1
|
Wu L, Tan JC, Gascoigne NRJ. Generation of gene-of-interest double allele knockout clones in primary human T cells by CRISPR. STAR Protoc 2023; 4:102445. [PMID: 37432856 PMCID: PMC10362176 DOI: 10.1016/j.xpro.2023.102445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2023] [Revised: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 06/16/2023] [Indexed: 07/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Gene-of-interest (GOI) knockout is an important technique to study the genetic mechanisms of T cells. Here, we present a protocol to generate GOI double allele gene knockouts in primary human T cells by CRISPR, thus depleting proteins of interest expressed intracellularly or extracellularly in primary T cells. We describe steps for gRNA selection and efficiency validation, homology-directed repair (HDR) DNA template design and cloning, and genome editing and HDR gene insertion. We then detail clone isolation and GOI knockout validation. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Wu et al.1.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ling Wu
- Immunology Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 5 Science Drive 2, Singapore 117545, Singapore; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 5 Science Drive 2, Singapore 117545, Singapore.
| | - Jia Chi Tan
- Immunology Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 5 Science Drive 2, Singapore 117545, Singapore; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 5 Science Drive 2, Singapore 117545, Singapore
| | - Nicholas R J Gascoigne
- Immunology Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 5 Science Drive 2, Singapore 117545, Singapore; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 5 Science Drive 2, Singapore 117545, Singapore; Cancer Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Wu L, Brzostek J, Sakthi Vale PD, Wei Q, Koh CKT, Ong JXH, Wu LZ, Tan JC, Chua YL, Yap J, Song Y, Tan VJY, Tan TYY, Lai J, MacAry PA, Gascoigne NRJ. CD28-CAR-T cell activation through FYN kinase signaling rather than LCK enhances therapeutic performance. Cell Rep Med 2023; 4:100917. [PMID: 36696897 PMCID: PMC9975250 DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2023.100917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2022] [Revised: 09/07/2022] [Accepted: 01/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Signal transduction induced by chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) is generally believed to rely on the activity of the SRC family kinase (SFK) LCK, as is the case with T cell receptor (TCR) signaling. Here, we show that CAR signaling occurs in the absence of LCK. This LCK-independent signaling requires the related SFK FYN and a CD28 intracellular domain within the CAR. LCK-deficient CAR-T cells are strongly signaled through CAR and have better in vivo efficacy with reduced exhaustion phenotype and enhanced induction of memory and proliferation. These distinctions can be attributed to the fact that FYN signaling tends to promote proliferation and survival, whereas LCK signaling promotes strong signaling that tends to lead to exhaustion. This non-canonical signaling of CAR-T cells provides insight into the initiation of both TCR and CAR signaling and has important clinical implications for improvement of CAR function.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ling Wu
- Immunology Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 5 Science Drive 2, Singapore 117545, Singapore; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 5 Science Drive 2, Singapore 117545, Singapore
| | - Joanna Brzostek
- Immunology Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 5 Science Drive 2, Singapore 117545, Singapore; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 5 Science Drive 2, Singapore 117545, Singapore
| | - Previtha Dawn Sakthi Vale
- Immunology Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 5 Science Drive 2, Singapore 117545, Singapore; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 5 Science Drive 2, Singapore 117545, Singapore
| | - Qianru Wei
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 5 Science Drive 2, Singapore 117545, Singapore
| | - Clara K T Koh
- Immunology Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 5 Science Drive 2, Singapore 117545, Singapore; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 5 Science Drive 2, Singapore 117545, Singapore
| | - June Xu Hui Ong
- Immunology Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 5 Science Drive 2, Singapore 117545, Singapore; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 5 Science Drive 2, Singapore 117545, Singapore
| | - Liang-Zhe Wu
- Immunology Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 5 Science Drive 2, Singapore 117545, Singapore; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 5 Science Drive 2, Singapore 117545, Singapore
| | - Jia Chi Tan
- Immunology Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 5 Science Drive 2, Singapore 117545, Singapore; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 5 Science Drive 2, Singapore 117545, Singapore
| | - Yen Leong Chua
- Immunology Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 5 Science Drive 2, Singapore 117545, Singapore; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 5 Science Drive 2, Singapore 117545, Singapore
| | - Jiawei Yap
- Immunology Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 5 Science Drive 2, Singapore 117545, Singapore; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 5 Science Drive 2, Singapore 117545, Singapore
| | - Yuan Song
- Immunology Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 5 Science Drive 2, Singapore 117545, Singapore; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 5 Science Drive 2, Singapore 117545, Singapore; Immunology Programme, Life Sciences Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Vivian Jia Yi Tan
