1
|
Shao W, Yao Y, Yang L, Li X, Ge T, Zheng Y, Zhu Q, Ge S, Gu X, Jia R, Song X, Zhuang A. Novel insights into TCR-T cell therapy in solid neoplasms: optimizing adoptive immunotherapy. Exp Hematol Oncol 2024; 13:37. [PMID: 38570883 PMCID: PMC10988985 DOI: 10.1186/s40164-024-00504-8] [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: 12/08/2023] [Accepted: 03/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Adoptive immunotherapy in the T cell landscape exhibits efficacy in cancer treatment. Over the past few decades, genetically modified T cells, particularly chimeric antigen receptor T cells, have enabled remarkable strides in the treatment of hematological malignancies. Besides, extensive exploration of multiple antigens for the treatment of solid tumors has led to clinical interest in the potential of T cells expressing the engineered T cell receptor (TCR). TCR-T cells possess the capacity to recognize intracellular antigen families and maintain the intrinsic properties of TCRs in terms of affinity to target epitopes and signal transduction. Recent research has provided critical insight into their capability and therapeutic targets for multiple refractory solid tumors, but also exposes some challenges for durable efficacy. In this review, we describe the screening and identification of available tumor antigens, and the acquisition and optimization of TCRs for TCR-T cell therapy. Furthermore, we summarize the complete flow from laboratory to clinical applications of TCR-T cells. Last, we emerge future prospects for improving therapeutic efficacy in cancer world with combination therapies or TCR-T derived products. In conclusion, this review depicts our current understanding of TCR-T cell therapy in solid neoplasms, and provides new perspectives for expanding its clinical applications and improving therapeutic efficacy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Weihuan Shao
- Department of Ophthalmology, Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, 639 Zhi Zao Ju Road, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai, 200011, People's Republic of China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Orbital Diseases and Ocular Oncology, Shanghai, 200011, People's Republic of China
| | - Yiran Yao
- Department of Ophthalmology, Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, 639 Zhi Zao Ju Road, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai, 200011, People's Republic of China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Orbital Diseases and Ocular Oncology, Shanghai, 200011, People's Republic of China
| | - Ludi Yang
- Department of Ophthalmology, Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, 639 Zhi Zao Ju Road, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai, 200011, People's Republic of China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Orbital Diseases and Ocular Oncology, Shanghai, 200011, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaoran Li
- Department of Ophthalmology, Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, 639 Zhi Zao Ju Road, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai, 200011, People's Republic of China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Orbital Diseases and Ocular Oncology, Shanghai, 200011, People's Republic of China
| | - Tongxin Ge
- Department of Ophthalmology, Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, 639 Zhi Zao Ju Road, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai, 200011, People's Republic of China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Orbital Diseases and Ocular Oncology, Shanghai, 200011, People's Republic of China
| | - Yue Zheng
- Department of Ophthalmology, Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, 639 Zhi Zao Ju Road, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai, 200011, People's Republic of China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Orbital Diseases and Ocular Oncology, Shanghai, 200011, People's Republic of China
| | - Qiuyi Zhu
- Department of Ophthalmology, Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, 639 Zhi Zao Ju Road, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai, 200011, People's Republic of China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Orbital Diseases and Ocular Oncology, Shanghai, 200011, People's Republic of China
| | - Shengfang Ge
- Department of Ophthalmology, Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, 639 Zhi Zao Ju Road, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai, 200011, People's Republic of China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Orbital Diseases and Ocular Oncology, Shanghai, 200011, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiang Gu
- Department of Ophthalmology, Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, 639 Zhi Zao Ju Road, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai, 200011, People's Republic of China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Orbital Diseases and Ocular Oncology, Shanghai, 200011, People's Republic of China
| | - Renbing Jia
- Department of Ophthalmology, Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, 639 Zhi Zao Ju Road, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai, 200011, People's Republic of China.
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Orbital Diseases and Ocular Oncology, Shanghai, 200011, People's Republic of China.
| | - Xin Song
- Department of Ophthalmology, Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, 639 Zhi Zao Ju Road, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai, 200011, People's Republic of China.
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Orbital Diseases and Ocular Oncology, Shanghai, 200011, People's Republic of China.
| | - Ai Zhuang
- Department of Ophthalmology, Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, 639 Zhi Zao Ju Road, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai, 200011, People's Republic of China.
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Orbital Diseases and Ocular Oncology, Shanghai, 200011, People's Republic of China.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Ma K, Chai Y, Guan J, Tan S, Qi J, Kawana-Tachikawa A, Dong T, Iwamoto A, Shi Y, Gao GF. Molecular Basis for the Recognition of HIV Nef138-8 Epitope by a Pair of Human Public T Cell Receptors. JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY (BALTIMORE, MD. : 1950) 2022; 209:1652-1661. [PMID: 36130828 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.2200191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Cross-recognized public TCRs against HIV epitopes have been proposed to be important for the control of AIDS disease progression and HIV variants. The overlapping Nef138-8 and Nef138-10 peptides from the HIV Nef protein are HLA-A24-restricted immunodominant T cell epitopes, and an HIV mutant strain with a Y139F substitution in Nef protein can result in immune escape and is widespread in Japan. Here, we identified a pair of public TCRs specific to the HLA-A24-restricted Nef-138-8 epitope using PBMCs from White and Japanese patients, respectively, namely TD08 and H25-11. The gene use of the variable domain for TD08 and H25-11 is TRAV8-3, TRAJ10 for the α-chain and TRBV7-9, TRBD1*01, TRBJ2-5 for the β-chain. Both TCRs can recognize wild-type and Y2F-mutated Nef138-8 epitopes. We further determined three complex structures, including TD08/HLA-A24-Nef138-8, H25-11/HLA-A24-Nef138-8, and TD08/HLA-A24-Nef138-8 (2F). Then, we revealed the molecular basis of the public TCR binding to the peptide HLA, which mostly relies on the interaction between the TCR and HLA and can tolerate the mutation in the Nef138-8 peptide. These findings promote the molecular understanding of T cell immunity against HIV epitopes and provide an important basis for the engineering of TCRs to develop T cell-based immunotherapy against HIV infection.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Keke Ma
- Savaid Medical School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yan Chai
- Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jiawei Guan
- Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Shuguang Tan
- Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jianxun Qi
- Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Ai Kawana-Tachikawa
- AIDS Research Center, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Tao Dong
- Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Oxford Institute, Nuffield Department of Medicine, Oxford University, Oxford, UK; and
| | - Aikichi Iwamoto
- Department of Research Promotion, Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yi Shi
- Savaid Medical School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; .,Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - George F Gao
- Savaid Medical School, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; .,Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
T. RR, Smith JC. Structural patterns in class 1 major histocompatibility complex‐restricted nonamer peptide binding to T‐cell receptors. Proteins 2022; 90:1645-1654. [DOI: 10.1002/prot.26343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2021] [Revised: 03/12/2022] [Accepted: 03/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Rajitha Rajeshwar T.
