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Reggiani F, Talarico G, Gobbi G, Sauta E, Torricelli F, Manicardi V, Zanetti E, Orecchioni S, Falvo P, Piana S, Lococo F, Paci M, Bertolini F, Ciarrocchi A, Sancisi V. BET inhibitors drive Natural Killer activation in non-small cell lung cancer via BRD4 and SMAD3. Nat Commun 2024; 15:2567. [PMID: 38519469 PMCID: PMC10960013 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46778-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 03/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) is the most common lung cancer and one of the pioneer tumors in which immunotherapy has radically changed patients' outcomes. However, several issues are emerging and their implementation is required to optimize immunotherapy-based protocols. In this work, we investigate the ability of the Bromodomain and Extra-Terminal protein inhibitors (BETi) to stimulate a proficient anti-tumor immune response toward NSCLC. By using in vitro, ex-vivo, and in vivo models, we demonstrate that these epigenetic drugs specifically enhance Natural Killer (NK) cell cytotoxicity. BETi down-regulate a large set of NK inhibitory receptors, including several immune checkpoints (ICs), that are direct targets of the transcriptional cooperation between the BET protein BRD4 and the transcription factor SMAD3. Overall, BETi orchestrate an epigenetic reprogramming that leads to increased recognition of tumor cells and the killing ability of NK cells. Our results unveil the opportunity to exploit and repurpose these drugs in combination with immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Reggiani
- Translational Research Laboratory, Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy.
| | - Giovanna Talarico
- Laboratory of Hematology-Oncology, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, Milan, Italy
- Onco-Tech Lab, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS and Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Giulia Gobbi
- Translational Research Laboratory, Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy
| | - Elisabetta Sauta
- Translational Research Laboratory, Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy
- Humanitas Clinical and Research Center, IRCCS, Rozzano, Milan, Italy
| | - Federica Torricelli
- Translational Research Laboratory, Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy
| | - Veronica Manicardi
- Translational Research Laboratory, Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy
- Clinical and Experimental Medicine PhD Program, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - Eleonora Zanetti
- Pathology Unit, Azienda USL-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy
- Biobank, Azienda USL-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy
| | - Stefania Orecchioni
- Laboratory of Hematology-Oncology, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, Milan, Italy
- Onco-Tech Lab, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS and Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Paolo Falvo
- Laboratory of Hematology-Oncology, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, Milan, Italy
- Onco-Tech Lab, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS and Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Simonetta Piana
- Pathology Unit, Azienda USL-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy
- Biobank, Azienda USL-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy
| | - Filippo Lococo
- Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy
- Department of General Thoracic Surgery, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Massimiliano Paci
- Thoracic Surgery Unit, Azienda USL-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy
| | - Francesco Bertolini
- Laboratory of Hematology-Oncology, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, Milan, Italy
- Onco-Tech Lab, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS and Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Alessia Ciarrocchi
- Translational Research Laboratory, Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy
| | - Valentina Sancisi
- Translational Research Laboratory, Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy.
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2
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Eitler J, Rackwitz W, Wotschel N, Gudipati V, Murali Shankar N, Sidorenkova A, Huppa JB, Ortiz-Montero P, Opitz C, Künzel SR, Michen S, Temme A, Loureiro LR, Feldmann A, Bachmann M, Boissel L, Klingemann H, Wels WS, Tonn T. CAR-mediated targeting of NK cells overcomes tumor immune escape caused by ICAM-1 downregulation. J Immunother Cancer 2024; 12:e008155. [PMID: 38417916 PMCID: PMC10900364 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2023-008155] [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] [Accepted: 12/24/2023] [Indexed: 03/01/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The antitumor activity of natural killer (NK) cells can be enhanced by specific targeting with therapeutic antibodies that trigger antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) or by genetic engineering to express chimeric antigen receptors (CARs). Despite antibody or CAR targeting, some tumors remain resistant towards NK cell attack. While the importance of ICAM-1/LFA-1 interaction for natural cytotoxicity of NK cells is known, its impact on ADCC induced by the ErbB2 (HER2)-specific antibody trastuzumab and ErbB2-CAR-mediated NK cell cytotoxicity against breast cancer cells has not been investigated. METHODS Here we used NK-92 cells expressing high-affinity Fc receptor FcγRIIIa in combination with trastuzumab or ErbB2-CAR engineered NK-92 cells (NK-92/5.28.z) as well as primary human NK cells combined with trastuzumab or modified with the ErbB2-CAR and tested cytotoxicity against cancer cells varying in ICAM-1 expression or alternatively blocked LFA-1 on NK cells. Furthermore, we specifically stimulated Fc receptor, CAR and/or LFA-1 to study their crosstalk at the immunological synapse and their contribution to degranulation and intracellular signaling in antibody-targeted or CAR-targeted NK cells. RESULTS Blockade of LFA-1 or absence of ICAM-1 significantly reduced cell killing and cytokine release during trastuzumab-mediated ADCC against ErbB2-positive breast cancer cells, but not so in CAR-targeted NK cells. Pretreatment with 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine induced ICAM-1 upregulation and reversed NK cell resistance in ADCC. Trastuzumab alone did not sufficiently activate NK cells and required additional LFA-1 co-stimulation, while activation of the ErbB2-CAR in CAR-NK cells induced efficient degranulation independent of LFA-1. Total internal reflection fluorescence single molecule imaging revealed that CAR-NK cells formed an irregular immunological synapse with tumor cells that excluded ICAM-1, while trastuzumab formed typical peripheral supramolecular activation cluster (pSMAC) structures. Mechanistically, the absence of ICAM-1 did not affect cell-cell adhesion during ADCC, but rather resulted in decreased signaling via Pyk2 and ERK1/2, which was intrinsically provided by CAR-mediated targeting. Furthermore, while stimulation of the inhibitory NK cell checkpoint molecule NKG2A markedly reduced FcγRIIIa/LFA-1-mediated degranulation, retargeting by CAR was only marginally affected. CONCLUSIONS Downregulation of ICAM-1 on breast cancer cells is a critical escape mechanism from trastuzumab-triggered ADCC. In contrast, CAR-NK cells are able to overcome cancer cell resistance caused by ICAM-1 reduction, highlighting the potential of CAR-NK cells in cancer immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiri Eitler
- Experimental Transfusion Medicine, Faculty of Medicine Carl Gustav Carus, Dresden University of Technology, Dresden, Germany
- Institute for Transfusion Medicine Dresden, German Red Cross Blood Donation Service North-East, Dresden, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Wiebke Rackwitz
- Experimental Transfusion Medicine, Faculty of Medicine Carl Gustav Carus, Dresden University of Technology, Dresden, Germany
- Institute for Transfusion Medicine Dresden, German Red Cross Blood Donation Service North-East, Dresden, Germany
| | - Natalie Wotschel
- Experimental Transfusion Medicine, Faculty of Medicine Carl Gustav Carus, Dresden University of Technology, Dresden, Germany
- Institute for Transfusion Medicine Dresden, German Red Cross Blood Donation Service North-East, Dresden, Germany