- Immunology Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 5 Science Drive 2, Singapore 117545, Singapore; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 5 Science Drive 2, Singapore 117545, Singapore
| | - Triscilla Y Y Tan
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 5 Science Drive 2, Singapore 117545, Singapore
| | - Junyun Lai
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 5 Science Drive 2, Singapore 117545, Singapore; Immunology Programme, Life Sciences Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Paul A MacAry
- Immunology Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 5 Science Drive 2, Singapore 117545, Singapore; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 5 Science Drive 2, Singapore 117545, Singapore; Immunology Programme, Life Sciences Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore; Cancer Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Nicholas R J Gascoigne
- Immunology Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 5 Science Drive 2, Singapore 117545, Singapore; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 5 Science Drive 2, Singapore 117545, Singapore; Cancer Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Wu L, Balyan R, Brzostek J, Zhao X, Gascoigne NRJ. Time required for commitment to T cell proliferation depends on TCR affinity and cytokine response. EMBO Rep 2023; 24:e54969. [PMID: 36327141 PMCID: PMC9827553 DOI: 10.15252/embr.202254969] [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: 03/03/2022] [Revised: 10/14/2022] [Accepted: 10/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
T cell activation and effector functions are determined by the affinity of the interaction between T cell receptor (TCR) and its antigenic peptide MHC (pMHC) ligand. A better understanding of the quantitative aspects of TCR-pMHC affinity-dependent T cell activation is critical for the development of new immunotherapeutic strategies. However, the role of TCR-pMHC affinity in regulating the kinetics of CD8+ T cell commitment to proliferation and differentiation is unknown. Here, we show that the stronger the TCR-pMHC affinity, the shorter the time of T cell-APC co-culture required to commit CD8+ T cells to proliferation. The time threshold for T cell cytokine production is much lower than that for cell proliferation. There is a strong correlation between affinity-dependent differences in AKT phosphorylation and T cell proliferation. The cytokine IL-15 increases the poor proliferation of T cells stimulated with low affinity pMHC, suggesting that pro-inflammatory cytokines can override the affinity-dependent features of T cell proliferation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Liang‐zhe Wu
- Immunology Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of MedicineNational University of SingaporeSingaporeSingapore
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of MedicineNational University of SingaporeSingaporeSingapore
| | - Renu Balyan
- Immunology Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of MedicineNational University of SingaporeSingaporeSingapore
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of MedicineNational University of SingaporeSingaporeSingapore
- Present address:
Tessa Therapeutics Ltd.SingaporeSingapore
| | - Joanna Brzostek
- Immunology Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of MedicineNational University of SingaporeSingaporeSingapore
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of MedicineNational University of SingaporeSingaporeSingapore
- Present address:
Department of BiologyUniversity of FreiburgFreiburg im BreisgauGermany
| | - Xiang Zhao
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of MedicineNational University of SingaporeSingaporeSingapore
- Present address:
Stanford University School of MedicineStanfordCAUSA
| | - Nicholas R J Gascoigne
- Immunology Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of MedicineNational University of SingaporeSingaporeSingapore
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of MedicineNational University of SingaporeSingaporeSingapore
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
T-cell Receptor Is a Threshold Detector: Sub- and Supra-Threshold Stochastic Resonance in TCR-MHC Clusters on the Cell Surface. ENTROPY 2022; 24:e24030389. [PMID: 35327900 PMCID: PMC8946872 DOI: 10.3390/e24030389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2022] [Revised: 03/02/2022] [Accepted: 03/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Stochastic resonance in clusters of major histocompatibility molecules is extended by a more detailed description of adaptive thresholding and by applying the notion of suprathreshold stochastic resonance as a stochastically quantizing encoder of transmembrane signaling downstream of major histocompatibility molecules and T-cell receptors on the side of presenting and recognizing cells, respectively. The adaptive nature of thresholding is partly explained by a mirroring of the noncognate–cognate dichotomy shown by the T-cell receptor structure and the kinetic-segregation model of the onset of T-cell receptor triggering. Membrane clusters of major histocompatibility molecules and T-cell receptors on their host cells are envisioned as places of the temporal encoding of downstream signals via the suprathreshold stochastic resonance process. The ways of optimization of molecular prostheses, such as chimeric antigen receptors against cancer in transmembrane signaling, are suggested in the framework of suprathreshold stochastic resonance. The analogy between Förster resonance energy transfer and suprathreshold stochastic resonance for information transfer is also discussed. The overlap integral for energy transfer parallels the mutual information transferred by suprathreshold stochastic resonance.
