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Gong Y, Germeraad WTV, Zhang X, Wu N, Li B, Janssen L, He Z, Gijbels MJJ, Wu B, Gijsbers BLMG, Olieslagers TI, Bos GMJ, Zheng L, Klein Wolterink RGJ. NKG2A genetic deletion promotes human primary NK cell anti-tumor responses better than an anti-NKG2A monoclonal antibody. Mol Ther 2024; 32:2711-2727. [PMID: 38943249 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2024.06.034] [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: 10/06/2023] [Revised: 03/04/2024] [Accepted: 06/24/2024] [Indexed: 07/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells eliminate infected or cancer cells via their cytotoxic capacity. NKG2A is an inhibitory receptor on NK cells and cancer cells often overexpress its ligand HLA-E to evade NK cell surveillance. Given the successes of immune checkpoint blockade in cancer therapy, NKG2A is an interesting novel target. However, anti-NKG2A antibodies have shown limited clinical response. In the pursuit of enhancing NK cell-mediated anti-tumor responses, we devised a Cas9-based strategy to delete KLRC1, encoding NKG2A, in human primary NK cells. Our approach involved electroporation of KLRC1-targeting Cas9 ribonucleoprotein resulting in effective ablation of NKG2A expression. Compared with anti-NKG2A antibody blockade, NKG2AKO NK cells exhibited enhanced activation, reduced suppressive signaling, and elevated expression of key transcription factors. NKG2AKO NK cells overcame inhibition from HLA-E, significantly boosting NK cell activity against solid and hematologic cancer cells. We validated this efficacy across multiple cell lines, a xenograft mouse model, and primary human leukemic cells. Combining NKG2A knockout with antibody coating of tumor cells further enhanced cytotoxicity through ADCC. Thus, we provide a comprehensive comparison of inhibition of the NKG2A pathway using genetic ablation and antibodies and provide novel insight in the observed differences in molecular mechanisms, which can be translated to enhance adoptive NK cell immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Gong
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Guangdong Engineering and Technology Research Center for Rapid Diagnostic Biosensors, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, P.R. China; Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology, Maastricht University Medical Center+, 6227 HX Maastricht, the Netherlands; GROW - Research Institute for Oncology & Reproduction, Maastricht University, 6202 AZ Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Wilfred T V Germeraad
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology, Maastricht University Medical Center+, 6227 HX Maastricht, the Netherlands; GROW - Research Institute for Oncology & Reproduction, Maastricht University, 6202 AZ Maastricht, the Netherlands; CiMaas BV, 6202 AZ Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Xulin Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Vision Science, Guangzhou 510000, China
| | - Nisha Wu
- Department of Breast and Thyroid Surgery, Southwest Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing 400038, P.R. China
| | - Bo Li
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Guangdong Engineering and Technology Research Center for Rapid Diagnostic Biosensors, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, P.R. China
| | - Lynn Janssen
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology, Maastricht University Medical Center+, 6227 HX Maastricht, the Netherlands; GROW - Research Institute for Oncology & Reproduction, Maastricht University, 6202 AZ Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Zongzhong He
- Department of Transfusion Medicine of General Hospital of Southern Theatre Command, Guangzhou 510515, P.R. China
| | - Marion J J Gijbels
- GROW - Research Institute for Oncology & Reproduction, Maastricht University, 6202 AZ Maastricht, the Netherlands; Department of Pathology, Maastricht University Medical Center+, Maastricht, the Netherlands; Department of Medical Biochemistry, Experimental Vascular Biology, Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences, Amsterdam Infection and Immunity, Amsterdam UMC, 1081 HV Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Bodeng Wu
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Guangdong Engineering and Technology Research Center for Rapid Diagnostic Biosensors, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, P.R. China
| | - Birgit L M G Gijsbers
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology, Maastricht University Medical Center+, 6227 HX Maastricht, the Netherlands; GROW - Research Institute for Oncology & Reproduction, Maastricht University, 6202 AZ Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Timo I Olieslagers
- GROW - Research Institute for Oncology & Reproduction, Maastricht University, 6202 AZ Maastricht, the Netherlands; Department of Transplantation Immunology, Tissue Typing Laboratory, Maastricht University Medical Center+, 6202 AZ Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Gerard M J Bos
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology, Maastricht University Medical Center+, 6227 HX Maastricht, the Netherlands; GROW - Research Institute for Oncology & Reproduction, Maastricht University, 6202 AZ Maastricht, the Netherlands; CiMaas BV, 6202 AZ Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Lei Zheng
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Guangdong Engineering and Technology Research Center for Rapid Diagnostic Biosensors, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, P.R. China.
| | - Roel G J Klein Wolterink
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology, Maastricht University Medical Center+, 6227 HX Maastricht, the Netherlands; GROW - Research Institute for Oncology & Reproduction, Maastricht University, 6202 AZ Maastricht, the Netherlands.
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2
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Liu YT, Wu HL, Su YD, Wang Y, Li Y. Development in the Study of Natural Killer Cells for Malignant Peritoneal Mesothelioma Treatment. Cancer Biother Radiopharm 2024. [PMID: 39093850 DOI: 10.1089/cbr.2024.0078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Malignant peritoneal mesothelioma (MPeM) is a rare primary malignant tumor originating from peritoneal mesothelial cells. Insufficient specificity of the symptoms and their frequent reappearance following surgery make it challenging to diagnose, creating a need for more efficient treatment options. Natural killer cells (NK cells) are part of the innate immune system and are classified as lymphoid cells. Under the regulation of activating and inhibiting receptors, NK cells secrete various cytokines to exert cytotoxic effects and participate in antiforeign body, antiviral, and antitumor activities. This review provides a comprehensive summary of the specific alterations observed in NK cells following MPeM treatment, including changes in cell number, subpopulation distribution, active receptors, and cytotoxicity. In addition, we summarize the impact of various therapeutic interventions, such as chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and targeted therapy, on NK cell function post-MPeM treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi-Tong Liu
- Department of Peritoneal Cancer Surgery, Beijing Shijitan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - He-Liang Wu
- Department of Peritoneal Cancer Surgery, Beijing Shijitan Hospital, Peking University Ninth School of Clinical Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Yan-Dong Su
- Department of Peritoneal Cancer Surgery, Beijing Shijitan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Yi Wang
- Department of Hematology, Fifth Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Yan Li
- Department of Peritoneal Cancer Surgery, Beijing Shijitan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
- Department of Surgical Oncology, Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
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3
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Ferron E, David G, Willem C, Legrand N, Salameh P, Anquetil L, Walencik A, Gendzekhadze K, Gagne K, Retière C. Multifactorial determinants of NK cell repertoire organization: insights into age, sex, KIR genotype, HLA typing, and CMV influence. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1389358. [PMID: 38736873 PMCID: PMC11082329 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1389358] [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: 02/21/2024] [Accepted: 04/12/2024] [Indexed: 05/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Polymorphisms in the KIR and HLA genes contribute to the diversity of the NK cell repertoire. Extrinsic factors also play a role in modifying this repertoire. The best example is cytomegalovirus, which promotes the expansion of memory-like NK cells. However, the mechanisms governing this phenotypic structure are poorly understood. Furthermore, the influence of age and sex has been understudied. Methods In this study, we examined these parameters in a cohort of 200 healthy volunteer blood donors, focusing on the major inhibitory KIR receptors and CD94/NKG2A, as well as the differentiation marker CD57 and the memory-like population marker NKG2C. Flow cytometry and two joint analyses, unsupervised and semi-supervised, helped define the impact of various intrinsic and extrinsic markers on the phenotypic structure of the NK cell repertoire. Results In the KIR NK cell compartment, the KIR3DL1 gene is crucial, as unexpressed alleles lead to a repertoire dominated by KIR2D interacting only with HLA-C ligands, whereas an expressed KIR3DL1 gene allows for a greater diversity of NK cell subpopulations interacting with all HLA class I ligands. KIR2DL2 subsequently favors the KIR2D NK cell repertoire specific to C1/C2 ligands, whereas its absence promotes the expression of KIR2DL1 specific to the C2 ligand. The C2C2Bw4+ environment, marked by strong -21T motifs, favors the expansion of the NK cell population expressing only CD57, whereas the absence of HLA-A3/A11 ligands favors the population expressing only NKG2A, a population highly represented within the repertoire. The AA KIR genotype favors NK cell populations without KIR and NKG2A receptors, whereas the KIR B+ genotypes favor populations expressing KIR and NKG2A. Interestingly, we showed that women have a repertoire enriched in CD57- NK cell populations, while men have more CD57+ NK cell subpopulations. Discussion Overall, our data demonstrate that the phenotypic structure of the NK cell repertoire follows well-defined genetic rules and that immunological history, sex, and age contribute to shaping this NK cell diversity. These elements can contribute to the better selection of hematopoietic stem cell donors and the definition of allogeneic NK cells for cell engineering in NK cell-based immunotherapy approaches.cters are displayed correctly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enora Ferron
- Etablissement Français du Sang, Nantes, France
- INSERM UMR1307, CNRS UMR 6075, CRCI2NA, team 12, Nantes, France
- LabEx IGO “Immunotherapy, Graft, Oncology”, Nantes, France
| | - Gaëlle David
- Etablissement Français du Sang, Nantes, France
- INSERM UMR1307, CNRS UMR 6075, CRCI2NA, team 12, Nantes, France
- LabEx IGO “Immunotherapy, Graft, Oncology”, Nantes, France
| | - Catherine Willem
- Etablissement Français du Sang, Nantes, France
- INSERM UMR1307, CNRS UMR 6075, CRCI2NA, team 12, Nantes, France
- LabEx IGO “Immunotherapy, Graft, Oncology”, Nantes, France
| | - Nolwenn Legrand
- Etablissement Français du Sang, Nantes, France
- INSERM UMR1307, CNRS UMR 6075, CRCI2NA, team 12, Nantes, France
- LabEx IGO “Immunotherapy, Graft, Oncology”, Nantes, France
| | - Perla Salameh
- Etablissement Français du Sang, Nantes, France
- INSERM UMR1307, CNRS UMR 6075, CRCI2NA, team 12, Nantes, France
- LabEx IGO “Immunotherapy, Graft, Oncology”, Nantes, France
| | - Laetitia Anquetil
- Etablissement Français du Sang, Nantes, France
- Laboratoire d’histocompatibilité de l’Etablissement Français du Sang de Centre-Pays de la Loire, Nantes, France
| | - Alexandre Walencik
- Etablissement Français du Sang, Nantes, France
- Laboratoire d’histocompatibilité de l’Etablissement Français du Sang de Centre-Pays de la Loire, Nantes, France
| | - Ketevan Gendzekhadze
- Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Stem cell Transplantation (HCT), Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) Laboratory, City of Hope, Medical Center, Duarte, CA, United States
| | - Katia Gagne
- Etablissement Français du Sang, Nantes, France
- INSERM UMR1307, CNRS UMR 6075, CRCI2NA, team 12, Nantes, France
- LabEx IGO “Immunotherapy, Graft, Oncology”, Nantes, France
- LabEx Transplantex, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Christelle Retière
- Etablissement Français du Sang, Nantes, France
- INSERM UMR1307, CNRS UMR 6075, CRCI2NA, team 12, Nantes, France
- LabEx IGO “Immunotherapy, Graft, Oncology”, Nantes, France
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4
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Leijonhufvud C, Sanz-Ortega L, Schlums H, Gaballa A, Andersson A, Eriksson C, Segerberg F, Uhlin M, Bryceson YT, Carlsten M. KIR2DS1 and KIR2DL1-C245 Dominantly Repress NK Cell Degranulation Triggered by Monoclonal or Bispecific Antibodies, whereas Education by Uptuning Inhibitory Killer Ig-related Receptors Exerts No Advantage in Ab-dependent Cellular Cytotoxicity. JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY (BALTIMORE, MD. : 1950) 2024; 212:868-880. [PMID: 38240527 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.2300197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 12/30/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2024]
Abstract
NK cell responsiveness to target cells is tuned by interactions between inhibitory NK cell receptors and their cognate HLA class I ligands in a process termed "NK cell education." Previous studies addressing the role for NK cell education in Ab-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) show ambiguous results and do not encompass full educational resolution. In this study, we systematically characterized human NK cell CD16-triggered degranulation toward defined human tumor cell lines in the presence of either the mAb rituximab or a recently developed CD34xCD16 bispecific killer engager. Despite positive correlation between killer Ig-related receptor (KIR)-mediated education and CD16 expression, NK cells educated by one or even two inhibitory KIRs did not perform better in terms of ADCC than uneducated NK cells in either missing-self or KIR-ligand matched settings at saturating Ab concentrations. Instead, NKG2A+ NK cells consistently showed more potent ADCC in the missing-self context despite lower levels of CD16 expression. KIR2DS1+ NK cells demonstrated dampened ADCC in both the missing-self and KIR-ligand matched settings, even in the presence of its ligand HLA C2. The lower response by KIR2DS1+ NK cells was also observed when stimulated with a bispecific killer engager. Surprisingly, repression of ADCC was also observed by NKG2A+ NK cells coexpressing the inhibitory KIR2DL1-C245 receptor that confers weak education. In conclusion, our study suggests that NK cell education by inhibitory KIRs does not augment ADCC per se, whereas expression of KIR2DS1 and KIR2DL1-C245 dominantly represses ADCC. These insights add to the fundamental understanding of NK cells and may have implications for their therapeutic use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Leijonhufvud
- Department of Medicine, Huddinge, Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Laura Sanz-Ortega
- Department of Medicine, Huddinge, Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Heinrich Schlums
- Department of Medicine, Huddinge, Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Ahmed Gaballa
- Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Agneta Andersson
- Department of Medicine, Huddinge, Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Caroline Eriksson
- Department of Medicine, Huddinge, Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Filip Segerberg
- Department of Medicine, Huddinge, Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Michael Uhlin
- Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Immunology and Transfusion Medicine, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Yenan T Bryceson
- Department of Medicine, Huddinge, Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Mattias Carlsten
- Department of Medicine, Huddinge, Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
- Center for Cell Therapy and Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation, Karolinska Comprehensive Cancer Center, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
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5
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Fein JA, Shouval R, Krieger E, Spellman SR, Wang T, Baldauf H, Fleischhauer K, Kröger N, Horowitz M, Maiers M, Miller JS, Mohty M, Nagler A, Weisdorf D, Malmberg KJ, Toor AA, Schetelig J, Romee R, Koreth J. Systematic evaluation of donor-KIR/recipient-HLA interactions in HLA-matched hematopoietic cell transplantation for AML. Blood Adv 2024; 8:581-590. [PMID: 38052043 PMCID: PMC10837477 DOI: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2023011622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2023] [Revised: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/07/2023] Open
Abstract
ABSTRACT In acute myeloid leukemia (AML), donor natural killer cell killer immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIR) and recipient HLA interactions may contribute to the graft-versus-leukemia effect of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). Analyses of individual KIR/HLA interactions, however, have yielded conflicting findings, and their importance in the HLA-matched unrelated donor (MUD) setting remains controversial. We systematically studied outcomes of individual donor-KIR/recipient-HLA interactions for HCT outcomes and empirically evaluated prevalent KIR genotypes for clinical benefit. Adult patients with AML (n = 2025) who received HCT with MUD grafts in complete remission reported to the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplantation were evaluated. Only the donor-2DL2+/recipient-HLA-C1+ pair was associated with reduced relapse (hazard ratio [HR], 0.79; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.67-0.93; P = .006) compared with donor-2DL2-/recipient-HLA-C1+ pair. However, no association was found when comparing HLA-C groups among KIR-2DL2+-graft recipients. We identified 9 prevalent donor KIR genotypes in our cohort and screened them for association with relapse risk. Genotype 5 (G5) in all recipients and G3 in Bw4+ recipients were associated with decreased relapse risk (HR, 0.52; 95% CI, 0.35-0.78; P = .002; and HR, 0.32; 95% CI, 0.14-0.72; P = .006; respectively) and G2 (HR 1.63, 95% CI, 1.15-2.29; P = .005) with increased relapse risk in C1-homozygous recipients, compared with other patients with the same ligand. However, we could not validate these findings in an external data set of 796 AML transplants from the German transplantation registry. Neither a systematic evaluation of known HLA-KIR interactions nor an empiric assessment of prevalent KIR genotypes demonstrated clinically actionable associations; therefore, these data do not support these KIR-driven strategies for MUD selection in AML.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua A. Fein
- Depatment of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY
| | - Roni Shouval
- Adult Bone Marrow Transplant Service, Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
| | - Elizabeth Krieger
- Children’s Hospital of Richmond, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA
| | - Stephen R. Spellman
- Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research, National Marrow Donor Program/Be The Match, Minneapolis, MN
| | - Tao Wang
- Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research, National Marrow Donor Program/Be The Match, Minneapolis, MN
- Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI
| | - Henning Baldauf
- Clinical Trials Unit, DKMS Bone Marrow Registry, Tübingen, Germany
| | | | - Nicolaus Kröger
- Department of Stem Cell Transplantation, University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Mary Horowitz
- Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI
| | - Martin Maiers
- Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research, National Marrow Donor Program/Be The Match, Minneapolis, MN
| | - Jeffrey S Miller
- Division of Hematology, Oncology, and Transplantation, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
| | - Mohamad Mohty
- Department of Hematology, Saint Antoine Hospital, Sorbonne University, Paris, France
| | - Arnon Nagler
- Division of Hematoloy, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel HaShomer, Israel
| | - Daniel Weisdorf
- Division of Hematology, Oncology, and Transplantation, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
| | - Karl-Johan Malmberg
- Department of Cancer Immunology, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Amir A. Toor
- Topper Cancer Institute, Lehigh Valley Health Network, Allentown, PA
| | - Johannes Schetelig
- Clinical Trials Unit, DKMS Bone Marrow Registry, Tübingen, Germany
- Medizinische Klinik I, University Hospital TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Rizwan Romee
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
| | - John Koreth
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
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6
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Gao F, Shi Z, Shi J, Luo Y, Yu J, Fu H, Lai X, Liu L, Yuan Z, Zheng Z, Huang H, Zhao Y. Donor aKIR genes influence the risk of EBV and CMV reactivation after anti-thymocyte globulin-based haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. HLA 2024; 103:e15320. [PMID: 38081622 DOI: 10.1111/tan.15320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2023] [Revised: 11/05/2023] [Accepted: 11/25/2023] [Indexed: 01/17/2024]
Abstract
Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) offers the highest curative potential for patients with hematological malignancies. Complications including infection, graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), and relapse reflect delayed or dysregulated immune reconstitution. After transplantation, NK cells rapidly reconstitute and are crucial for immune surveillance and immune tolerance. NK cell function is tightly regulated by killer immunoglobin-like receptors (KIRs). Previous studies have revealed that donor KIRs, especially some activated KIRs (aKIRs) are closely related to transplant outcomes. Here, we performed a retrospective study, including 323 patients who received haploidentical (haplo) HSCT in our center. In univariate analysis, donor KIR2DS1, KIR2DS3 and KIR3DS1 gene protected patients with lymphoid disease from Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and cytomegalovirus (CMV) reactivation, while donor KIR2DS1, KIR2DS5 and KIR3DS1 gene conferred a higher risk of CMV reactivation for patients with myeloid disease. Multivariate analysis confirmed that donor telomeric (Tel) B/x and KIR2DS3 gene best protected patients with lymphoid disease from EBV (p = 0.017) and CMV reactivation (p = 0.004). In myeloid disease, grafts lacking Tel B/x and KIR2DS5 gene correlated with the lowest risk of CMV reactivation (p = 0.018). Besides, donor aKIR genes did not influence the rates of GVHD, relapse, non-relapse mortality (NRM) and overall survival (OS) in this study. The reactivation of EBV and CMV was associated with poor prognosis of haplo-HSCT. In conclusion, we found that donor aKIR genes might have a synergistic effect on CMV and EBV reactivation after haplo-HSCT. Whether the influence of donor aKIR genes varies with disease types remained to be studied.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fei Gao
- Bone Marrow Transplantation Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Liangzhu Laboratory, Zhejiang University Medical Center, Hangzhou, China
- Institute of Hematology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Zhejiang Province Engineering Laboratory for Stem Cell and Immunity Therapy, Hangzhou, China
| | - Zhuoyue Shi
- Bone Marrow Transplantation Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Liangzhu Laboratory, Zhejiang University Medical Center, Hangzhou, China
- Institute of Hematology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Zhejiang Province Engineering Laboratory for Stem Cell and Immunity Therapy, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jimin Shi
- Bone Marrow Transplantation Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Liangzhu Laboratory, Zhejiang University Medical Center, Hangzhou, China
- Institute of Hematology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Zhejiang Province Engineering Laboratory for Stem Cell and Immunity Therapy, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yi Luo
- Bone Marrow Transplantation Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Liangzhu Laboratory, Zhejiang University Medical Center, Hangzhou, China
- Institute of Hematology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Zhejiang Province Engineering Laboratory for Stem Cell and Immunity Therapy, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jian Yu
- Bone Marrow Transplantation Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Liangzhu Laboratory, Zhejiang University Medical Center, Hangzhou, China
- Institute of Hematology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Zhejiang Province Engineering Laboratory for Stem Cell and Immunity Therapy, Hangzhou, China
| | - Huarui Fu
- Bone Marrow Transplantation Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Liangzhu Laboratory, Zhejiang University Medical Center, Hangzhou, China
- Institute of Hematology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Zhejiang Province Engineering Laboratory for Stem Cell and Immunity Therapy, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xiaoyu Lai
- Bone Marrow Transplantation Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Liangzhu Laboratory, Zhejiang University Medical Center, Hangzhou, China
- Institute of Hematology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Zhejiang Province Engineering Laboratory for Stem Cell and Immunity Therapy, Hangzhou, China
| | - Lizhen Liu
- Bone Marrow Transplantation Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Liangzhu Laboratory, Zhejiang University Medical Center, Hangzhou, China
- Institute of Hematology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Zhejiang Province Engineering Laboratory for Stem Cell and Immunity Therapy, Hangzhou, China
| | - Zhiyang Yuan
- Shanghai Tissuebank Biotechnology Co., Ltd, Shanghai, China
| | | | - He Huang
- Bone Marrow Transplantation Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Liangzhu Laboratory, Zhejiang University Medical Center, Hangzhou, China
- Institute of Hematology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Zhejiang Province Engineering Laboratory for Stem Cell and Immunity Therapy, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yanmin Zhao
- Bone Marrow Transplantation Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Liangzhu Laboratory, Zhejiang University Medical Center, Hangzhou, China
- Institute of Hematology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Zhejiang Province Engineering Laboratory for Stem Cell and Immunity Therapy, Hangzhou, China
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7
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Alves E, Chopra A, Ram R, Currenti J, Kalams SA, Mallal SA, Phillips EJ, Gaudieri S. Underrepresentation of activating KIR gene expression in single-cell RNA-seq data is due to KIR gene misassignment. Eur J Immunol 2024; 54:e2350590. [PMID: 37944995 DOI: 10.1002/eji.202350590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2023] [Revised: 11/03/2023] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
Standard single-cell RNA-sequencing alignment pipelines exhibit a propensity for misassigning killer immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR) transcripts, thereby giving rise to inaccuracies in quantifying KIR expression. Alves et al. elucidated that these default workflows frequently misclassify activating KIR transcripts as inhibitory KIR expression, resulting in a skewed representation of the KIR repertoire.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric Alves
- School of Human Sciences, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia
- Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, QEII Medical Centre, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Abha Chopra
- Institute for Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Ramesh Ram
- Institute for Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Jennifer Currenti
- Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, QEII Medical Centre, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia
- School of Medicine, Curtin University, Bentley, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Spyros A Kalams
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - Simon A Mallal
- Institute for Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Western Australia, Australia
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - Elizabeth J Phillips
- Institute for Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Western Australia, Australia
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - Silvana Gaudieri
- School of Human Sciences, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia
- Institute for Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Western Australia, Australia
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
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8
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Bakhtiyari M, Liaghat M, Aziziyan F, Shapourian H, Yahyazadeh S, Alipour M, Shahveh S, Maleki-Sheikhabadi F, Halimi H, Forghaniesfidvajani R, Zalpoor H, Nabi-Afjadi M, Pornour M. The role of bone marrow microenvironment (BMM) cells in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) progression: immune checkpoints, metabolic checkpoints, and signaling pathways. Cell Commun Signal 2023; 21:252. [PMID: 37735675 PMCID: PMC10512514 DOI: 10.1186/s12964-023-01282-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2023] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 09/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) comprises a multifarious and heterogeneous array of illnesses characterized by the anomalous proliferation of myeloid cells in the bone marrow microenvironment (BMM). The BMM plays a pivotal role in promoting AML progression, angiogenesis, and metastasis. The immune checkpoints (ICs) and metabolic processes are the key players in this process. In this review, we delineate the metabolic and immune checkpoint characteristics of the AML BMM, with a focus on the roles of BMM cells e.g. tumor-associated macrophages, natural killer cells, dendritic cells, metabolic profiles and related signaling pathways. We also discuss the signaling pathways stimulated in AML cells by BMM factors that lead to AML progression. We then delve into the roles of immune checkpoints in AML angiogenesis, metastasis, and cell proliferation, including co-stimulatory and inhibitory ICs. Lastly, we discuss the potential therapeutic approaches and future directions for AML treatment, emphasizing the potential of targeting metabolic and immune checkpoints in AML BMM as prognostic and therapeutic targets. In conclusion, the modulation of these processes through the use of directed drugs opens up new promising avenues in combating AML. Thereby, a comprehensive elucidation of the significance of these AML BMM cells' metabolic and immune checkpoints and signaling pathways on leukemic cells can be undertaken in the future investigations. Additionally, these checkpoints and cells should be considered plausible multi-targeted therapies for AML in combination with other conventional treatments in AML. Video Abstract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maryam Bakhtiyari
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Allied Medicine, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran
- Network of Immunity in Infection, Malignancy & Autoimmunity (NIIMA), Universal Scientific Education & Research Network (USERN), Tehran, Iran
| | - Mahsa Liaghat
- Network of Immunity in Infection, Malignancy & Autoimmunity (NIIMA), Universal Scientific Education & Research Network (USERN), Tehran, Iran
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Kazerun Branch, Islamic Azad University, Kazerun, Iran
| | - Fatemeh Aziziyan
- Network of Immunity in Infection, Malignancy & Autoimmunity (NIIMA), Universal Scientific Education & Research Network (USERN), Tehran, Iran
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Hooriyeh Shapourian
- Department of Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Sheida Yahyazadeh
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Maedeh Alipour
- Cellular and Molecular Biology Research Center, Health Research Institute, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran
| | - Shaghayegh Shahveh
- American Association of Naturopath Physician (AANP), Washington, DC, USA
| | - Fahimeh Maleki-Sheikhabadi
- Department of Hematology and Blood Banking, School of Paramedical Sciences, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Hossein Halimi
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Razieh Forghaniesfidvajani
- Network of Immunity in Infection, Malignancy & Autoimmunity (NIIMA), Universal Scientific Education & Research Network (USERN), Tehran, Iran
| | - Hamidreza Zalpoor
- Network of Immunity in Infection, Malignancy & Autoimmunity (NIIMA), Universal Scientific Education & Research Network (USERN), Tehran, Iran.
- Shiraz Neuroscience Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
| | - Mohsen Nabi-Afjadi
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Majid Pornour
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD, USA.
- Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
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9
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Sim MJW, Brennan P, Wahl KL, Lu J, Rajagopalan S, Sun PD, Long EO. Innate receptors with high specificity for HLA class I-peptide complexes. Sci Immunol 2023; 8:eadh1781. [PMID: 37683038 DOI: 10.1126/sciimmunol.adh1781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2023] [Accepted: 08/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023]
Abstract
Genetic studies associate killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs) and their HLA class I ligands with a variety of human diseases. The basis for these associations and the relative contribution of inhibitory and activating KIR to NK cell responses are unclear. Because KIR binding to HLA-I is peptide dependent, we performed systematic screens, which totaled more than 3500 specific interactions, to determine the specificity of five KIR for peptides presented by four HLA-C ligands. Inhibitory KIR2DL1 was largely peptide sequence agnostic and could bind ~60% of hundreds of HLA-peptide complexes tested. Inhibitory KIR2DL2, KIR2DL3, and activating KIR2DS1 and KIR2DS4 bound only 10% and down to 1% of HLA-peptide complexes tested, respectively. Activating KIR2DS1, previously described as weak, had high binding affinity for HLA-C, with high peptide sequence specificity. Our data revealed MHC-restricted peptide recognition by germline-encoded NK receptors and suggest that NK cell responses can be shaped by HLA-I-bound immunopeptidomes in the context of disease or infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Malcolm J W Sim
- Laboratory of Immunogenetics, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Rockville, MD 20852, USA
| | - Paul Brennan
- Laboratory of Immunogenetics, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Rockville, MD 20852, USA
| | - Katherine L Wahl
- Laboratory of Immunogenetics, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Rockville, MD 20852, USA
| | - Jinghua Lu
- Laboratory of Immunogenetics, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Rockville, MD 20852, USA
| | - Sumati Rajagopalan
- Laboratory of Immunogenetics, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Rockville, MD 20852, USA
| | - Peter D Sun
- Laboratory of Immunogenetics, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Rockville, MD 20852, USA
| | - Eric O Long
- Laboratory of Immunogenetics, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Rockville, MD 20852, USA
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10
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Seo H, Verma A, Kinzel M, Huang Q, Mahoney DJ, Jacquelot N. Targeting Potential of Innate Lymphoid Cells in Melanoma and Other Cancers. Pharmaceutics 2023; 15:2001. [PMID: 37514187 PMCID: PMC10384206 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics15072001] [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: 06/13/2023] [Revised: 07/15/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Reinvigorating the killing function of tumor-infiltrating immune cells through the targeting of regulatory molecules expressed on lymphocytes has markedly improved the prognosis of cancer patients, particularly in melanoma. While initially thought to solely strengthen adaptive T lymphocyte anti-tumor activity, recent investigations suggest that other immune cell subsets, particularly tissue-resident innate lymphoid cells (ILCs), may benefit from immunotherapy treatment. Here, we describe the recent findings showing immune checkpoint expression on tissue-resident and tumor-infiltrating ILCs and how their effector function is modulated by checkpoint blockade-based therapies in cancer. We discuss the therapeutic potential of ILCs beyond the classical PD-1 and CTLA-4 regulatory molecules, exploring other possibilities to manipulate ILC effector function to further impede tumor growth and quench disease progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hobin Seo
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
- Arnie Charbonneau Cancer Research Institute, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Amisha Verma
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Megan Kinzel
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
- Arnie Charbonneau Cancer Research Institute, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Qiutong Huang
- The University of Queensland Frazer Institute, University of Queensland, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia
- Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
| | - Douglas J Mahoney
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
- Arnie Charbonneau Cancer Research Institute, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Nicolas Jacquelot
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
- Arnie Charbonneau Cancer Research Institute, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
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11
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Rodríguez-Agustín A, Casanova V, Grau-Expósito J, Sánchez-Palomino S, Alcamí J, Climent N. Immunomodulatory Activity of the Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Dasatinib to Elicit NK Cytotoxicity against Cancer, HIV Infection and Aging. Pharmaceutics 2023; 15:pharmaceutics15030917. [PMID: 36986778 PMCID: PMC10055786 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics15030917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2023] [Revised: 03/07/2023] [Accepted: 03/09/2023] [Indexed: 03/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) have been extensively used as a treatment for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Dasatinib is a broad-spectrum TKI with off-target effects that give it an immunomodulatory capacity resulting in increased innate immune responses against cancerous cells and viral infected cells. Several studies reported that dasatinib expanded memory-like natural killer (NK) cells and γδ T cells that have been related with increased control of CML after treatment withdrawal. In the HIV infection setting, these innate cells are associated with virus control and protection, suggesting that dasatinib could have a potential role in improving both the CML and HIV outcomes. Moreover, dasatinib could also directly induce apoptosis of senescence cells, being a new potential senolytic drug. Here, we review in depth the current knowledge of virological and immunogenetic factors associated with the development of powerful cytotoxic responses associated with this drug. Besides, we will discuss the potential therapeutic role against CML, HIV infection and aging.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Víctor Casanova
- HIV Unit, Hospital Clínic-IDIBAPS, University of Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Judith Grau-Expósito
- HIV Unit, Hospital Clínic-IDIBAPS, University of Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Sonsoles Sánchez-Palomino
- HIV Unit, Hospital Clínic-IDIBAPS, University of Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
- CIBER of Infectious Diseases (CIBERINFEC), 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - José Alcamí
- CIBER of Infectious Diseases (CIBERINFEC), 28029 Madrid, Spain
- AIDS Immunopathogenesis Unit, Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Núria Climent
- HIV Unit, Hospital Clínic-IDIBAPS, University of Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
- CIBER of Infectious Diseases (CIBERINFEC), 28029 Madrid, Spain
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +34-93-2275400 (ext. 3144); Fax: +34-93-2271775
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12
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Anderko RR, Mailliard RB. Mapping the interplay between NK cells and HIV: therapeutic implications. J Leukoc Biol 2023; 113:109-138. [PMID: 36822173 PMCID: PMC10043732 DOI: 10.1093/jleuko/qiac007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2022] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Although highly effective at durably suppressing plasma HIV-1 viremia, combination antiretroviral therapy (ART) treatment regimens do not eradicate the virus, which persists in long-lived CD4+ T cells. This latent viral reservoir serves as a source of plasma viral rebound following treatment interruption, thus requiring lifelong adherence to ART. Additionally, challenges remain related not only to access to therapy but also to a higher prevalence of comorbidities with an inflammatory etiology in treated HIV-1+ individuals, underscoring the need to explore therapeutic alternatives that achieve sustained virologic remission in the absence of ART. Natural killer (NK) cells are uniquely positioned to positively impact antiviral immunity, in part due to the pleiotropic nature of their effector functions, including the acquisition of memory-like features, and, therefore, hold great promise for transforming HIV-1 therapeutic modalities. In addition to defining the ability of NK cells to contribute to HIV-1 control, this review provides a basic immunologic understanding of the impact of HIV-1 infection and ART on the phenotypic and functional character of NK cells. We further delineate the qualities of "memory" NK cell populations, as well as the impact of HCMV on their induction and subsequent expansion in HIV-1 infection. We conclude by highlighting promising avenues for optimizing NK cell responses to improve HIV-1 control and effect a functional cure, including blockade of inhibitory NK receptors, TLR agonists to promote latency reversal and NK cell activation, CAR NK cells, BiKEs/TriKEs, and the role of HIV-1-specific bNAbs in NK cell-mediated ADCC activity against HIV-1-infected cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renee R. Anderko
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, United States
| | - Robbie B. Mailliard
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, United States
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13
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Rascle P, Woolley G, Jost S, Manickam C, Reeves RK. NK cell education: Physiological and pathological influences. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1087155. [PMID: 36742337 PMCID: PMC9896005 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1087155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2022] [Accepted: 01/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells represent a critical defense against viral infections and cancers. NK cells require integration of activating and inhibitory NK cell receptors to detect target cells and the balance of these NK cell inputs defines the global NK cell response. The sensitivity of the response is largely defined by interactions between self-major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC-I) molecules and specific inhibitory NK cell receptors, so-called NK cell education. Thus, NK cell education is a crucial process to generate tuned effector NK cell responses in different diseases. In this review, we discuss the relationship between NK cell education and physiologic factors (type of self-MHC-I, self-MHC-I allelic variants, variant of the self-MHC-I-binding peptides, cytokine effects and inhibitory KIR expression) underlying NK cell education profiles (effector function or metabolism). Additionally, we describe the broad-spectrum of effector educated NK cell functions on different pathologies (such as HIV-1, CMV and tumors, among others).
