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Fatima T, Mubasher MM, Rehman HM, Niyazi S, Alanzi AR, Kalsoom M, Khalid S, Bashir H. Computational modeling study of IL-15-NGR peptide fusion protein: a targeted therapeutics for hepatocellular carcinoma. AMB Express 2024; 14:91. [PMID: 39133343 PMCID: PMC11319546 DOI: 10.1186/s13568-024-01747-8] [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: 05/30/2024] [Accepted: 07/25/2024] [Indexed: 08/13/2024] Open
Abstract
The primary challenge to improving existing cancer treatment is to develop drugs that specifically target tumor cell. NGR peptide is tumor homing peptide that selectively target cancer cells while interleukin 15 is a pleiotropic cytokine with anticancer properties. This study computationally engineered a IL15-NGR fusion peptide by linking the homing peptide NGR with the targeting peptide IL-15. After evaluating and validating the chimeric peptide, we docked it to the IL-15Rα/IL-15Rβ/γc heterodimer receptor, examining the interactions and binding energy and lastly, molecular dynamics simulations were performed. The secondary and tertiary structures, along with physicochemical properties of the designed IL-15-NGR chimeric protein, were predicted using GOR IV, trRosetta and ProtParam online servers respectively. The quality and 3D structure validation were confirmed via ProSA-web and SAVES 6.0 analysis which predicted an ERRAT score of 96.72%, with 97.6% of residues in the Ramachandran plot, validating its structure. Finally, Docking, MD simulations and interaction analysis were performed using ClusPro 2.0 and GROMACS and PDBsum, which exhibited significant hydrogen bonding and salt bridges, confirming the formation of a stable docked complex. These results were further corroborated by simulation analysis, which demonstrated a stable and dynamic behavior of the docked complex in a biological environment. The predicted high expression value of fusion protein was 0.844 in E.coli using SOLUPROT tool. These findings suggest efficient expression of the IL15-NGR fusion protein if its gene is inserted into E. coli and indicates its potential as a safe and effective anticancer treatment, paving the way for targeted therapeutic interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tehreem Fatima
- Centre for Applied Molecular Biology (CAMB), University of the Punjab, 87-West canal, Bank Road, Lahore, 53700, Pakistan
| | | | - Hafiz Muhammad Rehman
- Centre for Applied Molecular Biology (CAMB), University of the Punjab, 87-West canal, Bank Road, Lahore, 53700, Pakistan.
- University Institute of Medical Lab Technology, Faculty of Allied health sciences, The University of Lahore, Lahore, 54590, Pakistan.
| | - Sakina Niyazi
- School of Biotechnology, IFTM University, Moradabad, 244102, India
| | - Abdullah R Alanzi
- Department of Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia
| | - Maria Kalsoom
- Centre for Applied Molecular Biology (CAMB), University of the Punjab, 87-West canal, Bank Road, Lahore, 53700, Pakistan
| | - Sania Khalid
- Centre for Applied Molecular Biology (CAMB), University of the Punjab, 87-West canal, Bank Road, Lahore, 53700, Pakistan
| | - Hamid Bashir
- Centre for Applied Molecular Biology (CAMB), University of the Punjab, 87-West canal, Bank Road, Lahore, 53700, Pakistan.
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2
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Yi M, Li T, Niu M, Zhang H, Wu Y, Wu K, Dai Z. Targeting cytokine and chemokine signaling pathways for cancer therapy. Signal Transduct Target Ther 2024; 9:176. [PMID: 39034318 PMCID: PMC11275440 DOI: 10.1038/s41392-024-01868-3] [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: 02/28/2024] [Revised: 04/30/2024] [Accepted: 05/11/2024] [Indexed: 07/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Cytokines are critical in regulating immune responses and cellular behavior, playing dual roles in both normal physiology and the pathology of diseases such as cancer. These molecules, including interleukins, interferons, tumor necrosis factors, chemokines, and growth factors like TGF-β, VEGF, and EGF, can promote or inhibit tumor growth, influence the tumor microenvironment, and impact the efficacy of cancer treatments. Recent advances in targeting these pathways have shown promising therapeutic potential, offering new strategies to modulate the immune system, inhibit tumor progression, and overcome resistance to conventional therapies. In this review, we summarized the current understanding and therapeutic implications of targeting cytokine and chemokine signaling pathways in cancer. By exploring the roles of these molecules in tumor biology and the immune response, we highlighted the development of novel therapeutic agents aimed at modulating these pathways to combat cancer. The review elaborated on the dual nature of cytokines as both promoters and suppressors of tumorigenesis, depending on the context, and discussed the challenges and opportunities this presents for therapeutic intervention. We also examined the latest advancements in targeted therapies, including monoclonal antibodies, bispecific antibodies, receptor inhibitors, fusion proteins, engineered cytokine variants, and their impact on tumor growth, metastasis, and the tumor microenvironment. Additionally, we evaluated the potential of combining these targeted therapies with other treatment modalities to overcome resistance and improve patient outcomes. Besides, we also focused on the ongoing research and clinical trials that are pivotal in advancing our understanding and application of cytokine- and chemokine-targeted therapies for cancer patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming Yi
- Department of Breast Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310000, People's Republic of China
| | - Tianye Li
- Department of Gynecology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310000, People's Republic of China
| | - Mengke Niu
- Department of Oncology, Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, People's Republic of China
| | - Haoxiang Zhang
- Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery, Fujian Provincial Hospital, Fuzhou, 350001, People's Republic of China
| | - Yuze Wu
- Department of Oncology, Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, People's Republic of China
| | - Kongming Wu
- Department of Oncology, Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, People's Republic of China.
| | - Zhijun Dai
- Department of Breast Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310000, People's Republic of China.
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3
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Wang Q, Chen S, Guo Z, Xia S, Zhang M. NK-like CD8 T cell: one potential evolutionary continuum between adaptive memory and innate immunity. Clin Exp Immunol 2024; 217:136-150. [PMID: 38651831 PMCID: PMC11239564 DOI: 10.1093/cei/uxae038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2023] [Revised: 03/06/2024] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024] Open
Abstract
CD8 T cells are crucial adaptive immune cells with cytotoxicity to fight against pathogens or abnormal self-cells via major histocompatibility complex class I-dependent priming pathways. The composition of the memory CD8 T-cell pool is influenced by various factors. Physiological aging, chronic viral infection, and autoimmune diseases promote the accumulation of CD8 T cells with highly differentiated memory phenotypes. Accumulating studies have shown that some of these memory CD8 T cells also exhibit innate-like cytotoxicity and upregulate the expression of receptors associated with natural killer (NK) cells. Further analysis shows that these NK-like CD8 T cells have transcriptional profiles of both NK and CD8 T cells, suggesting the transformation of CD8 T cells into NK cells. However, the specific induction mechanism underlying NK-like transformation and the implications of this process for CD8 T cells are still unclear. This review aimed to deduce the possible differentiation model of NK-like CD8 T cells, summarize the functions of major NK-cell receptors expressed on these cells, and provide a new perspective for exploring the role of these CD8 T cells in health and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiulei Wang
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China
| | - Shaodan Chen
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China
| | - Zhenhong Guo
- National Key Laboratory of Medical Immunology, Institute of Immunology, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Sheng Xia
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China
| | - Minghui Zhang
- School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
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4
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Kiran S, Xue Y, Sarker DB, Li Y, Sang QXA. Feeder-free differentiation of human iPSCs into natural killer cells with cytotoxic potential against malignant brain rhabdoid tumor cells. Bioact Mater 2024; 36:301-316. [PMID: 38496035 PMCID: PMC10940949 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioactmat.2024.02.031] [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] [Received: 11/10/2023] [Revised: 02/21/2024] [Accepted: 02/23/2024] [Indexed: 03/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells are cytotoxic immune cells that can eliminate target cells without prior stimulation. Human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) provide a robust source of NK cells for safe and effective cell-based immunotherapy against aggressive cancers. In this in vitro study, a feeder-free iPSC differentiation was performed to obtain iPSC-NK cells, and distinct maturational stages of iPSC-NK were characterized. Mature cells of CD56bright CD16bright phenotype showed upregulation of CD56, CD16, and NK cell activation markers NKG2D and NKp46 upon IL-15 exposure, while exposure to aggressive atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor (ATRT) cell lines enhanced NKG2D and NKp46 expression. Malignant cell exposure also increased CD107a degranulation markers and stimulated IFN-γ secretion in activated NK cells. CD56bright CD16bright iPSC-NK cells showed a ratio-dependent killing of ATRT cells, and the percentage lysis of CHLA-05-ATRT was higher than that of CHLA-02-ATRT. The iPSC-NK cells were also cytotoxic against other brain, kidney, and lung cancer cell lines. Further NK maturation yielded CD56-ve CD16bright cells, which lacked activation markers even after exposure to interleukins or ATRT cells - indicating diminished cytotoxicity. Generation and characterization of different NK phenotypes from iPSCs, coupled with their promising anti-tumor activity against ATRT in vitro, offer valuable insights into potential immunotherapeutic strategies for brain tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonia Kiran
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4390, USA
| | - Yu Xue
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4390, USA
| | - Drishty B. Sarker
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4390, USA
| | - Yan Li
- Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, 32310-6046, USA
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, 32306-4380, USA
| | - Qing-Xiang Amy Sang
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4390, USA
- Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, 32306-4380, USA
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5
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Skariah N, James OJ, Swamy M. Signalling mechanisms driving homeostatic and inflammatory effects of interleukin-15 on tissue lymphocytes. DISCOVERY IMMUNOLOGY 2024; 3:kyae002. [PMID: 38405398 PMCID: PMC10883678 DOI: 10.1093/discim/kyae002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2023] [Revised: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 01/26/2024] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
There is an intriguing dichotomy in the function of cytokine interleukin-15-at low levels, it is required for the homeostasis of the immune system, yet when it is upregulated in response to pathogenic infections or in autoimmunity, IL-15 drives inflammation. IL-15 associates with the IL-15Rα within both myeloid and non-haematopoietic cells, where IL-15Rα trans-presents IL-15 in a membrane-bound form to neighboring cells. Alongside homeostatic maintenance of select lymphocyte populations such as NK cells and tissue-resident T cells, when upregulated, IL-15 also promotes inflammatory outcomes by driving effector function and cytotoxicity in NK cells and T cells. As chronic over-expression of IL-15 can lead to autoimmunity, IL-15 expression is tightly regulated. Thus, blocking dysregulated IL-15 and its downstream signalling pathways are avenues for immunotherapy. In this review we discuss the molecular pathways involved in IL-15 signalling and how these pathways contribute to both homeostatic and inflammatory functions in IL-15-dependent mature lymphoid populations, focusing on innate, and innate-like lymphocytes in tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neema Skariah
- MRC Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Olivia J James
- MRC Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK
| | - Mahima Swamy
- MRC Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 5EH, UK
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6
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Zhou Y, Farooq MA, Ajmal I, He C, Gao Y, Guo D, Duan Y, Jiang W. Co-expression of IL-4/IL-15-based inverted cytokine receptor in CAR-T cells overcomes IL-4 signaling in immunosuppressive pancreatic tumor microenvironment. Biomed Pharmacother 2023; 168:115740. [PMID: 37865999 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2023.115740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2023] [Revised: 10/04/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 10/24/2023] Open
Abstract
The efficacy of CAR-T cell therapy has been hindered by several factors that are intrinsic to the tumor microenvironment. Many strategies are being employed to overcome these barriers and improve immunotherapies efficacy. Interleukin (IL)- 4 is a cytokine released by tumor cells inside the tumor microenvironment and it can oppose T cell effector functions via engagement with the IL-4 receptor on the surface of T cells. To overcome IL-4-mediated immunosuppressive signals, we designed a novel inverted cytokine receptor (ICR). Our novel CAR construct (4/15NKG2D-CAR), consisted of an NKG2D-based chimeric antigen receptor, co-expressing IL-4R as an extracellular domain and IL-15R as a transmembrane and intracellular domain. In this way, IL-4R inhibitory signals were converted into IL-15R activation signals downstream. This strategy increased the efficacy of NKG2D-CAR-T cells in the pancreatic tumor microenvironment in vitro and in vivo. 4/15NKG2D-CAR-T cells exhibited increased activation, degranulation, cytokine release, and cytotoxic ability of NKG2D-CAR-T cells against IL-4+ pancreatic cell lines. Furthermore, 4/15NKG2D-CAR-T cells exhibited more expansion, less exhaustion, and an increased percentage of less differentiated T cell phenotypes in vitro when compared with NKG2D-CAR-T cells. That is why IL-4R/IL-15R-modified CAR-T cells eradicated more tumors in vivo and outperformed NKG2D-CAR-T cells. Thus, we report here a novel NKG2D-CAR-T cells that could overcome IL-4-mediated immunosuppression in solid tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Zhou
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Muhammad Asad Farooq
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Iqra Ajmal
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Cong He
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yaoxin Gao
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Dandan Guo
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yixin Duan
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Wenzheng Jiang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China.
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7
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Jia H, Yang H, Xiong H, Luo KQ. NK cell exhaustion in the tumor microenvironment. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1303605. [PMID: 38022646 PMCID: PMC10653587 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1303605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells kill mutant cells through death receptors and cytotoxic granules, playing an essential role in controlling cancer progression. However, in the tumor microenvironment (TME), NK cells frequently exhibit an exhausted status, which impairs their immunosurveillance function and contributes to tumor immune evasion. Emerging studies are ongoing to reveal the properties and mechanisms of NK cell exhaustion in the TME. In this review, we will briefly introduce the maturation, localization, homeostasis, and cytotoxicity of NK cells. We will then summarize the current understanding of the main mechanisms underlying NK cell exhaustion in the TME in four aspects: dysregulation of inhibitory and activating signaling, tumor cell-derived factors, immunosuppressive cells, and metabolism and exhaustion. We will also discuss the therapeutic approaches currently being developed to reverse NK cell exhaustion and enhance NK cell cytotoxicity in the TME.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Jia
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, Macao SAR, China
| | - Hongmei Yang
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, Macao SAR, China
| | - Huaxing Xiong
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, Macao SAR, China
| | - Kathy Qian Luo
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, Macao SAR, China
- Ministry of Education Frontiers Science Center for Precision Oncology, University of Macau, Taipa, Macao SAR, China
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8
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Lichtor T, Tang B, Roy EJ. Cytokine Gene Vaccine Therapy for Treatment of a Brain Tumor. Brain Sci 2023; 13:1505. [PMID: 38002466 PMCID: PMC10669932 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci13111505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2023] [Revised: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
A glioma is a malignant brain tumor with a poor prognosis. Attempts at the surgical removal of the tumor are the first approach, but additional treatment strategies, including radiation therapy and systemic or local chemotherapy, are necessary. Furthermore, the treatments are often associated with significant adverse side effects. Normal and malignant cells generally have antigenic differences, and this is the rationale for clinical immunotherapeutic strategies. Cytokines such as IL-15 or IL-2, which stimulate an anti-tumor immune response, have been shown to have a particularly high potential for use in immunotherapy against various tumors. In this review, treatments with either a poxvirus, genetically engineered to secrete IL-15, or allogeneic fibroblasts, transfected with tumor DNA and engineered to secrete IL-2, are shown to be effective strategies in extending the survival of mice with malignant brain tumors upon intracerebral injection of the treatment cells. Future studies with these treatment strategies in patients with intracerebral tumors are urgently needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Terry Lichtor
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
| | - Bingtao Tang
- Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA; (B.T.); (E.J.R.)
| | - Edward J. Roy
- Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA; (B.T.); (E.J.R.)