| | - Venugopal Gudipati
- Medical University of Vienna, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Institute for Hygiene and Applied Immunology, Vienna, Austria
| | - Nivedha Murali Shankar
- Experimental Transfusion Medicine, Faculty of Medicine Carl Gustav Carus, Dresden University of Technology, Dresden, Germany
- Institute for Transfusion Medicine Dresden, German Red Cross Blood Donation Service North-East, Dresden, Germany
| | - Anastasia Sidorenkova
- Experimental Transfusion Medicine, Faculty of Medicine Carl Gustav Carus, Dresden University of Technology, Dresden, Germany
- Institute for Transfusion Medicine Dresden, German Red Cross Blood Donation Service North-East, Dresden, Germany
| | - Johannes B Huppa
- Medical University of Vienna, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Institute for Hygiene and Applied Immunology, Vienna, Austria
| | - Paola Ortiz-Montero
- Experimental Transfusion Medicine, Faculty of Medicine Carl Gustav Carus, Dresden University of Technology, Dresden, Germany
- Institute for Transfusion Medicine Dresden, German Red Cross Blood Donation Service North-East, Dresden, Germany
| | - Corinna Opitz
- Institute for Transfusion Medicine Dresden, German Red Cross Blood Donation Service North-East, Dresden, Germany
| | - Stephan R Künzel
- Experimental Transfusion Medicine, Faculty of Medicine Carl Gustav Carus, Dresden University of Technology, Dresden, Germany
- Institute for Transfusion Medicine Dresden, German Red Cross Blood Donation Service North-East, Dresden, Germany
| | - Susanne Michen
- TU Dresden, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Department of Neurosurgery, Division of Experimental Neurosurgery and Tumor Immunology, Dresden, Germany
| | - Achim Temme
- TU Dresden, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Department of Neurosurgery, Division of Experimental Neurosurgery and Tumor Immunology, Dresden, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), partner site Dresden, Germany; German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany, National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), Dresden, Germany
| | - Liliana Rodrigues Loureiro
- Institute of Radiopharmaceutical Cancer Research, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Dresden, Germany
| | - Anja Feldmann
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Dresden, Dresden, Germany
- Institute of Radiopharmaceutical Cancer Research, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Dresden, Germany
- National Center for Tumor Diseases Dresden (NCT/UCC), Dresden, Germany
| | - Michael Bachmann
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Dresden, Dresden, Germany
- Institute of Radiopharmaceutical Cancer Research, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Dresden, Germany
- National Center for Tumor Diseases Dresden (NCT/UCC), Dresden, Germany
| | | | | | - Winfried S Wels
- Georg-Speyer-Haus, Institute for Tumor Biology and Experimental Therapy, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Frankfurt Cancer Institute, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Frankfurt/Mainz, a partnership between DKFZ and University Hospital Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Torsten Tonn
- Experimental Transfusion Medicine, Faculty of Medicine Carl Gustav Carus, Dresden University of Technology, Dresden, Germany
- Institute for Transfusion Medicine Dresden, German Red Cross Blood Donation Service North-East, Dresden, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Dresden, Dresden, Germany
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3
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Schober R, Brandus B, Laeremans T, Iserentant G, Rolin C, Dessilly G, Zimmer J, Moutschen M, Aerts JL, Dervillez X, Seguin-Devaux C. Multimeric immunotherapeutic complexes activating natural killer cells towards HIV-1 cure. J Transl Med 2023; 21:791. [PMID: 37936122 PMCID: PMC10631209 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-023-04669-4] [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: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/09/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) has dramatically extended the life expectancy of people living with HIV-1 and improved their quality of life. There is nevertheless no cure for HIV-1 infection since HIV-1 persists in viral reservoirs of latently infected CD4+ T cells. cART does not eradicate HIV-1 reservoirs or restore cytotoxic natural killer (NK) cells which are dramatically reduced by HIV-1 infection, and express the checkpoint inhibitors NKG2A or KIR2DL upregulated after HIV-1 infection. Cytotoxic NK cells expressing the homing receptor CXCR5 were recently described as key subsets controlling viral replication. METHODS We designed and evaluated the potency of "Natural killer activating Multimeric immunotherapeutic compleXes", called as NaMiX, combining multimers of the IL-15/IL-15Rα complex with an anti-NKG2A or an anti-KIR single-chain fragment variable (scFv) to kill HIV-1 infected CD4+ T cells. The oligomerization domain of the C4 binding protein was used to associate the IL-15/IL-15Rα complex to the scFv of each checkpoint inhibitor as well as to multimerize each entity into a heptamer (α form) or a dimer (β form). Each α or β form was compared in different in vitro models using one-way ANOVA and post-hoc Tukey's tests before evaluation in humanized NSG tg-huIL-15 mice having functional NK cells. RESULTS All NaMiX significantly enhanced the cytolytic activity of NK and CD8+ T cells against Raji tumour cells and HIV-1+ ACH-2 cells by increasing degranulation, release of granzyme B, perforin and IFN-γ. Targeting NKG2A had a stronger effect than targeting KIR2DL due to higher expression of NKG2A on NK cells. In viral inhibition assays, NaMiX initially increased viral replication of CD4+ T cells which was subsequently inhibited by cytotoxic NK cells. Importantly, anti-NKG2A NaMiX enhanced activation, cytotoxicity, IFN-γ production and CXCR5 expression of NK cells from HIV-1 positive individuals. In humanized NSG tg-huIL-15 mice, we confirmed enhanced activation, degranulation, cytotoxicity of NK cells, and killing of HIV-1 infected cells from mice injected with the anti-NKG2A.α NaMiX, as compared to control mice, as well as decreased total HIV-1 DNA in the lung. CONCLUSIONS NK cell-mediated killing of HIV-1 infected cells by NaMiX represents a promising approach to support HIV-1 cure strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafaëla Schober
- Department of Infection and Immunity, Luxembourg Institute of Health, 29, Rue Henri Koch, L-4354, Esch-Sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
| | - Bianca Brandus
- Department of Infection and Immunity, Luxembourg Institute of Health, 29, Rue Henri Koch, L-4354, Esch-Sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
| | - Thessa Laeremans
- Neuro-Aging and Viro-Immunotherapy (NAVI) Research Group, Faculty of Pharmacy and Medicine, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, 1090, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Gilles Iserentant
- Department of Infection and Immunity, Luxembourg Institute of Health, 29, Rue Henri Koch, L-4354, Esch-Sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
| | - Camille Rolin
- Department of Infection and Immunity, Luxembourg Institute of Health, 29, Rue Henri Koch, L-4354, Esch-Sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
| | - Géraldine Dessilly
- AIDS Reference Laboratory, Catholic University of Louvain, Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Jacques Zimmer
- Department of Infection and Immunity, Luxembourg Institute of Health, 29, Rue Henri Koch, L-4354, Esch-Sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
| | - Michel Moutschen
- Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Liège, CHU de Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Joeri L Aerts
- Neuro-Aging and Viro-Immunotherapy (NAVI) Research Group, Faculty of Pharmacy and Medicine, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, 1090, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Xavier Dervillez
- Department of Infection and Immunity, Luxembourg Institute of Health, 29, Rue Henri Koch, L-4354, Esch-Sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
| | - Carole Seguin-Devaux
- Department of Infection and Immunity, Luxembourg Institute of Health, 29, Rue Henri Koch, L-4354, Esch-Sur-Alzette, Luxembourg.