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Affiliation(s)
- Philippe Rascle
- Division of Innate and Comparative Immunology, Center for Human Systems Immunology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States
- Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Griffin Woolley
- Division of Innate and Comparative Immunology, Center for Human Systems Immunology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States
- Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Stephanie Jost
- Division of Innate and Comparative Immunology, Center for Human Systems Immunology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States
- Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Cordelia Manickam
- Division of Innate and Comparative Immunology, Center for Human Systems Immunology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States
- Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States
| | - R. Keith Reeves
- Division of Innate and Comparative Immunology, Center for Human Systems Immunology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States
- Department of Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States
- Center for Virology and Vaccine Research, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
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14
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Hematian Larki M, Ashouri E, Barani S, Ghayumi SMA, Ghaderi A, Rajalingam R. KIR-HLA gene diversities and susceptibility to lung cancer. Sci Rep 2022; 12:17237. [PMID: 36241658 PMCID: PMC9568660 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-21062-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2022] [Accepted: 09/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Killer-cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIR) are essential for acquiring natural killer (NK) cell effector function, which is modulated by a balance between the net input of signals derived from inhibitory and activating receptors through engagement by human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I ligands. KIR and HLA loci are polygenic and polymorphic and exhibit substantial variation between individuals and populations. We attempted to investigate the contribution of KIR complex and HLA class I ligands to the genetic predisposition to lung cancer in the native population of southern Iran. We genotyped 16 KIR genes for a total of 232 patients with lung cancer and 448 healthy controls (HC), among which 85 patients and 178 HCs were taken into account for evaluating combined KIR-HLA associations. KIR2DL2 and 2DS2 were increased significantly in patients than in controls, individually (OR 1.63, and OR 1.42, respectively) and in combination with HLA-C1 ligands (OR 1.99, and OR 1.93, respectively). KIR3DS1 (OR 0.67) and 2DS1 (OR 0.69) were more likely presented in controls in the absence of their relative ligands. The incidence of CxTx subset was increased in lung cancer patients (OR 1.83), and disease risk strikingly increased by more than fivefold among genotype ID19 carriers (a CxTx genotype that carries 2DL2 in the absence of 2DS2, OR 5.92). We found that genotypes with iKIRs > aKIRs (OR 1.67) were more frequently presented in lung cancer patients. Additionally, patients with lung cancer were more likely to carry the combination of CxTx/2DS2 compared to controls (OR 2.04), and iKIRs > aKIRs genotypes in the presence of 2DL2 (OR 2.05) increased the likelihood of lung cancer development. Here we report new susceptibility factors and the contribution of KIR and HLA-I encoding genes to lung cancer risk, highlighting an array of genetic effects and disease setting which regulates NK cell responsiveness. Our results suggest that inherited KIR genes and HLA-I ligands specifying the educational state of NK cells can modify lung cancer risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marjan Hematian Larki
- grid.412571.40000 0000 8819 4698Shiraz Institute for Cancer Research, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Elham Ashouri
- grid.412571.40000 0000 8819 4698Shiraz Institute for Cancer Research, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Shaghik Barani
- grid.412571.40000 0000 8819 4698Shiraz Institute for Cancer Research, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Seiyed Mohammad Ali Ghayumi
- grid.412571.40000 0000 8819 4698Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Abbas Ghaderi
- grid.412571.40000 0000 8819 4698Shiraz Institute for Cancer Research, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran ,grid.412571.40000 0000 8819 4698Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Raja Rajalingam
- grid.266102.10000 0001 2297 6811Immunogenetics and Transplantation Laboratory, Department of Surgery, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA USA
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15
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Jennifer Zhang Q. Donor selection based on NK alloreactivity for patients with hematological malignancies. Hum Immunol 2022; 83:695-703. [PMID: 35965181 DOI: 10.1016/j.humimm.2022.07.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Revised: 07/12/2022] [Accepted: 07/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells are an important defender against infections and tumors. Their function is regulated by the balance of inhibitory and activating receptors. Among all inhibitory NK receptors: killer immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIR) and CD94/NKG2A recognize human leukocyte antigen (HLA) Class I molecules, allowing NK cells to be 'licensed' to avoid autoreactivity, but be fully functional at the same time. Licensed NK cells can target malignant cells with altered or downregulated/missing 'self' antigens. NK cell attacking malignant cells is one of the mechanisms of graft-versus-leukemia (GVL) effect. Numerous studies have demonstrated that NK cells improve hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) survival by reducing relapse mortality through GVL effect. Therapeutic strategies, such as adoptive alloreactive NK cell transfer, CAR-NK cells, antibodies against NKG2A and KIR2DL1-3, have been utilized to treat hematological malignancies in HCT. In this review, NK cell functions, NK cell receptors and ligands, as well as common alloreactive NK donor selection algorithms for patients with hematological malignancies in the setting of HCT are discussed. The goal of this review is to provide insights on the controversial results and provide better understanding and resources on how to perform alloreactive donor NK cell selection in HCT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiuheng Jennifer Zhang
- UCLA Immunogenetics Center, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles 90095, USA.
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16
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Zhao J, Ruan J, Lv G, Shan Q, Fan Z, Wang H, Du Y, Ling L. Cell membrane-based biomimetic nanosystems for advanced drug delivery in cancer therapy: A comprehensive review. Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces 2022; 215:112503. [PMID: 35429736 DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfb.2022.112503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2021] [Revised: 03/08/2022] [Accepted: 04/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Natural types of cells display distinct characteristics with homotypic targeting and extended circulation in the blood, which are worthy of being explored as promising drug delivery systems (DDSs) for cancer therapy. To enhance their delivery efficiency, these cells can be combined with therapeutic agents and artificial nanocarriers to construct the next generation of DDSs in the form of biomimetic nanomedicines. In this review, we present the recent advances in cell membrane-based DDSs (CDDSs) and their applications for efficient cancer therapy. Different sources of cell membranes are discussed, mainly including red blood cells (RBC), leukocytes, cancer cells, stem cells and hybrid cells. Moreover, the extraction methods used for obtaining such cells and the mechanism contributing to the functional action of these biomimetic CDDSs are explained. Finally, a future perspective is proposed to highlight the limitations of CDDSs and the possible resolutions toward clinical transformation of currently developed biomimetic chemotherapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianing Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology and Drug Evaluation (Ministry of Education of China), School of Pharmacy, Yantai University, Yantai 264005, China
| | - Jian Ruan
- Yantai Center for Food and Drug Control, Yantai 264005, China
| | - Guangyao Lv
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology and Drug Evaluation (Ministry of Education of China), School of Pharmacy, Yantai University, Yantai 264005, China
| | - Qi Shan
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology and Drug Evaluation (Ministry of Education of China), School of Pharmacy, Yantai University, Yantai 264005, China
| | - Zhiping Fan
- Institute of BioPharmaceutical Research, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng 252059, China
| | - Hongbo Wang
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology and Drug Evaluation (Ministry of Education of China), School of Pharmacy, Yantai University, Yantai 264005, China.
| | - Yuan Du
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology and Drug Evaluation (Ministry of Education of China), School of Pharmacy, Yantai University, Yantai 264005, China.
| | - Longbing Ling
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology and Drug Evaluation (Ministry of Education of China), School of Pharmacy, Yantai University, Yantai 264005, China.
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17
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Aviles-Padilla K, Angelo LS, Fan D, Paust S. CXCR6 + and NKG2C + Natural Killer Cells Are Distinct With Unique Phenotypic and Functional Attributes Following Bone Marrow Transplantation. Front Immunol 2022; 13:886835. [PMID: 35844621 PMCID: PMC9277058 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.886835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2022] [Accepted: 06/03/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Reactivation of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a life-threatening complication in transplant patients. Natural Killer (NK) cells are the first lymphocyte lineage to reconstitute following an allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT). Amongst them, NK cell Group 2 isoform C/Killer cell lectin-like receptor subfamily C, member 2 (NKG2C)-expressing NK cells contribute significantly to patient protection upon HCMV reactivation. NKG2C+ NK cells are capable of immunological memory, albeit NK cell memory is not restricted to them. Hepatic C-X-C Motif Chemokine Receptor 6 (CXCR6)-expressing NK cells also mediate memory responses in mice and humans. Small numbers of them circulate and can thus be studied in peripheral blood samples. We hypothesize that NKG2C+ and CXCR6+ NK cell subsets are distinct. To test our hypothesis, we used multi-parametric flow cytometry to determine the phenotypes and effector functions of CD56bright vs. CD56dim and NKG2C+ vs. CXCR6+ human NK cell subsets in the peripheral blood (PB) of pediatric transplant recipients monthly while monitoring patients for HCMV reactivation. Interestingly, we did not find any NKG2C+CXCR6+ NK cells in the transplant recipients' peripheral blood, suggesting that NKG2C+ and CXCR6+ NK cells are distinct. Also, NKG2C-CXCR6- NK cells, rather than NKG2C+ NK cells, made up most NK cells post-transplant, even in transplant recipients with HCMV viremia. In contrast to NKG2C+ NK cells, CXCR6+ NK cells appeared phenotypically less differentiated but were highly proliferative and produced IFN-γ and TNF α . Our findings contribute to our understanding of post-transplant NK cell development and its implications for human health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin Aviles-Padilla
- Center for Human Immunobiology, Department of Pediatrics, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Laura S. Angelo
- Center for Human Immunobiology, Department of Pediatrics, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Dwight Fan
- Center for Human Immunobiology, Department of Pediatrics, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX, United States,The Developing Investigative Scholar’s Program (DISP), Center for Human Immunobiology, Department of Pediatrics, Texas Children’s Hospital and Rice University, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Silke Paust
- Center for Human Immunobiology, Department of Pediatrics, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX, United States,The Developing Investigative Scholar’s Program (DISP), Center for Human Immunobiology, Department of Pediatrics, Texas Children’s Hospital and Rice University, Houston, TX, United States,Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, United States,*Correspondence: Silke Paust,
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18
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Feng Q, Zhou M, Li S, Morimoto L, Hansen H, Myint SS, Wang R, Metayer C, Kang A, Fear AL, Pappas D, Erlich H, Hollenbach JA, Mancuso N, Trachtenberg E, de Smith AJ, Ma X, Wiemels JL. Interaction between maternal killer immunoglobulin-like receptors and offspring HLAs and susceptibility of childhood ALL. Blood Adv 2022; 6:3756-3766. [PMID: 35500222 PMCID: PMC9631572 DOI: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2021006821] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in children is associated with a distinct neonatal cytokine profile. The basis of this neonatal immune phenotype is unknown but potentially related to maternal-fetal immune receptor interactions. We conducted a case-control study of 226 case child-mother pairs and 404 control child-mother pairs to evaluate the role of interaction between HLA genotypes in the offspring and maternal killer immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR) genotypes in the etiology of childhood ALL, while considering potential mediation by neonatal cytokines and the immune-modulating enzyme arginase-II (ARG-II). We observed different associations between offspring HLA-maternal KIR activating profiles and the risk of ALL in different predicted genetic ancestry groups. For instance, in Latino subjects who experience the highest risk of childhood leukemia, activating profiles were significantly associated with a lower risk of childhood ALL (odds ratio [OR] = 0.59; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.49-0.71) and a higher level of ARG-II at birth (coefficient = 0.13; 95% CI, 0.04-0.22). HLA-KIR activating profiles were also associated with a lower risk of ALL in non-Latino Asians (OR = 0.63; 95% CI, 0.38-1.01), although they had a lower tumor necrosis factor-α level (coefficient = -0.27; 95% CI, -0.49 to -0.06). Among non-Latino White subjects, no significant association was observed between offspring HLA-maternal KIR interaction and ALL risk or cytokine levels. The current study reports the association between offspring HLA-maternal KIR interaction and the development of childhood ALL with variation by predicted genetic ancestry. We also observed some associations between activating profiles and immune factors related to cytokine control; however, cytokines did not demonstrate causal mediation of the activating profiles on ALL risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qianxi Feng
- Center for Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
| | - Mi Zhou
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA
| | - Shaobo Li
- Center for Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
| | - Libby Morimoto
- School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA
| | - Helen Hansen
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of California, San Francisco, CA
| | - Swe Swe Myint
- Center for Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
| | - Rong Wang
- Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology, Yale School of Public Health, Yale University, New Haven, CT
| | | | - Alice Kang
- School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA
| | - Anna Lisa Fear
- Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute, Oakland, CA; and
| | - Derek Pappas
- Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute, Oakland, CA; and
| | - Henry Erlich
- Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute, Oakland, CA; and
| | - Jill A. Hollenbach
- Department of Neurology and Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, CA
| | - Nicholas Mancuso
- Center for Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
| | | | - Adam J. de Smith
- Center for Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
| | - Xiaomei Ma
- Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology, Yale School of Public Health, Yale University, New Haven, CT
| | - Joseph L. Wiemels
- Center for Genetic Epidemiology, Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
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19
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Bernard NF, Alsulami K, Pavey E, Dupuy FP. NK Cells in Protection from HIV Infection. Viruses 2022; 14:v14061143. [PMID: 35746615 PMCID: PMC9231282 DOI: 10.3390/v14061143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2022] [Revised: 05/19/2022] [Accepted: 05/23/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Some people, known as HIV-exposed seronegative (HESN) individuals, remain uninfected despite high levels of exposure to HIV. Understanding the mechanisms underlying their apparent resistance to HIV infection may inform strategies designed to protect against HIV infection. Natural Killer (NK) cells are innate immune cells whose activation state depends on the integration of activating and inhibitory signals arising from cell surface receptors interacting with their ligands on neighboring cells. Inhibitory NK cell receptors use a subset of major histocompatibility (MHC) class I antigens as ligands. This interaction educates NK cells, priming them to respond to cells with reduced MHC class I antigen expression levels as occurs on HIV-infected cells. NK cells can interact with both autologous HIV-infected cells and allogeneic cells bearing MHC antigens seen as non self by educated NK cells. NK cells are rapidly activated upon interacting with HIV-infected or allogenic cells to elicit anti-viral activity that blocks HIV spread to new target cells, suppresses HIV replication, and kills HIV-infected cells before HIV reservoirs can be seeded and infection can be established. In this manuscript, we will review the epidemiological and functional evidence for a role for NK cells in protection from HIV infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole F. Bernard
- Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC), Montreal, QC H4A3J1, Canada; (K.A.); (E.P.); (F.P.D.)
