1
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Loffredo LF, Kaiser KA, Kornberg A, Rao S, de Los Santos-Alexis K, Han A, Arpaia N. An amphiregulin reporter mouse enables transcriptional and clonal expansion analysis of reparative lung Treg cells. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.09.26.615245. [PMID: 39386607 PMCID: PMC11463663 DOI: 10.1101/2024.09.26.615245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/12/2024]
Abstract
Regulatory T (Treg) cells are known to play critical roles in tissue repair via provision of growth factors such as amphiregulin (Areg). Areg-producing Treg cells have previously been difficult to study because of an inability to isolate live Areg-producing cells. In this report, we created a novel reporter mouse to detect Areg expression in live cells ( Areg Thy1.1 ). We employed influenza A and bleomycin models of lung damage to sort Areg-producing and -non-producing Treg cells for transcriptomic analyses. Single cell RNA-seq revealed distinct subpopulations of Treg cells and allowed transcriptomic comparisons of damage-induced populations. Single cell TCR sequencing showed that Treg cell clonal expansion is biased towards Areg-producing Treg cells, and largely occurs within damage-induced subgroups. Gene module analysis revealed functional divergence of Treg cells into immunosuppression-oriented and tissue repair-oriented groups, leading to identification of candidate receptors for induction of repair activity in Treg cells. We tested these using an ex vivo assay for Treg cell-mediated tissue repair, identifying 4-1BB agonism as a novel mechanism for reparative activity induction. Overall, we demonstrate that the Areg Thy1.1 mouse is a promising tool for investigating tissue repair activity in leukocytes.
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Li Z, Gao T, Wang J, Zhang X, Zhang Y, Zhang L, Yang P, Liu J. Ferroptosis mediated by TNFSF9 interferes in acute ischaemic stroke reperfusion injury with the progression of acute ischaemic stroke. J Neurochem 2024; 168:1030-1044. [PMID: 38344886 DOI: 10.1111/jnc.16058] [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: 08/03/2023] [Revised: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 05/31/2024]
Abstract
In this study, we investigated the potential involvement of TNFSF9 in reperfusion injury associated with ferroptosis in acute ischaemic stroke patients, mouse models and BV2 microglia. We first examined TNFSF9 changes in peripheral blood from stroke patients with successful reperfusion, and constructed oxygen-glucose deprivation-reperfusion (OGD-R) on BV2 microglia, oxygen-glucose deprivation for 6 h followed by reoxygenation and re-glucose for 24 h, and appropriate over-expression or knockdown of TNFSF9 manipulation on BV2 cells and found that in the case of BV2 cells encountering OGD-R over-expression of TNFSF9 resulted in increased BV2 apoptosis. Still, the knockdown of TNFSF9 ameliorated apoptosis and ferroptosis. In an in vivo experiment, we constructed TNFSF9 over-expression or knockout mice by intracerebral injection of TNFSF9-OE or sh-TNFSF9 adenovirus. We performed the middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model on day four, 24 h after ligation of the proximal artery, for half an hour to recanalize. As luck would have it, over-expression of TNFSF9 resulted in increased brain infarct volumes, neurological function scores and abnormalities in TNFSF9-related TRAF1 and ferroptosis-related pathways, but knockdown of TNFSF9 improved brain infarcts in mice as well as reversing TNFSF9-related signalling pathways. In conclusion, our data provide the first evidence that TNFSF9 triggers microglia activation by activating the ferroptosis signalling pathway following ischaemic stroke, leading to brain injury and neurological deficits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zifu Li
- Neurovascular center, Changhai Hospital, Shanghai, P. R. China
| | - Tianxiang Gao
- University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai, P. R. China
| | - Jing Wang
- Neurovascular center, Changhai Hospital, Shanghai, P. R. China
| | - Xiaoxi Zhang
- Neurovascular center, Changhai Hospital, Shanghai, P. R. China
| | - Yongxin Zhang
- Neurovascular center, Changhai Hospital, Shanghai, P. R. China
| | - Lei Zhang
- Neurovascular center, Changhai Hospital, Shanghai, P. R. China
| | - Pengfei Yang
- Neurovascular center, Changhai Hospital, Shanghai, P. R. China
| | - Jianmin Liu
- Neurovascular center, Changhai Hospital, Shanghai, P. R. China
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3
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Rubio-Pérez L, Frago S, Compte M, Navarro R, Harwood SL, Lázaro-Gorines R, Gómez-Rosel M, Hangiu O, Silva-Pilipich N, Vanrell L, Smerdou C, Álvarez-Vallina L. Characterization of a Trispecific PD-L1 Blocking Antibody That Exhibits EGFR-Conditional 4-1BB Agonist Activity. Antibodies (Basel) 2024; 13:34. [PMID: 38804302 PMCID: PMC11130918 DOI: 10.3390/antib13020034] [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: 01/12/2024] [Revised: 04/22/2024] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Immune checkpoint blockade has changed the treatment paradigm for advanced solid tumors, but the overall response rates are still limited. The combination of checkpoint blockade with anti-4-1BB antibodies to stimulate tumor-infiltrating T cells has shown anti-tumor activity in human trials. However, the further clinical development of these antibodies has been hampered by significant off-tumor toxicities. Here, we generated an anti-4-1BB/EGFR/PD-L1 trispecific antibody consisting of a triple-targeting tandem trimerbody (TT) fused to an engineered silent Fc region. This antibody (IgTT-4E1-S) was designed to combine the blockade of the PD-L1/PD-1 axis with conditional 4-1BB costimulation specifically confined to the tumor microenvironment (TME). The antibody demonstrated simultaneous binding to purified EGFR, PD-L1, and 4-1BB in solution, effective blockade of the PD-L1/PD1 interaction, and potent 4-1BB-mediated costimulation, but only in the presence of EGFR-expressing cells. These results demonstrate the feasibility of IgTT-4E1-S specifically blocking the PD-L1/PD-1 axis and inducing EGFR-conditional 4-1BB agonist activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Rubio-Pérez
- Cancer Immunotherapy Unit (UNICA), Department of Immunology, Hospital Universitario12 de Octubre (H12O), 28041 Madrid, Spain; (L.R.-P.); (R.L.-G.); (M.G.-R.); (O.H.)
- Immuno-Oncology and Immunotherapy Group, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria 12 de Octubre (imas12), 28041 Madrid, Spain
- H12O-CNIO Cancer Immunotherapy Clinical Research Unit, Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), 28029 Madrid, Spain
- Chair for Immunology UFV/Merck, Universidad Francisco de Vitoria (UFV), Pozuelo de Alarcón, 28223 Madrid, Spain
| | - Susana Frago
- Department of Antibody Engineering, Leadartis SL, QUBE Technology Park, Tres Cantos, 28760 Madrid, Spain; (S.F.); (M.C.); (R.N.)
| | - Marta Compte
- Department of Antibody Engineering, Leadartis SL, QUBE Technology Park, Tres Cantos, 28760 Madrid, Spain; (S.F.); (M.C.); (R.N.)
| | - Rocío Navarro
- Department of Antibody Engineering, Leadartis SL, QUBE Technology Park, Tres Cantos, 28760 Madrid, Spain; (S.F.); (M.C.); (R.N.)
| | - Seandean L. Harwood
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark;
| | - Rodrigo Lázaro-Gorines
- Cancer Immunotherapy Unit (UNICA), Department of Immunology, Hospital Universitario12 de Octubre (H12O), 28041 Madrid, Spain; (L.R.-P.); (R.L.-G.); (M.G.-R.); (O.H.)
- Immuno-Oncology and Immunotherapy Group, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria 12 de Octubre (imas12), 28041 Madrid, Spain
- H12O-CNIO Cancer Immunotherapy Clinical Research Unit, Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Marina Gómez-Rosel
- Cancer Immunotherapy Unit (UNICA), Department of Immunology, Hospital Universitario12 de Octubre (H12O), 28041 Madrid, Spain; (L.R.-P.); (R.L.-G.); (M.G.-R.); (O.H.)
- Immuno-Oncology and Immunotherapy Group, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria 12 de Octubre (imas12), 28041 Madrid, Spain
- H12O-CNIO Cancer Immunotherapy Clinical Research Unit, Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Oana Hangiu
- Cancer Immunotherapy Unit (UNICA), Department of Immunology, Hospital Universitario12 de Octubre (H12O), 28041 Madrid, Spain; (L.R.-P.); (R.L.-G.); (M.G.-R.); (O.H.)
- Immuno-Oncology and Immunotherapy Group, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria 12 de Octubre (imas12), 28041 Madrid, Spain
- Department of Antibody Engineering, Leadartis SL, QUBE Technology Park, Tres Cantos, 28760 Madrid, Spain; (S.F.); (M.C.); (R.N.)
| | - Noelia Silva-Pilipich
- Division of DNA and RNA Medicine, Cima Universidad de Navarra, 31008 Pamplona, Spain; (N.S.-P.); (C.S.)
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Navarra (IdISNA) and CCUN, 31008 Pamplona, Spain
| | - Lucía Vanrell
- Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad ORT Uruguay, 11100 Montevideo, Uruguay;
- Nanogrow Biotech, Montevideo 11500, Uruguay
| | - Cristian Smerdou
- Division of DNA and RNA Medicine, Cima Universidad de Navarra, 31008 Pamplona, Spain; (N.S.-P.); (C.S.)