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9
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Salz L, Seitz A, Schäfer D, Franzen J, Holzer T, Garcia-Prieto CA, Bürger I, Hardt O, Esteller M, Wagner W. Culture expansion of CAR T cells results in aberrant DNA methylation that is associated with adverse clinical outcome. Leukemia 2023; 37:1868-1878. [PMID: 37452103 PMCID: PMC10457202 DOI: 10.1038/s41375-023-01966-1] [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: 12/20/2022] [Revised: 06/15/2023] [Accepted: 06/30/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells provide new perspectives for treatment of hematological malignancies. Manufacturing of these cellular products includes culture expansion procedures, which may affect cellular integrity and therapeutic outcome. In this study, we investigated culture-associated epigenetic changes in CAR T cells and found continuous gain of DNAm, particularly within genes that are relevant for T cell function. Hypermethylation in many genes, such as TCF7, RUNX1, and TOX, was reflected by transcriptional downregulation. 332 CG dinucleotides (CpGs) showed an almost linear gain in methylation with cell culture time, albeit neighboring CpGs were not coherently regulated on the same DNA strands. An epigenetic signature based on 14 of these culture-associated CpGs predicted cell culture time across various culture conditions. Notably, even in CAR T cell products of similar culture time higher DNAm levels at these CpGs were associated with significantly reduced long-term survival post transfusion. Our data demonstrate that cell culture expansion of CAR T cells evokes DNA hypermethylation at specific sites in the genome and the signature may also reflect loss of potential in CAR T cell products. Hence, reduced cultivation periods are beneficial to avoid dysfunctional methylation programs that seem to be associated with worse therapeutic outcome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucia Salz
- Institute for Stem Cell Biology, RWTH Aachen University Medical School, Aachen, Germany
- Helmholtz-Institute for Biomedical Engineering, RWTH Aachen University Medical School, Aachen, Germany
| | - Alexander Seitz
- Institute for Stem Cell Biology, RWTH Aachen University Medical School, Aachen, Germany
- Helmholtz-Institute for Biomedical Engineering, RWTH Aachen University Medical School, Aachen, Germany
- Miltenyi Biotec B.V. & Co. KG, Bergisch, Gladbach, Germany
| | - Daniel Schäfer
- Miltenyi Biotec B.V. & Co. KG, Bergisch, Gladbach, Germany
| | - Julia Franzen
- Institute for Stem Cell Biology, RWTH Aachen University Medical School, Aachen, Germany
- Helmholtz-Institute for Biomedical Engineering, RWTH Aachen University Medical School, Aachen, Germany
| | - Tatjana Holzer
- Miltenyi Biotec B.V. & Co. KG, Bergisch, Gladbach, Germany
| | - Carlos A Garcia-Prieto
- Josep Carreras Leukemia Research Institute (IJC), Badalona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
- Life Sciences Department, Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Iris Bürger
- Miltenyi Biotec B.V. & Co. KG, Bergisch, Gladbach, Germany
| | - Olaf Hardt
- Miltenyi Biotec B.V. & Co. KG, Bergisch, Gladbach, Germany
| | - Manel Esteller
- Josep Carreras Leukemia Research Institute (IJC), Badalona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
- Life Sciences Department, Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC), Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigacion Biomedica en Red Cancer (CIBERONC), Madrid, Spain
- Institucio Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
- Physiological Sciences Department, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Barcelona (UB), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Wolfgang Wagner
- Institute for Stem Cell Biology, RWTH Aachen University Medical School, Aachen, Germany.
- Helmholtz-Institute for Biomedical Engineering, RWTH Aachen University Medical School, Aachen, Germany.
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10
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Wong JL, Smith P, Angulo-Lozano J, Ranti D, Bochner BH, Sfakianos JP, Horowitz A, Ravetch JV, Knorr DA. IL-15 synergizes with CD40 agonist antibodies to induce durable immunity against bladder cancer. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2306782120. [PMID: 37607227 PMCID: PMC10467355 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2306782120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2023] [Accepted: 07/14/2023] [Indexed: 08/24/2023] Open
Abstract
CD40 is a central costimulatory receptor implicated in productive antitumor immune responses across multiple cancers, including bladder cancer. Despite strong preclinical rationale, systemic administration of therapeutic agonistic antibodies targeting the CD40 pathway has demonstrated dose-limiting toxicities with minimal clinical activity, emphasizing an important need for optimized CD40-targeted approaches, including rational combination therapy strategies. Here, we describe a role for the endogenous IL-15 pathway in contributing to the therapeutic activity of CD40 agonism in orthotopic bladder tumors, with upregulation of transpresented IL-15/IL-15Rα surface complexes, particularly by cross-presenting conventional type 1 DCs (Dendritic Cells), and associated enrichment of activated CD8 T cells. In bladder cancer patient samples, we identify DCs as the primary source of IL-15, although they lack high levels of IL-15Rα at baseline. Using humanized immunocompetent orthotopic bladder tumor models, we demonstrate the ability to therapeutically augment this interaction through combined treatment with anti-CD40 agonist antibodies and exogenous IL-15, including the fully-human Fc-optimized antibody 2141-V11 currently in clinical development for the treatment of bladder cancer. Collectively, these data reveal an important role for IL-15 in mediating antitumor CD40 agonist responses in bladder cancer and provide key proof-of-concept for combined use of Fc-optimized anti-CD40 agonist antibodies and agents targeting the IL-15 pathway. These data support expansion of ongoing clinical studies evaluating anti-CD40 agonist antibodies and IL-15-based approaches to develop combinations of these promising therapeutics for the treatment of patients with bladder cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey L. Wong
- Laboratory of Molecular Genetics and Immunology, Rockefeller University, New York, NY10065
- Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY10065
| | - Patrick Smith
- Laboratory of Molecular Genetics and Immunology, Rockefeller University, New York, NY10065
| | - Juan Angulo-Lozano
- Laboratory of Molecular Genetics and Immunology, Rockefeller University, New York, NY10065
| | - Daniel Ranti
- The Marc and Jennifer Lipschultz Precision Immunology Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY10029
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY10029
| | - Bernard H. Bochner
- Department of Surgery, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY10065
| | - John P. Sfakianos
- Department of Urology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY10029
| | - Amir Horowitz
- The Marc and Jennifer Lipschultz Precision Immunology Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY10029
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY10029
| | - Jeffrey V. Ravetch
- Laboratory of Molecular Genetics and Immunology, Rockefeller University, New York, NY10065
| | - David A. Knorr
- Laboratory of Molecular Genetics and Immunology, Rockefeller University, New York, NY10065
- Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY10065
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11
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Zhang Y, Gao S, Yao S, Weng D, Wang Y, Huang Q, Zhang X, Wang H, Xu W. IL-27 mediates immune response of pneumococcal vaccine SPY1 through Th17 and memory CD4 +T cells. iScience 2023; 26:107464. [PMID: 37588169 PMCID: PMC10425906 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107464] [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: 04/27/2023] [Revised: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 07/19/2023] [Indexed: 08/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Vaccination is an effective means of preventing pneumococcal disease and SPY1 is a live attenuated pneumococcal vaccine we obtained earlier. We found IL-27 and its specific receptor (WSX-1) were increased in SPY1 vaccinated mice. Bacterial clearance and survival rates were decreased in SPY1 vaccinated IL-27Rα-/- mice. The vaccine-induced Th17 cell response and IgA secretion were also suppressed in IL-27Rα-/- mice. STAT3 and NF-κB signaling and expression of the Th17 cell polarization-related cytokines were also decreased in IL-27Rα-/- bone-marrow-derived dendritic cells(BMDC) stimulated with inactivated SPY1. The numbers of memory CD4+T cells were also decreased in SPY1 vaccinated IL-27Rα-/- mice. These results suggested that IL-27 plays a protective role in SPY1 vaccine by promoting Th17 polarization through STAT3 and NF-κB signaling pathways and memory CD4+T cells production in the SPY1 vaccine. In addition, we found that the immune protection of SPY1 vaccine was independent of aerobic glycolysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanyu Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medical Diagnostics Designated by the Ministry of Education, School of Laboratory Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Song Gao
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, School of Laboratory Medicine, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, Guizhou, China
| | - Shifei Yao
- Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medical Diagnostics Designated by the Ministry of Education, School of Laboratory Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Danlin Weng
- Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medical Diagnostics Designated by the Ministry of Education, School of Laboratory Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Yan Wang
- Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medical Diagnostics Designated by the Ministry of Education, School of Laboratory Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Qi Huang
- Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medical Diagnostics Designated by the Ministry of Education, School of Laboratory Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Xuemei Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medical Diagnostics Designated by the Ministry of Education, School of Laboratory Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Hong Wang
- Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medical Diagnostics Designated by the Ministry of Education, School of Laboratory Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Wenchun Xu
- Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medical Diagnostics Designated by the Ministry of Education, School of Laboratory Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
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12
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Maeda K, Tanioka T, Takahashi R, Watanabe H, Sueki H, Takimoto M, Hashimoto SI, Ikeo K, Miwa Y, Kasama T, Iwamoto S. MCAM+CD161- Th17 Subset Expressing CD83 Enhances Tc17 Response in Psoriasis. JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY (BALTIMORE, MD. : 1950) 2023; 210:1867-1881. [PMID: 37186262 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.2200530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Accepted: 03/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Recent studies have highlighted the pathogenic roles of IL-17-producing CD8+ T cells (T-cytotoxic 17 [Tc17]) in psoriasis. However, the underlying mechanisms of Tc17 induction remain unclear. In this study, we focused on the pathogenic subsets of Th17 and their mechanism of promotion of Tc17 responses. We determined that the pathogenic Th17-enriched fraction expressed melanoma cell adhesion molecule (MCAM) and CCR6, but not CD161, because this subset produced IL-17A abundantly and the presence of these cells in the peripheral blood of patients has been correlated with the severity of psoriasis. Intriguingly, the serial analysis of gene expression revealed that CCR6+MCAM+CD161-CD4+ T cells displayed the gene profile for adaptive immune responses, including CD83, which is an activator for CD8+ T cells. Coculture assay with or without intercellular contact between CD4+ and CD8+ T cells showed that CCR6+MCAM+CD161-CD4+ T cells induced the proliferation of CD8+ T cells in a CD83-dependent manner. However, the production of IL-17A by CD8+ T cells required exogenous IL-17A, suggesting that intercellular contact via CD83 and the production of IL-17A from activated CD4+ T cells elicit Tc17 responses. Intriguingly, the CD83 expression was enhanced in the presence of IL-15, and CD83+ cells stimulated with IL-1β, IL-23, IL-15, and IL-15Rα did not express FOXP3. Furthermore, CCR6+MCAM+CD161-CD4+ T cells expressing CD83 were increased in the peripheral blood of patients, and the CD83+ Th17-type cells accumulated in the lesional skin of psoriasis. In conclusion, pathogenic MCAM+CD161- Th17 cells may be involved in the Tc17 responses via IL-17A and CD83 in psoriasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kohei Maeda
- Division of Physiology and Pathology, Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Therapeutics, Showa University School of Pharmacy, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Toshihiro Tanioka
- Division of Physiology and Pathology, Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Therapeutics, Showa University School of Pharmacy, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Rei Takahashi
- Division of Physiology and Pathology, Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Therapeutics, Showa University School of Pharmacy, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hideaki Watanabe
- Department of Dermatology, Showa University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hirohiko Sueki
- Department of Dermatology, Showa University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Masafumi Takimoto
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Showa University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Shin-Ichi Hashimoto
- Department of Molecular Pathophysiology, Institute of Advanced Medicine, Wakayama Medical University, Wakayama, Japan
| | - Kazuho Ikeo
- DNA Data Analysis Laboratory, National Institute of Genetics, Shizuoka, Japan
| | - Yusuke Miwa
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Showa University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Tsuyoshi Kasama
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Showa University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Sanju Iwamoto
- Division of Physiology and Pathology, Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Therapeutics, Showa University School of Pharmacy, Tokyo, Japan
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13
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Lui G, Minnar CM, Soon-Shiong P, Schlom J, Gameiro SR. Exploiting an Interleukin-15 Heterodimeric Agonist (N803) for Effective Immunotherapy of Solid Malignancies. Cells 2023; 12:1611. [PMID: 37371081 DOI: 10.3390/cells12121611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2023] [Revised: 05/13/2023] [Accepted: 05/15/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Identifying effective immunotherapies for solid tumors remains challenging despite the significant clinical responses observed in subsets of patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors. Interleukin-15 (IL-15) is a promising cytokine for the treatment of cancer as it stimulates NK and CD8+ lymphocytes. However, unfavorable pharmacokinetics and safety concerns render recombinant IL-15 (rIL-15) a less attractive modality. These shortcomings were addressed by the clinical development of heterodimeric IL-15 agonists, including N803. In preclinical tumor models, N803 elicited significant Th1 immune activation and tumor suppressive effects, primarily mediated by NK and CD8+ T lymphocytes. In addition, multiple clinical studies have demonstrated N803 to be safe for the treatment of cancer patients. The combination of N803 with the immune checkpoint inhibitor nivolumab demonstrated encouraging clinical responses in nivolumab-naïve and nivolumab-refractory patients with non-small cell lung cancer. In a recent Phase II/III clinical study, most Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG)-refractory bladder cancer patients treated with N803 plus BCG experienced durable complete responses. Currently, N803 is being evaluated preclinically and clinically in combination with various agents, including chemotherapeutics, immune checkpoint inhibitors, vaccines, and other immuno-oncology agents. This report will review the mechanism(s) of action of N803 and how it relates to the preclinical and clinical studies of N803.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grace Lui
- Center for Immuno-Oncology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Christine M Minnar
- Center for Immuno-Oncology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | | | - Jeffrey Schlom
- Center for Immuno-Oncology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Sofia R Gameiro
- Center for Immuno-Oncology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
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14
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Ma S, Peng P, Duan Z, Fan Y, Li X. Predicting the Progress of Tuberculosis by Inflammatory Response-Related Genes Based on Multiple Machine Learning Comprehensive Analysis. J Immunol Res 2023; 2023:7829286. [PMID: 37228444 PMCID: PMC10205410 DOI: 10.1155/2023/7829286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2023] [Revised: 03/04/2023] [Accepted: 04/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Tuberculosis (TB), caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis, affects approximately one-quarter of the global population and is considered one of the most lethal infectious diseases worldwide. The prevention of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) from progressing into active tuberculosis (ATB) is crucial for controlling and eradicating TB. Unfortunately, currently available biomarkers have limited effectiveness in identifying subpopulations that are at risk of developing ATB. Hence, it is imperative to develop advanced molecular tools for TB risk stratification. Methods The TB datasets were downloaded from the GEO database. Three machine learning models, namely LASSO, RF, and SVM-RFE, were used to identify the key characteristic genes related to inflammation during the progression of LTBI to ATB. The expression and diagnostic accuracy of these characteristic genes were subsequently verified. These genes were then used to develop diagnostic nomograms. In addition, single-cell expression clustering analysis, immune cell expression clustering analysis, GSVA analysis, immune cell correlation, and immune checkpoint correlation of characteristic genes were conducted. Furthermore, the upstream shared miRNA was predicted, and a miRNA-genes network was constructed. Candidate drugs were also analyzed and predicted. Results In comparison to LTBI, a total of 96 upregulated and 26 downregulated genes related to the inflammatory response were identified in ATB. These characteristic genes have demonstrated excellent diagnostic performance and significant correlation with many immune cells and immune sites. The results of the miRNA-genes network analysis suggested a potential role of hsa-miR-3163 in the molecular mechanism of LTBI progressing into ATB. Moreover, retinoic acid may offer a potential avenue for the prevention of LTBI progression to ATB and for the treatment of ATB. Conclusion Our research has identified key inflammatory response-related genes that are characteristic of LTBI progression to ATB and hsa-miR-3163 as a significant node in the molecular mechanism of this progression. Our analyses have demonstrated the excellent diagnostic performance of these characteristic genes and their significant correlation with many immune cells and immune checkpoints. The CD274 immune checkpoint presents a promising target for the prevention and treatment of ATB. Furthermore, our findings suggest that retinoic acid may have a role in preventing LTBI from progressing to ATB and in treating ATB. This study provides a new perspective for differential diagnosis of LTBI and ATB and may uncover potential inflammatory immune mechanisms, biomarkers, therapeutic targets, and effective drugs in the progression of LTBI into ATB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuai Ma
