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Deng S, Xu Z, Wang M, Hu J, Liu Z, Zhu F, Zheng P, Kombe Kombe AJ, Zhang H, Wu S, Jin T. Structural insights into immune escape at killer T cell epitope by SARS-CoV-2 Spike Y453F variants. J Biol Chem 2024:107563. [PMID: 39002680 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2024.107563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2024] [Revised: 07/06/2024] [Accepted: 07/08/2024] [Indexed: 07/15/2024] Open
Abstract
CD8+ T cell immunity, mediated by human leukocyte antigen (HLA) and T cell receptor (TCR), plays a critical role in conferring immune memory and protection against viral pathogens. The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants poses a serious challenge to the efficacy of current vaccines. Whereas numerous SARS-CoV-2 mutations associated with immune escape from CD8+ T cells have been documented, the molecular effects of most mutations on epitope-specific TCR recognition remain largely unexplored. Here, we studied an HLA-A24-restricted NYN epitope (Spike448-456) that elicits broad CD8+ T cell responses in COVID-19 patients characterized by a common TCR repertoire. Four natural mutations, N450K, L452Q, L452R, and Y453F, arose within the NYN epitope and have transmitted in certain viral lineages. Our findings indicate that these mutations have minimal impact on the epitope's presentation by cell surface HLA, yet they diminish the affinities of their respective peptide-HLA complexes (pHLAs) for NYN peptide-specific TCRs, particularly L452R and Y453F. Furthermore, we determined the crystal structure of HLA-A24 loaded with the Y453F peptide (NYNYLFRLF), and subsequently a ternary structure of the public TCRNYN-I complexed to the original NYN-HLA-A24 (NYNYLYRLF). Our structural analysis unveiled that despite competent presentation by HLA, the mutant Y453F peptide failed to establish a stable TCR-pHLA ternary complex due to reduced peptide: TCR contacts. This study supports the idea that cellular immunity restriction is an important driving force behind viral evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shasha Deng
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, Center for Advanced Interdisciplinary Science and Biomedicine of IHM, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230001, P.R. China
| | - Zhihao Xu
- Laboratory of Structural Immunology, Key Laboratory of Immune Response and Immunotherapy, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027 China
| | - Meihua Wang
- Laboratory of Structural Immunology, Key Laboratory of Immune Response and Immunotherapy, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027 China
| | - Jing Hu
- Laboratory of Structural Immunology, Key Laboratory of Immune Response and Immunotherapy, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027 China
| | - Zhuan Liu
- Laboratory of Structural Immunology, Key Laboratory of Immune Response and Immunotherapy, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027 China
| | - Fang Zhu
- Laboratory of Structural Immunology, Key Laboratory of Immune Response and Immunotherapy, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027 China
| | - Peiyi Zheng
- Laboratory of Structural Immunology, Key Laboratory of Immune Response and Immunotherapy, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027 China
| | - Arnaud John Kombe Kombe
- Laboratory of Structural Immunology, Key Laboratory of Immune Response and Immunotherapy, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027 China
| | - Hongliang Zhang
- College of Medicine, Lishui University, Lishui, 323000, China
| | - Songquan Wu
- College of Medicine, Lishui University, Lishui, 323000, China
| | - Tengchuan Jin
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, Center for Advanced Interdisciplinary Science and Biomedicine of IHM, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230001, P.R. China; Laboratory of Structural Immunology, Key Laboratory of Immune Response and Immunotherapy, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027 China; College of Medicine, Lishui University, Lishui, 323000, China; Institute of Health and Medicine, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, Hefei, Anhui, China; Biomedical Sciences and Health Laboratory of Anhui Province, University of Science & Technology of China, Hefei 230027, China; Clinical Research Hospital of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Hefei), University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230001, China.
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Gupta S, Sgourakis NG. A structure-guided approach to predict MHC-I restriction of T cell receptors for public antigens. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.06.04.597418. [PMID: 38895339 PMCID: PMC11185663 DOI: 10.1101/2024.06.04.597418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Abstract
Peptides presented by class I major histocompatibility complex (MHC-I) proteins provide biomarkers for therapeutic targeting using T cell receptors (TCRs), TCR-mimicking antibodies (TMAs), or other engineered protein binders. Despite the extreme sequence diversity of the Human Leucocyte Antigen (HLA, the human MHC), a given TCR or TMA is restricted to recognize epitopic peptides in the context of a limited set of different HLA allotypes. Here, guided by our analysis of 96 TCR:pHLA complex structures in the Protein Data Bank (PDB), we identify TCR contact residues and classify 148 common HLA allotypes into T-cell cross-reactivity groups (T-CREGs) on the basis of their interaction surface features. Insights from our work have actionable value for resolving MHC-I restriction of TCRs, guiding therapeutic expansion of existing therapies, and informing the selection of peptide targets for forthcoming immunotherapy modalities.
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Hiscox MJ, Wasmuth A, Williams CL, Foot JN, Wiedermann GE, Fadda V, Boiani S, Cornforth TV, Wikiert KA, Bruton S, Cartwright N, Anderson VE, Barnes CS, Vieira JV, Birch-Machin I, Gerry AB, Miller K, Pumphrey NJ. Selection, engineering, and in vivo testing of a human leukocyte antigen-independent T-cell receptor recognizing human mesothelin. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0301175. [PMID: 38574067 PMCID: PMC10994368 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0301175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2023] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Canonical α/β T-cell receptors (TCRs) bind to human leukocyte antigen (HLA) displaying antigenic peptides to elicit T cell-mediated cytotoxicity. TCR-engineered T-cell immunotherapies targeting cancer-specific peptide-HLA complexes (pHLA) are generating exciting clinical responses, but owing to HLA restriction they are only able to target a subset of antigen-positive patients. More recently, evidence has been published indicating that naturally occurring α/β TCRs can target cell surface proteins other than pHLA, which would address the challenges of HLA restriction. In this proof-of-concept study, we sought to identify and engineer so-called HLA-independent TCRs (HiTs) against the tumor-associated antigen mesothelin. METHODS Using phage display, we identified a HiT that bound well to mesothelin, which when expressed in primary T cells, caused activation and cytotoxicity. We subsequently engineered this HiT to modulate the T-cell response to varying levels of mesothelin on the cell surface. RESULTS The isolated HiT shows cytotoxic activity and demonstrates killing of both mesothelin-expressing cell lines and patient-derived xenograft models. Additionally, we demonstrated that HiT-transduced T cells do not require CD4 or CD8 co-receptors and, unlike a TCR fusion construct, are not inhibited by soluble mesothelin. Finally, we showed that HiT-transduced T cells are highly efficacious in vivo, completely eradicating xenografted human solid tumors. CONCLUSION HiTs can be isolated from fully human TCR-displaying phage libraries against cell surface-expressed antigens. HiTs are able to fully activate primary T cells both in vivo and in vitro. HiTs may enable the efficacy seen with pHLA-targeting TCRs in solid tumors to be translated to cell surface antigens.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Jaelle N. Foot
- Research, Adaptimmune, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
| | | | - Valeria Fadda
- Research, Adaptimmune, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
| | - Sara Boiani
- Research, Adaptimmune, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
| | | | | | - Shaun Bruton
- Research, Adaptimmune, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
| | - Neil Cartwright
- Research, Adaptimmune, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
| | | | | | - Joao V. Vieira
- Research, Adaptimmune, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
| | | | - Andrew B. Gerry
- Research, Adaptimmune, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
| | - Karen Miller
- Research, Adaptimmune, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
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Cavalluzzo B, Viuff MC, Tvingsholm SA, Ragone C, Manolio C, Mauriello A, Buonaguro FM, Tornesello ML, Izzo F, Morabito A, Hadrup SR, Tagliamonte M, Buonaguro L. Cross-reactive CD8 + T cell responses to tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) and homologous microbiota-derived antigens (MoAs). J Exp Clin Cancer Res 2024; 43:87. [PMID: 38509571 PMCID: PMC10953141 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-024-03004-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND We have recently shown extensive sequence and conformational homology between tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) and antigens derived from microorganisms (MoAs). The present study aimed to assess the breadth of T-cell recognition specific to MoAs and the corresponding TAAs in healthy subjects (HS) and patients with cancer (CP). METHOD A library of > 100 peptide-MHC (pMHC) combinations was used to generate DNA-barcode labelled multimers. Homologous peptides were selected from the Cancer Antigenic Peptide Database, as well as Bacteroidetes/Firmicutes-derived peptides. They were incubated with CD8 + T cells from the peripheral blood of HLA-A*02:01 healthy individuals (n = 10) and cancer patients (n = 16). T cell recognition was identified using tetramer-staining analysis. Cytotoxicity assay was performed using as target cells TAP-deficient T2 cells loaded with MoA or the paired TuA. RESULTS A total of 66 unique pMHC recognized by CD8+ T cells across all groups were identified. Of these, 21 epitopes from microbiota were identified as novel immunological targets. Reactivity against selected TAAs was observed for both HS and CP. pMHC tetramer staining confirmed CD8+ T cell populations cross-reacting with CTA SSX2 and paired microbiota epitopes. Moreover, PBMCs activated with the MoA where shown to release IFNγ as well as to exert cytotoxic activity against cells presenting the paired TuA. CONCLUSIONS Several predicted microbiota-derived MoAs are recognized by T cells in HS and CP. Reactivity against TAAs was observed also in HS, primed by the homologous bacterial antigens. CD8+ T cells cross-reacting with MAGE-A1 and paired microbiota epitopes were identified in three subjects. Therefore, the microbiota can elicit an extensive repertoire of natural memory T cells to TAAs, possibly able to control tumor growth ("natural anti-cancer vaccination"). In addition, non-self MoAs can be included in preventive/therapeutic off-the-shelf cancer vaccines with more potent anti-tumor efficacy than those based on TAAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatrice Cavalluzzo
- Innovative Immunological Models Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - IRCCS - "Fond G. Pascale", Via Mariano Semmola, 52, Naples, Italy
| | - Marie Christine Viuff
- Department of Health Technology, Section of Experimental and Translational Immunology, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Siri Amanda Tvingsholm
- Department of Health Technology, Section of Experimental and Translational Immunology, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Concetta Ragone
- Innovative Immunological Models Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - IRCCS - "Fond G. Pascale", Via Mariano Semmola, 52, Naples, Italy
| | - Carmen Manolio
- Innovative Immunological Models Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - IRCCS - "Fond G. Pascale", Via Mariano Semmola, 52, Naples, Italy
| | - Angela Mauriello
- Innovative Immunological Models Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - IRCCS - "Fond G. Pascale", Via Mariano Semmola, 52, Naples, Italy
| | - Franco M Buonaguro
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncogenesis Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - IRCCS - "Fond G. Pascale", Naples, Italy
| | - Maria Lina Tornesello
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncogenesis Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - IRCCS - "Fond G. Pascale", Naples, Italy
| | - Francesco Izzo
- Hepatobiliary Surgical Oncology Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - IRCCS - "Fond. G. Pascale", Naples, Italy
| | - Alessandro Morabito
- Thoracic Medical Oncology, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - IRCCS - "Fond G. Pascale", Naples, Italy
| | - Sine Reker Hadrup
- Department of Health Technology, Section of Experimental and Translational Immunology, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Maria Tagliamonte
- Innovative Immunological Models Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - IRCCS - "Fond G. Pascale", Via Mariano Semmola, 52, Naples, Italy.
| | - Luigi Buonaguro
- Innovative Immunological Models Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori - IRCCS - "Fond G. Pascale", Via Mariano Semmola, 52, Naples, Italy.
