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Post-Translational Modifications in Tumor-Associated Antigens as a Platform for Novel Immuno-Oncology Therapies. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 15:cancers15010138. [PMID: 36612133 PMCID: PMC9817968 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15010138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2022] [Revised: 12/19/2022] [Accepted: 12/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Post-translational modifications (PTMs) are generated by adding small chemical groups to amino acid residues after the translation of proteins. Many PTMs have been reported to correlate with tumor progression, growth, and survival by modifying the normal functions of the protein in tumor cells. PTMs can also elicit humoral and cellular immune responses, making them attractive targets for cancer immunotherapy. This review will discuss how the acetylation, citrullination, and phosphorylation of proteins expressed by tumor cells render the corresponding tumor-associated antigen more antigenic and affect the immune response in multiple cancers. In addition, the role of glycosylated protein mucins in anti-cancer immunotherapy will be considered. Mucin peptides in combination with stimulating adjuvants have, in fact, been utilized to produce anti-tumor antibodies and vaccines. Finally, we will also outline the results of the clinical trial exploiting glycosylated-MUC1 as a vaccine in different cancers. Overall, PTMs in TAAs could be considered in future therapies to result in lasting anti-tumor responses.
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2
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Shah S, Al-Omari A, Cook KW, Paston SJ, Durrant LG, Brentville VA. What do cancer-specific T cells 'see'? DISCOVERY IMMUNOLOGY 2022; 2:kyac011. [PMID: 38567060 PMCID: PMC10917189 DOI: 10.1093/discim/kyac011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2022] [Revised: 11/18/2022] [Accepted: 12/02/2022] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Complex cellular interactions between the immune system and cancer can impact tumour development, growth, and progression. T cells play a key role in these interactions; however, the challenge for T cells is to recognize tumour antigens whilst minimizing cross-reactivity with antigens associated with healthy tissue. Some tumour cells, including those associated with viral infections, have clear, tumour-specific antigens that can be targeted by T cells. A high mutational burden can lead to increased numbers of mutational neoantigens that allow very specific immune responses to be generated but also allow escape variants to develop. Other cancer indications and those with low mutational burden are less easily distinguished from normal tissue. Recent studies have suggested that cancer-associated alterations in tumour cell biology including changes in post-translational modification (PTM) patterns may also lead to novel antigens that can be directly recognized by T cells. The PTM-derived antigens provide tumour-specific T-cell responses that both escape central tolerance and avoid the necessity for individualized therapies. PTM-specific CD4 T-cell responses have shown tumour therapy in murine models and highlight the importance of CD4 T cells as well as CD8 T cells in reversing the immunosuppressive tumour microenvironment. Understanding which cancer-specific antigens can be recognized by T cells and the way that immune tolerance and the tumour microenvironment shape immune responses to cancer is vital for the future development of cancer therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabaria Shah
- Scancell Limited, University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, University Park, Nottingham, UK
| | - Abdullah Al-Omari
- Scancell Limited, University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, University Park, Nottingham, UK
| | - Katherine W Cook
- Scancell Limited, University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, University Park, Nottingham, UK
| | - Samantha J Paston
- Scancell Limited, University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, University Park, Nottingham, UK
| | - Lindy G Durrant
- Scancell Limited, University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, University Park, Nottingham, UK
- Division of Cancer and Stem Cells, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, University Park, Nottingham, UK
| | - Victoria A Brentville
- Scancell Limited, University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, University Park, Nottingham, UK
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3