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Navarra (IdISNA) and CCUN, 31008 Pamplona, Spain
| | - Luis Álvarez-Vallina
- Cancer Immunotherapy Unit (UNICA), Department of Immunology, Hospital Universitario12 de Octubre (H12O), 28041 Madrid, Spain; (L.R.-P.); (R.L.-G.); (M.G.-R.); (O.H.)
- Immuno-Oncology and Immunotherapy Group, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria 12 de Octubre (imas12), 28041 Madrid, Spain
- H12O-CNIO Cancer Immunotherapy Clinical Research Unit, Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), 28029 Madrid, Spain
- Chair for Immunology UFV/Merck, Universidad Francisco de Vitoria (UFV), Pozuelo de Alarcón, 28223 Madrid, Spain
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Singh R, Kim YH, Lee SJ, Eom HS, Choi BK. 4-1BB immunotherapy: advances and hurdles. Exp Mol Med 2024; 56:32-39. [PMID: 38172595 PMCID: PMC10834507 DOI: 10.1038/s12276-023-01136-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2023] [Revised: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Since its initial description 35 years ago as an inducible molecule expressed in cytotoxic and helper T cells, 4-1BB has emerged as a crucial receptor in T-cell-mediated immune functions. Numerous studies have demonstrated the involvement of 4-1BB in infection and tumor immunity. However, the clinical development of 4-1BB agonist antibodies has been impeded by the occurrence of strong adverse events, notably hepatotoxicity, even though these antibodies have exhibited tremendous promise in in vivo tumor models. Efforts are currently underway to develop a new generation of agonist antibodies and recombinant proteins with modified effector functions that can harness the potent T-cell modulation properties of 4-1BB while mitigating adverse effects. In this review, we briefly examine the role of 4-1BB in T-cell biology, explore its clinical applications, and discuss future prospects in the field of 4-1BB agonist immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rohit Singh
- Immuno-oncology Branch, Division of Rare and Refractory Cancer, National Cancer Center, Goyang, 10408, Republic of Korea
| | - Young-Ho Kim
- Diagnostics and Therapeutics Technology Branch, Division of Technology Convergence, Research Institute, National Cancer Center, Goyang, 10408, Republic of Korea.
| | - Sang-Jin Lee
- Immuno-oncology Branch, Division of Rare and Refractory Cancer, National Cancer Center, Goyang, 10408, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyeon-Seok Eom
- Hematological Malignancy Center, National Cancer Center, Goyang, 10408, Republic of Korea
| | - Beom K Choi
- Immuno-oncology Branch, Division of Rare and Refractory Cancer, National Cancer Center, Goyang, 10408, Republic of Korea.
- Innobationbio, Co., Ltd., Mapo-gu, Seoul, 03929, Republic of Korea.
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Leone GE, Shields DC, Haque A, Banik NL. Rehabilitation: Neurogenic Bone Loss after Spinal Cord Injury. Biomedicines 2023; 11:2581. [PMID: 37761022 PMCID: PMC10526516 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11092581] [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: 07/26/2023] [Revised: 09/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Osteoporosis is a common skeletal disorder which can severely limit one's ability to complete daily tasks due to the increased risk of bone fractures, reducing quality of life. Spinal cord injury (SCI) can also result in osteoporosis and sarcopenia. Most individuals experience sarcopenia and osteoporosis due to advancing age; however, individuals with SCI experience more rapid and debilitating levels of muscle and bone loss due to neurogenic factors, musculoskeletal disuse, and cellular/molecular events. Thus, preserving and maintaining bone mass after SCI is crucial to decreasing the risk of fragility and fracture in vulnerable SCI populations. Recent studies have provided an improved understanding of the pathophysiology and risk factors related to musculoskeletal loss after SCI. Pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies have also provided for the reduction in or elimination of neurogenic bone loss after SCI. This review article will discuss the pathophysiology and risk factors of muscle and bone loss after SCI, including the mechanisms that may lead to muscle and bone loss after SCI. This review will also focus on current and future pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies for reducing or eliminating neurogenic bone loss following SCI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanna E. Leone
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA;
- Department of Neurosurgery, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA;
| | - Donald C. Shields
- Department of Neurosurgery, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA;
| | - Azizul Haque
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA;
- Department of Neurosurgery, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA;
- Ralph H. Johnson Veterans Administration Medical Center, Charleston, SC 29401, USA
| | - Narendra L. Banik
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA;
- Department of Neurosurgery, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA;
- Ralph H. Johnson Veterans Administration Medical Center, Charleston, SC 29401, USA
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Salek-Ardakani S, Zajonc DM, Croft M. Agonism of 4-1BB for immune therapy: a perspective on possibilities and complications. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1228486. [PMID: 37662949 PMCID: PMC10469789 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1228486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 08/03/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Costimulatory receptors on immune cells represent attractive targets for immunotherapy given that these molecules can increase the frequency of individual protective immune cell populations and their longevity, as well as enhance various effector functions. 4-1BB, a member of the TNF receptor superfamily, also known as CD137 and TNFRSF9, is one such molecule that is inducible on several cell types, including T cells and NK cells. Preclinical studies in animal models have validated the notion that stimulating 4-1BB with agonist reagents or its natural ligand could be useful to augment conventional T cell and NK cell immunity to protect against tumor growth and against viral infection. Additionally, stimulating 4-1BB can enhance regulatory T cell function and might be useful in the right context for suppressing autoimmunity. Two human agonist antibodies to 4-1BB have been produced and tested in clinical trials for cancer, with variable results, leading to the production of a wealth of second-generation antibody constructs, including bi- and multi-specifics, with the hope of optimizing activity and selectivity. Here, we review the progress to date in agonism of 4-1BB, discuss the complications in targeting the immune system appropriately to elicit the desired activity, together with challenges in engineering agonists, and highlight the untapped potential of manipulating this molecule in infectious disease and autoimmunity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Dirk M. Zajonc
- Center for Autoimmunity and Inflammation, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Michael Croft
- Center for Autoimmunity and Inflammation, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA, United States
- Department of Medicine, University of California (UC) San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
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7
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Shen A, Liu W, Wang H, Zeng X, Wang M, Zhang D, Zhao Q, Fang Q, Wang F, Cheng L, Shen G, Li Y. A novel 4-1BB/HER2 bispecific antibody shows potent antitumor activities by increasing and activating tumor-infiltrating T cells. Am J Cancer Res 2023; 13:3246-3256. [PMID: 37559991 PMCID: PMC10408481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 08/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Resistance to HER2-targeted therapy narrows the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy. Although 4-1BB/CD137 is a promising drug target as a costimulatory molecule of immune cells, no therapeutic drug has been approved in the clinic because of systemic toxicity or limited efficacy. Previously, we developed a humanized anti-HER2 monoclonal antibody (mAb) HuA21 and anti-4-1BB mAb HuB6 with distinct antigen epitopes for cancer therapy. Here, we generated an Fc-muted IgG4 HER2/4-1BB bispecific antibody (BsAb) HK006 by the fusion of HuB6 scFv and HuA21 Fab. HK006 exhibited synergistic antitumor activity by blocking HER2 signal transduction and stimulating the 4-1BB signaling pathway simultaneously and strictly dependent on HER2 expression in vitro and in vivo. Strikingly, HK006 treatment enhanced antitumor immunity by increasing and activating tumor-infiltrating T cells. Moreover, HK006 did not induce nonspecific production of proinflammatory cytokines and had no obvious toxicity in mice. Overall, these data demonstrated that HK006 should be a promising candidate for HER2-positive cancer immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aolin Shen
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical UniversityHefei 230032, Anhui, China
- Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Tumor Immunotherapy and Nutrition TherapyHefei 230001, Anhui, China
| | - Wenting Liu
- Hefei HankeMab Biotechnology Co., Ltd.Hefei 230088, Anhui, China
| | - Huizhen Wang
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical UniversityHefei 230032, Anhui, China
| | - Xiaoli Zeng
- Hefei HankeMab Biotechnology Co., Ltd.Hefei 230088, Anhui, China
| | - Mengli Wang
- Hefei HankeMab Biotechnology Co., Ltd.Hefei 230088, Anhui, China
| | - Dayan Zhang
- Hefei HankeMab Biotechnology Co., Ltd.Hefei 230088, Anhui, China
| | - Qun Zhao
- Hefei HankeMab Biotechnology Co., Ltd.Hefei 230088, Anhui, China
| | - Qing Fang
- Hefei HankeMab Biotechnology Co., Ltd.Hefei 230088, Anhui, China
| | - Fengrong Wang
- Hefei HankeMab Biotechnology Co., Ltd.Hefei 230088, Anhui, China
| | - Liansheng Cheng
- Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Tumor Immunotherapy and Nutrition TherapyHefei 230001, Anhui, China
- Hefei HankeMab Biotechnology Co., Ltd.Hefei 230088, Anhui, China
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Gene Engineering Pharmaceutical, Biomedicine Technology Innovation Center of Hefei, Anhui Anke Biotechnology (Group) Co., Ltd.Hefei 230088, Anhui, China
| | - Guodong Shen
- Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Tumor Immunotherapy and Nutrition TherapyHefei 230001, Anhui, China
- Department of Geriatrics, The First Affiliated Hospital of University of Science and Technology of China, Gerontology Institute of Anhui Province, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of ChinaHefei 230001, Anhui, China
| | - Yongxiang Li
- Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical UniversityHefei 230032, Anhui, China
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8