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5
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Boughter CT, Meier-Schellersheim M. Conserved biophysical compatibility among the highly variable germline-encoded regions shapes TCR-MHC interactions. eLife 2023; 12:e90681. [PMID: 37861280 PMCID: PMC10631762 DOI: 10.7554/elife.90681] [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: 07/03/2023] [Accepted: 10/19/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023] Open
Abstract
T cells are critically important components of the adaptive immune system primarily responsible for identifying and responding to pathogenic challenges. This recognition of pathogens is driven by the interaction between membrane-bound T cell receptors (TCRs) and antigenic peptides presented on major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules. The formation of the TCR-peptide-MHC complex (TCR-pMHC) involves interactions among germline-encoded and hypervariable amino acids. Germline-encoded and hypervariable regions can form contacts critical for complex formation, but only interactions between germline-encoded contacts are likely to be shared across many of all the possible productive TCR-pMHC complexes. Despite this, experimental investigation of these interactions have focused on only a small fraction of the possible interaction space. To address this, we analyzed every possible germline-encoded TCR-MHC contact in humans, thereby generating the first comprehensive characterization of these largely antigen-independent interactions. Our computational analysis suggests that germline-encoded TCR-MHC interactions that are conserved at the sequence level are rare due to the high amino acid diversity of the TCR CDR1 and CDR2 loops, and that such conservation is unlikely to dominate the dynamic protein-protein binding interface. Instead, we propose that binding properties such as the docking orientation are defined by regions of biophysical compatibility between these loops and the MHC surface.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher T Boughter
- Computational Biology Section, Laboratory of Immune System Biology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of HealthBethesdaUnited States
| | - Martin Meier-Schellersheim
- Computational Biology Section, Laboratory of Immune System Biology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of HealthBethesdaUnited States
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6
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Ishii K, Davies JS, Sinkoe AL, Nguyen KA, Norberg SM, McIntosh CP, Kadakia T, Serna C, Rae Z, Kelly MC, Hinrichs CS. Multi-tiered approach to detect autoimmune cross-reactivity of therapeutic T cell receptors. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadg9845. [PMID: 37494434 PMCID: PMC10371023 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adg9845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2023] [Accepted: 06/22/2023] [Indexed: 07/28/2023]
Abstract
T cell receptor (TCR)-engineered T cell therapy using high-affinity TCRs is a promising treatment modality for cancer. Discovery of high-affinity TCRs especially against self-antigens can require approaches that circumvent central tolerance, which may increase the risk of cross-reactivity. Despite the potential for toxicity, no standardized approach to screen cross-reactivity has been established in the context of preclinical safety evaluation. Here, we describe a practical framework to prospectively detect clinically prohibitive cross-reactivity of therapeutic TCR candidates. Cross-reactivity screening consisted of multifaceted series of assays including assessment of p-MHC tetramer binding, cell line recognition, and reactivity against candidate peptide libraries. Peptide libraries were generated using conventional contact residue motif-guided search, amino acid substitution matrix-based search unguided by motif information, and combinatorial peptide library scan-guided search. We demonstrate the additive nature of a layered approach, which efficiently identifies unsafe cross-reactivity including one undetected by conventional motif-guided search. These findings have important implications for the safe development of TCR-based therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazusa Ishii
- Center for Immuno-Oncology, Center for Cancer Research (CCR), National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - John S. Davies
- Center for Immuno-Oncology, Center for Cancer Research (CCR), National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD, USA
- Department of Safety Assessment, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Andrew L. Sinkoe
- Center for Immuno-Oncology, Center for Cancer Research (CCR), National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Kilyna A. Nguyen
- Center for Immuno-Oncology, Center for Cancer Research (CCR), National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Scott M. Norberg
- Center for Immuno-Oncology, Center for Cancer Research (CCR), National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Crystal P. McIntosh
- Center for Immuno-Oncology, Center for Cancer Research (CCR), National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Tejas Kadakia
- Center for Immuno-Oncology, Center for Cancer Research (CCR), National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD, USA
- Precigen, Germantown, MD, USA
| | - Carylinda Serna
- Center for Immuno-Oncology, Center for Cancer Research (CCR), National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD, USA
- Oncology Department, Cell Therapy Unit, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, MD, USA
| | - Zachary Rae
- Single Cell Analysis Facility, CCR, NCI, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
- 10x Genomics, Pleasanton, CA, USA
| | | | - Christian S. Hinrichs
- Center for Immuno-Oncology, Center for Cancer Research (CCR), National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD, USA
- Duncan and Nancy MacMillan Center of Excellence in Cancer Immunotherapy and Metabolism, Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
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Tagliamonte M, Cavalluzzo B, Mauriello A, Ragone C, Buonaguro FM, Tornesello ML, Buonaguro L. Molecular mimicry and cancer vaccine development. Mol Cancer 2023; 22:75. [PMID: 37101139 PMCID: PMC10131527 DOI: 10.1186/s12943-023-01776-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2023] [Accepted: 04/14/2023] [Indexed: 04/28/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The development of cancer immunotherapeutic strategies relies on the identification and validation of optimal target tumor antigens, which should be tumor-specific as well as able to elicit a swift and potent anti-tumor immune response. The vast majority of such strategies are based on tumor associated antigens (TAAs) which are shared wild type cellular self-epitopes highly expressed on tumor cells. Indeed, TAAs can be used to develop off-the-shelf cancer vaccines appropriate to all patients affected by the same malignancy. However, given that they may be also presented by HLAs on the surface of non-malignant cells, they may be possibly affected by immunological tolerance or elicit autoimmune responses. MAIN BODY In order to overcome such limitations, analogue peptides with improved antigenicity and immunogenicity able to elicit a cross-reactive T cell response are needed. To this aim, non-self-antigens derived from microorganisms (MoAs) may be of great benefit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Tagliamonte
- Lab of Innovative Immunological Models, Istituto Nazionale Tumori, IRCCS - "Fond. G. Pascale", Naples, Italy
| | - Beatrice Cavalluzzo
- Lab of Innovative Immunological Models, Istituto Nazionale Tumori, IRCCS - "Fond. G. Pascale", Naples, Italy
| | - Angela Mauriello
- Lab of Innovative Immunological Models, Istituto Nazionale Tumori, IRCCS - "Fond. G. Pascale", Naples, Italy
| | - Concetta Ragone
- Lab of Innovative Immunological Models, Istituto Nazionale Tumori, IRCCS - "Fond. G. Pascale", Naples, Italy
| | - Franco M Buonaguro
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncogenesis Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori, IRCCS - "Fond G. Pascale", Naples, Italy
| | - Maria Lina Tornesello
- Molecular Biology and Viral Oncogenesis Unit, Istituto Nazionale Tumori, IRCCS - "Fond G. Pascale", Naples, Italy
| | - Luigi Buonaguro
- Lab of Innovative Immunological Models, Istituto Nazionale Tumori, IRCCS - "Fond. G. Pascale", Naples, Italy.
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8
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Xiao H, Yun S, Huang W, Dang H, Jia Z, Chen K, Zhao X, Wu Y, Shi Y, Wang J, Zou J. IL-4/13 expressing CD3γ/δ + T cells regulate mucosal immunity in response to Flavobacterium columnare infection in grass carp. FISH & SHELLFISH IMMUNOLOGY 2023; 134:108586. [PMID: 36740082 DOI: 10.1016/j.fsi.2023.108586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2022] [Revised: 01/30/2023] [Accepted: 02/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Interleukin (IL) 4 and 13 are signature cytokines orchestrating Th2 immune response. Teleost fish have two homologs, termed IL-4/13A and IL-4/13B, and have been functionally characterized. However, what cells express IL-4/13A and IL-4/13B has not been investigated in fish. In this work, the recombinant IL-4/13A and IL-4/13B proteins of grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) were produced in the Escherichia coli (E. coli) cells and purified. Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against the recombinant CiIL-4/13A and CiIL-4/13B proteins were prepared and characterized. Western blotting analysis showed that the CiIL-4/13A and CiIL-4/13B mAbs could specifically recognize the recombinant proteins expressed in the E. coli cells and HEK293T cells and did not cross-react with each other. Confocal microscopy revealed that the CiIL-4/13A+ and CiIL-4/13B+ cells were present in the gills, intestine and spleen and could be upregulated in fish infected with Flavobacterium columnare (F. columnare). Interestingly, the cells expressing CiIL-4/13A and CiIL-4/13B were mostly CD3γ/δ+ cells. The CD3γ/δ+/IL-4/13A+ and CD3γ/δ+/IL-4/13B+ cells were significantly upregulated in the gill filaments and the intestinal mucosa after F. columnare infection. Our results imply that the CD3γ/δ+/IL-4/13A+ and CD3γ/δ+/IL-4/13B+ cells are important for homeostasis and the regulation of mucosal immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hehe Xiao
- Key Laboratory of Exploration and Utilization of Aquatic Genetic Resources, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, 201306, China; International Research Center for Marine Biosciences, Ministry of Science and Technology, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, 201306, China; National Demonstration Center for Experimental Fisheries Science Education, University, Shanghai, 201306, China
| | - Shengran Yun
- Key Laboratory of Exploration and Utilization of Aquatic Genetic Resources, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, 201306, China; International Research Center for Marine Biosciences, Ministry of Science and Technology, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, 201306, China; National Demonstration Center for Experimental Fisheries Science Education, University, Shanghai, 201306, China
| | - Wenji Huang
- Key Laboratory of Exploration and Utilization of Aquatic Genetic Resources, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, 201306, China; International Research Center for Marine Biosciences, Ministry of Science and Technology, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, 201306, China; National Demonstration Center for Experimental Fisheries Science Education, University, Shanghai, 201306, China
| | - Huifeng Dang
- Key Laboratory of Exploration and Utilization of Aquatic Genetic Resources, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, 201306, China; International Research Center for Marine Biosciences, Ministry of Science and Technology, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, 201306, China; National Demonstration Center for Experimental Fisheries Science Education, University, Shanghai, 201306, China
| | - Zhao Jia
- Key Laboratory of Exploration and Utilization of Aquatic Genetic Resources, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, 201306, China; International Research Center for Marine Biosciences, Ministry of Science and Technology, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, 201306, China; National Demonstration Center for Experimental Fisheries Science Education, University, Shanghai, 201306, China
| | - Kangyong Chen
- Key Laboratory of Exploration and Utilization of Aquatic Genetic Resources, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, 201306, China; International Research Center for Marine Biosciences, Ministry of Science and Technology, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, 201306, China; National Demonstration Center for Experimental Fisheries Science Education, University, Shanghai, 201306, China
| | - Xin Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Exploration and Utilization of Aquatic Genetic Resources, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, 201306, China; International Research Center for Marine Biosciences, Ministry of Science and Technology, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, 201306, China; National Demonstration Center for Experimental Fisheries Science Education, University, Shanghai, 201306, China
| | - Yaxin Wu
- Key Laboratory of Exploration and Utilization of Aquatic Genetic Resources, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, 201306, China; International Research Center for Marine Biosciences, Ministry of Science and Technology, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, 201306, China; National Demonstration Center for Experimental Fisheries Science Education, University, Shanghai, 201306, China
| | - Yanjie Shi
- Key Laboratory of Exploration and Utilization of Aquatic Genetic Resources, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, 201306, China; International Research Center for Marine Biosciences, Ministry of Science and Technology, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, 201306, China; National Demonstration Center for Experimental Fisheries Science Education, University, Shanghai, 201306, China
| | - Junya Wang
- Key Laboratory of Exploration and Utilization of Aquatic Genetic Resources, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, 201306, China; International Research Center for Marine Biosciences, Ministry of Science and Technology, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, 201306, China; National Demonstration Center for Experimental Fisheries Science Education, University, Shanghai, 201306, China
| | - Jun Zou
- Key Laboratory of Exploration and Utilization of Aquatic Genetic Resources, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, 201306, China; International Research Center for Marine Biosciences, Ministry of Science and Technology, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, 201306, China; National Demonstration Center for Experimental Fisheries Science Education, University, Shanghai, 201306, China; Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266200, China.
