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Shirafkan F, Hensel L, Rattay K. Immune tolerance and the prevention of autoimmune diseases essentially depend on thymic tissue homeostasis. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1339714. [PMID: 38571951 PMCID: PMC10987875 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1339714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2023] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024] Open
Abstract
The intricate balance of immune reactions towards invading pathogens and immune tolerance towards self is pivotal in preventing autoimmune diseases, with the thymus playing a central role in establishing and maintaining this equilibrium. The induction of central immune tolerance in the thymus involves the elimination of self-reactive T cells, a mechanism essential for averting autoimmunity. Disruption of the thymic T cell selection mechanisms can lead to the development of autoimmune diseases. In the dynamic microenvironment of the thymus, T cell migration and interactions with thymic stromal cells are critical for the selection processes that ensure self-tolerance. Thymic epithelial cells are particularly significant in this context, presenting self-antigens and inducing the negative selection of autoreactive T cells. Further, the synergistic roles of thymic fibroblasts, B cells, and dendritic cells in antigen presentation, selection and the development of regulatory T cells are pivotal in maintaining immune responses tightly regulated. This review article collates these insights, offering a comprehensive examination of the multifaceted role of thymic tissue homeostasis in the establishment of immune tolerance and its implications in the prevention of autoimmune diseases. Additionally, the developmental pathways of the thymus are explored, highlighting how genetic aberrations can disrupt thymic architecture and function, leading to autoimmune conditions. The impact of infections on immune tolerance is another critical area, with pathogens potentially triggering autoimmunity by altering thymic homeostasis. Overall, this review underscores the integral role of thymic tissue homeostasis in the prevention of autoimmune diseases, discussing insights into potential therapeutic strategies and examining putative avenues for future research on developing thymic-based therapies in treating and preventing autoimmune conditions.
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Lammers S, Barrera V, Brennecke P, Miller C, Yoon J, Balolong J, Anderson MS, Ho Sui S, Steinmetz LM, von Andrian UH, Rattay K. Ehf and Fezf2 regulate late medullary thymic epithelial cell and thymic tuft cell development. Front Immunol 2024; 14:1277365. [PMID: 38420512 PMCID: PMC10901246 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1277365] [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: 08/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/29/2023] [Indexed: 03/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Thymic epithelial cells are indispensable for T cell maturation and selection and the induction of central immune tolerance. The self-peptide repertoire expressed by medullary thymic epithelial cells is in part regulated by the transcriptional regulator Aire (Autoimmune regulator) and the transcription factor Fezf2. Due to the high complexity of mTEC maturation stages (i.e., post-Aire, Krt10+ mTECs, and Dclk1+ Tuft mTECs) and the heterogeneity in their gene expression profiles (i.e., mosaic expression patterns), it has been challenging to identify the additional factors complementing the transcriptional regulation. We aimed to identify the transcriptional regulators involved in the regulation of mTEC development and self-peptide expression in an unbiased and genome-wide manner. We used ATAC footprinting analysis as an indirect approach to identify transcription factors involved in the gene expression regulation in mTECs, which we validated by ChIP sequencing. This study identifies Fezf2 as a regulator of the recently described thymic Tuft cells (i.e., Tuft mTECs). Furthermore, we identify that transcriptional regulators of the ELF, ESE, ERF, and PEA3 subfamily of the ETS transcription factor family and members of the Krüppel-like family of transcription factors play a role in the transcriptional regulation of genes involved in late mTEC development and promiscuous gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sören Lammers
- Institute for Theoretical Physics, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Victor Barrera
- Bioinformatics Core, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Philip Brennecke
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University, School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States
- Stanford Genome Technology Center, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Corey Miller
- Diabetes Center, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Joon Yoon
- Bioinformatics Core, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Jared Balolong
- Diabetes Center, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Mark S. Anderson
- Diabetes Center, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Shannan Ho Sui
- Bioinformatics Core, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Lars M. Steinmetz
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University, School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States
- Stanford Genome Technology Center, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States
- Genome Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Ulrich H. von Andrian
- Department of Immunology & HMS Center for Immune Imaging, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
- The Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Kristin Rattay
- Department of Immunology & HMS Center for Immune Imaging, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
- Pharmacological Institute, Biochemical Pharmacological Center, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
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Rastin F, Javid H, Oryani MA, Rezagholinejad N, Afshari AR, Karimi-Shahri M. Immunotherapy for colorectal cancer: Rational strategies and novel therapeutic progress. Int Immunopharmacol 2024; 126:111055. [PMID: 37992445 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2023.111055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2023] [Revised: 09/30/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 11/24/2023]
Abstract
There are increasing incidences and mortality rates for colorectal cancer in the world. It is common for chemotherapy and radiation given to patients with colorectal cancer to cause toxicities that limit their effectiveness and cause cancer cells to become resistant to these treatments. Additional targeted treatments are needed to improve patient's quality of life and outcomes. Immunotherapy has rapidly emerged as an incredibly exciting and promising avenue for cancer treatment in recent years. This innovative approach provides novel options for tackling solid tumors, effectively establishing itself as a new cornerstone in cancer treatment. Specifically, in the realm of colorectal cancer (CRC), there is great promise in developing new drugs that target immune checkpoints, offering a hopeful and potentially transformative solution. While immunotherapy of CRC has made significant advances, there are still obstacles and limitations. CRC patients have a poor response to treatment because of the immune-suppressing function of their tumor microenvironment (TME). In addition to blocking inhibitory immune checkpoints, checkpoint-blocking antibodies may also boost immune responses against tumors. The review summarizes recent advances in immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) for CRC, including CTLA-4, PD-1, PD-L1, LAG-3, and TIM-3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farangis Rastin
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Hossein Javid
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Varastegan Institute for Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran; Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran; Surgical Oncology Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
| | - Mahsa Akbari Oryani
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | | | - Amir-R Afshari
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, School of Medicine, North Khorasan University of Medical Sciences, Bojnurd, Iran
| | - Mehdi Karimi-Shahri
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran; Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Gonabad University of Medical Sciences, Gonabad, Iran.
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Zitvogel L, Perreault C, Finn OJ, Kroemer G. Beneficial autoimmunity improves cancer prognosis. Nat Rev Clin Oncol 2021; 18:591-602. [PMID: 33976418 DOI: 10.1038/s41571-021-00508-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/26/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Many tumour antigens that do not arise from cancer cell-specific mutations are targets of humoral and cellular immunity despite their expression on non-malignant cells. Thus, in addition to the expected ability to detect mutations and stress-associated shifts in the immunoproteome and immunopeptidome (the sum of MHC class I-bound peptides) unique to malignant cells, the immune system also recognizes antigens expressed in non-malignant cells, which can result in autoimmune reactions against non-malignant cells from the tissue of origin. These autoimmune manifestations include, among others, vitiligo, thyroiditis and paraneoplastic syndromes, concurrent with melanoma, thyroid cancer and non-small-cell lung cancer, respectively. Importantly, despite the undesirable effects of these symptoms, such events can have prognostic value and correlate with favourable disease outcomes, suggesting 'beneficial autoimmunity'. Similarly, the occurrence of dermal and endocrine autoimmune adverse events in patients receiving immune-checkpoint inhibitors can have a positive predictive value for therapeutic outcomes. Neoplasias derived from stem cells deemed 'not essential' for survival (such as melanocytes, thyroid cells and most cells in sex-specific organs) have a particularly good prognosis, perhaps because the host can tolerate autoimmune reactions that destroy tumour cells at some cost to non-malignant tissues. In this Perspective, we discuss examples of spontaneous as well as therapy-induced autoimmunity that correlate with favourable disease outcomes and make a strong case in favour of this 'beneficial autoimmunity' being important not only in patients with advanced-stage disease but also in cancer immunosurveillance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurence Zitvogel
- Gustave Roussy Comprehensive Cancer Institute, Villejuif, France. .,Université Paris Saclay, Faculty of Medicine, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, France. .,INSERM U1015, Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France. .,Equipe labellisée par la Ligue contre le cancer, Villejuif, France. .,Center of Clinical Investigations in Biotherapies of Cancer (CICBT) BIOTHERIS, Villejuif, France. .,Suzhou Institute for Systems Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Suzhou, China.
| | - Claude Perreault
- Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Olivera J Finn
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Guido Kroemer
- Gustave Roussy Comprehensive Cancer Institute, Villejuif, France. .,Suzhou Institute for Systems Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Suzhou, China. .,Equipe labellisée par la Ligue contre le cancer, Université de Paris, Sorbonne Université, INSERM U1138, Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France. .,Metabolomics and Cell Biology Platforms, Institut Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France. .,Pôle de Biologie, Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou, AP-HP, Paris, France. .,Karolinska Institute, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
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Gong Y, Klein Wolterink RGJ, Gulaia V, Cloosen S, Ehlers FAI, Wieten L, Graus YF, Bos GMJ, Germeraad WTV. Defucosylation of Tumor-Specific Humanized Anti-MUC1 Monoclonal Antibody Enhances NK Cell-Mediated Anti-Tumor Cell Cytotoxicity. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13112579. [PMID: 34070311 PMCID: PMC8197514 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13112579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2021] [Revised: 05/19/2021] [Accepted: 05/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Antibodies with their high specificity to antigens have been widely used in cancer immunotherapy. Natural killer (NK) cells are a group of innate immune cells which have strong cytotoxicity against cancerous cells, virus infected cells, or transformed cells. NK cells express abundant Fc receptors that can bind tumor-specific antibodies, thus allowing them to precisely redirect and eliminate cancer cells. In this study, we demonstrated that NK cells cytotoxicity toward MUC1-positive hematologic and solid tumor can be further enhanced by a humanized 5E5 anti-MUC1 antibody. Furthermore, Fc defucosylation of the antibodies further boosted the kill capacity of NK cells. We believe that our humanized anti-MUC1 antibody is a promising therapeutic candidate for clinical cancer treatment. Abstract Antibodies are commonly used in cancer immunotherapy because of their high specificity for tumor-associated antigens. The binding of antibodies can have direct effects on tumor cells but also engages natural killer (NK) cells via their Fc receptor. Mucin 1 (MUC1) is a highly glycosylated protein expressed in normal epithelial cells, while the under-glycosylated MUC1 epitope (MUC1-Tn/STn) is only expressed on malignant cells, making it an interesting diagnostic and therapeutic target. Several anti-MUC1 antibodies have been tested for therapeutic applications in solid tumors thus far without clinical success. Herein, we describe the generation of fully humanized antibodies based on the murine 5E5 antibody, targeting the tumor-specific MUC1-Tn/STn epitope. We confirmed that these antibodies specifically recognize tumor-associated MUC1 epitopes and can activate human NK cells in vitro. Defucosylation of these newly developed anti-MUC1 antibodies further enhanced antigen-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) mediated by NK cells. We show that endocytosis inhibitors augment the availability of MUC1-Tn/STn epitopes on tumor cells but do not further enhance ADCC in NK cells. Collectively, this study describes novel fully humanized anti-MUC1 antibodies that, especially after defucosylation, are promising therapeutic candidates for cellular immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Gong
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology, Maastricht University Medical Center+, 6229 HX Maastricht, The Netherlands; (Y.G.); (R.G.J.K.W.); (V.G.); (F.A.I.E.); (G.M.J.B.)
- GROW—School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht University, 6229 GT Maastricht, The Netherlands;
| | - Roel G. J. Klein Wolterink
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology, Maastricht University Medical Center+, 6229 HX Maastricht, The Netherlands; (Y.G.); (R.G.J.K.W.); (V.G.); (F.A.I.E.); (G.M.J.B.)
- GROW—School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht University, 6229 GT Maastricht, The Netherlands;
- Champalimaud Research, Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, 1400-038 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Valeriia Gulaia
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology, Maastricht University Medical Center+, 6229 HX Maastricht, The Netherlands; (Y.G.); (R.G.J.K.W.); (V.G.); (F.A.I.E.); (G.M.J.B.)
- GROW—School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht University, 6229 GT Maastricht, The Netherlands;
| | - Silvie Cloosen
- CiMaas BV, 6229 EV Maastricht, The Netherlands; (S.C.); (Y.F.G.)
| | - Femke A. I. Ehlers
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology, Maastricht University Medical Center+, 6229 HX Maastricht, The Netherlands; (Y.G.); (R.G.J.K.W.); (V.G.); (F.A.I.E.); (G.M.J.B.)