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Cheng LS, Zhu M, Gao Y, Liu WT, Yin W, Zhou P, Zhu Z, Niu L, Zeng X, Zhang D, Fang Q, Wang F, Zhao Q, Zhang Y, Shen G. An Fc-muted bispecific antibody targeting PD-L1 and 4-1BB induces antitumor immune activity in colorectal cancer without systemic toxicity. Cell Mol Biol Lett 2023; 28:47. [PMID: 37259060 DOI: 10.1186/s11658-023-00461-w] [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: 01/12/2023] [Accepted: 05/15/2023] [Indexed: 06/02/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Resistance to immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy narrows the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy. Although 4-1BB is a promising drug target as a costimulatory molecule of immune cells, no 4-1BB agonist has been given clinical approval because of severe liver toxicity or limited efficacy. Therefore, a safe and efficient immunostimulatory molecule is urgently needed for cancer immunotherapy. METHODS HK010 was generated by antibody engineering, and the Fab/antigen complex structure was analyzed using crystallography. The affinity and activity of HK010 were detected by multiple in vitro bioassays, including enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), surface plasmon resonance (SPR), flow cytometry, and luciferase-reporter assays. Humanized mice bearing human PD-L1-expressing MC38 (MC38/hPDL1) or CT26 (CT26/hPDL1) tumor transplants were established to assess the in vivo antitumor activity of HK010. The pharmacokinetics (PK) and toxicity of HK010 were evaluated in cynomolgus monkeys. RESULTS HK010 was generated as an Fc-muted immunoglobulin (Ig)G4 PD-L1x4-1BB bispecific antibody (BsAb) with a distinguished Fab/antigen complex structure, and maintained a high affinity for human PD-L1 (KD: 2.27 nM) and low affinity for human 4-1BB (KD: 493 nM) to achieve potent PD-1/PD-L1 blockade and appropriate 4-1BB agonism. HK010 exhibited synergistic antitumor activity by blocking the PD-1/PD-L1 signaling pathway and stimulating the 4-1BB signaling pathway simultaneously, and being strictly dependent on the PD-L1 receptor in vitro and in vivo. In particular, when the dose was decreased to 0.3 mg/kg, HK010 still showed a strong antitumor effect in a humanized mouse model bearing MC38/hPDL1 tumors. Strikingly, HK010 treatment enhanced antitumor immunity and induced durable antigen-specific immune memory to prevent rechallenged tumor growth by recruiting CD8+ T cells and other lymphocytes into tumor tissue and activating tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes. Moreover, HK010 not only did not induce nonspecific production of proinflammatory cytokines but was also observed to be well tolerated in cynomolgus monkeys in 5 week repeated-dose (5, 15, or 50 mg/kg) and single-dose (75 or 150 mg/kg) toxicity studies. CONCLUSION We generated an Fc-muted anti-PD-L1x4-1BB BsAb, HK010, with a distinguished structural interaction with PD-L1 and 4-1BB that exhibits a synergistic antitumor effect by blocking the PD-1/PD-L1 signaling pathway and stimulating the 4-1BB signaling pathway simultaneously. It is strictly dependent on the PD-L1 receptor with no systemic toxicity, which may offer a new option for cancer immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lian-Sheng Cheng
- Department of Geriatrics, The First Affiliated Hospital of University of Science and Technology of China, Gerontology Institute of Anhui Province, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230001, Anhui, China
- Hefei HankeMab Biotechnology Limited, Hefei, 230088, Anhui, China
- Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Tumor Immunotherapy and Nutrition Therapy, Hefei, 230001, Anhui, China
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Gene Engineering Pharmaceutical, Biomedicine Technology Innovation Center of Hefei, Anhui Anke Biotechnology (Group) Co., Ltd., Hefei, 230088, Anhui, China
| | - Min Zhu
- School of Life Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, Anhui, China
| | - Yan Gao
- School of Life Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, Anhui, China
| | - Wen-Ting Liu
- Hefei HankeMab Biotechnology Limited, Hefei, 230088, Anhui, China
| | - Wu Yin
- Department of Geriatrics, The First Affiliated Hospital of University of Science and Technology of China, Gerontology Institute of Anhui Province, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230001, Anhui, China
- Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Tumor Immunotherapy and Nutrition Therapy, Hefei, 230001, Anhui, China
| | - Pengfei Zhou
- Hefei HankeMab Biotechnology Limited, Hefei, 230088, Anhui, China
| | - Zhongliang Zhu
- School of Life Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, Anhui, China
| | - Liwen Niu
- School of Life Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, Anhui, China
| | - Xiaoli Zeng
- Hefei HankeMab Biotechnology Limited, Hefei, 230088, Anhui, China
| | - Dayan Zhang
- Hefei HankeMab Biotechnology Limited, Hefei, 230088, Anhui, China
| | - Qing Fang
- Hefei HankeMab Biotechnology Limited, Hefei, 230088, Anhui, China
| | - Fengrong Wang
- Hefei HankeMab Biotechnology Limited, Hefei, 230088, Anhui, China
| | - Qun Zhao
- Hefei HankeMab Biotechnology Limited, Hefei, 230088, Anhui, China
| | - Yan Zhang
- School of Health Service Management, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, Anhui, China.
| | - Guodong Shen
- Department of Geriatrics, The First Affiliated Hospital of University of Science and Technology of China, Gerontology Institute of Anhui Province, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230001, Anhui, China.
- Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Tumor Immunotherapy and Nutrition Therapy, Hefei, 230001, Anhui, China.
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9
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Zheng L, Yang Q, Li F, Zhu M, Yang H, Tan T, Wu B, Liu M, Xu C, Yin J, Cao C. The Glycosylation of Immune Checkpoints and Their Applications in Oncology. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2022; 15:ph15121451. [PMID: 36558902 PMCID: PMC9783268 DOI: 10.3390/ph15121451] [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: 10/17/2022] [Revised: 11/16/2022] [Accepted: 11/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Tumor therapies have entered the immunotherapy era. Immune checkpoint inhibitors have achieved tremendous success, with some patients achieving long-term tumor control. Tumors, on the other hand, can still accomplish immune evasion, which is aided by immune checkpoints. The majority of immune checkpoints are membrane glycoproteins, and abnormal tumor glycosylation may alter how the immune system perceives tumors, affecting the body's anti-tumor immunity. Furthermore, RNA can also be glycosylated, and GlycoRNA is important to the immune system. Glycosylation has emerged as a new hallmark of tumors, with glycosylation being considered a potential therapeutic approach. The glycosylation modification of immune checkpoints and the most recent advances in glycosylation-targeted immunotherapy are discussed in this review.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linlin Zheng
- School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, China
| | - Qi Yang
- Biotherapy Center, Third Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150081, China
| | - Feifei Li
- Collaborative Innovation Centre of Regenerative Medicine and Medical BioResource Development and Application Co-constructed by the Province and Ministry, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021, China
| | - Min Zhu
- School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, China
| | - Haochi Yang
- School of Medical and Life Sciences, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 611137, China
| | - Tian Tan
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 611137, China
| | - Binghuo Wu
- Department of Oncology, Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences, Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610072, China
| | - Mingxin Liu
- School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, China
| | - Chuan Xu
- Department of Oncology, Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences, Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610072, China
- Sichuan Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology, Sichuan Cancer Hospital & Institute, Sichuan Cancer Center, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Jun Yin
- Sichuan Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology, Sichuan Cancer Hospital & Institute, Sichuan Cancer Center, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610041, China
- Correspondence: (J.Y.); (C.C.)
| | - Chenhui Cao
- Sichuan Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology, Sichuan Cancer Hospital & Institute, Sichuan Cancer Center, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610041, China
- Correspondence: (J.Y.); (C.C.)
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10
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A PD-L1-targeting chimeric switch receptor enhances efficacy of CAR-T cell for pleural and peritoneal metastasis. Signal Transduct Target Ther 2022; 7:380. [PMID: 36402752 PMCID: PMC9675732 DOI: 10.1038/s41392-022-01198-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2021] [Revised: 08/29/2022] [Accepted: 09/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Pleural and peritoneal metastasis accompanied by malignant pleural effusion (MPE) or malignant ascites (MA) is frequent in patients with advanced solid tumors that originate from the lung, breast, gastrointestinal tract and ovary. Regional delivery of CAR-T cells represents a new strategy to control tumor dissemination in serous cavities. However, malignant effusions constitute an immune-suppressive environment that potentially induces CAR-T cell dysfunction. Here, we demonstrated that the anti-tumor cytotoxicity of conventional 2nd-generation CAR-T cells was significantly inhibited by both the cellular and non-cellular components of MPE/MA, which was primarily attributed to impaired CAR-T cell proliferation and cytokine production in MPE/MA environment. Interestingly, we found that PD-L1 was widely expressed on freshly-isolated MPE/MA cells. Based on this feature, a novel PD-L1-targeting chimeric switch receptor (PD-L1.BB CSR) was designed, which can bind to PD-L1, switching the inhibitory signal into an additional 4-1BB signal. When co-expressed with a 2nd-generation CAR, PD-L1.BB CSR-modified CAR-T cells displayed superior fitness and enhanced functions in both culture medium and MPE/MA environment, causing rapid and durable eradication of pleural and peritoneal metastatic tumors in xenograft models. Further investigations revealed elevated expressions of T-cell activation, proliferation, and cytotoxicity-related genes, and we confirmed that PD-L1 scFv and 4-1BB intracellular domain, the two important components of PD-L1.BB CSR, were both necessary for the functional improvements of CAR-T cells. Overall, our study shed light on the clinical application of PD-L1.BB CSR-modified dual-targeting CAR-T cells. Based on this study, a phase I clinical trial was initiated in patients with pleural or peritoneal metastasis (NCT04684459).