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Structural Analyses of a Dominant Cryptosporidium parvum Epitope Presented by H-2K b Offer New Options To Combat Cryptosporidiosis. mBio 2023; 14:e0266622. [PMID: 36602309 PMCID: PMC9973275 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.02666-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Cryptosporidium parvum has gained much attention as a major cause of diarrhea in the world, particularly in those with compromised immune systems. The data currently available on how the immune system recognizes C. parvum are growing rapidly, but we lack data on the interactions among host major histocompatibility complex (MHC) diversity and parasitic T-cell epitopes. To identify antigenic epitopes in a murine model, we performed systematic profiling of H-2Kb-restricted peptides by screening the dominant Cryptosporidium antigens. The results revealed that the glycoprotein-derived epitope Gp40/15-SVF9 induced an immunodominant response in C. parvum-recovered C57BL/6 mice, and injection of the cytotoxic-T-lymphocyte (CTL) peptide with the adjuvant activated peptide-specific CD8+ T cells. Notably, the SVF9 epitope was highly conserved across Cryptosporidium hominis, C. parvum, and many other Cryptosporidium species. SVF9 also formed stable peptide-MHC class I (MHC I) complexes with HLA-A*0201, suggesting cross-reactivity between H-2Kb and human MHC I specificities. Crystal structure analyses revealed that the interactions of peptide-MHC surface residues of H-2Kb and HLA-A*0201 are highly conserved. The hydrogen bonds of H-2Kb-SVF9 are similar to those of a dominant epitope presented by HLA-A*0201, which can be recognized by a public human T-cell receptor (TCR). Notably, we found double conformations in position 4 (P4), 5 (P5) of the SVF9 peptide, which showed high flexibility, and multiple peptide conformations generated more molecular surfaces that can potentially be recognized by TCRs. Our findings demonstrate that an immunodominant C. parvum epitope and its homologs from different Cryptosporidium species and subtypes can benefit vaccine development to combat cryptosporidiosis. IMPORTANCE Adaptive immune responses and T lymphocytes have been implicated as important mechanisms of parasite-induced protection. However, the role of CD8+ T lymphocytes in the resolution of C. parvum infection is largely unresolved. Our results revealed that the glycoprotein-derived epitope Gp40/15-SVF9 induced an immunodominant CD8+ T-cell response in C57BL/6 mice. Crystal structure analyses revealed that the interactions of the H-2Kb-SVF9 peptide are similar to those of a dominant epitope presented by HLA-A*0201, which can be recognized by human TCRs. In addition, we found double conformations of the SVF9 peptide, which showed high flexibility and multiple peptide conformations that can potentially be recognized by TCRs.
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Papadaki GF, Ani O, Florio TJ, Young MC, Danon JN, Sun Y, Dersh D, Sgourakis NG. Decoupling peptide binding from T cell receptor recognition with engineered chimeric MHC-I molecules. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1116906. [PMID: 36761745 PMCID: PMC9905809 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1116906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2022] [Accepted: 01/10/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Major Histocompatibility Complex class I (MHC-I) molecules display self, viral or aberrant epitopic peptides to T cell receptors (TCRs), which employ interactions between complementarity-determining regions with both peptide and MHC-I heavy chain 'framework' residues to recognize specific Human Leucocyte Antigens (HLAs). The highly polymorphic nature of the HLA peptide-binding groove suggests a malleability of interactions within a common structural scaffold. Here, using structural data from peptide:MHC-I and pMHC:TCR structures, we first identify residues important for peptide and/or TCR binding. We then outline a fixed-backbone computational design approach for engineering synthetic molecules that combine peptide binding and TCR recognition surfaces from existing HLA allotypes. X-ray crystallography demonstrates that chimeric molecules bridging divergent HLA alleles can bind selected peptide antigens in a specified backbone conformation. Finally, in vitro tetramer staining and biophysical binding experiments using chimeric pMHC-I molecules presenting established antigens further demonstrate the requirement of TCR recognition on interactions with HLA framework residues, as opposed to interactions with peptide-centric Chimeric Antigen Receptors (CARs). Our results underscore a novel, structure-guided platform for developing synthetic HLA molecules with desired properties as screening probes for peptide-centric interactions with TCRs and other therapeutic modalities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georgia F. Papadaki
- Center for Computational and Genomic Medicine, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Omar Ani
- Center for Computational and Genomic Medicine, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Tyler J. Florio
- Center for Computational and Genomic Medicine, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Michael C. Young
- Center for Computational and Genomic Medicine, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Julia N. Danon
- Center for Computational and Genomic Medicine, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Yi Sun
- Center for Computational and Genomic Medicine, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Devin Dersh
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Nikolaos G. Sgourakis
- Center for Computational and Genomic Medicine, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
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Anang V, Singh A, Kottarath SK, Verma C. Receptors of immune cells mediates recognition for tumors. PROGRESS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE 2023; 194:219-267. [PMID: 36631194 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pmbts.2022.09.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Over the last few decades, the immune system has been steered toward eradication of cancer cells with the help of cancer immunotherapy. T cells, B cells, monocytes/macrophages, dendritic cells, T-reg cells, and natural killer (NK) cells are some of the numerous immune cell types that play a significant part in cancer cell detection and reduction of inflammation, and the antitumor response. Briefly stated, chimeric antigen receptors, adoptive transfer and immune checkpoint modulators are currently the subjects of research focus for successful immunotherapy-based treatments for a variety of cancers. This chapter discusses ongoing investigations on the mechanisms and recent developments by which receptors of immune cells especially that of lymphocytes and monocytes/macrophages regulate the detection of immune system leading to malignancies. We will also be looking into the treatment strategies based on these mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vandana Anang
- International Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), New Delhi, India
| | | | - Sarat Kumar Kottarath
- Department of Experimental Therapeutics, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Huston, TX, United States.
| | - Chaitenya Verma
- Department of Pathology, Wexner Medical Center, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States.
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12
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Facile repurposing of peptide-MHC-restricted antibodies for cancer immunotherapy. Nat Biotechnol 2023:10.1038/s41587-022-01567-w. [PMID: 36593402 DOI: 10.1038/s41587-022-01567-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2022] [Accepted: 10/13/2022] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Monoclonal antibodies (Abs) that recognize major histocompatability complex (MHC)-presented tumor antigens in a manner similar to T cell receptors (TCRs) have great potential as cancer immunotherapeutics. However, isolation of 'TCR-mimic' (TCRm) Abs is laborious because Abs have not evolved the structurally nuanced peptide-MHC restriction of αβ-TCRs. Here, we present a strategy for rapid isolation of highly peptide-specific and 'MHC-restricted' Abs by re-engineering preselected Abs that engage peptide-MHC in a manner structurally similar to that of conventional αβ-TCRs. We created structure-based libraries focused on the peptide-interacting residues of TCRm Ab complementarity-determining region (CDR) loops, and rapidly generated MHC-restricted Abs to both mouse and human tumor antigens that specifically killed target cells when formatted as IgG, bispecific T cell engager (BiTE) and chimeric antigen receptor-T (CAR-T). Crystallographic analysis of one selected pMHC-restricted Ab revealed highly peptide-specific recognition, validating the engineering strategy. This approach can yield tumor antigen-specific antibodies in several weeks, potentially enabling rapid clinical translation.
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This S, Rogers D, Mallet Gauthier È, Mandl JN, Melichar HJ. What's self got to do with it: Sources of heterogeneity among naive T cells. Semin Immunol 2023; 65:101702. [PMID: 36463711 DOI: 10.1016/j.smim.2022.101702] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2022] [Revised: 11/23/2022] [Accepted: 11/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
There is a long-standing assumption that naive CD4+ and CD8+ T cells are largely homogeneous populations despite the extraordinary diversity of their T cell receptors (TCR). The self-immunopeptidome plays a key role in the selection of the naive T cell repertoire in the thymus, and self-peptides are also an important driver of differences between individual naive T cells with regard to their subsequent functional contributions to an immune response. Accumulating evidence suggests that as early as the β-selection stage of T cell development, when only one of the recombined chains of the mature TCR is expressed, signaling thresholds may be established for positive selection of immature thymocytes. Stochastic encounters subsequently made with self-ligands during positive selection in the thymus imprint functional biases that a T cell will carry with it throughout its lifetime, although ongoing interactions with self in the periphery ensure a level of plasticity in the gene expression wiring of naive T cells. Identifying the sources of heterogeneity in the naive T cell population and which functional attributes of T cells can be modulated through post-thymic interventions versus those that are fixed during T cell development, could enable us to better select or generate T cells with particular traits to improve the efficacy of T cell therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sébastien This
- Department of Microbiology, Infectious Disease, and Immunology, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Canada; Immunology-Oncology Unit, Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital Research Center, Montreal, Canada
| | - Dakota Rogers
- Department of Physiology and McGill Research Centre on Complex Traits, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Ève Mallet Gauthier
- Department of Microbiology, Infectious Disease, and Immunology, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Canada; Immunology-Oncology Unit, Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital Research Center, Montreal, Canada
| | - Judith N Mandl
- Department of Physiology and McGill Research Centre on Complex Traits, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
| | - Heather J Melichar
- Immunology-Oncology Unit, Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital Research Center, Montreal, Canada; Department of Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Canada.
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Deschler K, Rademacher J, Lacher SM, Huth A, Utzt M, Krebs S, Blum H, Haibel H, Proft F, Protopopov M, Rodriguez VR, Beltrán E, Poddubnyy D, Dornmair K. Antigen-specific immune reactions by expanded CD8 + T cell clones from HLA-B*27-positive patients with spondyloarthritis. J Autoimmun 2022; 133:102901. [PMID: 36115212 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaut.2022.102901] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2022] [Revised: 08/19/2022] [Accepted: 08/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Spondyloarthritis (SpA) is a chronic inflammatory disease that is tightly linked to HLA-B*27 but the pathophysiological basis of this link is still unknown. It is discussed whether either the instability of HLA-B*27 molecules triggers predominantly innate immune reactions or yet unknown antigenic peptides presented by HLA-B*27 induce adaptive autoimmune reactions by CD8+ T cells. To analyze the pathogenesis of SpA, we here investigated the T cell receptor (TCR) usage and whole transcriptomes of CD8+ single cells from synovial fluid of HLA-B*27-positive SpA patients and HLA-B*27-negative controls. In HLA-B*27-positive patients, we confirmed preferential expression of several TCR β-chain families, found even more restricted usage of particular TCR α-chains, assigned matching TCR αβ-chain pairs with homologous CDR3-sequences, and detected identical TCR-chains in different patients. Gene expression analyses by single cell mRNAseq revealed that genes specific for the tissue resident memory phenotype, exhaustion, and apoptosis were particularly highly expressed in expanded clonotypes from HLA-B*27-positive SpA patients. Together, several independent lines of evidence argue in favor of an (auto)antigenic peptide related pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina Deschler
- Institute of Clinical Neuroimmunology, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany; Biomedical Center (BMC), Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Judith Rademacher
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Department of Gastroenterology, Infectiology and Rheumatologie (including Nutrition Medicine), Germany; Berlin Institute of Health at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany
| | - Sonja M Lacher
- Institute of Clinical Neuroimmunology, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany; Biomedical Center (BMC), Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Alina Huth
- Institute of Clinical Neuroimmunology, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany; Biomedical Center (BMC), Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Markus Utzt
- Institute of Clinical Neuroimmunology, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany; Biomedical Center (BMC), Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Stefan Krebs
- Laboratory for Functional Genome Analysis (LAFUGA), Gene Center of the LMU Munich, Germany
| | - Helmut Blum
- Laboratory for Functional Genome Analysis (LAFUGA), Gene Center of the LMU Munich, Germany
| | - Hildrun Haibel
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Department of Gastroenterology, Infectiology and Rheumatologie (including Nutrition Medicine), Germany
| | - Fabian Proft
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Department of Gastroenterology, Infectiology and Rheumatologie (including Nutrition Medicine), Germany
| | - Mikhail Protopopov
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Department of Gastroenterology, Infectiology and Rheumatologie (including Nutrition Medicine), Germany
| | - Valeria Rios Rodriguez
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Department of Gastroenterology, Infectiology and Rheumatologie (including Nutrition Medicine), Germany
| | - Eduardo Beltrán
- Institute of Clinical Neuroimmunology, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany; Biomedical Center (BMC), Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Denis Poddubnyy
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Department of Gastroenterology, Infectiology and Rheumatologie (including Nutrition Medicine), Germany; Epidemiology unit, German Rheumatism Research Centre, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Klaus Dornmair
- Institute of Clinical Neuroimmunology, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany; Biomedical Center (BMC), Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich, Martinsried, Germany.