- Division of Experimental Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC H4A 3J1, Canada
- Infectious Diseases, Immunology and Global Health Program, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC H4A 3J1, Canada
- Division of Clinical Immunology, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC H4A 3J1, Canada
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-(514)-934-1934 (ext. 44584)
| | - Khlood Alsulami
- Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC), Montreal, QC H4A3J1, Canada; (K.A.); (E.P.); (F.P.D.)
- Division of Experimental Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC H4A 3J1, Canada
- Infectious Diseases, Immunology and Global Health Program, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC H4A 3J1, Canada
| | - Erik Pavey
- Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC), Montreal, QC H4A3J1, Canada; (K.A.); (E.P.); (F.P.D.)
- Infectious Diseases, Immunology and Global Health Program, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC H4A 3J1, Canada
| | - Franck P. Dupuy
- Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC), Montreal, QC H4A3J1, Canada; (K.A.); (E.P.); (F.P.D.)
- Infectious Diseases, Immunology and Global Health Program, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC H4A 3J1, Canada
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20
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Chu J, Gao F, Yan M, Zhao S, Yan Z, Shi B, Liu Y. Natural killer cells: a promising immunotherapy for cancer. J Transl Med 2022; 20:240. [PMID: 35606854 PMCID: PMC9125849 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-022-03437-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
As a promising alternative platform for cellular immunotherapy, natural killer cells (NK) have recently gained attention as an important type of innate immune regulatory cell. NK cells can rapidly kill multiple adjacent cancer cells through non-MHC-restrictive effects. Although tumors may develop multiple resistance mechanisms to endogenous NK cell attack, in vitro activation, expansion, and genetic modification of NK cells can greatly enhance their anti-tumor activity and give them the ability to overcome drug resistance. Some of these approaches have been translated into clinical applications, and clinical trials of NK cell infusion in patients with hematological malignancies and solid tumors have thus far yielded many encouraging clinical results. CAR-T cells have exhibited great success in treating hematological malignancies, but their drawbacks include high manufacturing costs and potentially fatal toxicity, such as cytokine release syndrome. To overcome these issues, CAR-NK cells were generated through genetic engineering and demonstrated significant clinical responses and lower adverse effects compared with CAR-T cell therapy. In this review, we summarize recent advances in NK cell immunotherapy, focusing on NK cell biology and function, the types of NK cell therapy, and clinical trials and future perspectives on NK cell therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junfeng Chu
- Department of Medical Oncology, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450008, Henan, China
| | - Fengcai Gao
- Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, Henan, China
| | - Meimei Yan
- Department of Medical Oncology, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450008, Henan, China
| | - Shuang Zhao
- Department of Medical Oncology, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450008, Henan, China
| | - Zheng Yan
- Department of Medical Oncology, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450008, Henan, China
| | - Bian Shi
- Department of Chinese and Western Medicine, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450008, Henan, China.
| | - Yanyan Liu
- Department of Medical Oncology, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450008, Henan, China.
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21
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Bernard NF, Kant S, Kiani Z, Tremblay C, Dupuy FP. Natural Killer Cells in Antibody Independent and Antibody Dependent HIV Control. Front Immunol 2022; 13:879124. [PMID: 35720328 PMCID: PMC9205404 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.879124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2022] [Accepted: 04/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), when left untreated, typically leads to disease progression towards acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Some people living with HIV (PLWH) control their virus to levels below the limit of detection of standard viral load assays, without treatment. As such, they represent examples of a functional HIV cure. These individuals, called Elite Controllers (ECs), are rare, making up <1% of PLWH. Genome wide association studies mapped genes in the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I region as important in HIV control. ECs have potent virus specific CD8+ T cell responses often restricted by protective MHC class I antigens. Natural Killer (NK) cells are innate immune cells whose activation state depends on the integration of activating and inhibitory signals arising from cell surface receptors interacting with their ligands on neighboring cells. Inhibitory NK cell receptors also use a subset of MHC class I antigens as ligands. This interaction educates NK cells, priming them to respond to HIV infected cell with reduced MHC class I antigen expression levels. NK cells can also be activated through the crosslinking of the activating NK cell receptor, CD16, which binds the fragment crystallizable portion of immunoglobulin G. This mode of activation confers NK cells with specificity to HIV infected cells when the antigen binding portion of CD16 bound immunoglobulin G recognizes HIV Envelope on infected cells. Here, we review the role of NK cells in antibody independent and antibody dependent HIV control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole F. Bernard
- Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Division of Experimental Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Infectious Diseases, Immunology and Global Health Program, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Division of Clinical Immunology, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada
- *Correspondence: Nicole F. Bernard,
| | - Sanket Kant
- Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Division of Experimental Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Infectious Diseases, Immunology and Global Health Program, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Zahra Kiani
- Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Division of Experimental Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Infectious Diseases, Immunology and Global Health Program, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Cécile Tremblay
- Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CRCHUM), Montreal, QC, Canada
- Department of Microbiology Infectiology and Immunology, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Franck P. Dupuy
- Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Infectious Diseases, Immunology and Global Health Program, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada
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22
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Meazza R, Falco M, Canevali P, Loiacono F, Colomar-Carando N, Muntasell A, Rea A, Mingari MC, Locatelli F, Moretta L, Lopez-Botet M, Pende D. Characterization of KIR + NK cell subsets with a monoclonal antibody selectively recognizing KIR2DL1 and blocking the specific interaction with HLA-C. HLA 2022; 100:119-132. [PMID: 35439359 PMCID: PMC9543057 DOI: 10.1111/tan.14640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2022] [Revised: 04/07/2022] [Accepted: 04/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The phenotypic identification of different NK cell subsets allows more in‐depth characterization of KIR repertoire and function, which are of potential interest in KIR and disease association studies. KIR genes are highly polymorphic, but a great homology exists among the various sequences and few monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) specifically recognize a single KIR. This is the case of HP‐DM1 which was demonstrated by analysis of cell transfectants and epitope mapping to be exclusively KIR2DL1‐specific, covering all allotypes identified to date, except for KIR2DL1*022 and *020, and also to react with KIR2DS1*013. Here, we compared in immunofluorescence analyses the staining of HP‐DM1 with other available mAbs to precisely identify KIR2DL1+ NK cells in potential donors for αβT/B‐depleted haplo‐HSCT, with known KIR genotype. HP‐DM1 mAb was used in combination with EB6 or 11PB6 (anti‐KIR2DL1/S1 and anti‐KIR2DL3*005), 143211 (anti‐KIR2DL1/S5), and HP‐MA4 (anti‐KIR2DL1/S1/S3/S5) mAbs, allowing the accurate identification of different KIR+ NK cell subsets. These phenotypic evaluations appeared useful to dissect the expression pattern of various KIR2D in NK cells from KIR2DL3*005+ individuals, particularly if KIR2DS1 is present. HP‐DM1 mAb remarkably refined NK cell phenotyping of donors carrying KIR2DS5, either in the centromeric or telomeric region. Functional assays with KIR2DL1+/S1+/S5+ NK cells confirmed that only HP‐DM1 exclusively reacts with KIR2DL1. Finally, we demonstrated that HP‐DM1 mAb blocked KIR2DL1 recognition of C2+ HLA‐C. Altogether, the data support that HP‐DM1 is a unique reagent valuable for characterizing KIR+ NK cell subsets.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Natalia Colomar-Carando
- IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy.,Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | - Aura Muntasell
- Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), Barcelona, Spain.,Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Anna Rea
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Maria Cristina Mingari
- IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy.,Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | - Franco Locatelli
- Department of Hematology/Oncology and Cell and Gene Therapy, IRCCS Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù, Rome, Italy.,Department of Gynecology/Obstetrics and Pediatrics, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Moretta
- Department of Immunology, IRCCS Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù, Rome, Italy
| | - Miguel Lopez-Botet
- Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), Barcelona, Spain.,Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Daniela Pende
- IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy
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23
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Falco M, Meazza R, Alicata C, Canevali P, Muntasell A, Bottino C, Moretta L, Pende D, Lopez-Botet M. Epitope characterization of a monoclonal antibody that selectively recognizes KIR2DL1 allotypes. HLA 2022; 100:107-118. [PMID: 35411634 PMCID: PMC9544867 DOI: 10.1111/tan.14630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2022] [Revised: 04/06/2022] [Accepted: 04/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Killer immunoglobulin‐like receptor (KIR) genes code for a family of inhibitory and activating receptors, finely tuning NK cell function. Numerous studies reported the relevance of KIR allelic polymorphism on KIR expression, ligand affinity, and strength in signal transduction. Although KIR variability, including gene copy number and allelic polymorphism, in combination with HLA class I polymorphism, impacts both KIR expression and NK cell education, only a precise phenotypic analysis can define the size of the different KIRpos NK cell subsets. In this context, reagents recognizing a limited number of KIRs is essential. In this study, we have characterized the specificity of an anti‐KIR mAb termed HP‐DM1. Testing its binding to HEK‐293T cells transfected with plasmids coding for different KIRs, we demonstrated that HP‐DM1 mAb exclusively reacts with KIR2DL1. Using site‐directed mutagenesis, we identified the four amino acids relevant for HP‐DM1 recognition: M44, S67, R68, and T70. HP‐DM1 mAb binds to a conformational epitope including M44, the residue crucial for HLA‐C K80 recognition by KIR2DL1. Based on the HP‐DM1 epitope characterization, we could extend its reactivity to all KIR2DL1 allotypes identified except for KIR2DL1*022 and, most likely, KIR2DL1*020, predicting that it does not recognize any other KIR with the only exception of KIR2DS1*013. Moreover, by identifying the residues relevant for HP‐DM1 binding, continuously updating of its reactivity will be facilitated.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Aura Muntasell
- Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), Barcelona, Spain.,Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Cristina Bottino
- IRCCS Istituto Giannina Gaslini, Genoa, Italy.,DIMES, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | | | - Daniela Pende
- IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy
| | - Miguel Lopez-Botet
- Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), Barcelona, Spain.,Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
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24
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Kaddu-Mulindwa D, Altmann B, Robrecht S, Ziepert M, Regitz E, Tausch E, Held G, Poeschel V, Lesan V, Bittenbring JT, Thurner L, Pfreundschuh M, Christofyllakis K, Truemper L, Loeffler M, Schmitz N, Hoth M, Hallek M, Fischer K, Stilgenbauer S, Bewarder M, Rixecker TM. KIR2DS1–HLA-C status as a predictive marker for benefit from rituximab: a post-hoc analysis of the RICOVER-60 and CLL8 trials. Lancet Haematol 2022; 9:e133-e142. [DOI: 10.1016/s2352-3026(21)00369-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2021] [Revised: 11/19/2021] [Accepted: 11/23/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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25
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Angelo LS, Hogg GD, Abeynaike S, Bimler L, Vargas-Hernandez A, Paust S. Phenotypic and Functional Plasticity of CXCR6+ Peripheral Blood NK Cells. Front Immunol 2022; 12:810080. [PMID: 35173710 PMCID: PMC8841448 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.810080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2021] [Accepted: 12/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Human NK cells are comprised of phenotypic subsets, whose potentially unique functions remain largely unexplored. C-X-C-motif-chemokine-receptor-6 (CXCR6)+ NK cells have been identified as phenotypically immature tissue-resident NK cells in mice and humans. A small fraction of peripheral blood (PB)-NK cells also expresses CXCR6. However, prior reports about their phenotypic and functional plasticity are conflicting. In this study, we isolated, expanded, and phenotypically and functionally evaluated CXCR6+ and CXCR6– PB-NK cells, and contrasted results to bulk liver and spleen NK cells. We found that CXCR6+ and CXCR6– PB-NK cells preserved their distinct phenotypic profiles throughout 14 days of in vitro expansion (“day 14”), after which phenotypically immature CXCR6+ PB-NK cells became functionally equivalent to CXCR6– PB-NK cells. Despite a consistent reduction in CD16 expression and enhanced expression of the transcription factor Eomesodermin (Eomes), day 14 CXCR6+ PB-NK cells had superior antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) compared to CXCR6– PB-NK cells. Further, bulk liver NK cells responded to IL-15, but not IL-2 stimulation, with STAT-5 phosphorylation. In contrast, bulk splenic and PB-NK cells robustly responded to both cytokines. Our findings may allow for the selection of superior NK cell subsets for infusion products increasingly used to treat human diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura S. Angelo
- Center for Human Immunobiology, Department of Pediatrics, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Graham D. Hogg
- Center for Human Immunobiology, Department of Pediatrics, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Shawn Abeynaike
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Lynn Bimler
- Center for Human Immunobiology, Department of Pediatrics, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Alexander Vargas-Hernandez
- Center for Human Immunobiology, Department of Pediatrics, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Silke Paust
- Center for Human Immunobiology, Department of Pediatrics, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX, United States
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, United States
- *Correspondence: Silke Paust,
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26
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Crespo ÂC, Alexander A, Tilburgs T. Purification of Primary Decidual Natural Killer Cells for Functional Analysis. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2463:11-29. [PMID: 35344164 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2160-8_2] [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] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Decidual NK cells (dNK) are a unique type of NK cells found at the maternal-fetal interface during pregnancy. dNK play a key role in placental development, trophoblast invasion, and immunity to viral and bacterial infection of the placenta. dNK are the predominant leukocyte population in first trimester placental tissues and comprise around 70% of the total CD45+ leukocytes. dNK remain present throughout pregnancy but their proportion decreases to 20-40% of term placenta decidual tissue leukocytes. Investigation of dNK function throughout pregnancy is of high clinical relevance for understanding the development of placental inflammatory disorders as well as maternal-to-fetal transmission of pathogens. In this chapter, we describe in detail the methods we developed to purify dNK from first trimester and term pregnancy placental tissues. These methods are suitable to assess their protein and gene expression profiles as well as their function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ângela C Crespo
- Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Aria Alexander
- Immunology Graduate Program, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA
- Division of Immunobiology, Center for Inflammation and Tolerance, Cincinnati Children's Hospital, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Tamara Tilburgs
- Division of Immunobiology, Center for Inflammation and Tolerance, Cincinnati Children's Hospital, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
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27
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Dubis J, Niepiekło-Miniewska W, Jędruchniewicz N, Sobczyński M, Witkiewicz W, Zapotoczny N, Kuśnierczyk P. Associations of Genes for Killer Cell Immunoglobulin-like Receptors and Their Human Leukocyte Antigen-A/B/C Ligands with Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm. Cells 2021; 10:cells10123357. [PMID: 34943866 PMCID: PMC8699266 DOI: 10.3390/cells10123357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2021] [Revised: 11/20/2021] [Accepted: 11/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is an immune-mediated disease with a genetic component. The multifactorial pathophysiology is not clear and there is still no pharmacotherapy to slow the growth of aneurysms. The signal integration of cell-surface KIRs (killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors) with HLA (ligands, human leukocyte class I antigen molecules) modulates the activity of natural killer immune cells. The genetic diversity of the KIR/HLA system is associated with the risk of immune disorders. This study was a multivariate analysis of the association between genetic variants of KIRs, HLA ligands, clinical data and AAA formation. Genotyping was performed by single polymerase chain reaction with sequence-specific primers using commercial assays. Patients with HLA-A-Bw4 have a larger aneurysm by an average of 4 mm (p = 0.008). We observed a relationship between aneurysm diameter and BMI in patients with AAA and co-existing CAD; its shape was determined by the presence of HLA-A-Bw4. There was also a nearly 10% difference in KIR3DL1 allele frequency between the study and control groups. High expression of the cell surface receptor KIR3DL1 may protect, to some extent, against AAA. The presence of HLA-A-Bw4 may affect the rate of aneurysm growth and represents a potential regional pathogenetic risk of autoimmune injury to the aneurysmal aorta.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Dubis
- Research and Development Centre, Regional Specialist Hospital, 51-124 Wroclaw, Poland;
- Correspondence: (J.D.); (P.K.)