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11
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Heckel F, Turaj AH, Fisher H, Chan HTC, Marshall MJE, Dadas O, Penfold CA, Inzhelevskaya T, Mockridge CI, Alvarado D, Tews I, Keler T, Beers SA, Cragg MS, Lim SH. Agonistic CD27 antibody potency is determined by epitope-dependent receptor clustering augmented through Fc-engineering. Commun Biol 2022; 5:229. [PMID: 35288635 PMCID: PMC8921514 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-03182-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2021] [Accepted: 02/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Agonistic CD27 monoclonal antibodies (mAb) have demonstrated impressive anti-tumour efficacy in multiple preclinical models but modest clinical responses. This might reflect current reagents delivering suboptimal CD27 agonism. Here, using a novel panel of CD27 mAb including a clinical candidate, we investigate the determinants of CD27 mAb agonism. Epitope mapping and in silico docking analysis show that mAb binding to membrane-distal and external-facing residues are stronger agonists. However, poor epitope-dependent agonism could partially be overcome by Fc-engineering, using mAb isotypes that promote receptor clustering, such as human immunoglobulin G1 (hIgG1, h1) with enhanced affinity to Fc gamma receptor (FcγR) IIb, or hIgG2 (h2). This study provides the critical knowledge required for the development of agonistic CD27 mAb that are potentially more clinically efficacious.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franziska Heckel
- Centre for Cancer Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO16 6YD, UK
- Cancer Research UK Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO16 6YD, UK
| | - Anna H Turaj
- Centre for Cancer Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO16 6YD, UK
- Cancer Research UK Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO16 6YD, UK
| | - Hayden Fisher
- Centre for Cancer Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO16 6YD, UK
- Cancer Research UK Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO16 6YD, UK
- Institute for Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Highfield Campus, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK
- Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Highfield Campus, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - H T Claude Chan
- Centre for Cancer Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO16 6YD, UK
- Cancer Research UK Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO16 6YD, UK
| | - Michael J E Marshall
- Centre for Cancer Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO16 6YD, UK
- Cancer Research UK Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO16 6YD, UK
| | - Osman Dadas
- Centre for Cancer Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO16 6YD, UK
- Cancer Research UK Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO16 6YD, UK
| | - Christine A Penfold
- Centre for Cancer Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO16 6YD, UK
- Cancer Research UK Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO16 6YD, UK
| | - Tatyana Inzhelevskaya
- Centre for Cancer Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO16 6YD, UK
- Cancer Research UK Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO16 6YD, UK
| | - C Ian Mockridge
- Centre for Cancer Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO16 6YD, UK
- Cancer Research UK Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO16 6YD, UK
| | | | - Ivo Tews
- Institute for Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Highfield Campus, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK
- Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Highfield Campus, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - Tibor Keler
- Celldex Therapeutics, Inc., Hampton, NJ, 08827, USA
| | - Stephen A Beers
- Centre for Cancer Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO16 6YD, UK
- Cancer Research UK Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO16 6YD, UK
| | - Mark S Cragg
- Centre for Cancer Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO16 6YD, UK
- Cancer Research UK Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO16 6YD, UK
| | - Sean H Lim
- Centre for Cancer Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO16 6YD, UK.
- Cancer Research UK Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO16 6YD, UK.
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12
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An anti-PD-1–GITR-L bispecific agonist induces GITR clustering-mediated T cell activation for cancer immunotherapy. NATURE CANCER 2022; 3:337-354. [PMID: 35256819 PMCID: PMC8960412 DOI: 10.1038/s43018-022-00334-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2021] [Accepted: 01/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Costimulatory receptors such as glucocorticoid-induced tumor necrosis factor receptor–related protein (GITR) play key roles in regulating the effector functions of T cells. In human clinical trials, however, GITR agonist antibodies have shown limited therapeutic effect, which may be due to suboptimal receptor clustering-mediated signaling. To overcome this potential limitation, a rational protein engineering approach is needed to optimize GITR agonist-based immunotherapies. Here we show a bispecific molecule consisting of an anti-PD-1 antibody fused with a multimeric GITR ligand (GITR-L) that induces PD-1-dependent and FcγR-independent GITR clustering, resulting in enhanced activation, proliferation and memory differentiation of primed antigen-specific GITR+PD-1+ T cells. The anti-PD-1–GITR-L bispecific is a PD-1-directed GITR-L construct that demonstrated dose-dependent, immunologically driven tumor growth inhibition in syngeneic, genetically engineered and xenograft humanized mouse tumor models, with a dose-dependent correlation between target saturation and Ki67 and TIGIT upregulation on memory T cells. Anti-PD-1–GITR-L thus represents a bispecific approach to directing GITR agonism for cancer immunotherapy. Alvarez and colleagues develop a bispecific anti-PD-1–GITR-L agonist that activates T cells via a mechanism distinct from those found with individual PD-1 and GITR-L agonists and demonstrate its antitumor activity in mice and nonhuman primates.
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13
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Sun R, Kim AMJ, Murray AA, Lim SO. N-Glycosylation Facilitates 4-1BB Membrane Localization by Avoiding Its Multimerization. Cells 2022; 11:cells11010162. [PMID: 35011724 PMCID: PMC8750214 DOI: 10.3390/cells11010162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2021] [Revised: 01/02/2022] [Accepted: 01/03/2022] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Leveraging the T cell immunity against tumors represents a revolutionary type of cancer therapy. 4-1BB is a well-characterized costimulatory immune receptor existing on activated T cells and mediating their proliferation and cytotoxicity under infectious diseases and cancers. Despite the accumulating interest in implementing 4-1BB as a therapeutic target for immune-related disorders, less is known about the pattern of its intracellular behaviors and regulations. It has been previously demonstrated that 4-1BB is heavily modified by N-glycosylation; however, the biological importance of this modification lacks detailed elucidation. Through biochemical, biophysical, and cell-biological approaches, we systematically evaluated the impact of N-glycosylation on the ligand interaction, stability, and localization of 4-1BB. We hereby highlighted that N-glycan functions by preventing the oligomerization of 4-1BB, thus permitting its membrane transportation and fast turn-over. Without N-glycosylation, 4-1BB could be aberrantly accumulated intracellularly and fail to be sufficiently inserted in the membrane. The N-glycosylation-guided intracellular processing of 4-1BB serves as the potential mechanism explicitly modulating the “on” and “off” of 4-1BB through the control of protein abundance. Our study will further solidify the understanding of the biological properties of 4-1BB and facilitate the clinical practice against this promising therapeutic target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruoxuan Sun
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA; (R.S.); (A.M.J.K.); (A.A.M.)
| | - Alyssa Min Jung Kim
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA; (R.S.); (A.M.J.K.); (A.A.M.)
| | - Allison A. Murray
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA; (R.S.); (A.M.J.K.); (A.A.M.)
| | - Seung-Oe Lim
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA; (R.S.); (A.M.J.K.); (A.A.M.)
- Purdue Institute of Drug Discovery, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
- Purdue Center for Cancer Research, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
- Correspondence:
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14
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Cancer immune therapy with PD-1-dependent CD137 co-stimulation provides localized tumour killing without systemic toxicity. Nat Commun 2021; 12:6360. [PMID: 34737267 PMCID: PMC8569200 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-26645-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2020] [Accepted: 10/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Expression of the cell surface receptor CD137 has been shown to enhance anti-cancer T cell function via engagement with its natural ligand 4-1BBL. CD137 ligation with engineered ligands has emerged as a cancer immunotherapy strategy, yet clinical development of agonists has been hindered by either toxicity or limited efficacy. Here we show that a CD137/PD-1 bispecific antibody, IBI319, is able to overcome these limitations by coupling CD137 activation to PD-1-crosslinking. In CT26 and MC38 syngeneic mouse tumour models, IBI319 restricts T cell co-stimulation to PD-1-rich microenvironments, such as tumours and tumour-draining lymph nodes, hence systemic (liver) toxicity arising from generalised T cell activation is reduced. Besides limiting systemic T cell co-stimulation, the anti-PD-1 arm of IBI319 also exhibits checkpoint blockade functions, with an overall result of T and NK cell infiltration into tumours. Toxicology profiling in non-human primates shows that IBI319 is a well-tolerated molecule with IgG-like pharmacokinetic properties, thus a suitable candidate for further clinical development. The toxicity arising from generalised stimulation of T cells restricts applicability of CD137 agonists in cancer immune therapy. Here authors show that a bispecific antibody blocking PD-1 while activating CD137 efficiently restricts T cell activation to the tumour microenvironment, resulting in efficient tumour control and reduced liver toxicity.