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15
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A class-mismatched TCR bypasses MHC restriction via an unorthodox but fully functional binding geometry. Nat Commun 2022; 13:7189. [PMID: 36424374 PMCID: PMC9691722 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-34896-0] [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: 10/29/2021] [Accepted: 11/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
MHC restriction, which describes the binding of TCRs from CD4+ T cells to class II MHC proteins and TCRs from CD8+ T cells to class I MHC proteins, is a hallmark of immunology. Seemingly rare TCRs that break this paradigm exist, but mechanistic insight into their behavior is lacking. TIL1383I is a prototypical class-mismatched TCR, cloned from a CD4+ T cell but recognizing the tyrosinase tumor antigen presented by the class I MHC HLA-A2 in a fully functional manner. Here we find that TIL1383I binds this class I target with a highly atypical geometry. Despite unorthodox binding, TCR signaling, antigen specificity, and the ability to use CD8 are maintained. Structurally, a key feature of TIL1383I is an exceptionally long CDR3β loop that mediates functions that are traditionally performed separately by hypervariable and germline loops in canonical TCR structures. Our findings thus expand the range of known TCR binding geometries compatible with normal function and specificity, provide insight into the determinants of MHC restriction, and may help guide TCR selection and engineering for immunotherapy.
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16
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Qiu L, Tao A, Liu F, Ge X, Li C. Potential prognostic value of a eight ferroptosis-related lncRNAs model and the correlative immune activity in oral squamous cell carcinoma. BMC Genom Data 2022; 23:80. [PMID: 36384476 PMCID: PMC9667687 DOI: 10.1186/s12863-022-01097-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2022] [Accepted: 11/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background To investigate the prognostic value of ferroptosis-related long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and to construct a prognostic risk and immune activity model. Methods We obtained clinical and RNA-seq information on OSCC patient data in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) Genome Data Sharing (GDC) portal. Through a combination of a differential analysis, Pearson correlation analysis and Cox regression analysis, ferroptosis-related lncRNAs were identified, and a prognostic model was established based on these ferroptosis-related lncRNAs. The accuracy of the model was evaluated via analyses based on survival curves, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, and clinical decision curve analysis (DCA). Univariate Cox and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed to evaluate independent prognostic factors. Then, the infiltration and functional enrichment of immune cells in high- and low-risk groups were compared. Finally, certain small-molecule drugs that potentially target OSCC were predicted via use of the L1000FWD database. Results The prognostic model included 8 ferroptosis-related lncRNAs (FIRRE, LINC01305, AC099850.3, AL512274.1, AC090246.1, MIAT, AC079921.2 and LINC00524). The area under the ROC curve (AUC) was 0.726. The DCA revealed that the risk score based on the prognostic model was a better prognostic indicator than other clinical indicators. The multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that the risk score was an independent prognostic factor for OSCC. There were differences in immune cell infiltration, immune functions, m6A-related gene expression levels, and signal pathway enrichment between the high- and low-risk groups. Subsequently, several small-molecule drugs were predicted for use against differentially expressed ferroptosis-related genes in OSCC. Conclusions We constructed a new prognostic model of OSCC based on ferroptosis-related lncRNAs. The model is valuable for prognostic prediction and immune evaluation, laying a foundation for the study of ferroptosis-related lncRNAs in OSCC. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12863-022-01097-z.
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Gerber HP, Presta LG. TCR mimic compounds for pHLA targeting with high potency modalities in oncology. Front Oncol 2022; 12:1027548. [PMID: 36338746 PMCID: PMC9635445 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.1027548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2022] [Accepted: 09/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
pHLA complexes represent the largest class of cell surface markers on cancer cells, making them attractive for targeted cancer therapies. Adoptive cell therapies expressing TCRs that recognize tumor specific pHLAs take advantage of the unique selectivity and avidity of TCR: pHLA interactions. More recently, additional protein binding domains binding to pHLAs, known as TCR mimics (TCRm), were developed for tumor targeting of high potency therapeutic modalities, including bispecifics, ADCs, CAR T and -NK cells. TCRm compounds take advantage of the exquisite tumor specificity of certain pHLA targets, including cell lineage commitment markers and cancer testis antigens (CTAs). To achieve meaningful anti-tumor responses, it is critical that TCRm compounds integrate both, high target binding affinities and a high degree of target specificity. In this review, we describe the most advanced approaches to achieve both criteria, including affinity- and specificity engineering of TCRs, antibodies and alternative protein scaffolds. We also discuss the status of current TCRm based therapeutics developed in the clinic, key challenges, and emerging trends to improve treatment options for cancer patients treated with TCRm based therapeutics in Oncology.
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18
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T. RR, Smith JC. Structural patterns in class 1 major histocompatibility complex‐restricted nonamer peptide binding to T‐cell receptors. Proteins 2022; 90:1645-1654. [DOI: 10.1002/prot.26343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2021] [Revised: 03/12/2022] [Accepted: 03/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Rajitha Rajeshwar T.
- Department of Biochemistry and Cellular and Molecular Biology University of Tennessee Knoxville Tennessee USA
- UT/ORNL Center for Molecular Biophysics Oak Ridge National Laboratory Oak Ridge Tennessee USA
| | - Jeremy C. Smith
- Department of Biochemistry and Cellular and Molecular Biology University of Tennessee Knoxville Tennessee USA
- UT/ORNL Center for Molecular Biophysics Oak Ridge National Laboratory Oak Ridge Tennessee USA
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Wang Y, Tsitsiklis A, Devoe S, Gao W, Chu HH, Zhang Y, Li W, Wong WK, Deane CM, Neau D, Slansky JE, Thomas PG, Robey EA, Dai S. Peptide Centric Vβ Specific Germline Contacts Shape a Specialist T Cell Response. Front Immunol 2022; 13:847092. [PMID: 35967379 PMCID: PMC9372435 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.847092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2022] [Accepted: 05/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Certain CD8 T cell responses are particularly effective at controlling infection, as exemplified by elite control of HIV in individuals harboring HLA-B57. To understand the structural features that contribute to CD8 T cell elite control, we focused on a strongly protective CD8 T cell response directed against a parasite-derived peptide (HF10) presented by an atypical MHC-I molecule, H-2Ld. This response exhibits a focused TCR repertoire dominated by Vβ2, and a representative TCR (TG6) in complex with Ld-HF10 reveals an unusual structure in which both MHC and TCR contribute extensively to peptide specificity, along with a parallel footprint of TCR on its pMHC ligand. The parallel footprint is a common feature of Vβ2-containing TCRs and correlates with an unusual Vα-Vβ interface, CDR loop conformations, and Vβ2-specific germline contacts with peptides. Vβ2 and Ld may represent "specialist" components for antigen recognition that allows for particularly strong and focused T cell responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Wang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Colorado School of Pharmacy, Aurora, CO, United States
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, United States
| | - Alexandra Tsitsiklis
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - Stephanie Devoe
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Colorado School of Pharmacy, Aurora, CO, United States
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, United States
| | - Wei Gao
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Colorado School of Pharmacy, Aurora, CO, United States
- Biological Physics Laboratory, College of Science, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
| | - H. Hamlet Chu
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - Yan Zhang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Colorado School of Pharmacy, Aurora, CO, United States
| | - Wei Li
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Colorado School of Pharmacy, Aurora, CO, United States
| | - Wing Ki Wong
- Department of Statistics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | | | - David Neau
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Northeastern Collaborative Access Team (NE-CAT), Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Cornell University, Argonne, IL, United States
| | - Jill E. Slansky
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, United States
| | - Paul G. Thomas
- Department of Immunology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, United States
| | - Ellen A. Robey
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - Shaodong Dai
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Colorado School of Pharmacy, Aurora, CO, United States
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, United States
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Van Laethem F, Bhattacharya A, Craveiro M, Lu J, Sun PD, Singer A. MHC-independent αβT cells: Lessons learned about thymic selection and MHC-restriction. Front Immunol 2022; 13:953160. [PMID: 35911724 PMCID: PMC9331304 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.953160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2022] [Accepted: 06/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the generation of an MHC-restricted T cell repertoire is the cornerstone of modern T cell immunology. The unique ability of αβT cells to only recognize peptide antigens presented by MHC molecules but not conformational antigens is referred to as MHC restriction. How MHC restriction is imposed on a very large T cell receptor (TCR) repertoire is still heavily debated. We recently proposed the selection model, which posits that newly re-arranged TCRs can structurally recognize a wide variety of antigens, ranging from peptides presented by MHC molecules to native proteins like cell surface markers. However, on a molecular level, the sequestration of the essential tyrosine kinase Lck by the coreceptors CD4 and CD8 allows only MHC-restricted TCRs to signal. In the absence of Lck sequestration, MHC-independent TCRs can signal and instruct the generation of mature αβT cells that can recognize native protein ligands. The selection model thus explains how only MHC-restricted TCRs can signal and survive thymic selection. In this review, we will discuss the genetic evidence that led to our selection model. We will summarize the selection mechanism and structural properties of MHC-independent TCRs and further discuss the various non-MHC ligands we have identified.
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Affiliation(s)
- François Van Laethem
- Lymphocyte Development Section, Experimental Immunology Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
- Department of Biological Hematology, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire (CHU) Montpellier, Montpellier, France
- *Correspondence: François Van Laethem, ,
| | - Abhisek Bhattacharya
- Lymphocyte Development Section, Experimental Immunology Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Marco Craveiro
- Lymphocyte Development Section, Experimental Immunology Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Jinghua Lu
- Structural Immunology Section, Laboratory of Immunogenetics, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD, United States
| | - Peter D. Sun
- Structural Immunology Section, Laboratory of Immunogenetics, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD, United States
| | - Alfred Singer
- Lymphocyte Development Section, Experimental Immunology Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
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Huseby ES, Teixeiro E. The perception and response of T cells to a changing environment are based on the law of initial value. Sci Signal 2022; 15:eabj9842. [PMID: 35639856 PMCID: PMC9290192 DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.abj9842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
αβ T cells are critical components of the adaptive immune system and are capable of inducing sterilizing immunity after pathogen infection and eliminating transformed tumor cells. The development and function of T cells are controlled through the T cell antigen receptor, which recognizes peptides displayed on major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules. Here, we review how T cells generate the ability to recognize self-peptide-bound MHC molecules and use signals derived from these interactions to instruct cellular development, activation thresholds, and functional specialization in the steady state and during immune responses. We argue that the basic tenants of T cell development and function follow Weber-Fetcher's law of just noticeable differences and Wilder's law of initial value. Together, these laws argue that the ability of a system to respond and the quality of that response are scalable to the basal state of that system. Manifestation of these laws in T cells generates clone-specific activation thresholds that are based on perceivable differences between homeostasis and pathogen encounter (self versus nonself discrimination), as well as poised states for subsequent differentiation into specific effector cell lineages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric S. Huseby
- Department of Pathology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01655, USA
| | - Emma Teixeiro
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65212, USA
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22
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Taefehshokr S, Parhizkar A, Hayati S, Mousapour M, Mahmoudpour A, Eleid L, Rahmanpour D, Fattahi S, Shabani H, Taefehshokr N. Cancer immunotherapy: Challenges and limitations. Pathol Res Pract 2021; 229:153723. [PMID: 34952426 DOI: 10.1016/j.prp.2021.153723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2021] [Revised: 11/19/2021] [Accepted: 11/25/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Although cancer immunotherapy has taken center stage in mainstream oncology inducing complete and long-lasting tumor regression, only a subset of patients receiving treatment respond and others relapse after an initial response. Different tumor types respond differently, and even in cancer types that respond (hot tumors), we still observe tumors that are unresponsive (cold tumors), suggesting the presence of resistance. Hence, the development of intrinsic or acquired resistance is a big challenge for the cancer immunotherapy field. Resistance to immunotherapy, including checkpoint inhibitors, CAR-T cell therapy, oncolytic viruses, and recombinant cytokines arises due to cancer cells employing several mechanisms to evade immunosurveillance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sina Taefehshokr
- Immunology Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
| | - Aram Parhizkar
- Faculty of Natural Science, Tabriz University, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Shima Hayati
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Karaj Branch, Islamic Azad University, Karaj, Iran
| | - Morteza Mousapour
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Tabriz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Amin Mahmoudpour
- Department of Immunology, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Liliane Eleid
- Section of Cell Biology and Functional Genomics, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Dara Rahmanpour
- Student Research Committee, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Sahand Fattahi
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Tabriz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Hadi Shabani
- Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran
| | - Nima Taefehshokr
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Center for Human Immunology, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
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23
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Ghobadi Z, Mahnam K, Shakhsi-Niaei M. In-silico design of peptides for inhibition of HLA-A*03-KLIETYFSK complex as a new drug design for treatment of multiples sclerosis disease. J Mol Graph Model 2021; 111:108079. [PMID: 34837787 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmgm.2021.108079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2021] [Revised: 11/03/2021] [Accepted: 11/14/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Multiple sclerosis is recognized as a chronic inflammatory disease. Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) plays an important role in initiating adaptive immune responses. HLA class I is present in almost all nucleated cells and presents the cleaved endogenous peptide antigens to cytotoxic T cells. HLA-A*03 is one of the HLA class I alleles, which is reported as substantially related HLA to MS disease. In 2011, the structure of the HLA-A*03 in complex was identified with an immunodominant proteolipid protein (PLP) epitope (KLIETYFSK). This complex has been reported as an important autoantigen-presenting complex in MS pathogenesis. In this study, new peptides were designed to bind to this complex that may prevent specific pathogenic cytotoxic T cell binding to this autoantigen-presenting complex and CNS demyelination. Herein, 14 new helical peptides containing 19 amino acids were designed and their structures were predicted using the PEP-FOLD server. The binding of each designed peptide to the mentioned complex was then performed. A mutation approach was used by the BeAtMuSiC server to improve the binding affinity of the designed peptide. In each position, amino acid substitutions leading to an increase in the binding affinity of the peptide to the mentioned complex were determined. Finally, the resulting complexes were simulated for 40 ns using AMBER18 software. The results revealed that out of 14 designed peptides, "WRYWWKDWAKQFRQFYRWF" peptide exhibited the highest affinity for binding to the mentioned complex. This peptide can be considered as a potential drug to control multiple sclerosis disease in patients carrying the HLA-A*03 allele.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zahra Ghobadi
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Basic Sciences, Shahrekord University, Shahrekord, Iran
| | - Karim Mahnam
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Basic Sciences, Shahrekord University, Shahrekord, Iran; Nanotechnology Research Center, Shahrekord University, Shahrekord, Iran.