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Tumor Microenvironment and Immunotherapy, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443000, China
- College of Basic Medical Science, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443000, China
| | - Peifei Peng
- Department of Geriatrics, Liyuan Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China
| | - Zhihao Duan
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Tumor Microenvironment and Immunotherapy, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443000, China
- College of Basic Medical Science, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443000, China
| | - Yifeng Fan
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Tumor Microenvironment and Immunotherapy, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443000, China
- College of Basic Medical Science, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443000, China
| | - Xinzhi Li
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Tumor Microenvironment and Immunotherapy, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443000, China
- College of Basic Medical Science, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443000, China
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15
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Cai M, Huang X, Huang X, Ju D, Zhu YZ, Ye L. Research progress of interleukin-15 in cancer immunotherapy. Front Pharmacol 2023; 14:1184703. [PMID: 37251333 PMCID: PMC10213988 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1184703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2023] [Accepted: 05/04/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Interleukin-15 (IL-15) is a cytokine that belongs to the interleukin-2 (IL-2) family and is essential for the development, proliferation, and activation of immune cells, including natural killer (NK) cells, T cells and B cells. Recent studies have revealed that interleukin-15 also plays a critical role in cancer immunotherapy. Interleukin-15 agonist molecules have shown that interleukin-15 agonists are effective in inhibiting tumor growth and preventing metastasis, and some are undergoing clinical trials. In this review, we will summarize the recent progress in interleukin-15 research over the past 5 years, highlighting its potential applications in cancer immunotherapy and the progress of interleukin-15 agonist development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Menghan Cai
- School of Pharmacy and State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macau, Macau SAR, China
| | - Xuan Huang
- Minhang Hospital and Department of Biological Medicines at School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Immunotherapeutics, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiting Huang
- Minhang Hospital and Department of Biological Medicines at School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Immunotherapeutics, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Dianwen Ju
- Minhang Hospital and Department of Biological Medicines at School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Immunotherapeutics, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yi Zhun Zhu
- School of Pharmacy and State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macau, Macau SAR, China
| | - Li Ye
- School of Pharmacy and State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macau, Macau SAR, China
- Minhang Hospital and Department of Biological Medicines at School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Immunotherapeutics, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
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16
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Fan NW, Zhu Q, Wang S, Ortiz G, Huckfeldt RM, Chen Y. Long-lived autoreactive memory CD4 + T cells mediate the sustained retinopathy in chronic autoimmune uveitis. FASEB J 2023; 37:e22855. [PMID: 36906286 PMCID: PMC10478160 DOI: 10.1096/fj.202202164r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2022] [Revised: 02/07/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 03/13/2023]
Abstract
Chronic uveitis comprises heterogeneous clinical entities characterized by sustained and recurrent intraocular inflammation that is believed to be driven by autoimmune responses. The management of chronic uveitis is challenging with the limited availability of efficacious treatments, and the underlying mechanisms mediating disease chronicity remain poorly understood as the majority of experimental data are derived from the acute phase of the disease (the first 2-3 weeks post-induction). Herein, we investigated the key cellular mechanisms underlying chronic intraocular inflammation using our recently established murine model of chronic autoimmune uveitis. We demonstrate unique long-lived CD44hi IL-7R+ IL-15R+ CD4+ memory T cells in both retina and secondary lymphoid organs after 3 months postinduction of autoimmune uveitis. These memory T cells functionally exhibit antigen-specific proliferation and activation in response to retinal peptide stimulation in vitro. Critically, these effector-memory T cells are capable of effectively trafficking to the retina and accumulating in the local tissues secreting both IL-17 and IFN-γ upon adoptively transferred, leading to retinal structural and functional damage. Thus, our data reveal the critical uveitogenic functions of memory CD4+ T cells in sustaining chronic intraocular inflammation, suggesting that memory T cells can be a novel and promising therapeutic target for treating chronic uveitis in future translational studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nai-Wen Fan
- Schepens Eye Research Institute of Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114
- Department of Ophthalmology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
- Faculty of Medicine, School of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| | - Qiurong Zhu
- Schepens Eye Research Institute of Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114
| | - Shudan Wang
- Schepens Eye Research Institute of Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114
| | - Gustavo Ortiz
- Schepens Eye Research Institute of Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114
| | - Rachel M. Huckfeldt
- Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114
| | - Yihe Chen
- Schepens Eye Research Institute of Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114
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17
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Liu Z, Shi M, Ren Y, Xu H, Weng S, Ning W, Ge X, Liu L, Guo C, Duo M, Li L, Li J, Han X. Recent advances and applications of CRISPR-Cas9 in cancer immunotherapy. Mol Cancer 2023; 22:35. [PMID: 36797756 PMCID: PMC9933290 DOI: 10.1186/s12943-023-01738-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 02/01/2023] [Indexed: 02/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The incidence and mortality of cancer are the major health issue worldwide. Apart from the treatments developed to date, the unsatisfactory therapeutic effects of cancers have not been addressed by broadening the toolbox. The advent of immunotherapy has ushered in a new era in the treatments of solid tumors, but remains limited and requires breaking adverse effects. Meanwhile, the development of advanced technologies can be further boosted by gene analysis and manipulation at the molecular level. The advent of cutting-edge genome editing technology, especially clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR-Cas9), has demonstrated its potential to break the limits of immunotherapy in cancers. In this review, the mechanism of CRISPR-Cas9-mediated genome editing and a powerful CRISPR toolbox are introduced. Furthermore, we focus on reviewing the impact of CRISPR-induced double-strand breaks (DSBs) on cancer immunotherapy (knockout or knockin). Finally, we discuss the CRISPR-Cas9-based genome-wide screening for target identification, emphasis the potential of spatial CRISPR genomics, and present the comprehensive application and challenges in basic research, translational medicine and clinics of CRISPR-Cas9.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zaoqu Liu
- grid.412633.10000 0004 1799 0733Department of Interventional Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052 Henan China ,grid.207374.50000 0001 2189 3846Interventional Institute of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052 Henan China ,grid.412633.10000 0004 1799 0733Interventional Treatment and Clinical Research Center of Henan Province, Zhengzhou, 450052 Henan China
| | - Meixin Shi
- grid.412633.10000 0004 1799 0733Department of Interventional Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052 Henan China
| | - Yuqing Ren
- grid.412633.10000 0004 1799 0733Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052 Henan China
| | - Hui Xu
- grid.412633.10000 0004 1799 0733Department of Interventional Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052 Henan China
| | - Siyuan Weng
- grid.412633.10000 0004 1799 0733Department of Interventional Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052 Henan China
| | - Wenjing Ning
- grid.207374.50000 0001 2189 3846Department of Emergency Center, Zhengzhou University People’s Hospital, Zhengzhou, 450003 Henan China
| | - Xiaoyong Ge
- grid.412633.10000 0004 1799 0733Department of Interventional Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052 Henan China
| | - Long Liu
- grid.412633.10000 0004 1799 0733Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052 Henan China
| | - Chunguang Guo
- grid.412633.10000 0004 1799 0733Department of Endovascular Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052 Henan China
| | - Mengjie Duo
- grid.412633.10000 0004 1799 0733Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052 Henan China
| | - Lifeng Li
- grid.412633.10000 0004 1799 0733Cancer Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052 Henan China
| | - Jing Li
- Department of Interventional Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, Henan, China.
| | - Xinwei Han
- Department of Interventional Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, Henan, China. .,Interventional Institute of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, Henan, China. .,Interventional Treatment and Clinical Research Center of Henan Province, Zhengzhou, 450052, Henan, China.
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18
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Wong JL, Smith P, Angulo-Lozano J, Ranti D, Bochner BH, Sfakianos JP, Horowitz A, Ravetch JV, Knorr DA. IL-15 synergizes with CD40 agonist antibodies to induce durable immunity against bladder cancer. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.01.30.526266. [PMID: 36778311 PMCID: PMC9915460 DOI: 10.1101/2023.01.30.526266] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
CD40 is a central co-stimulatory receptor implicated in the development of productive anti-tumor immune responses across multiple cancers, including bladder cancer. Despite strong preclinical rationale, systemic administration of therapeutic agonistic antibodies targeting the CD40 pathway have demonstrated dose limiting toxicities with minimal clinical activity to date, emphasizing an important need for optimized CD40-targeted approaches, including rational combination therapy strategies. Here, we describe an important role for the endogenous IL-15 pathway in contributing to the therapeutic activity of CD40 agonism in orthotopic bladder tumors, with upregulation of trans-presented IL-15/IL-15Rα surface complexes, particularly by cross-presenting cDC1s, and associated enrichment of activated CD8 T cells within the bladder tumor microenvironment. In bladder cancer patient samples, we identify DCs as the primary source of IL-15, however, they lack high levels of IL-15Rα at baseline. Using humanized immunocompetent orthotopic bladder tumor models, we demonstrate the ability to therapeutically augment this interaction through combined treatment with anti-CD40 agonist antibodies and exogenous IL-15, including the fully-human Fc-optimized antibody 2141-V11 currently in clinical development for the treatment of bladder cancer. Combination therapy enhances the crosstalk between Batf3-dependent cDC1s and CD8 T cells, driving robust primary anti-tumor activity and further stimulating long-term systemic anti-tumor memory responses associated with circulating memory-phenotype T and NK cell populations. Collectively, these data reveal an important role for IL-15 in mediating anti-tumor CD40 agonist responses in bladder cancer and provide key proof-of-concept for combined use of Fc-optimized anti-CD40 agonist antibodies and agents targeting the IL-15 pathway. These data support expansion of ongoing clinical studies evaluating anti-CD40 agonist antibodies and IL-15-based approaches to evaluate combinations of these promising therapeutics for the treatment of patients with bladder cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey L. Wong
- Laboratory of Molecular Genetics and Immunology, Rockefeller University, New York, NY
- Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
- Current address: Genentech, Inc., South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Patrick Smith
- Laboratory of Molecular Genetics and Immunology, Rockefeller University, New York, NY
| | - Juan Angulo-Lozano
- Laboratory of Molecular Genetics and Immunology, Rockefeller University, New York, NY
| | - Daniel Ranti
- The Marc and Jennifer Lipschultz Precision Immunology Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY
| | - Bernard H. Bochner
- Department of Surgery, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
| | - John P. Sfakianos
- Department of Urology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY
| | - Amir Horowitz
- The Marc and Jennifer Lipschultz Precision Immunology Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY
| | - Jeffrey V. Ravetch
- Laboratory of Molecular Genetics and Immunology, Rockefeller University, New York, NY
| | - David A. Knorr
- Laboratory of Molecular Genetics and Immunology, Rockefeller University, New York, NY
- Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
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19
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Sulzmaier FJ, Kern N, Ahn SJ, Polovina A, Ho J, Hussain A, Cyprus G, Macedo C, Pandit R, Crago W, Rowell E, Timmer JC, Eckelman BP. INBRX-120, a CD8α-targeted detuned IL-2 that selectively expands and activates tumoricidal effector cells for safe and durable in vivo responses. J Immunother Cancer 2023; 11:jitc-2022-006116. [PMID: 36653071 PMCID: PMC9853254 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2022-006116] [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] [Accepted: 01/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND As a major driver of lymphocyte proliferation and activation interleukin 2 (IL-2) is a crucial mediator for antitumor responses. Despite promising activity in a subset of patients, wider therapeutic utility of IL-2 (aldesleukin) has been hampered by severe dose-limiting toxicities, the expansion of immunosuppressive regulatory T cells and a poor pharmacokinetic (PK) profile. Recent engineering efforts, including non-α IL-2 variants, have lowered the toxicity profile, but have yet to induce meaningful antitumor activity in a wider patient population. METHODS We engineered INBRX-120, a CD8α-targeted Cisleukin™ molecule consisting of an affinity tuned IL-2 (IL2-x) connected to two high affinity CD8α-specific single domain antibodies via an effector-silenced Fc domain. To show that this large affinity differential enables directed IL-2 cis-signaling exclusively on CD8α-expressing tumoricidal effector cell populations, INBRX-120 effects on target cell expansion, activation and antitumor activity were tested in vitro. In vivo antitumor efficacy was evaluated in syngeneic mouse models alone or in combination with programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) blockade. Preclinical safety, as well as pharmacodynamic (PD) and PK profiling was carried out in non-human primates. RESULTS INBRX-120 effectively expanded and enhanced the cytotoxic capacity of CD8 T cells and natural killer cells towards tumor cells without affecting regulatory T cells in vitro and in vivo. In syngeneic mouse models, INBRX-120 surrogate showed safe, potent, and durable antitumor efficacy alone and in combination with PD-1 blockade. In non-human primates, INBRX-120 expanded and activated CD8α-expressing effector cells, showed a favorable PK profile, and was well tolerated up to a dose of 1 mg/kg. CONCLUSIONS Through its unique cis-signaling activity on CD8α-expressing effector cells, INBRX-120 overcomes the major limitations of IL-2-based therapy and effectively harnesses IL-2's potent intrinsic antitumor activity. This novel therapeutic strategy promises safer clinical activity that could induce meaningful antitumor efficacy in a wider set of patients with various cancer indications.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Jason Ho
- Inhibrx Inc, La Jolla, California, USA
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20
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Shi W, Lv L, Liu N, Wang H, Wang Y, Zhu W, Liu Z, Zhu J, Lu H. A novel anti-PD-L1/IL-15 immunocytokine overcomes resistance to PD-L1 blockade and elicits potent antitumor immunity. Mol Ther 2023; 31:66-77. [PMID: 36045584 PMCID: PMC9840182 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2022.08.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2022] [Revised: 08/08/2022] [Accepted: 08/25/2022] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite the demonstrated immense potential of immune checkpoint inhibitors in various types of cancers, only a minority of patients respond to these therapies. Immunocytokines designed to deliver an immune-activating cytokine directly to the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) and block the immune checkpoint simultaneously may provide a strategic advantage over the combination of two single agents. To increase the response rate to checkpoint blockade, in this study, we developed a novel immunocytokine (LH01) composed of the antibody against programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) fused to interleukin (IL)-15 receptor alpha-sushi domain/IL-15 complex. We demonstrate that LH01 efficiently binds mouse or human PD-L1 and maintains IL-15 stimulatory activity. In syngeneic mouse models, LH01 showed improved antitumor efficacy and safety versus anti-PD-L1 plus LH02 (Fc-sushi-IL15) combination and overcame resistance to anti-PD-L1 treatment. Mechanistically, the dual anti-immunosuppressive function of LH01 activated both the innate and adaptive immune responses and induced a favorable and immunostimulatory TME. Furthermore, combination therapy with LH01 and bevacizumab exerts synergistic antitumor effects in an HT29 colorectal xenograft model. Collectively, our results provide supporting evidence that fusion of anti-PD-L1 and IL-15 might be a potent strategy to treat patients with cold tumors or resistance to checkpoint blockade.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenqiang Shi
- Engineering Research Center of Cell & Therapeutic Antibody, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Liangyin Lv
- Engineering Research Center of Cell & Therapeutic Antibody, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Nan Liu
- Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 555 Zuchongzhi Road, Shanghai 201203, China
| | - Hui Wang
- Engineering Research Center of Cell & Therapeutic Antibody, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Yang Wang
- Engineering Research Center of Cell & Therapeutic Antibody, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Wen Zhu
- Engineering Research Center of Cell & Therapeutic Antibody, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Zexin Liu
- Engineering Research Center of Cell & Therapeutic Antibody, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Jianwei Zhu
- Engineering Research Center of Cell & Therapeutic Antibody, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Huili Lu
- Engineering Research Center of Cell & Therapeutic Antibody, Ministry of Education, School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200240, China.