| | - Wanda Niepiekło-Miniewska
- Laboratory of Immunogenetics and Tissue Immunology, Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences, 53-114 Wrocław, Poland;
| | | | - Maciej Sobczyński
- Laboratory of Molecular Neurobiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland;
| | - Wojciech Witkiewicz
- Department of Vascular Surgery, Regional Specialist Hospital in Wroclaw, 51-124 Wrocław, Poland; (W.W.); (N.Z.)
| | - Norbert Zapotoczny
- Department of Vascular Surgery, Regional Specialist Hospital in Wroclaw, 51-124 Wrocław, Poland; (W.W.); (N.Z.)
| | - Piotr Kuśnierczyk
- Laboratory of Immunogenetics and Tissue Immunology, Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences, 53-114 Wrocław, Poland;
- Correspondence: (J.D.); (P.K.)
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28
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Mkorombindo T, Tran-Nguyen TK, Yuan K, Zhang Y, Xue J, Criner GJ, Kim YI, Pilewski JM, Gaggar A, Cho MH, Sciurba FC, Duncan SR. HLA-C and KIR permutations influence chronic obstructive pulmonary disease risk. JCI Insight 2021; 6:e150187. [PMID: 34464355 PMCID: PMC8525585 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.150187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2021] [Accepted: 08/26/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
A role for hereditary influences in the susceptibility for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is widely recognized. Cytotoxic lymphocytes are implicated in COPD pathogenesis, and functions of these leukocytes are modulated by interactions between their killer cell Ig-like receptors (KIR) and human leukocyte antigen–Class I (HLA–Class I) molecules on target cells. We hypothesized HLA–Class I and KIR inheritance affect risks for COPD. HLA–Class I alleles and KIR genotypes were defined by candidate gene analyses in multiple cohorts of patients with COPD (total n = 392) and control smokers with normal spirometry (total n = 342). Compared with controls, patients with COPD had overrepresentations of HLA-C*07 and activating KIR2DS1, with underrepresentations of HLA-C*12. Particular HLA-KIR permutations were synergistic; e.g., the presence of HLA-C*07 + KIR2DS1 + HLA-C12null versus HLAC*07null + KIR2DS1null + HLA-C12 was associated with COPD, especially among HLA-C1 allotype homozygotes. Cytotoxicity of COPD lymphocytes was more enhanced by KIR stimulation than those of controls and was correlated with lung function. These data show HLA-C and KIR polymorphisms strongly influence COPD susceptibility and highlight the importance of lymphocyte-mediated cytotoxicity in COPD pathogenesis. Findings here also indicate that HLA-KIR typing could stratify at-risk patients and raise possibilities that HLA-KIR axis modulation may have therapeutic potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takudzwa Mkorombindo
- Division of Pulmonary, Allergy & Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | - Thi K Tran-Nguyen
- Division of Pulmonary, Allergy & Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | - Kaiyu Yuan
- Division of Pulmonary, Allergy & Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | - Yingze Zhang
- Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Jianmin Xue
- Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Gerard J Criner
- Department of Thoracic Medicine and Surgery, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Young-Il Kim
- Division of Pulmonary, Allergy & Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA.,Division of Preventive Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | - Joseph M Pilewski
- Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Amit Gaggar
- Division of Pulmonary, Allergy & Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | - Michael H Cho
- Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Frank C Sciurba
- Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Steven R Duncan
- Division of Pulmonary, Allergy & Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
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29
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Yang X, Meng T. Killer-cell immunoglobulin-like receptor/human leukocyte antigen-C combination and 'great obstetrical syndromes' (Review). Exp Ther Med 2021; 22:1178. [PMID: 34504623 PMCID: PMC8394021 DOI: 10.3892/etm.2021.10612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2020] [Accepted: 07/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL), pre-eclampsia (PE), fetal growth restriction (FGR), and preterm delivery are examples of 'great obstetrical syndromes' (GOS). Placental dysfunction is the most common pathogenesis of GOS. In human pregnancies, the effects of uterine natural killer cells involve angiogenesis, promoting the remodeling of uterine spiral artery, and improving the invasion of trophoblast cells. The uNK cells supply killer immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs), which come into contact with human leukocyte antigen-C (HLA-C) ligands expressed by extravillous trophoblast cells (EVTs). Numerous studies have investigated the association between GOS and KIR/HLA-C combination. However, the outcomes have not been conclusive. The present review aimed to reveal the association between GOS and KIR/HLA-C combination to screen out high-risk pregnancies, strengthen the treatment of pregnancy complications, and reduce the frequency of adverse maternal and fetal outcomes. It has been reported that a female with a KIR AA genotype and a neonate with a paternal HLA-C2 molecule is more prone to develop GOS and have a small fetus since less cytokines were secreted by uNK cells. Conversely, the combination of KIR BB haplotype (including the activating KIR2DS1) and HLA-C2 can induce the production of cytokines and increase trophoblast invasion, leading to the birth of a large fetus. KIR/HLA-C combinations may be applicable in selecting third-party gametes or surrogates. Detection of maternal KIR genes and HLA-C molecules from the couple could serve as useful markers for predicting and diagnosing GOS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiuhua Yang
- Department of Obstetrics, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110001, P.R. China
| | - Tao Meng
- Department of Obstetrics, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110001, P.R. China
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30
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Aguiar VRC, Augusto DG, Castelli EC, Hollenbach JA, Meyer D, Nunes K, Petzl-Erler ML. An immunogenetic view of COVID-19. Genet Mol Biol 2021; 44:e20210036. [PMID: 34436508 PMCID: PMC8388242 DOI: 10.1590/1678-4685-gmb-2021-0036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2021] [Accepted: 06/12/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Meeting the challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic requires an interdisciplinary approach. In this context, integrating knowledge of immune function with an understanding of how genetic variation influences the nature of immunity is a key challenge. Immunogenetics can help explain the heterogeneity of susceptibility and protection to the viral infection and disease progression. Here, we review the knowledge developed so far, discussing fundamental genes for triggering the innate and adaptive immune responses associated with a viral infection, especially with the SARS-CoV-2 mechanisms. We emphasize the role of the HLA and KIR genes, discussing what has been uncovered about their role in COVID-19 and addressing methodological challenges of studying these genes. Finally, we comment on questions that arise when studying admixed populations, highlighting the case of Brazil. We argue that the interplay between immunology and an understanding of genetic associations can provide an important contribution to our knowledge of COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vitor R. C. Aguiar
- Universidade de São Paulo, Departamento de Genética e Biologia
Evolutiva, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Danillo G. Augusto
- University of California, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences,
Department of Neurology, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Universidade Federal do Paraná, Departamento de Genética, Curitiba,
PR, Brazil
| | - Erick C. Castelli
- Universidade Estadual Paulista, Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu,
Departamento de Patologia, Botucatu, SP, Brazil
| | - Jill A. Hollenbach
- University of California, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences,
Department of Neurology, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Diogo Meyer
- Universidade de São Paulo, Departamento de Genética e Biologia
Evolutiva, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Kelly Nunes
- Universidade de São Paulo, Departamento de Genética e Biologia
Evolutiva, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
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31
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Marin WM, Dandekar R, Augusto DG, Yusufali T, Heyn B, Hofmann J, Lange V, Sauter J, Norman PJ, Hollenbach JA. High-throughput Interpretation of Killer-cell Immunoglobulin-like Receptor Short-read Sequencing Data with PING. PLoS Comput Biol 2021; 17:e1008904. [PMID: 34339413 PMCID: PMC8360517 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1008904] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2021] [Revised: 08/12/2021] [Accepted: 07/16/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The killer-cell immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR) complex on chromosome 19 encodes receptors that modulate the activity of natural killer cells, and variation in these genes has been linked to infectious and autoimmune disease, as well as having bearing on pregnancy and transplant outcomes. The medical relevance and high variability of KIR genes makes short-read sequencing an attractive technology for interrogating the region, providing a high-throughput, high-fidelity sequencing method that is cost-effective. However, because this gene complex is characterized by extensive nucleotide polymorphism, structural variation including gene fusions and deletions, and a high level of homology between genes, its interrogation at high resolution has been thwarted by bioinformatic challenges, with most studies limited to examining presence or absence of specific genes. Here, we present the PING (Pushing Immunogenetics to the Next Generation) pipeline, which incorporates empirical data, novel alignment strategies and a custom alignment processing workflow to enable high-throughput KIR sequence analysis from short-read data. PING provides KIR gene copy number classification functionality for all KIR genes through use of a comprehensive alignment reference. The gene copy number determined per individual enables an innovative genotype determination workflow using genotype-matched references. Together, these methods address the challenges imposed by the structural complexity and overall homology of the KIR complex. To determine copy number and genotype determination accuracy, we applied PING to European and African validation cohorts and a synthetic dataset. PING demonstrated exceptional copy number determination performance across all datasets and robust genotype determination performance. Finally, an investigation into discordant genotypes for the synthetic dataset provides insight into misaligned reads, advancing our understanding in interpretation of short-read sequencing data in complex genomic regions. PING promises to support a new era of studies of KIR polymorphism, delivering high-resolution KIR genotypes that are highly accurate, enabling high-quality, high-throughput KIR genotyping for disease and population studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wesley M. Marin
- UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Ravi Dandekar
- UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Danillo G. Augusto
- UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Tasneem Yusufali
- UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | | | | | | | | | - Paul J. Norman
- Division of Biomedical Informatics and Personalized Medicine, and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Jill A. Hollenbach
- UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
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32
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Bernal E, Gimeno L, Alcaraz MJ, Quadeer AA, Moreno M, Martínez-Sánchez MV, Campillo JA, Gomez JM, Pelaez A, García E, Herranz M, Hernández-Olivo M, Martínez-Alfaro E, Alcaraz A, Muñoz Á, Cano A, McKay MR, Muro M, Minguela A. Activating Killer-Cell Immunoglobulin-Like Receptors Are Associated With the Severity of Coronavirus Disease 2019. J Infect Dis 2021; 224:229-240. [PMID: 33928374 PMCID: PMC8135764 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiab228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2021] [Accepted: 04/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Etiopathogenesis of the clinical variability of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) remains mostly unknown. In this study, we investigate the role of killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR)/human leukocyte antigen class-I (HLA-I) interactions in the susceptibility and severity of COVID-19. METHODS We performed KIR and HLA-I genotyping and natural killer cell (NKc) receptors immunophenotyping in 201 symptomatic patients and 210 noninfected controls. RESULTS The NKcs with a distinctive immunophenotype, suggestive of recent activation (KIR2DS4low CD16low CD226low CD56high TIGIThigh NKG2Ahigh), expanded in patients with severe COVID-19. This was associated with a higher frequency of the functional A-telomeric activating KIR2DS4 in severe versus mild and/or moderate patients and controls (83.7%, 55.7% and 36.2%, P < 7.7 × 10-9). In patients with mild and/or moderate infection, HLA-B*15:01 was associated with higher frequencies of activating B-telomeric KIR3DS1 compared with patients with other HLA-B*15 subtypes and noninfected controls (90.9%, 42.9%, and 47.3%; P < .002; Pc = 0.022). This strongly suggests that HLA-B*15:01 specifically presenting severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 peptides could form a neoligand interacting with KIR3DS1. Likewise, a putative neoligand for KIR2DS4 could arise from other HLA-I molecules presenting severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 peptides expressed on infected an/or activated lung antigen-presenting cells. CONCLUSIONS Our results support a crucial role of NKcs in the clinical variability of COVID-19 with specific KIR/ligand interactions associated with disease severity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enrique Bernal
- Infectious Disease Unit, Reina Sofia University Hospital and the Instituto Murciano de Investigación Biosanitaria (IMIB), Murcia, Spain
| | - Lourdes Gimeno
- Immunology Service, Hospital Clínico Universitario Virgen de la Arrixaca (HCUVA) and Instituto Murciano de Investigación Biosanitaria (IMIB), Murcia, Spain.,Human Anatomy Department, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - María J Alcaraz
- Infectious Disease Unit, Reina Sofia University Hospital and the Instituto Murciano de Investigación Biosanitaria (IMIB), Murcia, Spain
| | - Ahmed A Quadeer
- Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China
| | - Marta Moreno
- Internal Medicine Service, Hospital Universitario Morales Meseguer, Murcia, Spain
| | - María V Martínez-Sánchez
- Immunology Service, Hospital Clínico Universitario Virgen de la Arrixaca (HCUVA) and Instituto Murciano de Investigación Biosanitaria (IMIB), Murcia, Spain
| | - José A Campillo
- Immunology Service, Hospital Clínico Universitario Virgen de la Arrixaca (HCUVA) and Instituto Murciano de Investigación Biosanitaria (IMIB), Murcia, Spain
| | - Jose M Gomez
- Internal Medicine Service, Hospital Universitario Morales Meseguer, Murcia, Spain
| | - Ana Pelaez
- Internal Medicine Service, Hospital Rafael Méndez, Lorca, Spain
| | - Elisa García
- Infectious Disesase Unit, Hospital Clínico Universitario Virgen de la Arrixaca (HCUVA) and Instituto Murciano de Investigación Biosanitaria (IMIB), Murcia, Spain
| | - Maite Herranz
- Internal Medicine Service, Hospital Universitario Morales Meseguer, Murcia, Spain
| | | | | | - Antonia Alcaraz
- Infectious Disease Unit, Reina Sofia University Hospital and the Instituto Murciano de Investigación Biosanitaria (IMIB), Murcia, Spain
| | - Ángeles Muñoz