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4
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Schendel DJ. Evolution by innovation as a driving force to improve TCR-T therapies. Front Oncol 2023; 13:1216829. [PMID: 37810959 PMCID: PMC10552759 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1216829] [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: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Adoptive cell therapies continually evolve through science-based innovation. Specialized innovations for TCR-T therapies are described here that are embedded in an End-to-End Platform for TCR-T Therapy Development which aims to provide solutions for key unmet patient needs by addressing challenges of TCR-T therapy, including selection of target antigens and suitable T cell receptors, generation of TCR-T therapies that provide long term, durable efficacy and safety and development of efficient and scalable production of patient-specific (personalized) TCR-T therapy for solid tumors. Multiple, combinable, innovative technologies are used in a systematic and sequential manner in the development of TCR-T therapies. One group of technologies encompasses product enhancements that enable TCR-T therapies to be safer, more specific and more effective. The second group of technologies addresses development optimization that supports discovery and development processes for TCR-T therapies to be performed more quickly, with higher quality and greater efficiency. Each module incorporates innovations layered onto basic technologies common to the field of immunology. An active approach of "evolution by innovation" supports the overall goal to develop best-in-class TCR-T therapies for treatment of patients with solid cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dolores J. Schendel
- Medigene Immunotherapies GmbH, Planegg, Germany
- Medigene AG, Planegg, Germany
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5
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Abeynaike SA, Huynh TR, Mehmood A, Kim T, Frank K, Gao K, Zalfa C, Gandarilla A, Shultz L, Paust S. Human Hematopoietic Stem Cell Engrafted IL-15 Transgenic NSG Mice Support Robust NK Cell Responses and Sustained HIV-1 Infection. Viruses 2023; 15:365. [PMID: 36851579 PMCID: PMC9960100 DOI: 10.3390/v15020365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2022] [Revised: 01/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2023] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Mice reconstituted with human immune systems are instrumental in the investigation of HIV-1 pathogenesis and therapeutics. Natural killer (NK) cells have long been recognized as a key mediator of innate anti-HIV responses. However, established humanized mouse models do not support robust human NK cell development from engrafted human hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). A major obstacle to human NK cell reconstitution is the lack of human interleukin-15 (IL-15) signaling, as murine IL-15 is a poor stimulator of the human IL-15 receptor. Here, we demonstrate that immunodeficient NOD.Cg-Prkdcscid Il2rgtm1Wjl/SzJ (NSG) mice expressing a transgene encoding human IL-15 (NSG-Tg(IL-15)) have physiological levels of human IL-15 and support long-term engraftment of human NK cells when transplanted with human umbilical-cord-blood-derived HSCs. These Hu-NSG-Tg(IL-15) mice demonstrate robust and long-term reconstitution with human immune cells, but do not develop graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), allowing for long-term studies of human NK cells. Finally, we show that these HSC engrafted mice can sustain HIV-1 infection, resulting in human NK cell responses in HIV-infected mice. We conclude that Hu-NSG-Tg(IL-15) mice are a robust novel model to study NK cell responses to HIV-1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shawn A. Abeynaike
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Tridu R. Huynh
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
- Scripps Research Translational Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
- Division of Internal Medicine, Scripps Clinic/Scripps Green Hospital, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Abeera Mehmood
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Teha Kim
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Kayla Frank
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Kefei Gao
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Cristina Zalfa
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Angel Gandarilla
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | | | - Silke Paust
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
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6
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Hagemann K, Riecken K, Jung J, Hildebrandt H, Menzel S, Bunders M, Fehse B, Koch-Nolte F, Heinrich F, Peine S, Schulze Zur Wiesch J, Brehm TT, Addo MM, Lütgehetmann M, Altfeld M. Natural killer cell-mediated ADCC in SARS-CoV-2-infected individuals and vaccine recipients. Eur J Immunol 2022; 52:1297-1307. [PMID: 35416291 PMCID: PMC9087393 DOI: 10.1002/eji.202149470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2021] [Revised: 03/11/2022] [Accepted: 04/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
COVID‐19, caused by SARS‐CoV‐2, has emerged as a global pandemic. While immune responses of the adaptive immune system have been in the focus of research, the role of NK cells in COVID‐19 remains less well understood. Here, we characterized NK cell‐mediated SARS‐CoV‐2 antibody‐dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) against SARS‐CoV‐2 spike‐1 (S1) and nucleocapsid (NC) protein. Serum samples from SARS‐CoV‐2 resolvers induced significant CD107a‐expression by NK cells in response to S1 and NC, while serum samples from SARS‐CoV‐2‐negative individuals did not. Furthermore, serum samples from individuals that received the BNT162b2 vaccine induced strong CD107a expression by NK cells that increased with the second vaccination and was significantly higher than observed in infected individuals. As expected, vaccine‐induced responses were only directed against S1 and not against NC protein. S1‐specific CD107a responses by NK cells were significantly correlated to NK cell‐mediated killing of S1‐expressing cells. Interestingly, screening of serum samples collected prior to the COVID‐19 pandemic identified two individuals with cross‐reactive antibodies against SARS‐CoV‐2 S1, which also induced degranulation of NK cells. Taken together, these data demonstrate that antibodies induced by SARS‐CoV‐2 infection and anti‐SARS‐CoV‐2 vaccines can trigger significant NK cell‐mediated ADCC activity, and identify some cross‐reactive ADCC‐activity against SARS‐CoV‐2 by endemic coronavirus‐specific antibodies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kerri Hagemann
- Leibniz Institute for Experimental Virology, Department of Virus Immunology, Hamburg, 20251, Germany
| | - Kristoffer Riecken
- Research Department Cell and Gene Therapy, Department of Stem Cell Transplantation, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, 20246, Germany
| | - Johannes Jung
- Leibniz Institute for Experimental Virology, Department of Virus Immunology, Hamburg, 20251, Germany
| | - Heike Hildebrandt
- Leibniz Institute for Experimental Virology, Department of Virus Immunology, Hamburg, 20251, Germany
| | - Stephan Menzel
- University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Institute of Immunology, Hamburg, 20246, Germany
| | - Madeleine Bunders
- III. Department of Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, 20246, Germany
| | - Boris Fehse
- Research Department Cell and Gene Therapy, Department of Stem Cell Transplantation, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, 20246, Germany.,German Center for Infection Disease (DZIF), Partner Site Hamburg-Lübeck-Borstel-Riems, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Friedrich Koch-Nolte
- University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Institute of Immunology, Hamburg, 20246, Germany
| | - Fabian Heinrich
- Center for Diagnostics, Institute of Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, 20246, Germany.,Institute of Legal Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, 20246, Germany