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15
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Cappell KM, Kochenderfer JN. A comparison of chimeric antigen receptors containing CD28 versus 4-1BB costimulatory domains. Nat Rev Clin Oncol 2021; 18:715-727. [PMID: 34230645 DOI: 10.1038/s41571-021-00530-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 162] [Impact Index Per Article: 54.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/26/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) are engineered proteins designed to target T cells to cancer cells. To effectively activate the T cells in which they are expressed, CARs must contain a costimulatory domain. The CAR T cell products approved for the treatment of B cell lymphomas and/or acute lymphoblastic leukaemia or multiple myeloma incorporate either a CD28-derived or a 4-1BB-derived costimulatory domain. Almost all other clinically tested CARs also use costimulatory domains from CD28 or 4-1BB. In preclinical experiments, cytokine release is usually greater with CARs containing CD28 versus 4-1BB costimulatory domains; however, constructs with either domain confer similar anticancer activity in mouse models. T cell products expressing CARs with either CD28 or 4-1BB costimulatory domains have been highly efficacious in patients with relapsed haematological malignancies, with anti-CD19 products having similar activity regardless of the source of the costimulatory domain. In large-cohort clinical trials, the rates of neurological toxicities have been higher with CD28-costimulated CARs, although this finding is probably the result of a combination of factors rather than due to CD28 signalling alone. Future preclinical and clinical research should aim to compare different costimulatory domains while controlling for confounding variables. Herein, we provide an overview of T cell costimulation by CD28 and 4-1BB and, using the available preclinical and clinical data, compare the efficacy and toxicity profiles associated with CARs containing either costimulatory domain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn M Cappell
- Hematology Oncology Fellowship Program, National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD, USA
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16
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Liu W, Maben Z, Wang C, Lindquist KC, Li M, Rayannavar V, Lopez Armenta I, Nager A, Pascua E, Dominik PK, Oyen D, Wang H, Roach RC, Allan CM, Mosyak L, Chaparro-Riggers J. Structural delineation and phase-dependent activation of the costimulatory CD27:CD70 complex. J Biol Chem 2021; 297:101102. [PMID: 34419446 PMCID: PMC8484739 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2021.101102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2021] [Revised: 08/16/2021] [Accepted: 08/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
CD27 is a tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor, which stimulates lymphocytes and promotes their differentiation upon activation by TNF ligand CD70. Activation of the CD27 receptor provides a costimulatory signal to promote T cell, B cell, and NK cell activity to facilitate antitumor and anti-infection immunity. Aberrant increased and focused expression of CD70 on many tumor cells renders CD70 an attractive therapeutic target for direct tumor killing. However, despite their use as drug targets to treat cancers, the molecular basis and atomic details of CD27 and CD70 interaction remain elusive. Here we report the crystal structure of human CD27 in complex with human CD70. Analysis of our structure shows that CD70 adopts a classical TNF ligand homotrimeric assembly to engage CD27 receptors in a 3:3 stoichiometry. By combining structural and rational mutagenesis data with reported disease-correlated mutations, we identified the key amino acid residues of CD27 and CD70 that control this interaction. We also report increased potency for plate-bound CD70 constructs compared with solution-phase ligand in a functional activity to stimulate T-cells in vitro. These findings offer new mechanistic insight into this critical costimulatory interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Hui Wang
- Pfizer, Inc, La Jolla, California, USA
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17
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4-1BBL as a Mediator of Cross-Talk between Innate, Adaptive, and Regulatory Immunity against Cancer. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22126210. [PMID: 34207500 PMCID: PMC8227424 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22126210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2021] [Revised: 05/27/2021] [Accepted: 05/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
The ability of tumor cells to evade the immune system is one of the main challenges we confront in the fight against cancer. Multiple strategies have been developed to counteract this situation, including the use of immunostimulant molecules that play a key role in the anti-tumor immune response. Such a response needs to be tumor-specific to cause as little damage as possible to healthy cells and also to track and eliminate disseminated tumor cells. Therefore, the combination of immunostimulant molecules and tumor-associated antigens has been implemented as an anti-tumor therapy strategy to eliminate the main obstacles confronted in conventional therapies. The immunostimulant 4-1BBL belongs to the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) family and it has been widely reported as the most effective member for activating lymphocytes. Hence, we will review the molecular, pre-clinical, and clinical applications in conjunction with tumor-associated antigens in antitumor immunotherapy, as well as the main molecular pathways involved in this association.
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18
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Kotanides H, Sattler RM, Lebron MB, Carpenito C, Shen J, Li J, Surguladze D, Haidar JN, Burns C, Shen L, Inigo I, Pennello AL, Forest A, Chen X, Chin D, Sonyi A, Topper M, Boucher L, Sharma P, Zhang Y, Burtrum D, Novosiadly RD, Ludwig DL, Plowman GD, Kalos M. Characterization of 7A5: A Human CD137 (4-1BB) Receptor Binding Monoclonal Antibody with Differential Agonist Properties That Promotes Antitumor Immunity. Mol Cancer Ther 2021; 19:988-998. [PMID: 32241872 DOI: 10.1158/1535-7163.mct-19-0893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2019] [Revised: 12/17/2019] [Accepted: 02/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The CD137 receptor plays a key role in mediating immune response by promoting T cell proliferation, survival, and memory. Effective agonism of CD137 has the potential to reinvigorate potent antitumor immunity either alone or in combination with other immune-checkpoint therapies. In this study, we describe the discovery and characterization of a unique CD137 agonist, 7A5, a fully human IgG1 Fc effector-null monoclonal antibody. The biological properties of 7A5 were investigated through in vitro and in vivo studies. 7A5 binds CD137, and the binding epitope overlaps with the CD137L binding site based on structure. 7A5 engages CD137 receptor and activates NF-κB cell signaling independent of cross-linking or Fc effector function. In addition, T cell activation measured by cytokine IFNγ production is induced by 7A5 in peripheral blood mononuclear cell costimulation assay. Human tumor xenograft mouse models reconstituted with human immune cells were used to determine antitumor activity in vivo. Monotherapy with 7A5 inhibits tumor growth, and this activity is enhanced in combination with a PD-L1 antagonist antibody. Furthermore, the intratumoral immune gene expression signature in response to 7A5 is highly suggestive of enhanced T cell infiltration and activation. Taken together, these results demonstrate 7A5 is a differentiated CD137 agonist antibody with biological properties that warrant its further development as a cancer immunotherapy. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT: http://mct.aacrjournals.org/content/molcanther/19/4/988/F1.large.jpg.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helen Kotanides
- Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company, New York, New York.