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21
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Sindaco P, Pandey H, Isabelle C, Chakravarti N, Brammer JE, Porcu P, Mishra A. The role of interleukin-15 in the development and treatment of hematological malignancies. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1141208. [PMID: 37153603 PMCID: PMC10157481 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1141208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 02/22/2023] [Indexed: 05/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Cytokines are a vital component of the immune system that controls the activation and growth of blood cells. However, chronic overexpression of cytokines can trigger cellular events leading to malignant transformation. The cytokine interleukin-15 (IL-15) is of particular interest, which has been shown to contribute to the development and progression of various hematological malignancies. This review will provide an overview of the impact of the immunopathogenic function of IL-15 by studying its role in cell survival, proliferation, inflammation, and treatment resistance. We will also review therapeutic approaches for inhibiting IL-15 in blood cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paola Sindaco
- Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Department of Medical Oncology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Hritisha Pandey
- Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Colleen Isabelle
- Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Nitin Chakravarti
- Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Department of Medical Oncology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | | | - Pierluigi Porcu
- Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Department of Medical Oncology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Anjali Mishra
- Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Department of Medical Oncology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Cancer Biology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- *Correspondence: Anjali Mishra,
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22
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Zhou Y, Quan G, Liu Y, Shi N, Wu Y, Zhang R, Gao X, Luo L. The application of Interleukin-2 family cytokines in tumor immunotherapy research. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1090311. [PMID: 36936961 PMCID: PMC10018032 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1090311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2022] [Accepted: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The Interleukin-2 Family contains six kinds of cytokines, namely IL-2, IL-15, IL-4, IL-7, IL-9, and IL-21, all of which share a common γ chain. Many cytokines of the IL-2 family have been reported to be a driving force in immune cells activation. Therefore, researchers have tried various methods to study the anti-tumor effect of cytokines for a long time. However, due to the short half-life, poor stability, easy to lead to inflammatory storms and narrow safety treatment window of cytokines, this field has been tepid. In recent years, with the rapid development of protein engineering technology, some engineered cytokines have a significant effect in tumor immunotherapy, showing an irresistible trend of development. In this review, we will discuss the current researches of the IL-2 family and mainly focus on the application and achievements of engineered cytokines in tumor immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yangyihua Zhou
- Department of Medical Laboratory, School of Medicine, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan, China
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Beijing, China
| | - Guiqi Quan
- Department of Medical Laboratory, School of Medicine, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan, China
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Beijing, China
| | - Yujun Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Beijing, China
| | - Ning Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Beijing, China
- Cancer Research Institute, Department of Neurosurgery, School of Basic Medical Science, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Yahui Wu
- Department of Medical Laboratory, School of Medicine, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan, China
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Beijing, China
| | - Ran Zhang
- Department of Medical Laboratory, School of Medicine, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan, China
- *Correspondence: Ran Zhang, ; Xiang Gao, ; Longlong Luo,
| | - Xiang Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Beijing, China
- *Correspondence: Ran Zhang, ; Xiang Gao, ; Longlong Luo,
| | - Longlong Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Toxicology and Medical Countermeasures, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Beijing, China
- *Correspondence: Ran Zhang, ; Xiang Gao, ; Longlong Luo,
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23
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Jrad AIS, Trad M, Bzeih W, El Hasbani G, Uthman I. Role of pro-inflammatory interleukins in osteoarthritis: a narrative review. Connect Tissue Res 2022; 64:238-247. [PMID: 36541851 DOI: 10.1080/03008207.2022.2157270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE This manuscript will summarize the role of pro-inflammatory cytokines and tackle newly discussed ones within the scope of OA pathogenesis as mentioned in the recent literature. This will allow for a better understanding of the mechanisms behind such a complicated disease. MATERIAL AND METHODS Relevant articles were obtained by searching key terms including "pro-inflammatory cytokines," "inflammation," "pathophysiology," "cartilage damage," and "OA" in PubMed and Google Scholar databases. The year ranges set for the selection of the articles was between 2015 -2021. Inclusion criteria was based on the relevance and contribution to the field of the study. RESULTS Osteoarthritis (OA) has a complex multifactorial pathophysiology which is attributed to molecular and biomechanical changes that disrupt the normal balance of synthesis and degradation of articular cartilage and subchondral bone. Pro-inflammatory cytokines, with their wide range of action and intricate signaling pathways, are the constant subject of new discoveries revolving around this inflammatory disease. The available literature indicates that some of these cytokines such as IL-33, IL-17, IL-6, and IL-22 have a direct relation to cartilage degradation, while others like IL-15, IL-1, IL-7, and IL-34 have an indirect one. CONCLUSIONS Inflammation has an essential role in the manifestation of osteoarthritis clinical events. Specifically, certain cytokines exhibit pro-inflammatory properties that are markedly activated during the course of the disease and notably alter the homeostasis of the joint environment. However, clinical trials and observational studies remain insufficient to navigate the varying nature of this disease in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Maha Trad
- Faculty of Medical Sciences, Lebanese University, Hadath, Lebanon
| | - Wafaa Bzeih
- Faculty of Medical Sciences, Lebanese University, Hadath, Lebanon
| | - Georges El Hasbani
- Department of Internal Medicine, St. Vincent's Medical Center, Bridgeport, CT, USA
| | - Imad Uthman
- Department of Internal Medicine, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon
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24
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Antosova Z, Podzimkova N, Tomala J, Augustynkova K, Sajnerova K, Nedvedova E, Sirova M, de Martynoff G, Bechard D, Moebius U, Kovar M, Spisek R, Adkins I. SOT101 induces NK cell cytotoxicity and potentiates antibody-dependent cell cytotoxicity and anti-tumor activity. Front Immunol 2022; 13:989895. [PMID: 36300122 PMCID: PMC9590108 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.989895] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2022] [Accepted: 08/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
SOT101 is a superagonist fusion protein of interleukin (IL)-15 and the IL-15 receptor α (IL-15Rα) sushi+ domain, representing a promising clinical candidate for the treatment of cancer. SOT101 among other immune cells specifically stimulates natural killer (NK) cells and memory CD8+ T cells with no significant expansion or activation of the regulatory T cell compartment. In this study, we showed that SOT101 induced expression of cytotoxic receptors NKp30, DNAM-1 and NKG2D on human NK cells. SOT101 stimulated dose-dependent proliferation and the relative expansion of both major subsets of human NK cells, CD56brightCD16- and CD56dimCD16+, and these displayed an enhanced cytotoxicity in vitro. Using human PBMCs and isolated NK cells, we showed that SOT101 added concomitantly or used for immune cell pre-stimulation potentiated clinically approved monoclonal antibodies Cetuximab, Daratumumab and Obinutuzumab in killing of tumor cells in vitro. The anti-tumor efficacy of SOT101 in combination with Daratumumab was assessed in a solid multiple myeloma xenograft in CB17 SCID mouse model testing several combination schedules of administration in the early and late therapeutic setting of established tumors in vivo. SOT101 and Daratumumab monotherapies decreased with various efficacy tumor growth in vivo in dependence on the advancement of the tumor development. The combination of both drugs showed the strongest anti-tumor efficacy. Specifically, the sequencing of both drugs did not matter in the early therapeutic setting where a complete tumor regression was observed in all animals. In the late therapeutic treatment of established tumors Daratumumab followed by SOT101 administration or a concomitant administration of both drugs showed a significant anti-tumor efficacy over the respective monotherapies. These results suggest that SOT101 might significantly augment the anti-tumor activity of therapeutic antibodies by increasing NK cell-mediated activity in patients. These results support the evaluation of SOT101 in combination with Daratumumab in clinical studies and present a rationale for an optimal clinical dosing schedule selection.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Nada Podzimkova
- Preclinical Department, SOTIO Biotech a.s, Prague, Czechia
- Department of Immunology, 2nd Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Motol, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
| | - Jakub Tomala
- Laboratory of Tumor Immunology, Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czechia
| | | | | | - Eva Nedvedova
- Preclinical Department, SOTIO Biotech a.s, Prague, Czechia
| | - Milada Sirova
- Laboratory of Tumor Immunology, Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czechia
| | | | | | - Ulrich Moebius
- Preclinical Department, SOTIO Biotech a.s, Prague, Czechia
| | - Marek Kovar
- Laboratory of Tumor Immunology, Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czechia
| | - Radek Spisek
- Preclinical Department, SOTIO Biotech a.s, Prague, Czechia
- Department of Immunology, 2nd Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Motol, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
| | - Irena Adkins
- Preclinical Department, SOTIO Biotech a.s, Prague, Czechia
- Department of Immunology, 2nd Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Motol, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
- *Correspondence: Irena Adkins,
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25
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A homodimeric IL-15 superagonist F4RLI with easy preparation, improved half-life, and potent antitumor activities. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2022; 106:7039-7050. [PMID: 36184689 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-022-12209-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2022] [Revised: 08/28/2022] [Accepted: 09/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Interleukin-15 (IL-15) is a promising candidate for cancer immunotherapy due to its potent immune-activating effects. There are several IL-15 molecules currently in clinical trials but facing shortages of poor half-life, circulation instability, or complicated production and quality control processes. The aim of this study is to design a novel IL-15 superagonist to set out the above difficulties, and we constructed F4RLI consisting of the GS-linker spaced IgG4 Fc fragment, soluble IL-15 Rα (sIL-15Rα), and IL-15(N72D). Using a single plasmid transient transfection in HEK293E cells, the matured F4RLI was secreted in the form of homodimer and got purified by an easy step of protein A affinity chromatography. The F4RLI product can significantly stimulate the proliferation of human CD3+CD8+ T cells and NK cells in vitro. Meanwhile, F4RLI greatly extended the half-life and prolonged the exposure of IL-15 in mice nearly by 28- and 200-fold, respectively, in comparison with that of the IL-15 monomer. In vivo, F4RLI vastly expanded mouse splenic CD8+ T lymphocytes, illustrating its potential in tumor immunotherapy. Further studies showed that the combination of F4RLI with the immune checkpoint blocker atezolizumab played a synergistic effect in treating MC38 mouse tumor by increasing the percentage of CD8+ T cells in tumor tissue. Moreover, the combination therapy of F4RLI with the angiogenesis inhibitor bevacizumab resulted in significant tumor growth suppression in a xenograft human HT-29 mouse model. Overall, our results demonstrate a homodimeric IL-15 superagonist F4RLI with advances in manufacturing processes and biopharmaceutical applications for cancer immunotherapy. KEY POINTS: • The homodimeric structure of F4RLI facilitates its easy production processes and quality control. • The fusion with Fc and sIL-15Rα extends the plasma half-life of IL-15 by about 28-fold. • F4RLI can play synergistic antitumor activity with the PD-1/PD-L1 checkpoint inhibitor or angiogenesis inhibitor.
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26
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Wu F, Wang Z, Yang G, Jian J, Lu Y. Molecular characterization and expression analysis of interleukin-15 (IL-15) genes in orange-spotted grouper (Epinephelus coioides) in response to Vibrio harveyi challenge. FISH & SHELLFISH IMMUNOLOGY 2022; 128:327-334. [PMID: 35940540 DOI: 10.1016/j.fsi.2022.08.003] [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: 03/22/2022] [Revised: 07/24/2022] [Accepted: 08/01/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
As a member of the γc family, interleukin 15 plays an important function in the immune response. In this study, we cloned an IL15 from Epinephelus coioides (named Ec-IL15). The open reading frame of Ec-IL15 is 528 bp, encoding 175 amino acids. Sequence alignment analysis showed that EcIL-15 has a conserved Pfam: IL15 domain and four cysteine residues. Subcellular localization studies have shown that Ec-IL15 is distributed in whole cells. In healthy groupers, Ec-IL15 was expressed in all 11 tissues tested and the highest in liver. After ConA, PHA, LPS and poly I:C stimulation, Ec-IL15 expression of HKLs was significantly upregulated. After V. harveyi infection, the expression of Ec-IL15 in 9 tissues was significantly upregulated and peaked within 48 h. In addition, recombinant Ec-IL15 protein can not only stimulate HKLs proliferation and cytokine expression, but also has the potential as an immune enhancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fan Wu
- Shenzhen Institute of Guangdong Ocean University, Shenzhen, 518120, China; Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center for Aquatic Animal Health Assessment, Shenzhen, 51820, China; College of Fishery, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, 524025, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Aquaic Animal Disease Control and Healthy Culture, Zhanjiang, 524025, China
| | - Zhiwen Wang
- Shenzhen Institute of Guangdong Ocean University, Shenzhen, 518120, China; Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center for Aquatic Animal Health Assessment, Shenzhen, 51820, China; College of Fishery, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, 524025, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Aquaic Animal Disease Control and Healthy Culture, Zhanjiang, 524025, China
| | - Guanjian Yang
- Shenzhen Institute of Guangdong Ocean University, Shenzhen, 518120, China; Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center for Aquatic Animal Health Assessment, Shenzhen, 51820, China; College of Fishery, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, 524025, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Aquaic Animal Disease Control and Healthy Culture, Zhanjiang, 524025, China
| | - Jichang Jian
- College of Fishery, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, 524025, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Aquaic Animal Disease Control and Healthy Culture, Zhanjiang, 524025, China
| | - Yishan Lu
- Shenzhen Institute of Guangdong Ocean University, Shenzhen, 518120, China; Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center for Aquatic Animal Health Assessment, Shenzhen, 51820, China; College of Fishery, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, 524025, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Aquaic Animal Disease Control and Healthy Culture, Zhanjiang, 524025, China.