- Infectious Disease Unit, Reina Sofia University Hospital and the Instituto Murciano de Investigación Biosanitaria (IMIB), Murcia, Spain
| | - Alfredo Cano
- Infectious Disease Unit, Reina Sofia University Hospital and the Instituto Murciano de Investigación Biosanitaria (IMIB), Murcia, Spain
| | - Matthew R McKay
- Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China.,Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China
| | - Manuel Muro
- Immunology Service, Hospital Clínico Universitario Virgen de la Arrixaca (HCUVA) and Instituto Murciano de Investigación Biosanitaria (IMIB), Murcia, Spain
| | - Alfredo Minguela
- Immunology Service, Hospital Clínico Universitario Virgen de la Arrixaca (HCUVA) and Instituto Murciano de Investigación Biosanitaria (IMIB), Murcia, Spain
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33
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Makanga DR, Jullien M, David G, Legrand N, Willem C, Dubreuil L, Walencik A, Touzeau C, Gastinne T, Tessoulin B, Le Gouill S, Mahé B, Gagne K, Chevallier P, Clemenceau B, Retière C. Low number of KIR ligands in lymphoma patients favors a good rituximab-dependent NK cell response. Oncoimmunology 2021; 10:1936392. [PMID: 34178429 PMCID: PMC8204974 DOI: 10.1080/2162402x.2021.1936392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) effector function of natural killer (NK) cells is one of the known mechanisms of action for rituximab-based anti-cancer immunotherapy. Inhibition of the ADCC function of NK cells through interactions between inhibitory killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs) and HLA class I ligands is associated with resistance of cancers to rituximab. In this study, we deeply investigated the impact of KIR, HLA class I, and CD16 genotypes on rituximab-dependent NK cell responses in both an in vitro cellular model from healthy blood donors and ex vivo rituximab-treated non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) patients. We highlight that an HLA environment with limited KIR ligands is beneficial to promoting a higher frequency of KIR+ NK cells including both educated and uneducated NK cells, two NK cell compartments that demonstrate higher rituximab-dependent degranulation than KIR− NK cells. In contrast, a substantial KIR ligand environment favors a higher frequency of poorly effective KIR− NK cells and numerous functional KIR/HLA inhibitions of educated KIR+ NK cells. These phenomena explain why NHL patients with limited KIR ligands respond better to rituximab. In this HLA environment, CD16 polymorphism appears to have a collateral effect. Furthermore, we show the synergic effect of KIR2DS1, which strongly potentiates NK cell ADCC from C2− blood donors against C2+ target cells. Taken together, these results pave the way for stronger prediction of rituximab responses for NHL patients. HLA class I typing and peripheral blood KIR+ NK cell frequency could be simple and useful markers for predicting rituximab response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dhon Roméo Makanga
- Etablissement Français Du Sang, Nantes, Nantes, France.,Université De Nantes, INSERM U1232 CNRS, CRCINA, Nantes, France.,LabEx IGO "Immunotherapy, Graft, Oncology", Nantes, France
| | | | - Gaëlle David
- Etablissement Français Du Sang, Nantes, Nantes, France.,Université De Nantes, INSERM U1232 CNRS, CRCINA, Nantes, France.,LabEx IGO "Immunotherapy, Graft, Oncology", Nantes, France
| | - Nolwenn Legrand
- Etablissement Français Du Sang, Nantes, Nantes, France.,Université De Nantes, INSERM U1232 CNRS, CRCINA, Nantes, France.,LabEx IGO "Immunotherapy, Graft, Oncology", Nantes, France
| | - Catherine Willem
- Etablissement Français Du Sang, Nantes, Nantes, France.,Université De Nantes, INSERM U1232 CNRS, CRCINA, Nantes, France.,LabEx IGO "Immunotherapy, Graft, Oncology", Nantes, France
| | - Léa Dubreuil
- Etablissement Français Du Sang, Nantes, Nantes, France.,Université De Nantes, INSERM U1232 CNRS, CRCINA, Nantes, France.,LabEx IGO "Immunotherapy, Graft, Oncology", Nantes, France
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Katia Gagne
- Etablissement Français Du Sang, Nantes, Nantes, France.,Université De Nantes, INSERM U1232 CNRS, CRCINA, Nantes, France.,LabEx IGO "Immunotherapy, Graft, Oncology", Nantes, France.,LabEx Transplantex, Université De Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Patrice Chevallier
- Université De Nantes, INSERM U1232 CNRS, CRCINA, Nantes, France.,LabEx IGO "Immunotherapy, Graft, Oncology", Nantes, France.,Hematology Clinic, CHU, Nantes, France
| | - Béatrice Clemenceau
- Université De Nantes, INSERM U1232 CNRS, CRCINA, Nantes, France.,LabEx IGO "Immunotherapy, Graft, Oncology", Nantes, France
| | - Christelle Retière
- Etablissement Français Du Sang, Nantes, Nantes, France.,Université De Nantes, INSERM U1232 CNRS, CRCINA, Nantes, France.,LabEx IGO "Immunotherapy, Graft, Oncology", Nantes, France
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34
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Prospective KIR genotype evaluation of hematopoietic cell donors is feasible with potential to benefit patients with AML. Blood Adv 2021; 5:2003-2011. [PMID: 33843984 DOI: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2020002701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2020] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Donor KIR and recipient HLA combinations that minimize inhibition and favor activation of the NK repertoire are associated with improved outcomes after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) in patients with myeloid neoplasia. We prospectively evaluated a weighted donor ranking algorithm designed to prioritize HLA-compatible unrelated donors (URDs) with weak inhibitory KIR3DL1/HLA-Bw4 interaction, followed by donors with nontolerized activating KIR2DS1, and finally those with KIR centromeric B haplotype. During donor evaluation, we performed KIR genotyping and ranked 2079 URDs for 527 subjects with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) or acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). Among all patients, 394 (75%) had at least 1 KIR-advantageous donor, and 263 (50%) underwent HCT. In patients with AML, KIR3DL1 weak inhibition provided protection from relapse. Compared with KIR3DL1-Weak Inhibiting donors, KIR3DL1-Noninteracting donors were associated with increased risk of relapse (HR, 2.97; 95% CI, 1.33-6.64; P = .008) and inferior event-free survival (EFS; HR, 2.14; 95% CI, 1.16-3.95; P = .015). KIR3DL1-Strong Inhibiting donors were associated with HR, 1.65 (95% CI, 0.66-4.08; P = .25) for AML relapse and HR, 1.6 (95% CI, 0.81-3.17; P = .1) for EFS when compared with the use of KIR3DL1-weak inhibiting donors. Donor KIR2DS1/HLA-C1 status and centromeric KIR haplotype-B content were not associated with decreased risk of AML relapse. There was no benefit to KIR-based donor selection in patients with MDS. This study demonstrates that donor KIR typing is feasible, and prioritization of donors with certain KIR3DL1 genotypes may confer a protection from relapse after HCT in patients with AML.
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35
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Martínez-Sánchez MV, Fuster JL, Campillo JA, Galera AM, Bermúdez-Cortés M, Llinares ME, Ramos-Elbal E, Pascual-Gázquez JF, Fita AM, Martínez-Banaclocha H, Galián JA, Gimeno L, Muro M, Minguela A. Expression of NK Cell Receptor Ligands on Leukemic Cells Is Associated with the Outcome of Childhood Acute Leukemia. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13102294. [PMID: 34064810 PMCID: PMC8151902 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13102294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2021] [Revised: 04/21/2021] [Accepted: 05/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Natural killer cells (NK cells) of the innate immune system are suspected of playing an important role in eliminating residual leukemia cells during maintenance chemotherapy given to children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia for about two years. This study analyzes the expression of ligands for the receptors that regulate the function of NK cells on leukemic cells of more than one hundred children with acute lymphoid and myeloid leukemia. Our results show that the loss of expression of some molecules involved in the activation of NK cells is associated with poorer survival. In addition, a genetic combination of molecules that interact to regulate NK cell function seems to be associated with a higher relapse rate during/after chemotherapy and shorter patient survival. Children who carry this genetic combination are refractory to current chemotherapy treatments, and stem cell transplantation does not seem to contribute to their cure either, and therefore, they should be considered as candidates for alternative biological therapies that might offer better results. Abstract Acute leukemia is the most common malignancy in children. Most patients are cured, but refractory/relapsed AML and ALL are the first cause of death from malignancy in children. Maintenance chemotherapy in ALL has improved survival by inducing leukemic cell apoptosis, but immune surveillance effectors such as NK cells might also contribute. The outcome of B-ALL (n = 70), T-ALL (n = 16), and AML (n = 16) pediatric patients was evaluated according to leukemic cell expression of ligands for activating and inhibiting receptors that regulate NK cell functioning. Increased expression of ULBP-1, a ligand for NKG2D, but not that of CD112 or CD155, ligands for DNAM-1, was associated with poorer 5-year event-free survival (5y-EFS, 77.6% vs. 94.9%, p < 0.03). Reduced expression of HLA-C on leukemic cells in patients with the KIR2DL1/HLA-C*04 interaction was associated with a higher rate of relapse (17.6% vs. 4.4%, p = 0.035) and lower 5y-EFS (70.6% vs. 92.6%, p < 0.002). KIR2DL1/HLA-C*04 interaction was an independent predictive factor of events (HR = 4.795, p < 0.005) or death (HR = 6.731, p < 0.005) and might provide additional information to the current risk stratification. Children who carry the KIR2DL1/HLA-C*04 interaction were refractory to current chemotherapy treatments, including allogeneic stem cell transplantation; therefore, they should be considered as candidates for alternative biological therapies that might offer better results.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Victoria Martínez-Sánchez
- Immunology Service, Clinic University Hospital Virgen de la Arrixaca and Biomedical Research Institute of Murcia (IMIB), 30120 Murcia, Spain; (M.V.M.-S.); (J.A.C.); (H.M.-B.); (J.A.G.); (L.G.); (M.M.)
| | - José Luis Fuster
- Pediatric Oncohematology Department, Clinic University Hospital Virgen de la Arrixaca and Biomedical Research Institute of Murcia (IMIB), 30120 Murcia, Spain; (J.L.F.); (A.M.G.); (M.B.-C.); (M.E.L.); (E.R.-E.); (J.F.P.-G.); (A.M.F.)
| | - José Antonio Campillo
- Immunology Service, Clinic University Hospital Virgen de la Arrixaca and Biomedical Research Institute of Murcia (IMIB), 30120 Murcia, Spain; (M.V.M.-S.); (J.A.C.); (H.M.-B.); (J.A.G.); (L.G.); (M.M.)
| | - Ana María Galera
- Pediatric Oncohematology Department, Clinic University Hospital Virgen de la Arrixaca and Biomedical Research Institute of Murcia (IMIB), 30120 Murcia, Spain; (J.L.F.); (A.M.G.); (M.B.-C.); (M.E.L.); (E.R.-E.); (J.F.P.-G.); (A.M.F.)
| | - Mar Bermúdez-Cortés
- Pediatric Oncohematology Department, Clinic University Hospital Virgen de la Arrixaca and Biomedical Research Institute of Murcia (IMIB), 30120 Murcia, Spain; (J.L.F.); (A.M.G.); (M.B.-C.); (M.E.L.); (E.R.-E.); (J.F.P.-G.); (A.M.F.)
| | - María Esther Llinares
- Pediatric Oncohematology Department, Clinic University Hospital Virgen de la Arrixaca and Biomedical Research Institute of Murcia (IMIB), 30120 Murcia, Spain; (J.L.F.); (A.M.G.); (M.B.-C.); (M.E.L.); (E.R.-E.); (J.F.P.-G.); (A.M.F.)
| | - Eduardo Ramos-Elbal
- Pediatric Oncohematology Department, Clinic University Hospital Virgen de la Arrixaca and Biomedical Research Institute of Murcia (IMIB), 30120 Murcia, Spain; (J.L.F.); (A.M.G.); (M.B.-C.); (M.E.L.); (E.R.-E.); (J.F.P.-G.); (A.M.F.)
| | - Juan Francisco Pascual-Gázquez
- Pediatric Oncohematology Department, Clinic University Hospital Virgen de la Arrixaca and Biomedical Research Institute of Murcia (IMIB), 30120 Murcia, Spain; (J.L.F.); (A.M.G.); (M.B.-C.); (M.E.L.); (E.R.-E.); (J.F.P.-G.); (A.M.F.)
| | - Ana María Fita
- Pediatric Oncohematology Department, Clinic University Hospital Virgen de la Arrixaca and Biomedical Research Institute of Murcia (IMIB), 30120 Murcia, Spain; (J.L.F.); (A.M.G.); (M.B.-C.); (M.E.L.); (E.R.-E.); (J.F.P.-G.); (A.M.F.)
| | - Helios Martínez-Banaclocha
- Immunology Service, Clinic University Hospital Virgen de la Arrixaca and Biomedical Research Institute of Murcia (IMIB), 30120 Murcia, Spain; (M.V.M.-S.); (J.A.C.); (H.M.-B.); (J.A.G.); (L.G.); (M.M.)
| | - José Antonio Galián
- Immunology Service, Clinic University Hospital Virgen de la Arrixaca and Biomedical Research Institute of Murcia (IMIB), 30120 Murcia, Spain; (M.V.M.-S.); (J.A.C.); (H.M.-B.); (J.A.G.); (L.G.); (M.M.)
| | - Lourdes Gimeno
- Immunology Service, Clinic University Hospital Virgen de la Arrixaca and Biomedical Research Institute of Murcia (IMIB), 30120 Murcia, Spain; (M.V.M.-S.); (J.A.C.); (H.M.-B.); (J.A.G.); (L.G.); (M.M.)
- Human Anatomy Department, University of Murcia (UM), 30100 Murcia, Spain
| | - Manuel Muro
- Immunology Service, Clinic University Hospital Virgen de la Arrixaca and Biomedical Research Institute of Murcia (IMIB), 30120 Murcia, Spain; (M.V.M.-S.); (J.A.C.); (H.M.-B.); (J.A.G.); (L.G.); (M.M.)
| | - Alfredo Minguela
- Immunology Service, Clinic University Hospital Virgen de la Arrixaca and Biomedical Research Institute of Murcia (IMIB), 30120 Murcia, Spain; (M.V.M.-S.); (J.A.C.); (H.M.-B.); (J.A.G.); (L.G.); (M.M.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +34-968-395-379
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Pesce S, Trabanelli S, Di Vito C, Greppi M, Obino V, Guolo F, Minetto P, Bozzo M, Calvi M, Zaghi E, Candiani S, Lemoli RM, Jandus C, Mavilio D, Marcenaro E. Cancer Immunotherapy by Blocking Immune Checkpoints on Innate Lymphocytes. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:cancers12123504. [PMID: 33255582 PMCID: PMC7760325 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12123504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2020] [Revised: 11/18/2020] [Accepted: 11/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Immune checkpoints refer to a plethora of inhibitory pathways of the immune system that play a crucial role in maintaining self-tolerance and in tuning the duration and amplitude of physiological immune responses to minimize collateral tissue damages. The breakdown of this delicate balance leads to pathological conditions, including cancer. Indeed, tumor cells can develop multiple mechanisms to escape from immune system defense, including the activation of immune checkpoint pathways. The development of monoclonal antibodies, targeting inhibitory immune checkpoints, has provided an immense breakthrough in cancer therapy. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI), initially developed to reverse functional exhaustion in T cells, recently emerged as important actors in natural killer (NK)-cell-based immunotherapy. Moreover, the discovery that also helper innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) express inhibitory immune checkpoints, suggests that these molecules might be targeted on ILCs, to modulate their functions in the tumor microenvironment. Recently, other strategies to achieve immune checkpoint blockade have been developed, including miRNA exploiting systems. Herein, we provide an overview of the current knowledge on inhibitory immune checkpoints on NK cells and ILCs and we discuss how to target these innate lymphocytes by ICI in both solid tumors and hematological malignancies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Pesce
- Department of Experimental Medicine (DIMES) and Centre of Excellence for Biomedical Research (CEBR), University of Genova, 16132 Genova, Italy; (S.P.); (M.G.); (V.O.)
| | - Sara Trabanelli
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, CH-1211 Geneva, Switzerland; (S.T.); (C.J.)
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Lausanne Branch, CH-1066 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Clara Di Vito
- Unit of Clinical and Experimental Immunology, Humanitas Clinical and Research Center, 20089 Rozzano, Milan, Italy; (C.D.V.); (M.C.); (E.Z.); (D.M.)