| | - Sven Peine
- Institute for Transfusion Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, 20246, Germany
| | - Julian Schulze Zur Wiesch
- German Center for Infection Disease (DZIF), Partner Site Hamburg-Lübeck-Borstel-Riems, Hamburg, Germany.,Division of Infectious Diseases, I. Department of Internal Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, 20246, Germany
| | - Thomas T Brehm
- German Center for Infection Disease (DZIF), Partner Site Hamburg-Lübeck-Borstel-Riems, Hamburg, Germany.,Division of Infectious Diseases, I. Department of Internal Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, 20246, Germany
| | - Marylyn M Addo
- German Center for Infection Disease (DZIF), Partner Site Hamburg-Lübeck-Borstel-Riems, Hamburg, Germany.,Division of Infectious Diseases, I. Department of Internal Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, 20246, Germany.,Department for Clinical Immunology of Infectious Diseases, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, 20359, Germany
| | - Marc Lütgehetmann
- Center for Diagnostics, Institute of Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, 20246, Germany
| | - Marcus Altfeld
- Leibniz Institute for Experimental Virology, Department of Virus Immunology, Hamburg, 20251, Germany.,German Center for Infection Disease (DZIF), Partner Site Hamburg-Lübeck-Borstel-Riems, Hamburg, Germany
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7
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Kiekens L, Van Loocke W, Taveirne S, Wahlen S, Persyn E, Van Ammel E, De Vos Z, Matthys P, Van Nieuwerburgh F, Taghon T, Van Vlierberghe P, Vandekerckhove B, Leclercq G. T-BET and EOMES Accelerate and Enhance Functional Differentiation of Human Natural Killer Cells. Front Immunol 2021; 12:732511. [PMID: 34630413 PMCID: PMC8497824 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.732511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2021] [Accepted: 08/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
T-bet and Eomes are transcription factors that are known to be important in maturation and function of murine natural killer (NK) cells. Reduced T-BET and EOMES expression results in dysfunctional NK cells and failure to control tumor growth. In contrast to mice, the current knowledge on the role of T-BET and EOMES in human NK cells is rudimentary. Here, we ectopically expressed either T-BET or EOMES in human hematopoietic progenitor cells. Combined transcriptome, chromatin accessibility and protein expression analyses revealed that T-BET or EOMES epigenetically represses hematopoietic stem cell quiescence and non-NK lineage differentiation genes, while activating an NK cell-specific transcriptome and thereby drastically accelerating NK cell differentiation. In this model, the effects of T-BET and EOMES are largely overlapping, yet EOMES shows a superior role in early NK cell maturation and induces faster NK receptor and enhanced CD16 expression. T-BET particularly controls transcription of terminal maturation markers and epigenetically controls strong induction of KIR expression. Finally, NK cells generated upon T-BET or EOMES overexpression display improved functionality, including increased IFN-γ production and killing, and especially EOMES overexpression NK cells have enhanced antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity. Our findings reveal novel insights on the regulatory role of T-BET and EOMES in human NK cell maturation and function, which is essential to further understand human NK cell biology and to optimize adoptive NK cell therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Kiekens
- Laboratory of Experimental Immunology, Department of Diagnostic Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent, Belgium
| | - Wouter Van Loocke
- Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent, Belgium.,Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Sylvie Taveirne
- Laboratory of Experimental Immunology, Department of Diagnostic Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent, Belgium
| | - Sigrid Wahlen
- Laboratory of Experimental Immunology, Department of Diagnostic Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent, Belgium
| | - Eva Persyn
- Laboratory of Experimental Immunology, Department of Diagnostic Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent, Belgium
| | - Els Van Ammel
- Laboratory of Experimental Immunology, Department of Diagnostic Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent, Belgium
| | - Zenzi De Vos
- Laboratory of Experimental Immunology, Department of Diagnostic Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent, Belgium
| | - Patrick Matthys
- Laboratory of Immunobiology, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, K.U. Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Filip Van Nieuwerburgh
- Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Department of Pharmaceutics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Tom Taghon
- Laboratory of Experimental Immunology, Department of Diagnostic Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent, Belgium
| | - Pieter Van Vlierberghe
- Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent, Belgium.,Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Bart Vandekerckhove
- Laboratory of Experimental Immunology, Department of Diagnostic Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent, Belgium
| | - Georges Leclercq
- Laboratory of Experimental Immunology, Department of Diagnostic Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Cancer Research Institute Ghent (CRIG), Ghent, Belgium
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8
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Eitler J, Wotschel N, Miller N, Boissel L, Klingemann HG, Wels W, Tonn T. Inability of granule polarization by NK cells defines tumor resistance and can be overcome by CAR or ADCC mediated targeting. J Immunother Cancer 2021; 9:jitc-2020-001334. [PMID: 33468562 PMCID: PMC7817806 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2020-001334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Background On encountering a susceptible target, natural killer (NK) cells mediate cytotoxicity through highly regulated steps of directed degranulation. Cytotoxic granules converge at the microtubule organizing center and are polarized toward the immunological synapse (IS), followed by granule exocytosis. NK cell retargeting by chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) or mAbs represents a promising strategy for overcoming tumor cell resistance. However, little is known about the lytic granule dynamics of such retargeted NK cells toward NK-cell-resistant tumors. Methods Here, we used spinning disk confocal microscopy for live-cell imaging to analyze granule-mediated NK cell cytotoxicity in ErbB2-targeted CAR-expressing NK-92 cells (NK-92/5.28.z) and high-affinity FcR transgenic NK-92 cells plus Herceptin toward ErbB2-positive breast cancer cells (MDA-MB-453), which are resistant to parental NK-92. Results Unmodified NK-92 cells cocultured with resistant cancer cells showed stable conjugate formation and granule clustering, but failed to polarize granules to the IS. In contrast, retargeting by CAR or FcR+Herceptin toward the MDA-MB-453 cells enabled granule polarization to the IS, resulting in highly effective cytotoxicity. We found that in NK-92 the phosphoinositide 3-kinase pathway was activated after contact with resistant MDA-MB-453, while phospholipase C-γ (PLCγ) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MEK)/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) were not activated. In contrast, retargeting by CAR or antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) provided the missing PLCγ and MEK/ERK signals. Conclusions These observations suggest that NK cells can create conjugates with resistant cancer cells and respond by granule clustering, but the activation signals are insufficient to induce granule polarization and consequent release of lytic enzymes. Retargeting by CAR and/or the FcR/mAb (ADCC) axis provide the necessary signals, leading to granule polarization and thereby overcoming tumor cell resistance. Keywords: NK cells, NK-92, haNK, ADCC, Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR), breast cancer, cancer immunotherapy, live-cell imaging, granule polarization
