdemange C, Contreras V, Stürzel CM, Baquero E, Harper JL, Passaes C, Legendre R, Varet H, Madec Y, Sauermann U, Stahl-Hennig C, Nattermann J, Saez-Cirion A, Le Grand R, Keith Reeves R, Paiardini M, Kirchhoff F, Jacquelin B, Müller-Trutwin M. SIV-induced terminally differentiated adaptive NK cells in lymph nodes associated with enhanced MHC-E restricted activity. Nat Commun 2021; 12:1282. [PMID: 33627642 PMCID: PMC7904927 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-21402-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2020] [Accepted: 01/27/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells play a critical understudied role during HIV infection in tissues. In a natural host of SIV, the African green monkey (AGM), NK cells mediate a strong control of SIVagm infection in secondary lymphoid tissues. We demonstrate that SIVagm infection induces the expansion of terminally differentiated NKG2alow NK cells in secondary lymphoid organs displaying an adaptive transcriptional profile and increased MHC-E-restricted cytotoxicity in response to SIV Env peptides while expressing little IFN-γ. Such NK cell differentiation was lacking in SIVmac-infected macaques. Adaptive NK cells displayed no increased NKG2C expression. This study reveals a previously unknown profile of NK cell adaptation to a viral infection, thus accelerating strategies toward NK-cell directed therapies and viral control in tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Huot
- grid.428999.70000 0001 2353 6535Institut Pasteur, Unité HIV, Inflammation et Persistance, Paris, France
| | - Philippe Rascle
- grid.428999.70000 0001 2353 6535Institut Pasteur, Unité HIV, Inflammation et Persistance, Paris, France ,grid.508487.60000 0004 7885 7602Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Caroline Petitdemange
- grid.428999.70000 0001 2353 6535Institut Pasteur, Unité HIV, Inflammation et Persistance, Paris, France
| | - Vanessa Contreras
- CEA-Université Paris Sud-Inserm, U1184, IDMIT Department, IBFJ, Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
| | | | - Eduard Baquero
- grid.462718.eInstitut Pasteur, Unité de Virologie Structurale, Paris, France
| | - Justin L. Harper
- grid.189967.80000 0001 0941 6502Division of Microbiology and Immunology, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA USA
| | - Caroline Passaes
- grid.428999.70000 0001 2353 6535Institut Pasteur, Unité HIV, Inflammation et Persistance, Paris, France
| | - Rachel Legendre
- grid.428999.70000 0001 2353 6535Bioinformatics and Biostatistics Hub, Department of Computational Biology, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
| | - Hugo Varet
- grid.428999.70000 0001 2353 6535Biomics Platform, Center for Technological Resources and Research (C2RT), Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
| | - Yoann Madec
- grid.428999.70000 0001 2353 6535 Institut Pasteur; Epidemiology of Emerging Diseases Unit, Paris, France
| | - Ulrike Sauermann
- grid.418215.b0000 0000 8502 7018Deutsches Primatenzentrum - Leibniz Institut für Primatenforschung, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Christiane Stahl-Hennig
- grid.418215.b0000 0000 8502 7018Deutsches Primatenzentrum - Leibniz Institut für Primatenforschung, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Jacob Nattermann
- grid.452463.2Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik I, Universitätsklinikum Bonn, Germany; German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Bonn, Germany
| | - Asier Saez-Cirion
- grid.428999.70000 0001 2353 6535Institut Pasteur, Unité HIV, Inflammation et Persistance, Paris, France
| | - Roger Le Grand
- CEA-Université Paris Sud-Inserm, U1184, IDMIT Department, IBFJ, Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
| | - R. Keith Reeves
- grid.38142.3c000000041936754XCenter for Virology and Vaccine Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA USA
| | - Mirko Paiardini
- grid.189967.80000 0001 0941 6502Division of Microbiology and Immunology, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA USA ,grid.189967.80000 0001 0941 6502Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA USA
| | | | - Beatrice Jacquelin
- grid.428999.70000 0001 2353 6535Institut Pasteur, Unité HIV, Inflammation et Persistance, Paris, France
| | - Michaela Müller-Trutwin
- grid.428999.70000 0001 2353 6535Institut Pasteur, Unité HIV, Inflammation et Persistance, Paris, France
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16