Collapse
|
5
|
A Systematic Review of T Cell Epitopes Defined from the Proteome of Hepatitis B Virus. Vaccines (Basel) 2022; 10:vaccines10020257. [PMID: 35214714 PMCID: PMC8878595 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines10020257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2022] [Revised: 02/04/2022] [Accepted: 02/05/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection remains a worldwide health problem and no eradicative therapy is currently available. Host T cell immune responses have crucial influences on the outcome of HBV infection, however the development of therapeutic vaccines, T cell therapies and the clinical evaluation of HBV-specific T cell responses are hampered markedly by the lack of validated T cell epitopes. This review presented a map of T cell epitopes functionally validated from HBV antigens during the past 33 years; the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) supertypes to present these epitopes, and the methods to screen and identify T cell epitopes. To the best of our knowledge, a total of 205 CD8+ T cell epitopes and 79 CD4+ T cell epitopes have been defined from HBV antigens by cellular functional experiments thus far, but most are restricted to several common HLA supertypes, such as HLA-A0201, A2402, B0702, DR04, and DR12 molecules. Therefore, the currently defined T cell epitope repertoire cannot cover the major populations with HLA diversity in an indicated geographic region. More researches are needed to dissect a more comprehensive map of T cell epitopes, which covers overall HBV proteome and global patients.
Collapse
|
6
|
Zhao X, Wu LZ, Ng EKY, Leow KWS, Wei Q, Gascoigne NRJ, Brzostek J. Non-Stimulatory pMHC Enhance CD8 T Cell Effector Functions by Recruiting Coreceptor-Bound Lck. Front Immunol 2021; 12:721722. [PMID: 34707605 PMCID: PMC8542885 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.721722] [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: 06/07/2021] [Accepted: 09/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Under physiological conditions, CD8+ T cells need to recognize low numbers of antigenic pMHC class I complexes in the presence of a surplus of non-stimulatory, self pMHC class I on the surface of the APC. Non-stimulatory pMHC have been shown to enhance CD8+ T cell responses to low amounts of antigenic pMHC, in a phenomenon called co-agonism, but the physiological significance and molecular mechanism of this phenomenon are still poorly understood. Our data show that co-agonist pMHC class I complexes recruit CD8-bound Lck to the immune synapse to modulate CD8+ T cell signaling pathways, resulting in enhanced CD8+ T cell effector functions and proliferation, both in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, co-agonism can boost T cell proliferation through an extrinsic mechanism, with co-agonism primed CD8+ T cells enhancing Akt pathway activation and proliferation in neighboring CD8+ T cells primed with low amounts of antigen.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xiang Zhao
- 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
| | - Liang-Zhe Wu
- 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
| | - Esther K Y Ng
- 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
| | - Kerisa W S Leow
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Qianru Wei