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiri Eitler
- Experimental Transfusion Medicine, Faculty of Medicine Carl Gustav Carus, Dresden University of Technology, Dresden, Germany.,Institute for Transfusion Medicine, German Red Cross Blood Donation Service North-East, Dresden, Germany
| | - Natalie Wotschel
- Experimental Transfusion Medicine, Faculty of Medicine Carl Gustav Carus, Dresden University of Technology, Dresden, Germany.,Institute for Transfusion Medicine, German Red Cross Blood Donation Service North-East, Dresden, Germany
| | - Nicole Miller
- Experimental Transfusion Medicine, Faculty of Medicine Carl Gustav Carus, Dresden University of Technology, Dresden, Germany.,Institute for Transfusion Medicine, German Red Cross Blood Donation Service North-East, Dresden, Germany
| | | | | | - Winfried Wels
- Institute for Tumor Biology and Experimental Therapy, Georg-Speyer-Haus, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,Frankfurt Cancer Institute, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Frankfurt/Mainz, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Torsten Tonn
- Experimental Transfusion Medicine, Faculty of Medicine Carl Gustav Carus, Dresden University of Technology, Dresden, Germany .,Institute for Transfusion Medicine, German Red Cross Blood Donation Service North-East, Dresden, Germany.,German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Dresden, Dresden, Germany
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9
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Choi YH, Lim EJ, Kim SW, Moon YW, Park KS, An HJ. IL-27 enhances IL-15/IL-18-mediated activation of human natural killer cells. J Immunother Cancer 2019; 7:168. [PMID: 31277710 PMCID: PMC6612093 DOI: 10.1186/s40425-019-0652-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2018] [Accepted: 06/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Natural killer (NK) cells are an emerging new tool for cancer immunotherapy. To develop NK cell therapeutics from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of healthy donors, substantial expansion of primary NK cells is necessary because of the very low number of these cells in peripheral blood. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of various cytokine alone or combinations, in expanded NK cells and to analyze the synergetic effect of cytokine combinations. METHODS Human NK cells were isolated from healthy donor PBMC. Purified NK cells were stimulated with single cytokines or combinations of IL-2, IL-15, IL-18, and IL-27. The expanded NK cells were characterized by flow cytometry, cytotoxicity assay, calcein AM assay and Western blot. RESULTS We investigated the synergistic effects of each cytokine, namely, IL-2, IL-15, IL-18, and IL-27, on human NK cells isolated from PBMCs of healthy donors and cultured for 21 days. We identified that IL-15/IL-18/IL-27-mediated activation of NK cells most potently increased NK cell proliferation, cytotoxicity, and IFN-ɣ secretion compared with the activation observed with other treatments, including IL-2, IL-15, and IL-15/IL-18. Additionally, the expression of DNAM-1, NKG2D, CD69, and natural cytotoxicity receptors (NCRs; NKp30 and NKp44) increased on day 21 compared to that on day 0, demonstrating the activation of NK cells. In vitro, expanded NK cells were highly cytotoxic against cancer cells, displaying increased perforin and granzyme B accumulation. CONCLUSIONS Taken together, these results indicated that IL-27 can synergize on NK cell expansion and activation with IL-15 and IL-18. In addition, we described an improved culture method for ex vivo expansion of human NK cells with IL-15/IL-18/IL-27 stimulation and characterized the response of NK cells to this stimulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yeon Ho Choi
- Institute for Clinical Research, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University, Sungnam, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea
| | - Eun Jin Lim
- Institute for Clinical Research, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University, Sungnam, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea
| | - Se Wha Kim
- Institute for Clinical Research, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University, Sungnam, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea.,Department of Pathology, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University, Sungnam, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea
| | - Yong Wha Moon
- Department of Medical Oncology, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University, Sungnam, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea
| | - Kyung Soon Park
- Department of Biomedical Science, CHA University, Sungnam, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea
| | - Hee-Jung An
- Institute for Clinical Research, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University, Sungnam, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea. .,Department of Pathology, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University, Sungnam, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea.
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10
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Niu C, Jin H, Li M, Xu J, Xu D, Hu J, He H, Li W, Cui J. In vitro analysis of the proliferative capacity and cytotoxic effects of ex vivo induced natural killer cells, cytokine-induced killer cells, and gamma-delta T cells. BMC Immunol 2015; 16:61. [PMID: 26458364 PMCID: PMC4601131 DOI: 10.1186/s12865-015-0124-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2015] [Accepted: 09/29/2015] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Recent studies have focused on the significant cytotoxicity of natural killer (NK) cells, cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cells, and gamma-delta (γδ) T cells in tumor cells. Nevertheless, the therapeutic features of these cell types have not been compared in the literature. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of activation and expansion of NK, CIK, and γδ T cells from cancer patients in vitro, and to clarify the differences in their antitumor capacities. Methods NK, CIK, and γδ T cells were induced from the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of 20 cancer patients by using specific cytokines. Expression of CD69, NKG2D, CD16, granzyme B, perforin, IFN-γ, and IL-2 was measured by flow cytometry. Cytokine production and cytotoxicity were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and Calcein-AM methods. Results NK cell proliferation was superior to that of CIK cells, but lower than that of γδ T cells. NK cells had a much stronger ability to secrete perforin, granzyme B, IFN-γ, and IL-2 than did CIK and γδ T cells, and imparted significantly higher overall cytotoxicity. Conclusions Expanded NK cells from cancer patients are the most effective immune cells in the context of cytokine secretion and anti-tumor cytotoxicity in comparison to CIK and γδ T cells, making them an optimal candidate for adoptive cellular immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Niu
- Cancer Center, the First Hospital of Jilin University, 71 Xinmin Street, Changchun, 130021, China.
| | - Haofan Jin
- Cancer Center, the First Hospital of Jilin University, 71 Xinmin Street, Changchun, 130021, China.
| | - Min Li
- Cancer Center, the First Hospital of Jilin University, 71 Xinmin Street, Changchun, 130021, China.
| | - Jianting Xu
- Cancer Center, the First Hospital of Jilin University, 71 Xinmin Street, Changchun, 130021, China.
| | - Dongsheng Xu
- Cancer Center, the First Hospital of Jilin University, 71 Xinmin Street, Changchun, 130021, China.
| | - Jifan Hu
- Cancer Center, the First Hospital of Jilin University, 71 Xinmin Street, Changchun, 130021, China.
| | - Hua He
- Cancer Center, the First Hospital of Jilin University, 71 Xinmin Street, Changchun, 130021, China.
| | - Wei Li
- Cancer Center, the First Hospital of Jilin University, 71 Xinmin Street, Changchun, 130021, China.
| | - Jiuwei Cui
- Cancer Center, the First Hospital of Jilin University, 71 Xinmin Street, Changchun, 130021, China.