- GROW—School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht University, 6229 GT Maastricht, The Netherlands;
- Department of Transplantation Immunology, Tissue Typing Laboratory, Maastricht University Medical Center+, 6229 HX Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Lotte Wieten
- GROW—School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht University, 6229 GT Maastricht, The Netherlands;
- Department of Transplantation Immunology, Tissue Typing Laboratory, Maastricht University Medical Center+, 6229 HX Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Yvo F. Graus
- CiMaas BV, 6229 EV Maastricht, The Netherlands; (S.C.); (Y.F.G.)
| | - Gerard M. J. Bos
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology, Maastricht University Medical Center+, 6229 HX Maastricht, The Netherlands; (Y.G.); (R.G.J.K.W.); (V.G.); (F.A.I.E.); (G.M.J.B.)
- GROW—School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht University, 6229 GT Maastricht, The Netherlands;
- CiMaas BV, 6229 EV Maastricht, The Netherlands; (S.C.); (Y.F.G.)
| | - Wilfred T. V. Germeraad
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology, Maastricht University Medical Center+, 6229 HX Maastricht, The Netherlands; (Y.G.); (R.G.J.K.W.); (V.G.); (F.A.I.E.); (G.M.J.B.)
- GROW—School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht University, 6229 GT Maastricht, The Netherlands;
- CiMaas BV, 6229 EV Maastricht, The Netherlands; (S.C.); (Y.F.G.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +31-43-3884231
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Stone JD, Aggen DH, Schietinger A, Schreiber H, Kranz DM. A sensitivity scale for targeting T cells with chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) and bispecific T-cell Engagers (BiTEs). Oncoimmunology 2021; 1:863-873. [PMID: 23162754 PMCID: PMC3489742 DOI: 10.4161/onci.20592] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Although T cells can mediate potent antitumor responses, immune tolerance mechanisms often result in the deletion or inactivation of T cells that express T-cell receptors (TCRs) against potentially effective target epitopes. Various approaches have been devised to circumvent this problem. In one approach, the gene encoding an antibody against a cancer-associated antigen is linked, in the form of a single-chain variable fragment (scFv), to genes that encode transmembrane and signaling domains. This chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) is then introduced into T cells for adoptive T-cell therapy. In another approach, the anti-cancer scFv is fused to a scFv that binds to the CD3ε subunit of the TCR/CD3 complex. This fusion protein serves as a soluble, injectable product that has recently been termed bispecific T-cell engager (BiTE). Both strategies have now been tested in clinical trials with promising results, but the comparative efficacies are not known. Here, we performed a direct comparison of the in vitro sensitivity of each strategy, using the same anti-cancer scFv fragments, directed against a tumor-specific glycopeptide epitope on the sialomucin-like transmembrane glycoprotein OTS8, which results form a cancer-specific mutation of Cosmc. While both approaches showed specific responses to the epitope as revealed by T cell-mediated cytokine release and target cell lysis, CAR-targeted T cells were more sensitive than BiTE-targeted T cells to low numbers of antigens per cell. The sensitivity scale described here provides a guide to the potential use of these two different approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer D Stone
- Department of Biochemistry; University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Urbana, IL USA
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Marx A, Yamada Y, Simon-Keller K, Schalke B, Willcox N, Ströbel P, Weis CA. Thymus and autoimmunity. Semin Immunopathol 2021; 43:45-64. [PMID: 33537838 PMCID: PMC7925479 DOI: 10.1007/s00281-021-00842-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2020] [Accepted: 01/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The thymus prevents autoimmune diseases through mechanisms that operate in the cortex and medulla, comprising positive and negative selection and the generation of regulatory T-cells (Tregs). Egress from the thymus through the perivascular space (PVS) to the blood is another possible checkpoint, as shown by some autoimmune/immunodeficiency syndromes. In polygenic autoimmune diseases, subtle thymic dysfunctions may compound genetic, hormonal and environmental cues. Here, we cover (a) tolerance-inducing cell types, whether thymic epithelial or tuft cells, or dendritic, B- or thymic myoid cells; (b) tolerance-inducing mechanisms and their failure in relation to thymic anatomic compartments, and with special emphasis on human monogenic and polygenic autoimmune diseases and the related thymic pathologies, if known; (c) polymorphisms and mutations of tolerance-related genes with an impact on positive selection (e.g. the gene encoding the thymoproteasome-specific subunit, PSMB11), promiscuous gene expression (e.g. AIRE, PRKDC, FEZF2, CHD4), Treg development (e.g. SATB1, FOXP3), T-cell migration (e.g. TAGAP) and egress from the thymus (e.g. MTS1, CORO1A); (d) myasthenia gravis as the prototypic outcome of an inflamed or disordered neoplastic ‘sick thymus’.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Marx
- Institute of Pathology, University Medical Centre Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Theodor-Kutzer-Ufer 1-3, 68167, Mannheim, Germany.
| | - Yosuke Yamada
- Institute of Pathology, University Medical Centre Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Theodor-Kutzer-Ufer 1-3, 68167, Mannheim, Germany
- Department of Diagnostic Pathology, Kyoto University Hospital, Kyoto, 606-8507, Japan
| | - Katja Simon-Keller
- Institute of Pathology, University Medical Centre Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Theodor-Kutzer-Ufer 1-3, 68167, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Berthold Schalke
- Department of Neurology, Bezirkskrankenhaus, University of Regensburg, 93042, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Nick Willcox
- Neurosciences Group, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurology, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Philipp Ströbel
- Institute of Pathology, University Medical Center Göttingen, University of Göttigen, 37075, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Cleo-Aron Weis
- Institute of Pathology, University Medical Centre Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Theodor-Kutzer-Ufer 1-3, 68167, Mannheim, Germany
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Johdi NA, Sukor NF. Colorectal Cancer Immunotherapy: Options and Strategies. Front Immunol 2020; 11:1624. [PMID: 33042104 PMCID: PMC7530194 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.01624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 192] [Impact Index Per Article: 48.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2020] [Accepted: 06/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in the world with increasing incidence and mortality rates globally. Standard treatments for colorectal cancer have always been surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy which may be used in combination to treat patients. However, these treatments have many side effects due to their non-specificity and cytotoxicity toward any cells including normal cells that are growing and dividing. Furthermore, many patients succumb to relapse even after a series of treatments. Thus, it is crucial to have more alternative and effective treatments to treat CRC patients. Immunotherapy is one of the new alternatives in cancer treatment. The strategy is to utilize patients' own immune systems in combating the cancer cells. Cancer immunotherapy overcomes the issue of specificity which is the major problem in chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The normal cells with no cancer antigens are not affected. The outcomes of some cancer immunotherapy have been astonishing in some cases, but some which rely on the status of patients' own immune systems are not. Those patients who responded well to cancer immunotherapy have a better prognostic and better quality of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nor Adzimah Johdi
- UKM Medical Molecular Biology Institute (UMBI), National University of Malaysia, Bangi, Malaysia
| | - Nur Fazilah Sukor
- UKM Medical Molecular Biology Institute (UMBI), National University of Malaysia, Bangi, Malaysia
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Harnessing the Complete Repertoire of Conventional Dendritic Cell Functions for Cancer Immunotherapy. Pharmaceutics 2020; 12:pharmaceutics12070663. [PMID: 32674488 PMCID: PMC7408110 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics12070663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2020] [Revised: 06/29/2020] [Accepted: 07/04/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The onset of checkpoint inhibition revolutionized the treatment of cancer. However, studies from the last decade suggested that the sole enhancement of T cell functionality might not suffice to fight malignancies in all individuals. Dendritic cells (DCs) are not only part of the innate immune system, but also generals of adaptive immunity and they orchestrate the de novo induction of tolerogenic and immunogenic T cell responses. Thus, combinatorial approaches addressing DCs and T cells in parallel represent an attractive strategy to achieve higher response rates across patients. However, this requires profound knowledge about the dynamic interplay of DCs, T cells, other immune and tumor cells. Here, we summarize the DC subsets present in mice and men and highlight conserved and divergent characteristics between different subsets and species. Thereby, we supply a resource of the molecular players involved in key functional features of DCs ranging from their sentinel function, the translation of the sensed environment at the DC:T cell interface to the resulting specialized T cell effector modules, as well as the influence of the tumor microenvironment on the DC function. As of today, mostly monocyte derived dendritic cells (moDCs) are used in autologous cell therapies after tumor antigen loading. While showing encouraging results in a fraction of patients, the overall clinical response rate is still not optimal. By disentangling the general aspects of DC biology, we provide rationales for the design of next generation DC vaccines enabling to exploit and manipulate the described pathways for the purpose of cancer immunotherapy in vivo. Finally, we discuss how DC-based vaccines might synergize with checkpoint inhibition in the treatment of malignant diseases.
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10
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Benitez AA, Khalil-Agüero S, Nandakumar A, Gupta NT, Zhang W, Atwal GS, Murphy AJ, Sleeman MA, Haxhinasto S. Absence of central tolerance in Aire-deficient mice synergizes with immune-checkpoint inhibition to enhance antitumor responses. Commun Biol 2020; 3:355. [PMID: 32641748 PMCID: PMC7343867 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-020-1083-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2019] [Accepted: 06/19/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The endogenous anti-tumor responses are limited in part by the absence of tumor-reactive T cells, an inevitable consequence of thymic central tolerance mechanisms ensuring prevention of autoimmunity. Here we show that tumor rejection induced by immune checkpoint blockade is significantly enhanced in Aire-deficient mice, the epitome of central tolerance breakdown. The observed synergy in tumor rejection extended to different tumor models, was accompanied by increased numbers of activated T cells expressing high levels of Gzma, Gzmb, Perforin, Cxcr3, and increased intratumoural levels of Cxcl9 and Cxcl10 compared to wild-type mice. Consistent with Aire's central role in T cell repertoire selection, single cell TCR sequencing unveiled expansion of several clones with high tumor reactivity. The data suggest that breakdown in central tolerance synergizes with immune checkpoint blockade in enhancing anti-tumor immunity and may serve as a model to unmask novel anti-tumor therapies including anti-tumor TCRs, normally purged during central tolerance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asiel A Benitez
- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 777 Old Saw Mill River Road, Tarrytown, NY, 10591, USA
| | - Sara Khalil-Agüero
- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 777 Old Saw Mill River Road, Tarrytown, NY, 10591, USA
| | - Anjali Nandakumar
- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 777 Old Saw Mill River Road, Tarrytown, NY, 10591, USA
| | - Namita T Gupta
- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 777 Old Saw Mill River Road, Tarrytown, NY, 10591, USA
| | - Wen Zhang
- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 777 Old Saw Mill River Road, Tarrytown, NY, 10591, USA
| | - Gurinder S Atwal
- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 777 Old Saw Mill River Road, Tarrytown, NY, 10591, USA
| | - Andrew J Murphy
- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 777 Old Saw Mill River Road, Tarrytown, NY, 10591, USA
| | - Matthew A Sleeman
- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 777 Old Saw Mill River Road, Tarrytown, NY, 10591, USA
| | - Sokol Haxhinasto
- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 777 Old Saw Mill River Road, Tarrytown, NY, 10591, USA.