| | | | - Maria B Lebron
- Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company, New York, New York
| | - Carmine Carpenito
- Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company, New York, New York
| | - Juqun Shen
- Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company, New York, New York
| | - Jingxing Li
- Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company, New York, New York
| | - David Surguladze
- Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company, New York, New York
| | - Jaafar N Haidar
- Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company, New York, New York
| | - Colleen Burns
- Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company, New York, New York
| | - Leyi Shen
- Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company, New York, New York
| | - Ivan Inigo
- Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company, New York, New York
| | | | - Amelie Forest
- Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company, New York, New York
| | - Xinlei Chen
- Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company, New York, New York
| | - Darin Chin
- Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company, New York, New York
| | - Andreas Sonyi
- Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company, New York, New York
| | - Michael Topper
- Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company, New York, New York
| | - Lauren Boucher
- Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company, New York, New York
| | - Prachi Sharma
- Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company, New York, New York
| | - Yiwei Zhang
- Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company, New York, New York
| | - Douglas Burtrum
- Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company, New York, New York
| | | | - Dale L Ludwig
- Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company, New York, New York
| | - Gregory D Plowman
- Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company, New York, New York
| | - Michael Kalos
- Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company, New York, New York
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19
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Kucka K, Wajant H. Receptor Oligomerization and Its Relevance for Signaling by Receptors of the Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor Superfamily. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 8:615141. [PMID: 33644033 PMCID: PMC7905041 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2020.615141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2020] [Accepted: 12/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
With the exception of a few signaling incompetent decoy receptors, the receptors of the tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily (TNFRSF) are signaling competent and engage in signaling pathways resulting in inflammation, proliferation, differentiation, and cell migration and also in cell death induction. TNFRSF receptors (TNFRs) become activated by ligands of the TNF superfamily (TNFSF). TNFSF ligands (TNFLs) occur as trimeric type II transmembrane proteins but often also as soluble ligand trimers released from the membrane-bound form by proteolysis. The signaling competent TNFRs are efficiently activated by the membrane-bound TNFLs. The latter recruit three TNFR molecules, but there is growing evidence that this is not sufficient to trigger all aspects of TNFR signaling; rather, the formed trimeric TNFL–TNFR complexes have to cluster secondarily in the cell-to-cell contact zone for full TNFR activation. With respect to their response to soluble ligand trimers, the signaling competent TNFRs can be subdivided into two groups. TNFRs of one group, designated as category I TNFRs, are robustly activated by soluble ligand trimers. The receptors of a second group (category II TNFRs), however, failed to become properly activated by soluble ligand trimers despite high affinity binding. The limited responsiveness of category II TNFRs to soluble TNFLs can be overcome by physical linkage of two or more soluble ligand trimers or, alternatively, by anchoring the soluble ligand molecules to the cell surface or extracellular matrix. This suggests that category II TNFRs have a limited ability to promote clustering of trimeric TNFL–TNFR complexes outside the context of cell–cell contacts. In this review, we will focus on three aspects on the relevance of receptor oligomerization for TNFR signaling: (i) the structural factors which promote clustering of free and liganded TNFRs, (ii) the signaling pathway specificity of the receptor oligomerization requirement, and (iii) the consequences for the design and development of TNFR agonists.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirstin Kucka
- Division of Molecular Internal Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine II, University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Harald Wajant
- Division of Molecular Internal Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine II, University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
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20
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Mock J, Stringhini M, Villa A, Weller M, Weiss T, Neri D. An engineered 4-1BBL fusion protein with "activity on demand". Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:31780-31788. [PMID: 33239441 PMCID: PMC7749310 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2013615117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Engineered cytokines are gaining importance in cancer therapy, but these products are often limited by toxicity, especially at early time points after intravenous administration. 4-1BB is a member of the tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily, which has been considered as a target for therapeutic strategies with agonistic antibodies or using its cognate cytokine ligand, 4-1BBL. Here we describe the engineering of an antibody fusion protein, termed F8-4-1BBL, that does not exhibit cytokine activity in solution but regains biological activity on antigen binding. F8-4-1BBL bound specifically to its cognate antigen, the alternatively spliced EDA domain of fibronectin, and selectively localized to tumors in vivo, as evidenced by quantitative biodistribution experiments. The product promoted a potent antitumor activity in various mouse models of cancer without apparent toxicity at the doses used. F8-4-1BBL represents a prototype for antibody-cytokine fusion proteins, which conditionally display "activity on demand" properties at the site of disease on antigen binding and reduce toxicity to normal tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacqueline Mock
- Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zürich), CH-8093 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Marco Stringhini
- Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zürich), CH-8093 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Alessandra Villa
- Antibody Research, Philochem AG, CH-8112 Otelfingen, Switzerland
| | - Michael Weller
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, CH-8091 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Tobias Weiss
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, CH-8091 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Dario Neri
- Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zürich), CH-8093 Zürich, Switzerland;
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21
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Claus C, Ferrara C, Xu W, Sam J, Lang S, Uhlenbrock F, Albrecht R, Herter S, Schlenker R, Hüsser T, Diggelmann S, Challier J, Mössner E, Hosse RJ, Hofer T, Brünker P, Joseph C, Benz J, Ringler P, Stahlberg H, Lauer M, Perro M, Chen S, Küttel C, Bhavani Mohan PL, Nicolini V, Birk MC, Ongaro A, Prince C, Gianotti R, Dugan G, Whitlow CT, Solingapuram Sai KK, Caudell DL, Burgos-Rodriguez AG, Cline JM, Hettich M, Ceppi M, Giusti AM, Crameri F, Driessen W, Morcos PN, Freimoser-Grundschober A, Levitsky V, Amann M, Grau-Richards S, von Hirschheydt T, Tournaviti S, Mølhøj M, Fauti T, Heinzelmann-Schwarz V, Teichgräber V, Colombetti S, Bacac M, Zippelius A, Klein C, Umaña P. Tumor-targeted 4-1BB agonists for combination with T cell bispecific antibodies as off-the-shelf therapy. Sci Transl Med 2020; 11:11/496/eaav5989. [PMID: 31189721 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aav5989] [Citation(s) in RCA: 162] [Impact Index Per Article: 40.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2018] [Accepted: 05/16/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Endogenous costimulatory molecules on T cells such as 4-1BB (CD137) can be leveraged for cancer immunotherapy. Systemic administration of agonistic anti-4-1BB antibodies, although effective preclinically, has not advanced to phase 3 trials because they have been hampered by both dependency on Fcγ receptor-mediated hyperclustering and hepatotoxicity. To overcome these issues, we engineered proteins simultaneously targeting 4-1BB and a tumor stroma or tumor antigen: FAP-4-1BBL (RG7826) and CD19-4-1BBL. In the presence of a T cell receptor signal, they provide potent T cell costimulation strictly dependent on tumor antigen-mediated hyperclustering without systemic activation by FcγR binding. We could show targeting of FAP-4-1BBL to FAP-expressing tumor stroma and lymph nodes in a colorectal cancer-bearing rhesus monkey. Combination of FAP-4-1BBL with tumor antigen-targeted T cell bispecific (TCB) molecules in human tumor samples led to increased IFN-γ and granzyme B secretion. Further, combination of FAP- or CD19-4-1BBL with CEA-TCB (RG7802) or CD20-TCB (RG6026), respectively, resulted in tumor remission in mouse models, accompanied by intratumoral accumulation of activated effector CD8+ T cells. FAP- and CD19-4-1BBL thus represent an off-the-shelf combination immunotherapy without requiring genetic modification of effector cells for the treatment of solid and hematological malignancies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina Claus
- Roche Innovation Center Zurich, Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development (pRED), Wagistrasse 10, 8952 Schlieren, Switzerland
| | - Claudia Ferrara
- Roche Innovation Center Zurich, Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development (pRED), Wagistrasse 10, 8952 Schlieren, Switzerland
| | - Wei Xu
- Roche Innovation Center Zurich, Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development (pRED), Wagistrasse 10, 8952 Schlieren, Switzerland
| | - Johannes Sam
- Roche Innovation Center Zurich, Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development (pRED), Wagistrasse 10, 8952 Schlieren, Switzerland
| | - Sabine Lang
- Roche Innovation Center Zurich, Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development (pRED), Wagistrasse 10, 8952 Schlieren, Switzerland
| | - Franziska Uhlenbrock
- University of Basel, Department of Biomedicine, Hebelstrasse 20, 4031 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Rosmarie Albrecht
- Roche Innovation Center Zurich, Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development (pRED), Wagistrasse 10, 8952 Schlieren, Switzerland
| | - Sylvia Herter
- Roche Innovation Center Zurich, Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development (pRED), Wagistrasse 10, 8952 Schlieren, Switzerland
| | - Ramona Schlenker
- Roche Innovation Center Zurich, Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development (pRED), Wagistrasse 10, 8952 Schlieren, Switzerland
| | - Tamara Hüsser
- Roche Innovation Center Zurich, Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development (pRED), Wagistrasse 10, 8952 Schlieren, Switzerland
| | - Sarah Diggelmann
- Roche Innovation Center Zurich, Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development (pRED), Wagistrasse 10, 8952 Schlieren, Switzerland
| | - John Challier
- Roche Innovation Center Zurich, Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development (pRED), Wagistrasse 10, 8952 Schlieren, Switzerland
| | - Ekkehard Mössner
- Roche Innovation Center Zurich, Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development (pRED), Wagistrasse 10, 8952 Schlieren, Switzerland
| | - Ralf J Hosse
- Roche Innovation Center Zurich, Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development (pRED), Wagistrasse 10, 8952 Schlieren, Switzerland
| | - Thomas Hofer
- Roche Innovation Center Zurich, Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development (pRED), Wagistrasse 10, 8952 Schlieren, Switzerland
| | - Peter Brünker
- Roche Innovation Center Zurich, Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development (pRED), Wagistrasse 10, 8952 Schlieren, Switzerland
| | - Catherine Joseph
- Roche Innovation Center Basel, pRED, Grenzacherstrasse 124, 4070 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Jörg Benz
- Roche Innovation Center Basel, pRED, Grenzacherstrasse 124, 4070 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Philippe Ringler
- University of Basel, Center for Cellular Imaging and NanoAnalytics (C-CINA), Biozentrum, Klingelbergstrasse 70, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Henning Stahlberg
- University of Basel, Center for Cellular Imaging and NanoAnalytics (C-CINA), Biozentrum, Klingelbergstrasse 70, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Matthias Lauer
- Roche Innovation Center Basel, pRED, Grenzacherstrasse 124, 4070 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Mario Perro
- Roche Innovation Center Zurich, Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development (pRED), Wagistrasse 10, 8952 Schlieren, Switzerland
| | - Stanford Chen
- Roche Innovation Center Zurich, Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development (pRED), Wagistrasse 10, 8952 Schlieren, Switzerland
| | - Christine Küttel
- Roche Innovation Center Zurich, Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development (pRED), Wagistrasse 10, 8952 Schlieren, Switzerland