- Department of Biochemistry and Cellular and Molecular Biology University of Tennessee Knoxville Tennessee USA
- UT/ORNL Center for Molecular Biophysics Oak Ridge National Laboratory Oak Ridge Tennessee USA
| | - Jeremy C. Smith
- Department of Biochemistry and Cellular and Molecular Biology University of Tennessee Knoxville Tennessee USA
- UT/ORNL Center for Molecular Biophysics Oak Ridge National Laboratory Oak Ridge Tennessee USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Dobson CS, Reich AN, Gaglione S, Smith BE, Kim EJ, Dong J, Ronsard L, Okonkwo V, Lingwood D, Dougan M, Dougan SK, Birnbaum ME. Antigen identification and high-throughput interaction mapping by reprogramming viral entry. Nat Methods 2022; 19:449-460. [PMID: 35396484 PMCID: PMC9012700 DOI: 10.1038/s41592-022-01436-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2021] [Accepted: 03/01/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Deciphering immune recognition is critical for understanding a broad range of diseases and for the development of effective vaccines and immunotherapies. Efforts to do so are limited by a lack of technologies capable of simultaneously capturing the complexity of adaptive immunoreceptor repertoires and the landscape of potential antigens. To address this, we present receptor-antigen pairing by targeted retroviruses, which combines viral pseudotyping and molecular engineering approaches to enable one-pot library-on-library interaction screens by displaying antigens on the surface of lentiviruses and encoding their identity in the viral genome. Antigen-specific viral infection of cell lines expressing human T or B cell receptors allows readout of both antigen and receptor identities via single-cell sequencing. The resulting system is modular, scalable and compatible with any cell type. These techniques provide a suite of tools for targeted viral entry, molecular engineering and interaction screens with broad potential applications.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Connor S Dobson
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Anna N Reich
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Stephanie Gaglione
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Blake E Smith
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Program in Immunology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ellen J Kim
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Jiayi Dong
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | - Vintus Okonkwo
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | - Michael Dougan
- Program in Immunology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Stephanie K Dougan
- Program in Immunology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Michael E Birnbaum
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology Centre, Singapore, Singapore.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Jing L, Wu X, Krist MP, Hsiang TY, Campbell VL, McClurkan CL, Favors SM, Hemingway LA, Godornes C, Tong DQ, Selke S, LeClair AC, Pyo CW, Geraghty DE, Laing KJ, Wald A, Gale M, Koelle DM. T cell response to intact SARS-CoV-2 includes coronavirus cross-reactive and variant-specific components. JCI Insight 2022; 7:e158126. [PMID: 35133988 PMCID: PMC8986086 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.158126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2022] [Accepted: 02/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 provokes a robust T cell response. Peptide-based studies exclude antigen processing and presentation biology, which may influence T cell detection studies. To focus on responses to whole virus and complex antigens, we used intact SARS-CoV-2 and full-length proteins with DCs to activate CD8 and CD4 T cells from convalescent people. T cell receptor (TCR) sequencing showed partial repertoire preservation after expansion. Resultant CD8 T cells recognize SARS-CoV-2-infected respiratory tract cells, and CD4 T cells detect inactivated whole viral antigen. Specificity scans with proteome-covering protein/peptide arrays show that CD8 T cells are oligospecific per subject and that CD4 T cell breadth is higher. Some CD4 T cell lines enriched using SARS-CoV-2 cross-recognize whole seasonal coronavirus (sCoV) antigens, with protein, peptide, and HLA restriction validation. Conversely, recognition of some epitopes is eliminated for SARS-CoV-2 variants, including spike (S) epitopes in the Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta variant lineages.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Stacy Selke
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | | | - Chu-Woo Pyo
- Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Daniel E. Geraghty
- Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | | | - Anna Wald
- Department of Medicine
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
- Vaccine and Infectious Diseases Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Michael Gale
- Department of Immunology, and
- Center for Innate Immunity of Immune Disease, Department of Immunology, and
- Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - David M. Koelle
- Department of Medicine
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
- Vaccine and Infectious Diseases Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, USA
- Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
- Benaroya Research Institute, Seattle, Washington, USA
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Jing L, Wu X, Krist MP, Hsiang TY, Campbell VL, McClurkan CL, Favors SM, Hemingway LA, Godornes C, Tong DQ, Selke S, LeClair AC, Pyo CW, Geraghty DE, Laing KJ, Wald A, Gale M, Koelle DM. T cell response to intact SARS-CoV-2 includes coronavirus cross-reactive and variant-specific components. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2022:2022.01.23.22269497. [PMID: 35118477 PMCID: PMC8811910 DOI: 10.1101/2022.01.23.22269497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 provokes a brisk T cell response. Peptide-based studies exclude antigen processing and presentation biology and may influence T cell detection studies. To focus on responses to whole virus and complex antigens, we used intact SARS-CoV-2 and full-length proteins with DC to activate CD8 and CD4 T cells from convalescent persons. T cell receptor (TCR) sequencing showed partial repertoire preservation after expansion. Resultant CD8 T cells recognize SARS-CoV-2-infected respiratory cells, and CD4 T cells detect inactivated whole viral antigen. Specificity scans with proteome-covering protein/peptide arrays show that CD8 T cells are oligospecific per subject and that CD4 T cell breadth is higher. Some CD4 T cell lines enriched using SARS-CoV-2 cross-recognize whole seasonal coronavirus (sCoV) antigens, with protein, peptide, and HLA restriction validation. Conversely, recognition of some epitopes is eliminated for SARS-CoV-2 variants, including spike (S) epitopes in the alpha, beta, gamma, and delta variant lineages.