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Brentville VA, Symonds P, Chua J, Skinner A, Daniels I, Cook KW, Koncarevic S, Martinez-Pinna R, Shah S, Choudhury RH, Vaghela P, Weston D, Al-Omari A, Davis J, Durrant LG. Citrullinated glucose-regulated protein 78 is a candidate target for melanoma immunotherapy. Front Immunol 2022; 13:1066185. [PMID: 36544781 PMCID: PMC9760948 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1066185] [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: 10/10/2022] [Accepted: 11/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Post translational modification of proteins plays a significant role in immune recognition. In particular the modification of arginine to citrulline which is mediated by PAD enzymes is increased during cellular stress (autophagy) which permits the presentation of modified epitopes upon MHC class II molecules for recognition by CD4 T cells. Citrullination also occurs in tumour cells as a result of continuous environmental stresses and increased autophagy. We have shown in animal models the efficient stimulation of citrullinated epitope specific CD4 T cells resulting in dramatic elimination/regression of tumours. The ER chaperone glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78) is known to also be required for stress-induced autophagy and is directly linked to autophagosome formation. GRP78 is known to be highly expressed by many tumour types. In this study we investigate the potential of targeting citrullinated GRP78 for cancer therapy. Methods A citrullinated GRP78 specific antibody was used to assess citrullinated GRP78 expression in murine and human tumour cells by flow cytometry. Five peptides were selected and used to vaccinate HLA transgenic mice and immune responses were characterised by ex vivo cytokine ELISpot assay. T cell repertoire in humans was assessed through proliferation assays and cytokine ELISpot assay. Citrullinated peptide was identified in murine B16 melanoma by mass spectrometry and the peptide vaccine was assessed for tumour therapy in a mouse melanoma model. Results We show the identification CD4 T cell responses to one citrullinated GRP78 epitope that are restricted through HLA DP*0401 and HLA-DR*0101 alleles. This peptide is detected by mass spectrometry in B16 melanoma grown in vivo and citrulline specific CD4 responses to two peptides spanning this epitope mediate efficient therapy of established B16 melanoma tumours in HHDII/DP4 (p<0.0001) transgenic mouse model. Finally, we demonstrate the existence of a repertoire of responses to the citrullinated GRP78 peptide in healthy individuals (p=0.0023) with 13/17 (76%) individuals showing a response to this peptide. Conclusion We propose that citrullinated GRP78 is a candidate tumour antigen and vaccination against citrullinated GRP78 may provide a promising tumour therapy approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria Anne Brentville
- Scancell Limited, Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom,*Correspondence: Victoria Anne Brentville,
| | - Peter Symonds
- Scancell Limited, Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - JiaXin Chua
- Scancell Limited, Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Anne Skinner
- Scancell Limited, Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Ian Daniels
- Scancell Limited, Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Katherine Wendy Cook
- Scancell Limited, Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Sasa Koncarevic
- Proteome Sciences R & D GmbH & Co.KG, Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany
| | | | - Sabaria Shah
- Scancell Limited, Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Ruhul Hasan Choudhury
- Scancell Limited, Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Poonam Vaghela
- Scancell Limited, Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Daisy Weston
- Scancell Limited, Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Abdullah Al-Omari
- Scancell Limited, Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - James Davis
- Division of Cancer and Stem Cells, Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Lindy G. Durrant
- Scancell Limited, Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom,Division of Cancer and Stem Cells, Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, United Kingdom
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4
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León-Letelier RA, Katayama H, Hanash S. Mining the Immunopeptidome for Antigenic Peptides in Cancer. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:4968. [PMID: 36291752 PMCID: PMC9599891 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14204968] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2022] [Revised: 10/05/2022] [Accepted: 10/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Although harnessing the immune system for cancer therapy has shown success, response to immunotherapy has been limited. The immunopeptidome of cancer cells presents an opportunity to discover novel antigens for immunotherapy applications. These neoantigens bind to MHC class I and class II molecules. Remarkably, the immunopeptidome encompasses protein post-translation modifications (PTMs) that may not be evident from genome or transcriptome profiling. A case in point is citrullination, which has been demonstrated to induce a strong immune response. In this review, we cover how the immunopeptidome, with a special focus on PTMs, can be utilized to identify cancer-specific antigens for immunotherapeutic applications.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Sam Hanash
- Clinical Cancer Prevention, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA
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5