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27
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Rossi F, Fredericks N, Snowden A, Allegrezza MJ, Moreno-Nieves UY. Next Generation Natural Killer Cells for Cancer Immunotherapy. Front Immunol 2022; 13:886429. [PMID: 35720306 PMCID: PMC9202478 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.886429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 04/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
In recent years, immunotherapy for cancer has become mainstream with several products now authorized for therapeutic use in the clinic and are becoming the standard of care for some malignancies. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapies have demonstrated substantial efficacy for the treatment of hematological malignancies; however, they are complex and currently expensive to manufacture, and they can generate life-threatening adverse events such as cytokine release syndrome (CRS). The limitations of current CAR-T cells therapies have spurred an interest in alternative immunotherapy approaches with safer risk profiles and with less restrictive manufacturing constraints. Natural killer (NK) cells are a population of immune effector cells with potent anti-viral and anti-tumor activity; they have the capacity to swiftly recognize and kill cancer cells without the need of prior stimulation. Although NK cells are naturally equipped with cytotoxic potential, a growing body of evidence shows the added benefit of engineering them to better target tumor cells, persist longer in the host, and be fitter to resist the hostile tumor microenvironment (TME). NK-cell-based immunotherapies allow for the development of allogeneic off-the-shelf products, which have the potential to be less expensive and readily available for patients in need. In this review, we will focus on the advances in the development of engineering of NK cells for cancer immunotherapy. We will discuss the sourcing of NK cells, the technologies available to engineer NK cells, current clinical trials utilizing engineered NK cells, advances on the engineering of receptors adapted for NK cells, and stealth approaches to avoid recipient immune responses. We will conclude with comments regarding the next generation of NK cell products, i.e., armored NK cells with enhanced functionality, fitness, tumor-infiltration potential, and with the ability to overcome tumor heterogeneity and immune evasion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fiorella Rossi
- Janssen Research and Development, LLC, Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, Spring House, PA, United States
| | - Nathaniel Fredericks
- Janssen Research and Development, LLC, Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, Spring House, PA, United States
| | - Andrew Snowden
- Janssen Research and Development, LLC, Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, Spring House, PA, United States
| | - Michael J Allegrezza
- Janssen Research and Development, LLC, Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, Spring House, PA, United States
| | - Uriel Y Moreno-Nieves
- Janssen Research and Development, LLC, Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, Spring House, PA, United States
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28
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Chen W, Bamford RN, Edmondson EF, Waldmann TA. IL15 and Anti-PD-1 Augment the Efficacy of Agonistic Intratumoral Anti-CD40 in a Mouse Model with Multiple TRAMP-C2 Tumors. Clin Cancer Res 2022; 28:2082-2093. [PMID: 35262675 PMCID: PMC10569074 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-21-0496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2021] [Revised: 12/07/2021] [Accepted: 03/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE IL15 promotes activation and maintenance of natural killer (NK) and CD8+ T effector memory cells making it a potential immunotherapeutic agent for the treatment of cancer. However, monotherapy with IL15 was ineffective in patients with cancer, indicating that it would have to be used in combination with other anticancer agents. The administration of high doses of common gamma chain cytokines, such as IL15, is associated with the generation of "helpless" antigen-nonspecific CD8 T cells. The generation of the tumor-specific cytotoxic T cells can be mediated by CD40 signaling via agonistic anti-CD40 antibodies. Nevertheless, parenteral administration of anti-CD40 antibodies is associated with unacceptable side effects, such as thrombocytopenia and hepatic toxicity, which can be avoided by intratumoral administration. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN We investigated the combination of IL15 with an intratumoral anti-CD40 monoclonal antibody (mAb) in a dual tumor TRAMP-C2 murine prostate cancer model and expanded the regimen to include an anti-PD-1 mAb. RESULTS Here we demonstrated that anti-CD40 given intratumorally not only showed significant antitumor activity in treated tumors, but also noninjected contralateral tumors, indicative of abscopal efficacy. The combination of IL15 with intratumoral anti-CD40 showed an additive immune response with an increase in the number of tumor-specific tetramer-positive CD8 T cells. Furthermore, the addition of anti-PD-1 further improved efficacy mediated by the anti-CD40/IL15 combination. CONCLUSIONS These studies support the initiation of a clinical trial in patients with cancer using IL15 in association with the checkpoint inhibitor, anti-PD-1, and intratumoral optimized anti-CD40.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Chen
- Lymphoid Malignancies Branch, Center for Cancer Research, NCI, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland
| | | | - Elijah F. Edmondson
- Molecular Histopathology Laboratory, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, Maryland
| | - Thomas A. Waldmann
- Lymphoid Malignancies Branch, Center for Cancer Research, NCI, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland
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29
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Holder PG, Lim SA, Huang CS, Sharma P, Dagdas YS, Bulutoglu B, Sockolosky JT. Engineering interferons and interleukins for cancer immunotherapy. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2022; 182:114112. [PMID: 35085624 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2022.114112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2021] [Revised: 01/07/2022] [Accepted: 01/12/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Cytokines are a class of potent immunoregulatory proteins that are secreted in response to various stimuli and act locally to regulate many aspects of human physiology and disease. Cytokines play important roles in cancer initiation, progression, and elimination, and thus, there is a long clinical history associated with the use of recombinant cytokines to treat cancer. However, the use of cytokines as therapeutics has been limited by cytokine pleiotropy, complex biology, poor drug-like properties, and severe dose-limiting toxicities. Nevertheless, cytokines are crucial mediators of innate and adaptive antitumor immunity and have the potential to enhance immunotherapeutic approaches to treat cancer. Development of immune checkpoint inhibitors and combination immunotherapies has reinvigorated interest in cytokines as therapeutics, and a variety of engineering approaches are emerging to improve the safety and effectiveness of cytokine immunotherapy. In this review we highlight recent advances in cytokine biology and engineering for cancer immunotherapy.
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30
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Park JY, Won HY, DiPalma DT, Kim HK, Kim TH, Li C, Sato N, Hong C, Abraham N, Gress RE, Park JH. In vivo availability of the cytokine IL-7 constrains the survival and homeostasis of peripheral iNKT cells. Cell Rep 2022; 38:110219. [PMID: 35021100 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.110219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2020] [Revised: 10/06/2021] [Accepted: 12/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the homeostatic mechanism of invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells is a critical issue in iNKT cell biology. Because interleukin (IL)-15 is required for the thymic generation of iNKT cells, IL-15 has also been considered necessary for the homeostasis of peripheral iNKT cells. Here, we delineated the in vivo cytokine requirement for iNKT cells, and we came to the surprising conclusion that IL-7, not IL-15, is the homeostatic cytokine for iNKT cells. Employing a series of experimental mouse models where the availability of IL-7 or IL-15 was manipulated in peripheral tissues, either by genetic tools or by adult thymectomy and cytokine pump installation, we demonstrate that the abundance of IL-7, and not IL-15, limits the size of the peripheral iNKT cell pool. These results redefine the cytokine requirement for iNKT cells and indicate competition for IL-7 between iNKT and conventional αβ T cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joo-Young Park
- Experimental Immunology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Building 10, Room 5B17, 10 Center Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA; Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Seoul National University School of Dentistry, Seoul National University Dental Hospital, 101 Daehakno, Jongno-gu, Seoul 03080, South Korea.
| | - Hee Yeun Won
- Experimental Immunology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Building 10, Room 5B17, 10 Center Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Devon T DiPalma
- Experimental Immunology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Building 10, Room 5B17, 10 Center Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Hye Kyung Kim
- Experimental Transplantation Immunology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Tae-Hyoun Kim
- Experimental Immunology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Building 10, Room 5B17, 10 Center Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Can Li
- Experimental Immunology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Building 10, Room 5B17, 10 Center Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Noriko Sato
- Molecular Imaging Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Changwan Hong
- Department of Anatomy, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Yangsan 626-870, South Korea
| | - Ninan Abraham
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, and Department of Zoology, Life Sciences Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - Ronald E Gress
- Experimental Transplantation Immunology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Jung-Hyun Park
- Experimental Immunology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Building 10, Room 5B17, 10 Center Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
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31
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Hangasky JA, Chen W, Dubois SP, Daenthanasanmak A, Müller JR, Reid R, Waldmann TA, Santi DV. A very long-acting IL-15: implications for the immunotherapy of cancer. J Immunother Cancer 2022; 10:e004104. [PMID: 35101947 PMCID: PMC8804710 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2021-004104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/14/2021] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Interleukin-15 (IL-15) is an important cytokine necessary for proliferation and maintenance of natural killer (NK) and CD8+ T cells, and with great promise as an immuno-oncology therapeutic. However, IL-15 has a very short half-life and a single administration does not provide the sustained exposure required for optimal stimulation of target immune cells. The purpose of this work was to develop a very long-acting prodrug that would maintain IL-15 within a narrow therapeutic window for long periods-similar to a continuous infusion. METHODS We prepared and characterized hydrogel microspheres (MS) covalently attached to IL-15 (MS~IL-15) by a releasable linker. The pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of MS~IL-15 were determined in C57BL/6J mice. The antitumor activity of MS~IL-15 as a single agent, and in combination with a suitable therapeutic antibody, was tested in a CD8+ T cell-driven bilateral transgenic adenocarcinoma mouse prostate (TRAMP)-C2 model of prostatic cancer and a NK cell-driven mouse xenograft model of human ATL (MET-1) murine model of adult T-cell leukemia. RESULTS On subcutaneous administration to mice, the cytokine released from the depot maintained a long half-life of about 168 hours over the first 5 days, followed by an abrupt decrease to about ~30 hours in accordance with the development of a cytokine sink. A single injection of MS~IL-15 caused remarkably prolonged expansions of NK and ɣδ T cells for 2 weeks, and CD44hiCD8+ T cells for 4 weeks. In the NK cell-driven MET-1 murine model of adult T-cell leukemia, single-agent MS~IL-1550 μg or anti-CCR4 provided modest increases in survival, but a combination-through antibody-depedent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC)-significantly extended survival. In a CD8+ T cell-driven bilateral TRAMP-C2 model of prostatic cancer, single agent subcutaneous MS~IL-15 or unilateral intratumoral agonistic anti-CD40 showed modest growth inhibition, but the combination exhibited potent, prolonged bilateral antitumor activity. CONCLUSIONS Our results show MS~IL-15 provides a very long-acting IL-15 with low Cmax that elicits prolonged expansion of target immune cells and high anticancer activity, especially when administered in combination with a suitable immuno-oncology agent.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Wei Chen
- Lymphoid Malignancies Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Sigrid P Dubois
- Lymphoid Malignancies Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Anusara Daenthanasanmak
- Lymphoid Malignancies Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Jürgen R Müller
- Lymphoid Malignancies Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Ralph Reid
- ProLynx Inc, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Thomas A Waldmann
- Lymphoid Malignancies Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
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32
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Nandi M, Moyo MM, Orkhis S, Mobulakani JMF, Limoges MA, Rexhepi F, Mayhue M, Cayarga AA, Marrero GC, Ilangumaran S, Menendez A, Ramanathan S. IL-15Rα-Independent IL-15 Signaling in Non-NK Cell-Derived IFNγ Driven Control of Listeria monocytogenes. Front Immunol 2021; 12:793918. [PMID: 34956227 PMCID: PMC8703170 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.793918] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2021] [Accepted: 11/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Interleukin-15, produced by hematopoietic and parenchymal cells, maintains immune cell homeostasis and facilitates activation of lymphoid and myeloid cell subsets. IL-15 interacts with the ligand-binding receptor chain IL-15Rα during biosynthesis, and the IL-15:IL-15Rα complex is trans-presented to responder cells that express the IL-2/15Rβγc complex to initiate signaling. IL-15-deficient and IL-15Rα-deficient mice display similar alterations in immune cell subsets. Thus, the trimeric IL-15Rαβγc complex is considered the functional IL-15 receptor. However, studies on the pathogenic role of IL-15 in inflammatory and autoimmune diseases indicate that IL-15 can signal independently of IL-15Rα via the IL-15Rβγc dimer. Here, we compared the ability of mice lacking IL-15 (no signaling) or IL-15Rα (partial/distinct signaling) to control Listeria monocytogenes infection. We show that IL-15-deficient mice succumb to infection whereas IL-15Rα-deficient mice clear the pathogen as efficiently as wildtype mice. IL-15-deficient macrophages did not show any defect in bacterial uptake or iNOS expression in vitro. In vivo, IL-15 deficiency impaired the accumulation of inflammatory monocytes in infected spleens without affecting chemokine and pro-inflammatory cytokine production. The inability of IL-15-deficient mice to clear L. monocytogenes results from impaired early IFNγ production, which was not affected in IL-15Rα-deficient mice. Administration of IFNγ partially enabled IL-15-deficient mice to control the infection. Bone marrow chimeras revealed that IL-15 needed for early bacterial control can originate from both hematopoietic and non-hematopoietic cells. Overall, our findings indicate that IL-15-dependent IL-15Rα-independent signaling via the IL-15Rβγc dimeric complex is necessary and sufficient for the induction of IFNγ from sources other than NK/NKT cells to control bacterial pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madhuparna Nandi
- Department of Immunology and Cell Biology, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
| | - Mitterrand Muamba Moyo
- Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
| | - Sakina Orkhis
- Department of Immunology and Cell Biology, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
| | | | - Marc-André Limoges
- Department of Immunology and Cell Biology, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
| | - Fjolla Rexhepi
- Department of Immunology and Cell Biology, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
| | - Marian Mayhue
- Department of Immunology and Cell Biology, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
| | - Anny Armas Cayarga
- Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
| | - Gisela Cofino Marrero
- Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
| | - Subburaj Ilangumaran
- Department of Immunology and Cell Biology, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada.,Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Sherbrooke (CRCHUS), Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
| | - Alfredo Menendez
- Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada.,Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Sherbrooke (CRCHUS), Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
| | - Sheela Ramanathan
- Department of Immunology and Cell Biology, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada.,Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Sherbrooke (CRCHUS), Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
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33
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Heipertz EL, Zynda ER, Stav-Noraas TE, Hungler AD, Boucher SE, Kaur N, Vemuri MC. Current Perspectives on "Off-The-Shelf" Allogeneic NK and CAR-NK Cell Therapies. Front Immunol 2021; 12:732135. [PMID: 34925314 PMCID: PMC8671166 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.732135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2021] [Accepted: 11/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Natural killer cells (NK cells) are the first line of the innate immune defense system, primarily located in peripheral circulation and lymphoid tissues. They kill virally infected and malignant cells through a balancing play of inhibitory and stimulatory receptors. In pre-clinical investigational studies, NK cells show promising anti-tumor effects and are used in adoptive transfer of activated and expanded cells, ex-vivo. NK cells express co-stimulatory molecules that are attractive targets for the immunotherapy of cancers. Recent clinical trials are investigating the use of CAR-NK for different cancers to determine the efficiency. Herein, we review NK cell therapy approaches (NK cell preparation from tissue sources, ways of expansion ex-vivo for "off-the-shelf" allogeneic cell-doses for therapies, and how different vector delivery systems are used to engineer NK cells with CARs) for cancer immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erica L. Heipertz