Collapse
|
7
|
Mallajosyula V, Ganjavi C, Chakraborty S, McSween AM, Pavlovitch-Bedzyk AJ, Wilhelmy J, Nau A, Manohar M, Nadeau KC, Davis MM. CD8 + T cells specific for conserved coronavirus epitopes correlate with milder disease in COVID-19 patients. Sci Immunol 2021; 6:eabg5669. [PMID: 34210785 PMCID: PMC8975171 DOI: 10.1126/sciimmunol.abg5669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2021] [Accepted: 06/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
A central feature of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is that some individuals become severely ill or die, whereas others have only a mild disease course or are asymptomatic. Here we report development of an improved multimeric αβ T cell staining reagent platform, with each maxi-ferritin "spheromer" displaying 12 peptide-MHC complexes. Spheromers stain specific T cells more efficiently than peptide-MHC tetramers and capture a broader portion of the sequence repertoire for a given peptide-MHC. Analyzing the response in unexposed individuals, we find that T cells recognizing peptides conserved amongst coronaviruses are more abundant and tend to have a "memory" phenotype, compared to those unique to SARS-CoV-2. Significantly, CD8+ T cells with these conserved specificities are much more abundant in COVID-19 patients with mild disease versus those with a more severe illness, suggesting a protective role.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Vamsee Mallajosyula
- Institute for Immunity, Transplantation, and Infection, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Conner Ganjavi
- Department of Biology, Stanford University School of Humanities and Sciences, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Saborni Chakraborty
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Alana M McSween
- Institute for Immunity, Transplantation, and Infection, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | | | - Julie Wilhelmy
- Institute for Immunity, Transplantation, and Infection, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Allison Nau
- Institute for Immunity, Transplantation, and Infection, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Monali Manohar
- Sean N. Parker Center for Allergy and Asthma Research, Stanford University and Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Kari C Nadeau
- Institute for Immunity, Transplantation, and Infection, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Sean N. Parker Center for Allergy and Asthma Research, Stanford University and Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Mark M Davis
- Institute for Immunity, Transplantation, and Infection, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Zhu Y, Huang C, Su M, Ge Z, Gao L, Shi Y, Wang X, Chen J. Characterization of amino acid residues of T-cell receptors interacting with HLA-A*02-restricted antigen peptides. ANNALS OF TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE 2021; 9:495. [PMID: 33850892 PMCID: PMC8039679 DOI: 10.21037/atm-21-835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Background The present study aimed to explore residues’ properties interacting with HLA-A*02-restricted peptides on T-cell receptors (TCRs) and their effects on bond types of interaction and binding free energy. Methods We searched the crystal structures of HLA-A*02-restricted peptide-TCR complexes from the Protein Data Bank (PDB) database and subsequently collected relevant parameters. We then employed Schrodinger to analyze the bond types of interaction and Gromacs 2019 to evaluate the TCR-antigen peptide complex’s molecular dynamics simulation. Finally, we compared the changes of bond types of interaction and binding free energy before and after residue substitution to ensure consistency of the conditions before and after residue substitution. Results The main sites on the antigen peptides that formed the intermolecular interaction [hydrogen bond (HB) and pi stack] with TCRs were P4, P8, P2, and P6. The hydrophobicity of the amino acids inside or outside the disulfide bond of TCRs may be related to the intermolecular interaction and binding free energy between TCRs and peptides. Residues located outside the disulfide bond of TCR α or β chains and forming pi stack force played favorable roles in the complex intermolecular interaction and binding free energy. The residues of the TCR α or β chains that interacted with peptides were replaced by alanine (Ala) or glycine (Gly), and their intermolecular binding free energy of the complex had been improved. However, it had nothing to do with the formation of HB. Conclusions The findings of this study suggest that the hydrophobic nature of the amino acids inside or outside the disulfide bonds on the TCR may be associated with the intermolecular interaction and binding between the TCR and polypeptide. The residues located outside the TCR α or β single-chain disulfide bond and forming the pi-stack force showed a beneficial effect on the intermolecular interaction and binding of the complex. In addition, the part of the residues on the TCR α or β single chain that produced bond types of interaction with the polypeptide after being replaced by Ala or Gly, the intermolecular binding free energy of the complex was increased, regardless of whether HB was formed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ying Zhu
- Department of Oncology, First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Changxin Huang
- Department of Oncology, Affiliated Hospital of Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Meng Su
- Master Class, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Fourth School of Clinical Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Zuanmin Ge
- Master Class, Hangzhou Normal University, School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Lanlan Gao
- Master Class, Hangzhou Normal University, School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yanfei Shi
- Master Class, Hangzhou Normal University, School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xuechun Wang
- Master Class, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Fourth School of Clinical Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jianfeng Chen
- Department of Proctology, Affiliated Hospital of Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, China
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Lee MN, Meyerson M. Antigen identification for HLA class I- and HLA class II-restricted T cell receptors using cytokine-capturing antigen-presenting cells. Sci Immunol 2021; 6:6/55/eabf4001. [PMID: 33483338 DOI: 10.1126/sciimmunol.abf4001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2020] [Accepted: 12/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
A major limitation to understanding the associations of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) and CD8+ and CD4+ T cell receptor (TCR) genes with disease pathophysiology is the technological barrier of identifying which HLA molecules, epitopes, and TCRs form functional complexes. Here, we present a high-throughput epitope identification system that combines capture of T cell-secreted cytokines by barcoded antigen-presenting cells (APCs), cell sorting, and next-generation sequencing to identify class I- and class II-restricted epitopes starting from highly complex peptide-encoding oligonucleotide pools. We engineered APCs to express anti-cytokine antibodies, a library of DNA-encoded peptides, and multiple HLA class I or II molecules. We demonstrate that these engineered APCs link T cell activation-dependent cytokines with the DNA that encodes the presented peptide. We validated this technology by showing that we could select known targets of viral epitope-, neoepitope-, and autoimmune epitope-specific TCRs, starting from mixtures of peptide-encoding oligonucleotides. Then, starting from 10 TCRβ sequences that are found commonly in humans but lack known targets, we identified seven CD8+ or CD4+ TCR-targeted epitopes encoded by the human cytomegalovirus (CMV) genome. These included known epitopes, as well as a class I and a class II CMV epitope that have not been previously described. Thus, our cytokine capture-based assay makes use of a signal secreted by both CD8+ and CD4+ T cells and allows pooled screening of thousands of encoded peptides to enable epitope discovery for orphan TCRs. Our technology may enable identification of HLA-epitope-TCR complexes relevant to disease control, etiology, or treatment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mark N Lee
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA. .,Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA.,Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Matthew Meyerson
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA. .,Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA.,Departments of Genetics and Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
TCR Recognition of Peptide-MHC-I: Rule Makers and Breakers. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 22:ijms22010068. [PMID: 33374673 PMCID: PMC7793522 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22010068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2020] [Revised: 12/16/2020] [Accepted: 12/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
T cells are a critical part of the adaptive immune system that are able to distinguish between healthy and unhealthy cells. Upon recognition of protein fragments (peptides), activated T cells will contribute to the immune response and help clear infection. The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules, or human leukocyte antigens (HLA) in humans, bind these peptides to present them to T cells that recognise them with their surface T cell receptors (TCR). This recognition event is the first step that leads to T cell activation, and in turn can dictate disease outcomes. The visualisation of TCR interaction with pMHC using structural biology has been crucial in understanding this key event, unravelling the parameters that drive this interaction and their impact on the immune response. The last five years has been the most productive within the field, wherein half of current unique TCR-pMHC-I structures to date were determined within this time. Here, we review the new insights learned from these recent TCR-pMHC-I structures and their impact on T cell activation.