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11
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Kruse V, Hamann C, Monecke S, Cyganek L, Elsner L, Hübscher D, Walter L, Streckfuss-Bömeke K, Guan K, Dressel R. Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Are Targets for Allogeneic and Autologous Natural Killer (NK) Cells and Killing Is Partly Mediated by the Activating NK Receptor DNAM-1. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0125544. [PMID: 25950680 PMCID: PMC4423859 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0125544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2014] [Accepted: 03/25/2015] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) could be used to generate autologous cells for therapeutic purposes, which are expected to be tolerated by the recipient. However, iPSC-derived grafts are at risk of giving rise to teratomas in the host, if residuals of tumorigenic cells are not rejected by the recipient. We have analyzed the susceptibility of hiPSC lines to allogeneic and autologous natural killer (NK) cells. IL-2-activated, in contrast to resting NK cells killed hiPSC lines efficiently (P = 1.69 x 10(-39)). Notably, the specific lysis of the individual hiPSC lines by IL-2-activated NK cells was significantly different (P = 1.72 x 10(-6)) and ranged between 46 % and 64 % in 51Cr-release assays when compared to K562 cells. The hiPSC lines were killed by both allogeneic and autologous NK cells although autologous NK cells were less efficient (P=8.63 x 10(-6)). Killing was partly dependent on the activating NK receptor DNAM-1 (P = 8.22 x 10(-7)). The DNAM-1 ligands CD112 and CD155 as well as the NKG2D ligands MICA and MICB were expressed on the hiPSC lines. Low amounts of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I proteins, which serve as ligands for inhibitory and activating NK receptors were also detected. Thus, the susceptibility to NK cell killing appears to constitute a common feature of hiPSCs. Therefore, NK cells might reduce the risk of teratoma formation even after autologous transplantations of pluripotent stem cell-derived grafts that contain traces of pluripotent cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa Kruse
- Department of Cardiology and Pneumology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Carina Hamann
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Immunology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research), Partner site Göttingen, Germany
| | - Sebastian Monecke
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Immunology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research), Partner site Göttingen, Germany
| | - Lukas Cyganek
- Department of Cardiology and Pneumology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research), Partner site Göttingen, Germany
| | - Leslie Elsner
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Immunology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Daniela Hübscher
- Department of Cardiology and Pneumology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research), Partner site Göttingen, Germany
| | - Lutz Walter
- Primate Genetics Laboratory, German Primate Center, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Katrin Streckfuss-Bömeke
- Department of Cardiology and Pneumology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research), Partner site Göttingen, Germany
| | - Kaomei Guan
- Department of Cardiology and Pneumology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research), Partner site Göttingen, Germany
- * E-mail: (RD); (KG)
| | - Ralf Dressel
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Immunology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research), Partner site Göttingen, Germany
- * E-mail: (RD); (KG)
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12
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Bruns H, Büttner M, Fabri M, Mougiakakos D, Bittenbring JT, Hoffmann MH, Beier F, Pasemann S, Jitschin R, Hofmann AD, Neumann F, Daniel C, Maurberger A, Kempkes B, Amann K, Mackensen A, Gerbitz A. Vitamin D–dependent induction of cathelicidin in human macrophages results in cytotoxicity against high-grade B cell lymphoma. Sci Transl Med 2015; 7:282ra47. [DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aaa3230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
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13
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Bassani-Sternberg M, Pletscher-Frankild S, Jensen LJ, Mann M. Mass spectrometry of human leukocyte antigen class I peptidomes reveals strong effects of protein abundance and turnover on antigen presentation. Mol Cell Proteomics 2015; 14:658-73. [PMID: 25576301 PMCID: PMC4349985 DOI: 10.1074/mcp.m114.042812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 321] [Impact Index Per Article: 35.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
HLA class I molecules reflect the health state of cells to cytotoxic T cells by presenting a repertoire of endogenously derived peptides. However, the extent to which the proteome shapes the peptidome is still largely unknown. Here we present a high-throughput mass-spectrometry-based workflow that allows stringent and accurate identification of thousands of such peptides and direct determination of binding motifs. Applying the workflow to seven cancer cell lines and primary cells, yielded more than 22,000 unique HLA peptides across different allelic binding specificities. By computing a score representing the HLA-I sampling density, we show a strong link between protein abundance and HLA-presentation (p < 0.0001). When analyzing overpresented proteins - those with at least fivefold higher density score than expected for their abundance - we noticed that they are degraded almost 3 h faster than similar but nonpresented proteins (top 20% abundance class; median half-life 20.8h versus 23.6h, p < 0.0001). This validates protein degradation as an important factor for HLA presentation. Ribosomal, mitochondrial respiratory chain, and nucleosomal proteins are particularly well presented. Taking a set of proteins associated with cancer, we compared the predicted immunogenicity of previously validated T-cell epitopes with other peptides from these proteins in our data set. The validated epitopes indeed tend to have higher immunogenic scores than the other detected HLA peptides. Remarkably, we identified five mutated peptides from a human colon cancer cell line, which have very recently been predicted to be HLA-I binders. Altogether, we demonstrate the usefulness of combining MS-analysis with immunogenesis prediction for identifying, ranking, and selecting peptides for therapeutic use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michal Bassani-Sternberg
- From the ‡Department of Proteomics and Signal Transduction, Max-Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Am Klopferspitz 18, D-82152 Martinsried, Germany
| | - Sune Pletscher-Frankild
- §Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3B, DK-2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Lars Juhl Jensen
- §Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3B, DK-2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Matthias Mann
- From the ‡Department of Proteomics and Signal Transduction, Max-Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Am Klopferspitz 18, D-82152 Martinsried, Germany; §Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3B, DK-2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
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14
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Chu Y, Hochberg J, Yahr A, Ayello J, van de Ven C, Barth M, Czuczman M, Cairo MS. Targeting CD20+ Aggressive B-cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma by Anti-CD20 CAR mRNA-Modified Expanded Natural Killer Cells In Vitro and in NSG Mice. Cancer Immunol Res 2014; 3:333-44. [PMID: 25492700 DOI: 10.1158/2326-6066.cir-14-0114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 121] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2014] [Accepted: 11/25/2014] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The prognosis is very dismal for patients with relapsed CD20(+) B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (B-NHL). Facilitating the development of alternative novel therapeutic strategies is required to improve outcomes in patients with recurrent/refractory CD20(+) B-NHL. In this study, we investigated functional activities of anti-CD20 CAR-modified, expanded peripheral blood NK cells (exPBNK) following mRNA nucleofection against CD20(+) B-NHL in vitro and in vivo. CAR(+) exPBNK had significantly enhanced in vitro cytotoxicity, compared with CAR(-) exPBNK against CD20(+) Ramos (P < 0.05), Daudi, Raji, and two rituximab-resistant cell lines, Raji-2R and Raji-4RH (P < 0.001). As expected, there was no significant difference against CD20(-) RS4;11 and Jurkat cells. CD107a degranulation and intracellular IFNγ production were also enhanced in CAR(+) exPBNK in response to CD20(+) B-NHL -: specific stimulation. In Raji-Luc and Raji-2R-Luc xenografted NOD/SCID/γ-chain(-/-) (NSG) mice, the luciferase signals measured in the CAR(+) exPBNK-treated group were significantly reduced, compared with the signals measured in the untreated mice and in mice treated with the CAR(-) exPBNK. Furthermore, the CAR exPBNK-treated mice had significantly extended survival time (P < 0.001) and reduced tumor size, compared with those of the untreated and the CAR(-) exPBNK-treated mice (P < 0.05). These preclinical data suggest that ex vivo-exPBNK modified with anti-CD20 CAR may have therapeutic potential for treating patients with poor-risk CD20(+) hematologic malignancies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaya Chu
- Department of Pediatrics, Maria Fareri Children's Hospital, New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York
| | - Jessica Hochberg
- Department of Pediatrics, Maria Fareri Children's Hospital, New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York
| | - Ashlin Yahr
- Department of Pediatrics, Maria Fareri Children's Hospital, New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York
| | - Janet Ayello
- Department of Pediatrics, Maria Fareri Children's Hospital, New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York
| | - Carmella van de Ven
- Department of Pediatrics, Maria Fareri Children's Hospital, New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York
| | - Matthew Barth
- Department of Pediatrics, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York
| | - Myron Czuczman
- Department of Medicine, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, New York. Department of Immunology, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, New York
| | - Mitchell S Cairo
- Department of Pediatrics, Maria Fareri Children's Hospital, New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York. Department of Medicine, New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York. Department of Pathology, New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York. Department of Microbiology and Immunology, New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York. Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, New York Medical College, Valhalla, New York.