- 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
| | - Nicholas R J Gascoigne
- 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
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Connolly A, Panes R, Tual M, Lafortune R, Bellemare-Pelletier A, Gagnon E. TMEM16F mediates bystander TCR-CD3 membrane dissociation at the immunological synapse and potentiates T cell activation. Sci Signal 2021; 14:eabb5146. [PMID: 33758060 DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.abb5146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Electrostatic interactions regulate many aspects of T cell receptor (TCR) activity, including enabling the dynamic binding of the TCR-associated CD3ε and CD3ζ chains to anionic lipids in the plasma membrane to prevent spontaneous phosphorylation. Substantial changes in the electrostatic potential of the plasma membrane occur at the immunological synapse, the interface between a T cell and an antigen-presenting cell. Here, we investigated how the electrostatic interactions that promote dynamic membrane binding of the TCR-CD3 cytoplasmic domains are modulated during signaling and affect T cell activation. We found that Ca2+-dependent activation of the phosphatidylserine scramblase TMEM16F, which was previously implicated in T cell activation, reduced the electrostatic potential of the plasma membrane during immunological synapse formation by locally redistributing phosphatidylserine. This, in turn, increased the dissociation of bystander TCR-CD3 cytoplasmic domains from the plasma membrane and enhanced TCR-dependent signaling and consequently T cell activation. This study establishes the molecular basis for the role of TMEM16F in bystander TCR-induced signal amplification and identifies enhancement of TMEM16F function as a potential therapeutic strategy for promoting T cell activation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Audrey Connolly
- Institut de Recherche en Immunologie et Cancérologie, 2950 Chemin de la Polytechnique, Montréal, Québec H3T1J4, Canada
- Département de Microbiologie, Infectiologie et Immunologie, Faculté de Médecine, Université de Montréal, 2900 Édouard-Montpetit, Montréal, Québec H3T1J4, Canada
| | - Rébecca Panes
- Institut de Recherche en Immunologie et Cancérologie, 2950 Chemin de la Polytechnique, Montréal, Québec H3T1J4, Canada
- Département de Microbiologie, Infectiologie et Immunologie, Faculté de Médecine, Université de Montréal, 2900 Édouard-Montpetit, Montréal, Québec H3T1J4, Canada
| | - Margaux Tual
- Institut de Recherche en Immunologie et Cancérologie, 2950 Chemin de la Polytechnique, Montréal, Québec H3T1J4, Canada
- Département de Microbiologie, Infectiologie et Immunologie, Faculté de Médecine, Université de Montréal, 2900 Édouard-Montpetit, Montréal, Québec H3T1J4, Canada
| | - Raphaël Lafortune
- Département de Microbiologie, Infectiologie et Immunologie, Faculté de Médecine, Université de Montréal, 2900 Édouard-Montpetit, Montréal, Québec H3T1J4, Canada
| | - Angélique Bellemare-Pelletier
- Institut de Recherche en Immunologie et Cancérologie, 2950 Chemin de la Polytechnique, Montréal, Québec H3T1J4, Canada
| | - Etienne Gagnon
- Institut de Recherche en Immunologie et Cancérologie, 2950 Chemin de la Polytechnique, Montréal, Québec H3T1J4, Canada.