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Kunimasa K, Goto T. Immunosurveillance and Immunoediting of Lung Cancer: Current Perspectives and Challenges. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21020597. [PMID: 31963413 PMCID: PMC7014343 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21020597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2019] [Revised: 01/13/2020] [Accepted: 01/14/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The immune system plays a dual role in tumor evolution-it can identify and control nascent tumor cells in a process called immunosurveillance and can promote tumor progression through immunosuppression via various mechanisms. Thus, bilateral host-protective and tumor-promoting actions of immunity are integrated as cancer immunoediting. In this decade, immune checkpoint inhibitors, specifically programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) pathway inhibitors, have changed the treatment paradigm of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). These agents are approved for the treatment of patients with NSCLC and demonstrate impressive clinical activity and durable responses in some patients. However, for many NSCLC patients, the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors is limited. To optimize the full utility of the immune system for eradicating cancer, a broader understanding of cancer immunosurveillance and immunoediting is essential. In this review, we discuss the fundamental knowledge of the phenomena and provide an overview of the next-generation immunotherapies in the pipeline.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kei Kunimasa
- Department of Thoracic Oncology, Osaka International Cancer Institute, Osaka 541-8567, Japan;
- Genome Analysis Center, Yamanashi Central Hospital, Yamanashi 400-8506, Japan
| | - Taichiro Goto
- Lung Cancer and Respiratory Disease Center, Yamanashi Central Hospital, Yamanashi 400-8506, Japan
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +81-55-253-7111
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12
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Abstract
T cells are key effectors of anticancer immunity. They are capable of distinguishing tumor cells from normal ones by recognizing major histocompatibility complex-bound cancer-specific peptides. Accumulating evidence suggests that peptides associated with T cell-mediated tumor rejection arise predominantly from somatically mutated proteins and are unique to every patient's tumor. Knowledge of an individual's cancer mutanome (the entirety of cancer mutations) allows harnessing this enormous tumor cell-specific repertoire of highly immunogenic antigens for individualized cancer vaccines. This review outlines the preclinical and clinical state of individualized cancer vaccine development and the challenges ahead.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathias Vormehr
- Biopharmaceutical New Technologies (BioNTech) Corporation, 55131 Mainz, Germany; , .,University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University, 55131 Mainz, Germany;
| | - Özlem Türeci
- Biopharmaceutical New Technologies (BioNTech) Corporation, 55131 Mainz, Germany; ,
| | - Ugur Sahin
- Biopharmaceutical New Technologies (BioNTech) Corporation, 55131 Mainz, Germany; , .,University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University, 55131 Mainz, Germany; .,TRON - Translational Oncology at the University Medical Center of Johannes Gutenberg University gGmbH, 55131 Mainz, Germany
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13
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Abstract
The generation of a functional T cell repertoire in the thymus is mainly orchestrated by thymic epithelial cells (TECs), which provide developing T cells with cues for their navigation, proliferation, differentiation and survival. The TEC compartment has been segregated historically into two major populations of medullary TECs and cortical TECs, which differ in their anatomical localization, molecular characteristics and functional roles. However, recent studies have shown that TECs are highly heterogeneous and comprise multiple subpopulations with distinct molecular and functional characteristics, including tuft cell-like or corneocyte-like phenotypes. Here, we review the most recent advances in our understanding of TEC heterogeneity from a molecular, functional and developmental perspective. In particular, we highlight the key insights that were recently provided by single-cell genomic technologies and in vivo fate mapping and discuss them in the context of previously published data.
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14
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Zhao J, Chen Y, Ding ZY, Liu JY. Safety and Efficacy of Therapeutic Cancer Vaccines Alone or in Combination With Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Cancer Treatment. Front Pharmacol 2019; 10:1184. [PMID: 31680963 PMCID: PMC6798079 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2019.01184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2019] [Accepted: 09/13/2019] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Therapeutic cancer vaccines have proven to seldom induce dramatic clinical response when used alone, and therefore, they are being studied in combination with additional treatment modalities to achieve optimal treatment activities. Growing preclinical data show that combining vaccines and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) can prime intensified immunogenicity and modulate immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. Herein, we focus on the safety and efficacy of approved and promising cancer vaccines alone or combined with ICIs in the treatment of several malignancies. Generally, the majority of clinical trials support the concept of synergy that combination therapy of vaccines and ICIs holds maximized potential to improve clinical outcomes. Importantly, the combination has acceptable safety and minimal additional toxicity compared with single-agent vaccines or ICIs. Additionally, the potential strategies of combining personalized tumor vaccines with ICIs will become priority option and future direction of vaccine development and application and the urgent need to develop effective biomarkers to screen appropriate patient populations and predict response to combination therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Zhao
- Department of Biotherapy, Cancer Center, and National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.,Sichuan Clinical Research Center of Biotherapy, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Ye Chen
- Department of Biotherapy, Cancer Center, and National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.,Sichuan Clinical Research Center of Biotherapy, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Zhen-Yu Ding
- Department of Biotherapy, Cancer Center, and National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.,Sichuan Clinical Research Center of Biotherapy, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Ji-Yan Liu
- Department of Biotherapy, Cancer Center, and National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.,Sichuan Clinical Research Center of Biotherapy, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
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15
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Goto T. Radiation as an In Situ Auto-Vaccination: Current Perspectives and Challenges. Vaccines (Basel) 2019; 7:vaccines7030100. [PMID: 31455032 PMCID: PMC6789649 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines7030100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2019] [Revised: 08/06/2019] [Accepted: 08/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Radiotherapy is generally considered to be a local treatment, but there have been reports of rare cases demonstrating abscopal effects in which antitumor effects have been observed in cancer lesions other than the irradiated site. This result is more likely to occur when immune checkpoint inhibitors are used in addition to radiotherapy. Certain radiation-induced chemokines and cytokines have immune-enhancing effects. Immune checkpoint inhibitors may strengthen these effects by stimulating antigen-presenting cells and effector cytotoxic T cells. To date, there is no consensus regarding the applicability of the abscopal effect in the clinical setting, including optimal methods for combining immune checkpoint inhibitors and irradiation. In this review, we highlight the evidence for interactions between cancer immunotherapy and radiotherapy and discuss the potential of such interactions for use in designing novel combination therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taichiro Goto
- Lung Cancer and Respiratory Disease Center, Yamanashi Central Hospital, Yamanashi 400-8506, Japan.
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16
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Su MA, Anderson MS. Pulling RANK on Cancer: Blocking Aire-Mediated Central Tolerance to Enhance Immunotherapy. Cancer Immunol Res 2019; 7:854-859. [PMID: 31160305 PMCID: PMC6550349 DOI: 10.1158/2326-6066.cir-18-0912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
A major breakthrough in cancer treatment occurred with the development of strategies that overcome T-cell tolerance toward tumor cells. These approaches enhance antitumor immunity by overcoming mechanisms that are normally in place to prevent autoimmunity but simultaneously prevent rejection of tumor cells. Although tolerance mechanisms that restrict antitumor immunity take place both in the thymus and periphery, only immunotherapies that target peripheral tolerance mechanisms occurring outside of the thymus are currently available. We review here recent gains in our understanding of how thymic tolerance mediated by the autoimmune regulator (Aire) impedes antitumor immunity. It is now clear that transient depletion of Aire-expressing cells in the thymus can be achieved with RANKL blockade. Finally, we discuss key findings that support the repurposing of anti-RANKL as a cancer immunotherapy with a unique mechanism of action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maureen A Su
- Microbiology, Immunology, and Medical Genetics and Pediatrics, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.
| | - Mark S Anderson
- Diabetes Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California.
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17
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Li Y, Teteloshvili N, Tan S, Rao S, Han A, Yang YG, Creusot RJ. Humanized Mice Reveal New Insights Into the Thymic Selection of Human Autoreactive CD8 + T Cells. Front Immunol 2019; 10:63. [PMID: 30778347 PMCID: PMC6369192 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.00063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2018] [Accepted: 01/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Thymic selection constitutes the first checkpoint in T-cell development to purge autoreactive T cells. Most of our understanding of this process comes from animal models because of the challenges of studying thymopoiesis and how T cell receptor (TCR) specificity impacts thymocyte phenotype in humans. We developed a humanized mouse model involving the introduction of autoreactive TCRs and cognate autoantigens that enables the analysis of selection of human T cells in human thymic tissue in vivo. Here, we describe the thymic development of MART1-specific autoreactive CD8+ T cells that normally escape deletion and how their phenotype and survival are affected by introduction of the missing epitope in the hematopoietic lineage. Expression of the epitope in a fraction of hematopoietic cells, including all major types of antigen-presenting cells (APCs), led to profound yet incomplete deletion of these T cells. Upregulation of PD-1 upon antigen encounter occurred through the different stages of thymocyte development. PD-1 and CCR7 expression were mutually exclusive in both transgenic and non-transgenic thymocytes, challenging the view that CCR7 is necessary for negative selection in humans. In the presence of antigen, MART1-reactive T cells down-regulated TCR, CD3, CD8, and CD4 in the thymus and periphery. Moreover, expression of secondary TCRs influences MHC class I-restricted T cells to develop as CD4+, particularly regulatory T cells. This new model constitutes a valuable tool to better understand the development of autoreactive T cells identified in different human autoimmune diseases and the role of different APC subsets in their selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Li
- The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China.,International Center of Future Science, Jilin University, Changchun, China.,Columbia Center for Translational Immunology and Department of Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, United States
| | - Nato Teteloshvili
- Columbia Center for Translational Immunology and Department of Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, United States.,Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, United States
| | - Shulian Tan
- The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China.,International Center of Future Science, Jilin University, Changchun, China.,Columbia Center for Translational Immunology and Department of Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, United States
| | - Samhita Rao
- Columbia Center for Translational Immunology and Department of Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, United States.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, United States
| | - Arnold Han
- Columbia Center for Translational Immunology and Department of Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, United States.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, United States
| | - Yong-Guang Yang
- The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China.,International Center of Future Science, Jilin University, Changchun, China.,Columbia Center for Translational Immunology and Department of Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, United States
| | - Rémi J Creusot
- Columbia Center for Translational Immunology and Department of Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, United States.,Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, United States
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18
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Stergiou N, Gaidzik N, Heimes AS, Dietzen S, Besenius P, Jäkel J, Brenner W, Schmidt M, Kunz H, Schmitt E. Reduced Breast Tumor Growth after Immunization with a Tumor-Restricted MUC1 Glycopeptide Conjugated to Tetanus Toxoid. Cancer Immunol Res 2018; 7:113-122. [PMID: 30413430 DOI: 10.1158/2326-6066.cir-18-0256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2018] [Revised: 08/07/2018] [Accepted: 11/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Preventive vaccination against tumor-associated endogenous antigens is considered to be an attractive strategy for the induction of a curative immune response concomitant with a long-lasting immunologic memory. The mucin MUC1 is a promising tumor antigen, as its tumor-associated form differs from the glycoprotein form expressed on healthy cells. Due to aberrant glycosylation in tumor cells, the specific peptide epitopes in its backbone are accessible and can be bound by antibodies induced by vaccination. Breast cancer patients develop per se only low levels of T cells and antibodies recognizing tumor-associated MUC1, and clinical trials with tumor-associated MUC1 yielded unsatisfactory therapeutic effects, indicating an urgent need to improve humoral immunity against this tumor entity. Herein, we demonstrate that preventive vaccination against tumor-associated human MUC1 results in a specific humoral immune response, a slowdown of tumor progression and an increase in survival of breast tumor-bearing mice. For preventive vaccination, we used a synthetic vaccine containing a tumor-associated glycopeptide structure of human MUC1 coupled to Tetanus Toxoid. The glycopeptide consists of a 22mer huMUC1 peptide with two immune dominant regions (PDTR and GSTA), glycosylated with the sialylated carbohydrate STN on serine-17. PyMT (polyomavirus middle T-antigen) and human MUC1 double-transgenic mice expressing human tumor-associated MUC1 on breast tumor tissue served as a preclinical breast cancer model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natascha Stergiou
- Institute of Immunology, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Nikola Gaidzik
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Anne-Sophie Heimes
- Department of Obstetrics and Women's Health, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Sarah Dietzen
- Institute of Immunology, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Pol Besenius
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Jörg Jäkel
- Institute of Pathology, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Walburgis Brenner
- Department of Obstetrics and Women's Health, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Marcus Schmidt
- Department of Obstetrics and Women's Health, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Horst Kunz
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany
| | - Edgar Schmitt
- Institute of Immunology, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany.