| | - Mostafa Shakhsi-Niaei
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Basic Sciences, Shahrekord University, Shahrekord, Iran
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24
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Riedel F, Aparicio-Soto M, Curato C, Thierse HJ, Siewert K, Luch A. Immunological Mechanisms of Metal Allergies and the Nickel-Specific TCR-pMHC Interface. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:10867. [PMID: 34682608 PMCID: PMC8535423 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph182010867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2021] [Revised: 10/03/2021] [Accepted: 10/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Besides having physiological functions and general toxic effects, many metal ions can cause allergic reactions in humans. We here review the immune events involved in the mediation of metal allergies. We focus on nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co) and palladium (Pd), because these allergens are among the most prevalent sensitizers (Ni, Co) and immediate neighbors in the periodic table of the chemical elements. Co-sensitization between Ni and the other two metals is frequent while the knowledge on a possible immunological cross-reactivity using in vivo and in vitro approaches remains limited. At the center of an allergic reaction lies the capability of a metal allergen to form T cell epitopes that are recognized by specific T cell receptors (TCR). Technological advances such as activation-induced marker assays and TCR high-throughput sequencing recently provided new insights into the interaction of Ni2+ with the αβ TCR-peptide-major histocompatibility complex (pMHC) interface. Ni2+ functionally binds to the TCR gene segment TRAV9-2 or a histidine in the complementarity determining region 3 (CDR3), the main antigen binding region. Thus, we overview known, newly identified and hypothesized mechanisms of metal-specific T cell activation and discuss current knowledge on cross-reactivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franziska Riedel
- Department for Chemicals and Product Safety, Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Max-Dohrn-Straße 8-10, 10589 Berlin, Germany; (M.A.-S.); (C.C.); (H.-J.T.); (K.S.); (A.L.)
- Institute of Pharmacy, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Straße 2, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Marina Aparicio-Soto
- Department for Chemicals and Product Safety, Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Max-Dohrn-Straße 8-10, 10589 Berlin, Germany; (M.A.-S.); (C.C.); (H.-J.T.); (K.S.); (A.L.)
| | - Caterina Curato
- Department for Chemicals and Product Safety, Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Max-Dohrn-Straße 8-10, 10589 Berlin, Germany; (M.A.-S.); (C.C.); (H.-J.T.); (K.S.); (A.L.)
| | - Hermann-Josef Thierse
- Department for Chemicals and Product Safety, Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Max-Dohrn-Straße 8-10, 10589 Berlin, Germany; (M.A.-S.); (C.C.); (H.-J.T.); (K.S.); (A.L.)
| | - Katherina Siewert
- Department for Chemicals and Product Safety, Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Max-Dohrn-Straße 8-10, 10589 Berlin, Germany; (M.A.-S.); (C.C.); (H.-J.T.); (K.S.); (A.L.)
| | - Andreas Luch
- Department for Chemicals and Product Safety, Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Max-Dohrn-Straße 8-10, 10589 Berlin, Germany; (M.A.-S.); (C.C.); (H.-J.T.); (K.S.); (A.L.)
- Institute of Pharmacy, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Straße 2, 14195 Berlin, Germany
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25
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Higdon LE, Schaffert S, Huang H, Montez-Rath ME, Lucia M, Jha A, Saligrama N, Margulies KB, Martinez OM, Davis MM, Khatri P, Maltzman JS. Evolution of Cytomegalovirus-Responsive T Cell Clonality following Solid Organ Transplantation. JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY (BALTIMORE, MD. : 1950) 2021; 207:2077-2085. [PMID: 34551964 PMCID: PMC8492537 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.2100404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2021] [Accepted: 08/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
CMV infection is a significant complication after solid organ transplantation. We used single cell TCR αβ sequencing to determine how memory inflation impacts clonality and diversity of the CMV-responsive CD8 and CD4 T cell repertoire in the first year after transplantation in human subjects. We observed CD8 T cell inflation but no changes in clonal diversity, indicating homeostatic stability in clones. In contrast, the CD4 repertoire was diverse and stable over time, with no evidence of CMV-responsive CD4 T cell expansion. We identified shared CDR3 TCR motifs among patients but no public CMV-specific TCRs. Temporal changes in clonality in response to transplantation and in the absence of detectable viral reactivation suggest changes in the repertoire immediately after transplantation followed by an expansion with stable clonal competition that may mediate protection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren E Higdon
- Nephrology Division, Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA
| | - Steven Schaffert
- Institute for Immunity, Transplantation and Infection, Stanford University, Stanford, CA
- Biomedical Informatics Division, Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA
| | - Huang Huang
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University, Stanford CA
| | - Maria E Montez-Rath
- Nephrology Division, Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA
| | - Marc Lucia
- Department of Surgery, Stanford University, Stanford, CA
| | - Alokkumar Jha
- Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA
| | - Naresha Saligrama
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University, Stanford CA
| | - Kenneth B Margulies
- Cardiovascular Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
| | | | - Mark M Davis
- Institute for Immunity, Transplantation and Infection, Stanford University, Stanford, CA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA; and
| | - Purvesh Khatri
- Institute for Immunity, Transplantation and Infection, Stanford University, Stanford, CA
- Biomedical Informatics Division, Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA
| | - Jonathan S Maltzman
- Nephrology Division, Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA;
- Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA
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26
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Szeto C, Nguyen AT, Lobos CA, Chatzileontiadou DSM, Jayasinghe D, Grant EJ, Riboldi-Tunnicliffe A, Smith C, Gras S. Molecular Basis of a Dominant SARS-CoV-2 Spike-Derived Epitope Presented by HLA-A*02:01 Recognised by a Public TCR. Cells 2021; 10:cells10102646. [PMID: 34685626 PMCID: PMC8534114 DOI: 10.3390/cells10102646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2021] [Revised: 09/24/2021] [Accepted: 09/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The data currently available on how the immune system recognises the SARS-CoV-2 virus is growing rapidly. While there are structures of some SARS-CoV-2 proteins in complex with antibodies, which helps us understand how the immune system is able to recognise this new virus; however, we lack data on how T cells are able to recognise this virus. T cells, especially the cytotoxic CD8+ T cells, are critical for viral recognition and clearance. Here we report the X-ray crystallography structure of a T cell receptor, shared among unrelated individuals (public TCR) in complex with a dominant spike-derived CD8+ T cell epitope (YLQ peptide). We show that YLQ activates a polyfunctional CD8+ T cell response in COVID-19 recovered patients. We detail the molecular basis for the shared TCR gene usage observed in HLA-A*02:01+ individuals, providing an understanding of TCR recognition towards a SARS-CoV-2 epitope. Interestingly, the YLQ peptide conformation did not change upon TCR binding, facilitating the high-affinity interaction observed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Szeto
- Viral and Structural Immunology Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, School of Molecular Sciences, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC 3086, Australia; (C.S.); (A.T.N.); (C.A.L.); (D.S.M.C.); (D.J.); (E.J.G.)
- Viral and Structural Immunology Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia
| | - Andrea T. Nguyen
- Viral and Structural Immunology Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, School of Molecular Sciences, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC 3086, Australia; (C.S.); (A.T.N.); (C.A.L.); (D.S.M.C.); (D.J.); (E.J.G.)
- Viral and Structural Immunology Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia
| | - Christian A. Lobos
- Viral and Structural Immunology Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, School of Molecular Sciences, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC 3086, Australia; (C.S.); (A.T.N.); (C.A.L.); (D.S.M.C.); (D.J.); (E.J.G.)
- Viral and Structural Immunology Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia
| | - Demetra S. M. Chatzileontiadou
- Viral and Structural Immunology Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, School of Molecular Sciences, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC 3086, Australia; (C.S.); (A.T.N.); (C.A.L.); (D.S.M.C.); (D.J.); (E.J.G.)
- Viral and Structural Immunology Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia
| | - Dhilshan Jayasinghe
- Viral and Structural Immunology Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, School of Molecular Sciences, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC 3086, Australia; (C.S.); (A.T.N.); (C.A.L.); (D.S.M.C.); (D.J.); (E.J.G.)
- Viral and Structural Immunology Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia
| | - Emma J. Grant
- Viral and Structural Immunology Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, School of Molecular Sciences, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC 3086, Australia; (C.S.); (A.T.N.); (C.A.L.); (D.S.M.C.); (D.J.); (E.J.G.)
- Viral and Structural Immunology Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia
| | | | - Corey Smith
- QIMR Berghofer Centre for Immunotherapy and Vaccine Development and Translational and Human Immunology Laboratory, Department of Immunology, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, QLD 4006, Australia;
- Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Stephanie Gras
- Viral and Structural Immunology Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, School of Molecular Sciences, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC 3086, Australia; (C.S.); (A.T.N.); (C.A.L.); (D.S.M.C.); (D.J.); (E.J.G.)