Collapse
|
11
|
Wu D, Gallagher DT, Gowthaman R, Pierce BG, Mariuzza RA. Structural basis for oligoclonal T cell recognition of a shared p53 cancer neoantigen. Nat Commun 2020; 11:2908. [PMID: 32518267 PMCID: PMC7283474 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-16755-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2020] [Accepted: 05/19/2020] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Adoptive cell therapy (ACT) with tumor-specific T cells can mediate cancer regression. The main target of tumor-specific T cells are neoantigens arising from mutations in self-proteins. Although the majority of cancer neoantigens are unique to each patient, and therefore not broadly useful for ACT, some are shared. We studied oligoclonal T-cell receptors (TCRs) that recognize a shared neoepitope arising from a driver mutation in the p53 oncogene (p53R175H) presented by HLA-A2. Here we report structures of wild-type and mutant p53-HLA-A2 ligands, as well as structures of three tumor-specific TCRs bound to p53R175H-HLA-A2. These structures reveal how a driver mutation in p53 rendered a self-peptide visible to T cells. The TCRs employ structurally distinct strategies that are highly focused on the mutation to discriminate between mutant and wild-type p53. The TCR-p53R175H-HLA-A2 complexes provide a framework for designing TCRs to improve potency for ACT without sacrificing specificity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Daichao Wu
- W.M. Keck Laboratory for Structural Biology, University of Maryland Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, Rockville, MD, 20850, USA
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Hengyang Medical College, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, 421001, China
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA
| | - D Travis Gallagher
- W.M. Keck Laboratory for Structural Biology, University of Maryland Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, Rockville, MD, 20850, USA
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaitherburg, MD, 20899, USA
| | - Ragul Gowthaman
- W.M. Keck Laboratory for Structural Biology, University of Maryland Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, Rockville, MD, 20850, USA
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA
| | - Brian G Pierce
- W.M. Keck Laboratory for Structural Biology, University of Maryland Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, Rockville, MD, 20850, USA
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA
| | - Roy A Mariuzza
- W.M. Keck Laboratory for Structural Biology, University of Maryland Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, Rockville, MD, 20850, USA.
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Gil A, Kamga L, Chirravuri-Venkata R, Aslan N, Clark F, Ghersi D, Luzuriaga K, Selin LK. Epstein-Barr Virus Epitope-Major Histocompatibility Complex Interaction Combined with Convergent Recombination Drives Selection of Diverse T Cell Receptor α and β Repertoires. mBio 2020; 11:e00250-20. [PMID: 32184241 PMCID: PMC7078470 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00250-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2020] [Accepted: 02/11/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Recognition modes of individual T cell receptors (TCRs) are well studied, but factors driving the selection of TCR repertoires from primary through persistent human virus infections are less well understood. Using deep sequencing, we demonstrate a high degree of diversity of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-specific clonotypes in acute infectious mononucleosis (AIM). Only 9% of unique clonotypes detected in AIM persisted into convalescence; the majority (91%) of unique clonotypes detected in AIM were not detected in convalescence and were seeming replaced by equally diverse "de novo" clonotypes. The persistent clonotypes had a greater probability of being generated than nonpersistent clonotypes due to convergence recombination of multiple nucleotide sequences to encode the same amino acid sequence, as well as the use of shorter complementarity-determining regions 3 (CDR3s) with fewer nucleotide additions (i.e., sequences closer to germ line). Moreover, the two most immunodominant HLA-A2-restricted EBV epitopes, BRLF1109 and BMLF1280, show highly distinct antigen-specific public (i.e., shared between individuals) features. In fact, TCRα CDR3 motifs played a dominant role, while TCRβ played a minimal role, in the selection of TCR repertoire to an immunodominant EBV epitope, BRLF1. This contrasts with the majority of previously reported repertoires, which appear to be selected either on TCRβ CDR3 interactions with peptide/major histocompatibility complex (MHC) or in combination with TCRα CDR3. Understanding of how TCR-peptide-MHC complex interactions drive repertoire selection can be used to develop optimal strategies for vaccine design or generation of appropriate adoptive immunotherapies for viral infections in transplant settings or for cancer.IMPORTANCE Several lines of evidence suggest that TCRα and TCRβ repertoires play a role in disease outcomes and treatment strategies during viral infections in transplant patients and in cancer and autoimmune disease therapy. Our data suggest that it is essential that we understand the basic principles of how to drive optimum repertoires for both TCR chains, α and β. We address this important issue by characterizing the CD8 TCR repertoire to a common persistent human viral infection (EBV), which is controlled by appropriate CD8 T cell responses. The ultimate goal would be to determine if the individuals who are infected asymptomatically develop a different TCR repertoire than those that develop the immunopathology of AIM. Here, we begin by doing an in-depth characterization of both CD8 T cell TCRα and TCRβ repertoires to two immunodominant EBV epitopes over the course of AIM, identifying potential factors that may be driving their selection.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anna Gil
- Department of Pathology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Larisa Kamga
- Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
| | | | - Nuray Aslan
- Department of Pathology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Fransenio Clark
- Department of Pathology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Dario Ghersi
- School of Interdisciplinary Informatics, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, Nebraska, USA
| | - Katherine Luzuriaga
- Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Liisa K Selin
- Department of Pathology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Spindler MJ, Nelson AL, Wagner EK, Oppermans N, Bridgeman JS, Heather JM, Adler AS, Asensio MA, Edgar RC, Lim YW, Meyer EH, Hawkins RE, Cobbold M, Johnson DS. Massively parallel interrogation and mining of natively paired human TCRαβ repertoires. Nat Biotechnol 2020; 38:609-619. [PMID: 32393905 PMCID: PMC7224336 DOI: 10.1038/s41587-020-0438-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2019] [Revised: 01/21/2020] [Accepted: 01/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
T cells engineered to express antigen-specific T cell receptors (TCRs) are potent therapies for viral infections and cancer. However, efficient identification of clinical candidate TCRs is complicated by the size and complexity of T cell repertoires and the challenges of working with primary T cells. Here, we present a high-throughput method to identify TCRs with high functional avidity from diverse human T cell repertoires. The approach uses massively parallel microfluidics to generate libraries of natively paired, full-length TCRαβ clones, from millions of primary T cells, which are then expressed in Jurkat cells. The TCRαβ-Jurkat libraries enable repeated screening and panning for antigen-reactive TCRs using peptide:MHC binding and cellular activation. We captured >2.9 million natively paired TCRαβ clonotypes from six healthy human donors and identified rare (<0.001% frequency) viral antigen–reactive TCRs. We also mined a tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) sample from a melanoma patient and identified several tumor-specific TCRs, which, after expression in primary T cells, led to tumor cell killing.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Natasha Oppermans