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19
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Hutchison S, Pritchard AL. Identifying neoantigens for use in immunotherapy. Mamm Genome 2018; 29:714-730. [PMID: 30167844 PMCID: PMC6267674 DOI: 10.1007/s00335-018-9771-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2018] [Accepted: 08/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
This review focuses on the types of cancer antigens that can be recognised by the immune system and form due to alterations in the cancer genome, including cancer testis, overexpressed and neoantigens. Specifically, neoantigens can form when cancer cell-specific mutations occur that result in alterations of the protein from ‘self’. This type of antigen can result in an immune response sufficient to clear tumour cells when activated. Furthermore, studies have reported that the likelihood of successful immunotherapeutic targeting of cancer by many different methods was reliant on immune response to neoantigens. The recent resurgence of interest in the immune response to tumour cells, in conjunction with technological advances, has resulted in a large increase in the predicted, identified and functionally confirmed neoantigens. This growth in identified neoantigen sequences has increased the contents of training sets for algorithms, which in turn improves the prediction of which genetic mutations may form neoantigens. Additionally, algorithms predicting how proteins will be processed into peptide epitopes by the proteasome and which peptides bind to the transporter complex are also improving with this research. Now that large screens of all the tumour-specific protein altering mutations are possible, the emerging data from assessment of the immunogenicity of neoantigens suggest that only a minority of variants will form targetable epitopes. The potential for immunotherapeutic targeting of neoantigens will therefore be greater in cancers with a higher frequency of protein altering somatic variants. There is considerable potential in the use of neoantigens to treat patients, either alone or in combination with other immunotherapies and with continued advancements, these potentials will be realised.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sharon Hutchison
- Genetics and Immunology Research Group, University of the Highlands and Islands, An Lòchran, 10 Inverness Campus, Inverness, IV2 5NA, Scotland, UK
| | - Antonia L Pritchard
- Genetics and Immunology Research Group, University of the Highlands and Islands, An Lòchran, 10 Inverness Campus, Inverness, IV2 5NA, Scotland, UK.
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20
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Loureiro LR, Sousa DP, Ferreira D, Chai W, Lima L, Pereira C, Lopes CB, Correia VG, Silva LM, Li C, Santos LL, Ferreira JA, Barbas A, Palma AS, Novo C, Videira PA. Novel monoclonal antibody L2A5 specifically targeting sialyl-Tn and short glycans terminated by alpha-2-6 sialic acids. Sci Rep 2018; 8:12196. [PMID: 30111774 PMCID: PMC6093877 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-30421-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2018] [Accepted: 07/30/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Incomplete O-glycosylation is a feature associated with malignancy resulting in the expression of truncated glycans such as the sialyl-Tn (STn) antigen. Despite all the progress in the development of potential anti-cancer antibodies, their application is frequently hindered by low specificities and cross-reactivity. In this study, a novel anti-STn monoclonal antibody named L2A5 was developed by hybridoma technology. Flow cytometry analysis showed that L2A5 specifically binds to sialylated structures on the cell surface of STn-expressing breast and bladder cancer cell lines. Moreover, immunoblotting assays demonstrated reactivity to tumour-associated O-glycosylated proteins, such as MUC1. Tumour recognition was further observed using immunohistochemistry assays, which demonstrated a high sensitivity and specificity of L2A5 mAb towards cancer tissue, using bladder and colorectal cancer tissues. L2A5 staining was exclusively tumoural, with a remarkable reactivity in invasive and metastasis sites, not detectable by other anti-STn mAbs. Additionally, it stained 20% of cases of triple-negative breast cancers, suggesting application in diseases with unmet clinical needs. Finally, the fine specificity was assessed using glycan microarrays, demonstrating a highly specific binding of L2A5 to core STn antigens and additional ability to bind 2-6-linked sialyl core-1 probes. In conclusion, this study describes a novel anti-STn antibody with a unique binding specificity that can be applied for cancer diagnostic and future development of new antibody-based therapeutic applications.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Antibodies, Monoclonal/immunology
- Antibodies, Monoclonal/isolation & purification
- Antibodies, Monoclonal/metabolism
- Antibodies, Monoclonal/therapeutic use
- Antigens, Tumor-Associated, Carbohydrate/immunology
- Antigens, Tumor-Associated, Carbohydrate/physiology
- Breast Neoplasms/pathology
- Cell Line, Tumor
- Female
- Glycosylation
- Humans
- Hybridomas
- Mice
- Mice, Inbred BALB C
- Neoplasm Proteins/metabolism
- Polysaccharides/chemistry
- Polysaccharides/immunology
- Sialic Acids/metabolism
- Urinary Bladder Neoplasms/pathology
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Affiliation(s)
- Liliana R Loureiro
- UCIBIO-REQUIMTE, Department of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, NOVA University of Lisbon, Lisbon, 2829, Portugal
- iBET, Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, Oeiras, 2780, Portugal
| | - Diana P Sousa
- UCIBIO-REQUIMTE, Department of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, NOVA University of Lisbon, Lisbon, 2829, Portugal
| | - Dylan Ferreira
- Experimental Pathology and Therapeutics Group, IPO-Porto Research Center, Portuguese Institute of Oncology of Porto, Porto, 4200, Portugal
| | - Wengang Chai
- Glycosciences Laboratory - Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, W12 0NN, United Kingdom
| | - Luís Lima
- Experimental Pathology and Therapeutics Group, IPO-Porto Research Center, Portuguese Institute of Oncology of Porto, Porto, 4200, Portugal
- Glycobiology in Cancer, Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto (IPATIMUP), Porto, 4200, Portugal
- Institute for Research and Innovation in Health (I3S), University of Porto, 4200, Porto, Portugal
| | - Carina Pereira
- CINTESIS - Center for Health Technology and Services Research, University of Porto, Porto, 4200, Portugal
- Molecular Oncology and Viral Pathology Group, IPO-Porto Research Center, Portuguese Oncology Institute of Porto, Porto, 4200, Portugal
| | - Carla B Lopes
- Joaquim Chaves Saúde, Anatomical Pathology Laboratory, Lisboa, 1170, Portugal
| | - Viviana G Correia
- UCIBIO-REQUIMTE, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, NOVA University of Lisbon, Lisbon, 2829, Portugal
| | - Lisete M Silva
- Glycosciences Laboratory - Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, W12 0NN, United Kingdom
| | - Chunxia Li
- Key Laboratory of Marine Drugs of Ministry of Education, and Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Glycoscience and Glycoengineering, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, China
| | - Lúcio Lara Santos
- Experimental Pathology and Therapeutics Group, IPO-Porto Research Center, Portuguese Institute of Oncology of Porto, Porto, 4200, Portugal
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar, University of Porto, Porto, 4050, Portugal
- Department of Surgical Oncology, Portuguese Institute of Oncology, Porto, 4200, Portugal
| | - José Alexandre Ferreira
- Experimental Pathology and Therapeutics Group, IPO-Porto Research Center, Portuguese Institute of Oncology of Porto, Porto, 4200, Portugal
- Institute for Research and Innovation in Health (I3S), University of Porto, 4200, Porto, Portugal
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar, University of Porto, Porto, 4050, Portugal
- International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL), Braga, 4715, Portugal
| | - Ana Barbas
- iBET, Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, Oeiras, 2780, Portugal
- Bayer Portugal, Carnaxide, 2790, Portugal
| | - Angelina S Palma
- Glycosciences Laboratory - Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, W12 0NN, United Kingdom
- UCIBIO-REQUIMTE, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, NOVA University of Lisbon, Lisbon, 2829, Portugal
| | - Carlos Novo
- UCIBIO-REQUIMTE, Department of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, NOVA University of Lisbon, Lisbon, 2829, Portugal.
- UEIPM, Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, NOVA University of Lisbon, Lisbon, 1349, Portugal.
| | - Paula A Videira
- UCIBIO-REQUIMTE, Department of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, NOVA University of Lisbon, Lisbon, 2829, Portugal.
- CDG & Allies - Professionals and Patient Associations International Network (CDG & Allies - PPAIN), Caparica, 2829, Portugal.
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21
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Miragaia RJ, Zhang X, Gomes T, Svensson V, Ilicic T, Henriksson J, Kar G, Lönnberg T. Single-cell RNA-sequencing resolves self-antigen expression during mTEC development. Sci Rep 2018; 8:685. [PMID: 29330484 PMCID: PMC5766627 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-19100-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2015] [Accepted: 12/14/2017] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The crucial capability of T cells for discrimination between self and non-self peptides is based on negative selection of developing thymocytes by medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs). The mTECs purge autoreactive T cells by expression of cell-type specific genes referred to as tissue-restricted antigens (TRAs). Although the autoimmune regulator (AIRE) protein is known to promote the expression of a subset of TRAs, its mechanism of action is still not fully understood. The expression of TRAs that are not under the control of AIRE also needs further characterization. Furthermore, expression patterns of TRA genes have been suggested to change over the course of mTEC development. Herein we have used single-cell RNA-sequencing to resolve patterns of TRA expression during mTEC development. Our data indicated that mTEC development consists of three distinct stages, correlating with previously described jTEC, mTEChi and mTEClo phenotypes. For each subpopulation, we have identified marker genes useful in future studies. Aire-induced TRAs were switched on during jTEC-mTEC transition and were expressed in genomic clusters, while otherwise the subsets expressed largely overlapping sets of TRAs. Moreover, population-level analysis of TRA expression frequencies suggested that such differences might not be necessary to achieve efficient thymocyte selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ricardo J Miragaia
- European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SD, United Kingdom
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, United Kingdom
- Centre of Biological Engineering, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal
| | - Xiuwei Zhang
- European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SD, United Kingdom
- University of California, Berkeley, USA
| | - Tomás Gomes
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, United Kingdom
| | - Valentine Svensson
- European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SD, United Kingdom
| | - Tomislav Ilicic
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, United Kingdom
| | - Johan Henriksson
- European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SD, United Kingdom
| | - Gozde Kar
- European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SD, United Kingdom
| | - Tapio Lönnberg
- European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SD, United Kingdom.
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, United Kingdom.
- Turku Centre for Biotechnology, University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland.