- Viral and Structural Immunology Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia
- Correspondence:
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27
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Milighetti M, Shawe-Taylor J, Chain B. Predicting T Cell Receptor Antigen Specificity From Structural Features Derived From Homology Models of Receptor-Peptide-Major Histocompatibility Complexes. Front Physiol 2021; 12:730908. [PMID: 34566692 PMCID: PMC8456106 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2021.730908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2021] [Accepted: 08/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The physical interaction between the T cell receptor (TCR) and its cognate antigen causes T cells to activate and participate in the immune response. Understanding this physical interaction is important in predicting TCR binding to a target epitope, as well as potential cross-reactivity. Here, we propose a way of collecting informative features of the binding interface from homology models of T cell receptor-peptide-major histocompatibility complex (TCR-pMHC) complexes. The information collected from these structures is sufficient to discriminate binding from non-binding TCR-pMHC pairs in multiple independent datasets. The classifier is limited by the number of crystal structures available for the homology modelling and by the size of the training set. However, the classifier shows comparable performance to sequence-based classifiers requiring much larger training sets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Milighetti
- Division of Infection and Immunity, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- Cancer Institute, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - John Shawe-Taylor
- Department of Computer Science, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Benny Chain
- Division of Infection and Immunity, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Computer Science, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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28
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Hess NJ, Brown ME, Capitini CM. GVHD Pathogenesis, Prevention and Treatment: Lessons From Humanized Mouse Transplant Models. Front Immunol 2021; 12:723544. [PMID: 34394131 PMCID: PMC8358790 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.723544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2021] [Accepted: 07/15/2021] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Graft-vs-host disease (GVHD) is the most common cause of non-relapse mortality following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) despite advances in conditioning regimens, HLA genotyping and immune suppression. While murine studies have yielded important insights into the cellular responses of GVHD, differences between murine and human biology has hindered the translation of novel therapies into the clinic. Recently, the field has expanded the ability to investigate primary human T cell responses through the transplantation of human T cells into immunodeficient mice. These xenogeneic HSCT models benefit from the human T cell receptors, CD4 and CD8 proteins having cross-reactivity to murine MHC in addition to several cytokines and co-stimulatory proteins. This has allowed for the direct assessment of key factors in GVHD pathogenesis to be investigated prior to entering clinical trials. In this review, we will summarize the current state of clinical GVHD research and discuss how xenogeneic HSCT models will aid in advancing the current pipeline of novel GVHD prophylaxis therapies into the clinic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas J. Hess
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Matthew E. Brown
- Department of Surgery, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Christian M. Capitini
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, United States
- University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, Madison, WI, United States
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29
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Joyce S, Ternette N. Know thy immune self and non-self: Proteomics informs on the expanse of self and non-self, and how and where they arise. Proteomics 2021; 21:e2000143. [PMID: 34310018 PMCID: PMC8865197 DOI: 10.1002/pmic.202000143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2021] [Revised: 06/30/2021] [Accepted: 07/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
T cells play an important role in the adaptive immune response to a variety of infections and cancers. Initiation of a T cell mediated immune response requires antigen recognition in a process termed MHC (major histocompatibility complex) restri ction. A T cell antigen is a composite structure made up of a peptide fragment bound within the antigen‐binding groove of an MHC‐encoded class I or class II molecule. Insight into the precise composition and biology of self and non‐self immunopeptidomes is essential to harness T cell mediated immunity to prevent, treat, or cure infectious diseases and cancers. T cell antigen discovery is an arduous task! The pioneering work in the early 1990s has made large‐scale T cell antigen discovery possible. Thus, advancements in mass spectrometry coupled with proteomics and genomics technologies make possible T cell antigen discovery with ease, accuracy, and sensitivity. Yet we have only begun to understand the breadth and the depth of self and non‐self immunopeptidomes because the molecular biology of the cell continues to surprise us with new secrets directly related to the source, and the processing and presentation of MHC ligands. Focused on MHC class I molecules, this review, therefore, provides a brief historic account of T cell antigen discovery and, against a backdrop of key advances in molecular cell biologic processes, elaborates on how proteogenomics approaches have revolutionised the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Joyce
- Department of Veterans Affairs, Tennessee Valley Healthcare System and the Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Nicola Ternette
- Centre for Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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30
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Li H, Zheng C, Han J, Zhu J, Liu S, Jin T. PD-1/PD-L1 Axis as a Potential Therapeutic Target for Multiple Sclerosis: A T Cell Perspective. Front Cell Neurosci 2021; 15:716747. [PMID: 34381337 PMCID: PMC8350166 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2021.716747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2021] [Accepted: 06/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The programmed cell death protein-1/programmed death ligand-1 (PD-1/PD-L1) axis is a widely studied immune checkpoint that modulates signaling pathways related to T cell activation. The use of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors is a promising immune therapy strategy for cancer patients. However, individuals treated with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors may develop immune-related adverse events due to excessive immune reactions. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic demyelinating and neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system. T cells and the PD-1/PD-L1 axis play vital roles in the pathogenesis of MS. A better understanding of the complex relationship between the PD-1/PD-L1 axis and T cells may extend our knowledge of the molecular mechanisms and therapeutic approaches for MS. In this review, we summarize the most recent findings regarding the role of the PD-1/PD-L1 axis in MS and discuss the potential therapeutic strategies to modulate the expression of PD-1/PD-L1 in MS.
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Affiliation(s)
- HaiXia Li
- Department of Neurology and Neuroscience Center, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Chao Zheng
- Department of Neurology and Neuroscience Center, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Jinming Han
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
- Department of Neurology, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Jie Zhu
- Department of Neurology and Neuroscience Center, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
| | - Shan Liu
- Department of Neurology and Neuroscience Center, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Tao Jin
- Department of Neurology and Neuroscience Center, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China
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31
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ThymUS in times of stress. Nat Immunol 2021; 22:545-549. [PMID: 33692548 DOI: 10.1038/s41590-021-00897-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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32
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Springer I, Tickotsky N, Louzoun Y. Contribution of T Cell Receptor Alpha and Beta CDR3, MHC Typing, V and J Genes to Peptide Binding Prediction. Front Immunol 2021; 12:664514. [PMID: 33981311 PMCID: PMC8107833 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.664514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Predicting the binding specificity of T Cell Receptors (TCR) to MHC-peptide complexes (pMHCs) is essential for the development of repertoire-based biomarkers. This affinity may be affected by different components of the TCR, the peptide, and the MHC allele. Historically, the main element used in TCR-peptide binding prediction was the Complementarity Determining Region 3 (CDR3) of the beta chain. However, recently the contribution of other components, such as the alpha chain and the other V gene CDRs has been suggested. We use a highly accurate novel deep learning-based TCR-peptide binding predictor to assess the contribution of each component to the binding. Methods We have previously developed ERGO-I (pEptide tcR matchinG predictiOn), a sequence-based T-cell receptor (TCR)-peptide binding predictor that employs natural language processing (NLP) -based methods. We improved it to create ERGO-II by adding the CDR3 alpha segment, the MHC typing, V and J genes, and T cell type (CD4+ or CD8+) as to the predictor. We then estimate the contribution of each component to the prediction. Results and Discussion ERGO-II provides for the first time high accuracy prediction of TCR-peptide for previously unseen peptides. For most tested peptides and all measures of binding prediction accuracy, the main contribution was from the beta chain CDR3 sequence, followed by the beta chain V and J and the alpha chain, in that order. The MHC allele was the least contributing component. ERGO-II is accessible as a webserver at http://tcr2.cs.biu.ac.il/ and as a standalone code at https://github.com/IdoSpringer/ERGO-II.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ido Springer
- Department of Mathematics, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Nili Tickotsky
- Faculty of Life Science, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Yoram Louzoun
- Department of Mathematics, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
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33
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Prasad M, Wojciech L, Brzostek J, Hu J, Chua YL, Tung DWH, Yap J, Rybakin V, Gascoigne NRJ. Expansion of an Unusual Virtual Memory CD8 + Subpopulation Bearing Vα3.2 TCR in Themis-Deficient Mice. Front Immunol 2021; 12:644483. [PMID: 33897691 PMCID: PMC8058184 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.644483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2020] [Accepted: 03/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Deletion of the gene for Themis affects T cell selection in the thymus, which would be expected to affect the TCR repertoire. We found an increased proportion of cells expressing Vα3.2 (TRAV9N-3) in the peripheral CD8+ T cell population in mice with germline Themis deficiency. Analysis of the TCRα repertoire indicated it was generally reduced in diversity in the absence of Themis, whereas the diversity of sequences using the TRAV9N-3 V-region element was increased. In wild type mice, Vα3.2+ cells showed higher CD5, CD6 and CD44 expression than non-Vα3-expressing cells, and this was more marked in cells from Themis-deficient mice. This suggested a virtual memory phenotype, as well as a stronger response to self-pMHC. The Vα3.2+ cells responded more strongly to IL-15, as well as showing bystander effector capability in a Listeria infection. Thus, the unusually large population of Vα3.2+ CD8+ T cells found in the periphery of Themis-deficient mice reflects not only altered thymic selection, but also allowed identification of a subset of bystander-competent cells that are also present in wild-type mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mukul Prasad
- Immunology Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.,Immunology Programme, Life Sciences Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Lukasz Wojciech
- Immunology Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Joanna Brzostek
- Immunology Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.,Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Jianfang Hu
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Yen Leong Chua
- Immunology Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.,Immunology Programme, Life Sciences Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Desmond Wai Hon Tung
- Immunology Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Jiawei Yap
- Immunology Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Vasily Rybakin
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.,Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Nicholas R J Gascoigne
- Immunology Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.,Immunology Programme, Life Sciences Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.,Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, United States
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34
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Affiliation(s)
- Pirooz Zareie
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Australia
| | - Carine Farenc
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Australia
| | - Nicole L La Gruta
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Australia
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35
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Holland CJ, Crean RM, Pentier JM, de Wet B, Lloyd A, Srikannathasan V, Lissin N, Lloyd KA, Blicher TH, Conroy PJ, Hock M, Pengelly RJ, Spinner TE, Cameron B, Potter EA, Jeyanthan A, Molloy PE, Sami M, Aleksic M, Liddy N, Robinson RA, Harper S, Lepore M, Pudney CR, van der Kamp MW, Rizkallah PJ, Jakobsen BK, Vuidepot A, Cole DK. Specificity of bispecific T cell receptors and antibodies targeting peptide-HLA. J Clin Invest 2021; 130:2673-2688. [PMID: 32310221 DOI: 10.1172/jci130562] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2019] [Accepted: 02/11/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Tumor-associated peptide-human leukocyte antigen complexes (pHLAs) represent the largest pool of cell surface-expressed cancer-specific epitopes, making them attractive targets for cancer therapies. Soluble bispecific molecules that incorporate an anti-CD3 effector function are being developed to redirect T cells against these targets using 2 different approaches. The first achieves pHLA recognition via affinity-enhanced versions of natural TCRs (e.g., immune-mobilizing monoclonal T cell receptors against cancer [ImmTAC] molecules), whereas the second harnesses an antibody-based format (TCR-mimic antibodies). For both classes of reagent, target specificity is vital, considering the vast universe of potential pHLA molecules that can be presented on healthy cells. Here, we made use of structural, biochemical, and computational approaches to investigate the molecular rules underpinning the reactivity patterns of pHLA-targeting bispecifics. We demonstrate that affinity-enhanced TCRs engage pHLA using a comparatively broad and balanced energetic footprint, with interactions distributed over several HLA and peptide side chains. As ImmTAC molecules, these TCRs also retained a greater degree of pHLA selectivity, with less off-target activity in cellular assays. Conversely, TCR-mimic antibodies tended to exhibit binding modes focused more toward hot spots on the HLA surface and exhibited a greater degree of crossreactivity. Our findings extend our understanding of the basic principles that underpin pHLA selectivity and exemplify a number of molecular approaches that can be used to probe the specificity of pHLA-targeting molecules, aiding the development of future reagents.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Rory M Crean
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry and.,Doctoral Training Centre in Sustainable Chemical Technologies, University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom
| | | | - Ben de Wet
- Immunocore Ltd., Milton Park, Abingdon, United Kingdom
| | | | | | | | - Katy A Lloyd
- Immunocore Ltd., Milton Park, Abingdon, United Kingdom
| | | | - Paul J Conroy
- Immunocore Ltd., Milton Park, Abingdon, United Kingdom
| | - Miriam Hock
- Immunocore Ltd., Milton Park, Abingdon, United Kingdom
| | | | | | - Brian Cameron
- Immunocore Ltd., Milton Park, Abingdon, United Kingdom
| | | | | | | | - Malkit Sami
- Immunocore Ltd., Milton Park, Abingdon, United Kingdom
| | - Milos Aleksic
- Immunocore Ltd., Milton Park, Abingdon, United Kingdom
| | | | | | | | - Marco Lepore
- Immunocore Ltd., Milton Park, Abingdon, United Kingdom
| | | | | | - Pierre J Rizkallah
- Cardiff University School of Medicine, Heath Park, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | | | | | - David K Cole
- Immunocore Ltd., Milton Park, Abingdon, United Kingdom.,Cardiff University School of Medicine, Heath Park, Cardiff, United Kingdom
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36
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Lei L, Qian H, Yang X, Zhang X, Zhang D, Dai T, Guo R, Shi L, Cheng Y, Zhang B, Zhou X, Hu J, Guo Y. The phenotypic changes of γδ T cells in COVID-19 patients. J Cell Mol Med 2020; 24:11603-11606. [PMID: 32864865 PMCID: PMC7576249 DOI: 10.1111/jcmm.15620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2020] [Revised: 06/07/2020] [Accepted: 06/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
A novel pneumonia-associated respiratory syndrome named coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), which was caused by SARS-CoV-2,broke out in Wuhan, China, in the end of 2019. Unfortunately, there is no specific antiviral agent or vaccine available to treat SARS-CoV-2 infections. The information regarding the immunological characteristics in COVID-19 patients remains limited. Here, we collected the blood samples from 18 healthy donors (HD) and 38 COVID-19 patients to analyze changes on γδ T cell population. In comparison with HD, the γδ T cell percentage decreased, while the activation marker CD25 expression increased in response to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Interestingly, the CD4 expression was upregulated in γδ T cells reflecting the occurrence of a specific effector cell population, which may serve as a biomarker for the assessment of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Lei
- Department of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, China
| | - Hongbo Qian
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The 8th hospital of Xi'an, Xi'an, China
| | - Xiaofang Yang
- Department of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, China
| | - Xingzhe Zhang
- Department of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, China
| | - Dan Zhang
- Department of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, China
| | - Tongxin Dai
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The 8th hospital of Xi'an, Xi'an, China
| | - Rui Guo
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The 8th hospital of Xi'an, Xi'an, China
| | - Lin Shi
- Department of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, China
| | - Yanbin Cheng
- Department of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, China
| | - Baojun Zhang
- Department of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, China
| | - Xiaobo Zhou
- Department of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, China.,Key Laboratory of Environment and Genes Related to Diseases, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, China.,Institute of Infection and Immunity, Translational Medicine Institute, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, China
| | - Jinsong Hu
- Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, China
| | - Yaling Guo
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The 8th hospital of Xi'an, Xi'an, China
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37
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Wu D, Gallagher DT, Gowthaman R, Pierce BG, Mariuzza RA. Structural basis for oligoclonal T cell recognition of a shared p53 cancer neoantigen. Nat Commun 2020; 11:2908. [PMID: 32518267 PMCID: PMC7283474 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-16755-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2020] [Accepted: 05/19/2020] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Adoptive cell therapy (ACT) with tumor-specific T cells can mediate cancer regression. The main target of tumor-specific T cells are neoantigens arising from mutations in self-proteins. Although the majority of cancer neoantigens are unique to each patient, and therefore not broadly useful for ACT, some are shared. We studied oligoclonal T-cell receptors (TCRs) that recognize a shared neoepitope arising from a driver mutation in the p53 oncogene (p53R175H) presented by HLA-A2. Here we report structures of wild-type and mutant p53-HLA-A2 ligands, as well as structures of three tumor-specific TCRs bound to p53R175H-HLA-A2. These structures reveal how a driver mutation in p53 rendered a self-peptide visible to T cells. The TCRs employ structurally distinct strategies that are highly focused on the mutation to discriminate between mutant and wild-type p53. The TCR-p53R175H-HLA-A2 complexes provide a framework for designing TCRs to improve potency for ACT without sacrificing specificity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daichao Wu
- W.M. Keck Laboratory for Structural Biology, University of Maryland Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, Rockville, MD, 20850, USA
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Hengyang Medical College, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA
| | - D Travis Gallagher
- W.M. Keck Laboratory for Structural Biology, University of Maryland Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, Rockville, MD, 20850, USA
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaitherburg, MD, 20899, USA
| | - Ragul Gowthaman
- W.M. Keck Laboratory for Structural Biology, University of Maryland Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, Rockville, MD, 20850, USA
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA
| | - Brian G Pierce
- W.M. Keck Laboratory for Structural Biology, University of Maryland Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, Rockville, MD, 20850, USA
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA
| | - Roy A Mariuzza
- W.M. Keck Laboratory for Structural Biology, University of Maryland Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, Rockville, MD, 20850, USA.