- Division of Cancer Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | | | - James M Heather
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center and Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | | | | | | | - Everett H Meyer
- Stanford Diabetes Research Center, Stanford University Medical Center, Stanford, CA, USA.,Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford University Medical Center, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Robert E Hawkins
- Division of Cancer Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.,Immetacyte Ltd, Manchester, UK
| | - Mark Cobbold
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center and Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,AstraZeneca, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
14
|
Gowthaman R, Pierce BG. Modeling and Viewing T Cell Receptors Using TCRmodel and TCR3d. Methods Mol Biol 2020; 2120:197-212. [PMID: 32124321 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-0327-7_14] [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] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
The past decade has seen a rapid increase in T cell receptor (TCR) sequences from single cell cloning and repertoire-scale high throughput sequencing studies. Many of these TCRs are of interest as potential therapeutics or for their implications in autoimmune disease or effective targeting of pathogens. As it is impractical to characterize the structure or targeting of the vast majority of these TCRs experimentally, advanced computational methods have been developed to predict their 3D structures and gain mechanistic insights into their antigen binding and specificity. Here, we describe the use of a TCR modeling web server, TCRmodel, which generates models of TCRs from sequence, and TCR3d, which is a weekly-updated database of all known TCR structures. Additionally, we describe the use of RosettaTCR, which is a protocol implemented in the Rosetta framework that serves as the command-line backend to TCRmodel. We provide an example where these tools are used to analyze and model a therapeutically relevant TCR based on its amino acid sequence.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ragul Gowthaman
- Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, University of Maryland, Rockville, MD, USA
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
- Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Brian G Pierce
- Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, University of Maryland, Rockville, MD, USA.
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA.
- Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Gowthaman R, Pierce BG. TCRmodel: high resolution modeling of T cell receptors from sequence. Nucleic Acids Res 2019; 46:W396-W401. [PMID: 29790966 PMCID: PMC6030954 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gky432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2018] [Accepted: 05/07/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
T cell receptors (TCRs), along with antibodies, are responsible for specific antigen recognition in the adaptive immune response, and millions of unique TCRs are estimated to be present in each individual. Understanding the structural basis of TCR targeting has implications in vaccine design, autoimmunity, as well as T cell therapies for cancer. Given advances in deep sequencing leading to immune repertoire-level TCR sequence data, fast and accurate modeling methods are needed to elucidate shared and unique 3D structural features of these molecules which lead to their antigen targeting and cross-reactivity. We developed a new algorithm in the program Rosetta to model TCRs from sequence, and implemented this functionality in a web server, TCRmodel. This web server provides an easy to use interface, and models are generated quickly that users can investigate in the browser and download. Benchmarking of this method using a set of nonredundant recently released TCR crystal structures shows that models are accurate and compare favorably to models from another available modeling method. This server enables the community to obtain insights into TCRs of interest, and can be combined with methods to model and design TCR recognition of antigens. The TCRmodel server is available at: http://tcrmodel.ibbr.umd.edu/.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ragul Gowthaman
- University of Maryland Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, Rockville, MD 20850, USA.,Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA.,University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| | - Brian G Pierce
- University of Maryland Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, Rockville, MD 20850, USA.,Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA.,University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Pump WC, Schulz R, Huyton T, Kunze-Schumacher H, Martens J, Hò GGT, Blasczyk R, Bade-Doeding C. Releasing the concept of HLA-allele specific peptide anchors in viral infections: A non-canonical naturally presented human cytomegalovirus-derived HLA-A*24:02 restricted peptide drives exquisite immunogenicity. HLA 2019; 94:25-38. [PMID: 30912293 PMCID: PMC6593758 DOI: 10.1111/tan.13537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2018] [Revised: 03/18/2019] [Accepted: 03/23/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
T‐cell receptors possess the unique ability to survey and respond to their permanently modified ligands, self HLA‐I molecules bound to non‐self peptides of various origin. This highly specific immune function is impaired following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) for a timespan of several months needed for the maturation of T‐cells. Especially, the progression of HCMV disease in immunocompromised patients induces life‐threatening situations. Therefore, the need for a new immune system that delivers vital and potent CD8+ T‐cells carrying TCRs that recognize even one human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) peptide/HLA molecule and clear the viral infection long term becomes obvious. The transcription and translation of HCMV proteins in the lytic cycle is a precisely regulated cascade of processes, therefore, it is a highly sensitive challenge to adjust the exact time point of HCMV‐peptide recruitment over self‐peptides. We utilized soluble HLA technology in HCMV‐infected fibroblasts and sequenced naturally sHLA‐A*24:02 presented HCMV‐derived peptides. One peptide of 14 AAs length derived from the IE2 antigen induced the strongest T‐cell responses; this peptide can be detected with a low ranking score in general peptide prediction databanks. These results highlight the need for elaborate and HLA‐allele specific peptide selection.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wiebke C Pump
- Institute for Transfusion Medicine, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Rebecca Schulz
- Institute for Transfusion Medicine, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Trevor Huyton
- Department of Cellular Logistics, Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Göttingen, Germany
| | | | - Jörg Martens
- Institute for Transfusion Medicine, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Gia-Gia T Hò
- Institute for Transfusion Medicine, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Rainer Blasczyk
- Institute for Transfusion Medicine, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | | |
Collapse
|
17
|