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22
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Gatti-Mays ME, Redman JM, Collins JM, Bilusic M. Cancer vaccines: Enhanced immunogenic modulation through therapeutic combinations. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2017; 13:2561-2574. [PMID: 28857666 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2017.1364322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Therapeutic cancer vaccines have gained significant popularity in recent years as new approaches for specific oncologic indications emerge. Three therapeutic cancer vaccines are FDA approved and one is currently approved by the EMA as monotherapy with modest treatment effects. Combining therapeutic cancer vaccines with other treatment modalities like radiotherapy (RT), hormone therapy, immunotherapy, and/or chemotherapy have been investigated as a means to enhance immune response and treatment efficacy. There is growing preclinical and clinical data that combination of checkpoint inhibitors and vaccines can induce immunogenic intensification with favorable outcomes. Additionally, novel methods for identifying targetable neoantigens hold promise for personalized vaccine development. In this article, we review the rationale for various therapeutic combinations, clinical trial experiences, and future directions. We also highlight the most promising developments that could lead to approval of novel therapeutic cancer vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margaret E Gatti-Mays
- a Medical Oncology Branch , National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health , Bethesda , MD , USA
| | - Jason M Redman
- a Medical Oncology Branch , National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health , Bethesda , MD , USA
| | - Julie M Collins
- a Medical Oncology Branch , National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health , Bethesda , MD , USA
| | - Marijo Bilusic
- b Genitourinary Malignancy Branch , National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health , Bethesda , MD , USA
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Takahama Y, Ohigashi I, Baik S, Anderson G. Generation of diversity in thymic epithelial cells. Nat Rev Immunol 2017; 17:295-305. [PMID: 28317923 DOI: 10.1038/nri.2017.12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 129] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
In the thymus, diverse populations of thymic epithelial cells (TECs), including cortical and medullary TECs and their subpopulations, have distinct roles in coordinating the development and repertoire selection of functionally competent and self-tolerant T cells. Here, we review the expanding diversity in TEC subpopulations in relation to their functions in T cell development and selection as well as their origins and development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yousuke Takahama
- Division of Experimental Immunology, Institute of Advanced Medical Sciences, University of Tokushima, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan
| | - Izumi Ohigashi
- Division of Experimental Immunology, Institute of Advanced Medical Sciences, University of Tokushima, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan
| | - Song Baik
- Institute for Immunology and Immunotherapy, Medical School, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Graham Anderson
- Institute for Immunology and Immunotherapy, Medical School, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
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24
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Guha M, Saare M, Maslovskaja J, Kisand K, Liiv I, Haljasorg U, Tasa T, Metspalu A, Milani L, Peterson P. DNA breaks and chromatin structural changes enhance the transcription of autoimmune regulator target genes. J Biol Chem 2017; 292:6542-6554. [PMID: 28242760 PMCID: PMC5399106 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m116.764704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2016] [Revised: 01/30/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The autoimmune regulator (AIRE) protein is the key factor in thymic negative selection of autoreactive T cells by promoting the ectopic expression of tissue-specific genes in the thymic medullary epithelium. Mutations in AIRE cause a monogenic autoimmune disease called autoimmune polyendocrinopathy-candidiasis-ectodermal dystrophy. AIRE has been shown to promote DNA breaks via its interaction with topoisomerase 2 (TOP2). In this study, we investigated topoisomerase-induced DNA breaks and chromatin structural alterations in conjunction with AIRE-dependent gene expression. Using RNA sequencing, we found that inhibition of TOP2 religation activity by etoposide in AIRE-expressing cells had a synergistic effect on genes with low expression levels. AIRE-mediated transcription was not only enhanced by TOP2 inhibition but also by the TOP1 inhibitor camptothecin. The transcriptional activation was associated with structural rearrangements in chromatin, notably the accumulation of γH2AX and the exchange of histone H1 with HMGB1 at AIRE target gene promoters. In addition, we found the transcriptional up-regulation to co-occur with the chromatin structural changes within the genomic cluster of carcinoembryonic antigen-like cellular adhesion molecule genes. Overall, our results suggest that the presence of AIRE can trigger molecular events leading to an altered chromatin landscape and the enhanced transcription of low-expressed genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mithu Guha
- From the Molecular Pathology, Institute of Biomedical and Translational Medicine
| | - Mario Saare
- From the Molecular Pathology, Institute of Biomedical and Translational Medicine
| | - Julia Maslovskaja
- From the Molecular Pathology, Institute of Biomedical and Translational Medicine
| | - Kai Kisand
- From the Molecular Pathology, Institute of Biomedical and Translational Medicine
| | - Ingrid Liiv
- From the Molecular Pathology, Institute of Biomedical and Translational Medicine
| | - Uku Haljasorg
- From the Molecular Pathology, Institute of Biomedical and Translational Medicine
| | | | - Andres Metspalu
- Estonian Genome Center, and
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu, Tartu 50411, Estonia
| | | | - Pärt Peterson
- From the Molecular Pathology, Institute of Biomedical and Translational Medicine,
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25
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Salmaninejad A, Zamani MR, Pourvahedi M, Golchehre Z, Hosseini Bereshneh A, Rezaei N. Cancer/Testis Antigens: Expression, Regulation, Tumor Invasion, and Use in Immunotherapy of Cancers. Immunol Invest 2016; 45:619-40. [DOI: 10.1080/08820139.2016.1197241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
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26
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Julián MT, Alonso N, Colobran R, Sánchez A, Miñarro A, Pujol-Autonell I, Carrascal J, Rodríguez-Fernández S, Ampudia RM, Vives-Pi M, Puig-Domingo M. CD26/DPPIV inhibition alters the expression of immune response-related genes in the thymi of NOD mice. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2016; 426:101-12. [PMID: 26911933 DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2016.02.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2015] [Revised: 02/15/2016] [Accepted: 02/15/2016] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
The transmembrane glycoprotein CD26 or dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPPIV) is a multifunctional protein. In immune system, CD26 plays a role in T-cell function and is also involved in thymic maturation and emigration patterns. In preclinical studies, treatment with DPPIV inhibitors reduces insulitis and delays or even reverses the new -onset of type 1 diabetes (T1D) in non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice. However, the specific mechanisms involved in these effects remain unknown. The aim of the present study was to investigate how DPPIV inhibition modifies the expression of genes in the thymus of NOD mice by microarray analysis. Changes in the gene expression of β-cell autoantigens and Aire in thymic epithelial cells (TECs) were also evaluated by using qRT-PCR. A DPPIV inhibitor, MK626, was orally administered in the diet for 4 and 6 weeks starting at 6-8 weeks of age. Thymic glands from treated and control mice were obtained for each study checkpoint. Thymus transcriptome analysis revealed that 58 genes were significantly over-expressed in MK626-treated mice after 6 weeks of treatment. Changes in gene expression in the thymus were confined mainly to the immune system, including innate immunity, chemotaxis, antigen presentation and immunoregulation. Most of the genes are implicated in central tolerance mechanisms through several pathways. No differences were observed in the expression of Aire and β-cell autoantigens in TECs. In the current study, we demonstrate that treatment with the DPPIV inhibitor MK626 in NOD mice alters the expression of the immune response-related genes in the thymus, especially those related to immunological central tolerance, and may contribute to the prevention of T1D.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Teresa Julián
- Department of Endocrinology and Nutrition, Germans Trias i Pujol Health Sciences Research Institute and Hospital, 08916, Badalona, Spain; Department of Medicine, Autonomous University of Barcelona, 08193, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Núria Alonso
- Department of Endocrinology and Nutrition, Germans Trias i Pujol Health Sciences Research Institute and Hospital, 08916, Badalona, Spain; Department of Medicine, Autonomous University of Barcelona, 08193, Barcelona, Spain; CIBER of Diabetes and Associated Metabolic Diseases (CIBERDEM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), 28029, Madrid, Spain
| | - Roger Colobran
- Immunology Division, Vall d'Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), Vall d'Hebron University Hospital, 08035, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Alex Sánchez
- Statistics Department, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, 08028, Barcelona, Spain; Statistics and Bioinformatics Unit, Vall d'Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), 08035, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Antoni Miñarro
- Statistics Department, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Irma Pujol-Autonell
- Immunology Department, Germans Trias i Pujol Health Sciences Research Institute, 08916, Badalona, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jorge Carrascal
- Immunology Department, Germans Trias i Pujol Health Sciences Research Institute, 08916, Badalona, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain
| | - Silvia Rodríguez-Fernández
- Immunology Department, Germans Trias i Pujol Health Sciences Research Institute, 08916, Badalona, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain
| | - Rosa María Ampudia
- Immunology Department, Germans Trias i Pujol Health Sciences Research Institute, 08916, Badalona, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain
| | - Marta Vives-Pi
- Immunology Department, Germans Trias i Pujol Health Sciences Research Institute, 08916, Badalona, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain; CIBER of Diabetes and Associated Metabolic Diseases (CIBERDEM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), 28029, Madrid, Spain
| | - Manel Puig-Domingo
- Department of Endocrinology and Nutrition, Germans Trias i Pujol Health Sciences Research Institute and Hospital, 08916, Badalona, Spain; Department of Medicine, Autonomous University of Barcelona, 08193, Barcelona, Spain; CIBER of Diabetes and Associated Metabolic Diseases (CIBERDEM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), 28029, Madrid, Spain; CIBER of Rare Diseases (CIBERER), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), 28029, Madrid, Spain.
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Nitta T, Suzuki H. Thymic stromal cell subsets for T cell development. Cell Mol Life Sci 2016; 73:1021-37. [PMID: 26825337 PMCID: PMC11108406 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-015-2107-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2015] [Revised: 11/26/2015] [Accepted: 12/01/2015] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The thymus provides a specialized microenvironment in which a variety of stromal cells of both hematopoietic and non-hematopoietic origin regulate development and repertoire selection of T cells. Recent studies have been unraveling the inter- and intracellular signals and transcriptional networks for spatiotemporal regulation of development of thymic stromal cells, mainly thymic epithelial cells (TECs), and the molecular mechanisms of how different TEC subsets control T cell development and selection. TECs are classified into two functionally different subsets: cortical TECs (cTECs) and medullary TECs (mTECs). cTECs induce positive selection of diverse and functionally distinct T cells by virtue of unique antigen-processing systems, while mTECs are essential for establishing T cell tolerance via ectopic expression of peripheral tissue-restricted antigens and cooperation with dendritic cells. In addition to reviewing the role of the thymic stroma in conventional T cell development, we will discuss recently discovered novel functions of TECs in the development of unconventional T cells, such as natural killer T cells and γδT cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takeshi Nitta
- Department of Immunology and Pathology, Research Institute, National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Chiba, 272-8516, Japan.
| | - Harumi Suzuki
- Department of Immunology and Pathology, Research Institute, National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Chiba, 272-8516, Japan.
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28
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Evolutionary conserved gene co-expression drives generation of self-antigen diversity in medullary thymic epithelial cells. J Autoimmun 2016; 67:65-75. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jaut.2015.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2015] [Revised: 09/23/2015] [Accepted: 10/05/2015] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
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29
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Lakshminarayanan V, Supekar NT, Wei J, McCurry DB, Dueck AC, Kosiorek HE, Trivedi PP, Bradley JM, Madsen CS, Pathangey LB, Hoelzinger DB, Wolfert MA, Boons GJ, Cohen PA, Gendler SJ. MUC1 Vaccines, Comprised of Glycosylated or Non-Glycosylated Peptides or Tumor-Derived MUC1, Can Circumvent Immunoediting to Control Tumor Growth in MUC1 Transgenic Mice. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0145920. [PMID: 26788922 PMCID: PMC4720451 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0145920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2015] [Accepted: 12/05/2015] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
It remains challenging to produce decisive vaccines against MUC1, a tumor-associated antigen widely expressed by pancreas, breast and other tumors. Employing clinically relevant mouse models, we ruled out such causes as irreversible T-cell tolerance, inadequate avidity, and failure of T-cells to recognize aberrantly glycosylated tumor MUC1. Instead, every tested MUC1 preparation, even non-glycosylated synthetic 9mer peptides, induced interferon gamma-producing CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells that recognized glycosylated variants including tumor-associated MUC1. Vaccination with synthetic peptides conferred protection as long as vaccination was repeated post tumor challenge. Failure to revaccinate post challenge was associated with down-regulated tumor MUC1 and MHC molecules. Surprisingly, direct admixture of MUC1-expressing tumor with MUC1-hyperimmune T-cells could not prevent tumor outgrowth or MUC1 immunoediting, whereas ex vivo activation of the hyperimmune T-cells prior to tumor admixture rendered them curative. Therefore, surrogate T-cell preactivation outside the tumor bed, either in culture or by repetitive vaccination, can overcome tumor escape.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vani Lakshminarayanan
- Department of Immunology, Mayo Clinic in Arizona, Scottsdale, AZ, United States of America
| | - Nitin T. Supekar
- Complex Carbohydrate Research Center, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States of America
| | - Jie Wei
- Department of Immunology, Mayo Clinic in Arizona, Scottsdale, AZ, United States of America
| | - Dustin B. McCurry
- Hematology/Oncology, Mayo Clinic in Arizona, Scottsdale, AZ, United States of America
| | - Amylou C. Dueck
- Biostatistics, Mayo Clinic in Arizona, Scottsdale, AZ, United States of America
| | - Heidi E. Kosiorek
- Biostatistics, Mayo Clinic in Arizona, Scottsdale, AZ, United States of America
| | - Priyanka P. Trivedi
- Department of Immunology, Mayo Clinic in Arizona, Scottsdale, AZ, United States of America
| | - Judy M. Bradley
- Department of Immunology, Mayo Clinic in Arizona, Scottsdale, AZ, United States of America
| | - Cathy S. Madsen
- Department of Immunology, Mayo Clinic in Arizona, Scottsdale, AZ, United States of America
| | - Latha B. Pathangey
- Department of Immunology, Mayo Clinic in Arizona, Scottsdale, AZ, United States of America
| | | | - Margreet A. Wolfert
- Complex Carbohydrate Research Center, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States of America
| | - Geert-Jan Boons
- Complex Carbohydrate Research Center, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States of America
- * E-mail: (SJG); (PAC); (GJB)
| | - Peter A. Cohen
- Department of Immunology, Mayo Clinic in Arizona, Scottsdale, AZ, United States of America
- Hematology/Oncology, Mayo Clinic in Arizona, Scottsdale, AZ, United States of America
- * E-mail: (SJG); (PAC); (GJB)
| | - Sandra J. Gendler
- Department of Immunology, Mayo Clinic in Arizona, Scottsdale, AZ, United States of America
- Department of Biochemistry/Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic in Arizona, Scottsdale, AZ, United States of America
- Hematology/Oncology, Mayo Clinic in Arizona, Scottsdale, AZ, United States of America
- * E-mail: (SJG); (PAC); (GJB)
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30
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Adult Thymic Medullary Epithelium Is Maintained and Regenerated by Lineage-Restricted Cells Rather Than Bipotent Progenitors. Cell Rep 2015; 13:1432-1443. [PMID: 26549457 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2015.10.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2015] [Revised: 08/24/2015] [Accepted: 10/02/2015] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs) play an essential role in establishing self-tolerance in T cells. mTECs originate from bipotent TEC progenitors that generate both mTECs and cortical TECs (cTECs), although mTEC-restricted progenitors also have been reported. Here, we report in vivo fate-mapping analysis of cells that transcribe β5t, a cTEC trait expressed in bipotent progenitors, during a given period in mice. We show that, in adult mice, most mTECs are derived from progenitors that transcribe β5t during embryogenesis and the neonatal period up to 1 week of age. The contribution of adult β5t(+) progenitors was minor even during injury-triggered regeneration. Our results further demonstrate that adult mTEC-restricted progenitors are derived from perinatal β5t(+) progenitors. These results indicate that the adult thymic medullary epithelium is maintained and regenerated by mTEC-lineage cells that pass beyond the bipotent stage during early ontogeny.