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Cook K, Xue W, Atabani S, Symonds P, Al Omari A, Daniels I, Shah S, Choudhury RH, Weston D, Metheringham R, Brentville V, Durrant L. Vaccine Can Induce CD4-Mediated Responses to Homocitrullinated Peptides via Multiple HLA-Types and Confer Anti-Tumor Immunity. Front Immunol 2022; 13:873947. [PMID: 35464453 PMCID: PMC9028767 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.873947] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2022] [Accepted: 03/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Homocitrullination is the post translation modification (PTM) of the amino acid lysine to homocitrulline also referred to as carbamylation. This PTM has mainly been studied in relation to autoimmune diseases including rheumatoid arthritis. Homocitrullination of lysines alters their charge which can lead to generation of neoepitopes that are differentially presented by MHC-II and induce modification-specific immune responses. Homocitrullination is often considered a process which triggers autoimmune disease by bypassing self-tolerance however, we suggest that homocitrullination may also have an alternative role in immune responses including protection against cancer. Here we demonstrate that immune responses to homocitrullinated peptides from three different proteins can be induced via multiple HLA-types. Immunization of Balb/c or HLA-transgenic DR4 and DR1 mice can induce modification-specific CD4 mediated IFNγ responses. Healthy human donors show a clear repertoire for the homocitrullinated Vimentin peptide (Vim116-135Hcit), with modification-specific and oligoclonal responses. Importantly, in vivo homocitrulline specific Vim116-135Hcit,Cyk8 371-388Hcit and Aldo 140-157Hcit responses are able to confer an anti-tumor effect in the murine B16 melanoma model. The Vim116-135Hcit anti-tumor response was dependent upon tumor expression of MHC-II suggesting the direct recognition of PTMs on tumor is an important anti-tumor mechanism. Cancer patients also have a CD4 repertoire for Vim116-135Hcit. Together these results suggest that homocitrulline-specific immune responses can be generated in healthy mice and detected in human donors through a variety of HLA-restrictions. Immunization can induce responses to Vim116-135Hcit,Aldolase 140-157Hcit and Cyk8 371-388Hcit which provide anti-tumor therapy across several HLA-types. Our results advance our understanding of homocitrulline-specific immune responses, with implications for a number of fields beyond autoimmunity, including tumor immune surveillance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine Cook
- Scancell Limited, Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Wei Xue
- Scancell Limited, Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Suha Atabani
- Scancell Limited, Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
- The Cancer Vaccine Group, Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Peter Symonds
- Scancell Limited, Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Abdullah Al Omari
- Scancell Limited, Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Ian Daniels
- Scancell Limited, Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Sabaria Shah
- Scancell Limited, Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Ruhul Hasan Choudhury
- Scancell Limited, Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Daisy Weston
- Scancell Limited, Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Rachael Metheringham
- Scancell Limited, Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Victoria Brentville
- Scancell Limited, Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Lindy Durrant
- Scancell Limited, Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
- The Cancer Vaccine Group, Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
- *Correspondence: Lindy Durrant,
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6
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Choudhury RH, Symonds P, Paston SJ, Daniels I, Cook KW, Gijon M, Metheringham RL, Brentville VA, Durrant LG. PAD-2-mediated citrullination of nucleophosmin provides an effective target for tumor immunotherapy. J Immunother Cancer 2022; 10:jitc-2021-003526. [PMID: 35140112 PMCID: PMC8830261 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2021-003526] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The enzymatic conversion of arginine to citrulline is involved in gene and protein regulation and in alerting the immune system to stressed cells, including tumor cells. Nucleophosmin (NPM) is a nuclear protein that plays key roles in cellular metabolism including ribosome biogenesis, mRNA processing and chromatin remodeling and is regulated by citrullination. In this study, we explored if the same citrullinated arginines within NPM are involved in gene regulation and immune activation. METHODS HLA-DP4 and HLA-DR4 transgenic mice were immunized with 22 citrullinated NPM overlapping peptides and immune responses to the peptides were assessed by ex vivo ELISpot assays. Antitumor immunity of NPM targeted vaccination was assessed by challenging transgenic mice with B16F1 HHDII/iDP4, B16F1 HHDII/PAD2KOcDP4, B16F1 HHDII and Lewis lung carcinoma cells/cDP4 cells subcutaneously. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells isolated from healthy donors were stimulated with NPM266-285cit peptides with/without CD45RO+memory cell depletion to assess if the responses in human were naïve or memory. RESULTS In contrast to NPM regulation, which is mediated by peptidylarginine deiminase (PAD4) citrullination of arginine at position 197, only citrullinated NPM266-285 peptide induced a citrulline-specific CD4 T cell response in transgenic mice models expressing human HLA-DP4 or HLA-DR4. Vaccinations with the NPM266-285cit peptide stimulated antitumor responses that resulted in dramatic tumor therapy, greatly improved survival, and protected against rechallenge without further vaccination. The antitumor response was lost if MHCII expression on the tumor cells was knocked out demonstrating direct presentation of the NPM266-285cit epitope in tumors. This antitumor response was lost in B16 tumors lacking PAD2 enzyme indicating NPM266cit is citrullinated by PAD2 in this model. Assessment of the T cell repertoire in healthy individuals and patients with lung cancer also showed CD4 T cells that respond to NPM266-285cit. The proliferative CD4 responses displayed a Th1 profile as they were accompanied with increased IFNγ and granzyme B expression. Depletion of CD45RO+ memory cells prior to stimulation suggested that responses originated from a naïve population in healthy donors. CONCLUSION This study indicates PAD2 can citrullinate the nuclear antigen NPM at position 277 which can be targeted by CD4 T cells for antitumor therapy. This is distinct from PAD4 citrullination of arginine 197 within NPM which results in its transport from the nucleoli to the nucleoplasm.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Lindy G Durrant
- Scancell Ltd, Nottingham, UK .,University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, Scancell Ltd, Nottingham, UK
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7
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Symonds P, Marcu A, Cook KW, Metheringham RL, Durrant LG, Brentville VA. Citrullinated Epitopes Identified on Tumour MHC Class II by Peptide Elution Stimulate Both Regulatory and Th1 Responses and Require Careful Selection for Optimal Anti-Tumour Responses. Front Immunol 2021; 12:764462. [PMID: 34858415 PMCID: PMC8630742 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.764462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2021] [Accepted: 10/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Somatic mutations or post-translational modifications of proteins result in changes that enable immune recognition. One such post-translational modification is citrullination, the conversion of arginine residues to citrulline. Citrullinated peptides are presented on MHC class II (MHCII) via autophagy which is upregulated by cellular stresses such as tumourigenesis. Methods Peptides were eluted from B16 melanoma expressing HLA-DP4 and analysed by mass spectrometry to profile the presented citrullinated repertoire. Initially, seven of the identified citrullinated peptides were used in combination to vaccinate HLA-DP4 transgenic mice. Immune responses were characterised from the combination and individual vaccines by ex vivo cytokine ELISpot assay and assessed for tumour therapy. Results The combination vaccine induced only weak anti-tumour therapy in the B16cDP4 melanoma model. Immune phenotyping revealed a dominant IFNγ response to citrullinated matrix metalloproteinase-21 peptide (citMMP21) and an IL-10 response to cytochrome p450 peptide (citCp450). Exclusion of the IL-10 inducing citCp450 peptide from the combined vaccine failed to recover a strong anti-tumour response. Single peptide immunisation confirmed the IFNγ response from citMMP21 and the IL-10 response from citCp450 but also showed that citrullinated Glutamate receptor ionotropic (citGRI) peptide stimulated a low avidity IFNγ response. Interestingly, both citMMP21 and citGRI peptides individually, stimulated strong anti-tumour responses that were significantly better than the combined vaccine. In line with the citGRI T cell avidity, it required high dose immunisation to induce an anti-tumour response. This suggests that as the peptides within the combined vaccine had similar binding affinities to MHC-II the combination vaccine may have resulted in lower presentation of each epitope and weak anti-tumour immunity. Conclusion We demonstrate that tumours present citrullinated peptides that can stimulate Th1 and regulatory responses and that competition likely exists between similar affinity peptides. Characterisation of responses from epitopes identified by peptide elution are necessary to optimise selection for tumour therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Symonds
- Scancell Limited, Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Ana Marcu
- Department of Immunology, Interfaculty Institute for Cell Biology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.,Cluster of Excellence iFIT (EXC 2180) "Image-Guided and Functionally Instructed Tumour Therapies", University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Katherine W Cook
- Scancell Limited, Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Rachael L Metheringham
- Scancell Limited, Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Lindy G Durrant
- Scancell Limited, Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom.,Biodiscovery Institute, Division of Cancer and Stem Cells, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Victoria A Brentville
- Scancell Limited, Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
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8