- Département de Microbiologie, Infectiologie et Immunologie, Faculté de Médecine, Université de Montréal, 2900 Édouard-Montpetit, Montréal, Québec H3T1J4, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Targeting CAR to the Peptide-MHC Complex Reveals Distinct Signaling Compared to That of TCR in a Jurkat T Cell Model. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13040867. [PMID: 33670734 PMCID: PMC7922477 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13040867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2021] [Revised: 02/15/2021] [Accepted: 02/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) redirect T cells without the need for major histocompatibility complex (MHC) restriction. CARs are designed based on T cell receptor (TCR) signaling and the recognition specificities of antibodies. This technology has achieved great clinical success in combatting cancers. Despite these successes, the mechanism of CAR signaling in the T cell and how this can impact function is not fully understood. To enhance our understanding and to identify the characteristics of CAR signaling, we designed a CAR to target a peptide-MHC complex, similar to the TCR. This allowed us to compare CAR and TCR head-to-head, such that novel traits of CAR signaling could be discovered. We found that CAR has distinct signaling characteristics compared to TCR, including the molecules that facilitate signal transduction. These findings offer explanations for the clinical behavior of CAR T cells (CAR-T) therapy and avenues to optimize the technology. Abstract Chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR-T) utilize T cell receptor (TCR) signaling cascades and the recognition functions of antibodies. This allows T cells, normally restricted by the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), to be redirected to target cells by their surface antigens, such as tumor associated antigens (TAAs). CAR-T technology has achieved significant successes in treatment of certain cancers, primarily liquid cancers. Nonetheless, many challenges hinder development of this therapy, such as cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and the efficacy of CAR-T treatments for solid tumors. These challenges show our inadequate understanding of this technology, particularly regarding CAR signaling, which has been less studied. To dissect CAR signaling, we designed a CAR that targets an epitope from latent membrane protein 2 A (LMP2 A) of the Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) presented on HLA*A02:01. Because of this, CAR and TCR signaling can be compared directly, allowing us to study the involvement of other signaling molecules, such as coreceptors. This comparison revealed that CAR was sufficient to bind monomeric antigens due to its high affinity but required oligomeric antigens for its activation. CAR sustained the transduced signal significantly longer, but at a lower magnitude, than did TCR. CD8 coreceptor was recruited to the CAR synapse but played a negligible role in signaling, unlike for TCR signaling. The distinct CAR signaling processes could provide explanations for clinical behavior of CAR-T therapy and suggest ways to improve the technology.
Collapse
|
9
|
Wu L, Wei Q, Brzostek J, Gascoigne NRJ. Signaling from T cell receptors (TCRs) and chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) on T cells. Cell Mol Immunol 2020; 17:600-612. [PMID: 32451454 DOI: 10.1038/s41423-020-0470-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2020] [Accepted: 05/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
T cells react to foreign or self-antigens through T cell receptor (TCR) signaling. Several decades of research have delineated the mechanism of TCR signal transduction and its impact on T cell performance. This knowledge provides the foundation for chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T cell) technology, by which T cells are redirected in a major histocompatibility complex-unrestricted manner. TCR and CAR signaling plays a critical role in determining the T cell state, including exhaustion and memory. Given its artificial nature, CARs might affect or rewire signaling differently than TCRs. A better understanding of CAR signal transduction would greatly facilitate improvements to CAR-T cell technology and advance its usefulness in clinical practice. Herein, we systematically review the knowns and unknowns of TCR and CAR signaling, from the contact of receptors and antigens, proximal signaling, immunological synapse formation, and late signaling outcomes. Signaling through different T cell subtypes and how signaling is translated into practice are also discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ling Wu
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 5 Science Drive 2, Singapore, 117545, Singapore
| | - Qianru Wei
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 5 Science Drive 2, Singapore, 117545, Singapore
| | - Joanna Brzostek
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 5 Science Drive 2, Singapore, 117545, Singapore
| | - Nicholas R J Gascoigne
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 5 Science Drive 2, Singapore, 117545, Singapore. .,Immunology Programme, Life Sciences Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Connolly A, Gagnon E. Electrostatic interactions: From immune receptor assembly to signaling. Immunol Rev 2019; 291:26-43. [DOI: 10.1111/imr.12769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2019] [Accepted: 04/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Audrey Connolly
- Institut de Recherche en Immunologie et Cancérologie/Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer Montréal Québec Canada
- Département de Microbiologie, Infectiologie et Immunologie, Faculté de Médecine Université de Montréal Montréal Québec Canada
| | - Etienne Gagnon
- Institut de Recherche en Immunologie et Cancérologie/Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer Montréal Québec Canada
- Département de Microbiologie, Infectiologie et Immunologie, Faculté de Médecine Université de Montréal Montréal Québec Canada
| |
Collapse
|