Wagner EK, Qerqez AN, Stevens CA, Nguyen AW, Delidakis G, Maynard JA. Human cytomegalovirus-specific T-cell receptor engineered for high affinity and soluble expression using mammalian cell display. J Biol Chem 2019; 294:5790-5804. [PMID: 30796163 PMCID: PMC6463697 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra118.007187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2018] [Revised: 02/07/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
T-cell receptors (TCR) have considerable potential as therapeutics and antibody-like reagents to monitor disease progression and vaccine efficacy. Whereas antibodies recognize only secreted and surface-bound proteins, TCRs recognize otherwise inaccessible disease-associated intracellular proteins when they are presented as processed peptides bound to major histocompatibility complexes (pMHC). TCRs have been primarily explored for cancer therapy applications but could also target infectious diseases such as cytomegalovirus (CMV). However, TCRs are more difficult to express and engineer than antibodies, and advanced methods are needed to enable their widespread use. Here, we engineered the human CMV-specific TCR RA14 for high-affinity and robust soluble expression. To achieve this, we adapted our previously reported mammalian display system to present TCR extracellular domains and used this to screen CDR3 libraries for clones with increased pMHC affinity. After three rounds of selection, characterized clones retained peptide specificity and activation when expressed on the surface of human Jurkat T cells. We obtained high yields of soluble, monomeric protein by fusing the TCR extracellular domains to antibody hinge and Fc constant regions, adding a stabilizing disulfide bond between the constant domains and disrupting predicted glycosylation sites. One variant exhibited 50 nm affinity for its cognate pMHC, as measured by surface plasmon resonance, and specifically stained cells presenting this pMHC. Our work has identified a human TCR with high affinity for the immunodominant CMV peptide and offers a new strategy to rapidly engineer soluble TCRs for biomedical applications.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ellen K Wagner
- From the McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712
| | - Ahlam N Qerqez
- From the McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712
| | - Christopher A Stevens
- From the McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712
| | - Annalee W Nguyen
- From the McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712
| | - George Delidakis
- From the McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712
| | - Jennifer A Maynard
- From the McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712.
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Bradley P, Thomas PG. Using T Cell Receptor Repertoires to Understand the Principles of Adaptive Immune Recognition. Annu Rev Immunol 2019; 37:547-570. [PMID: 30699000 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-immunol-042718-041757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Adaptive immune recognition is mediated by antigen receptors on B and T cells generated by somatic recombination during lineage development. The high level of diversity resulting from this process posed technical limitations that previously limited the comprehensive analysis of adaptive immune recognition. Advances over the last ten years have produced data and approaches allowing insights into how T cells develop, evolutionary signatures of recombination and selection, and the features of T cell receptors that mediate epitope-specific binding and T cell activation. The size and complexity of these data have necessitated the generation of novel computational and analytical approaches, which are transforming how T cell immunology is conducted. Here we review the development and application of novel biological, theoretical, and computational methods for understanding T cell recognition and discuss the potential for improved models of receptor:antigen interactions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Philip Bradley
- Division of Public Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington 98109, USA; .,Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
| | - Paul G Thomas
- Department of Immunology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee 38105, USA;
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Attaf M, Malik A, Severinsen MC, Roider J, Ogongo P, Buus S, Ndung'u T, Leslie A, Kløverpris HN, Matthews PC, Sewell AK, Goulder P. Major TCR Repertoire Perturbation by Immunodominant HLA-B *44:03-Restricted CMV-Specific T Cells. Front Immunol 2018; 9:2539. [PMID: 30487790 PMCID: PMC6246681 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.02539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2018] [Accepted: 10/15/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Lack of disease during chronic human cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection depends on the maintenance of a high-frequency CMV-specific T cell response. The composition of the T cell receptor (TCR) repertoire underlying this response remains poorly characterised, especially within African populations in which CMV is endemic from infancy. Here we focus on the immunodominant CD8+ T cell response to the immediate-early 2 (IE-2)-derived epitope NEGVKAAW (NW8) restricted by HLA-B*44:03, a highly prevalent response in African populations, which in some subjects represents >10% of the circulating CD8+ T cells. Using pMHC multimer staining and sorting of NW8-specific T cells, the TCR repertoire raised against NW8 was characterised here using high-throughput sequencing in 20 HLA-B*44:03 subjects. We found that the CD8+ T cell repertoire raised in response to NW8 was highly skewed and featured preferential use of a restricted set of V and J gene segments. Furthermore, as often seen in immunity against ancient viruses like CMV and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), the response was strongly dominated by identical TCR sequences shared by multiple individuals, or “public” TCRs. Finally, we describe a pair “superdominant” TCR clonotypes, which were germline or nearly germline-encoded and produced at remarkably high frequencies in certain individuals, with a single CMV-specific clonotype representing up to 17% of all CD8+ T cells. Given the magnitude of the NW8 response, we propose that this major skewing of CMV-specific immunity leads to massive perturbations in the overall TCR repertoire in HLA-B*44:03 individuals.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Meriem Attaf
- Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, United Kingdom.,Systems Immunity Research Institute, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Amna Malik
- Department of Paediatrics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Mai C Severinsen
- Africa Health Research Institute, Durban, South Africa.,Laboratory of Experimental Immunology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Julia Roider
- Africa Health Research Institute, Durban, South Africa.,Department of infectious diseases, Medizinische Klinik IV, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Paul Ogongo
- Africa Health Research Institute, Durban, South Africa.,School of Laboratory Medicine and Medical Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa.,Department of Tropical and Infectious Diseases, Institute of Primate Research, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Søren Buus
- Laboratory of Experimental Immunology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Thumbi Ndung'u
- Africa Health Research Institute, Durban, South Africa.,Department of Infection and Immunity, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Alasdair Leslie
- Africa Health Research Institute, Durban, South Africa.,Department of Infection and Immunity, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Henrik N Kløverpris