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Cook KW, Xue W, Symonds P, Daniels I, Gijon M, Boocock D, Coveney C, Miles AK, Shah S, Atabani S, Choudhury RH, Vaghela P, Weston D, Metheringham RL, Brentville VA, Durrant LG. Homocitrullination of lysine residues mediated by myeloid-derived suppressor cells in the tumor environment is a target for cancer immunotherapy. J Immunother Cancer 2021; 9:jitc-2020-001910. [PMID: 34321274 PMCID: PMC8320257 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2020-001910] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Homocitrullination is the post-translational modification of lysine that is recognized by T cells. Methods This study identified homocitrullinated peptides from aldolase, enolase, cytokeratin and binding immunoglobulin protein and used human leukocyte antigen (HLA) transgenic mice to assess immunogenicity by enzyme-linked immunosorbent spot assay. Vaccine efficacy was assessed in tumor therapy studies using HLA-matched B16 melanoma expressing constitutive or interferon γ (IFNγ)-inducible major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC-II) as represented by most human tumors. To determine the mechanism behind the therapy, immune cell infiltrates were analyzed using flow cytometry and therapy studies in the presence of myeloperoxidase (MPO) inhibitor and T-cell depletion performed. We assessed the T-cell repertoire to homocitrullinated peptides in patients with cancer and healthy donors using flow cytometry. Results Homocitrulline (Hcit) peptide vaccination stimulated strong CD4 T-cell responses and induced significant antitumor therapy in an established tumor model. The antitumor response was dependent on CD4 T cells and the effect was driven mainly via direct tumor recognition, as responses were only observed if the tumors were induced to express MHC-II. In vitro proliferation assays show that healthy donors and patients with cancer have an oligoclonal CD4 T-cell repertoire recognizing homocitrullinated peptides. Inhibition of cyanate generation, which mediates homocitrullination, by MPO inhibition reduced tumor therapy by the vaccine induced T cells (p=0.0018). Analysis of the tumor microenvironment (TME) suggested that myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) were a potential source of MPO. The selected B16 melanoma model showed MDSC infiltration and was appropriate to see if the Hcit vaccine could overcome the immunosuppression associated with MDSCs. The vaccine was very effective (90% survival) as the induced CD4 T cells directly targeted the homocitrullinated tumor and likely reversed the immunosuppressive environment. Conclusion We propose that MPO, potentially produced by MDSCs, catalyzes the buildup of cyanate in the TME which diffuses into tumor cells causing homocitrullination of cytoplasmic proteins which are degraded and, in the presence of IFNγ, presented by MHC-II for direct CD4 T-cell recognition. Homocitrullinated proteins are a new target for cancer vaccines and may be particularly effective against tumors containing high levels of MPO expressing MDSCs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Wei Xue
- Scancell Ltd, Nottingham, UK
| | | | | | | | - David Boocock
- School of Science and Technology, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, UK
| | - Clare Coveney
- School of Science and Technology, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, UK
| | - Amanda K Miles
- School of Science and Technology, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, UK
| | | | - Suha Atabani
- Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Nottingham, UK
| | | | - Poonam Vaghela
- Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Nottingham, UK
| | | | | | | | - Lindy G Durrant
- Scancell Ltd, Nottingham, UK .,Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Nottingham, UK
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9
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Brentville VA, Metheringham RL, Daniels I, Atabani S, Symonds P, Cook KW, Vankemmelbeke M, Choudhury R, Vaghela P, Gijon M, Meiners G, Krebber WJ, Melief CJM, Durrant LG. Combination vaccine based on citrullinated vimentin and enolase peptides induces potent CD4-mediated anti-tumor responses. J Immunother Cancer 2021; 8:jitc-2020-000560. [PMID: 32561639 PMCID: PMC7304843 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2020-000560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/26/2020] [Indexed: 11/03/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Stress-induced post-translational modifications occur during autophagy and can result in generation of new epitopes and immune recognition. One such modification is the conversion of arginine to citrulline by peptidylarginine deiminase enzymes. METHODS We used Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) transgenic mouse models to assess the immunogenicity of citrullinated peptide vaccine by cytokine Enzyme linked immunosorbant spot (ELISpot) assay. Vaccine efficacy was assessed in tumor therapy studies using HLA-matched B16 melanoma and ID8 ovarian models expressing either constitutive or interferon-gamma (IFNγ) inducible Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) class II (MHC-II) as represented by most human tumors. To determine the importance of CD4 T cells in tumor therapy, we analyzed the immune cell infiltrate into murine tumors using flow cytometry and performed therapy studies in the presence of CD4 and CD8 T cell depletion. We assessed the T cell repertoire to citrullinated peptides in ovarian cancer patients and healthy donors using flow cytometry. RESULTS The combination of citrullinated vimentin and enolase peptides (Modi-1) stimulated strong CD4 T cell responses in mice. Responses resulted in a potent anti-tumor therapy against