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Ruibal P, Franken KLMC, van Meijgaarden KE, van Loon JJF, van der Steen D, Heemskerk MHM, Ottenhoff THM, Joosten SA. Peptide Binding to HLA-E Molecules in Humans, Nonhuman Primates, and Mice Reveals Unique Binding Peptides but Remarkably Conserved Anchor Residues. JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY (BALTIMORE, MD. : 1950) 2020; 205:2861-2872. [PMID: 33020145 PMCID: PMC7653511 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.2000810] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2020] [Accepted: 09/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Ag presentation via the nonclassical MHC class Ib molecule HLA-E, with nearly complete identity between the two alleles expressed in humans, HLA-E*01:01 and HLA-E*01:03, can lead to the activation of unconventional T cells in humans. Despite this virtual genetic monomorphism, differences in peptide repertoires binding to the two allelic variants have been reported. To further dissect and compare peptide binding to HLA-E*01:01 and HLA-E*01:03, we used an UV-mediated peptide exchange binding assay and an HPLC-based competition binding assay. In addition, we investigated binding of these same peptides to Mamu-E, the nonhuman primate homologue of human HLA-E, and to the HLA-E-like molecule Qa-1b in mice. We next exploited the differences and homologies in the peptide binding pockets of these four molecules to identify allele specific as well as common features of peptide binding motifs across species. Our results reveal differences in peptide binding preferences and intensities for each human HLA-E variant compared with Mamu-E and Qa-1b Using extended peptide libraries, we identified and refined the peptide binding motifs for each of the four molecules and found that they share main anchor positions, evidenced by conserved amino acid preferences across the four HLA-E molecules studied. In addition, we also identified differences in peptide binding motifs, which could explain the observed variations in peptide binding preferences and affinities for each of the four HLA-E-like molecules. Our results could help with guiding the selection of candidate pathogen-derived peptides with the capacity to target HLA-E-restricted T cells that could be mobilized in vaccination and immunotherapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula Ruibal
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA Leiden, the Netherlands; and
| | - Kees L M C Franken
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA Leiden, the Netherlands; and
| | - Krista E van Meijgaarden
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA Leiden, the Netherlands; and
| | - Joeri J F van Loon
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA Leiden, the Netherlands; and
| | - Dirk van der Steen
- Department of Hematology, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Mirjam H M Heemskerk
- Department of Hematology, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Tom H M Ottenhoff
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA Leiden, the Netherlands; and
| | - Simone A Joosten
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA Leiden, the Netherlands; and
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17
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Saubi N, Kilpeläinen A, Eto Y, Chen CW, Olvera À, Hanke T, Brander C, Joseph-Munné J. Priming with Recombinant BCG Expressing HTI Enhances the Magnitude and Breadth of the T-Cell Immune Responses Elicited by MVA.HTI in BALB/c Mice. Vaccines (Basel) 2020; 8:vaccines8040678. [PMID: 33202884 PMCID: PMC7712201 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines8040678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2020] [Revised: 11/09/2020] [Accepted: 11/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
The use of Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) as a live vaccine vehicle is a promising approach for HIV-1-specific T-cell induction. In this study, we used recombinant BCG expressing HIVACAT T-cell immunogen (HTI), BCG.HTI2auxo.int. BALB/c mice immunization with BCG.HTI2auxo.int prime and MVA.HTI boost was safe and induced HIV-1-specific T-cell responses. Two weeks after boost, T-cell responses were assessed by IFN-γ ELISpot. The highest total magnitude of IFN-γ spot-forming cells (SFC)/106 splenocytes was observed in BCG.HTI2auxo.int primed mice compared to mice receiving MVA.HTI alone or mice primed with BCGwt, although the differences between the vaccination regimens only reached trends. In order to evaluate the differences in the breadth of the T-cell immune responses, we examined the number of reactive peptide pools per mouse. Interestingly, both BCG.HTI2auxo.int and BCGwt primed mice recognized an average of four peptide pools per mouse. However, the variation was higher in BCG.HTI2auxo.int primed mice with one mouse recognizing 11 peptide pools and three mice recognizing few or no peptide pools. The recognition profile appeared to be more spread out for BCG.HTI2auxo.int primed mice and mice only receiving MVA.HTI. Here, we describe a useful vaccine platform for priming protective responses against HIV-1/TB and other prevalent infectious diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Narcís Saubi
- Vall d’Hebron Research Institute, 08035 Barcelona, Spain; (N.S.); (A.K.); (Y.E.); (C.-W.C.)