- Cell & Gene Therapy, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Frederick, MD, United States
| | - Evan R. Zynda
- BioProduction, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Grand Island, NY, United States
| | | | - Andrew D. Hungler
- Cell & Gene Therapy, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Frederick, MD, United States
| | - Shayne E. Boucher
- Cell & Gene Therapy, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Frederick, MD, United States
| | - Navjot Kaur
- Cell & Gene Therapy, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Frederick, MD, United States
| | - Mohan C. Vemuri
- Cell & Gene Therapy, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Frederick, MD, United States
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34
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Conlon K, Watson DC, Waldmann TA, Valentin A, Bergamaschi C, Felber BK, Peer CJ, Figg WD, Potter EL, Roederer M, McNeel DG, Thompson JA, Gupta S, Leidner R, Wang-Gillam A, Parikh NS, Long D, Kurtulus S, Ho Lee L, Chowdhury NR, Bender F, Pavlakis GN. Phase I study of single agent NIZ985, a recombinant heterodimeric IL-15 agonist, in adult patients with metastatic or unresectable solid tumors. J Immunother Cancer 2021; 9:jitc-2021-003388. [PMID: 34799399 PMCID: PMC8606766 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2021-003388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background NIZ985 is a recombinant heterodimer of physiologically active interleukin (IL-)15 and IL-15 receptor alpha. In preclinical models, NIZ985 promotes cytotoxic lymphocyte proliferation, killing function, and organ/tumor infiltration, with resultant anticancer effects. In this first-in-human study, we assessed the safety, pharmacokinetics, and immune effects of NIZ985 in patients with metastatic or unresectable solid tumors. Methods Single agent NIZ985 dose escalation data are reported from a phase I dose escalation/expansion study of NIZ985 as monotherapy. Adult patients (N=14) received 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2 or 4 µg/kg subcutaneous NIZ985 three times weekly (TIW) for the first 2 weeks of each 28-day cycle, in an accelerated 3+3 dose escalation trial design. IL-15 and endogenous cytokines were monitored by ELISA and multiplexed electrochemiluminescent assays. Multiparameter flow cytometry assessed the frequency, phenotype and proliferation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Preliminary antitumor activity was assessed by overall response rate (Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors V.1.1). Results As of March 2, 2020, median treatment duration was 7.5 weeks (range 1.1–77.1). Thirteen patients had discontinued and one (uveal melanoma) remains on treatment with stable disease. Best clinical response was stable disease (3 of 14 patients; 21%). The most frequent adverse events (AEs) were circular erythematous injection site reactions (100%), chills (71%), fatigue (57%), and fever (50%). Treatment-related grade 3/4 AEs occurred in six participants (43%); treatment-related serious AEs (SAEs) in three (21%). The per-protocol maximum tolerated dose was not reached. Pharmacokinetic accumulation of serum IL-15 in the first week was followed by significantly lower levels in week 2, likely due to more rapid cytokine consumption by an expanding lymphocyte pool. NIZ985 treatment was associated with increases in several cytokines, including interferon (IFN)-γ, IL-18, C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 10, and tumor necrosis factor-β, plus significant induction of cytotoxic lymphocyte proliferation (including natural killer and CD8+ T cells), increased CD16+ monocytes, and increased CD163+ macrophages at injection sites. Conclusions Subcutaneous NIZ985 TIW was generally well tolerated in patients with advanced cancer and produced immune activation paralleling preclinical observations, with induction of IFN-γ and proliferation of cytotoxic lymphocytes. Due to delayed SAEs at the two highest dose levels, administration is being changed to once-weekly in a revised protocol, as monotherapy and combined with checkpoint inhibitor spartalizumab. These alterations are expected to maximize the potential of NIZ985 as a novel immunotherapy. Trial registration number NCT02452268.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin Conlon
- Lymphoid Malignancies Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Dionysios C Watson
- Human Retrovirus Section, Vaccine Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute at Frederick, Frederick, Maryland, USA.,University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Thomas A Waldmann
- Lymphoid Malignancies Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Antonio Valentin
- Human Retrovirus Section, Vaccine Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute at Frederick, Frederick, Maryland, USA
| | - Cristina Bergamaschi
- Human Retrovirus Pathogenesis Section, Vaccine Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, Maryland, USA
| | - Barbara K Felber
- Human Retrovirus Pathogenesis Section, Vaccine Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, Maryland, USA
| | - Cody J Peer
- Clinical Pharmacology Program, Center for Cancer Research, NCI, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - William D Figg
- Clinical Pharmacology Program, Center for Cancer Research, NCI, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - E Lake Potter
- Vaccine Research Center, NIAID, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | | | - Douglas G McNeel
- Carbone Cancer Center, University of Wisconsin Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | | | - Sumati Gupta
- Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
| | - Rom Leidner
- Earle A Chiles Research Institute, Providence Cancer Institute, Portland, Oregon, USA
| | - Andrea Wang-Gillam
- Division of Oncology, Department of Medicine, Washington University in Saint Louis, St Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Nehal S Parikh
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research Inc, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Debby Long
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research Inc, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Sema Kurtulus
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research Inc, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Lang Ho Lee
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research Inc, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | | | - Florent Bender
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research Inc, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - George N Pavlakis
- Human Retrovirus Section, Vaccine Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute at Frederick, Frederick, Maryland, USA
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Ghahri-Saremi N, Akbari B, Soltantoyeh T, Hadjati J, Ghassemi S, Mirzaei HR. Genetic Modification of Cytokine Signaling to Enhance Efficacy of CAR T Cell Therapy in Solid Tumors. Front Immunol 2021; 12:738456. [PMID: 34721401 PMCID: PMC8552010 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.738456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2021] [Accepted: 09/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy has shown unprecedented success in treating advanced hematological malignancies. Its effectiveness in solid tumors has been limited due to heterogeneous antigen expression, a suppressive tumor microenvironment, suboptimal trafficking to the tumor site and poor CAR T cell persistence. Several approaches have been developed to overcome these obstacles through various strategies including the genetic engineering of CAR T cells to blunt the signaling of immune inhibitory receptors as well as to modulate signaling of cytokine/chemokine molecules and their receptors. In this review we offer our perspective on how genetically modifying cytokine/chemokine molecules and their receptors can improve CAR T cell qualities such as functionality, persistence (e.g. resistance to pro-apoptotic signals) and infiltration into tumor sites. Understanding how such modifications can overcome barriers to CAR T cell effectiveness will undoubtedly enhance the potential of CAR T cells against solid tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Navid Ghahri-Saremi
- Department of Medical Immunology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Behnia Akbari
- Department of Medical Immunology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Tahereh Soltantoyeh
- Department of Medical Immunology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Jamshid Hadjati
- Department of Medical Immunology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Saba Ghassemi
- Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Hamid Reza Mirzaei
- Department of Medical Immunology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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36
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Li G, Zhang Z, Cai L, Tang X, Huang J, Yu L, Wang G, Zhong K, Cao Y, Liu C, Wang Y, Tong A, Zhou L. Fn14-targeted BiTE and CAR-T cells demonstrate potent preclinical activity against glioblastoma. Oncoimmunology 2021; 10:1983306. [PMID: 34595061 PMCID: PMC8477963 DOI: 10.1080/2162402x.2021.1983306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
T cell-engaging therapies involving bispecific T cell engager (BiTE) and chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cells have achieved great success in the treatment of hematological tumors. However, the paucity of ideal cell surface molecules that can be targeted on glioblastoma (GBM) partially reduces the immunotherapeutic efficacy. Recently, high expression of Fn14 has been reported in several solid tumors, so the strategy of exploiting this specific antigen for GBM immunotherapy is worth studying. Consequently, we constructed Fn14× CD3 BiTE and Fn14-specific CAR-T cells and investigated their cytotoxic activity against GBM in vitro and in vivo. First, expression of Fn14 was confirmed in glioma tissues and GBM cells. Then, we designed Fn14-specific BiTE and CAR-T cells and tested their cytotoxicity in GBM cell cultures and mouse models of GBM. Fn14 was highly expressed in GBM tissues and cell lines, while it was undetectable in normal brain samples. Fn14× CD3 BiTE, Fn14 CAR-T cells and Fn14 CAR-T/IL-15 cells were antigen-specific and highly cytotoxic, showing good antitumor activity in vitro and causing significant regression of established solid tumors in xenograft models. However, the xenografts treated with Fn14 CAR-T cells regrew, whereas xenografts treated with Fn14 CAR-T/IL-15 cells did not. IL-15 engineering augmented the antitumor activity of Fn14 CAR-T cells and resulted in significant antitumor effects similar to those of Fn14× CD3 BiTE. Our results suggest that Fn14 is an appropriate target for GBM. Anti-Fn14 BiTE and Fn14-specific CAR-T/IL-15 cells may be exciting immunotherapeutic options for malignant brain cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaowei Li
- Department of Neurosurgery, West China Hospital, West China School of Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Zongliang Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, West China School of Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Linjun Cai
- Department of Neurology, West China Hospital, West China School of Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Xin Tang
- Department of Neurosurgery, West China Hospital, West China School of Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Jianhan Huang
- Department of Neurosurgery, West China Hospital, West China School of Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Lingyu Yu
- Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, West China Hospital, West China School of Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Guoqing Wang
- Department of Neurosurgery, West China Hospital, West China School of Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Kunhong Zhong
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, West China School of Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Yi Cao
- Department of Neurosurgery, West China Hospital, West China School of Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Chang Liu
- Department of Neurosurgery, West China Hospital, West China School of Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Yuelong Wang
- Department of Neurosurgery, West China Hospital, West China School of Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Aiping Tong
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, West China School of Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Liangxue Zhou
- Department of Neurosurgery, West China Hospital, West China School of Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, People's Republic of China
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37
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Zhang Z, Miao L, Ren Z, Tang F, Li Y. Gene-Edited Interleukin CAR-T Cells Therapy in the Treatment of Malignancies: Present and Future. Front Immunol 2021; 12:718686. [PMID: 34386015 PMCID: PMC8353254 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.718686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2021] [Accepted: 07/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
In recent years, chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR-T cells) have been faced with the problems of weak proliferation and poor persistence in the treatment of some malignancies. Researchers have been trying to perfect the function of CAR-T by genetically modifying its structure. In addition to the participation of T cell receptor (TCR) and costimulatory signals, immune cytokines also exert a decisive role in the activation and proliferation of T cells. Therefore, genetic engineering strategies were used to generate cytokines to enhance tumor killing function of CAR-T cells. When CAR-T cells are in contact with target tumor tissue, the proliferation ability and persistence of T cells can be improved by structurally or inductively releasing immunoregulatory molecules to the tumor region. There are a large number of CAR-T cells studies on gene-edited cytokines, and the most common cytokines involved are interleukins (IL-7, IL-12, IL-15, IL-18, IL-21, IL-23). Methods for the construction of gene-edited interleukin CAR-T cells include co-expression of single interleukin, two interleukin, interleukin combined with other cytokines, interleukin receptors, interleukin subunits, and fusion inverted cytokine receptors (ICR). Preclinical and clinical trials have yielded positive results, and many more are under way. By reading a large number of literatures, we summarized the functional characteristics of some members of the interleukin family related to tumor immunotherapy, and described the research status of gene-edited interleukin CAR-T cells in the treatment of malignant tumors. The objective is to explore the optimized strategy of gene edited interleukin-CAR-T cell function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhengchao Zhang
- Department of General Surgery, Second Hospital of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Digestive System Tumors of Gansu Province, Second Hospital of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Lele Miao
- Department of General Surgery, Second Hospital of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Digestive System Tumors of Gansu Province, Second Hospital of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Zhijian Ren
- Department of General Surgery, Second Hospital of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Digestive System Tumors of Gansu Province, Second Hospital of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Futian Tang
- Department of General Surgery, Second Hospital of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Digestive System Tumors of Gansu Province, Second Hospital of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Yumin Li
- Department of General Surgery, Second Hospital of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Digestive System Tumors of Gansu Province, Second Hospital of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
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38
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Abdelbaky SB, Ibrahim MT, Samy H, Mohamed M, Mohamed H, Mustafa M, Abdelaziz MM, Forrest ML, Khalil IA. Cancer immunotherapy from biology to nanomedicine. J Control Release 2021; 336:410-432. [PMID: 34171445 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2021.06.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2021] [Revised: 06/16/2021] [Accepted: 06/19/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
With the significant drawbacks of conventional cancer chemotherapeutics, cancer immunotherapy has demonstrated the ability to eradicate cancer cells and circumvent multidrug resistance (MDR) with fewer side effects than traditional cytotoxic therapies. Various immunotherapeutic agents have been investigated for that purpose including checkpoint inhibitors, cytokines, monoclonal antibodies and cancer vaccines. All these agents aid immune cells to recognize and engage tumor cells by acting on tumor-specific pathways, antigens or cellular targets. However, immunotherapeutics are still associated with some concerns such as off-target side effects and poor pharmacokinetics. Nanomedicine may resolve some limitations of current immunotherapeutics such as localizing delivery, controlling release and enhancing the pharmacokinetic profile. Herein, we discuss recent advances of immunotherapeutic agents with respect to their development and biological mechanisms of action, along with the advantages that nanomedicine strategies lend to immunotherapeutics by possibly improving therapeutic outcomes and minimizing side effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Salma B Abdelbaky
- University of Science and Technology, Zewail City, 6th of October City, Giza 12578, Egypt; Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, College of Arts and Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, United States of America
| | - Mayar Tarek Ibrahim
- University of Science and Technology, Zewail City, 6th of October City, Giza 12578, Egypt; Department of Chemistry, Center for Scientific Computation, Center for Drug Discovery, Design, and Delivery (CD4), Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas 75275, United States of America
| | - Hebatallah Samy
- University of Science and Technology, Zewail City, 6th of October City, Giza 12578, Egypt; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec H3C 3J7, Canada
| | - Menatalla Mohamed
- University of Science and Technology, Zewail City, 6th of October City, Giza 12578, Egypt; Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4M1, Canada
| | - Hebatallah Mohamed
- University of Science and Technology, Zewail City, 6th of October City, Giza 12578, Egypt; Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4M1, Canada
| | - Mahmoud Mustafa
- University of Science and Technology, Zewail City, 6th of October City, Giza 12578, Egypt
| | - Moustafa M Abdelaziz
- Department of Bioengineering, School of Engineering, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA
| | - M Laird Forrest
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66047, USA.
| | - Islam A Khalil
- Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy and Drug Manufacturing, Misr University of Science and Technology (MUST), 6th of October, Giza 12582, Egypt.