established tumors and generated immunological memory which protected against tumor rechallenge. Depletion of CD4, but not CD8 T cells, abrogated the primary anti-tumor response as well as the memory response to tumor rechallenge. This was further reinforced by successful tumor regression being associated with an increase in tumor-infiltrating CD4 T cells and a reduction in tumor-associated myeloid suppressor cells. The anti-tumor response also relied on direct CD4 T cell recognition as only tumors expressing MHC-II were rejected. A comparison of different Toll-like receptor (TLR)-stimulating adjuvants showed that Modi-1 induced strong Th1 responses when combined with granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GMCSF), TLR9/TLR4, TLR9, TLR3, TLR1/2 and TLR7 agonists. Direct linkage of the TLR1/2 agonist to the peptides allowed the vaccine dose to be reduced by 10-fold to 100-fold without loss of anti-tumor activity. Furthermore, a CD4 Th1 response to the citrullinated peptides was seen in ovarian cancer patients. CONCLUSIONS Modi-1 citrullinated peptide vaccine induces potent CD4-mediated anti-tumor responses in mouse models and a CD4 T cell repertoire is present in ovarian cancer patients to the citrullinated peptides suggesting that Modi-1 could be an effective vaccine for ovarian cancer patients.
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MESH Headings
- Adjuvants, Immunologic/administration & dosage
- Animals
- CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes/immunology
- CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes
- Cancer Vaccines/administration & dosage
- Cancer Vaccines/genetics
- Cancer Vaccines/immunology
- Cell Line, Tumor
- Citrullination/immunology
- Female
- HLA Antigens/genetics
- HLA Antigens/immunology
- Humans
- Immunogenicity, Vaccine
- Interferon-gamma/immunology
- Lymphocyte Depletion
- Male
- Melanoma, Experimental/immunology
- Melanoma, Experimental/therapy
- Mice
- Mice, Transgenic
- Phosphopyruvate Hydratase/genetics
- Phosphopyruvate Hydratase/immunology
- Vaccines, Combined/administration & dosage
- Vaccines, Combined/genetics
- Vaccines, Combined/immunology
- Vaccines, Subunit/administration & dosage
- Vaccines, Subunit/genetics
- Vaccines, Subunit/immunology
- Vimentin/genetics
- Vimentin/immunology
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Ian Daniels
- Scancell Ltd, University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, Nottingham, UK
| | - Suha Atabani
- Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Nottingham, UK
| | - Peter Symonds
- Scancell Ltd, University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, Nottingham, UK
| | - Katherine W Cook
- Scancell Ltd, University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, Nottingham, UK
| | | | - Ruhul Choudhury
- Scancell Ltd, University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, Nottingham, UK
| | - Poonam Vaghela
- Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Nottingham, UK
| | - Mohamed Gijon
- Scancell Ltd, University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, Nottingham, UK
| | | | | | - Cornelis J M Melief
- ISA Pharmaceuticals, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Department of Immunohematology and Blood Transfusion, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Lindy G Durrant
- Scancell Ltd, University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, Nottingham, UK
- Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Nottingham, UK
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Paston SJ, Brentville VA, Symonds P, Durrant LG. Cancer Vaccines, Adjuvants, and Delivery Systems. Front Immunol 2021; 12:627932. [PMID: 33859638 PMCID: PMC8042385 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.627932] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2020] [Accepted: 03/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Vaccination was first pioneered in the 18th century by Edward Jenner and eventually led to the development of the smallpox vaccine and subsequently the eradication of smallpox. The impact of vaccination to prevent infectious diseases has been outstanding with many infections being prevented and a significant decrease in mortality worldwide. Cancer vaccines aim to clear active disease instead of aiming to prevent disease, the only exception being the recently approved vaccine that prevents cancers caused by the Human Papillomavirus. The development of therapeutic cancer vaccines has been disappointing with many early cancer vaccines that showed promise in preclinical models often failing to translate into efficacy in the clinic. In this review we provide an overview of the current vaccine platforms, adjuvants and delivery systems that are currently being investigated or have been approved. With the advent of immune checkpoint inhibitors, we also review the potential of these to be used with cancer vaccines to improve efficacy and help to overcome the immune suppressive tumor microenvironment.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Peter Symonds
- Biodiscovery Institute, Scancell Limited, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Lindy G. Durrant
- Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Nottingham, United Kingdom