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA.
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38
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High-affinity oligoclonal TCRs define effective adoptive T cell therapy targeting mutant KRAS-G12D. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:12826-12835. [PMID: 32461371 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1921964117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Complete cancer regression occurs in a subset of patients following adoptive T cell therapy (ACT) of ex vivo expanded tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs). However, the low success rate presents a great challenge to broader clinical application. To provide insight into TIL-based immunotherapy, we studied a successful case of ACT where regression was observed against tumors carrying the hotspot mutation G12D in the KRAS oncogene. Four T cell receptors (TCRs) made up the TIL infusion and recognized two KRAS-G12D neoantigens, a nonamer and a decamer, all restricted by human leukocyte antigen (HLA) C*08:02. Three of them (TCR9a, 9b, and 9c) were nonamer-specific, while one was decamer-specific (TCR10). We show that only mutant G12D but not the wild-type peptides stabilized HLA-C*08:02 due to the formation of a critical anchor salt bridge to HLA-C. Therapeutic TCRs exhibited high affinities, ranging from nanomolar to low micromolar. Intriguingly, TCR binding affinities to HLA-C inversely correlated with their persistence in vivo, suggesting the importance of antigenic affinity in the function of therapeutic T cells. Crystal structures of TCR-HLA-C complexes revealed that TCR9a to 9c recognized G12D nonamer with multiple conserved contacts through shared CDR2β and CDR3α. This allowed CDR3β variation to confer different affinities via a variable HLA-C contact, generating an oligoclonal response. TCR10 recognized an induced and distinct G12D decamer conformation. Thus, this successful case of ACT included oligoclonal TCRs of high affinity recognizing distinct conformations of neoantigens. Our study revealed the potential of a structural approach to inform clinical efforts in targeting KRAS-G12D tumors by immunotherapy and has general implications for T cell-based immunotherapies.
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39
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Serçinoğlu O, Ozbek P. Sequence-structure-function relationships in class I MHC: A local frustration perspective. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0232849. [PMID: 32421728 PMCID: PMC7233585 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0232849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2019] [Accepted: 04/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Class I Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) binds short antigenic peptides with the help of Peptide Loading Complex (PLC), and presents them to T-cell Receptors (TCRs) of cytotoxic T-cells and Killer-cell Immunglobulin-like Receptors (KIRs) of Natural Killer (NK) cells. With more than 10000 alleles, human MHC (Human Leukocyte Antigen, HLA) is the most polymorphic protein in humans. This allelic diversity provides a wide coverage of peptide sequence space, yet does not affect the three-dimensional structure of the complex. Moreover, TCRs mostly interact with HLA in a common diagonal binding mode, and KIR-HLA interaction is allele-dependent. With the aim of establishing a framework for understanding the relationships between polymorphism (sequence), structure (conserved fold) and function (protein interactions) of the human MHC, we performed here a local frustration analysis on pMHC homology models covering 1436 HLA I alleles. An analysis of local frustration profiles indicated that (1) variations in MHC fold are unlikely due to minimally-frustrated and relatively conserved residues within the HLA peptide-binding groove, (2) high frustration patches on HLA helices are either involved in or near interaction sites of MHC with the TCR, KIR, or tapasin of the PLC, and (3) peptide ligands mainly stabilize the F-pocket of HLA binding groove.
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Affiliation(s)
- Onur Serçinoğlu
- Department of Bioengineering, Recep Tayyip Erdogan University, Faculty of Engineering, Fener, Rize, Turkey
| | - Pemra Ozbek
- Department of Bioengineering, Marmara University, Faculty of Engineering, Goztepe, Istanbul, Turkey
- * E-mail:
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40
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Singh NK, Abualrous ET, Ayres CM, Noé F, Gowthaman R, Pierce BG, Baker BM. Geometrical characterization of T cell receptor binding modes reveals class-specific binding to maximize access to antigen. Proteins 2020; 88:503-513. [PMID: 31589793 PMCID: PMC6982585 DOI: 10.1002/prot.25829] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2019] [Revised: 08/08/2019] [Accepted: 09/17/2019] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Recognition of antigenic peptides bound to major histocompatibility complex (MHC) proteins by αβ T cell receptors (TCRs) is a hallmark of T cell mediated immunity. Recent data suggest that variations in TCR binding geometry may influence T cell signaling, which could help explain outliers in relationships between physical parameters such as TCR-pMHC binding affinity and T cell function. Traditionally, TCR binding geometry has been described with simple descriptors such as the crossing angle, which quantifies what has become known as the TCR's diagonal binding mode. However, these descriptors often fail to reveal distinctions in binding geometry that are apparent through visual inspection. To provide a better framework for relating TCR structure to T cell function, we developed a comprehensive system for quantifying the geometries of how TCRs bind peptide/MHC complexes. We show that our system can discern differences not clearly revealed by more common methods. As an example of its potential to impact biology, we used it to reveal differences in how TCRs bind class I and class II peptide/MHC complexes, which we show allow the TCR to maximize access to and "read out" the peptide antigen. We anticipate our system will be of use in not only exploring these and other details of TCR-peptide/MHC binding interactions, but also addressing questions about how TCR binding geometry relates to T cell function, as well as modeling structural properties of class I and class II TCR-peptide/MHC complexes from sequence information. The system is available at https://tcr3d.ibbr.umd.edu/tcr_com or for download as a script.
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MESH Headings
- Binding Sites
- Crystallography, X-Ray
- Histocompatibility Antigens Class I/chemistry
- Histocompatibility Antigens Class I/immunology
- Histocompatibility Antigens Class I/metabolism
- Histocompatibility Antigens Class II/chemistry
- Histocompatibility Antigens Class II/immunology
- Histocompatibility Antigens Class II/metabolism
- Humans
- Models, Molecular
- Principal Component Analysis
- Protein Binding
- Protein Conformation, alpha-Helical
- Protein Conformation, beta-Strand
- Protein Interaction Domains and Motifs
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta/chemistry
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta/immunology
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta/metabolism
- T-Lymphocytes/chemistry
- T-Lymphocytes/immunology
- T-Lymphocytes/metabolism
- Thermodynamics
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Affiliation(s)
- Nishant K. Singh
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, United States
- Harper Cancer Research Institute, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, IN, United States
| | - Esam T. Abualrous
- Molecular Biology Group, Institute for Mathematics, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Cory M. Ayres
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, United States
- Harper Cancer Research Institute, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, IN, United States
| | - Frank Noé
- Molecular Biology Group, Institute for Mathematics, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Ragul Gowthaman
- University of Maryland Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, Rockville, MD, United States
| | - Brian G. Pierce
- University of Maryland Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, Rockville, MD, United States
| | - Brian M. Baker
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, United States
- Harper Cancer Research Institute, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, IN, United States
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41
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Morath A, Schamel WW. αβ and γδ T cell receptors: Similar but different. J Leukoc Biol 2020; 107:1045-1055. [DOI: 10.1002/jlb.2mr1219-233r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2019] [Revised: 12/15/2019] [Accepted: 01/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Anna Morath
- Signalling Research Centres BIOSS and CIBSS University of Freiburg Freiburg Germany
- Institute of Biology III Faculty of Biology University of Freiburg Freiburg Germany
- Spemann Graduate School of Biology and Medicine (SGBM) University of Freiburg Freiburg Germany
| | - Wolfgang W. Schamel
- Signalling Research Centres BIOSS and CIBSS University of Freiburg Freiburg Germany
- Institute of Biology III Faculty of Biology University of Freiburg Freiburg Germany
- Center for Chronic Immunodeficiency (CCI) Medical Center Freiburg and Faculty of Medicine University of Freiburg Freiburg Germany
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42
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Chandran SS, Klebanoff CA. T cell receptor-based cancer immunotherapy: Emerging efficacy and pathways of resistance. Immunol Rev 2020; 290:127-147. [PMID: 31355495 PMCID: PMC7027847 DOI: 10.1111/imr.12772] [Citation(s) in RCA: 179] [Impact Index Per Article: 44.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2019] [Accepted: 05/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Adoptive cell transfer (ACT) using chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-modified T cells can induce durable remissions in patients with refractory B-lymphoid cancers. By contrast, results applying CAR-modified T cells to solid malignancies have been comparatively modest. Alternative strategies to redirect T cell specificity and cytolytic function are therefore necessary if ACT is to serve a greater role in human cancer treatments. T cell receptors (TCRs) are antigen recognition structures physiologically expressed by all T cells that have complementary, and in some cases superior, properties to CARs. Unlike CARs, TCRs confer recognition to epitopes derived from proteins residing within any subcellular compartment, including the membrane, cytoplasm and nucleus. This enables TCRs to detect a broad universe of targets, such as neoantigens, cancer germline antigens, and viral oncoproteins. Moreover, because TCRs have evolved to efficiently detect and amplify antigenic signals, these receptors respond to epitope densities many fold smaller than required for CAR-signaling. Herein, we summarize recent clinical data demonstrating that TCR-based immunotherapies can mediate regression of solid malignancies, including immune-checkpoint inhibitor refractory cancers. These trials simultaneously highlight emerging mechanisms of TCR resistance. We conclude by discussing how TCR-based immunotherapies can achieve broader dissemination through innovations in cell manufacturing and non-viral genome integration techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Smita S Chandran
- Center for Cell Engineering and Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY.,Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, New York, NY
| | - Christopher A Klebanoff
- Center for Cell Engineering and Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY.,Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, New York, NY.,Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY
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43
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Thomas PG, Crawford JC. Selected before selection: A case for inherent antigen bias in the T cell receptor repertoire. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2019; 18:36-43. [PMID: 32601606 DOI: 10.1016/j.coisb.2019.10.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
T cell receptor recombination is frequently described as a random or semi-random process that belies the now well-established principle that recombination is extremely biased towards the generation of particular receptor chains. Here we describe the experimental and theoretical work arising from new TCR repertoire sequencing approaches, including the recognition of high rates of public receptors across individuals, estimates of the size and distribution of receptors in the naive repertoire, and the roles of evolutionary, thymic, and peripheral selection in generating public, pathogen-specific responses. Molecular studies of recombination that have identified epigenetic, transcriptional, and topological contributions to variable segment usage are presented as examples of possible mechanisms shaped by natural selection to bias the TCR repertoire. Lastly, we suggest experimental approaches that might contribute to resolving some of the controversies in these areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul G Thomas
- Department of Immunology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105
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44
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Sharma P, Harris DT, Stone JD, Kranz DM. T-cell Receptors Engineered De Novo for Peptide Specificity Can Mediate Optimal T-cell Activity without Self Cross-Reactivity. Cancer Immunol Res 2019; 7:2025-2035. [PMID: 31548259 DOI: 10.1158/2326-6066.cir-19-0035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2019] [Revised: 06/04/2019] [Accepted: 09/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Despite progress in adoptive T-cell therapies, the identification of targets remains a challenge. Although chimeric antigen receptors recognize cell-surface antigens, T-cell receptors (TCR) have the advantage that they can target the array of intracellular proteins by binding to peptides associated with major histocompatibility complex (MHC) products (pepMHC). Although hundreds of cancer-associated peptides have been reported, it remains difficult to identify effective TCRs against each pepMHC complex. Conventional approaches require isolation of antigen-specific CD8+ T cells, followed by TCRαβ gene isolation and validation. To bypass this process, we used directed evolution to engineer TCRs with desired peptide specificity. Here, we compared the activity and cross-reactivity of two affinity-matured TCRs (T1 and RD1) with distinct origins. T1-TCR was isolated from a melanoma-reactive T-cell line specific for MART-1/HLA-A2, whereas RD1-TCR was derived de novo against MART-1/HLA-A2 by in vitro engineering. Despite their distinct origins, both TCRs exhibited similar peptide fine specificities, focused on the center of the MART-1 peptide. In CD4+ T cells, both TCRs mediated activity against MART-1 presented by HLA-A2. However, in CD8+ T cells, T1, but not RD1, demonstrated cross-reactivity with endogenous peptide/HLA-A2 complexes. Based on the fine specificity of these and other MART-1 binding TCRs, we conducted bioinformatics scans to identify structurally similar self-peptides in the human proteome. We showed that the T1-TCR cross-reacted with many of these self-peptides, whereas the RD1-TCR was rarely cross-reactive. Thus, TCRs such as RD1, generated de novo against cancer antigens, can serve as an alternative to TCRs generated from T-cell clones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Preeti Sharma
- Department of Biochemistry and Cancer Center at Illinois, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois.