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31
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Peres LDP, da Luz FAC, Pultz BDA, Brígido PC, de Araújo RA, Goulart LR, Silva MJB. Peptide vaccines in breast cancer: The immunological basis for clinical response. Biotechnol Adv 2015; 33:1868-77. [PMID: 26523780 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2015.10.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2015] [Revised: 10/15/2015] [Accepted: 10/29/2015] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
This review discusses peptide-based vaccines in breast cancer, immune responses and clinical outcomes, which include studies on animal models and phase I, phase I/II, phase II and phase III clinical trials. Peptide-based vaccines are powerful neoadjuvant immunotherapies that can directly target proteins expressed in tumor cells, mainly tumor-associated antigens (TAAs). The most common breast cancer TAA epitopes are derived from MUC1, HER2/neu and CEA proteins. Peptides derived from TAAs could be successfully used to elicit CD8 and CD4 T cell-specific responses. Thus, choosing peptides that adapt to natural variations of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genes is critical. The most attractive advantage is that the target response is more specific and less toxic than for other therapies and vaccines. Prominent studies on NeuVax - E75 (epitope for HER2/neu and GM-CSF) in breast cancer and DPX-0907 (HLA-A2-TAAs) expressed in breast cancer, ovarian and prostate cancer have shown the efficacy of peptide-based vaccines as neoadjuvant immunotherapy against cancer. Future peptide vaccine strategies, although a challenge to be applied in a broad range of breast cancers, point to the development of degenerate multi-epitope immunogens against multiple targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lívia de Paula Peres
- Laboratório de Osteoimunologia e Imunologia dos Tumores, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas (ICBIM) - Universidade Federal de Uberlândia - UFU, Uberlândia, MG, Brazil.
| | - Felipe Andrés Cordero da Luz
- Laboratório de Osteoimunologia e Imunologia dos Tumores, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas (ICBIM) - Universidade Federal de Uberlândia - UFU, Uberlândia, MG, Brazil
| | - Brunna dos Anjos Pultz
- Laboratório de Osteoimunologia e Imunologia dos Tumores, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas (ICBIM) - Universidade Federal de Uberlândia - UFU, Uberlândia, MG, Brazil
| | - Paula Cristina Brígido
- Laboratório de Tripanossomatídeos, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas (ICBIM) - Universidade Federal de Uberlândia - UFU, Uberlândia, MG, Brazil
| | | | - Luiz Ricardo Goulart
- Laboratório de Nanobiotecnologia - Universidade Federal de Uberlândia - UFU, (INGEB), Uberlândia, MG, Brazil
| | - Marcelo José Barbosa Silva
- Laboratório de Osteoimunologia e Imunologia dos Tumores, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas (ICBIM) - Universidade Federal de Uberlândia - UFU, Uberlândia, MG, Brazil.
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32
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Brennecke P, Reyes A, Pinto S, Rattay K, Nguyen M, Küchler R, Huber W, Kyewski B, Steinmetz LM. Single-cell transcriptome analysis reveals coordinated ectopic gene-expression patterns in medullary thymic epithelial cells. Nat Immunol 2015; 16:933-41. [PMID: 26237553 PMCID: PMC4675844 DOI: 10.1038/ni.3246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 103] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2015] [Accepted: 07/08/2015] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Expression of tissue-restricted self antigens (TRAs) in medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs) is essential for the induction of self-tolerance and prevents autoimmunity, with each TRA being expressed in only a few mTECs. How this process is regulated in single mTECs and is coordinated at the population level, such that the varied single-cell patterns add up to faithfully represent TRAs, is poorly understood. Here we used single-cell RNA sequencing and obtained evidence of numerous recurring TRA-co-expression patterns, each present in only a subset of mTECs. Co-expressed genes clustered in the genome and showed enhanced chromatin accessibility. Our findings characterize TRA expression in mTECs as a coordinated process that might involve local remodeling of chromatin and thus ensures a comprehensive representation of the immunological self.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip Brennecke
- 1] Department of Genetics, Stanford University, School of Medicine, California, USA. [2] Stanford Genome Technology Center, Stanford University, California, USA
| | - Alejandro Reyes
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Genome Biology Unit, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Sheena Pinto
- Division of Developmental Immunology, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Kristin Rattay
- Division of Developmental Immunology, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Michelle Nguyen
- 1] Department of Genetics, Stanford University, School of Medicine, California, USA. [2] Stanford Genome Technology Center, Stanford University, California, USA
| | - Rita Küchler
- Division of Developmental Immunology, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Huber
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Genome Biology Unit, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Bruno Kyewski
- Division of Developmental Immunology, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Lars M Steinmetz
- 1] Department of Genetics, Stanford University, School of Medicine, California, USA. [2] Stanford Genome Technology Center, Stanford University, California, USA. [3] European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Genome Biology Unit, Heidelberg, Germany
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33
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Das A, Mondal B, Bose A, Biswas J, Baral R, Pal S. Therapeutic anti-NLGP monoclonal antibody for carcinoembryonic antigen expressing tumors is nontoxic to Swiss and BALB/c mice. Int Immunopharmacol 2015; 28:785-93. [PMID: 26283593 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2015.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2015] [Revised: 07/25/2015] [Accepted: 08/03/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
A murine monoclonal antibody (mAb), 1C8 was developed against a novel glycoprotein NLGP and its unique property to recognize carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) was reported. Utilizing this CEA recognizing property, 1C8 is successful to restrict the growth of CEA(+) murine and human cancers both in vitro and in vivo. Here, we have thoroughly evaluated the toxicity profile of this mAb 1C8 on different physiological systems of both tumor-free and tumor-bearing Swiss and BALB/c mice. Effective concentration (25 μg/mice) of 1C8 caused no behavioral changes in animals and no death was recorded. Moreover, little increase in the body and organ weights in all mice groups was noted. MAb 1C8 showed no adverse effect on the hematological system, but little hematostimulation was noticed, as evidenced by increased hemoglobin content, leukocyte count and lymphocyte numbers. Liver enzymes like alkaline phosphatase, SGOT, SGPT and nephrological products like urea and creatinine assessment confirmed no abnormalities in both hepatic and renal functions. Number of T cells, B cells, NK cells, macrophages and dendritic cells was upregulated in vivo by mAb treatment with significant downregulation of regulatory T cells. During this treatment serum levels of type 1 cytokines were upregulated over type 2 cytokines. This mAb 1C8 also did not induce any significant increase in antibody titer following treatment. Accumulated evidences from Swiss and BALB/c mice strongly suggest that this mAb 1C8 is completely safe, thus, can be recommended for further clinical trial for the therapy of CEA(+) tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arnab Das
- Clinical Biochemistry Unit, Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute (CNCI), 37, S. P. Mukherjee Road, Kolkata 700026, India; Department of Immunoregulation and Immunodiagnostics, Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute (CNCI), 37, S. P. Mukherjee Road, Kolkata 700026, India
| | - Bipasa Mondal
- Department of Immunoregulation and Immunodiagnostics, Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute (CNCI), 37, S. P. Mukherjee Road, Kolkata 700026, India
| | - Anamika Bose
- Department of Immunoregulation and Immunodiagnostics, Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute (CNCI), 37, S. P. Mukherjee Road, Kolkata 700026, India
| | - Jaydip Biswas
- Department of Surgical Oncology and Medical Oncology, Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute (CNCI), 37, S. P. Mukherjee Road, Kolkata 700026, India
| | - Rathindranath Baral
- Department of Immunoregulation and Immunodiagnostics, Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute (CNCI), 37, S. P. Mukherjee Road, Kolkata 700026, India
| | - Smarajit Pal
- Clinical Biochemistry Unit, Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute (CNCI), 37, S. P. Mukherjee Road, Kolkata 700026, India.
