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Hirai T, Lin PY, Ramos TL, Simonetta F, Su LL, Picton LK, Baker J, Lohmeyer JK, Garcia KC, Negrin RS. IL-2 receptor engineering enhances regulatory T cell function suppressed by calcineurin inhibitor. Am J Transplant 2022; 22:3061-3068. [PMID: 36031344 PMCID: PMC10184573 DOI: 10.1111/ajt.17181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2022] [Revised: 07/27/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Clinical trials utilizing regulatory T cell (Treg) therapy in organ transplantation have shown promising results, however, the choice of a standard immunosuppressive regimen is still controversial. Calcineurin inhibitors (CNIs) are one of the most common immunosuppressants for organ transplantation, although they may negatively affect Tregs by inhibiting IL-2 production by conventional T cells. As a strategy to replace IL-2 signaling selectively in Tregs, we have introduced an engineered orthogonal IL-2 (ortho IL-2) cytokine/cytokine receptor (R) pair that specifically binds with each other but does not bind with their wild-type counterparts. Murine Tregs were isolated from recipients and retrovirally transduced with ortho IL-2Rβ during ex vivo expansion. Transduced Tregs (ortho Tregs) were transferred into recipient mice in a mixed hematopoietic chimerism model with tacrolimus administration. Ortho IL-2 treatment significantly increased the ortho IL-2Rβ(+) Treg population in the presence of tacrolimus without stimulating other T cell subsets. All the mice treated with tacrolimus plus ortho IL-2 achieved heart allograft tolerance, even after tacrolimus cessation, whereas those receiving tacrolimus treatment alone did not. These data demonstrate that Treg therapy can be adopted into a CNI-based regimen by utilizing cytokine receptor engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toshihito Hirai
- Division of Blood and Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
- Department of Urology, Tokyo Women's Medical University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Po-Yu Lin
- Division of Blood and Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Teresa L. Ramos
- Division of Blood and Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Federico Simonetta
- Division of Blood and Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Leon L. Su
- Departments of Molecular and Cellular Physiology and Structural Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Lora K. Picton
- Departments of Molecular and Cellular Physiology and Structural Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Jeanette Baker
- Division of Blood and Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Juliane K. Lohmeyer
- Division of Blood and Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - K. Christopher Garcia
- Departments of Molecular and Cellular Physiology and Structural Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Robert S. Negrin
- Division of Blood and Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
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Yoshida S, Miyagawa S, Matsuzaki T, Ishii Y, Fukuda-Kawaguchi E, Kawamura T, Kawamura A, Nakamura Y, Toda K, Sawa Y. Chimerism through the activation of invariant natural killer T cells prolongs graft survival after transplantation of induced pluripotent stem cell–derived allogeneic cardiomyocytes. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0264317. [PMID: 35235568 PMCID: PMC8890721 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0264317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2021] [Accepted: 02/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The loss of functional cells through immunological rejection after transplantation reduces the efficacy of regenerative therapies for cardiac failure that use allogeneic induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs). Recently, mixed-chimera mice with donor-specific immunotolerance have been established using the RGI-2001 (liposomal formulation of α-galactosyl ceramide) ligand, which activates invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells. The present study aimed to investigate whether mixed chimerism, established using RGI-2001, prolongs graft survival in allogeneic iPSC-CM transplantation. Mixed-chimera mice were established via combinatorial treatment with RGI-2001 and anti-CD154 antibodies in an irradiated murine bone marrow transplant model. Luciferase-expressing allogeneic iPSC-CMs were transplanted into mixed-chimera and untreated mice, followed by in vivo imaging. RGI-2001 enhanced iNKT cell activation in mice, and mixed chimerism was successfully established. In vivo imaging revealed that while the allografts were completely obliterated within 2 weeks when transplanted to untreated mice, their survivals were not affected in the mixed-chimera mice. Furthermore, numerous CD3+ cells infiltrated allografts in untreated mice, but fewer CD3+ cells were present in mixed-chimera mice. We conclude that mixed-chimera mice established using RGI-2001 showed prolonged graft survival after allogeneic iPSC-CM transplantation. This donor-specific immunotolerance might increase the efficacy of regenerative therapies for heart failure with allogeneic iPSC-CMs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shohei Yoshida
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan
| | - Shigeru Miyagawa
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan
| | - Takashi Matsuzaki
- Department of DDS Pharmaceutical Development, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan
| | - Yasuyuki Ishii
- REGiMMUNE Corp, Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Immunological Diagnosis, Juntendo University Graduate School of Medicine, Bunkyo City, Japan
| | | | - Takuji Kawamura
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan
| | - Ai Kawamura
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan
| | - Yuki Nakamura
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan
| | - Koichi Toda
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan
| | - Yoshiki Sawa
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan
- * E-mail:
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Activation of natural killer T cells enhances the function of regulatory T-cell therapy in suppressing murine GVHD. Blood Adv 2021; 5:2528-2538. [PMID: 34100904 DOI: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2020003272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2020] [Accepted: 04/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Cellular therapy with regulatory T cells (Tregs) has shown promising results for suppressing graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) while preserving graft vs tumor effects in animal models and phase 1/2 clinical trials. However, a paucity of Tregs in the peripheral blood makes it difficult to acquire sufficient numbers of cells and hampers further clinical application. Invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells constitute another compartment of regulatory cells that ameliorate GVHD through activation of Tregs after their own activation with α-galactosylceramide (α-GalCer) or adoptive transfer. We demonstrate here that a single administration of α-GalCer liposome (α-GalCer-lipo) enhanced the in vivo expansion of Tregs after adoptive transfer in a murine GVHD model and improved therapeutic efficacy of Treg therapy even after injection of otherwise suboptimal cell numbers. Host iNKT cells rather than donor iNKT cells were required for GVHD suppression because the survival benefit of α-GalCer-lipo administration was not shown in the transplantation of cells from wild-type (WT) C57BL/6 mice into Jα18-/- iNKT cell-deficient BALB/c mice, whereas it was observed from Jα18-/- C57BL/6 donor mice into WT BALB/c recipient mice. The combination of iNKT cell activation and Treg adoptive therapy may make Treg therapy more feasible and safer by enhancing the efficacy and reducing the number of Tregs required.
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Hirai T, Ramos TL, Lin PY, Simonetta F, Su LL, Picton LK, Baker J, Lin JX, Li P, Seo K, Lohmeyer JK, Bolivar-Wagers S, Mavers M, Leonard WJ, Blazar BR, Garcia KC, Negrin RS. Selective expansion of regulatory T cells using an orthogonal IL-2/IL-2 receptor system facilitates transplantation tolerance. J Clin Invest 2021; 131:139991. [PMID: 33855972 DOI: 10.1172/jci139991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2020] [Accepted: 02/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Adoptive transfer of Tregs has been shown to improve alloengraftment in animal models. However, it is technically challenging to expand Tregs ex vivo for the purpose of infusing large numbers of cells in the clinic. We demonstrate an innovative approach to engineering an orthogonal IL-2/IL-2 receptor (IL-2R) pair, the parts of which selectively interact with each other, transmitting native IL-2 signals, but do not interact with the natural IL-2 or IL-2R counterparts, thereby enabling selective stimulation of target cells in vivo. Here, we introduced this orthogonal IL-2R into Tregs. Upon adoptive transfer in a murine mixed hematopoietic chimerism model, orthogonal IL-2 injection significantly promoted orthogonal IL-2R+Foxp3GFP+CD4+ cell proliferation without increasing other T cell subsets and facilitated donor hematopoietic cell engraftment followed by acceptance of heart allografts. Our data indicate that selective target cell stimulation enabled by the engineered orthogonal cytokine receptor improves Treg potential for the induction of organ transplantation tolerance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toshihito Hirai
- Division of Blood and Marrow Transplantation, Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA.,Department of Urology, Tokyo Women's Medical University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Teresa L Ramos
- Division of Blood and Marrow Transplantation, Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Po-Yu Lin
- Division of Blood and Marrow Transplantation, Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Federico Simonetta
- Division of Blood and Marrow Transplantation, Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Leon L Su
- Departments of Molecular and Cellular Physiology and Structural Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Lora K Picton
- Departments of Molecular and Cellular Physiology and Structural Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Jeanette Baker
- Division of Blood and Marrow Transplantation, Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Jian-Xin Lin
- Laboratory of Molecular Immunology and the Immunology Center, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Peng Li
- Laboratory of Molecular Immunology and the Immunology Center, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Kinya Seo
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Juliane K Lohmeyer
- Division of Blood and Marrow Transplantation, Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Sara Bolivar-Wagers
- Division of Blood and Marrow Transplantation, Department of Pediatrics and the Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Melissa Mavers
- Division of Blood and Marrow Transplantation, Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA.,Division of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology, Stem Cell Transplantation and Regenerative Medicine, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Warren J Leonard
- Laboratory of Molecular Immunology and the Immunology Center, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Bruce R Blazar
- Division of Blood and Marrow Transplantation, Department of Pediatrics and the Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - K Christopher Garcia
- Departments of Molecular and Cellular Physiology and Structural Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Robert S Negrin
- Division of Blood and Marrow Transplantation, Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
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