- EAVI2020 European AIDS Vaccine Initiative H2020 Research Programme, London SW7 2BU, UK
| | - Athina Kilpeläinen
- Vall d’Hebron Research Institute, 08035 Barcelona, Spain; (N.S.); (A.K.); (Y.E.); (C.-W.C.)
- EAVI2020 European AIDS Vaccine Initiative H2020 Research Programme, London SW7 2BU, UK
| | - Yoshiki Eto
- Vall d’Hebron Research Institute, 08035 Barcelona, Spain; (N.S.); (A.K.); (Y.E.); (C.-W.C.)
| | - Chun-Wei Chen
- Vall d’Hebron Research Institute, 08035 Barcelona, Spain; (N.S.); (A.K.); (Y.E.); (C.-W.C.)
| | - Àlex Olvera
- Irsicaixa AIDS Research Institute, 08916 Badalona, Spain; (À.O.); (C.B.)
- Biosciences Department, Universitat de Vic-Universitat Central de Catalunya (UVic-UCC), 08500 Vic, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Tomáš Hanke
- The Jenner Institute, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 2JD, UK;
- International Research Center of Medical Sciences (IRCMS), Kumamoto University, Kumamoto 860-8555, Japan
| | - Christian Brander
- Irsicaixa AIDS Research Institute, 08916 Badalona, Spain; (À.O.); (C.B.)
- Biosciences Department, Universitat de Vic-Universitat Central de Catalunya (UVic-UCC), 08500 Vic, Barcelona, Spain
- ICREA, Pg. Lluís Companys 23, 08010 Barcelona, Spain
- AELIX Therapeutics, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Joan Joseph-Munné
- Vall d’Hebron Research Institute, 08035 Barcelona, Spain; (N.S.); (A.K.); (Y.E.); (C.-W.C.)
- EAVI2020 European AIDS Vaccine Initiative H2020 Research Programme, London SW7 2BU, UK
- Microbiology Department, Vall d’Hebron University Hospital, 08035 Barcelona, Spain
- Correspondence:
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18
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D'haese S, Lacroix C, Garcia F, Plana M, Ruta S, Vanham G, Verrier B, Aerts JL. Off the beaten path: Novel mRNA-nanoformulations for therapeutic vaccination against HIV. J Control Release 2020; 330:1016-1033. [PMID: 33181204 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2020.11.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2020] [Revised: 11/05/2020] [Accepted: 11/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Over the last few years, immunotherapy for HIV in general and therapeutic vaccination in particular, has received a tremendous boost, both in preclinical research and in clinical applications. This interest is based on the evidence that the immune system plays a crucial role in controlling HIV infection, as shown for long-term non-progressors and elite controllers, and that immune responses can be manipulated towards targeting conserved epitopes. So far, the most successful approach has been vaccination with autologous dendritic cells (DCs) loaded ex vivo with antigens and activation signals. Although this approach offers much promise, it also comes with significant drawbacks such as the requirement of a specialized infrastructure and expertise, as well as major challenges for logistics and storage, making it extremely time consuming and costly. Therefore, methods are being developed to avoid the use of ex vivo generated, autologous DCs. One of these methods is based on mRNA for therapeutic vaccination. mRNA has proven to be a very promising vaccine platform, as the coding information for any desired protein, including antigens and activation signals, can be generated in a very short period of time, showing promise both as an off-the-shelf therapy and as a personalized approach. However, an important drawback of this approach is the short half-life of native mRNA, due to the presence of ambient RNases. In addition, proper immunization requires that the antigens are expressed, processed and presented at the right immunological site (e.g. the lymphoid tissues). An ambivalent aspect of mRNA as a vaccine is its capacity to induce type I interferons, which can have beneficial adjuvant effects, but also deleterious effects on mRNA stability and translation. Thus, proper formulation of the mRNA is crucially important. Many approaches for RNA formulation have already been tested, with mixed success. In this review we discuss the state-of-the-art and future trends for mRNA-nanoparticle formulations for HIV vaccination, both in the prophylactic and in the therapeutic setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sigrid D'haese
- Neuro-Aging & Viro-Immunotherapy (NAVI), Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Brussels, Belgium
| | - Céline Lacroix
- Institute for the Biology and Chemistry of Proteins (IBCP), Lyon, France