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34
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A Monoclonal Antibody Against Neem Leaf Glycoprotein Recognizes Carcinoembryonic Antigen (CEA) and Restricts CEA Expressing Tumor Growth. J Immunother 2014; 37:394-406. [DOI: 10.1097/cji.0000000000000050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
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35
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Khan IS, Mouchess ML, Zhu ML, Conley B, Fasano KJ, Hou Y, Fong L, Su MA, Anderson MS. Enhancement of an anti-tumor immune response by transient blockade of central T cell tolerance. J Exp Med 2014; 211:761-8. [PMID: 24752296 PMCID: PMC4010907 DOI: 10.1084/jem.20131889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2013] [Accepted: 04/03/2014] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Thymic central tolerance is a critical process that prevents autoimmunity but also presents a challenge to the generation of anti-tumor immune responses. Medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs) eliminate self-reactive T cells by displaying a diverse repertoire of tissue-specific antigens (TSAs) that are also shared by tumors. Therefore, while protecting against autoimmunity, mTECs simultaneously limit the generation of tumor-specific effector T cells by expressing tumor self-antigens. This ectopic expression of TSAs largely depends on autoimmune regulator (Aire), which is expressed in mature mTECs. Thus, therapies to deplete Aire-expressing mTECs represent an attractive strategy to increase the pool of tumor-specific effector T cells. Recent work has implicated the TNF family members RANK and RANK-Ligand (RANKL) in the development of Aire-expressing mTECs. We show that in vivo RANKL blockade selectively and transiently depletes Aire and TSA expression in the thymus to create a window of defective negative selection. Furthermore, we demonstrate that RANKL blockade can rescue melanoma-specific T cells from thymic deletion and that persistence of these tumor-specific effector T cells promoted increased host survival in response to tumor challenge. These results indicate that modulating central tolerance through RANKL can alter thymic output and potentially provide therapeutic benefit by enhancing anti-tumor immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Imran S. Khan
- Diabetes Center and Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143
| | - Maria L. Mouchess
- Diabetes Center and Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143
| | - Meng-Lei Zhu
- Department of Pediatrics and Department of Microbiology/Immunology, School of Medicine, and Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
| | - Bridget Conley
- Department of Pediatrics and Department of Microbiology/Immunology, School of Medicine, and Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
| | - Kayla J. Fasano
- Diabetes Center and Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143
| | - Yafei Hou
- Diabetes Center and Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143
| | - Lawrence Fong
- Diabetes Center and Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143
| | - Maureen A. Su
- Department of Pediatrics and Department of Microbiology/Immunology, School of Medicine, and Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
| | - Mark S. Anderson
- Diabetes Center and Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143
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McLachlan SM, Rapoport B. Breaking tolerance to thyroid antigens: changing concepts in thyroid autoimmunity. Endocr Rev 2014; 35:59-105. [PMID: 24091783 PMCID: PMC3895862 DOI: 10.1210/er.2013-1055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 138] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2013] [Accepted: 09/24/2013] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Thyroid autoimmunity involves loss of tolerance to thyroid proteins in genetically susceptible individuals in association with environmental factors. In central tolerance, intrathymic autoantigen presentation deletes immature T cells with high affinity for autoantigen-derived peptides. Regulatory T cells provide an alternative mechanism to silence autoimmune T cells in the periphery. The TSH receptor (TSHR), thyroid peroxidase (TPO), and thyroglobulin (Tg) have unusual properties ("immunogenicity") that contribute to breaking tolerance, including size, abundance, membrane association, glycosylation, and polymorphisms. Insight into loss of tolerance to thyroid proteins comes from spontaneous and induced animal models: 1) intrathymic expression controls self-tolerance to the TSHR, not TPO or Tg; 2) regulatory T cells are not involved in TSHR self-tolerance and instead control the balance between Graves' disease and thyroiditis; 3) breaking TSHR tolerance involves contributions from major histocompatibility complex molecules (humans and induced mouse models), TSHR polymorphism(s) (humans), and alternative splicing (mice); 4) loss of tolerance to Tg before TPO indicates that greater Tg immunogenicity vs TPO dominates central tolerance expectations; 5) tolerance is induced by thyroid autoantigen administration before autoimmunity is established; 6) interferon-α therapy for hepatitis C infection enhances thyroid autoimmunity in patients with intact immunity; Graves' disease developing after T-cell depletion reflects reconstitution autoimmunity; and 7) most environmental factors (including excess iodine) "reveal," but do not induce, thyroid autoimmunity. Micro-organisms likely exert their effects via bystander stimulation. Finally, no single mechanism explains the loss of tolerance to thyroid proteins. The goal of inducing self-tolerance to prevent autoimmune thyroid disease will require accurate prediction of at-risk individuals together with an antigen-specific, not blanket, therapeutic approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra M McLachlan
- Thyroid Autoimmune Disease Unit, Cedars-Sinai Research Institute, and University of California-Los Angeles School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California 90048
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Farkas AM, Finn OJ. Novel mechanisms underlying the immediate and transient global tolerization of splenic dendritic cells after vaccination with a self-antigen. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2013; 192:658-65. [PMID: 24337381 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1301904] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Dendritic cells (DCs) are important orchestrators of the immune response, ensuring that immunity against pathogens is generated, whereas immunity against healthy tissues is prevented. Using the tumor Ag MUC1, we previously showed that i.v. immunization of MUC1 transgenic mice, but not wild-type, with a MUC1 peptide resulted in transient tolerization of all splenic DCs. These DCs did not upregulate costimulatory molecules and induced regulatory T cells rather than effector T cells. They were characterized by suppressed expression of a cohort of pancreatic enzymes not previously reported in DCs, which were upregulated in DCs presenting the same MUC1 peptide as a foreign Ag. In this article, we examined the self-antigen-tolerized DC phenotype, function, and mechanisms responsible for inducing or maintaining their tolerized state. Tolerized DCs share some characteristics with immature DCs, such as a less inflammatory cytokine/chemokine profile, deficient activation of NF-κB, and sustained expression of zDC and CCR2. However, tolerized DCs demonstrated a novel inducible expression of aldehyde dehydrogenase 1/2 and phospho-STAT3. Suppressed expression of one of the pancreatic enzymes, trypsin, in these DC impeded their ability to degrade extracellular matrix, thus affecting their motility. Suppressed metallopeptidases, reflected in low expression of carboxypeptidase B1, prevented optimal Ag-specific CD4(+) T cell proliferation suggesting their role in Ag processing. Tolerized DCs were not refractory to maturation after stimulation with a TLR3 agonist, demonstrating that this tolerized state is not terminally differentiated and that tolerized DCs can recover their ability to induce immunity to foreign Ags.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam M Farkas
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15261
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Abstract
Tumor cells frequently exhibit widespread epigenetic aberrations that significantly alter the repertoire of expressed proteins. In particular, it has been known for nearly 25 years that tumors frequently reactivate genes whose expression is typically restricted to germ cells. These gene products are classified as cancer/testis antigens (CTAs) owing to their biased expression pattern and their immunogenicity in cancer patients. While these genes have been pursued as targets for anticancer vaccines, whether these reactivated testis proteins have roles in supporting tumorigenic features is less studied. Recent evidence now indicates that these proteins can be directly employed by the tumor cell regulatory environment to support cell-autonomous behaviors. Here, we review the history of the CTA field and present recent findings indicating that CTAs can play functional roles in supporting tumorigenesis.
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Overlapping gene coexpression patterns in human medullary thymic epithelial cells generate self-antigen diversity. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2013; 110:E3497-505. [PMID: 23980163 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1308311110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Promiscuous expression of numerous tissue-restricted self-antigens (TRAs) in medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs) is essential to safeguard self-tolerance. A distinct feature of promiscuous gene expression is its mosaic pattern (i.e., at a given time, each self-antigen is expressed only in 1-3% of mTECs). How this mosaic pattern is generated at the single-cell level is currently not understood. Here, we show that subsets of human mTECs expressing a particular TRA coexpress distinct sets of genes. We identified three coexpression groups comprising overlapping and complementary gene sets, which preferentially mapped to certain chromosomes and intrachromosomal gene clusters. Coexpressed gene loci tended to colocalize to the same nuclear subdomain. The TRA subsets aligned along progressive differentiation stages within the mature mTEC subset and, in vitro, interconverted along this sequence. Our data suggest that single mTECs shift through distinct gene pools, thus scanning a sizeable fraction of the overall repertoire of promiscuously expressed self-antigens. These findings have implications for the temporal and spatial (re)presentation of self-antigens in the medulla in the context of tolerance induction.
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Ohigashi I, Zuklys S, Sakata M, Mayer CE, Zhanybekova S, Murata S, Tanaka K, Holländer GA, Takahama Y. Aire-expressing thymic medullary epithelial cells originate from β5t-expressing progenitor cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2013; 110:9885-90. [PMID: 23720310 PMCID: PMC3683726 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1301799110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 98] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The thymus provides multiple microenvironments that are essential for the development and repertoire selection of T lymphocytes. The thymic cortex induces the generation and positive selection of T lymphocytes, whereas the thymic medulla establishes self-tolerance among the positively selected T lymphocytes. Cortical thymic epithelial cells (cTECs) and medullary TECs (mTECs) constitute the major stromal cells that structurally form and functionally characterize the cortex and the medulla, respectively. cTECs and mTECs are both derived from the endodermal epithelium of the third pharyngeal pouch. However, the molecular and cellular characteristics of the progenitor cells for the distinct TEC lineages are unclear. Here we report the preparation and characterization of mice that express the recombinase Cre instead of β5t, a proteasome subunit that is abundant in cTECs and not detected in other cell types, including mTECs. By crossing β5t-Cre knock-in mice with loxP-dependent GFP reporter mice, we found that β5t-Cre-mediated recombination occurs specifically in TECs but not in any other cell types in the mouse. Surprisingly, in addition to cTECs, β5t-Cre-loxP-mediated GFP expression was detected in almost all mTECs. These results indicate that the majority of mTECs, including autoimmune regulator-expressing mTECs, are derived from β5t-expressing progenitor cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Izumi Ohigashi
- Division of Experimental Immunology, Institute for Genome Research, University of Tokushima, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan
| | - Saulius Zuklys
- Laboratory of Pediatric Immunology, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel and University Children's Hospital Basel, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Mie Sakata
- Division of Experimental Immunology, Institute for Genome Research, University of Tokushima, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan
| | - Carlos E. Mayer
- Laboratory of Pediatric Immunology, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel and University Children's Hospital Basel, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Saule Zhanybekova
- Laboratory of Pediatric Immunology, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel and University Children's Hospital Basel, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Shigeo Murata
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan
| | - Keiji Tanaka
- Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo 156-8506, Japan; and
| | - Georg A. Holländer
- Laboratory of Pediatric Immunology, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel and University Children's Hospital Basel, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
- Department of Paediatrics and the Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DU, United Kingdom
| | - Yousuke Takahama
- Division of Experimental Immunology, Institute for Genome Research, University of Tokushima, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan
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Lkhagvasuren E, Sakata M, Ohigashi I, Takahama Y. Lymphotoxin β receptor regulates the development of CCL21-expressing subset of postnatal medullary thymic epithelial cells. JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY (BALTIMORE, MD. : 1950) 2013; 190:5110-7. [PMID: 23585674 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1203203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs) play a pivotal role in the establishment of self-tolerance in T cells by ectopically expressing various tissue-restricted self-Ags and by chemoattracting developing thymocytes. The nuclear protein Aire expressed by mTECs contributes to the promiscuous expression of self-Ags, whereas CCR7-ligand (CCR7L) chemokines expressed by mTECs are responsible for the attraction of positively selected thymocytes. It is known that lymphotoxin signals from the positively selected thymocytes preferentially promote the expression of CCR7L rather than Aire in postnatal mTECs. However, it is unknown how lymphotoxin signals differentially regulate the expression of CCR7L and Aire in mTECs and whether CCR7L-expressing mTECs and Aire-expressing mTECs are distinct populations. In this study, we show that the majority of postnatal mTECs that express CCL21, a CCR7L chemokine, represent an mTEC subpopulation distinct from the Aire-expressing mTEC subpopulation. Interestingly, the development of CCL21-expressing mTECs, but not Aire-expressing mTECs, is impaired in mice deficient in the lymphotoxin β receptor. These results indicate that postnatal mTECs consist of heterogeneous subsets that differ in the expression of CCL21 and Aire, and that lymphotoxin β receptor regulates the development of the CCL21-expressing subset rather than the Aire-expressing subset of postnatal mTECs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enkhsaikhan Lkhagvasuren
- Division of Experimental Immunology, Institute for Genome Research, University of Tokushima, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan
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42
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Abstract
The thymic transcription factor autoimmune regulator (Aire) prevents autoimmunity in part by promoting expression of tissue-specific self-antigens, which include many cancer antigens. For example, AIRE-deficient patients are predisposed to vitiligo, an autoimmune disease of melanocytes that is often triggered by efficacious immunotherapies against melanoma. Therefore, we hypothesized that Aire deficiency in mice may elevate immune responses to cancer and provide insights into how such responses might be triggered. In this study, we show that Aire deficiency decreases thymic expression of TRP-1 (TYRP1), which is a self-antigen in melanocytes and a cancer antigen in melanomas. Aire deficiency resulted in defective negative selection of TRP-1-specific T cells without affecting thymic numbers of regulatory T cells. Aire-deficient mice displayed elevated T-cell immune responses that were associated with suppression of melanoma outgrowth. Furthermore, transplantation of Aire-deficient thymic stroma was sufficient to confer more effective immune rejection of melanoma in an otherwise Aire wild-type host. Together, our work showed how Aire deficiency can enhance immune responses against melanoma and how manipulating TRP-1-specific T-cell negative selection may offer a logical strategy to enhance immune rejection of melanoma.