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Lee SH, Lim YJ, Kim CJ, Yu D, Lee JJ, Won Hong J, Baek YJ, Jung JY, Shin DJ, Kim SK. Safety and immunological effects of recombinant canine IL-15 in dogs. Cytokine 2021; 148:155599. [PMID: 34103211 DOI: 10.1016/j.cyto.2021.155599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2021] [Revised: 05/03/2021] [Accepted: 05/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Interleukin-15 (IL-15) is a pleiotropic cytokine that plays pivotal roles in innate and adaptive immunity. It is also a promising cytokine for treating cancer. Despite growing interest in its use as an immunotherapeutic, its safety and immunological effects in dogs have not been reported. In this study, healthy dogs were given recombinant canine IL-15 (rcIL-15) intravenously at a daily dose of 20 μg/kg for 8 days and monitored for 32 days to determine the safety and immunological effects of rcIL-15. The repeated administration of rcIL-15 was well tolerated, did not cause any serious side effects, and promoted the selective proliferation and activation of canine anti-cancer effector cells, including CD3+CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes, CD3+CD5dimCD21-, and non-B/non-T NK cell populations, without stimulating Treg lymphocytes. The rcIL-15 injections also stimulated the expression of molecules and transcription factors associated with the activation and effector functions of NK cells, including CD16, NKG2D, NKp30, NKp44, NKp46, perforin, granzyme B, Ly49, T-bet, and Eomes. These results suggest that rcIL-15 might be a valuable therapeutic adjuvant to improve immunity against cancer in dogs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soo-Hyeon Lee
- Department of Integrated Life Science and Technology, Kongju National University, Yesan-gun, Chungnam, Republic of Korea
| | - Yu-Jin Lim
- Department of Companion and Laboratory Animal Science, College of Industrial Science, Kongju National University, Yesan-gun, Chungnam, Republic of Korea
| | - Cheol-Jung Kim
- Department of Companion and Laboratory Animal Science, College of Industrial Science, Kongju National University, Yesan-gun, Chungnam, Republic of Korea
| | - Dohyeon Yu
- Institute of Animal Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju, Republic of Korea
| | - Je-Jung Lee
- Department of Hemotology-Oncology, Chonnam National Univresity Hwasun Hospital, Hwasun, Jeollanamdo, Republic of Korea
| | - Jeong Won Hong
- Research Institute for Natural Products, Kongju National University, Yesan-gun, Chungnam, Republic of Korea
| | - Yeon-Ju Baek
- Department of Companion and Laboratory Animal Science, College of Industrial Science, Kongju National University, Yesan-gun, Chungnam, Republic of Korea
| | - Ji-Youn Jung
- Department of Integrated Life Science and Technology, Kongju National University, Yesan-gun, Chungnam, Republic of Korea; Department of Companion and Laboratory Animal Science, College of Industrial Science, Kongju National University, Yesan-gun, Chungnam, Republic of Korea; Research Institute for Natural Products, Kongju National University, Yesan-gun, Chungnam, Republic of Korea
| | - Dong-Jun Shin
- Research Institute for Natural Products, Kongju National University, Yesan-gun, Chungnam, Republic of Korea; SD Medic Co, Gwangju, Republic of Korea.
| | - Sang-Ki Kim
- Department of Integrated Life Science and Technology, Kongju National University, Yesan-gun, Chungnam, Republic of Korea; Department of Companion and Laboratory Animal Science, College of Industrial Science, Kongju National University, Yesan-gun, Chungnam, Republic of Korea; Research Institute for Natural Products, Kongju National University, Yesan-gun, Chungnam, Republic of Korea.
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Desbois M, Béal C, Charrier M, Besse B, Meurice G, Cagnard N, Jacques Y, Béchard D, Cassard L, Chaput N. IL-15 superagonist RLI has potent immunostimulatory properties on NK cells: implications for antimetastatic treatment. J Immunother Cancer 2021; 8:jitc-2020-000632. [PMID: 32532840 PMCID: PMC7295443 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2020-000632] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Background As the immune system is compromised in patients with cancer, therapeutic strategies to stimulate immunity appear promising, to avoid relapse and increase long-term overall survival. Interleukin-15 (IL-15) has similar properties to IL-2, but does not cause activation-induced cell death nor activation and proliferation of regulatory T cells (Treg), which makes it a serious candidate for anticancer immunotherapy. However, IL-15 has a short half-life and high doses are needed to achieve responses. Designed to enhance its activity, receptor-linker-IL-15 (RLI) (SO-C101) is a fusion molecule of human IL-15 covalently linked to the human IL-15Rα sushi+ domain currently assessed in a phase I/Ib clinical trial on patients with advanced/metastatic solid cancer. Methods We investigated the antimetastatic activity of RLI in a 4T1 mouse mammary carcinoma that spontaneously metastasizes and evaluated its immunomodulatory role in the metastatic lung microenvironment. We further characterized the proliferation, maturation and cytotoxic functions of natural killer (NK) cells in tumor-free mice treated with RLI. Finally, we explored the effect of RLI on human NK cells from healthy donors and patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Results RLI treatment displayed antimetastatic properties in the 4T1 mouse model. By characterizing the lung microenvironment, we observed that RLI restored the balance between NK cells and neutrophils (CD11b+ Ly6Ghigh Ly6Clow) that massively infiltrate lungs of 4T1-tumor bearing mice. In addition, the ratio between NK cells and Treg was strongly increased by RLI treatment. Further pharmacodynamic studies in tumor-free mice revealed superior proliferative and cytotoxic functions on NK cells after RLI treatment compared with IL-15 alone. Characterization of the maturation stage of NK cells demonstrated that RLI favored accumulation of CD11b+ CD27high KLRG1+ mature NK cells. Finally, RLI demonstrated potent immunostimulatory properties on human NK cells by inducing proliferation and activation of NK cells from healthy donors and enhancing cytotoxic responses to NKp30 crosslinking in NK cells from patients with NSCLC. Conclusions Collectively, our work demonstrates superior activity of RLI compared with rhIL-15 in modulating and activating NK cells and provides additional evidences for a therapeutic strategy using RLI as antimetastatic molecule.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mélanie Desbois
- Analyse Moléculaire, Modélisation et Imagerie de la Maladie Cancéreuse, Laboratoire d'Immunomonitoring en Oncologie, Gustave Roussy Institute, INSERM, CNRS, Paris-Saclay University, Villejuif, Île-de-France, France.,Cytune Pharma, Nantes, France.,Faculté de Médecine, Paris-Saclay University, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, Île-de-France, France
| | - Coralie Béal
- Centre d'investigation Clinique Biothérapie 1428, Gustave Roussy Institute, Villejuif, Île-de-France, France
| | - Mélinda Charrier
- Analyse Moléculaire, Modélisation et Imagerie de la Maladie Cancéreuse, Laboratoire d'Immunomonitoring en Oncologie, Gustave Roussy Institute, INSERM, CNRS, Paris-Saclay University, Villejuif, Île-de-France, France.,Faculté de Médecine, Paris-Saclay University, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, Île-de-France, France.,Centre d'investigation Clinique Biothérapie 1428, Gustave Roussy Institute, Villejuif, Île-de-France, France
| | - Benjamin Besse
- Faculté de Médecine, Paris-Saclay University, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, Île-de-France, France.,Comité de Pathologie Thoracique, Gustave Roussy Institute, Villejuif, Île-de-France, France
| | - Guillaume Meurice
- Plateforme de Bioinformatique, Gustave Roussy Institute, Villejuif, Île-de-France, France
| | - Nicolas Cagnard
- Plateforme de Bioinformatique, Université Paris Descartes, Paris, Île-de-France, France
| | | | | | - Lydie Cassard
- Analyse Moléculaire, Modélisation et Imagerie de la Maladie Cancéreuse, Laboratoire d'Immunomonitoring en Oncologie, Gustave Roussy Institute, INSERM, CNRS, Paris-Saclay University, Villejuif, Île-de-France, France
| | - Nathalie Chaput
- Analyse Moléculaire, Modélisation et Imagerie de la Maladie Cancéreuse, Laboratoire d'Immunomonitoring en Oncologie, Gustave Roussy Institute, INSERM, CNRS, Paris-Saclay University, Villejuif, Île-de-France, France .,Faculty of Pharmacy, University Paris-Saclay, Chatenay-Malabry, France
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41
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Malhotra H, Garg V, Singh G. Biomarker Approach Towards Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment. Curr Rheumatol Rev 2021; 17:162-175. [PMID: 33327920 DOI: 10.2174/1573397116666201216164013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2020] [Revised: 10/02/2020] [Accepted: 10/19/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Rheumatoid arthritis is an auto-immune disorder, recognized by cartilage as well as bone destruction, which causes irreversible joint deformities, which further results in functional limitations in the patient. Genes like HLA-DRB1 and PTPN22 are likely implicated in the genetic predisposition of rheumatoid arthritis pathology. The first and foremost clinical manifestation in a person with rheumatoid arthritis is joint destruction followed by cartilage and bone destruction caused by cell-cell interactions. The cell-cell interactions are thought to be initialized through the contact of antigen-presenting cells (APC) with CD4+ cells, leading to the progression of the disease. APC includes a complex of class ІІ major histocompatibility complex molecules along with peptide antigens and binds to the receptors present on the surface of T-cells. Further, the activation of macrophages is followed by the release of various pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1 and TNF-α, which lead to the secretion of enzymes that degrade proteoglycan and collagen, which in turn, increase tissue degradation. Biomarkers like IL-6, IL-12, IL-8 and IL-18, 14-3-3η, RANKL, IFN-γ, IFN-β and TGF-β have been designated as key biomarkers in disease development and progression. The study of these biomarkers is very important as they act as a molecular indicator of pathological processes that aggravate the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hitesh Malhotra
- Chandigarh College of Pharmacy Landran, Mohali, Punjab, India
| | - Vandana Garg
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak, Haryana, India
| | - Govind Singh
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak, Haryana, India
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42
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Dubois SP, Miljkovic MD, Fleisher TA, Pittaluga S, Hsu-Albert J, Bryant BR, Petrus MN, Perera LP, Müller JR, Shih JH, Waldmann TA, Conlon KC. Short-course IL-15 given as a continuous infusion led to a massive expansion of effective NK cells: implications for combination therapy with antitumor antibodies. J Immunother Cancer 2021; 9:e002193. [PMID: 33883258 PMCID: PMC8061813 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2020-002193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Full application of cytokines as oncoimmunotherapeutics requires identification of optimal regimens. Our initial effort with intravenous bolus recombinant human interleukin-15 (rhIL-15) was limited by postinfusional reactions. Subcutaneous injection and continuous intravenous infusion for 10 days (CIV-10) provided rhIL-15 with less toxicity with CIV-10 giving the best increases in CD8+ lymphocytes and natural killer (NK) cells. To ease rhIL-15 administration, we shortened time of infusion. Treatment with rhIL-15 at a dose of 3-5 µg/kg as a 5-day continuous intravenous infusion (CIV-5) had no dose-limiting toxicities while effector cell stimulation was comparable to the CIV-10 regimen. METHODS Eleven patients with metastatic cancers were treated with rhIL-15 CIV-5, 3 µg (n=4), 4 µg (n=3), and 5 µg/kg/day (n=4) in a phase I dose-escalation study (April 6, 2012). RESULTS Impressive expansions of NK cells were seen at all dose levels (mean 34-fold), including CD56bright NK cells (mean 144-fold for 4 µg/kg), as well as an increase in CD8+ T cells (mean 3.38-fold). At 5 µg/kg/day, there were no dose-limiting toxicities but pulmonary capillary leak and slower patient recovery. This led to our choice of the 4 µg/kg as CIV-5 dose for further testing. Cytolytic capacity of CD56bright and CD56dim NK cells was increased by interleukin-15 assayed by antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC), natural cytotoxicity and natural killer group 2D-mediated cytotoxicity. The best response was stable disease. CONCLUSIONS IL-15 administered as CIV-5 substantially expanded NK cells with increased cytotoxic functions. Tumor-targeting monoclonal antibodies dependent on ADCC as their mechanism of action including alemtuzumab, obinutuzumab, avelumab, and mogamulizumab could benefit from those NK cell expansions and provide a promising therapeutic strategy. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBERS NCT01572493, NCT03759184, NCT03905135, NCT04185220 and NCT02689453.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sigrid P Dubois
- Lymphoid Malignancies Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Milos D Miljkovic
- Lymphoid Malignancies Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Thomas A Fleisher
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, NIH Clinical Center, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Stefania Pittaluga
- Laboratory of Pathology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Jennifer Hsu-Albert
- Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER), US Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA
| | - Bonita R Bryant
- Lymphoid Malignancies Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Michael N Petrus
- Lymphoid Malignancies Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Liyanage P Perera
- Lymphoid Malignancies Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Jürgen R Müller
- Lymphoid Malignancies Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Joanna H Shih
- Biometric Research Program, Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Thomas A Waldmann
- Lymphoid Malignancies Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Kevin C Conlon
- Lymphoid Malignancies Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
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43
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Xu H, Buhtoiarov IN, Guo H, Cheung NKV. A novel multimeric IL15/IL15Rα-Fc complex to enhance cancer immunotherapy. Oncoimmunology 2021; 10:1893500. [PMID: 33763293 PMCID: PMC7954438 DOI: 10.1080/2162402x.2021.1893500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
The role of T cells in controlling human cancers is well known. Their success requires continued persistence in vivo and efficient trafficking to tumor sites, requirements shared by other effectors such as Natural Killer (NK) cells. To date, cytokine IL2 remains the only clinically approved cytokine therapy available to expand, maintain, and activate these effector lymphoid cells, but toxicities can be severe. Cytokine IL15 offers similar T cell proliferation and activation properties, but without the unwanted side-effects seen with IL2. Several IL15-cytokine fusion proteins have been developed to improve their in vivo function, typically exploiting the IL15Rα to complex with IL15, to extend serum half-life and increase affinity for IL15β receptor on immune cells. Here we describe a novel IL15 complex incorporating the full-length IL15Rα to complex with wild type IL15 to form spontaneous trimers of dimers (6 IL15 + 6 IL15Rα) during co-expression, resulting in a substantial increase in serum half-life and enhancement of in vivo cytokine effect on IgG or T cell engaging antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicities, when compared to alternative strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong Xu
- Departments of Pediatrics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Ilia N Buhtoiarov
- Departments of Pediatrics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA.,Department of Pediatric Hematology, Cleveland Clinic Children's Hospital, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Hongfen Guo
- Departments of Pediatrics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Nai-Kong V Cheung
- Departments of Pediatrics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
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44