- Africa Health Research Institute, Durban, South Africa.,Laboratory of Experimental Immunology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.,Department of Infection and Immunity, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Philippa C Matthews
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew K Sewell
- Division of Infection and Immunity, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, United Kingdom.,Systems Immunity Research Institute, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Philip Goulder
- Department of Paediatrics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Singh NK, Riley TP, Baker SCB, Borrman T, Weng Z, Baker BM. Emerging Concepts in TCR Specificity: Rationalizing and (Maybe) Predicting Outcomes. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2017; 199:2203-2213. [PMID: 28923982 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1700744] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2017] [Accepted: 07/10/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
T cell specificity emerges from a myriad of processes, ranging from the biological pathways that control T cell signaling to the structural and physical mechanisms that influence how TCRs bind peptides and MHC proteins. Of these processes, the binding specificity of the TCR is a key component. However, TCR specificity is enigmatic: TCRs are at once specific but also cross-reactive. Although long appreciated, this duality continues to puzzle immunologists and has implications for the development of TCR-based therapeutics. In this review, we discuss TCR specificity, emphasizing results that have emerged from structural and physical studies of TCR binding. We show how the TCR specificity/cross-reactivity duality can be rationalized from structural and biophysical principles. There is excellent agreement between predictions from these principles and classic predictions about the scope of TCR cross-reactivity. We demonstrate how these same principles can also explain amino acid preferences in immunogenic epitopes and highlight opportunities for structural considerations in predictive immunology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nishant K Singh
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556.,Harper Cancer Research Institute, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556; and
| | - Timothy P Riley
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556.,Harper Cancer Research Institute, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556; and
| | - Sarah Catherine B Baker
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556.,Harper Cancer Research Institute, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556; and
| | - Tyler Borrman
- Program in Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605
| | - Zhiping Weng
- Program in Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605
| | - Brian M Baker
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556; .,Harper Cancer Research Institute, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556; and
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Yang X, Chen G, Weng NP, Mariuzza RA. Structural basis for clonal diversity of the human T-cell response to a dominant influenza virus epitope. J Biol Chem 2017; 292:18618-18627. [PMID: 28931605 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m117.810382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2017] [Revised: 09/08/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Influenza A virus (IAV) causes an acute infection in humans that is normally eliminated by CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes. Individuals expressing the MHC class I molecule HLA-A2 produce cytotoxic T lymphocytes bearing T-cell receptors (TCRs) that recognize the immunodominant IAV epitope GILGFVFTL (GIL). Most GIL-specific TCRs utilize α/β chain pairs encoded by the TRAV27/TRBV19 gene combination to recognize this relatively featureless peptide epitope (canonical TCRs). However, ∼40% of GIL-specific TCRs express a wide variety of other TRAV/TRBV combinations (non-canonical TCRs). To investigate the structural underpinnings of this remarkable diversity, we determined the crystal structure of a non-canonical GIL-specific TCR (F50) expressing the TRAV13-1/TRBV27 gene combination bound to GIL-HLA-A2 to 1.7 Å resolution. Comparison of the F50-GIL-HLA-A2 complex with the previously published complex formed by a canonical TCR (JM22) revealed that F50 and JM22 engage GIL-HLA-A2 in markedly different orientations. These orientations are distinguished by crossing angles of TCR to peptide-MHC of 29° for F50 versus 69° for JM22 and by a focus by F50 on the C terminus rather than the center of the MHC α1 helix for JM22. In addition, F50, unlike JM22, uses a tryptophan instead of an arginine to fill a critical notch between GIL and the HLA-A2 α2 helix. The F50-GIL-HLA-A2 complex shows that there are multiple structurally distinct solutions to recognizing an identical peptide-MHC ligand with sufficient affinity to elicit a broad anti-IAV response that protects against viral escape and T-cell clonal loss.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xinbo Yang
- From the University of Maryland Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, W. M. Keck Laboratory for Structural Biology, Rockville, Maryland 20850.,the Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, and
| | - Guobing Chen
- the Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Immunology, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21224
| | - Nan-Ping Weng
- the Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Immunology, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21224
| | - Roy A Mariuzza
- From the University of Maryland Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, W. M. Keck Laboratory for Structural Biology, Rockville, Maryland 20850, .,the Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, and
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Design and Synthesis of Non-Peptide Mimetics Mapping the Immunodominant Myelin Basic Protein (MBP 83-96) Epitope to Function as T-Cell Receptor Antagonists. Int J Mol Sci 2017; 18:ijms18061215. [PMID: 28594344 PMCID: PMC5486038 DOI: 10.3390/ijms18061215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2017] [Revised: 06/02/2017] [Accepted: 06/02/2017] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Encephalitogenic T cells are heavily implicated in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS), an autoimmune demyelinating disease of the central nervous system. Their stimulation is triggered by the formation of a trimolecular complex between the human leukocyte antigen (HLA), an immunodominant myelin basic protein (MBP) epitope, and the T cell receptor (TCR). We detail herein our studies directed towards the rational design and synthesis of non-peptide mimetic molecules, based on the immunodominant MBP83-96 epitope that is recognized by the TCR in complex with HLA. We focused our attention on the inhibition of the trimolecular complex formation and consequently the inhibition of proliferation of activated T cells. A structure-based pharmacophore model was generated, in view of the interactions between the TCR and the HLA-MBP83-96 complex. As a result, new candidate molecules were designed based on lead compounds obtained through the ZINC database. Moreover, semi-empirical and density functional theory methods were applied for the prediction of the binding energy between the proposed non-peptide mimetics and the TCR. We synthesized six molecules that were further evaluated in vitro as TCR antagonists. Analogues 15 and 16 were able to inhibit to some extent the stimulation of T cells by the immunodominant MBP83-99 peptide from immunized mice. Inhibition was followed to a lesser degree by analogues 17 and 18 and then by analogue 19. These studies show that lead compounds 15 and 16 may be used for immunotherapy against MS.