| | | | | | - Simona Ruta
- Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Stefan S. Nicolau Institute of Virology, Bucharest, Romania
| | - Guido Vanham
- Institute of Tropical Medicine and University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Bernard Verrier
- Institute for the Biology and Chemistry of Proteins (IBCP), Lyon, France
| | - Joeri L Aerts
- Neuro-Aging & Viro-Immunotherapy (NAVI), Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Brussels, Belgium.
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19
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Ng'uni T, Chasara C, Ndhlovu ZM. Major Scientific Hurdles in HIV Vaccine Development: Historical Perspective and Future Directions. Front Immunol 2020; 11:590780. [PMID: 33193428 PMCID: PMC7655734 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.590780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2020] [Accepted: 10/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Following the discovery of HIV as a causative agent of AIDS, the expectation was to rapidly develop a vaccine; but thirty years later, we still do not have a licensed vaccine. Progress has been hindered by the extensive genetic variability of HIV and our limited understanding of immune responses required to protect against HIV acquisition. Nonetheless, valuable knowledge accrued from numerous basic and translational science research studies and vaccine trials has provided insight into the structural biology of the virus, immunogen design and novel vaccine delivery systems that will likely constitute an effective vaccine. Furthermore, stakeholders now appreciate the daunting scientific challenges of developing an effective HIV vaccine, hence the increased advocacy for collaborative efforts among academic research scientists, governments, pharmaceutical industry, philanthropy, and regulatory entities. In this review, we highlight the history of HIV vaccine development efforts, highlighting major challenges and future directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiza Ng'uni
- KwaZulu-Natal Research Institute for Tuberculosis and HIV (K-RITH), Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
| | - Caroline Chasara
- KwaZulu-Natal Research Institute for Tuberculosis and HIV (K-RITH), Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
| | - Zaza M Ndhlovu
- KwaZulu-Natal Research Institute for Tuberculosis and HIV (K-RITH), Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa.,Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States
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20
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Grant EJ, Nguyen AT, Lobos CA, Szeto C, Chatzileontiadou DSM, Gras S. The unconventional role of HLA-E: The road less traveled. Mol Immunol 2020; 120:101-112. [PMID: 32113130 DOI: 10.1016/j.molimm.2020.02.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2019] [Revised: 02/16/2020] [Accepted: 02/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Histocompatibility Leukocyte Antigens, or HLAs, are one of the most polymorphic molecules in humans. This high degree of polymorphism endows HLA molecules with the ability to present a vast array of peptides, an essential trait for responding to ever-evolving pathogens. Unlike classical HLA molecules (HLA-Ia), some non-classical HLA-Ib molecules, including HLA-E, are almost monomorphic. Several studies show HLA-E can present self-peptides originating from the leader sequence of other HLA molecules, which signals to our immune system that the cell is healthy. Therefore, it was traditionally thought that the chief role of HLA-E in the body was in immune surveillance. However, there is emerging evidence that HLA-E is also able to present pathogen-derived peptides to the adaptive immune system, namely T cells, in a manner that is similar to classical HLA-Ia molecules. Here we describe the early findings of this less conventional role of HLA-E in the adaptive immune system and its importance for immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma J Grant
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Andrea T Nguyen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Christian A Lobos
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Christopher Szeto
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Demetra S M Chatzileontiadou
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Stephanie Gras
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia.