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Guo S, Smeltz RB, Nanajian A, Heller R. IL-15/IL-15Rα Heterodimeric Complex as Cancer Immunotherapy in Murine Breast Cancer Models. Front Immunol 2021; 11:614667. [PMID: 33628206 PMCID: PMC7897681 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.614667] [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: 10/06/2020] [Accepted: 12/15/2020] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Interleukin 15 (IL-15) has been evaluated as a potential treatment for solid tumors in clinical trials, but the effectiveness of systemic IL-15 administration as a monotherapy has not been realized. IL-15 receptor alpha (IL-15Rα) can stabilize IL-15 and enhance its bioactivity. The goal of this study was to examine the activity of IL-15/IL-15Rα complex (IL-15cx) to CD8+ T cells and evaluate its potential efficacy in murine breast cancer models. The antitumor efficacy was studied in mouse mammary carcinoma models (Her2/neu transgenic and 4T1-luc mammary cancers) treated with systemic recombinant protein with/without the depletion of myeloid-derived suppressor cells or intra-tumoral gene electrotransfer (GET). IL-15cx shows superior in vivo bioactivity to expand CD8 T cells in comparison to an equimolar single chain IL-15. T-bet is partially involved in CD8 T cell expansion ex vivo and in vivo due to IL-15 or IL-15cx. Intraperitoneal administration of IL-15cx results in a moderate inhibition of breast cancer growth that is associated with an increase in the frequency of cytotoxic CD8 T cells and the improvement of their function. The depletion of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) has no impact on mouse breast cancer growth. IL-15cx treatment diminishes MDSCs in murine tumors. However, it also antagonizes the effects of anti-Gr-1 depleting antibodies. Intratumoral GET with plasmid IL-15/IL-15Rα leads to a long-term survival benefit in 4T1 mammary carcinoma model. An early increase of local cytotoxic cells correlates with GET treatment and an increase of long-term memory T cells results from animals with complete tumor regression. Systemic and local administration of IL-15cx shows two distinct therapeutic responses, a moderate tumor growth inhibition or heterogeneous tumor regressions with survival improvement. Further studies are warranted to improve the efficacy of IL-15cx as an immunotherapy for breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siqi Guo
- Frank Reidy Research Center for Bioelectrics, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA, United States.,Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Ronald B Smeltz
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Anthony Nanajian
- Frank Reidy Research Center for Bioelectrics, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA, United States
| | - Richard Heller
- Department of Medical Engineering, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, United States
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Zhang S, Zhao J, Bai X, Handley M, Shan F. Biological effects of IL-15 on immune cells and its potential for the treatment of cancer. Int Immunopharmacol 2020; 91:107318. [PMID: 33383444 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2020.107318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2020] [Revised: 12/09/2020] [Accepted: 12/15/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Interleukin-15 (IL-15) has recently emerged as a novel immunomodulatory cytokine in cancer immunotherapy. IL-15 has the potential to reject and destroy cancer cells in the tumor microenvironment by expanding and activating natural killer (NK), natural killer T (NKT), and memory (m) CD8+T cells. Due to the feasible outcomes obtained from preclinical studies and phase 1/2 clinical trials, IL-15-based therapy, including chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell or CAR NK cell infusion following in vitro expansion in the presence of IL-15, used in combination with checkpoint inhibitors and other therapy may extend to clinical practice in the future. It is also important to understand the biological characteristics of IL-15 to ensure the maximal benefit of therapeutic strategies. Here, we summarize the current development of IL-15 in the following areas: anti-tumor mechanisms in the tumor microenvironment, advances in IL-15-based therapy itself or in combination with other methods, including biological agents, monoclonal antibodies, and adoptive immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuling Zhang
- Department of Oncology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang 110004, China
| | - Jianzhu Zhao
- Department of Oncology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang 110004, China
| | - Xueli Bai
- Department of Gynecology, The Fourth Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang 110004, China
| | - Mike Handley
- Cytocm lnc, 3001 Aloma Ave, Winter Park, FL 32792, USA
| | - Fengping Shan
- Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Science, China Medical University, Shenyang 110122, China.
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46
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Yang Y, Lundqvist A. Immunomodulatory Effects of IL-2 and IL-15; Implications for Cancer Immunotherapy. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:cancers12123586. [PMID: 33266177 PMCID: PMC7761238 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12123586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2020] [Revised: 11/23/2020] [Accepted: 11/26/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The type I cytokine family members interleukin-2 (IL-2) and IL-15 play important roles in the homeostasis of innate and adaptive immunity. Although IL-2 and IL-15 receptor complexes activate similar signal transduction cascades, triggering of these receptors results in different functional activities in lymphocytes. While IL-2 expands regulatory T cells and CD4+ helper T cells, IL-15 supports the development of central memory T cells and NK cells. Recent data have provided evidence that IL-2 and IL-15 differ in their ability to activate T and NK cells to resist various forms of immune suppression. The diverse roles of these two cytokines have on immune cells lead to critical therapeutic implications for cancer treatment. In this review, we discuss the distinct roles of IL-2 and IL-15 in activating various functions in T and NK cells with a particular focus on the signals that participate in the resistance of tumor-derived immune suppressive factors. Furthermore, we summarize current clinical applications of IL-2 and IL-15 in metastatic malignancies, either as monotherapy or in combination with other agents, and highlight the future trends for research on these cytokine-based immunotherapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Yang
- Department of Respiratory, The Fourth Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Yiwu 310009, China;
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, S-17164 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Andreas Lundqvist
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, S-17164 Stockholm, Sweden
- Correspondence:
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47
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M R, S S, Jose SP, Rajan S, Thomas S, Jagmag T, Tilwani J. Biochemical and immunological aspects of COVID-19 infection and therapeutical intervention of oral low dose cytokine therapy: a systematic review. Immunopharmacol Immunotoxicol 2020; 43:22-29. [PMID: 33106053 DOI: 10.1080/08923973.2020.1842444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
The novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has now spread to all corners of the world. It causes severe respiratory syndromes which is one of the leading causes of death. Evidence shows that the novel SARS-CoV-2 has close similarities with other coronaviruses, SARS and MERS. So, SARS-CoV-2 might use the similar mechanisms of these viruses to attack the host cells. The severity of COVID-19 is associated with various factors, one of the major reasons is immune dysregulation or immune suppression. Immunity plays a significant role in maintaining the body in a healthy condition. In order to induce a timely immune response against the invaded pathogens, both innate and adaptive immunity must be in an active state. During the viral infection, there will be an excessive generation of pro-inflammatory cytokines known as cytokine storm and also, the antiviral agents in the body gets inhibited or inactivated through viral mechanisms. Thus, this might be the reason for the transition from mild symptoms to more severe medical conditions which leads to an immediate need for the invention of a new medicine.This review aims to show the host-viral interaction along with immune response, antiviral mechanism and effectiveness of oral low dose cytokines against the virus as a therapeutic approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ratheesh M
- Department of Biochemistry, St. Thomas College, Pala, Kottayam, India
| | - Sheethal S
- Department of Biochemistry, St. Thomas College, Pala, Kottayam, India
| | - Svenia P Jose
- Department of Biochemistry, St. Thomas College, Pala, Kottayam, India
| | - Sony Rajan
- Department of Biochemistry, St. Thomas College, Pala, Kottayam, India
| | - Sulumol Thomas
- Department of Biochemistry, St. Thomas College, Pala, Kottayam, India
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48
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Induction of Durable Antitumor Response by a Novel Oncolytic Herpesvirus Expressing Multiple Immunomodulatory Transgenes. Biomedicines 2020; 8:biomedicines8110484. [PMID: 33182232 PMCID: PMC7695276 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines8110484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2020] [Revised: 10/28/2020] [Accepted: 11/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Oncolytic virotherapy is a promising new tool for cancer treatment, but direct lytic destruction of tumor cells is not sufficient and must be accompanied by strong immune activation to elicit anti-tumor immunity. We report here the creation of a novel replication-competent recombinant oncolytic herpes simplex virus type 1 (VG161) that carries genes coding for IL-12, IL-15, and IL-15 receptor alpha subunit, along with a peptide fusion protein capable of disrupting PD-1/PD-L1 interactions. The VG161 virus replicates efficiently and exhibits robust cytotoxicity in multiple tumor cell lines. Moreover, the encoded cytokines and the PD-L1 blocking peptide work cooperatively to boost immune cell function. In vivo testing in syngeneic CT26 and A20 tumor models reveals superior efficacy when compared to a backbone virus that does not express exogenous genes. Intratumoral injection of VG161 induces abscopal responses in non-injected distal tumors and grants resistance to tumor re-challenge. The robust anti-tumor effect of VG161 is associated with T cell and NK cell tumor infiltration, expression of Th1 associated genes in the injection site, and increased frequency of splenic tumor-specific T cells. VG161 also displayed a superb safety profile in GLP acute and repeated injection toxicity studies performed using cynomolgus monkeys. Overall, we demonstrate that VG161 can induce robust oncolysis and stimulate a robust anti-tumor immune response without sacrificing safety.
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49
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Ataca Atilla P, McKenna MK, Tashiro H, Srinivasan M, Mo F, Watanabe N, Simons BW, McLean Stevens A, Redell MS, Heslop HE, Mamonkin M, Brenner MK, Atilla E. Modulating TNFα activity allows transgenic IL15-Expressing CLL-1 CAR T cells to safely eliminate acute myeloid leukemia. J Immunother Cancer 2020; 8:jitc-2020-001229. [PMID: 32938629 PMCID: PMC7497527 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2020-001229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Background C-type lectin-like molecule 1 (CLL-1) is highly expressed in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) but is absent in primitive hematopoietic progenitors, making it an attractive target for a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy. Here, we optimized our CLL-1 CAR for anti-leukemic activity in mouse xenograft models of aggressive AML. Methods First, we optimized the CLL-1 CAR using different spacer, transmembrane and costimulatory sequences. We used a second retroviral vector to coexpress transgenic IL15. We measured the effects of each construct on T cell phenotype and sequential (recursive) co culture assays with tumor cell targets to determine the durability of the anti tumor activity by flow cytometry. We administered CAR T cells to mice engrafted with patient derived xenografts (PDX) and AML cell line and determined anti tumor activity by bioluminescence imaging and weekly bleeding, measured serum cytokines by multiplex analysis. After euthanasia, we examined formalin-fixed/paraffin embedded sections. Unpaired two-tailed Student’s t-tests were used and values of p<0.05 were considered significant. Survival was calculated using Mantel-Cox log-rank test. Results In vitro, CLL-1 CAR T cells with interleukin-15 (IL15) were less terminally differentiated (p<0.0001) and had superior expansion compared with CD28z-CD8 CAR T cells without IL15 (p<0.001). In both AML PDX and AML cell line animal models, CLL-1 CAR T coexpressing transgenic IL15 initially expanded better than CD28z-CD8 CAR T without IL15 (p<0.0001), but produced severe acute toxicity associated with high level production of human tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα), IL15 and IL2. Histopathology showed marked inflammatory changes with tissue damage in lung and liver. This acute toxicity could be managed by two strategies, individually or in combination. The excessive TNF alpha secretion could be blocked with anti-TNF alpha antibody, while excessive T cell expansion could be arrested by activation of an inducible caspase nine safety switch by administration of dimerizing drug. Both strategies successfully prolonged tumor-free survival. Conclusion Combinatorial treatment with a TNFα blocking antibody and subsequent activation of the caspase-9 control switch increased the expansion, survival and antileukemic potency of CLL-1 CAR T-cells expressing transgenic IL15 while avoiding the toxicities associated with excessive cytokine production and long-term accumulation of activated T-cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pinar Ataca Atilla
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Mary K McKenna
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Haruko Tashiro
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | | | - Feiyan Mo
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Norihiro Watanabe
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Brian Wesley Simons
- Center for Comparative Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Alexandra McLean Stevens
- Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA.,Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Michele S Redell
- Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA.,Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Helen E Heslop
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.,Texas Children's Cancer Center, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.,Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Maksim Mamonkin
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.,Department of Pathology and Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Malcolm K Brenner
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.,Texas Children's Cancer Center, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.,Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Erden Atilla
- Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
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Allard-Chamard H, Mishra HK, Nandi M, Mayhue M, Menendez A, Ilangumaran S, Ramanathan S. Interleukin-15 in autoimmunity. Cytokine 2020; 136:155258. [PMID: 32919253 DOI: 10.1016/j.cyto.2020.155258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2020] [Accepted: 08/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Interleukin-15 (IL-15) is a member of the IL-2 family of cytokines, which use receptor complexes containing the common gamma (γc) chain for signaling. IL-15 plays important roles in innate and adaptative immune responses and is implicated in the pathogenesis of several immune diseases. The IL-15 receptor consists of 3 subunits namely, the ligand-binding IL-15Rα chain, the β chain (also used by IL-2) and the γc chain. IL-15 uses a unique signaling pathway whereby IL-15 associates with IL-15Rα during biosynthesis, and this complex is 'trans-presented' to responder cells that expresses the IL-2/15Rβγc receptor complex. IL-15 is subject to post-transcriptional and post-translational regulation, and evidence also suggests that IL-15 cis-signaling can occur under certain conditions. IL-15 has been implicated in the pathology of various autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, autoimmune diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, coeliac disease and psoriasis. Studies with pre-clinical models have shown the beneficial effects of targeting IL-15 signaling in autoimmunity. Unlike therapies targeting other cytokines, anti-IL-15 therapies have not yet been successful in humans. We discuss the complexities of IL-15 signaling in autoimmunity and explore potential immunotherapeutic approaches to target the IL-15 signaling pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hugues Allard-Chamard
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada; Centre de Recherche Clinique, Centre Hospitalier d'Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada.
| | - Hemant K Mishra
- Vet & Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Madhuparna Nandi
- Department of Immunology and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
| | - Marian Mayhue
- Department of Immunology and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
| | - Alfredo Menendez
- Centre de Recherche Clinique, Centre Hospitalier d'Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada; Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
| | - Subburaj Ilangumaran
- Centre de Recherche Clinique, Centre Hospitalier d'Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada; Department of Immunology and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
| | - Sheela Ramanathan
- Centre de Recherche Clinique, Centre Hospitalier d'Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada; Department of Immunology and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada.
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