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15
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Ziblat A, Domaica CI, Spallanzani RG, Iraolagoitia XLR, Rossi LE, Avila DE, Torres NI, Fuertes MB, Zwirner NW. IL-27 stimulates human NK-cell effector functions and primes NK cells for IL-18 responsiveness. Eur J Immunol 2014; 45:192-202. [PMID: 25308526 DOI: 10.1002/eji.201444699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2014] [Revised: 09/10/2014] [Accepted: 10/06/2014] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
IL-27, a member of the IL-12 family of cytokines, is produced by APCs, and displays pro- and anti-inflammatory effects. How IL-27 affects human NK cells still remains unknown. In this study, we observed that mature DCs secreted IL-27 and that blockade of IL-27R (CD130) reduced the amount of IFN-γ produced by NK cells during their coculture, showing the importance of IL-27 during DC-NK-cell crosstalk. Accordingly, human rIL-27 stimulated IFN-γ secretion by NK cells in a STAT1-dependent manner, induced upregulation of CD25 and CD69 on NK cells, and displayed a synergistic effect with IL-18. Preincubation experiments demonstrated that IL-27 primed NK cells for IL-18-induced IFN-γ secretion, which was associated with an IL-27-driven upregulation of T-bet expression. Also, IL-27 triggered NKp46-dependent NK-cell-mediated cytotoxicity against Raji, T-47D, and HCT116 cells, and IL-18 enhanced this cytotoxic response. Such NK-cell-mediated cytotoxicity involved upregulation of perforin, granule exocytosis, and TRAIL-mediated cytotoxicity but not Fas-FasL interaction. Moreover, IL-27 also potentiated Ab-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity against mAb-coated target cells. Taken together, IL-27 stimulates NK-cell effector functions, which might be relevant in different physiological and pathological situations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Ziblat
- Laboratorio de Fisiopatología de la Inmunidad Innata, Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental (IBYME), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina; Departamento de Microbiología, Parasitología e Inmunología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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16
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Choi PJ, Mitchison TJ. Quantitative analysis of resistance to natural killer attacks reveals stepwise killing kinetics. Integr Biol (Camb) 2014; 6:1153-61. [PMID: 25228316 DOI: 10.1039/c4ib00096j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Molecular mechanisms can protect cancer cells from immune attacks. At the level of bulk tissue, these survival mechanisms are often indistinguishable and simply appear as reduced cell death. However, by tracking individual cell survival and death times, we found broad variation in the kinetics of immune evasion. In response to attacks by natural killer cells, we observed that some cancer lines exhibited exponential survival time distributions. Slowly killed cancer lines had reduced exponential rate constants. In contrast, a line engineered to express the serpin protein PI-9, which is known to promote resistance to immune killing, exhibited a markedly nonexponential survival time distribution. By following the histories of individual cancer cells with multiplexed reporters, we obtained evidence that two or more immune attacks are likely required to kill serpin-expressing cells. Thus, resistance is a finite and measurable quantity, with a distinct kinetic signature. A quantitative model based on independently measured parameters is consistent with our conclusions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul J Choi
- Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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17
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Jiang H, Zhang W, Shang P, Zhang H, Fu W, Ye F, Zeng T, Huang H, Zhang X, Sun W, Man-Yuen Sze D, Yi Q, Hou J. Transfection of chimeric anti-CD138 gene enhances natural killer cell activation and killing of multiple myeloma cells. Mol Oncol 2013; 8:297-310. [PMID: 24388357 DOI: 10.1016/j.molonc.2013.12.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 192] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2013] [Revised: 12/04/2013] [Accepted: 12/04/2013] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Reprogramming of NK cells with a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) proved an effective strategy to increase NK cell reactivity and recognition specificity toward tumor cells. To enhance the cytotoxicity of NK cells against CD138-positive multiple myeloma (MM) cells, we generated genetically modified NK-92MI cells carrying a CAR that consists of an anti-CD138 single-chain variable fragment (scFv) fused to the CD3ζ chain as a signaling moiety. The genetic modification through a lentiviral vector did not affect the intrinsic cytolytic activity of NK-92MI toward human erythroleukemic cell line K562 cells or CD138-negative targets. However, these retargeted NK-92MI (NK-92MI-scFv) displayed markedly enhanced cytotoxicity against CD138-positive human MM cell lines (RPMI8226, U266 and NCI-H929) and primary MM cells at various effector-to-target ratios (E:T) as compared to the empty vector-transfected NK-92MI (NK-92MI-mock). In line with the enhanced cytotoxicity of NK-92MI-scFv, significant elevations in the secretion of granzyme B, interferon-γ and proportion of CD107a expression were also found in NK-92MI-scFv in response to CD138-positive targets compared with NK-92MI-mock. Most importantly, the enhancement in the cytotoxicity of NK-92MI-scFv did not attenuate with 10Gy-irradiation that sufficiently blocked cell proliferation. Moreover, the irradiated NK-92MI-scFv exerted definitely intensified anti-tumor activity toward CD138-positive MM cells than NK-92MI-mock in the xenograft NOD-SCID mouse model. This study provides the rationale and feasibility for adoptive immunotherapy with CD138-specific CAR-modified NK cells in CD138-positive plasmacytic malignancies, which potentially further improves remission quality and prolongs the remission duration of patients with MM after upfront chemotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hua Jiang
- Department of Hematology, The Myeloma and Lymphoma Center, Changzheng Hospital, The Second Military Medical University, 415 Fengyang Rd, Shanghai 200003, China
| | - Wenhao Zhang
- Department of Hematology, The Myeloma and Lymphoma Center, Changzheng Hospital, The Second Military Medical University, 415 Fengyang Rd, Shanghai 200003, China
| | - Peipei Shang
- Department of Hematology, The Myeloma and Lymphoma Center, Changzheng Hospital, The Second Military Medical University, 415 Fengyang Rd, Shanghai 200003, China
| | - Hui Zhang
- Department of Hematology, The Myeloma and Lymphoma Center, Changzheng Hospital, The Second Military Medical University, 415 Fengyang Rd, Shanghai 200003, China
| | - Weijun Fu
- Department of Hematology, The Myeloma and Lymphoma Center, Changzheng Hospital, The Second Military Medical University, 415 Fengyang Rd, Shanghai 200003, China
| | - Fei Ye
- Department of Hematology, The Myeloma and Lymphoma Center, Changzheng Hospital, The Second Military Medical University, 415 Fengyang Rd, Shanghai 200003, China
| | - Tianmei Zeng
- Department of Hematology, The Myeloma and Lymphoma Center, Changzheng Hospital, The Second Military Medical University, 415 Fengyang Rd, Shanghai 200003, China
| | - Hejing Huang
- Department of Hematology, The Myeloma and Lymphoma Center, Changzheng Hospital, The Second Military Medical University, 415 Fengyang Rd, Shanghai 200003, China
| | - Xueguang Zhang
- Institute of Biotechnology and Clinical Immunology, Research Laboratory of Jiangsu Province, Soochow University, Suzhou 215007, China
| | - Wanping Sun
- Institute of Biotechnology and Clinical Immunology, Research Laboratory of Jiangsu Province, Soochow University, Suzhou 215007, China
| | - Daniel Man-Yuen Sze
- Department of Health Technology and Informatics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
| | - Qing Yi
- Department of Lymphoma/Myeloma, Division of Cancer Medicine, and Center for Cancer Immunology Research, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Jian Hou
- Department of Hematology, The Myeloma and Lymphoma Center, Changzheng Hospital, The Second Military Medical University, 415 Fengyang Rd, Shanghai 200003, China.