- Department of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine (BIOMETRA), University of Milan, 20122 Milan, Italy
| | - Marco Greppi
- Department of Experimental Medicine (DIMES) and Centre of Excellence for Biomedical Research (CEBR), University of Genova, 16132 Genova, Italy; (S.P.); (M.G.); (V.O.)
| | - Valentina Obino
- Department of Experimental Medicine (DIMES) and Centre of Excellence for Biomedical Research (CEBR), University of Genova, 16132 Genova, Italy; (S.P.); (M.G.); (V.O.)
| | - Fabio Guolo
- Clinic of Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine (DIMI), University of Genoa, 16132 Genova, Italy; (F.G.); (P.M.); (R.M.L.)
- IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, 16132 Genova, Italy
| | - Paola Minetto
- Clinic of Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine (DIMI), University of Genoa, 16132 Genova, Italy; (F.G.); (P.M.); (R.M.L.)
- IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, 16132 Genova, Italy
| | - Matteo Bozzo
- Department of Earth, Environment and Life Sciences (DISTAV), University of Genova, 16132 Genova, Italy; (M.B.); (S.C.)
| | - Michela Calvi
- Unit of Clinical and Experimental Immunology, Humanitas Clinical and Research Center, 20089 Rozzano, Milan, Italy; (C.D.V.); (M.C.); (E.Z.); (D.M.)
- Department of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine (BIOMETRA), University of Milan, 20122 Milan, Italy
| | - Elisa Zaghi
- Unit of Clinical and Experimental Immunology, Humanitas Clinical and Research Center, 20089 Rozzano, Milan, Italy; (C.D.V.); (M.C.); (E.Z.); (D.M.)
| | - Simona Candiani
- Department of Earth, Environment and Life Sciences (DISTAV), University of Genova, 16132 Genova, Italy; (M.B.); (S.C.)
| | - Roberto Massimo Lemoli
- Clinic of Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine (DIMI), University of Genoa, 16132 Genova, Italy; (F.G.); (P.M.); (R.M.L.)
- IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, 16132 Genova, Italy
| | - Camilla Jandus
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, CH-1211 Geneva, Switzerland; (S.T.); (C.J.)
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Lausanne Branch, CH-1066 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Domenico Mavilio
- Unit of Clinical and Experimental Immunology, Humanitas Clinical and Research Center, 20089 Rozzano, Milan, Italy; (C.D.V.); (M.C.); (E.Z.); (D.M.)
- Department of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine (BIOMETRA), University of Milan, 20122 Milan, Italy
| | - Emanuela Marcenaro
- Department of Experimental Medicine (DIMES) and Centre of Excellence for Biomedical Research (CEBR), University of Genova, 16132 Genova, Italy; (S.P.); (M.G.); (V.O.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-0103357888
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Anderko RR, Rinaldo CR, Mailliard RB. IL-18 Responsiveness Defines Limitations in Immune Help for Specialized FcRγ - NK Cells. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2020; 205:3429-3442. [PMID: 33188073 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.2000430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2020] [Accepted: 10/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Despite being prolific innate killers, NK cells are also key helper cells in antiviral defense, influencing adaptive immune responses via interactions with dendritic cells (DCs). In addition to causing NK cell dysfunction, HIV-1 infection contributes to the expansion of a rare population of NK cells deficient in FcRγ (FcRγ-), an intracellular adaptor protein that associates with CD16. The implications of this inflated NK cell subset in treated HIV-1 infection remain unclear. In this study, we explored the helper function of human NK cells in chronic HIV-1 infection, with a particular focus on characterizing FcRγ- NK cells. Exposure of NK cells to innate DC-derived costimulatory factors triggered their helper activity, defined by their ability to produce IFN-γ and to drive the maturation of high IL-12-producing DCs. In this setting, however, FcRγ- NK cells were defective at producing the dominant DC-polarizing agent IFN-γ. The reduced responsiveness of FcRγ- NK cells to IL-18 in particular, which was attributable to impaired inducible expression of IL-18Rα, extended beyond an inability to produce IFN-γ, as FcRγ- NK cells showed limited potential to differentiate into CD16-/CD25+/CD83+ helper cells. Notwithstanding their deficiencies in responsiveness to innate environmental cues, FcRγ- NK cells responded robustly to adaptive Ab-mediated signaling through CD16. The presence of an expanded population of FcRγ- NK cells with a diminished capacity to respond to IL-18 and to effectively modulate DC function may contribute to disturbances in proper immune homeostasis associated with HIV-1 infection and to defects in the initiation of optimal adaptive antiviral responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renee R Anderko
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261; and
| | - Charles R Rinaldo
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261; and.,Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261
| | - Robbie B Mailliard
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261; and
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Shaffer BC, Hsu KC. Selection of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant donors to optimize natural killer cell alloreactivity. Semin Hematol 2020; 57:167-174. [PMID: 33256909 DOI: 10.1053/j.seminhematol.2020.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2020] [Revised: 10/08/2020] [Accepted: 10/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells are potent mediators of the graft versus leukemia phenomenon critical to the success of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation. Central to calibrating NK effector function via their interaction with class I human leukocyte antigens are the numerous inhibitory killer Ig-like receptors (KIR). The KIR receptors are encoded by a family of polymorphic genes, whose expression is largely stochastic and uninfluenced by human leukocyte antigens genotype. These features provide the opportunity to select hematopoietic cell donors with favorable KIR genotypes that confer enhanced protection from relapse via NK-mediated graft versus leukemia. Over the last 2 decades, a large body of work has emerged examining the use of KIR genotyping to stratify potential donors based on anticipated NK alloreactivity. Overall, these results support KIR-based donor selection for patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation for a diagnosis of acute myelogenous leukemia. Despite this, the underlying factors that control NK cell responsiveness are not completely understood, and opportunities remain to refine donor selection using NK cell receptor genotyping. In this review, we will summarize the relevant findings with respect to KIR genotyping as a selection parameter for allogeneic hematopoietic cell donors and address practical considerations with respect to KIR-based selection of donors for patients with myeloid neoplasia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian C Shaffer
- Adult Bone Marrow Transplant Service, Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY; Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell School of Medicine, New York, NY
| | - Katharine C Hsu
- Adult Bone Marrow Transplant Service, Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY; Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell School of Medicine, New York, NY; Human Oncology & Pathogenesis Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY.
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39
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External validation of models for KIR2DS1/KIR3DL1-informed selection of hematopoietic cell donors fails. Blood 2020; 135:1386-1395. [PMID: 31932846 DOI: 10.1182/blood.2019002887] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2019] [Accepted: 12/11/2019] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Several studies suggest that harnessing natural killer (NK) cell reactivity mediated through killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs) could reduce the risk of relapse after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation. Based on one promising model, information on KIR2DS1 and KIR3DL1 and their cognate ligands can be used to classify donors as KIR-advantageous or KIR-disadvantageous. This study was aimed at externally validating this model in unrelated donor hematopoietic cell transplantation. The impact of the predictor on overall survival (OS) and relapse incidence was tested in a Cox regression model adjusted for patient age, a modified disease risk index, Karnofsky performance status, donor age, HLA match, sex match, cytomegalovirus match, conditioning intensity, type of T-cell depletion, and graft type. Data from 2222 patients with acute myeloid leukemia or myelodysplastic syndrome were analyzed. KIR genes were typed by using high-resolution amplicon-based next-generation sequencing. In univariable analyses and subgroup analyses, OS and the cumulative incidence of relapse of patients with a KIR-advantageous donor were comparable to patients with a KIR-disadvantageous donor. The adjusted hazard ratio from the multivariable Cox regression model was 0.99 (Wald test, P = .93) for OS and 1.04 (Wald test, P = .78) for relapse incidence. We also tested the impact of activating donor KIR2DS1 and inhibition by KIR3DL1 separately but found no significant impact on OS and the risk of relapse. Thus, our study shows that the proposed model does not universally predict NK-mediated disease control. Deeper knowledge of NK-mediated alloreactivity is necessary to predict its contribution to graft-versus-leukemia reactions and to eventually use KIR genotype information for donor selection.
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Goldenson BH, Zhu H, Wang YM, Heragu N, Bernareggi D, Ruiz-Cisneros A, Bahena A, Ask EH, Hoel HJ, Malmberg KJ, Kaufman DS. Umbilical Cord Blood and iPSC-Derived Natural Killer Cells Demonstrate Key Differences in Cytotoxic Activity and KIR Profiles. Front Immunol 2020; 11:561553. [PMID: 33178188 PMCID: PMC7593774 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.561553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2020] [Accepted: 09/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells derived or isolated from different sources have been gaining in importance for cancer therapies. In this study, we evaluate and compare key characteristics between NK cells derived or isolated from umbilical cord blood, umbilical cord blood hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells, peripheral blood, and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Specifically, we find CD56+ NK cells isolated and expanded directly from umbilical cord blood (UCB56) and NK cells derived from CD34+ hematopoietic stem/progenitors in umbilical cord blood (UCB34) differ in their expression of markers associated with differentiation including CD16, CD2, and killer Ig-like receptors (KIRs). UCB56-NK cells also displayed a more potent cytotoxicity compared to UCB34-NK cells. NK cells derived from iPSCs (iPSC-NK cells) were found to have variable KIR expression, with certain iPSC-NK cell populations expressing high levels of KIRs and others not expressing KIRs. Notably, KIR expression on UCB56 and iPSC-NK cells had limited effect on cytotoxic activity when stimulated by tumor target cells that express high levels of cognate HLA class I, suggesting that in vitro differentiation and expansion may override the KIR-HLA class I mediated inhibition when used across HLA barriers. Together our results give a better understanding of the cell surface receptor, transcriptional, and functional differences between NK cells present in umbilical cord blood and hematopoietic progenitor-derived NK cells which may prove important in selecting the most active NK cell populations for treatment of cancer or other therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin H Goldenson
- Division of Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Huang Zhu
- Division of Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - YunZu Michele Wang
- Division of Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Naveen Heragu
- Division of Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Davide Bernareggi
- Division of Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Alessa Ruiz-Cisneros
- Division of Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Andres Bahena
- Division of Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Eivind Heggernes Ask
- Department of Cancer Immunology, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Hanna Julie Hoel
- Department of Cancer Immunology, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Karl-Johan Malmberg
- Department of Cancer Immunology, Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.,The KG Jebsen Center for Cancer Immunotherapy, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.,Department of Medicine Huddinge, Center for Infectious Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Dan S Kaufman
- Division of Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, United States
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Bruijnesteijn J, de Groot NG, Bontrop RE. The Genetic Mechanisms Driving Diversification of the KIR Gene Cluster in Primates. Front Immunol 2020; 11:582804. [PMID: 33013938 PMCID: PMC7516082 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.582804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2020] [Accepted: 08/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The activity and function of natural killer (NK) cells are modulated through the interactions of multiple receptor families, of which some recognize MHC class I molecules. The high level of MHC class I polymorphism requires their ligands either to interact with conserved epitopes, as is utilized by the NKG2A receptor family, or to co-evolve with the MHC class I allelic variation, which task is taken up by the killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR) family. Multiple molecular mechanisms are responsible for the diversification of the KIR gene system, and include abundant chromosomal recombination, high mutation rates, alternative splicing, and variegated expression. The combination of these genetic mechanisms generates a compound array of diversity as is reflected by the contraction and expansion of KIR haplotypes, frequent birth of fusion genes, allelic polymorphism, structurally distinct isoforms, and variegated expression, which is in contrast to the mainly allelic nature of MHC class I polymorphism in humans. A comparison of the thoroughly studied human and macaque KIR gene repertoires demonstrates a similar evolutionarily conserved toolbox, through which selective forces drove and maintained the diversified nature of the KIR gene cluster. This hypothesis is further supported by the comparative genetics of KIR haplotypes and genes in other primate species. The complex nature of the KIR gene system has an impact upon the education, activity, and function of NK cells in coherence with an individual’s MHC class I repertoire and pathogenic encounters. Although selection operates on an individual, the continuous diversification of the KIR gene system in primates might protect populations against evolving pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesse Bruijnesteijn
- Comparative Genetics and Refinement, Biomedical Primate Research Centre, Rijswijk, Netherlands
| | - Natasja G de Groot
- Comparative Genetics and Refinement, Biomedical Primate Research Centre, Rijswijk, Netherlands
| | - Ronald E Bontrop
- Comparative Genetics and Refinement, Biomedical Primate Research Centre, Rijswijk, Netherlands.,Theoretical Biology and Bioinformatics, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
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42
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Gao F, Ye Y, Gao Y, Huang H, Zhao Y. Influence of KIR and NK Cell Reconstitution in the Outcomes of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation. Front Immunol 2020; 11:2022. [PMID: 32983145 PMCID: PMC7493622 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.02022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2020] [Accepted: 07/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells play a significant role in immune tolerance and immune surveillance. Killer immunoglobin-like receptors (KIRs), which recognize human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I molecules, are particularly important for NK cell functions. Previous studies have suggested that, in the setting of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), alloreactive NK cells from the donor could efficiently eliminate recipient tumor cells and the residual immune cells. Subsequently, several clinical models were established to determine the optimal donors who would exhibit a graft-vs. -leukemia (GVL) effect without developing graft-vs. -host disease (GVHD). In addition, hypotheses about specific beneficial receptor-ligand pairs and KIR genes have been raised and the favorable effects of alloreactive NK cells are being investigated. Moreover, with a deeper understanding of the process of NK cell reconstitution post-HSCT, new factors involved in this process and the defects of previous models have been observed. In this review, we summarize the most relevant literatures about the impact of NK cell alloreactivity on transplant outcomes and the factors affecting NK cell reconstitution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fei Gao
- Bone Marrow Transplantation Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.,Institute of Hematology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.,Zhejiang Engineering Laboratory for Stem Cell and Immunotherapy, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yishan Ye
- Bone Marrow Transplantation Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.,Institute of Hematology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.,Zhejiang Engineering Laboratory for Stem Cell and Immunotherapy, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yang Gao
- Bone Marrow Transplantation Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.,Institute of Hematology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.,Zhejiang Engineering Laboratory for Stem Cell and Immunotherapy, Hangzhou, China
| | - He Huang
- Bone Marrow Transplantation Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.,Institute of Hematology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.,Zhejiang Engineering Laboratory for Stem Cell and Immunotherapy, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yanmin Zhao
- Bone Marrow Transplantation Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.,Institute of Hematology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.,Zhejiang Engineering Laboratory for Stem Cell and Immunotherapy, Hangzhou, China
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43
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Bilal MY, Katara G, Dambaeva S, Kwak‐Kim J, Gilman‐Sachs A, Beaman KD. Clinical molecular genetics evaluation in women with reproductive failures. Am J Reprod Immunol 2020; 85:e13313. [DOI: 10.1111/aji.13313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2020] [Revised: 06/24/2020] [Accepted: 07/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Mahmood Y. Bilal
- Clinical Immunology Laboratory Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science North Chicago IL USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology Chicago Medical School Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science North Chicago IL USA
| | - Gajendra Katara
- Clinical Immunology Laboratory Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science North Chicago IL USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology Chicago Medical School Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science North Chicago IL USA
| | - Svetlana Dambaeva
- Clinical Immunology Laboratory Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science North Chicago IL USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology Chicago Medical School Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science North Chicago IL USA
| | - Joanne Kwak‐Kim
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology Chicago Medical School Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science North Chicago IL USA
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Rosalind Franklin University Health System Vernon Hills IL USA
| | - Alice Gilman‐Sachs
- Clinical Immunology Laboratory Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science North Chicago IL USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology Chicago Medical School Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science North Chicago IL USA
| | - Kenneth D. Beaman
- Clinical Immunology Laboratory Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science North Chicago IL USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology Chicago Medical School Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science North Chicago IL USA
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Sivori S, Pende D, Quatrini L, Pietra G, Della Chiesa M, Vacca P, Tumino N, Moretta F, Mingari MC, Locatelli F, Moretta L. NK cells and ILCs in tumor immunotherapy. Mol Aspects Med 2020; 80:100870. [PMID: 32800530 DOI: 10.1016/j.mam.2020.100870] [Citation(s) in RCA: 139] [Impact Index Per Article: 34.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2020] [Revised: 05/05/2020] [Accepted: 06/10/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Cells of the innate immunity play an important role in tumor immunotherapy. Thus, NK cells can control tumor growth and metastatic spread. Thanks to their strong cytolytic activity against tumors, different approaches have been developed for exploiting/harnessing their function in patients with leukemia or solid tumors. Pioneering trials were based on the adoptive transfer of autologous NK cell-enriched cell populations that were expanded in vitro and co-infused with IL-2. Although relevant results were obtained in patients with advanced melanoma, the effect was mostly limited to certain metastatic localizations, particularly to the lung. In addition, the severe IL-2-related toxicity and the preferential IL-2-induced expansion of Treg limited this type of approach. This limitation may be overcome by the use of IL-15, particularly of modified IL-15 molecules to improve its half-life and optimize the biological effects. Other approaches to harness NK cell function include stimulation via TLR, the use of bi- and tri-specific NK cell engagers (BiKE and TriKE) linking activating NK receptors (e.g. CD16) to tumor-associated antigens and even incorporating an IL-15 moiety (TriKE). As recently shown, in tumor patients, NK cells may also express inhibitory checkpoints, primarily PD-1. Accordingly, the therapeutic use of checkpoint inhibitors may unleash NK cells against PD-L1+ tumors. This effect may be predominant and crucial in tumors that have lost HLA cl-I expression, thus resulting "invisible" to T lymphocytes. Additional approaches in which NK cells may represent an important tool for cancer therapy, are to exploit the unique properties of the "adaptive" NK cells. These CD57+ NKG2C+ cells, despite their mature stage and a potent cytolytic activity, maintain a strong proliferating capacity. This property revealed to be crucial in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), particularly in the haplo-HSCT setting, to cure high-risk leukemias. T depleted haplo-HSCT (e.g. from one of the parents) allowed to save the life of thousands of patients lacking a HLA-compatible donor. In this setting, NK cells have been shown to play an essential role against leukemia cells and infections. Another major advance is represented by chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-engineered NK cells. CAR-NK, different from CAR-T cells, may be obtained from allogeneic donors since they do not cause GvHD. Accordingly, they may represent "off-the-shelf" products to promptly treat tumor patients, with affordable costs. Different from NK cells, helper ILC (ILC1, ILC2 and ILC3), the innate counterpart of T helper cell subsets, remain rather ambiguous with respect to their anti-tumor activity. A possible exception is represented by a subset of ILC3: their frequency in peri-tumoral tissues in patients with NSCLC directly correlates with a better prognosis, possibly reflecting their ability to contribute to the organization of tertiary lymphoid structures, an important site of T cell-mediated anti-tumor responses. It is conceivable that innate immunity may significantly contribute to the major advances that immunotherapy has ensured and will continue to ensure to the cure of cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simona Sivori
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Genoa, Italy; Centre of Excellence for Biomedical Research, University of Genoa, Italy
| | - Daniela Pende
- UO Immunologia, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy
| | - Linda Quatrini
- Department of Immunology, IRCCS Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù, Rome, Italy
| | - Gabriella Pietra
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Genoa, Italy; UO Immunologia, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy
| | - Mariella Della Chiesa
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Genoa, Italy; Centre of Excellence for Biomedical Research, University of Genoa, Italy
| | - Paola Vacca
- Department of Immunology, IRCCS Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù, Rome, Italy
| | - Nicola Tumino
- Department of Immunology, IRCCS Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesca Moretta
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, IRCCS Sacro Cuore Don Calabria Hospital, Negrar, Verona, Italy
| | - Maria Cristina Mingari
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Genoa, Italy; UO Immunologia, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy
| | - Franco Locatelli
- Department of Hematology/Oncology, IRCCS Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù, Rome, Italy; Department of Gynecology/Obstetrics and Pediatrics, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Moretta
- Department of Immunology, IRCCS Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù, Rome, Italy.