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Brentville VA, Vankemmelbeke M, Metheringham RL, Durrant LG. Post-translational modifications such as citrullination are excellent targets for cancer therapy. Semin Immunol 2020; 47:101393. [PMID: 31932199 DOI: 10.1016/j.smim.2020.101393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2019] [Accepted: 01/01/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Under conditions of cellular stress, proteins can be post-translationally modified causing them to be recognized by the immune system. One such stress-induced post-translational modification (siPTM) is citrullination, the conversion of arginine residues to citrulline by peptidylarginine deiminase (PAD) enzymes. PAD enzymes are activated by millimolar concentrations of calcium which can occur during apoptosis, leading to precipitation of proteins, their subsequent uptake by B cells and stimulation of antibody responses. Detection of anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPAs) is a diagnostic of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), where immune complexes stimulate inflammation around the joints. More recently, autophagy has been shown to play a role in the presentation of citrullinated peptides on MHC class II molecules to CD4+ helper T cells, suggesting that citrullination may be a way of alerting immune cells to cellular stress. Additionally, inflammation-induced IFNγ and concomitant MHC class II expression on target cells contributes to immune activation. Stressful conditions in the tumor microenvironment induce autophagy in cancer cells as a pro-survival mechanism. Cancer cells also over express PAD enzymes and in light of this the hypothesis that citrullinated peptides stimulate CD4+ T cell responses that would recognize these siPTM's produced during autophagy has been investigated. The induction of potent citrullinated peptide-specific CD4 responses has been shown in both humans and HLA transgenic mouse models. Responses in mouse models resulted in potent anti-tumour responses against tumours expressing either constitutive or IFNγ-inducible MHC class II. The anti-tumour effect relied upon direct recognition of tumours by specific CD4 T cells suggesting that citrullinated peptides are attractive targets for cancer vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- V A Brentville
- Scancell Ltd, University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, Science Road, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK.
| | - M Vankemmelbeke
- Scancell Ltd, University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, Science Road, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK.
| | - R L Metheringham
- Scancell Ltd, University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, Science Road, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK.
| | - L G Durrant
- Scancell Ltd, University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, Science Road, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK; Division of Cancer and Stem Cells, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, Science Road, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK.
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Pradeepkiran JA. Insights of rheumatoid arthritis risk factors and associations. J Transl Autoimmun 2019; 2:100012. [PMID: 32743500 PMCID: PMC7388374 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtauto.2019.100012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2019] [Revised: 08/06/2019] [Accepted: 08/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a defective post-translational modification of citrullinated peptides which cause synovial inflammation in joints. The present review elaborates the basic mechanisms of RA and the root causes of molecular mechanisms. The gender-based differentiation and probabilitiesof RA causes were discussed. Many report studies supporting that females are more prone to RA than males maybe suspected that circulating estrogen hormones 16a-hydroxy estrone, 2-hydroxy estrogens involvement in the RA pathogenicity. Other important aspects like environmental factors and air pollutants like (SO2 and NO2) were also impacted and enhances the risk of RA were discussed. The root cause of pathomechanisms of peptidylarginine deiminase (PAD) enzymes in RA and autoimmunity factors were poorly understood, however, Ati-citrullinated peptides (ACP) are the powerful markers to diagnose the RA disease. This review discusses three main risk factors of RA to understand the RA pathogenesis and disease-modifying mechanisms, may provide a unique opportunity to determine disease prevalence and RA associations. Rheumatoid arthritis(RA) is caused by the defected peptides, environmental factor’s and hormonal dysregulation in synovial inflammation. The immune system attacks joint tissue for pathogenic citrullinated peptides causing inflammation in synovium, leading to RA. Risk factors, disorder proteins, cellular changes influence immune system to turns to self antigens leads to RA. Understanding the exact role and action of risk factors in RA is especially important given the prevention measures to RA are desirable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jangampalli Adi Pradeepkiran
- Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati, 517502, AP, India
- Deprtment of Internal Medicine, Texas Tech University of Health Science Centre, Lubbock, USA
- Corresponding author. Department of Internal Medicine, Texas Tech University of Health Science Centre, Lubbock, USA.
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