| | - Preethi L Bhavani Mohan
- Roche Innovation Center Zurich, Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development (pRED), Wagistrasse 10, 8952 Schlieren, Switzerland
| | - Valeria Nicolini
- Roche Innovation Center Zurich, Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development (pRED), Wagistrasse 10, 8952 Schlieren, Switzerland
| | - Martina Carola Birk
- Roche Innovation Center Zurich, Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development (pRED), Wagistrasse 10, 8952 Schlieren, Switzerland
| | - Amandine Ongaro
- Roche Innovation Center Zurich, Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development (pRED), Wagistrasse 10, 8952 Schlieren, Switzerland
| | - Christophe Prince
- Roche Innovation Center Zurich, Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development (pRED), Wagistrasse 10, 8952 Schlieren, Switzerland
| | - Reto Gianotti
- Roche Innovation Center Zurich, Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development (pRED), Wagistrasse 10, 8952 Schlieren, Switzerland
| | - Gregory Dugan
- Wake Forest School of Medicine, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Christopher T Whitlow
- Wake Forest School of Medicine, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | | | - David L Caudell
- Wake Forest School of Medicine, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | | | - J Mark Cline
- Wake Forest School of Medicine, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Michael Hettich
- Roche Innovation Center Basel, pRED, Grenzacherstrasse 124, 4070 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Maurizio Ceppi
- Roche Innovation Center Basel, pRED, Grenzacherstrasse 124, 4070 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Anna Maria Giusti
- Roche Innovation Center Basel, pRED, Grenzacherstrasse 124, 4070 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Flavio Crameri
- Roche Innovation Center Basel, pRED, Grenzacherstrasse 124, 4070 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Wouter Driessen
- Roche Innovation Center Basel, pRED, Grenzacherstrasse 124, 4070 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Peter N Morcos
- Roche Innovation Center New York, pRED, 430 E 29th St, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Anne Freimoser-Grundschober
- Roche Innovation Center Zurich, Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development (pRED), Wagistrasse 10, 8952 Schlieren, Switzerland
| | - Victor Levitsky
- Roche Innovation Center Zurich, Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development (pRED), Wagistrasse 10, 8952 Schlieren, Switzerland
| | - Maria Amann
- Roche Innovation Center Zurich, Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development (pRED), Wagistrasse 10, 8952 Schlieren, Switzerland
| | - Sandra Grau-Richards
- Roche Innovation Center Zurich, Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development (pRED), Wagistrasse 10, 8952 Schlieren, Switzerland
| | | | - Stella Tournaviti
- Roche Innovation Center Munich, pRED, Nonnenwald 2, 82377 Penzberg, Germany
| | - Michael Mølhøj
- Roche Innovation Center Munich, pRED, Nonnenwald 2, 82377 Penzberg, Germany
| | - Tanja Fauti
- Roche Innovation Center Zurich, Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development (pRED), Wagistrasse 10, 8952 Schlieren, Switzerland
| | | | - Volker Teichgräber
- Roche Innovation Center Zurich, Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development (pRED), Wagistrasse 10, 8952 Schlieren, Switzerland
| | - Sara Colombetti
- Roche Innovation Center Zurich, Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development (pRED), Wagistrasse 10, 8952 Schlieren, Switzerland
| | - Marina Bacac
- Roche Innovation Center Zurich, Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development (pRED), Wagistrasse 10, 8952 Schlieren, Switzerland
| | - Alfred Zippelius
- University of Basel, Department of Biomedicine, Hebelstrasse 20, 4031 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Christian Klein
- Roche Innovation Center Zurich, Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development (pRED), Wagistrasse 10, 8952 Schlieren, Switzerland
| | - Pablo Umaña
- Roche Innovation Center Zurich, Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development (pRED), Wagistrasse 10, 8952 Schlieren, Switzerland.
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22
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Bagheri S, Safaie Qamsari E, Yousefi M, Riazi-Rad F, Sharifzadeh Z. Targeting the 4-1BB costimulatory molecule through single chain antibodies promotes the human T-cell response. Cell Mol Biol Lett 2020; 25:28. [PMID: 32336974 PMCID: PMC7178758 DOI: 10.1186/s11658-020-00219-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2019] [Accepted: 03/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Adoptive T-cell therapy (ACT) using autologous tumor-reactive T lymphocytes has considerable potential for cancer immunotherapy. In ACT, T cells are isolated from cancer patients and then stimulated and expanded in vitro by cytokines and costimulatory molecules. 4-1BB is an important costimulatory protein belonging to the TNF receptor superfamily. It is involved in T-cell survival, proliferation and activation. Agonistic anti-4-1BB monoclonal antibodies have been introduced as appropriate tools for ACT. Methods Here, various single-chain fragment variable (scFv) antibodies were used to activate T cells isolated from peripheral blood via immune magnetic isolation. The T cells were stimulated with IL-2 and anti-CD-3 mAb and then treated with agonistic anti-4-1BB scFvs. The results showed the remarkable effects of anti-41BB scFvs on the functional properties of T cells, including their activation, proliferation and cytokine production. The flow cytometry analysis revealed a considerable increase in the expression of the T-cell activation marker CD69. Moreover, T-cell proliferation was evidenced in treated cells by CFSE labeling compared to the control groups. Result Anti-4-1BB scFvs significantly increased IFN-γ and IL-2 mRNA and protein expression in T cells, but exhibited no stimulatory effect on IL-4 expression. These findings show that anti-4-1BB scFvs could evoke a Type I immune response. Conclusions Our results demonstrate that targeting the 4-1BB molecule using agonistic scFvs could be an effective strategy for T-cell stimulation as part of an ACT approach to cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Salman Bagheri
- 1Department of Immunology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.,2Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.,3Immunology Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Elmira Safaie Qamsari
- 1Department of Immunology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.,2Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.,3Immunology Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Mehdi Yousefi
- 2Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Farhad Riazi-Rad
- 1Department of Immunology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
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23
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Philipson BI, O'Connor RS, May MJ, June CH, Albelda SM, Milone MC. 4-1BB costimulation promotes CAR T cell survival through noncanonical NF-κB signaling. Sci Signal 2020; 13:13/625/eaay8248. [PMID: 32234960 DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.aay8248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 103] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Clinical response to chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy is correlated with CAR T cell persistence, especially for CAR T cells that target CD19+ hematologic malignancies. 4-1BB-costimulated CAR (BBζ) T cells exhibit longer persistence after adoptive transfer than do CD28-costimulated CAR (28ζ) T cells. 4-1BB signaling improves T cell persistence even in the context of 28ζ CAR activation, which indicates distinct prosurvival signals mediated by the 4-1BB cytoplasmic domain. To specifically study signal transduction by CARs, we developed a cell-free, ligand-based activation and ex vivo culture system for CD19-specific CAR T cells. We observed greater ex vivo survival and subsequent expansion of BBζ CAR T cells when compared to 28ζ CAR T cells. We showed that only BBζ CARs activated noncanonical nuclear factor κB (ncNF-κB) signaling in T cells basally and that the anti-CD19 BBζ CAR further enhanced ncNF-κB signaling after ligand engagement. Reducing ncNF-κB signaling reduced the expansion and survival of anti-CD19 BBζ T cells and was associated with a substantial increase in the abundance of the most pro-apoptotic isoforms of Bim. Although our findings do not exclude the importance of other signaling differences between BBζ and 28ζ CARs, they demonstrate the necessary and nonredundant role of ncNF-κB signaling in promoting the survival of BBζ CAR T cells, which likely underlies the engraftment persistence observed with this CAR design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin I Philipson
- Medical Scientist Training Program, Perelman School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.,Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.,Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Roddy S O'Connor
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Michael J May
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Carl H June
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Steven M Albelda
- Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Michael C Milone
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
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24
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Li Y, Tan S, Zhang C, Chai Y, He M, Zhang CWH, Wang Q, Tong Z, Liu K, Lei Y, Liu WJ, Liu Y, Tian Z, Cao X, Yan J, Qi J, Tien P, Gao S, Gao GF. Limited Cross-Linking of 4-1BB by 4-1BB Ligand and the Agonist Monoclonal Antibody Utomilumab. Cell Rep 2019; 25:909-920.e4. [PMID: 30355497 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2018.09.073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2018] [Revised: 08/13/2018] [Accepted: 09/21/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) targeting the co-stimulatory molecule 4-1BB are of interest for tumor immunotherapy. We determined the complex structures of human 4-1BB with 4-1BB ligand (4-1BBL) or utomilumab to elucidate the structural basis of 4-1BB activation. The 4-1BB/4-1BBL complex displays a typical TNF/TNFR family binding mode. The structure of utomilumab/4-1BB complex shows that utomilumab binds to dimeric 4-1BB with a distinct but partially overlapping binding area with 4-1BBL. Competitive binding analysis demonstrates that utomilumab blocks the 4-1BB/4-1BBL interaction, indicating the interruption of ligand-mediated signaling. The binding profiles of 4-1BBL and utomilumab to monomeric or dimeric 4-1BB indicate limited cross-linking of 4-1BB molecules. These findings provide mechanistic insight into the binding of 4-1BB with its ligand and its agonist mAb, which may facilitate the future development of anti-4-1BB biologics for tumor immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Shuguang Tan
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Immunity, Shenzhen Third People's Hospital, Shenzhen 518112, China
| | - Chang Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Bio-medical Diagnostics, Suzhou Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Suzhou 215163, China
| | - Yan Chai
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Mengnan He
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | | | - Qihui Wang
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Immunity, Shenzhen Third People's Hospital, Shenzhen 518112, China; CAS Key Laboratory of Microbial Physiological and Metabolic Engineering, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Zhou Tong
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Immunity, Shenzhen Third People's Hospital, Shenzhen 518112, China; CAS Key Laboratory of Microbial Physiological and Metabolic Engineering, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; Shanxi Academy of Advanced Research and Innovation, Taiyuan 030032, China
| | - Kefang Liu
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC), Beijing 102206, China
| | - Yifan Lei
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - William J Liu
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Immunity, Shenzhen Third People's Hospital, Shenzhen 518112, China; National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC), Beijing 102206, China
| | - Yingxia Liu
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Immunity, Shenzhen Third People's Hospital, Shenzhen 518112, China
| | - Zhigang Tian
- Institute of Immunology, School of Life Sciences and Medical Center, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230027, China
| | - Xuetao Cao
- Department of Immunology & Center for Immunotherapy, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing 100005, China
| | - Jinghua Yan
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Immunity, Shenzhen Third People's Hospital, Shenzhen 518112, China; CAS Key Laboratory of Microbial Physiological and Metabolic Engineering, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Jianxun Qi
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Po Tien
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
| | - Shan Gao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Bio-medical Diagnostics, Suzhou Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Suzhou 215163, China; Shanxi Academy of Advanced Research and Innovation, Taiyuan 030032, China.
| | - George F Gao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Immunity, Shenzhen Third People's Hospital, Shenzhen 518112, China; Shanxi Academy of Advanced Research and Innovation, Taiyuan 030032, China; National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC), Beijing 102206, China.