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MESH Headings
- Adoptive Transfer
- Animals
- Autoantigens/immunology
- Autoimmunity
- Blotting, Western
- Bone Marrow/metabolism
- Bone Marrow/pathology
- Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
- Female
- Flow Cytometry
- Fluorescent Antibody Technique
- Immune Tolerance
- Immunoenzyme Techniques
- Lymphocytes, Tumor-Infiltrating/immunology
- Male
- Melanoma, Experimental/immunology
- Melanoma, Experimental/metabolism
- Melanoma, Experimental/prevention & control
- Membrane Glycoproteins/genetics
- Membrane Glycoproteins/immunology
- Membrane Glycoproteins/metabolism
- Mice
- Mice, Inbred C57BL
- Mice, Knockout
- Mice, Nude
- Oxidoreductases/genetics
- Oxidoreductases/immunology
- Oxidoreductases/metabolism
- RNA, Messenger/genetics
- Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction
- Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
- T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory/immunology
- Thymus Gland/metabolism
- Thymus Gland/transplantation
- Transcription Factors/physiology
- AIRE Protein
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng-Lei Zhu
- Department of Pediatrics and Microbiology/Immunology, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
| | - Anil Nagavalli
- Department of Pediatrics and Microbiology/Immunology, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
| | - Maureen A. Su
- Department of Pediatrics and Microbiology/Immunology, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
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Farkas AM, Marvel DM, Finn OJ. Antigen choice determines vaccine-induced generation of immunogenic versus tolerogenic dendritic cells that are marked by differential expression of pancreatic enzymes. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2013; 190:3319-27. [PMID: 23420890 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1203321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Dendritic cells (DC) elicit immunity to pathogens and tumors while simultaneously preserving tolerance to self. Efficacious cancer vaccines have been a challenge because they are based on tumor Ags, some of which are self-Ags and thus subject to self-tolerance. One such Ag is the tumor-associated mucin MUC1. Preclinical testing of MUC1 vaccines revealed existence of peripheral tolerance to MUC1 that compromises their efficacy. To identify mechanisms that act early postvaccination and might predict vaccine outcome, we immunized human MUC1 transgenic mice (MUC1.Tg) i.v. with a MUC1 peptide vaccine against which they generate weak immunity and wild-type (WT) mice that respond strongly to the same peptide. We analyzed differences in splenic DC phenotype and function between the two mouse strains at 24 and 72 h postvaccination and also performed unbiased total gene expression analysis of the spleen. Compared to WT, MUC1.Tg spleens had significantly fewer DC, and they exhibited significantly lower expression of costimulatory molecules, decreased motility, and preferential priming of Ag-specific Foxp3(+) regulatory T cells. This tolerogenic DC phenotype and function was marked by a new putative biomarker revealed by the microarray: a cohort of pancreatic enzymes (trypsin, carboxypeptidase, elastase, and others) not previously reported in DC. These enzymes were strongly upregulated in the splenic DC from vaccinated WT mice and suppressed in the splenic DC of vaccinated MUC1.Tg mice. Suppression of the enzymes was dependent on regulatory T cells and on signaling through the IL-10R and correlated with global downregulation of DC immunostimulatory phenotype and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam M Farkas
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
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44
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Zhu Z, Singh V, Watkins SK, Bronte V, Shoe JL, Feigenbaum L, Hurwitz AA. High-avidity T cells are preferentially tolerized in the tumor microenvironment. Cancer Res 2012. [PMID: 23204239 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-12-1123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
One obstacle in eliciting potent antitumor immune responses is the induction of tolerance to tumor antigens. TCR(lo) mice bearing a TCR transgene specific for the melanoma antigen tyrosinase-related protein-2 (TRP-2, Dct) harbor T cells that maintain tumor antigen responsiveness but lack the ability to control melanoma outgrowth. We used this model to determine whether higher avidity T cells could control tumor growth without becoming tolerized. As a part of the current study, we developed a second TRP-2-specific TCR transgenic mouse line (TCR(hi)) that bears higher avidity T cells and spontaneously developed autoimmune depigmentation. In contrast to TCR(lo) T cells, which were ignorant of tumor-derived antigen, TCR(hi) T cells initially delayed subcutaneous B16 melanoma tumor growth. However, persistence in the tumor microenvironment resulted in reduced IFN-γ production and CD107a (Lamp1) mobilization, hallmarks of T-cell tolerization. IFN-γ expression by TCR(hi) T cells was critical for upregulation of MHC-I on tumor cells and control of tumor growth. Blockade of PD-1 signals prevented T-cell tolerization and restored tumor immunity. Depletion of tumor-associated dendritic cells (TADC) reduced tolerization of TCR(hi) T cells and enhanced their antitumor activity. In addition, TADCs tolerized TCR(hi) T cells but not TCR(lo) T cells in vitro. Our findings show that T-cell avidity is a critical determinant of not only tumor control but also susceptibility to tolerization in the tumor microenvironment. For this reason, care should be exercised when considering T-cell avidity in designing cancer immunotherapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziqiang Zhu
- Tumor Immunity and Tolerance Section, Laboratory of Molecular Immunoregulation, Cancer and Inflammation Program, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, NCI, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
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45
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Capalbo D, Giardino G, Martino LD, Palamaro L, Romano R, Gallo V, Cirillo E, Salerno M, Pignata C. Genetic basis of altered central tolerance and autoimmune diseases: a lesson from AIRE mutations. Int Rev Immunol 2012; 31:344-62. [PMID: 23083345 DOI: 10.3109/08830185.2012.697230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The thymus is a specialized organ that provides an inductive environment for the development of T cells from multipotent hematopoietic progenitors. Self-nonself discrimination plays a key role in inducing a productive immunity and in preventing autoimmune reactions. Tolerance represents a state of immunologic nonresponsiveness in the presence of a particular antigen. The immune system becomes tolerant to self-antigens through the two main processes, central and peripheral tolerance. Central tolerance takes place within the thymus and represents the mechanism by which T cells binding with high avidity self-antigens, which are potentially autoreactive, are eliminated through so-called negative selection. This process is mostly mediated by medullary thymic epithelia cells (mTECs) and medullary dendritic cells (DCs). A remarkable event in the process is the expression of tissue-specific antigens (TSA) by mTECs driven by the transcription factor autoimmune regulator (AIRE). Mutations in this gene result in autoimmune polyendocrinopathy candidiasis ectodermal dystrophy (APECED), a rare autosomal recessive disease (OMIM 240300). Thus far, this syndrome is the paradigm of a genetically determined failure of central tolerance and autoimmunty. Patients with APECED have a variable pattern of autoimmune reactions, involving different endocrine and nonendocrine organs. However, although APECED is a monogenic disorder, it is characterized by a wide variability of the clinical expression, thus implying a further role for disease-modifying genes and environmental factors in the pathogenesis. Studies on this polyreactive autoimmune syndrome contributed enormously to unraveling several issues of the molecular basis of autoimmunity. This review focuses on the developmental, functional, and molecular events governing central tolerance and on the clinical implication of its failure.
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46
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Gerbitz A, Sukumar M, Helm F, Wilke A, Friese C, Fahrenwaldt C, Lehmann FM, Loddenkemper C, Kammertoens T, Mautner J, Schmitt CA, Blankenstein T, Bornkamm GW. Stromal interferon-γ signaling and cross-presentation are required to eliminate antigen-loss variants of B cell lymphomas in mice. PLoS One 2012; 7:e34552. [PMID: 22479645 PMCID: PMC3316708 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0034552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2011] [Accepted: 03/05/2012] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
To study mechanisms of T cell-mediated rejection of B cell lymphomas, we developed a murine lymphoma model wherein three potential rejection antigens, human c-MYC, chicken ovalbumin (OVA), and GFP are expressed. After transfer into wild-type mice 60–70% of systemically growing lymphomas expressing all three antigens were rejected; lymphomas expressing only human c-MYC protein were not rejected. OVA expressing lymphomas were infiltrated by T cells, showed MHC class I and II upregulation, and lost antigen expression, indicating immune escape. In contrast to wild-type recipients, 80–100% of STAT1-, IFN-γ-, or IFN-γ receptor-deficient recipients died of lymphoma, indicating that host IFN-γ signaling is critical for rejection. Lymphomas arising in IFN-γ- and IFN-γ-receptor-deficient mice had invariably lost antigen expression, suggesting that poor overall survival of these recipients was due to inefficient elimination of antigen-negative lymphoma variants. Antigen-dependent eradication of lymphoma cells in wild-type animals was dependent on cross-presentation of antigen by cells of the tumor stroma. These findings provide first evidence for an important role of the tumor stroma in T cell-mediated control of hematologic neoplasias and highlight the importance of incorporating stroma-targeting strategies into future immunotherapeutic approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Armin Gerbitz
- Department of Immunology, Charité Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
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47
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State of the art in tumor antigen and biomarker discovery. Cancers (Basel) 2011; 3:2554-96. [PMID: 24212823 PMCID: PMC3757432 DOI: 10.3390/cancers3022554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2011] [Revised: 05/24/2011] [Accepted: 05/27/2011] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Our knowledge of tumor immunology has resulted in multiple approaches for the treatment of cancer. However, a gap between research of new tumors markers and development of immunotherapy has been established and very few markers exist that can be used for treatment. The challenge is now to discover new targets for active and passive immunotherapy. This review aims at describing recent advances in biomarkers and tumor antigen discovery in terms of antigen nature and localization, and is highlighting the most recent approaches used for their discovery including “omics” technology.
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48
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Edelmann SL, Marconi P, Brocker T. Peripheral T cells re-enter the thymus and interfere with central tolerance induction. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2011; 186:5612-9. [PMID: 21471449 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1004010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The thymus mainly contains developing thymocytes that undergo thymic selection. In addition, some mature activated peripheral T cells can re-enter the thymus. We demonstrated in this study that adoptively transferred syngeneic Ag-specific T cells can enter the thymus of lymphopenic mice, where they delete thymic dendritic cells and medullary thymic epithelial cells in an Ag-specific fashion, without altering general thymic functions. This induced sustained thymic release of autoreactive self-Ag-specific T cells suggested that adoptively transferred activated T cells can specifically alter the endogenous T cell repertoire by erasing negative selection of their own specificities. Especially in clinical settings in which adoptively transferred T cells cause graft-versus-host disease or graft-versus-leukemia, as well as in adoptive tumor therapies, these findings might be of importance, because the endogenous T cell repertoire might be skewed to contribute to both manifestations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie L Edelmann
- Institute for Immunology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, D-80336 Munich, Germany
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49
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Van Elssen CHMJ, Frings PWH, Bot FJ, Van de Vijver KK, Huls MB, Meek B, Hupperets P, Germeraad WTV, Bos GMJ. Expression of aberrantly glycosylated Mucin-1 in ovarian cancer. Histopathology 2011; 57:597-606. [PMID: 20955385 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2559.2010.03667.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
AIMS Mucin 1 (MUC1) is an important tumour-associated antigen (TAA), both overexpressed and aberrantly glycosylated in adenocarcinomas. The aim of this study was to examine the MUC1-glycosylation status of primary ovarian adenocarcinomas and metastatic lesions. METHODS AND RESULTS Paraffin-embedded tissue sections of 37 primary ovarian adenocarcinomas representing all histotypes (22 serous, five mucinous, two clear-cell, eight endometrioid), four serous borderline tumours with intraepithelial carcinoma, seven sections of ovarian endometriosis and 13 metastatic lesions were analysed by immunohistochemistry. Non-neoplastic ovarian surface epithelium and serous cystadenomas were used as controls. All epithelia expressed MUC1 protein. Of primary tumours, 76% expressed the differentiation-dependent glycoform and 84% the cancer-associated glycoform (Tn/Sialyl-Tn-epitopes). In metastatic lesions this was 77% and 85%, respectively. Notably, in 57% of ovarian endometriosis and 75% of intraepithelial lesions, the cancer-associated MUC1 epitopes were expressed, whereas normal ovarian surface epithelium and serous cystadenomas did not express these epitopes. CONCLUSIONS The underglycosylated MUC1 epitopes are expressed by all histotypes of primary ovarian adenocarcinomas, by the vast majority of metastatic lesions and by possible ovarian cancer precursor lesions, but not by normal ovarian tissue. These results indicate that MUC1-associated Tn/STn-epitopes are important targets for immunotherapy and diagnostic imaging in ovarian cancer patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catharina H M J Van Elssen
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Haematology, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, the Netherlands.
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50
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Van Elssen CHMJ, Clausen H, Germeraad WTV, Bennet EP, Menheere PP, Bos GMJ, Vanderlocht J. Flow cytometry-based assay to evaluate human serum MUC1-Tn antibodies. J Immunol Methods 2010; 365:87-94. [PMID: 21194532 DOI: 10.1016/j.jim.2010.12.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2010] [Revised: 11/22/2010] [Accepted: 12/13/2010] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Mucin-1 (MUC1) is a heavily O-glycosylated, transmembrane protein that is expressed on the apical surface of most secretory epithelia. In malignantly transformed epithelia, MUC1 has lost its apical distribution, is underglycosylated and is secreted into the circulation. Due to the underglycosylation of MUC1, cancer-specific MUC1-Tn/STn antigens, which are highly immunogenic, become exposed. We aimed at developing a system that allows detection of antibodies directed to the native form of MUC1 and the underglycosylated MUC1-Tn epitopes. To this end, we made use of the Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) ldlD cell line stably transfected with MUC1. This cell line has a glycosylation defect, which can be reversed by addition of different monosaccharides to the cell culture and enables the production of cells expressing the MUC1-Tn glycoforms. After validation with glycospecific antibodies, the CHO-ldlD MUC1 system was used to detect serum MUC1 and MUC1-Tn antibodies. Using this system, we could confirm the presence of MUC1-Tn antibodies in the serum of a patient vaccinated with a truncated MUC1 peptide. This indicates that the CHO-ldlD MUC1 system represents a flow cytometry-based technique to detect antibodies binding to the underglycosylated MUC1 protein. This cellular system is complementary to the previously published methods to detect MUC1 serum antibodies, since the antibodies to the native protein are evaluated and therefore it can be effectively used for MUC1 antibody monitoring in vaccination studies as well as for functional assays.
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