| | - Daniel T Harris
- Department of Biochemistry and Cancer Center at Illinois, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois
| | - Jennifer D Stone
- Department of Biochemistry and Cancer Center at Illinois, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois
| | - David M Kranz
- Department of Biochemistry and Cancer Center at Illinois, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois.
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TCR repertoire and CDR3 motif analyses depict the role of αβ T cells in Ankylosing spondylitis. EBioMedicine 2019; 47:414-426. [PMID: 31477563 PMCID: PMC6796593 DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2019.07.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2019] [Revised: 07/10/2019] [Accepted: 07/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory disease with worldwide high prevalence. Although AS is strongly associated with HLA-B27 MHC-I antigen presentation, the role played by αβ T cells in AS remains elusive. Methods Utilizing TCRβ repertoire sequencing and bioinformatics tools developed in house, we analyzed overall TCR repertoire structures and antigen-recognizing CDR3 motifs in AS patients with different disease activities. Findings We found that disease progression is associated with both CD4+ and CD8+ T cell oligo-clonal expansion, which suggests that αβ T cell activation may mediate AS disease progression. By developing a bioinformatics platform to dissect antigen-specific responses, we discovered a cell population consisting of both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells expressing identical TCRs, herein termed CD4/8 T cells. CD4/8 clonotypes were highly enriched in the spondyloarthritic joint fluid of patients, and their expansion correlated with the activity of disease. Interpretation These results provide evidence on the T cell clone side to reveal the potential role of CD4/8 T cells in the etiology of AS development.
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Carter JA, Preall JB, Grigaityte K, Goldfless SJ, Jeffery E, Briggs AW, Vigneault F, Atwal GS. Single T Cell Sequencing Demonstrates the Functional Role of αβ TCR Pairing in Cell Lineage and Antigen Specificity. Front Immunol 2019; 10:1516. [PMID: 31417541 PMCID: PMC6684766 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.01516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2019] [Accepted: 06/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Although structural studies of individual T cell receptors (TCRs) have revealed important roles for both the α and β chain in directing MHC and antigen recognition, repertoire-level immunogenomic analyses have historically examined the β chain alone. To determine the amount of useful information about TCR repertoire function encoded within αβ pairings, we analyzed paired TCR sequences from nearly 100,000 unique CD4+ and CD8+ T cells captured using two different high-throughput, single-cell sequencing approaches. Our results demonstrate little overlap in the healthy CD4+ and CD8+ repertoires, with shared TCR sequences possessing significantly shorter CDR3 sequences corresponding to higher generation probabilities. We further utilized tools from information theory and machine learning to show that while α and β chains are only weakly associated with lineage, αβ pairings appear to synergistically drive TCR-MHC interactions. Vαβ gene pairings were found to be the TCR feature most informative of T cell lineage, supporting the existence of germline-encoded paired αβ TCR-MHC interaction motifs. Finally, annotating our TCR pairs using a database of sequences with known antigen specificities, we demonstrate that approximately a third of the T cells possess α and β chains that each recognize different known antigens, suggesting that αβ pairing is critical for the accurate inference of repertoire functionality. Together, these findings provide biological insight into the functional implications of αβ pairing and highlight the utility of single-cell sequencing in immunogenomics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason A. Carter
- Department of Applied Mathematics and Statistics, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, United States
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, United States
| | | | - Kristina Grigaityte
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, United States
- Watson School of Biological Sciences, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, United States
| | | | | | | | | | - Gurinder S. Atwal
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, United States
- Watson School of Biological Sciences, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, United States
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47
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Targeting the MHC Ligandome by Use of TCR-Like Antibodies. Antibodies (Basel) 2019; 8:antib8020032. [PMID: 31544838 PMCID: PMC6640717 DOI: 10.3390/antib8020032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2019] [Revised: 05/06/2019] [Accepted: 05/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are valuable as research reagents, in diagnosis and in therapy. Their high specificity, the ease in production, favorable biophysical properties and the opportunity to engineer different properties make mAbs a versatile class of biologics. mAbs targeting peptide–major histocompatibility molecule (pMHC) complexes are often referred to as “TCR-like” mAbs, as pMHC complexes are generally recognized by T-cell receptors (TCRs). Presentation of self- and non-self-derived peptide fragments on MHC molecules and subsequent activation of T cells dictate immune responses in health and disease. This includes responses to infectious agents or cancer but also aberrant responses against harmless self-peptides in autoimmune diseases. The ability of TCR-like mAbs to target specific peptides presented on MHC allows for their use to study peptide presentation or for diagnosis and therapy. This extends the scope of conventional mAbs, which are generally limited to cell-surface or soluble antigens. Herein, we review the strategies used to generate TCR-like mAbs and provide a structural comparison with the analogous TCR in pMHC binding. We further discuss their applications as research tools and therapeutic reagents in preclinical models as well as challenges and limitations associated with their use.
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48
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Molecular constraints on CDR3 for thymic selection of MHC-restricted TCRs from a random pre-selection repertoire. Nat Commun 2019; 10:1019. [PMID: 30833553 PMCID: PMC6399321 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-08906-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2018] [Accepted: 02/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The αβ T cell receptor (TCR) repertoire on mature T cells is selected in the thymus, but the basis for thymic selection of MHC-restricted TCRs from a randomly generated pre-selection repertoire is not known. Here we perform comparative repertoire sequence analyses of pre-selection and post-selection TCR from multiple MHC-sufficient and MHC-deficient mouse strains, and find that MHC-restricted and MHC-independent TCRs are primarily distinguished by features in their non-germline CDR3 regions, with many pre-selection CDR3 sequences not compatible with MHC-binding. Thymic selection of MHC-independent TCR is largely unconstrained, but the selection of MHC-specific TCR is restricted by both CDR3 length and specific amino acid usage. MHC-restriction disfavors TCR with CDR3 longer than 13 amino acids, limits positively charged and hydrophobic amino acids in CDR3β, and clonally deletes TCRs with cysteines in their CDR3 peptide-binding regions. Together, these MHC-imposed structural constraints form the basis to shape VDJ recombination sequences into MHC-restricted repertoires. For T cells, functional antigen receptors are selected in the thymus from a pre-selection repertoire by interaction with self MHCs. Here the authors show that specific, non-germline coded features located in the complementarity determining region 3 of the pre-selection antigen receptors are essential for the selection of MHC-restricted repertoire.
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49
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Ostmeyer J, Christley S, Toby IT, Cowell LG. Biophysicochemical Motifs in T-cell Receptor Sequences Distinguish Repertoires from Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocyte and Adjacent Healthy Tissue. Cancer Res 2019; 79:1671-1680. [PMID: 30622114 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-18-2292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2018] [Revised: 11/16/2018] [Accepted: 01/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Immune repertoire deep sequencing allows comprehensive characterization of antigen receptor-encoding genes in a lymphocyte population. We hypothesized that this method could enable a novel approach to diagnose disease by identifying antigen receptor sequence patterns associated with clinical phenotypes. In this study, we developed statistical classifiers of T-cell receptor (TCR) repertoires that distinguish tumor tissue from patient-matched healthy tissue of the same organ. The basis of both classifiers was a biophysicochemical motif in the complementarity determining region 3 (CDR3) of TCRβ chains. To develop each classifier, we extracted 4-mers from every TCRβ CDR3 and represented each 4-mer using biophysicochemical features of its amino acid sequence combined with quantification of 4-mer (or receptor) abundance. This representation was scored using a logistic regression model. Unlike typical logistic regression, the classifier is fitted and validated under the requirement that at least 1 positively labeled 4-mer appears in every tumor repertoire and no positively labeled 4-mers appear in healthy tissue repertoires. We applied our method to publicly available data in which tumor and adjacent healthy tissue were collected from each patient. Using a patient-holdout cross-validation, our method achieved classification accuracy of 93% and 94% for colorectal and breast cancer, respectively. The parameter values for each classifier revealed distinct biophysicochemical properties for tumor-associated 4-mers within each cancer type. We propose that such motifs might be used to develop novel immune-based cancer screening assays. SIGNIFICANCE: This study presents a novel computational approach to identify T-cell repertoire differences between normal and tumor tissue.See related commentary by Zoete and Coukos, p. 1299.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jared Ostmeyer
- Department of Clinical Sciences, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Scott Christley
- Department of Clinical Sciences, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Inimary T Toby
- Department of Clinical Sciences, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
| | - Lindsay G Cowell
- Department of Clinical Sciences, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas.
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50
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Riley TP, Baker BM. The intersection of affinity and specificity in the development and optimization of T cell receptor based therapeutics. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2018; 84:30-41. [DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2017.10.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2017] [Revised: 10/07/2017] [Accepted: 10/17/2017] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
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