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25
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Affiliation(s)
- Aruna Bitra
- Immune regulationLa Jolla Institute for immunologyLa JollaCA
| | - Dirk M Zajonc
- Immune regulationLa Jolla Institute for immunologyLa JollaCA
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26
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Alosaimi MF, Hoenig M, Jaber F, Platt CD, Jones J, Wallace J, Debatin KM, Schulz A, Jacobsen E, Möller P, Shamseldin HE, Abdulwahab F, Ibrahim N, Alardati H, Almuhizi F, Abosoudah IF, Basha TA, Chou J, Alkuraya FS, Geha RS. Immunodeficiency and EBV-induced lymphoproliferation caused by 4-1BB deficiency. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2019; 144:574-583.e5. [PMID: 30872117 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaci.2019.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2019] [Revised: 02/11/2019] [Accepted: 03/01/2019] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The tumor TNF receptor family member 4-1BB (CD137) is encoded by TNFRSF9 and expressed on activated T cells. 4-1BB provides a costimulatory signal that enhances CD8+ T-cell survival, cytotoxicity, and mitochondrial activity, thereby promoting immunity against viruses and tumors. The ligand for 4-1BB is expressed on antigen-presenting cells and EBV-transformed B cells. OBJECTIVE We investigated the genetic basis of recurrent sinopulmonary infections, persistent EBV viremia, and EBV-induced lymphoproliferation in 2 unrelated patients. METHODS Whole-exome sequencing, immunoblotting, immunophenotyping, and in vitro assays of lymphocyte and mitochondrial function were performed. RESULTS The 2 patients shared a homozygous G109S missense mutation in 4-1BB that abolished protein expression and ligand binding. The patients' CD8+ T cells had reduced proliferation, impaired expression of IFN-γ and perforin, and diminished cytotoxicity against allogeneic and HLA-matched EBV-B cells. Mitochondrial biogenesis, membrane potential, and function were significantly reduced in the patients' activated T cells. An inhibitory antibody against 4-1BB recapitulated the patients' defective CD8+ T-cell activation and cytotoxicity against EBV-infected B cells in vitro. CONCLUSION This novel immunodeficiency demonstrates the critical role of 4-1BB costimulation in host immunity against EBV infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammed F Alosaimi
- Division of Immunology, Boston Children's Hospital, and the Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass; Department of Pediatrics, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Manfred Hoenig
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, University Medical Center Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Faris Jaber
- Division of Immunology, Boston Children's Hospital, and the Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass
| | - Craig D Platt
- Division of Immunology, Boston Children's Hospital, and the Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass
| | - Jennifer Jones
- Division of Immunology, Boston Children's Hospital, and the Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass
| | - Jacqueline Wallace
- Division of Immunology, Boston Children's Hospital, and the Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass
| | - Klaus-Michael Debatin
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, University Medical Center Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Ansgar Schulz
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, University Medical Center Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Eva Jacobsen
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, University Medical Center Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Peter Möller
- Institute of Pathology, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Hanan E Shamseldin
- Department of Genetics, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ferdous Abdulwahab
- Department of Genetics, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Niema Ibrahim
- Department of Genetics, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Hosam Alardati
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Faisal Almuhizi
- Department of Medicine, Security Force Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ibraheem F Abosoudah
- Department of Oncology, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Talal A Basha
- Department of Pediatrics, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Janet Chou
- Division of Immunology, Boston Children's Hospital, and the Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass
| | - Fowzan S Alkuraya
- Department of Genetics, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Raif S Geha
- Division of Immunology, Boston Children's Hospital, and the Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass.
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27
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Sun C, He D, Ma C, Gao Z, Chen Y, Wang S. Bifunctional Fusion Proteins Derived from Tumstatin and 4-1BBL for Targeted Cancer Therapy. Mol Pharm 2018; 16:867-876. [PMID: 30565463 DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.8b01190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The therapeutic utilities of antiangiogenesis and immunotherapy have been proven in clinics, and cancer patients have benefited from respective therapy. Given that the combination of both therapeutic strategies may further improve the effectiveness, a recombinant human 4-1BBL/tumstatin fusion protein (rh4TFP) library was constructed in the present study to target both angiogenesis and T lymphocyte activation, in which the fragments of an endogenous angiogenesis inhibitor tumstatin and a T lymphocyte costimulatory 4-1BBL are coupled with different linkers. After comparison of different combinations, rh4TFP-2 was found to show a promise on potential antiangiogenic immunotherapy. On one hand, rh4TFP-2 inhibited proliferation and migration of human umbilical vein endothelial cells, exhibiting the antiangiogenic activity similar to tumstatin. On the other hand, rh4TFP-2 led to significant increase of T lymphocyte activation for the release of IL-2 and IFN-γ, showing the T lymphocyte activation by 4-1BBL. Moreover, administration of rh4TFP-2 suppressed tumor growth and prolonged survival in a B16F10 melanoma-bearing mouse model. Taken together, the present study provides a new approach of using bifunctional fusion proteins to target both angiogenesis and T lymphocyte activation for cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Laboratory of Chemical Biology , China Pharmaceutical University , Nanjing 210009 , China
| | - Dongyang He
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Laboratory of Chemical Biology , China Pharmaceutical University , Nanjing 210009 , China
| | - Chao Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Laboratory of Chemical Biology , China Pharmaceutical University , Nanjing 210009 , China
| | - Zhenyue Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Laboratory of Chemical Biology , China Pharmaceutical University , Nanjing 210009 , China
| | - Yijun Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Laboratory of Chemical Biology , China Pharmaceutical University , Nanjing 210009 , China
| | - Shuzhen Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Laboratory of Chemical Biology , China Pharmaceutical University , Nanjing 210009 , China
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Bitra A, Doukov T, Destito G, Croft M, Zajonc DM. Crystal structure of the m4-1BB/4-1BBL complex reveals an unusual dimeric ligand that undergoes structural changes upon 4-1BB receptor binding. J Biol Chem 2018; 294:1831-1845. [PMID: 30545939 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra118.006297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2018] [Revised: 11/28/2018] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The interaction between the receptor 4-1BB and its ligand 4-1BBL provides co-stimulatory signals for T-cell activation and proliferation. However, differences in the mouse and human molecules might result in differential engagement of this pathway. Here, we report the crystal structure of mouse 4-1BBL and of the mouse 4-1BB/4-1BBL complex, which together provided insights into the molecular mechanism by which m4-1BBL and its cognate receptor recognize each other. Unlike all human or mouse tumor necrosis factor ligands that form noncovalent and mostly trimeric assemblies, the m4-1BBL structure formed a disulfide-linked dimeric assembly. The structure disclosed that certain differences in the amino acid composition along the intramolecular interface, together with two specific residues (Cys-246 and Ser-256) present exclusively in m4-1BBL, are responsible for this unique dimerization. Unexpectedly, upon m4-1BB binding, m4-1BBL undergoes structural changes within each protomer; moreover, the individual m4-1BBL protomers rotate relative to each other, yielding a dimerization interface with more inter-subunit interactions. We also observed that in the m4-1BB/4-1BBL complex, each receptor monomer binds exclusively to a single ligand subunit with contributions of cysteine-rich domain 1 (CRD1), CRD2, and CRD3. Furthermore, structure-guided mutagenesis of the binding interface revealed that novel binding interactions with the GH loop, rather than the DE loop, are energetically critical and define the m4-1BB receptor selectivity for m4-1BBL. A comparison with the human 4-1BB/4-1BBL complex highlighted several differences between the ligand- and receptor-binding interfaces, providing an explanation for the absence of inter-species cross-reactivity between human and mouse 4-1BB and 4-1BBL molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aruna Bitra
- From the Division of Immune Regulation, La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI), La Jolla, California 92037
| | - Tzanko Doukov
- the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, SLAC, Menlo Park, California 94025
| | - Giuseppe Destito
- Kirin Kyowa Hakko Pharmaceutical Research, La Jolla, California 92037
| | - Michael Croft
- From the Division of Immune Regulation, La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI), La Jolla, California 92037.,the Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California 92037, and
| | - Dirk M Zajonc
- From the Division of Immune Regulation, La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI), La Jolla, California 92037, .,the Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
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