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21
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Boucau J, Das J, Joshi N, Le Gall S. Latency reversal agents modulate HIV antigen processing and presentation to CD8 T cells. PLoS Pathog 2020; 16:e1008442. [PMID: 32196533 PMCID: PMC7112239 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1008442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2019] [Revised: 04/01/2020] [Accepted: 02/28/2020] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Latency reversal agents (LRA) variably induce HIV re-expression in CD4 T cells but reservoirs are not cleared. Whether HIV epitope presentation is similar between latency reversal and initial infection of CD4 T cells is unknown yet crucial to define immune responses able to detect HIV-infected CD4 T cells after latency reversal. HIV peptides displayed by MHC comes from the intracellular degradation of proteins by proteasomes and post-proteasomal peptidases but the impact of LRAs on antigen processing is not known. Here we show that HDAC inhibitors (HDCAi) reduced cytosolic proteolytic activities while PKC agonists (PKCa) increased them to a lesser extent than that induced by TCR activation. During the cytosolic degradation of long HIV peptides in LRA-treated CD4 T cells extracts, HDACi and PKCa modulated degradation patterns of peptides and altered the production of HIV epitopes in often opposite ways. Beyond known HIV epitopes, HDACi narrowed the coverage of HIV antigenic fragments by 8-11aa degradation peptides while PKCa broadened it. LRAs altered HIV infection kinetics and modulated CD8 T cell activation in an epitope- and time-dependent manner. Interestingly the efficiency of endogenous epitope processing and presentation to CD8 T cells was increased by PKCa Ingenol at early time points despite low levels of antigens. LRA-induced modulations of antigen processing should be considered and exploited to enhance and broaden HIV peptide presentation by CD4 T cells and to improve immune recognition after latency reversal. This property of LRAs, if confirmed with other antigens, might be exploited to improve immune detection of diseased cells beyond HIV. Latently HIV-infected CD4 T cells persist and remain invisible to the immune system. Strategies to flush out HIV reservoirs propose to re-express HIV with latency reversal agents (LRAs), leading to CD4 T cell death or clearance by HIV-specific immune responses. LRAs tested so far variably induced HIV re-expression but did not eliminate reservoirs. The activation of HIV-specific immune responses is triggered by HIV peptides displayed by infected cells after HIV intracellular degradation. Whether HIV antigens are similarly degraded and displayed by CD4 T cells after latency reversal or during initial infection is unknown. We showed that LRAs altered the activities of the degradation machinery and changed the degradation patterns of HIV into peptides. LRA-treated HIV-infected CD4 T cells were variably recognized by immune cells in a time- and peptide-dependent manner. Some LRAs increased the efficiency of HIV peptide presentation despite low levels of HIV antigens inside CD4 T cells. The modulation of HIV peptide presentation by current or future LRAs should be accounted for and exploited to improve HIV peptide presentation and enhance immune detection of HIV-infected CD4 T cells after latency reversal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie Boucau
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Jishnu Das
- Center for Systems Immunology, Departments of Immunology and Computational & Systems Biology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Neelambari Joshi
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Sylvie Le Gall
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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22
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van Stigt Thans T, Akko JI, Niehrs A, Garcia-Beltran WF, Richert L, Stürzel CM, Ford CT, Li H, Ochsenbauer C, Kappes JC, Hahn BH, Kirchhoff F, Martrus G, Sauter D, Altfeld M, Hölzemer A. Primary HIV-1 Strains Use Nef To Downmodulate HLA-E Surface Expression. J Virol 2019; 93:e00719-19. [PMID: 31375574 PMCID: PMC6798123 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00719-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2019] [Accepted: 07/19/2019] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) has evolved elaborate ways to evade immune cell recognition, including downregulation of classical HLA class I (HLA-I) from the surfaces of infected cells. Recent