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Wu SY, Fu T, Jiang YZ, Shao ZM. Natural killer cells in cancer biology and therapy. Mol Cancer 2020; 19:120. [PMID: 32762681 PMCID: PMC7409673 DOI: 10.1186/s12943-020-01238-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 339] [Impact Index Per Article: 84.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2020] [Accepted: 07/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The tumor microenvironment is highly complex, and immune escape is currently considered an important hallmark of cancer, largely contributing to tumor progression and metastasis. Named for their capability of killing target cells autonomously, natural killer (NK) cells serve as the main effector cells toward cancer in innate immunity and are highly heterogeneous in the microenvironment. Most current treatment options harnessing the tumor microenvironment focus on T cell-immunity, either by promoting activating signals or suppressing inhibitory ones. The limited success achieved by T cell immunotherapy highlights the importance of developing new-generation immunotherapeutics, for example utilizing previously ignored NK cells. Although tumors also evolve to resist NK cell-induced cytotoxicity, cytokine supplement, blockade of suppressive molecules and genetic engineering of NK cells may overcome such resistance with great promise in both solid and hematological malignancies. In this review, we summarized the fundamental characteristics and recent advances of NK cells within tumor immunometabolic microenvironment, and discussed potential application and limitations of emerging NK cell-based therapeutic strategies in the era of presicion medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Song-Yang Wu
- Department of Breast Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, 200032, China
- Department of Oncology, Key Laboratory of Breast Cancer in Shanghai, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Tong Fu
- Department of Breast Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, 200032, China
- Department of Oncology, Key Laboratory of Breast Cancer in Shanghai, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Yi-Zhou Jiang
- Department of Breast Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, 200032, China.
- Department of Oncology, Key Laboratory of Breast Cancer in Shanghai, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China.
| | - Zhi-Ming Shao
- Department of Breast Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, 200032, China.
- Department of Oncology, Key Laboratory of Breast Cancer in Shanghai, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China.
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Phenotypic and Functional Characterization of NK Cells in αβT-Cell and B-Cell Depleted Haplo-HSCT to Cure Pediatric Patients with Acute Leukemia. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:cancers12082187. [PMID: 32764469 PMCID: PMC7463940 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12082187] [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: 06/26/2020] [Revised: 07/31/2020] [Accepted: 08/01/2020] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
NK cells can exert remarkable graft-versus-leukemia (GvL) effect in HLA-haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (haplo-HSCT). Here, we dissected the NK-cell repertoire of 80 pediatric acute leukemia patients previously reported to have an excellent clinical outcome after αβT/B-depleted haplo-HSCT. This graft manipulation strategy allows the co-infusion of mature immune cells, mainly NK and γδT cells, and hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). To promote NK-cell based antileukemia activity, 36/80 patients were transplanted with an NK alloreactive donor, defined according to the KIR/KIR-Ligand mismatch in the graft-versus-host direction. The analysis of the reconstituted NK-cell repertoire in these patients showed relatively high proportions of mature and functional KIR+NKG2A-CD57+ NK cells, including the alloreactive NK cell subset, one month after HSCT. Thus, the NK cells adoptively transfused with the graft persist as a mature source of effector cells while new NK cells differentiate from the donor HSCs. Notably, the alloreactive NK cell subset was endowed with the highest anti-leukemia activity and its size in the reconstituted repertoire could be influenced by human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) reactivation. While the phenotypic pattern of donor NK cells did not impact on post-transplant HCMV reactivation, in the recipients, HCMV infection/reactivation fostered a more differentiated NK-cell phenotype. In this cohort, no significant correlation between differentiated NK cells and relapse-free survival was observed.
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Responsiveness to Influenza Vaccination Correlates with NKG2C-Expression on NK Cells. Vaccines (Basel) 2020; 8:vaccines8020281. [PMID: 32517137 PMCID: PMC7349951 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines8020281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2020] [Revised: 05/24/2020] [Accepted: 06/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Influenza vaccination often results in a large percentage of low responders, especially in high-risk groups. As a first line of defense, natural killer (NK) cells play a crucial role in the fight against infections. However, their implication with regard to vaccine responsiveness is insufficiently assessed. Therefore, this study aimed at the validation of essential NK cell features potentially associated with differential vaccine responsiveness with a special focus on NKG2C- and/or CD57-expressing NK cells considered to harbor memory-like functions. To this end, 16 healthy volunteers were vaccinated with an adjuvanted pandemic influenza vaccine. Vaccine responders and low responders were classified according to their hemagglutination inhibition antibody titers. A majority of responders displayed enhanced frequencies of NKG2C-expressing NK cells 7- or 14-days post-vaccination as compared to low responders, whereas the expression of CD57 was not differentially modulated. The NK cell cytotoxic potential was found to be confined to CD56dimCD16+ NKG2C-expressing NK cells in the responders but not in the low responders, which was further confirmed by stochastic neighbor embedding analysis. The presented study is the first of its kind that ascribes CD56dimCD16+ NKG2C-expressing NK cells a crucial role in biasing adaptive immune responses upon influenza vaccination and suggests NKG2C as a potential biomarker in predicting pandemic influenza vaccine responsiveness.
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Auer ED, Tong HV, Amorim LM, Malheiros D, Hoan NX, Issler HC, Petzl-Erler ML, Beltrame MH, Boldt ABW, Toan NL, Song LH, Velavan TP, Augusto DG. Natural killer cell receptor variants and chronic hepatitis B virus infection in the Vietnamese population. Int J Infect Dis 2020; 96:541-547. [PMID: 32422377 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijid.2020.05.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2020] [Revised: 05/05/2020] [Accepted: 05/07/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Genes of host immunity play an important role in disease pathogenesis and are determinants of clinical courses of infections, including hepatitis B virus (HBV). Killer-cell immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR), expressed on the surface of natural killer cells (NK), regulate NK cell cytotoxicity by interacting with human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I molecules and are candidates for influencing the course of HBV. This study evaluated whether variations in KIR gene content and HLA-C ligands are associated with HBV and with the development of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. METHODS A Vietnamese study cohort (HBV n = 511; controls n = 140) was genotyped using multiplex sequence-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR-SSP) followed by melting curve analysis. RESULTS The presence of the functional allelic group of KIR2DS4 was associated with an increased risk of chronic HBV (OR = 1.86, pcorr = 0.02), while KIR2DL2+HLA-C1 (OR = 0.62, pcorr = 0.04) and KIR2DL3+HLA-C1 (OR = 0.48, pcorr = 0.04) were associated with a decreased risk. The pair KIR2DL3+HLA-C1 was associated with liver cirrhosis (OR = 0.40, pcorr = 0.01). The presence of five or more activating KIR variants was associated with hepatocellular carcinoma (OR = 0.53, pcorr = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS KIR gene content variation and combinations KIR-HLA influence the outcome of HBV infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eduardo Delabio Auer
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Genética, Departamento de Genética, Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR), Curitiba, Brazil
| | - Hoang Van Tong
- Institute of Tropical Medicine, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany; Department of Pathophysiology, Vietnam Military Medical University, Hanoi, Viet Nam; Vietnamese German Center for Medical Research (VGCARE), Hanoi, Viet Nam
| | - Leonardo Maldaner Amorim
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Genética, Departamento de Genética, Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR), Curitiba, Brazil
| | - Danielle Malheiros
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Genética, Departamento de Genética, Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR), Curitiba, Brazil
| | - Nghiem Xuan Hoan
- Institute of Tropical Medicine, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany; Vietnamese German Center for Medical Research (VGCARE), Hanoi, Viet Nam; Institute of Clinical Infectious Diseases, Hanoi, Viet Nam
| | - Hellen Caroline Issler
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Genética, Departamento de Genética, Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR), Curitiba, Brazil
| | - Maria Luiza Petzl-Erler
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Genética, Departamento de Genética, Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR), Curitiba, Brazil
| | - Márcia Holsbach Beltrame
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Genética, Departamento de Genética, Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR), Curitiba, Brazil
| | - Angelica Beate Winter Boldt
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Genética, Departamento de Genética, Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR), Curitiba, Brazil
| | - Nguyen Linh Toan
- Department of Pathophysiology, Vietnam Military Medical University, Hanoi, Viet Nam; Vietnamese German Center for Medical Research (VGCARE), Hanoi, Viet Nam
| | - Le Huu Song
- Vietnamese German Center for Medical Research (VGCARE), Hanoi, Viet Nam; Institute of Clinical Infectious Diseases, Hanoi, Viet Nam
| | - Thirumalaisamy P Velavan
- Institute of Tropical Medicine, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany; Vietnamese German Center for Medical Research (VGCARE), Hanoi, Viet Nam; Faculty of Medicine, Duy Tan University, Da Nang, Viet Nam.
| | - Danillo G Augusto
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Genética, Departamento de Genética, Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR), Curitiba, Brazil.
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Falco M, Pende D, Munari E, Vacca P, Mingari MC, Moretta L. Natural killer cells: From surface receptors to the cure of high-risk leukemia (Ceppellini Lecture). HLA 2020; 93:185-194. [PMID: 30828978 PMCID: PMC6767140 DOI: 10.1111/tan.13509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2019] [Accepted: 03/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells are innate immune effector cells involved in the first line of defense against viral infections and malignancies. In the last three decades, the identification of HLA class I‐specific inhibitory killer immunoglobulin‐like receptors (KIR) and of the main activating receptors has strongly improved our understanding of the mechanisms regulating NK cell functions. The increased knowledge on how NK cells discriminate healthy cells from damaged cells has made it possible to transfer basic research notions to clinical applications. Of particular relevance is the strong NK‐mediated anti‐leukemia effect in haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation to cure high‐risk leukemia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michela Falco
- Laboratorio di Immunologia Clinica e Sperimentale, IRCCS Istituto G. Gaslini, Genoa, Italy
| | - Daniela Pende
- Laboratorio di Immunologia, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy
| | - Enrico Munari
- Department of Pathology, IRCCS Sacro Cuore Don Calabria Hospital, Negrar, Italy
| | - Paola Vacca
- Department of Immunology, IRCCS Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù, Rome, Italy
| | - Maria C Mingari
- Laboratorio di Immunologia, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy.,Department of Experimental Medicine (DIMES) and CEBR, Università di Genova, Genoa, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Moretta
- Department of Immunology, IRCCS Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù, Rome, Italy
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Goodson-Gregg FJ, Krepel SA, Anderson SK. Tuning of human NK cells by endogenous HLA-C expression. Immunogenetics 2020; 72:205-215. [PMID: 32219494 PMCID: PMC7182622 DOI: 10.1007/s00251-020-01161-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2020] [Accepted: 03/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
NK cells are primarily responsible for detecting malignant or pathogen-infected cells, and their function is influenced both by stress-associated activating signals and opposing inhibitory signals from receptors that recognize self MHC. The receptors that produce this inhibitory signal shift from the NKG2A:HLA-E system to that of KIR:HLA as the NK cells mature. This maturation is associated with an increase in lytic activity, as well as an increase in HLA-C protein levels controlled by the NK-specific HLA-C promoter, NK-Pro. We propose that modulation of the translatability of HLA-C transcripts in NK cells constitutes an evolutionary mechanism to control cis inhibitory signaling by HLA-C, which fine tunes NK cell activity. Furthermore, the high degree of variability in KIR receptor affinity for HLA alleles, as well as the variable expression levels of both KIR and HLA, suggest an evolutionary requirement for the tuning of NK lytic activity. Various data have demonstrated that mature NK cells may gain or lose lytic activity when placed in different environments. This indicates that NK cell activity may be more a function of constant tuning by inhibitory signals, rather than a static, irreversible "license to kill" granted to mature NK cells. Inhibitory signaling controls the filling of the cytolytic granule reservoir, which becomes depleted if there are insufficient inhibitory signals, leading to a hyporesponsive NK cell. We propose a novel model for the tuning of human NK cell activity via cis interactions in the context of recent findings on the mechanism of NK education.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frederick J Goodson-Gregg
- Laboratory of Cancer Immunometabolism, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD, 21702, USA
| | - Stacey A Krepel
- Laboratory of Cancer Immunometabolism, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD, 21702, USA
| | - Stephen K Anderson
- Basic Science Program, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD, 21702, USA.
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