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B-lymphoma cells escape rituximab-triggered elimination by NK cells through increased HLA class I expression. Exp Hematol 2010; 38:213-21. [PMID: 20056126 DOI: 10.1016/j.exphem.2009.12.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2009] [Revised: 12/11/2009] [Accepted: 12/28/2009] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) by natural killer (NK) cells is a major effector mechanism of the monoclonal anti-CD20 antibody rituximab in eliminating B-cell lymphomas. Resistance to this treatment occurs, although CD20 antigen is expressed on the tumor cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS A model of ADCC was established by stimulating human bulk NK cells and inhibitory killer immunoglobulin receptor (KIR)-defined NK cells from human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-typed donors. NK-cell activation was triggered via stimulation of the Fc receptor with immunoglobulin G aggregates, rituximab-labeled HLA-defined CD20-positive B-lymphoblast cell lines or CD20-positive B-lymphoma cell lines. The effect of KIR ligation by anti-KIR antibodies and HLA, the HLA expression density and rituximab concentrations on the efficacy of ADCC were analyzed in granzyme B ELISPOT measuring NK-cell activation and fluorescein-activated cell sorting cytotoxicity assay. RESULTS HLA, but not CD20 expression density correlated with NK-cell activity against rituximab-labeled targets. ADCC was increased or decreased following HLA shielding or KIR activation by anti-KIR antibodies, respectively. Herein we show that rituximab-induced ADCC is attenuated upon ligation of KIR by HLA molecules expressed on human B-lymphoma target cells. Moreover, anti-KIR antibodies do not only block KIR/HLA interactions, but display agonistic effects at the KIR, which has to be considered for therapeutical applications. CONCLUSION KIR activation and HLA expression density are critical determinants for the efficacy of rituximab treatment. An explanation for the failure of rituximab treatment may be the protection of the tumor cells from ADCC by inhibiting NK-cell function with their surface HLA.
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Hasenkamp J, Borgerding A, Wulf G, Schmitz N, Truemper L, Glass B. Relevance of target cell-induced apoptosis as mechanism of resistance against natural killer cells. Ann Hematol 2009; 89:341-8. [PMID: 19823823 PMCID: PMC2824840 DOI: 10.1007/s00277-009-0844-1] [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: 08/26/2008] [Accepted: 09/25/2009] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells contribute to the graft-versus-leukemia effect after allogeneic stem cell transplantation. However, the efficacy of NK cell-mediated tumor cell lysis is limited due to target cell resistance, and target cell-induced apoptosis (TiA) was proposed to contribute to differences in susceptibility to NK cells. Here we analyzed the effects of target cells on the apoptosis of cytokine-activated NK cells in vitro. We found no association of target cell susceptibility and TiA of NK cells in an array of human and murine target-effector cell combinations. Incubation of NK cells with caspase inhibitors blocked TiA incompletely, indicating that TiA is partly based on caspase-independent mechanisms. Modulating NK cell susceptibility against TiA by caspase inhibition did not influence cytotoxic efficacy. Furthermore, we found cytotoxic potential of NK cells to be markedly decreased following first target cell contact. Exhaustion of NK cell activity by first target cell contact was, however, not mediated by TiA. In addition, we found no relevant TiA by lymphoma cell lines against activated murine NK cells. We conclude that TiA represents only a minor factor of target cell resistance against NK cell-mediated cytolysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin Hasenkamp
- Department of Haematology and Oncology, Georg-August-University Goettingen, Robert-Koch-Str. 40, 37099 Goettingen, Germany.
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Hasenkamp J, Borgerding A, Uhrberg M, Falk C, Chapuy B, Wulf G, Jung W, Trümper L, Glass B. Self-tolerance of human natural killer cells lacking self-HLA-specific inhibitory receptors. Scand J Immunol 2008; 67:218-29. [PMID: 18226015 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-3083.2007.02058.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells identify cells with altered human leucocyte antigen (HLA) expression as targets through lacking engagement of self-HLA-specific inhibitory receptors (e.g. killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor, KIR). Thus, they eliminate cells with 'missing self' because of viral or malignant transformation. We performed analysis of HLA, KIR genotypes and KIR receptor expression patterns at single cell level in NK cells in 17 donors. The function of NK cell subsets is determined by degranulation assays using target cells expressing self, cognate, control or no HLA class I. Donors could be grouped into three groups: their NK cells possess potential for alloreactivity, autoreactivity based on the presence of NK cells expressing particular KIR only (mono-KIR) in the absence of its ligand or lack alloreactivity. All donors possess NK cells lacking all detectable inhibitory receptors. Both potential autoreactive subpopulations did not respond to HLA class I-positive target cells. They retain partial reactivity against HLA class I-negative tumour target cells. Mono-KIR NK cells without the corresponding ligands in the individuals and NK cells lacking all inhibitory receptors behave self-tolerant. Our results suggest alternative mechanisms than HLA-specific inhibitory receptors to control NK cell activity. But HLA seems to be involved in shaping effector function of the NK cell repertoire.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Hasenkamp
- Department of Haematology & Oncology, Georg-August University of Goettingen, Goettingen, Germany.
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Marcet-Palacios M, Odemuyiwa SO, Coughlin JJ, Garofoli D, Ewen C, Davidson CE, Ghaffari M, Kane KP, Lacy P, Logan MR, Befus AD, Bleackley RC, Moqbel R. Vesicle-associated membrane protein 7 (VAMP-7) is essential for target cell killing in a natural killer cell line. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2007; 366:617-23. [PMID: 18042464 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2007.11.079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2007] [Accepted: 11/06/2007] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Natural killer cells recognize and induce apoptosis in foreign, transformed or virus-infected cells through the release of perforin and granzymes from secretory lysosomes. Clinically, NK-cell mediated killing is a major limitation to successful allo- and xenotransplantation. The molecular mechanisms that regulate the fusion of granzyme B-containing secretory lysosomes to the plasma membrane in activated NK cells, prior to target cell killing, are not fully understood. Using the NK cell line YT-Indy as a model, we have investigated the expression of SNAP REceptors (SNAREs), both target (t-) and vesicular (v-) SNAREs, and their function in granzyme B-mediated target cell killing. Our data showed that YT-Indy cells express VAMP-7 and SNAP-23, but not VAMP-2. VAMP-7 was associated with granzyme B-containing lysosomal granules. Using VAMP-7 small interfering RNA (siRNA), we successfully knocked down the expression of VAMP-7 protein in YT-Indy to less than 10% of untreated cells in 24h. VAMP7-deficient YT-Indy cells activated via co-culture with Jurkat cells released <1ng/mL of granzyme B, compared to 1.5-2.5 microg/mL from controls. Using Jurkat cells as targets, we showed a 7-fold reduction in NK cell-mediated killing by VAMP-7 deficient YT-Indy cells. Our results show that VAMP-7 is a crucial component of granzyme B release and target cell killing in the NK cell line YT-Indy. Thus, targeting VAMP-7 expression specifically with siRNA, following transplantation, may be a viable strategy for preventing NK cell-mediated transplant rejection, in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcelo Marcet-Palacios
- Pulmonary Research Group, Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, 550A Heritage Medical Research Centre, Edmonton, Alta., Canada
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