evidence identified HLA-E, a nonclassical HLA-I, as an important part of the antiviral immune response to HIV-1. Changes in HLA-E surface levels and peptide presentation can prompt both CD8+ T-cell and natural killer (NK) cell responses to viral infections. Previous studies reported unchanged or increased HLA-E levels on HIV-1-infected cells. Here, we examined HLA-E surface levels following infection of CD4+ T cells with primary HIV-1 strains and observed that a subset downregulated HLA-E. Two primary strains of HIV-1 that induced the strongest reduction in surface HLA-E expression were chosen for further testing. Expression of single Nef or Vpu proteins in a T-cell line, as well as tail swap experiments exchanging the cytoplasmic tail of HLA-A2 with that of HLA-E, demonstrated that Nef modulated HLA-E surface levels and targeted the cytoplasmic tail of HLA-E. Furthermore, infection of primary CD4+ T cells with HIV-1 mutants showed that a lack of functional Nef (and Vpu to some extent) impaired HLA-E downmodulation. Taken together, the results of this study demonstrate for the first time that HIV-1 can downregulate HLA-E surface levels on infected primary CD4+ T cells, potentially rendering them less vulnerable to CD8+ T-cell recognition but at increased risk of NKG2A+ NK cell killing.IMPORTANCE For almost two decades, it was thought that HIV-1 selectively downregulated the highly expressed HLA-I molecules HLA-A and HLA-B from the cell surface in order to evade cytotoxic-T-cell recognition, while leaving HLA-C and HLA-E molecules unaltered. It was stipulated that HIV-1 infection thereby maintained inhibition of NK cells via inhibitory receptors that bind HLA-C and HLA-E. This concept was recently revised when a study showed that primary HIV-1 strains reduce HLA-C surface levels, whereas the cell line-adapted HIV-1 strain NL4-3 lacks this ability. Here, we demonstrate that infection with distinct primary HIV-1 strains results in significant downregulation of surface HLA-E levels. Given the increasing evidence for HLA-E as an important modulator of CD8+ T-cell and NKG2A+ NK cell functions, this finding has substantial implications for future immunomodulatory approaches aimed at harnessing cytotoxic cellular immunity against HIV.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Janet I Akko
- Heinrich Pette Institute, Leibniz Institute for Experimental Virology, Hamburg, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Site Hamburg-Lübeck-Borstel-Riems, Germany
| | - Annika Niehrs
- Heinrich Pette Institute, Leibniz Institute for Experimental Virology, Hamburg, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Site Hamburg-Lübeck-Borstel-Riems, Germany
| | | | - Laura Richert
- Heinrich Pette Institute, Leibniz Institute for Experimental Virology, Hamburg, Germany
- Université Bordeaux, Inserm, Bordeaux Population Health Research Center, UMR 1219, Inria SISTM, Bordeaux, France
| | - Christina M Stürzel
- Institute of Molecular Virology, Ulm University Medical Center, Ulm, Germany
| | - Christopher T Ford
- Heinrich Pette Institute, Leibniz Institute for Experimental Virology, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Hui Li
- Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Christina Ochsenbauer
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, and CFAR, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | - John C Kappes
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, and CFAR, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | - Beatrice H Hahn
- Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Frank Kirchhoff
- Institute of Molecular Virology, Ulm University Medical Center, Ulm, Germany
| | - Glòria Martrus
- Heinrich Pette Institute, Leibniz Institute for Experimental Virology, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Daniel Sauter
- Institute of Molecular Virology, Ulm University Medical Center, Ulm, Germany
| | - Marcus Altfeld
- Heinrich Pette Institute, Leibniz Institute for Experimental Virology, Hamburg, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Site Hamburg-Lübeck-Borstel-Riems, Germany
- Institute for Immunology, University Medical Center Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Angelique Hölzemer
- Heinrich Pette Institute, Leibniz Institute for Experimental Virology, Hamburg, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Site Hamburg-Lübeck-Borstel-Riems, Germany
- First Department of Internal Medicine, University Medical Center Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
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