Collapse
|
23
|
Chen G, Yang X, Ko A, Sun X, Gao M, Zhang Y, Shi A, Mariuzza RA, Weng NP. Sequence and Structural Analyses Reveal Distinct and Highly Diverse Human CD8 + TCR Repertoires to Immunodominant Viral Antigens. Cell Rep 2017; 19:569-583. [PMID: 28423320 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2017.03.072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2016] [Revised: 02/02/2017] [Accepted: 03/24/2017] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
A diverse T cell receptor (TCR) repertoire is essential for controlling viral infections. However, information about TCR repertoires to defined viral antigens is limited. We performed a comprehensive analysis of CD8+ TCR repertoires for two dominant viral epitopes: pp65495-503 (NLV) of cytomegalovirus and M158-66 (GIL) of influenza A virus. The highly individualized repertoires (87-5,533 α or β clonotypes per subject) comprised thousands of unique TCRα and TCRβ sequences and dozens of distinct complementary determining region (CDR)3α and CDR3β motifs. However, diversity is effectively restricted by preferential V-J combinations, CDR3 lengths, and CDR3α/CDR3β pairings. Structures of two GIL-specific TCRs bound to GIL-HLA-A2 provided a potential explanation for the lower diversity of GIL-specific versus NLV-specific repertoires. These anti-viral TCRs occupied up to 3.4% of the CD8+ TCRβ repertoire, ensuring broad T cell responses to single epitopes. Our portrait of two anti-viral TCR repertoires may inform the development of predictors of immune protection.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Guobing Chen
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Immunology, National Institute on Aging, NIH, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Xinbo Yang
- W.M. Keck Laboratory for Structural Biology, University of Maryland Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, Rockville, MD 20850, USA; Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Annette Ko
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Immunology, National Institute on Aging, NIH, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Xiaoping Sun
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Immunology, National Institute on Aging, NIH, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Mingming Gao
- W.M. Keck Laboratory for Structural Biology, University of Maryland Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, Rockville, MD 20850, USA; Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Yongqing Zhang
- Laboratory of Genetics, National Institute on Aging, NIH, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Alvin Shi
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Immunology, National Institute on Aging, NIH, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Roy A Mariuzza
- W.M. Keck Laboratory for Structural Biology, University of Maryland Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, Rockville, MD 20850, USA; Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Nan-Ping Weng
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Immunology, National Institute on Aging, NIH, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Broad TCR repertoire and diverse structural solutions for recognition of an immunodominant CD8 + T cell epitope. Nat Struct Mol Biol 2017; 24:395-406. [PMID: 28250417 PMCID: PMC5383516 DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.3383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2016] [Accepted: 01/30/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
A keystone of antiviral immunity is CD8 T-cell recognition of viral peptides bound to MHC-I proteins. The recognition mode of individual T cell receptors (TCRs) has been studied in some detail, but how TCR variation functions in providing a robust response to viral antigen is unclear. The influenza M1 epitope is an immunodominant target of CD8 T cells helping to control influenza in HLA-A2+ individuals. Here, we show that many distinct TCRs are used by CD8 T cells to recognize HLA-A2/M1, encoding different structural solutions to the problem of specifically recognizing a relatively featureless peptide antigen. The vast majority of responding TCRs target small clefts between peptide and MHC. These broad repertoires lead to plasticity in antigen recognition and protection against T cell clonal loss and viral escape.
Collapse
|
25
|
Molecular dynamics at the receptor level of immunodominant myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein 35-55 epitope implicated in multiple sclerosis. J Mol Graph Model 2016; 68:78-86. [PMID: 27388119 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmgm.2016.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2016] [Revised: 06/09/2016] [Accepted: 06/10/2016] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a common autoimmune disease whereby myelin is destroyed by the immune system. The disease is triggered by the stimulation of encephalitogenic T-cells via the formation of a trimolecular complex between the Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA), an immunodominant epitope of myelin proteins and T-cell Receptor (TCR). Myelin Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein (MOG) is located on the external surface of myelin and has been implicated in MS induction. The immunodominant 35-55 epitope of MOG is widely used for in vivo biological evaluation and immunological studies that are related with chronic Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis (EAE, animal model of MS), inflammatory diseases and MS. In this report, Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations were used to explore the interactions of MOG35-55 at the receptor level. A detailed mapping of the developed interactions during the creation of the trimolecular complex is reported. This is the first attempt to gain an understanding of the molecular recognition of the MOG35-55 epitope by the HLA and TCR receptors. During the formation of the trimolecular complex, the residues Arg(41) and Arg(46) of MOG35-55 have been confirmed to serve as TCR anchors while Tyr(40) interacts with HLA. The present structural findings indicate that the Arg at positions 41 and 46 is a key residue for the stimulation of the encephalitogenic T-cells.
Collapse
|
26
|
How structural adaptability exists alongside HLA-A2 bias in the human αβ TCR repertoire. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2016; 113:E1276-85. [PMID: 26884163 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1522069113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
How T-cell receptors (TCRs) can be intrinsically biased toward MHC proteins while simultaneously display the structural adaptability required to engage diverse ligands remains a controversial puzzle. We addressed this by examining αβ TCR sequences and structures for evidence of physicochemical compatibility with MHC proteins. We found that human TCRs are enriched in the capacity to engage a polymorphic, positively charged "hot-spot" region that is almost exclusive to the α1-helix of the common human class I MHC protein, HLA-A*0201 (HLA-A2). TCR binding necessitates hot-spot burial, yielding high energetic penalties that must be offset via complementary electrostatic interactions. Enrichment of negative charges in TCR binding loops, particularly the germ-line loops encoded by the TCR Vα and Vβ genes, provides this capacity and is correlated with restricted positioning of TCRs over HLA-A2. Notably, this enrichment is absent from antibody genes. The data suggest a built-in TCR compatibility with HLA-A2 that biases receptors toward, but does not compel, particular binding modes. Our findings provide an instructional example for how structurally pliant MHC biases can be encoded within TCRs.
Collapse
|